I’m not really a great traveller as I’m a real home bird and although I have enjoyed holidays in other places, Paris is the only place that has captured my heart enough to return to again and again. This latest trip was my 15th visit to this beautiful city and I still haven’t quite ticked off everything on my list that I want to see but I’m going to share some of my favourites with you. We have mainly stayed…
I’ve been going to Paris regularly for the last 20 years but with my mum being so ill over the last 3 years I was afraid to book any holidays where I couldn’t just jump into the car and get back home quickly so holidays had been put on the back burner during that time of caring for my Mum. Due to the complications of long term chemo my Mum’s kidneys failed 3 years ago and she became critically ill…
Now everyone knows how much I love Laura Ashley as a brand and I’m also partial to a luxury hotel mini break so when I got the chance to go and stay in the beautiful Laura Ashley hotel The Belsfield I quite literally jumped at it! My husband had a week off work when the hotel had availability so we booked flights to Liverpool from Belfast and hired a car to drive to the gorgeous Lake District. The Belsfield is…
Powerscourt Hotel is situated in the truly stunning Powerscourt Estate in Co Wicklow with the Sugar Loaf mountain providing a spectacular backdrop to this beautiful and imposing building. Everything about this place is impressive and the minute you step through the front doors into the beautifully opulent foyer you get a sense of luxury and relaxation with the large fireplaces, beautiful floral displays and seating areas with jazz music softly playing in the background. We had previously stayed in one…
We are lucky enough to live just a couple of hours drive from Dublin so when hubby had a week off work recently we decided to drive down and stay overnight for a little mini break. We stayed in the Clayton Hotel Burlington Road which is around 15 minutes walk from the city centre. One of my favourite things about Dublin are the stunning Georgian doors which feature prominently around the city. So imagine my delight when I stepped out of…
I’ve been to London on a few occasions but had never made it to Fortnums so when Sally from @gettingstuffdoneinheels suggested that we go there for lunch after attending the Laura Ashley press event together I jumped at the chance! I had always wanted to visit this beautiful store and it certainly didn’t disappoint with its sense of occasion and stunning decor. I’m so glad that my first time here was at this time of year as it was so…
As my mum is very ill and sometimes has to go into hospital at short notice I didn’t want to travel too far on our holidays this year. My sister Joanna lives in Scotland and she is brilliant at coming over to stay and help out with changing mums dressings etc while I’m away but I like to know I can jump in the car and get back home fairly quickly so this was obviously a factor when deciding where…
As my husband travels a lot with work he usually likes to relax at home over the weekend and we don’t tend to go far. I hate shopping when it’s busy so we usually avoid town and head to the garden centre for a late breakfast or an early lunch. This weekend I decided to make a picnic and we went a run down the coast to the beautiful little village of Portballintrae. Portballintrae is a beautiful seaside village in…
Paris has a very special place in my heart and I have visited it many times. I’m a real homebird and not a great traveller but there is something about Paris that draws me back time and time again. I love the history, architecture, museums, beautiful parks and patisseries. I’m often asked for recommendations and advice when friends go to Paris and I’m going to share a few of my favourite things with you along with some hopefully helpful…