Monthly Archives: October 2016

A Mummy’s Guide To Ibiza – Part 1

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A few years ago a colleague of mine told me that his original opinion of me that I was ” not fun, stuck up and a bit of a princess” but he had realised he was wrong. He probably didn’t know about Gav The Chav at the time or what the Armstrongs can be like. I am full of surprises (she writes as she listens to Kanye West) however I agreed to go to Ibiza anxiously as I have been feeling like a boring mum, how my colleague originally saw me recently, couldn’t even remember the last time I had been clubbing let alone seen the sun rise…

About 2 months ago, on my way to work, during a particularly tough week I started day dreaming about getting on the train to Gatwick and on a flight to Ibiza so it was fate when shortly after my colleague asked me if I wanted to go on a girls’ trip to Ibiza, it was meant to be! If anybody ever asks you if you want to go to Ibiza, SAY YES! You owe it to yourself , you owe to the world!

Vegas rules apply in Ibiza but there is plenty to blog about…

BEACHES

I had no idea how beautiful Ibiza was, on the first day we actually took a boat to Formentera,

which was a great way to start the holiday, it was pretty empty and super chilled, we were switched off from real life in hours. We could have hired bikes but ended up using taxis and one bus, most expensive bus ride of my life actually, 4 bloody euros for a 10 mins ride and with the exchange rate crashing whilst I was there it seemed ridiculous. The first beach we went to was Playa Migjorn, a bit windy but lovely.

We had lunch by the beach at http://www.arenals.com/, food was nice and the view was just great, obviously we had sangria, I think we had sangria with every meal!

We then went over to Playa Illetes, now this is a seriously beautiful beach, one of the nicest I have ever seen in the world. I’m not great taking pictures, the colour of the water and the clarity was 10 times better than it seems on these. I’ve added some filters to try to give you a better idea.

I could have sat there all day, unfortunately we had a boat to catch, actually we didn’t! We got the boat times wrong and ended up waiting around, such is life….

We went to Las Salinas on Ibiza the next day, this was my favourite beach, because it was SO MUCH FUN! I’ve rarely been as relaxed as whilst having lunch and drinking sangria (of course) at Sa Trinxa. We laughed and laughed and were aghast at the show the 2 nudists were putting on next to us on the beach, I can’t go into details but this must have been rehearsed, they had a whole routine going…

The whole vibe of the beach is just heavenly: everyone is happy, relaxed, friendly and living life to the full. I definitely don’t do enough of this. The beach bar plays great music and I will definitely be going back, cheers to Las Salinas!

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The other really notable beach we went to was Cala Conta, again super relaxed, beautiful water and the perfect place for a sundowner at Sunset Ashram. No entertainment this time except some particularly beautiful bodies to admire…

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Here are a few more pictures to give you an idea:

And this video basically sums the Ibiza vibe up:

That’s it for now, in the next post I will tell you about my new favourite place in the world Destino and why a trip to Ibiza is not complete without going to DC10

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European Mummy Goes to Ibiza

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Nearly 2 years after my daughter was born, I’m finally going away with girlfriends and nobody else! It’s been a long summer and I soooo excited to be having a proper adult girlie holiday.

We’re staying in an AirBnb in Ibiza Town. Unfortunately Vegas Rules apply in Ibiza so I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to blog about!

See you later everybody!!!

Why The Four Seasons Hampshire is Perfect For a Weekend Away With a Toddler

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Last weekend, A and I escaped London for 24 hours at the Four Seasons in Hampshire and it was glorious!

It’s only 40 mins on the train from Waterloo, the best part of this was that a couple and their slightly older toddler for on next to us and basically the 2 toddlers entertained each other and then the dad started singing nursery rhymes! Travelling alone with a toddler isn’t easy, with 2 bags and a buggy, I felt like a mule!

Yep A is wearing pearls a la Theresa May…

This was the easiest train ride with A ever. We then took a 10 mins taxi ride from the station, of course A fell asleep en route and woke the min we got there!
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I booked the stay via my American Express Platinum card that has a great program for certain hotels, this is one of them and so we got early check-in, late checkout (4pm), a room upgrade and £85 towards food and drink. These extras really made the stay very enjoyable, you don’t want to be hanging around with a toddler for ever!

The room had everything we needed (including Childs Farm products that we adore!)


After dropping our bags in the really spacious room that looked out onto the massive grounds, the first thing we did was have a great lunch outside, it was so nice to eat outside, doesn’t happen often in late September!


Then it was time for a nap, I thought she was asleep in her cot (this is a real cot, not a travel cot, which makes a big difference comfort wise) but she woke after 2 mins! I will be sad the day naps end!

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Took her another 30 mins to finally fall asleep on “mummy’s bed”, I actually fell asleep next to her, that bed was so comfortable!!!


We went to the playground, to see the chickens and finally we went swimming in the very warm pool. We tried to go cycling but the only helmet left didn’t fit 😦

Look at that face!

I had a lovely margarita whilst she had dinner then it was time for milk in the very big bed whilst watching telly. One of the best parts about the hotel is you can go to the bar and give your toddler dinner and nobody bats an eye lid, there were other families around so I felt totally comfortable with A. The staff were very sweet to both of us and are clearly experienced with dealing with children! I have to say it feels very indulgent to order warm milk for your toddler and have it arrive on a silver tray! The milk came really quickly so credit to room service!

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I then came up with the genius plan to put the cot in the bathroom for the night (clearly this only works with a big bathroom!) so I could order room service and watch X Factor without disturbing her. I highly recommend doing this!


The next day, we went down for breakfast after more room service milk in bed! Now this is where travelling with a toddler is a real pain in my opinion, you can’t (well I never can) have a long leisurely breakfast with a toddler. It’s always rushed and a bit of a pain really! Such a waste, I need to work on this! The continental breakfast was included in our room rate but I was dying to eat some sausages and bacon!

We finally managed to go cycling after breakfast and it was one of my favourite things I have ever done with A, it was the perfect morning but man cycling up a hill with a 12 kg toddler behind you is not easy! I stopped for a min to take it all in, we were in such beautiful peaceful surroundings and I felt very grateful for being there.


Before leaving, A made a friend in the free kids club, where she had a great time and they both ran to a helicopter that had been hired by guests and were keen to climb in!

It was then time for some last delicious food before falling asleep in the taxi again!

Thank you to all the staff, who looked after us, I hope to come back soon!
In the meantime, here’s a summary of why it’s a great place to go with children:
-Child’s Farm products in the bathroom
-free nappies, swimming nappies and a pack of wipes (less to carry!)
-free food and drink for under 5s
-free kids club (you have to stay with under 3s)
-a massive estate to run around on
-a proper cot not an uncomfortable travel one
-a toy box at reception where they can pick a gift
-very friendly staff who never make you feel like you’re child isn’t welcome
-children’s cutlery and plastic bowls, plates etc
-small bikes or seats for them on the back that are free to hire

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