All posts tagged: Hotels

Gili Teak Boutique Resort, Gili T. Review

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  I’m usually very much a budget traveller – I’m happy enough to be in the sun and not working. But I do love a good hotel (read my hotel reviews HERE). So while in Indonesia this year I thought I’d treat my boyfriend and I to a chi chi place in Gili Trawangan. My friends Grace and Sean put me on to this place, so thanks guys. Gili Teak resort is on the quite side of Gili T. – and island known for its parties and as the rowdier sister to Gili Air and Gili Meno. I love Gili T. and the fact it’s busy and you can party on a night, but there is a quiet part, so you get the best of both worlds. After getting off the boat from Bali, the heavens opened and there was a huuuuge tropical thunderstorm, which made the 20 minute walk to the hotel from the boat more like 40 minutes. And I was terrified I was going to get struck by lightening – not to …

Dandelyan Wyld Tea at Mondrian London

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The Mondrian Sea Containers Hotel stands proudly on London’s Southbank and offers great, if sometimes a little grim (not their fault, the London weather) views of the city. Their resident bar Dandelyan is well known for some of the best cocktails in the capital courtesy of the award-winning Ryan Chetiyawardana. Now Dandelyan is branching out into afternoon tea with the Wyld Tea, a botanical take on the classic British tea. I went along on the first weekend to try it out.  The Dandelyan bar itself is a retro affair with rich fern green walls, pink leather banquettes and copper fixtures – designed by Tom Dixon no less. It’s a beautiful room, and has riverside views. The staff are attentive and knowledgeable and were happy to cater to any request. I had the non-boozy afternoon tea as I’m off the hard stuff for a while (in my old age hangovers are just too real). The selection of loose-leaf teas from Camelia’s Tea House was excellent and included a lemongrass infusion, citrussy Earl Grey, a peppermint blend and fresh …

The Ultimate One Month Thailand Itinerary

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Thailand is high up there on many people’s travel wish lists and it’s popularity is growing year on year. I had a bit of an up and down time there, but one thing is for sure, I felt like I went on a bout 5 different holidays. Each place I visited is so wildly different, and some of them were not at all the sun, sea and unprotected sex stereotype I had in my head. I have some really happy memories from my month here, and I’m not saying I’m a expert at all, but here is a fun month-long itinerary for anyone planning a trip to Thailand. Bangkok – 3 days You’ll probably fly into Bangkok so make the most of it. I found it very hot and crazy – it’s definitely not the most relaxing place but if you know where to look you can have lots of fun. Read my guide to Bangkok here   Chiang Mai – 4 days After Bangkok Chiang Mai is a welcome bit of calm, it’s such …

Hotel Bhairon Vilas, Bikaner

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I love a good hotel – I stay, I lay, I unpack and I snap. This one’s a bloody great one too so read on… The hotel Bhairon Vilas looks, to the untrained eye, like a palace, elegant yet totally homely, the ancient residence is crafted from the red sandstone native to the town of Bikaner in the north of India. It’s literally the most beautiful hotel I have ever stayed in… period. The owner Harsh is one cool character, an Indian man in his early forties, he rocks (with aplomb I might add) a handlebar mustache., salt and pepper ponytail, a serious amount of silver bling and an old English tweed smoking jacket. He looks like a cross between a pirate and a Bollywood heartthrob. I met Harsh holding court in his bar, which looks like a 19th century Opium den – the dark walls lined with all manner of curiosities (many of them family heirlooms) – and he told me that the hotel is his ancestral family home, built by his great grandfather. …

CitzenM Hotel, Bankside London

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If you want a truly unique hotel experience then I think I’ve found just the hotel for you. There have been a recent crop of trendy hotels in the capital of late that are all amazing but have the same (and I hate this word) ‘hipster’ credentials. The CitizenM is all about great design, good service and a big dose of cutting-edge technology thrown in for good measure. I took my sister and my iPhone down to London’s chic Bankside to check it out. What’s the vibe? Cool, modern, European. The hotel lobby is one of the most serene and relaxed I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting – not in a way that’s boring at all, it was a delightfully relaxing experience. I checked in using the touch-screen stations, which on the day did actually have a technical glitch, so it took a while. I’m sure when they’re fully functional they’re a breeze to use and there was staff on hand to help me complete check in. There are things to look at everywhere …

hoxton holborn hotel blog review

The Hoxton Hotel, Holborn London

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Smack bang in the centre of London Town, this is hotel full of character that you probably won’t want to check out of… What’s the hotel vibe? The Hoxton Holborn, much like it’s big sister in East London, is a creative’s dream. The foyer-cum-meeting area-cum-bar is an attractive New York-style large open plan space. It features ample comfortable seating, a mish-mash of sleek mid century furniture, modern armchairs and magazine-laden coffee tables. There’s original artwork adorning the walls and a well-stocked Vogue archive for us fashion types. If you want to get a bit of work done, there are Mac computers to use and free wi-fi if a laptop is more your thing. The beautiful bar is reasonably priced and does a wide range of beers and cocktails. If you want to eat, there’s Hubbard & Bell who also do the room service, plus a branch of Soho House Group’s Chicken Shop downstairs. There’s even a beauty parlour, Cheeky, which alongside beauty treatments, nails and makeup services sell amazing products should you want a bit …

blog review ace hotel shoreditch

The Ace Hotel, Shoreditch London, UK

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There are Ace Hotels the world over (well, the Western world) but this is a review of just one – I’m told they all have their own personality so I hope to visit the rest someday. What’s the hotel vibe? The Ace is a New York-style hotel that attracts creatives and artists (Skepta checked in right after me) with it’s laid-back atmosphere, great music and plenty of space to whip out your Macbook and do some work. The decor is quite masculine and industrial but very, very cool with lots of little touches, like a lot of greenery, a photobooth and fantastic juice bar, Lovage. The bar sells lots of local craft beers, the restaurant Hoi Polloi is fantastically good and you can rent a dreamy Tokyo bike during your stay too. It’s hard not to like Ace Hotel, especially at night when guests and civillians alike swarm to the foyer for drinks while listening to whoever happens to be on the decks that night. What are the rooms like? I stayed in a deluxe …