5 Reasons I love Sailing

You know that feeling when you look at a photo and get all nostalgic - a little bit tearful because you miss that particular moment, but it also makes you smile because of all the fantastic memories it brings back? I had that feeling this afternoon when I was sorting a few old photographs out on my laptop and came across these. I have been sailing since I was 6 months old and most of my childhood memories are boat related. I was lucky that I had a fantastic childhood and although my parents boat isn't a 40ft luxury yacht, they did and still have a reasonably sized boat that gave me many experiences others my age could have only dreamt of seeing or doing. As i'm feeling nostalgic, I thought it would be nice to do a 'five reasons why I love sailing post' to show you what I love about being on the open sea and why my childhood was so fun.

Being able to explore places others cannot see

The first thing I love about sailing is coming across quiet beaches and islands that are only accessible via sea. One of my favourite places to visit when I was younger was the Tudwal islands, along the South Caenarvonshire coast. The islands are uninhabited and a wonderful place to sail around on a sunny day. One of the highlights of these islands is the giant piece of rock situated between commonly covered with sunbathing seals and seals using it as a diving platform.

Being able to drop anchor in the middle of the sea and go swimming

My parents always said that I was a water baby, so it comes as no surprise that the second reason I love sailing is being able to drop anchor in shallow waters and go swimming, even better if there's a reef nearby where you can go snorkelling.

The feeling of relaxation as the winds fill up the sails and the waves swish in the background

Imagine those massage songs that you hear when you go to a salon with swishing waves and the odd bird singing in the background and now imagine those sounds in real life accompanied by being rocked to sleep by the subtle swaying of a boat and a calming gentle breeze crossing over your body. Of course not all sailing is like that, but on a good day it can be.

The views that you can only see from the water

One thing that always fascinated me about sailing was the spectacular views of the coastline that you can only see from the water. Seeing land from a distance made me really appreciate how beautiful the world can be and how everything fits together in the landscape. The above image isn't of the coastline, but it was taken on a long sail back to our harbour and we found ourselves in the middle of a beautiful sunset.

Seeing wild life in their natural habitat

Last but definitely not least, is seeing wild life in their natural habitat. I have been lucky enough on numerous occasions to see dolphins so close that I could touch them and to see them jumping and enjoying themselves in their natural habitat instead of being locked in an aquarium and forced to perform. The above image was taken in North Wales and a pack of dolphins stayed with us for almost an hour watching us sail.

Have you ever been sailing?

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Thomas Sabo Travel Charms at Joshua James

The one thing I love more than anything besides the memories and experiences of going on holiday, is collecting souvenirs. I'm one of those people that goes purposely out of their way to ensure there's extra room in my room suitcase and the majority of the time the things I buy are meaningful to me, but probably 'tat' to most others. Recently I've had a change of approach to my overseas buying habits and instead of bringing back bulky items that weigh down my suitcase, I have been buying charms for my various charm bracelets and thanks to Joshua James Jewellery*, I have now been given a new one to fill.

In the past I have been very loyal to Pandora and have almost filled one of my bracelets with charms representing different stages in my life including the places I have travelled, but I always find the Pandora charm collections quite limited. When I have gone abroad, I have seen a lot more Thomas Sabo travel charms specific for that area than I have done Pandora ones and for that reason, I have decided to change tact and trial a new type of bracelet.

For those who haven't heard of Thomas Sabo, although I'm sure most of you have, Thomas Sabo has been trading since 1984 specialising in versatile, innovative and trendsetting jewellery from timeless classics such as watches and bracelets to their world renowned Charm Club compromising of more than 500 different designs. 

I opted for this turquoise charm carrier bracelet priced at £29.95 and the Thomas Sabo Globe Charm 0923 with an 18ct gold plated sun. Although this particular bracelet only holds four charms, I thought it would be a lovely introduction to the brand and would be something that I can wear time and time again when I travel as the colours are very reminiscent of a summer holiday. I was really impressed with the sturdy bracelet and I have fallen head over heels for the design as it is highly detailed and really pretty to look at. Thomas Sabo charms have a higher price mark than Pandora, but you can tell you are paying for quality with the level of intricacy of the design.

