Recently we found ourselves in the bustling Burmese city of Yangon, which is home to more than 7 million people. With 48 hours to spare, here's a lowdown of some of the things we got up to: ROOM WITH A VIEW We checked into enormous Sule Shangri-La, which is one of the oldest hotels in Yangon. Located in the centre of the bustling metropolis, it is a stone's throw from the gleaming Sule Pagoda and the colourful Bogyoke Aung San market. We found ourselves on the 21st floor in a spacious room with views over the jam-packed city. A tip is to get a room at the Sule Shangri-La above ...
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If you've not explored The Ned in the heart of the City then you must. On walking in, the scale of the place is guaranteed to shock you into a silent state of awe. The former bank has undergone the ultimate makeover in the hands of Soho House stalwart Nick Jones, in collaboration with the supremely slick New York-based hotel group, Sydell. It is now a 252-room hotel, part members club and food emporium, boasting an impressive nine restaurants. On a Wednesday night - with a friend from New York - I checked into Kaia, an Asian-inspired eatery on The Ned’s ground floor. I was glad we had boo...
Read more →If you're a bit of a boozehound, which admittedly I am, The Distillery on Portobello Road, Notting Hill is your hotel dream come true. You can drink, eat, drink some more, and sleep on the same spot. The quirky multi-level venue is the world's first-ever hotel on the site of an alcohol distillery, the libation in question being gin. Albeit, it is very small - there are only three rooms - and the night we visited, two couples had travelled from Manchester and Lincoln to check the place out. My friend Mary Lou and I checked into the hotel's corner room, which boasts beautiful views of the qu...
Read more →Victoria in London features a hotchpotch of bizarre hotels. I walk past one that tells me it has 'hot and cold water' - which one would hope - and another advertises the fact that there is central heating. But peel away the spread of bizarreness and you'll unearth and absolute gem of a place, the Artist Residence. I checked into the boutique homestay on a Monday night before catching an early flight from Gatwick the next morning. The sleekly designed residence is conveniently positioned just a hop away from Victoria station, where the fast train to Gatwick runs every ten minutes or so. It ...
Read more →A night at The Rookery was definitely my top London staycation experience to date. A four-poster bed, an honesty bar, a secret patio, a copper free standing bathtub... need I say more. This elegant, discreet homestay is tucked away in the historical neighbourhood of Clerkenwell. Adding to its allure is its convenient location next Farringdon tube station, the Barbican and St. Paul's Cathedral. Perched on a quiet street corner, The Rookery is terribly unassuming from the outside. But once inside, the place quickly casts its magic and transports you back in time. The building dates back to ...
Read more →Professing your love for all things gin has just become a whole lot easier as capital bracer, Portobello Road Gin, launches the first ever gin-themed emoticons. Released in celebration of World Gin Day, the ‘Gin-moji’ i-message emoticon and sticker set is the perfect way to ‘garnish’ your texts when using your i-Phone. The collection pays homage to the marvellous botanical libation, as well as Portobello Road Gin’s home city of London and its namesake road in Notting Hill. The brand’s signature red lion bottle design also features heavily across the collection’s designs. Priced at 99p, the...
Read more →The great thing about London is after years of living in the city, there's always something new to explore. Last weekend I discovered a new hidden away hotel, which made for a pretty plush staycation. If you're looking for a slice of luxury, something discreet and refined, then the St James's Hotel and Club is the place to land. For my mum's birthday, I checked us into the 60-room former gentlemen's club after hearing about its new wellness package from Perfect 10, which complements stays with healthy breakfasts and in-room massages. Mum's not a fan of massages - I'm not sure why! - so we ...
Read more →A quick power nap and I was as right as rain. I'd decided to escape the hustle and bustle of Heathrow and check out one of the newest lounges to land at the airport. The Plaza Premium Lounge, at Terminal Two, boasts bedrooms and showers so you can refresh while on the go. I was taking an earlyish flight to Copenhagen before hopping on another flight to the Faroe Islands. I was exhausted and in need of a speedy sleep and the lounge was the perfect spot. Low lights, high ceilings and neutral interiors helped to further lull me into a zen-like state. Plug sockets are rife too, so I plugged ...
Read more →Pizza slices, popcorn, Jammie Dodgers and hot chocolate were our go-to accoutrements for sleepover when we were 12. But more than a decade later, my childhood friend Stephanie and I had decided to do a PJ party all grown up. Now both based in London and no longer in the Nottinghamshire wilds where we attended ballet school, we decided to check out the newly-revamped Blakes hotel in the Kensington area of town. Tucked away on a quiet residential street where houses go for a handsome sum, this place is a treasure box to explore. Over the years this secluded spot has welcomed a host of A-liste...
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