This is the third time I've been back to this city and I love it. I would honestly live there if I could. There is so much to see and do, a lot to offer in terms of tourist attraction, not to mention the array of shops they have there (my favourite part... the Topshop is amazing). There are so many restaurants and bars, offering pleasure for any given interest. There is SO much history to it, showing the heritage and how the country has evolved. If you've never been, what is wrong with you?! I only went for the day this summer, but thought I'd take you along with me. Breathtaking Views and much to doThe city itself is so beautiful. There is so much to look at, so much history to see even merely from it's buildings. If you want to learn about Britain, head to the Royal Britannia and see the how the Queen travelled on sea throughout her years of reign. Shopaholic like me? You're spoilt for choice. There are luxurious brands such as Karen Millen or Jack Wills or head to Jenners and Harvey Nichols for clothes and accessories to expensive for to me to even touch. Love food? I would without a doubt recommend the Hard Rock Cafe (one of my favourite food places) as it's quirky and different, with a real focus on the history of music, specifically rock n' roll. Prosecco and Afternoon Tea - The DomeWow oh wow, The Dome is breathtaking. If you like taking pics, this particular place is extremely photo worthy... just LOOK at the chandelier. The Dome itself looked and felt extremely posh. I made an effort to eat properly, no elbows on the table, so on and so forth because of how prestige the place was. Whilst initially it felt uncomfortable feeling a bit unworthy to be sitting there, the afternoon tea made it more than worth it. It was so divine. We had fruit scones, cheese scones, salted caramel, salmon, beef and egg sandwiches, carrot cake, macaroons and much more. There was something for everyone. We decided to have some prosecco with our food (which I can do now because I'm 18, hip hip hooray) which I would definitely recommend, why not go all out? You're in Edinburgh after all. The coffee and tea are always refilled if you run out and the service was immaculate as we heard the waitress go through what came with our afternoon tea. After this, we headed to a hotel bar for some drinks. I had selected a raspberry martini. Strong, but very tasty then at 6 we hopped back on the bus and headed home. The day was not long enough, I needed a week in Edinburgh (or preferably my whole life!).
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Happy Saturday lovelies! Right now I'm probably getting both nervous and rushed as today is part 2 of my 18th birthday celebrations. If you didn't already know, I did indeed turn 18 on the 24th July. I'll be honest with you, being an adult is no different to being a teenager. I don't feel any different. Except from when I had to answer the door to work men and show them what needed to be done, I can't keep up with these responsibilities. Joking. But before all the birthday antics, I have to talk about one of the best holidays I have EVER been on. My first ever girls holiday to Zante. I wanted to show you some photos and videos of my time away, as well as a bit of advice having experienced being away without my parents. Yikes, I really am getting old, aren't I? A Bundle of FUNIf you have the opportunity to go on a girls holiday I recommend it MASSIVELY. It's certainly the best thing I've ever done and completely took me out my comfort zone, knowing I don't have my parents to fall back on. I'm not going to merely narrow down a girls holiday to 'going out drinking and partying every single day' because if that's not your thing, don't feel pressured to! Just as equally, going travelling would be absolutely amazing. When I'm a bit older, I would love to go travelling for a month. After all, it runs in the family. My Auntie went travelling around America and I remember how intrigued I was the first time she told me. I've been to America before and fell in love with it's culture, I would love to do what my Auntie did in the future. So if you're looking for inspiration, check out American road trips. Getting back to Zante. The first thing I have to emphasise is GO EXPLORE. I spent most of my day either sunbathing or sleeping off a hangover and I regret it so much. Not only is Zante party central, but it's one of the most beautiful islands. I am the type of girl to explore new destinations and I have an eye for pretty places, therefore I am gutted I didn't spend more time checking out more of Zante other than the strip. Nevertheless, the events were INSANE. Whilst Newcastle is known for it's nightlife I would struggle to find a place that would top Zante night life. We attended Pure Beach Club, the Paint Party at Rescue's and the Full Moon Party. All of which were an amazing, joyful experience. I couldn't pick and choose which were my favourite because all of them were very impressive. So much so, I would go back there again. I really felt I was living my teen years whilst I was away, care free and partying every single day. Yup. Every. Day. Drinks are cheap, but PLEASE be careful. More about that later. The music is chart music so easy to single along, but they also have old tunes which I was happy about because secretly, that kind of music is my favourite to dance along to. I stayed at the Ilios Aparthotel which was faultless, except for the fact I had to pay for a stained double sheet which initially I accepted knowing I had worn fake tan on my holiday, but then later realised me and my friend had two single beds. Be cautious because if you ask me, I think they were coning me out of my money there. It was always pleasant and sunny, the restaurants were cheap or dodgy at all. A place I would recommend is Balsamico which serves pasta, pizza, burgers, steak, fish food and much more. There was also a good selection of cocktails, ciders and wines. A second recommendation would be Cool Peppers, the restaurants by the beach all seemed amazing, but be prepared for promotion guys trying to get you to go eat in their restaurant. You'll get used to it. Advice from my ExperienceI must begin by warning you about the cheap and sometimes dangerous alcohol. Whilst it's exciting to be partying with no boundaries, safety is more important. The amount of people that were on the drip because of being spiked or drinking dangerous spirits was crazy. It happened to one of my friends and she explained that most of the A&E was filled with people on the drip. 1. DO NOT take