Above are just a few examples of the Thomas Sabo travel inspired charms and the charms I would personally love to buy. I'm particular fond of the VW van as I spent many childhood holidays in my parents VW and it brings back very fond memories. I also think that the scotty dog is a cute variation of what usually is a Scottish flag.

Do you own a Thomas Sabo bracelet?

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Turtle Bay, Leeds

Turtle Bay is easily one of my favourite restaurant chains. If you're looking for somewhere that has character, great music and fantastic belly filling grub, then Turtle Bay is the place to be. I first fell in love with Turtle Bay and Caribbean food when they opened a restaurant in my hometown a few months ago. I was lucky enough to be invited to their launch and learnt so much about the history and authenticity of Turtle Bay. When I heard they were opening a new restaurant in my work town, Leeds I knew I had to check it out and compare my experiences.

On Friday night my husband and I ventured out to the new Turtle Bay* on Albion Street, Leeds to celebrate his new job. The restaurant was much bigger than I expected and like all Turtle Bay restaurants, the room had fantastic decor with Caribbean style graffiti and a bar styled like a beach shack. When we entered Bob Marley was playing in the background and the bar was getting lively. You could tell from the moment you entered the room that this was Leeds' newest hotspot.

I don't usually drink alcohol - in fact I've been teetotal for the last few months but seeing as we were celebrating, I decided to have a drink with my hubby and opted for my favourite alcoholic beverage, a mojito. Between 12pm and 7pm and then from 10pm onwards in happy hour and since we arrived at 6pm, my husband and I were able to get 2 for 1 on cocktails. Cocktails are usually priced at £6.95 each which I think is reasonable for a city centre and the cocktails are quite strong.

After grabbing our cocktails at the bar, we were promptly taken to our seats and handed the menus. I had been looking forward to Turtle Bay food all day and knew already what I wanted to order, but when I looked at the menu, the meal I was craving wasn't there. In fact, quite a few things that are usually on the menu at my local Turtle Bay restaurant wasn't there and I found the Leeds Turtle Bay restaurant to be very lacking in the vegetarian section. I'm not a fan of Goats cheese at all and the only other option was the Run Down - which happens to be one of my favourite dishes, but I've had it so many times. I really wanted to try the Chickpea and Curry Squash, but when the waitress arrived, she said it is something they don't serve at the Leeds restaurant, despite it being on the menu online and apologised. 

    

For starters I opted for the sweetcorn fritters and although I've had them before, they did taste so much better and less oily compared to previous occasions. I could have happily munched my way through several bowls of these fritters, they were so moreish.  My husband went for the Jerk Chicken Wings and really liked them. He said they weren't overly spicy and had just the right amount of heat.

When my main dish arrived I forgot all about the previous issues I had and was more than happy that I stuck with my favourite rundown. The dish was lovely with plenty of flavour and just the right amount of coconut milk. The fried dumplings really complimented the dish as they added a bit of crunch to what is quite a soft stew like dish and overall, I couldn't fault it. My husband had the Jerk Salmon which he says is probably one of his all time favourite meals. He said that jerk and salmon are two things that you don't think would go together, but it's like a match made in heaven. The jerk brings out the intensity of the salmon and has lots of flavour. The sweet potato fries were also a delight.

After our first two courses, we didn't think we could handle dessert, but I was adamant that I was going to try the Banana & Toffee Cheesecake with rum sauce as I was too full the last few times I had visited my local restaurant. My chocoholic husband went for the chocolate brownie. Both desserts lived up to expectations and although we both felt like our bellies were going to burst from eating too much, we had no regrets. It was the perfect end to a great meal.

Have you been to a Turtle Bay restaurant?

