Travel: Venice

I had dreamed of visiting Venice for such a long time so after a stressful few months I decided that we deserved a little treat and booked a long bank holiday weekend as an early birthday present for the hubby! As we had a BA companion voucher that we hadn't had a chance to use (and my weekly Friday 7pm conference call prevented us from flying in the evening) we ended up taking the earliest Saturday morning flight from City airport so we could have 2 full days in Venice before returning on Monday afternoon.

 

(The bridge of Sighs.. looks nothing like the bridge I walked over every day in Cambridge!)

 

I found a lovely apartment on airbnb that was owned by a local architect (you can check it out here).

It was really quirky and modern with innovative use of space; just perfect for our needs. I would definitely recommend this option as it is much more affordable than local hotels and gave us more privacy. We took full advantage of all the amenities in the kitchen... as well as the pull up bar after all those carbs!

There is so much to see in Venice so we spent our first day walking around Piazza San Marco, exploring the Basilica, Doge's Palace, the Grand Canal and Rialto Bridge, while finding lots of hidden gems!

 Inside St Mark's

 We had the best time exploring through all the lovely little streets. There is something to see around every corner!

On the second day we took a boat around a couple of the nearby islands. We explored Murano and learned all about the traditional glass making techniques. 

In the evening I had booked us a lovely table at Alle Corone, a wonderful restaurant near the Grand Canal. The food was amazing and the service made it even more special! We decided to take a boat back to our apartment. There is definitely nothing more romantic than seeing Venice at night!

 Rialto Bridge

 The Casino

We had such a wonderful time and I would love to return and explore some more soon! 

La Roche Posay Anthelios

With the hottest day of the year so far already with us in April it is definitely a good time to talk about sunscreen! Seeing all the bare legs and shoulders at lunchtimes all across the City definitely spurred me to test out La Roche Posay's new Anthelios* range. Having actually been foolish enough in my younger years to have to go to hospital due to a severe sunburn I am a huge advocate of using a high factor SPF to protect from the sun! Nothing ages you more than sun exposure so it is incredibly important to make sure your skin is well shielded all year round, but especially as the weather gets warmer!

I was really interested in trying it out the Anthelios range as it promises a high degree of sun protection for sensitive skin. Being super pale (and learning from the above mentioned bad experiences) I go for the highest SPF possible, however I hate feeling like I am wearing a heavy sunscreen and am always on the search for the best of both worlds.

For the face I have been trialling the Anthelios XL Anti-Shine Dry Touch Gel-Cream SPF50+. This formulation doesn't feel at all heavy, is non-comedogenic and sets matte so it is perfect to use under makeup. It acts as a great base as it sinks into the skin quickly and sets to a dry touch while being water resistant. It has no parabens or  fragrance, just a faint, clean scent.

For the body I chose to go for the total opposite with the Anthelios XL Nutritive Oil SPF50+. I have never used a tanning oil before as they tend to have minimal protection (and if anything are generally used by those looking to increase their tan and sun exposure), however this oil is completely different. It can be used on the face and body to nourish and protect the skin. It has a dry oil formulation so sinks into the skin quickly without feeling sticky or too 'oily'. While still being paraben free and water resistant it does have a slight fragrance.

Have you tried the Anthelios range? What do you think of it? I hope you are all enjoying the sunshine safely! :)

Our Honeymoon - Sri Lanka - Part 1

The first stop on our honeymoon was beautiful Sri Lanka! I had spent months planning our whirlwind trip to make sure we could see as many sights and sample as much culture as could comfortably fit in one week.

However, flying on the Sunday following our wedding we were both utterly exhausted so spent the first two nights in Negombo. We stayed at the Jetwing Beach which was absolutely perfect for relaxation. Great service, a chilled atmosphere, an olympic sized pool, spa, gym, beach and very affordable room service. In fact we were so lazy that other than buffet breakfast we only ate out once! If you are prone to jet lag or are going straight from work I would really recommend staying in Negombo for at least a night as it is a little paradise just 30 minutes up the coast from Colombo airport. A perfect way to start your trip!

