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 ...
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If you're a fan of gin then Gintonica in Notting Hill is a MUST. The restaurant is part of a unique distillery-hotel complex, which is brimming with character and west London low-key flair. Expect a chilled atmosphere, tasty tapas and top notch drinks. We hit the upstairs eatery on a Sunday evening. The sun was streaming into the double height ceilinged room and we took a table next to one of the windows overlooking the quaint bricks of Portobello market below. The music was good, there was a nice buzz and the open-air kitchen was a visual delight, as was the corner bar with libations con...
Read more →Tucked on a quiet street just by Barbican tube station, London's newest pop up restaurant is definitely a gem worth getting your fork stuck into. Only seating 16, the Little Quiet is intimate and cosy, with good food and good vibes at its heart. It's masterminded by the Disappearing Dining Club, a culinary group I've been following for years for their innovative approach to dining out. Stepping in from the cobbled back street you're instantly transported to a world of candlelight and pleasant scents topped with a dash of bon vivant. The quaint venue, previously an unused office space, invit...
Read more →It was 7pm and we were pulling up to a palace. This definitely beat the local London boozer on a Thursday night. After taking a speedy train from Paddington to Oxford - still enough time for an enjoyable G&T en route - we were taxiing it up to the entrance of Blenheim Palace. Built between 1705 and 1722, this place has played host to an array of fine gentry and it is where Sir Winston Churchill was born. Now the stately home - the Duke of Marlborough's primary residence - is open to the public with a mix of events on throughout the year, from musical extravaganzas to open air cinema ses...
Read more →I first experienced Camp Wildfire last year. It rained non-stop, I was covered in mud, but it didn't deter me from returning for more. This underground festival, which mixes outdoor adventuring with musical revelry, is pretty unique. On this year's menu, there was a whole host of activities to tantalise campers, from beekeeping classes to tie dye workshops. New offerings included zorbing, ice cream-making and natural headdress building. Thanks to an online scheduling system, this year was much more organised. Before I landed in the Kent countryside - just a 30 minute ride from London Victo...
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 →Inspired by old-school scouting adventures, musician and graphic designer Julia Lowe, 30, went about crafting a festival to reignite the spirit of adventure. Now in its third year, Camp Wildfire in the lush Kent countryside has been pegged as one of Britain's top weekenders. This year's event will consist of three days packed with outdoor activities, from beekeeping to extreme watersliding to hemp ice cream making and yoga on the grass. Just as much emphasis is put on partying too, and the live stage will be rocking until the early hours. Think scouting meets Alice in Wonderland, with a bit of...
Read more →Shepherd's Bush is a little manic for my liking, busy roads intermixed with a bizarre spread of shops where you can buy sim cards and hair extensions. But on walking into the area's new four star hotel, the Dorsett, I was transported to a much calmer world. High ceilings, polished floors and dark wood decor were easy on the eye. As was the sweet cart lurking in the corner, with bons bons, jelly beans and rhubarb balls on offer for free. We checked into a suite on the 4th floor of the giant hotel, which used to house a cinema. After weaving our way through the moodly-lit grey corridors we l...
Read more →It was 7pm on a Saturday and London's West End was bustling. But we managed to escape the rabble by diving into J Sheekey. Sat on the fish restaurant's newly-opened summer terrace we could watch the madness from a safe distance. Drunk revellers passed us by, interspersed with smartly-dressed theatre-goers. J Sheekey is one of my favourite central spots for seafood but I hadn't been for years. On my return, I was delighted to find nothing much had changed other than the re-vamped terrace area. Everything is done to perfection. Old-school character dressed with a dash of modern-day pizzazz...
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