*The meal was complimentary in exchange for this review

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The Travelling Spoonie Checklist

Deciding what to take with you on holiday can sometimes send the most highly organised person into a panic. There are some people (admittedly like myself) who like to take pretty much everything and anything in their suitcase and would try to justify almost every item as an essential, then there's the carefree people who happily just take hand luggage and live for the moment. When you're someone who suffers from a chronic illness also known as a 'spoonie', packing can be much more difficult, especially if you're going abroad. In fact many people with chronic illness often fear travelling because they are scared it will exacerbate their condition or they will fall ill on holiday. Being a Spoonie is life changing, but it doesn't have always restrict you. In the first instance check with your doctor if you're allowed to travel and if you are, take precautions. As a spoonie myself, I will not allow my conditions to prevent me from doing the one thing I love the most. In fact being able to travel gives me something to look forward towards and sometimes can distract me from my pain for a weekend. Here's a check list of things I would personally pack/organise if I was going away. 

Doctor Check up

If you're travelling long distance or you're worried about your condition preventing you from travelling, book an appointment with a GP or Nurse. They can advise you of the medication you may need to take with you and answer many health related travel questions.

Travel Insurance

Always have travel insurance. I wouldn't dare think of travelling abroad without travel insurance as I know so many people who have fallen ill abroad and had to use it. If you suffer from a long term health conditions, check for travel insurance that covers 'pre-existing health condition'. Usually these cost a little bit more as the insurance is catered towards your conditions, but it would be cheaper than falling ill on holiday without backup. When I went to Thailand, my insurance cost me approximately £40 for the week.

European Health Card Insurance

If you live in the UK and plan on travelling to Europe, make sure you apply for a European Health Card. These cards grant you access to immediate reduced cost or free in some cases care with temporary stays abroad. You can get these for free from the NHS website.

Vaccinations

If you plan to travel further afield, check to see if you need vaccinations for your trip and make sure to inform the nurse of any medication that can interfere with the vaccination. The NHS offer some vaccinations for free and some you do have to pay for, keep this in mind when you are budgeting for your holiday.

Medication/List of Medication

When travelling always take your medication with you and have a list of medication you take with you at all times. There's nothing worse than going to your doctor and trying to remember the name of that awkwardly named tablet you take, imagine trying to do that in a different country. If you're running low on tablets before you leave, always try to get your repeat prescription before you go to avoid running out when on holiday. Also, always pack your medication in your carry on luggage in case anything happens to your suitcase.

Doctors notes/contact details

If you think your illness will cause problems on holiday, make sure you carry a letter or a note with your doctors details incase another doctor needs advice or if you fall ill and want to talk to someone who knows your condition inside out.

Create an itinerary

I always try to plan my days out before I go on holiday to ensure there are times in the day I can get rest - such as planning in coffee breaks/meals/a trip back to the hotel if needed and I know how eventful my day ahead will be. Of course I do love being spontaneous every now and then, but planning ahead helps me see everything I want to see and do everything I would like to do in the time that I'm away without causing my body distress.

When travelling with a chronic illness, preparation is always key. Think ahead and plan for every different outcome, therefore if anything does happen all you need to do is focus on getting better so you can enjoy the rest of your holiday.

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Four Reasons Why Mallorca Should be On Your Bucket List

Mallorca, commonly known as Majorca is the largest of the trio of Balearic Islands situated East of the Spanish mainland in the heart of the Meditterean sea. During my childhood I regularly visited the Balearic islands with my parents and from a young age fell in love with the beautiful scenery and crystal clear waters these islands have to offer. Unfortunately the Balearic islands often get a reputation due to their big nightlife scene. Magaluf, one of Majorca's most popular clubbing haunts makes more money in its small beach strip compared to all three of the islands combined. But don't let that put you off. Away from the partygoers, Mallorca has so much to offer from picturesque port towns to beautiful gothic architecture. Today I have teamed up with Book Mallorca to highlight just a few out of many reasons why Mallorca should be on your bucket list this summer.

One of the first reasons why Mallorca should be on your bucket list this year is magnificent Mallorcan coastline. There are 262 beaches in Mallorca spanning over 50km so whether you're looking for a leisurely stroll or wanting to take part in some watersports, there's something for everybody.

If you prefer eating seafood and watching the boats come in, there are many small fishing villages and ports on the island from Cala Figuera and Port D'andratx in the south to Port de Pollenca in the north and of course Palma Marina in Majorca's capital.

