THE BABYMOON – TRIED AND TESTED
The babymoon – it’s fair to say we took a few… Not just the “last jam before the pram” before the arrival, but at regular intervals through 9 months of growing the baby. Our choices were around Baby P and to be sure I got the relaxing and de-stressing breaks I needed to…
View PostCHARMING COTSWOLDS STAY AT THE LYGON ARMS
We’ve been lucky enough to stay at the Chewton Glen and Cliveden House a number of times. There are few teams and hotels that know hospitality better. I have for a long time been wary of what’s on offer hotel-wise in the Cotswolds as much of it looks a bit like Little London.…
View PostP&P RECOMMENDED: LONDON HOTEL DIRECTORY
If we stay in London then it’s normally got something to do with work. Or to break up the commuting week. As stays are mainly for work they err on the practical and functional side of things. Sometimes though, we make a London date night of it and have been working our way around…
View PostAN INTIMATE SUPPER AT EVELYN’S TABLE
When you find a food style you enjoy… Stick to it. We were taken to Machneyuda when we were in Jerusalem. And to our delight, there’s a growing list of restaurants in London run by the same group. I’m pleased to say we have now enjoyed them all. Each slightly different, but all…
View PostP&P RECOMMENDED: OUR HOTEL DIRECTORY
It is fair to say I can be fussy when it comes to choosing a hotel. Which does mean if we have stayed somewhere we liked, then it comes recommended! Way back in 2015 there was a travel link-up theme about places we can’t get out of our head. In 2015 I picked 6…
View PostRELAXED WEEKENDING AT TIMBRELL’S YARD
We booked our stay at Timbrell’s Yard after I made a shock discovery… Mr P was away for over half of February with work and he also had a ski holiday and weekend in Cape Town squeezed in. In a very first world way, with no trips planned, I was feeling hard done…
View PostA QUIET WEEKEND IN CORNWALL TO REMEMBER
Sometimes all anyone needs is a weekend away, in Cornwall. Away from the chores, the need to do a food shop, catch up on work or (heaven forbid) do anything strenuous. A weekend away in a nice place that isn’t home. No 3G, no TV, just some fresh air and sea views. Time…
View PostTHE MAGICAL NORTH COAST OF CORNWALL
The north coast of Cornwall is magical. Especially the bits that few visitors find! Ask many where to go on the north coast of Cornwall and you’d oft hear Padstow, Rock, ‘The Scarlet’, Bude top of the list… Charming yes, But there is so much more. And it’s truly Cornish… Let me share…
View PostCornish walks: Porthgwarra to Nanjizal
The coastline of Cornwall is a complete set of footpaths. So there is no shortage of stunning walks. Each time we visit Cornwall we find a new one – normally one that has been mentioned years ago by my Grandpa or parents. This time, with a windy north-easterly wind forecast, we headed for the south…
View PostA treehouse retreat: elegance and luxury at the Chewton Glen
“It’s definitely a treehouse” Mr P squeaked at me last Friday! Since the opening in 2012, I have been lusting after a stay. The Chewton Glen has long been our favourite place to squirrel away near home for some quality RnR. But we have never stayed in the trees. Until now! I didn’t…
View PostAstor Grill at Cliveden House
Where has the time gone since we were special guests at Cliveden House? Somehow I neglected to write my post about the charming Astor Grill. It’s one of those places that I wish was just at the end of my road at home. Maybe just a little bit further away, for a nice stroll through the countryside?…
View PostSpring walk: the Purbeck coast
It had been far too long since my last visit to the Purbeck coast in Dorset! Perhaps 1996-ish for my Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s award… Which was also the time I route-planned us along an electricity pylon rather than a bridleway! The Easter weekend gave us the chance to go and explore and we…
View PostSpring walk: South Downs lambs and bluebells
A little spring walk in the South Downs turned into the sort of walk that would leave a bluebell-hunter or cute animal lover very fulfilled! I am neither, but I was ‘full of the joys’… We stumbled across this walk thanks to two things. Firstly we had lunch booked with friends at The Bluebell…
View PostA magical return to Cliveden House
Given the opportunity, I would live at Cliveden every weekend! It’s captivating. And it is easily understood why Cliveden is repeatedly in the chocolates at luxury award ceremonies… There aren’t many places which have been restored so attentively and can offer guests the chance to stay in such a historical and grand location,…
View PostThe Kitchen at the Chewton Glen
Visits to the Chewton Glen are always a resounding success. Being invited to dine at ‘The Kitchen’ on its opening night was definitely that. The Kitchen is a new adventure for the Chewton Glen. An exciting and informal one. We loved the hotel as it was – the quintessentially english luxuriousness. It’s somewhere we love to celebrate…
View PostChewton Glen – a luxury weekend escape
This fabulous hotel is where my love affair with luxury began. So we return to visit the Chewton Glen like an old friend on special occasions! In February, in between our birthday’s, we scheduled a staycation as a little treat. We really couldn’t have planned the timing better around all things work and life…
View PostA weekend in the Cotswolds
Last year between May in Tel Aviv and India in December, we didn’t really take much time off work. We did manage to balance the work mania with the odd long weekend in France, Stockholm and Italy. In November we fitted in another of these. This time a weekend staycation in the Cotswolds…
View PostMy Cornwall Directory
I’ve been visiting west Cornwall a few times a year for longer than I remember. My Gran lives there and we head down for long weekends with my parents or by ourselves to explore a little more. Cornwall seems to be growing in popularity and it seemed like a very good time to…
View PostInns and cottages for a perfect staycation
One thing I adore about the UK is the plethora of great little inns and cottages on offer. If you want to get off the beaten track and find something a little different when it comes to luxury you’ll find it. The luxury of privacy, space and charming hosts. Here are a few…
View PostGormley at Winchester Cathedral
Over Easter we took in a bit of culture. Years back the Gormley human sculptures were lurking on rooftops across London and I loved them (after the initial panic when they first arrived that there were ‘jumpers’ all over London), in fact there is still one right outside our office! When I heard…
View PostMottisfont National Trust
As they say, every day is a learning day and that was certainly the case at Mottisfont on Good Friday. The first learning was that this was ‘the’ place to be on Good Friday, who knew!… It was queueing for entry at 10am opening time, this being the first warm and sunny day…
View PostI’d like an Easter staycation please
Easter is sneaking up out of nowhere and we have NO plans! This is incredible – not only does that never happen but it is oh so very exciting to have no plans. March has been crazy busy (more soon) and after Easter I have a big deadline (may impact on one day…
View PostWander-full Wales Weekend
Wales in winter? Yes. The UK is great all year round – and our weekend in Wales in February lays proof to that. Chilly, yes, and a risk of rain and wind, but look at the picture above. As one of my friends that lives near here said when she saw the photo,…
View PostRecharging in Cornwall
After a busy few months at work (and Mr P working hard to beat my business airmiles haul) we were unreasonably excited about two nights away – together – in Cornwall. Surprisingly it is only our second trip down there this year – we were well overdue some cornish charm and R&R. It was…
View PostTravel Linkup – favourite things
The Sound of Music is my all-time favourite film, still – as I reach my mid-thirties!! Imagine my delight when Kelly, Emma and Rebecca and their lovely co-host Frankie, The Mischievous Mayfairy, announced this month’s travel link-up was about our favourite things. Instantly I was humming the tune, followed swiftly by ‘Edelweiss’ which is my favourite. I wondered as I…
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