After attempting to book all our hotels and logistics myself I soon realised that it was very difficult given the long distances we had to travel. There is very little public transport and many places are not set up on the internet. I therefore put my pride aside and after speaking to about 15 different tour operators managed to negotiate the itinerary I had already planned with Kuoni. I honestly hate using tour operators as I often feel that I could do better (lol) and don't want to pay commission, but Kuoni were absolutely fantastic! Our tour included a private driver who acted as our tour guide for 4 days. In retrospect I would say a local presence is definitely a huge advantage as many places do not let you in without a local guide anyway!

Our first transfer was a 5 hour drive to Dambulla in the centre of the country. We had a quick stop midway and met some local wildlife... if you are scared of snakes look away now!

In Dambulla we visited the beautiful Cave/ Golden temple filled with ancient sculptures and paintings dedicated to Buddha, dating back to the 1st century BC.

The caves were spectacular, but after the long climb the views over the surrounding landscape were also stunning!

 

We also met the oldest, wisest soul reincarnated as a monkey who lived in the temple. You can see a whole other life in his eyes. I love animals so to spend a little time with him in such close proximity was amazing!

We then took a little detour and visited an elephant sanctuary where we got to ride an elephant around a small lake and even have a little elephant shower. When I was first researching places to see elephants I came across Pinnawala, which I believe is the largest, but after speaking to a few agents I was told that the elephants didn't have the best treatment there, so we decided to go with a much smaller, family run sanctuary. Our elephant Raannie was an absolute sweetie, though so hungry for bananas we ran out of them in minutes, despite purchasing two huge bunches for the short trip! 

The last stop was an amazing Jeep safari through Minneriya National Park. This was a once in a lifetime experience as we came across 2 families of elephants and were able to spend as much time with them as we wished!

The views in the wildlife park were just stunning! 

After a long day we made our way to the most special and unique boutique hotel I have ever seen! I was beyond excited to stay in one of their amazing paddy field dwellings, even if it was only for one night. Vil Uyana has been named as the best eco luxury hotel in Sri Lanka and it is not difficult to see why. Jetwing Hotels created a private nature reserve consisting of a wetland system with lakes and reed beds. Jetwing Vil Uyana was built within these environs with rooms which have been placed within the paddy fields itself. Our hut was incredible! We had our own little plunge pool, two terraces and some very romantic decoration, as well as a bowl of fruit and chocolate cake! They made such an effort to make us feel special on our honeymoon!

Vil Uyana is one of the most magical and tranquil places I have ever visited. I really wish we had been able to spend more time there!

As well as our amazing 'dwelling' the main areas of this hotel were also stunning. As we arrived quite late when it was already dark we went straight to dinner. The food was delicious and we had the most romantic evening.

The next morning we got up extra early to explore the hotel as we had to leave at 8am to climb Sigiriya. We found a little open air library/ chill space next to the restaurant which was perfectly serene and took a few minutes to take in our beautiful surroundings.

I hope you enjoyed coming along on our honeymoon in Sri Lanka! Please stay tuned for the next instalment! xxx

Italy

A few weeks ago we escaped to beautiful Italy for a long weekend to celebrate my mama's bday. Being back at work after the excitement of our wedding and honeymoon was very depressing so it was great to have a little break to look forward to!

I have such a special place in my heart for Italy and particularly our tiny village in Umbria. It's so secluded from the world and the perfect antidote to our crazy London lives - fresh air, sunshine and even our own little organic garden and mini orchard.

There is nothing I love more than popping down to the garden in the morning to pick fresh berries and fruit!

 

The blackberries had just ripened in time for our visit and were so delicious!

 Perfect juicy pears and apples for fresh juices! Definitely beats my usual juice cleanses and detoxes!

Who knew pomegranates started their lives as such stunning flowers? I can't wait till these ripen!

 

We also made an amazing soup using beautiful butternut squash.

I'm always trying to get the cleanest food at home and try to buy organic whenever I can so it was such a treat to use wonderfully fresh ingredients.

 Obviously my husband's photo skills still need a little bit of work!

 And here's one we picked earlier ;p.

We had such a lovely relaxing time eating good food, going for hikes (although mama and I got lost in the forest hills for 2 hours, which wasn't so much fun) and generally enjoying the simpler side of life! I am the first to admit that I get too wrapped up in the every day and let things get on top of me, but I am making a real effort to make sure I slow down and take time to appreciate life and all the things I am thankful for. :)