Reason number three to visit Mallorca is to see their world renowned caves. The Caves of Drach is one of those places that you once you have left, you will never forget. The cave is home to the world's largest underground lake extending almost 1200 metres and the cave features impressive stalactites and stalagmites will have you mesmerised. The tour finishes with a concert of classical music and the surroundings light up in symphony. 

My final reason has to be the beautiful architecture in Palma, Mallorca's capital. Like many port and airport towns, Palma can sometimes get a little bit overlooked as tourists are too busy to reach their destinations, but Palma is a fantastic spot for those who admire architecture, particularly art nouveau, gothic and contemporary art. The above image is of Palma Cathedral which was built in the 1600s and is the highest gothic cathedral in Europe, beating the likes of the Notre Dame.

There are many reasons why Mallorca is a great place to visit, so why not do some research and see if anything on the island catches your eye. I'm almost certain there will be something that grabs your attention and makes Mallorca tick all the boxes this summer.

                                                           Have you been to Mallorca before?

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The Lost and Found, Birmingham

Right now I'm sat in bed sorting out my blog and every few minutes peering out of the window, looking at all the snow. It's funny what a difference a day or in this instance a week can make. This time last week I was sat having lunch at a beautiful restaurant called The Lost and Found in Birmingham, a new city that I hadn't been to before and enjoying every second of it. I love the thrill of discovering new places to visit.

The Lost and Found is a restaurant in Birmingham situated in a beautiful Victorian building which serves traditional British grub and has cocktails and drinks perfect for quenching your thirst night or day. I booked this restaurant after reading some really positive Trip advisor reviews and having read their Sunday lunch menu prior to visiting, I knew it would be somewhere my husband would like to go.

As someone who has never visited Birmingham before last week, I was surprised at how easy this restaurant was to find and was blown away by the quirky, retro decor. Behind the bookcase listed as 'Library' is a hidden bar and conference room and the first image is of the indoor 'Botanical' garden where most of the food is served. The bar area is spacious and the building overall is cleverly laid out. It's a lovely, relaxing space to spend a Sunday afternoon.

After perusing the drinks menu, I was delighted to see that The Lost and Found offer my favourite botanical beverages, Fentimans. My husband opted for his favourite Dandelion and Burdock Fentimans and I chose the Victorian Lemonade. It's often difficult to find places that sell these bottles in our hometown, so it was lovely to have a bottle or two with our meal.

When it came to choosing our meals, we were both spoilt for choice. Lost and Found had several wonderful vegetarian options including a vegetarian Sunday lunch which can be a rarity in most pubs and they also had extensive meat options. As we both have very large meals the night before, I decided to go with a lighter lunch option of the Honey roasted butternut squash, sage and ricotta tart with warm black olive & potato salad (£9.95), while my husband went for the 12 hour brine roasted chicken Sunday lunch (£13.95). I really enjoyed my main course, the salad was really fresh, the presentation was simple yet elegant and tart had plenty of flavour, but I was a little bit disappointed with the size of the salad. That being said, I would happily order it again.

My husband's Sunday roast was probably one of the biggest Sunday lunches we had both seen. The Yorkshire pudding was almost the size of his plate, the chicken was also large and it also came with a big portion of cauliflower cheese, which admittedly I ate half of because I was still a bit hungry from my lunch. 

After our meals, my husband and I left the restaurant feeling very satisfied with our meals and we really enjoyed the atmosphere and the friendly service over at Lost and Found. We will definitely be heading there next time we're in town.

Have you been to Lost and Found?

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Murder on The Posh Floor

Over the last few years I have been to several Murder Mystery nights and days and I have to say, it is really easy to get hooked on them. It is like acting out Cluedo with copious amounts of wine, posh food and the company of great friends, what's not to love? Yesterday I was invited to Posh Flooring's blogger event at the Leeds City Hilton called 'Murder on The Posh Floor'. The event was full to the brim with some of the best bloggers in Yorkshire and ended up being such a success, it was trending locally for the three hours we were there.

If you haven't been to a Murder Mystery event before and you're intrigued and want to know what happens, the game is simple. You're there to solve a murder and you have several means of testing and interviewing all the suspects. This includes criminal record requests, Forensic examinations, interview sheets and many clues along the way. The scene is usually acted out right in front of you with Sherlock being your port of call for any questions or answers.