drinks of anyone even if they seem like nice people, you don't know them 2. DO NOT pick up drinks left behind or from the bar 3. ALWAYS watch your drink or put your hand over your cup as anything could be slipped in it. Of course don't obsess over this as it will ruin your experience and night out, but always keep in mind to be cautious for your own safety. Next up, pick pockets. This is also huge. You will see a lot of people trying to sell you things on the strip, which makes people who are drunk quite vulnerable. Some of the people selling will distract you to try and take money from you. My advice is to wear something such as a bum bag and never take all your money out with you. Believe me, €30 will be absolutely fine for a night out. I also would say one of the best things I did was buy a safe for my room to securely lock in my passport, travel insurance details and the rest of my money. If you lose these things it would be an absolute disaster to say the least. Now I'm over the boring stuff, for me, I had no worries in Zante. The only thing that stressed me out was burning as I'm ginger, but thankfully my factor 50 served me well. A Memorable FIRST Girls HolidayI would absolutely recommend Zante, especially as a first girls holiday away. For me, it was safer, cleaner and better than I expected. The hotel we stayed at was immaculate and most of the hotels our other friends stayed at said the same. The strip was kept well, it didn't smell or look disgusting and the events were all professional, impressive and fun. Evidence of this is attending a pool party with Sigala as the DJ. Amazing right? There was so many amazing restaurants for any time of the day, so you don't go hungry. They even had a McDonald's, Subway and Frozen Yogurt ON the strip. I always looked forward to the end of a night out for some lovely food. If you're a party animal, you will honestly love Zante. If you like sight seeing, you will also love Zante. You can rent boats to go check out the island too! You also get free t-shirts, glow sticks and more extras from the events you take part in. Yes, I've kept my t-shirts. That's all from me! I missed Zante as soon as I landed back home and I haven't stopped missing it since, in a years to come I'll still be raving about one of the best holidays yet. Zante, you did me proud. Go check out night life in Zante, there is many videos on YouTube as well as clubs on Facebook. You can also check out what you can get up to throughout the day such as looking for Turtles, Waterparks, looking at the gorgeous view of the island and so much more. What was your first holiday like? Let me know!
So today I have SERIOUS holiday blues. I've found myself looking through social media and online recently at gorgeous holiday destinations I need to experience sometime in my life. Recently I have found a page dedicated to travel destinations you may not know about and unexpectedly, I do not. I thought I'd give you serious FOMO today and share with you some of the NEED TO GO holiday destinations I have came across. Enjoy x Breath-taking, Exotic DestinationsAEOLIAN ISLANDS, ITALYMAURITIUSIf you're the type of person who enjoys going abroad to view gorgeous places, then these two destinations are more than likely the place for you. For me, I have always been the type of person who loves to be active all the time on holiday, jumping on ski jets, swimming with dolphins or riding on go karts. The massive bouncy castles in the middle of the oceans on holiday have always appealed to me or even water rides. I will happily spends the full day on water rides. I've ALWAYS been a water baby, I love everything about water; swimming, water rides, the oceans, even surfing is something I'd consider (so long as there is a 0% chance of turning around and seeing a shark at my tail, I have a major phobia of sharks). These two destinations could possibly turn one of the most hyperactive girls you will know on holiday, into a complete slough for a week or two. Somewhere such as Mauritius has absolutely breathtaking views, with pretty colours waters and beautiful mountains. Moreover, how cool are the mini houses? I love it. I've also always fancied going to Italy and my Auntie has recently returned from her second holiday this summer in Venice and my present was a mask. It was actually super pretty and matched the colour scheme of my room (which I'm slightly obsessed with) Black, Red and White objects ONLY. BANFF CANADAORLANDO FLORIDAFancy skiing or theme parks? You're probably like me. As soon as I step foot in Florida I fell in love. Everything about America is so fascinating to me, they've seriously got it good. What with the weather, the super friendly people, cosy homes (even better than my own house), their magical theme parks and impressive water parks, not to mention places such as Kennedy Space Centre and understanding the past. You all know I could go on for years and years speaking about Florida, so if you want to know more about such adventures scroll down my blog post and find many different posts on my favourite destination. I get holiday blues because of that places at least ten times a year. You never stop doing something, you never stop experiencing new things and you never stop being happy over there. Literally. Another thing I am dying to try out, which you will all know about too, is skiing. I would love to wake up every day to snow and activities which last for hours and call me stereotypical, but imagine sitting down at the end of the day with your family and drinking hot chocolate. There's nothing more comforting than a thought such as that. I don't talk about travel much, but I think it's super important to experience as much of the world as you can. At some point in my life I will for sure be taking a year out to travel and experience more of the world we live on. That's all from me today, loves! Whether you enjoy sitting around the pool or by a beach or if you're 100% like me and enjoy being active 24/7 when you're abroad whilst also viewing pretty places such as Italy or Mauritius, there's always going to be a place you'll want to go back to time and time again or equally as much, a place you've been dreaming to go to for years. I'm definitely a person who wants to travel the world, whether it's next year travelling Europe or in a few years time after University going to America or gorgeous, exotic destinations across the globe. I hope you've enjoyed my rather visually pleasing blog post today, until next time x
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