So I recently decided to book a spontaneous three day trip to Madrid, with the new man in tow and while I wasn't really feeling asking him to shoot outfit pictures just yet, I had to produce a little city guide.
It was my second time in Madrid, and I have to admit that I wasn't overwhelmed the first time so I really researched different places this time and think I found a few gems.
1. parque del retiro
Starting with an obvious one, but we naturally had to have a little wander around El Retiro park. It's full of beautiful grounds and has a huge lake (? or pond?) in the centre where you can hire little rowing boats. Overall a pretty romantic place to stroll around - plus there's loads of little cafes to stop for an ice cream...
The reason we ended up picking Madrid for our little break was actually due to an email from Room007 offering us a complimentary stay which was perfectly timed. Room007 is a hostel but with all of the amenities of a hotel. We had a private room which was v.important to me (I don't think I'm a sharing kind of girl!) with a cute little shower and toilet encased within. The room was pretty much brand new and super minimal with a cool Scandi vibe which I loved. Pretty much all you need for a few nights R&R.
Worth mentioning we did have a few problems with our reservation (i.e. a receptionist came into our room at 4am thinking it was empty and woke us up!) but the hotel dealt with it professionally and all ended well so overall I totally recommend a stay!
This was potentially my favourite place to visit - Platea is a beautifully decorated 'restaurant' for want of a better word, but with loads of different cuisines and two cocktail bars inside. The atmosphere was buzzing and the fact you're seated with a menu rather than having to trawl around ordering from different places was a total plus.
I went for pulled pork tacos which were amazzzing, while Mike had a steak because he literally always gets that.
We also sampled the bar on the entry level and it was fab. I had a gin Collins while Mike had a Negroni. He's a bar manager/mixologist guy by trade and says they were good - so there's your review!
As our hotel didn't have a pool, and the weather hit a ridiculous 35 degrees - we went on a search for somewhere we could chill out and have a dip. While Madrid does have various lidos, I had heard that they get very busy so we looked for something a little more private.
Roommate Oscar is a hotel in the town centre where you can pay €35 each to relax on their roof terrace, use their towels and be greeted with a glass of champagne on arrival. Totally worth it and a lovely space. Just a warning though, everything up here is really pricey so bare that in mind!
This one was recommended to us by a few friends, and it proved a winner. Brix is a cute little cafe/restaurant with the most adorable interiors perched in The Nine Streets area, settled amongst lots of boutiques and independent brands. James ordered a 'chicken thigh burger' and that's what turned up. It was pretty epic, not even mentioning the fresh flowers and marble tables.
£? €30 for two for lunch
2. citizen m, amsterdam
I'm pretty much an advocate for Citizen M hotels now, and if I like somewhere I will stay there whenever I can. With the coolest, most modern rooms ever, a huge TV and loads of movies as well as a 24 hour bar/restaurant downstairs - could anyone complain, ever? The staff were beyond brilliant too, so friendly and they even offer free bikes to explore the city if you didn't fancy the 45 second walk to the tram stop, because... you know.
3. sissy boy
Stop the press, I have literally found my haven. I visited Sissy Boy three times in three days while in Amsterdam. It's the most wonderful brand that has their own line of womens, mens and childrenswear as well as the most adorable home wear you can imagine. I fell head over heels in love with SO much, but naturally having hand luggage only meant I nearly left empty handed. Luckily you can shop online to the UK, so fill ya boots.
4. libertine cafe
This was an adorable little spot in "De Negen Straatjes" or The Nine Streets to you and I, and was a great place to grab lunch. Libertine has a pretty little menu but with the entire thing having an Italian delicatessen feel, while perched on a marble/dark wood table/chair combo, it's set to be a winner.
£? €30-50 for two for lunch
5. the breakfast club
I mean, we couldn't not go to the Breakfast Club when James runs one, could we? This one isn't affiliated with any in the UK, but still cute nonetheless. A little less kitsch, but still offering damn good pancakes - potentially even the best I've had. James went for a Cuban sandwich which he said was fantastic, so overall a definite must-eat.
£? €15-20 a head for brunch
6. the maker store
Pretty much the coolest 'brick-a-brac' (totally an injustice) store you'll stumble upon. Selling all sorts of handmade pieces and stocking all sorts of independent brands of everything from whiskey to magazines. A total treasure trove if you're local.
Remember this post, way back when? Well this is the second instalment! I'd say it's long awaited, but it's probably not so I'm just going to get on with it.
1. brickwood coffee
Finally, I get the chance to scream and shout about my favourite coffee shop in London. I spend at least 80% of my working week in here, they put my order on as soon as I walk through the door and we've even made first name friends with most of the guys that work there. If you're ever in the South, I'd totally recommend checking it out. My favourites are the Kumara (sweet potato, poached eggs and feta on sourdough) and the French toasted brioche is amazing.
P.S. I go to the Clapham Common branch, but they have one in Balham and Tooting too.
£? Food on average £7-10 a dish and a coffee £2.80ish.
Potentially the coolest hotel I've ever stayed in, with moodlighting and a huge iPad controlled tv. James was entertained all night (and I had to put up with bloody film after film), but this super cool hotel has just opened up in Shoreditch to accompany their other London branch and it's well worth the visit for a trip, or even a staycation like us.
Make sure you pay the breakfast bar a visit, potentially at whatever time you like as it's open 24 hours a day!
