Packing For A Long Weekend

Whilst I technically live in London full time, I'm always heading home for a long weekend when I can manage it. Whilst I have a few bits and pieces in my room back home, I still take all the essentials back, and I've gotten quite used to packing for my trips.

Last week I headed back home for a four day weekend, and I thought I'd snap the contents of my weekend bag to show you. The bag is from Oysho, and it's perfect for a few days away, plus I love how it looks! It's also made of fabric that's easy to wipe down, so perfect if like me you're super clumsy, or, you know, if you use it for it's intended purpose as a gym bag.

So this trip was four days, but it's the perfect mix of stuff for a cosy weekend at home, some shopping with my sister, and lots of hanging out with family. Nothing fancy here because it was a casual affair! 

 As aforementioned, I'm something of a clutz, so I tend to pack a spare, but one pair of jeans is definitely plenty for a long weekend. I took my Primark skinny burgandy jeans, and my favourite distressed Zara jeans. The burgandy jeans would have also worked for an evening if necessary! 

I tend to only pack a top for each day, so long as I have a jumper with me to cover up when I inevitably spill something. I took four tops (Zara, Mango, French Connection & Primark in that order!) and two thin knit jumpers to layer up with. The jumpers are from H&M and Zara, and I went for fairly neutral, autumnal colours so that they'd go with everything! It's easy to wear a jumper like this and swap necklaces or scarves for a different look if you're on a small baggage allowance.

 Other essentials include something to sleep in (I love Victoria's Secret's oversized sleep shirts, they're so comfortable) and enough socks and knickers for the trip popped into a little drawstring bag to preserve my modesty in case of bag explosions. I normally take two bras too, a comfortable, every day tshirt bra, and a nude bra that can be worn under anything.

I'd normally go heavy on the accessories, but since I knew I'd have no wild plans I just took a cosy hat, blanket scarf and some sunglasses (not that we saw the sun!).

Beauty wise, I try to keep things super streamlined and easy. Some makeup wipes for pre-cleanse makeup removal (I like the Simple Micellar Wipes), and a mini cleanser. A moisturiser I can use for day and night, and an eye cream that does the same, a face mask sachet, deodorant and perfume. Dry shampoo for my fringe, and the Percy and Reed No Oil Oil for taming flyaways and detangling wet hair with my Tangle Teezer. Makeup wise I just pop my current go to's into a bag, and we're done!

Rhodes Photo Diary

 I wasn't expecting much of Rhodes in all honesty, but it won me round in all of about 20 minutes, after I found a Sephora and a Starbucks that sold Berry Hibiscus Refreshas. I was expecting a really tacky touristy town, and whilst there were definitely a few areas like that, there was also a lot that wasn't.

We left the ship and meandered around the coastline, admiring the wares in the little seaside 'market', little shopping boats moored to the promenade that you could hop on to explore. My mum and I were totally fascinated by the coral sponges, buckets and buckets of them, being sold at such a cheap price.

The sea in this part of the Mediterranean is so inviting (if you ignore all the fish), it's so clear, yet so blue at the same time. We all had a little dip to cool off from the heat, and it couldn't have been more welcome. 

 The old town was fairly similar to Dubrovnik, wrapped in a large city wall and filled with tiny narrow side streets. I honestly just enjoyed stumbling around the city, exploring the different areas and little stores. I fell in love with all the Aladdin-esque lamps, and a handful of stray kittys too (unfortunately I didn't have enough room in my luggage for either).

The town was busy, and a lot of the stores were fairly touristy, but there were a lot of gems hidden in there too. After a lazy lunch of fresh tzatziki, tomato salads and chunks of crusty bread, we did a little shopping (I splurged in Sephora and picked up a little bracelet too), swam in the sea, and headed back to the ship for sail away cocktails. 

A London Hotel You Can Actually Relax In

 Last week we took our wonderful American visitors on a whistle stop tour of London. Since my flat is approximately the size of a postage stamp (and there was four of us) we decided to book a hotel in Central, so we could get an early start (and not have to lug our luggage around all day).

The K West Spa Hotel came highly recommended from a few friends of mine. It's located just around the corner from my uni (and a hop skip and a jump from Westfield White City) so I was familiar with the location, and had high hopes. We booked two rooms totally last minute (ie, the night before) but the room rate was really reasonable, and we had high hopes!