The more extravagant Murder Mystery events will have a three course meal while you conspire with your allies and resolve the enquiry. Our meal was provided courtesy of the Hilton and consisted of three course meal starting with Butternut Squash soup, followed by a Red Onion and Goat's Cheese tart for the vegetarian's such as myself and finished with a Strawberry Chocolate mousse.

Murder Mystery's can be quite difficult to solve, but the key to is to ask as many questions as possible in the time allocated and after that, it makes it a lot easier to narrow down the suspects. Luckily for us, it was our team that won yesterday. After several debates and lots of teamwork, we finally figured out the culprit and as a reward were treated to a lovely bottle of Champagne to toast our success.

I have to say Murder on the Posh Floor was probably one of the best blogger events I have to been to in a while and the perfect way to start 2016. 

Have you been to a Murder Mystery event before?

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The Botanist, Birmingham

The Botanist, Leeds is easily one of my favourite restaurants. If you're looking for quirky food and cocktails, a place to listen to decent music and pass time with friends, the Botanist is the place to be. When I found out that there was a Botanist restaurant in Birmingham, I knew I had to visit on my travels and see whether it is up to the standard of its northern based sister.

Birmingham's The Botanist* is located in the heart of the city on Temple Street, near the museums, the train stations and within a few minutes walk from the Bullring. The Botanist is quite easy to miss with it's dim outside lighting and very small signage, but when you get in there you can tell it's a very popular restaurant and bar with queues running a long the bar and people risking the wet weather for a few Saturday night beverages. Like the Leeds Botanist, the Birmingham branch has lovely and homely, yet quirky decor, all designed to replicate a Botanist's garden. I loved the chandeliers with hanging glass bottles and gardening paraphernalia and I particularly enjoyed being able to drink my mocktail huddled around a warm glowing fire, waiting for my table. 

As soon as it turned 7pm we headed towards the reception desk and we were promptly lead to our table. The waiter took our order straight away and arrived swiftly back with these two cocktails. Although I'm not supposed to drink alcohol, I treated myself to a Strawberry Mojito and my husband opted for the Strawberry and Mint Martini. Both cocktails were lovely and my Mojito was just the right mix of ice as some restaurants fill the glass so full with ice these days that you hardly get any cocktail.

One thing I love about the Botanist is their theatrical dishes, the ones that are plated in a unique and fun way and when reading previous reviews, I saw a lot of people highly rating their mushroom starter. I've never had a starter at the Leeds Botanist before so I decided to try out pan-fried garlic mushrooms and was no disappointed. The plate size was perfect for a starter and the mushrooms were full of flavour, I couldn't fault them.

Unfortunately my husband was slightly disappointed with his starter as he had seen online that the basket of chicken wings were supposed to come in a picnic basket, but when they arrived they were served on a plate. We decided not to question the staff on this because at the end of the day the wings were cooked well and according to my husband tasted great, but it took some of the fun away as the Botanist is supposed to be quirky, but these were far from that.

On to the second course and I went for my all time favourite Halloumi hanging kebab with cous cous and my husband chose the steak. Both of us thoroughly enjoyed our main course and I enjoyed mine so much that I made the ultimate blogger faux pas and actually started tucking in before taking a photo...hence the plate next to it and the disheveled presentation. Honestly, I could eat Halloumi and cous cous every single day, it's one of my favourite combinations and the Botanist gets it right every single time. My husband really enjoyed having steak for the first time in months too.

After our main courses we were both feeling a little bit full, but decided to throw caution to the wind and have a dessert as y'know, YOLO! Anyway....I went for an apple crumble and my husband chose his all time favourite chocolate fudge cake. When both desserts arrived I was happy to see that they were the perfect size to end the meal, not mountains of food like some restaurants and not teeny either. I thoroughly enjoyed my apple crumble and the ice-cream on top was moreish.  The plate was elegantly put together and a perfect way to end the meal. As they say 'the proof is in the pudding' and my husband finished his chocolate fudge cake in seconds, I'm taking that as a sign he loved it.