£? 130+
3. milk coffee
Oops, another coffee shop. Can you see where I spend most of my time? Milk is another fave, this time located in Balham. The food is essentially bloody great, but to be honest you just need to go for the iced coffee and burnt butter and hazelnut cake. James recommends The Convict to eat (we're talking an English muffin, sausage, scrambled eggs, bacon and their spesh hangover sauce, all topped with mountains of fresh parmesan) but it's all pretty great.
Dotted all over London are these cute little shabby chic French cafés - great for a croque madame and a coffee. We visited the Heddon St branch which is a nice little bit of peace and quiet just two minutes from Regent Street. I've only had the brunch but I hear their dinners are fab too.
Somewhere you might already have visited, but if not then this is the nudge you needed to do so. Dishoom not only do the best Indian food I've probably had in Central London, but the restaurants are an absolute delight to be in too. Super modern and really chic, it's totally worth standing in the usual queue - and try to grab breakfast here if you can!
Ok, so this one might be cheating (James is the manager of a Breakfast Club) but this secret bar tucked behind Battersea's BC is a regular of ours so I thought it deserved a spot. Ask to be shown to the laundrette at the back of the caff where you'll find a 'secret' door into the bar. Well worth going for a Frenchmans Daiquiri (passionfruit daq) and some of their damn good bar snacks - plus the cheeky paraphernalia dotted around...
I can't even tell you how long I've been planning a 'London' series. As a born-Londoner, I am a total advocate for the city and spend pretty much all of my time in it so I thought rather than one of my usual city guides, I'd do a series of different posts combining all of my favourite things in my city.
Without further ado, here are some of my favourite places - with loads more to come as and when:
The Chicken Shop(s) are spread over London now but are honestly the place to go for really great 'peri' chicken - of sorts. Honestly, it's like Nando's on crack - a definite place to replace ye olde cheeky Nando's.
I totally recommend the hot sauce you'll find on the tables, as well as a huge slice of apple pie afterwards.
£? a meal for two (a whole chicken and sides) will set you back between £30-40.
A first staycation for James and I, and definitely a memorable one. The Hoxton was a complete dream, we stayed in Hoxton for the evening and made the absolute most of doing nothing by spending the evening lying in bed with a cup of tea and enjoying having no responsibilities.
The hotel itself is decorated in a beautiful minimalistic but masculine style, and has a fab bar/coffee area downstairs. It's actually just across the road from my uni so I'm going to have to make more of an effort to get there more often, even if it is just for a coffee and pastry.
Genuine apologies if you don't eat meat, and a gentle 'this isn't one for you' but if you do then you should go. Northern folk will probably know Red's as old news, but seeing as we only got one in London around a year ago here it is!
James and I love nothing more than good BBQ which can be so hard to find in the UK but Red's nail it. All of the meat is smoked in house and when it's gone, it's gone. The burnt ends are out of this world, and you have to try the beef long.
Genuinely the best burger I've eaten in London, Patty & Bun is the perfect amount of 'gourmet' and yet still sloppy enough to be so, so great. James orders two burgers every time we go, one beef and one chicken because they're that good.
The great news is that you used to have to queue for ages at their only two sites, but they've now popped open a few more so get in quickly!
Another recent discovery, and one to get to ASAP before the weather gets any worse but if you're into basically any kind of food then you'll enjoy Kerb. There's something for everyone so take all ya mates too.
My personal favourite was (and always is) Mother Clucker, honestly that chicken is just so damn good.
£? As it's street food, anything from £3+!
So, that was the first of hopefully many London recommendations! I've got a list as long as my arm of places I'll include so they'll definitely be coming every few months. Let me know if you try any, and apologies that this one is very food based!
Back again with another, this time mini, city guide! We're over in Venice for this one, with a slightly different format as we were only there for 36 hours so as much as we ran around doing/eating/tourist-ing as fast as humanly possible - it's not a full guide per se but still features some pretty pictures and some suggestions of what to do when there.
1. go by boat
Yoohoo, most obvious Venice thing to do, and pretty unavoidable but I had to leave an ode to it. Sailing everywhere is so much more fun (and breezy) than getting on a tube or whatever. We used the public transport boats, which were pleasant enough.
£? €7.50 per ride
2. majer coffee/pastries
The only food recommendation on here, which is bizarre for me but everywhere is of a pretty good standard in Italy. I'd just say use your instinct as if it looks gross, then it might be, but in general the food is good in most restaurants.
Anyway, Majer was near to our hotel and was just a really nice modern, pastry shop with good coffee. Which is surprisingly hard to come by in Italy (really).
James booked this hotel as a surprise so I had no say in it, but he did good. Unfortunately the rooftop pool was closed but that aside, the rooms were big and regal and the rooftop bar was great to chill with a glass of rosé after a hard day on your feet. It was about as modern as you're going to get in a historic city, and had it's own transport links into San Marco which was handy. Breakfast was also a real winner.
£? £190+ per night depending on when you travel
4. window shopping in San Marco
Not going to lie, I wish I wasn't window shopping but what can you do? San Marco is bursting with all the best designer stores so after mooching around in Céline and Gucci desperate to make a purchase, I left empty handed. Damn saving.
I also made a lil vlog while we were there, which is really awkward and close to my face but in honour of it being the first complete vlog that I've ever managed, I posted it here.
P.S. be fancy as hell if you subscribed to my YT as I'm a total noob.
3. sissy boy
4. libertine cafe
3. reds true bbq
4. patty & bun