Luckily we weren't disappointed. Located on a quite residential road tucked round the corner from Shepherd's Bush tube station, it's handily placed as well as being really quiet, away from the hustle and bustle of central London. Inside we were greeted by friendly faces and checked in in a matter of minutes. The lobby of the hotel is simple but perfect, a long bar is the focal point, with a large and comfortable seating area around it. Tucked away next to the lifts however was a much more relaxed atmosphere, the 'festival hub', a room packed with books, bean bags and fairy lights. The perfect place to recline after a large meal!

 For a London hotel the rooms were super spacious and well equipped. We booked Executive Twin rooms and it was refreshing to stay in a hotel that is actually well thought out. A dressing table placed facing a large window for good makeup lighting, a large full sized mirror as well as a small one on the dressing table, plug sockets everywhere, an assortment of magazines on the coffee table, big fluffy towelling bath robes, the works. A lot of thought went into the rooms and it shows! I was particularly enamoured with an extension lead on the bedside table, with four plug sockets and two USB chargers. PLUGS NEAR THE BED GUYS, THIS NEVER HAPPENS.

The room was spacious and despite sleeping in a single bed, it didn't feel small. The rooms were modern and spotless and I really can't pick fault in anything. The only niggle is the glass bathroom door, which wasn't really a problem anyway since the bathroom is tucked around the corner. 

I also loved the idea of a tablet on the dressing table, with everything from local weather and tourist attractions to room service and spa menus. Such an easy way to consolidate a wealth of useful information.

 We were totally pooped from a day of exploring, so I decided to make the most of my serene, spa like settings and run myself a long hot bath. On the lovely lady at Lush's recommendation I picked up the Big Blue bath bomb, and it was perfect, the sea salt, rosemary, lavender and lemon all served to relax my aching muscles and send me straight off to sleep when I climbed into my comfy hotel bed!

It's a full thumbs up from me for the K West Spa Hotel, I'm already planning a trip back for one of their infamous Aromatherapy Associates massages, and a go in their Snow Room. Yes, you heard me right, a Snow Room.

King's Landing

Dubrovnik was the port I was most excited to visit when I looked over our holiday itinerary. As a Game of Thrones fan, as well as a general 'tiny town' fan, I couldn't wait to get in the town and get exploring. We didn't make a plan for the day, we just decided to see where we ended up. I love those kind of days the most, it's so much fun to just be spontaneous! 

We ended up off the ship and at the entrance to the old town by 9am, just like whilst we were in Zadar we wanted to beat the heat and start early. As cheesy as it sounds, when I caught my first glimpse of the town as we came down the hill, I let out a little gasp. The old town looks exactly like King's Landing in Game of Thrones, which makes sense since since it's filmed here, I just wasn't expecting it to be exactly the same! It's a stunning town anyway, a jumble of red topped buildings, encased in a giant wall and edged by the gorgeous Dalmatian Coast, it would take your breath away even if you weren't a GOT fan.

 We spent most of the morning just exploring, wandering through the tiny narrow streets, and admiring the details on the buildings in the giant squares. It was the most bizarre thing to round a corner and spot a scene from GOT, but with the addition of a few tourist cafés and shops (die hard fans will spot an iconic location from the latest season in the above photos), and it's safe to say the locals are really cashing in on the Game of Thrones Fame. You're not short of options for a 'Game of Thrones' Walking Tour, the shops are stuffed with merchandise, and there's even a replica Iron Throne in one of the stores. If you're a GOT fan and you're thinking of visiting though, a quick Google search will tell you where you can find the locations, so save your money on the expensive walking tours!

 By midday, it was looking like the heat was going to foil our plans to walk the city walls, and as we made our way around the edge of the town, we spotted a little doorway going out of the walls and onto the clifftop. We stuck our heads out and found a hidden bar built into the cliff tops, as well as a secret swimming spot. We made our way down the cliff face to the waters edge, the boys headed straight in, but mum and I held back after spotting approximately 3957294 fish, and opted to just sit on the edge with our feet in. It's the perfect hidden spot away from tourists to grab a drink, and cool down for a bit.

 At this point temperatures were soaring above 37 degrees, and we were utterly melting, so we decided to call it a day and head back to the ship. As we meandered through the streets I got Con to snap a few pictures of my dress, it was such a different choice for me but I loved it. I found it for a bargain £15.99 in TKMaxx and it's much brighter and bolder than anything else in my wardrobe, but I just didn't want to take it off.

Dubrovnik gets a full thumbs up from me, I'd love to go back when it's not so hot and explore more! Particularly if you're a GOT fan, it's worth a visit!