I really enjoyed our meal at The Botanist and despite one little hiccup, everything ran smoothly and we left feeling very satisfied and with incredibly full bellies. Did the Birmingham Botanist live up to the standards of the Leeds one? Of course it did, but as a northern lass, I'm probably going to a little bit more biased towards Leeds. If you're in Birmingham, the Botanist is definitely worth a visit and I'll be heading there again once we book our next trip.

Have you dined at the Birmingham Botanist?

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A Night at the Hotel La Tour, Birmingham

Birmingham is a city that I often thought about visiting, but never got round to booking. I admit, I didn't know much about Birmingham and what the second largest city in the UK had to offer until I finally took the plunge and booked my train tickets last weekend. Birmingham is a very industrialised city with many red brick buildings, cobbled streets and abandoned factories, but in the past it was also an old market town and today is still very true to its roots with outdoor stalls and street vendors. A large part of the city is taken up by the Birmingham Bullring which attracts almost 36 million visitors a year and houses the fourth largest Debenhams and Forever 21 as well as one of only four Selfridges in the UK. 

During my visit to Birmingham I stayed at the Hotel La Tour, a four star hotel that is situated within a five minute walk of most of Birmingham's attractions and the city centre. Admittedly, if you're not from the city, the hotel can be quite difficult to find at first, but once you have found your bearings you will quickly realise the convenience of the location.

The Hotel La Tour* on Albert Street is modern, classic hotel with 174 bedrooms, brasserie-style restaurant, sophisticated bar, gym and conference centre. 'La Tour' opened in 2012 and still looks shiny and new from the moment you enter the building. My husband and I had the pleasure of staying in one of the 'city rooms' which we expected to be rather small like most inner city hotels, but when we checked in we were shocked to see how spacious it was. The room featured a large, comfortable king size bed - one of those that you can roll over in twice and still have space between you, a snazzy 38 inch television,  a dual control monsoon shower and White Company toiletries. Being on the 6th floor also meant that we had a spectacular view of Birmingham, albeit looking directly over a car park.

Another impressive thing about this hotel is the affordable luxury price tag. The city rooms start at only £99 per night (approximately £85 if you advance purchase) or £128 including breakfast, in some cities this is cheaper than a budget hotel and you're getting four star services. 

After checking in and getting ourselves ready for a night on the town, my husband and I headed down to the bar area.  During the day the bar area is used for afternoon tea and drinks and has a beautiful grey and red colour scheme. On a night, the bar area lights up to give it a romantic setting and serves a variety of beverages including mocktails and cocktails. The bar and restaurant is part of Marco Pierre White's Chophouse.

I opted for a Pear Mojito cocktail which was fresh mint, lime and pear juice over crushed ice and it was incredibly refreshing and lovely to drink while listening to the relaxing music in the background. The mocktail was £4.75 which I think is reasonable for a city bar and cocktails were only £9, which may seem steep to some people, but they are still a bit cheaper than London prices.

After sipping our cocktails we headed out around Birmingham and came back to the hotel room around 11pm as I was feeling a little bit unwell. We spent the rest of the night enjoying our really comfy bed, watching television and ordering one or two drinks from the room service. Room service was a minimum of £5 which can be expected at a hotel, but ordering it was quite difficult as my husband and I had to master the highly sensitive touch screen phone. I'd like to think both of us are incredibly tech-savvy, but the phone system just didn't quite work for us and my husband instead decided to run down to the bar. 

In the morning we had a long lie in and wandered down to breakfast around 9.30am. The breakfast bar was situated in the lavish Marco Pierre White restaurant which was decorated with roses and looked an absolute delight first thing in the day. My husband and I both loved the vinyl placements and the breakfast had plentiful choices, even for a vegetarian. While dining we were both offered ample amounts of tea and coffee and was asked if we would like the morning papers, the service was top notch and a great way to end our stay.

Overall I would rate the Hotel La Tour highly. The service was impeccable, the room was lovely and as a shopaholic, I loved La Tour's close proximity to the Bullring. Would I visit again? My husband and I are already talking about it!

Have you stayed at the Hotel La Tour before?

*My stay was complimentary but I would happily pay and stay again

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