MY TOP FIVE SPRING TRAVEL BUCKET LIST

Whoops after an unintentional break for half term, I'm back. Yep I'm back to the normal routine of being woken by a small excited face at silly o'clock and have to somehow organise ourselves to get out the door on time for the school run *this never happens* before trying to cram in as much of my to do list in before heading back out to pick up my boy and repeat, so it's no surprise I'm already lusting for a mini break to a destination off my top five travel bucket list.

I'm not really one for routine and although I can admit it certainly has its benefits, it really seems to be my Achilles heel, I even have 'be more organised' on my list of things to do *Ha* well I can dream ay!

As we've had a hint of spring, I am suddenly craving ALL the sunshine and vitamin D so I thought I'd share with you the places that I'm longing to visit/revisit for a mini break.

PARIS

Springtime in Paris *sigh* after all the song says it all. What's not to love about the city of lights, wandering along the Seine ready for an impromptu picnic, catching some culture at the Palais de Tokyo or checking out the hidden side streets of Marais for a crepe or two washed down by a coffee. You could always head to the Molitor for some champagne luxury and a swim, or if you fancy something more low key you can channel your inner Amelie and skim stones along the Canal St Martin *swoon* You can check out some of my favourite Parisian spots right here.

NYC

Oh the Big Apple! So many of my friends have been across the pond to the crazy delights this city has to offer, with its iconic yellow taxis, Brooklyn Bridge and oh so many things, this is definitely on my list of places to visit. I would love to stroll through Central Park, pick up a rainbow bagel or two, grab a slice of pizza in Greenwich Village. Just imagine sipping cocktails on a roof top pool with the city bustling below or heading out to the Lido on Staten Island, it would feel like you've stepped into a Sex in the City episode! 

PALM SPRINGS

Home of the iconic Modernist Architecture and THAT famous pink door, this corner of the desert has been on my wish list FOREVER! With the likes of the Ace Hotel or the colourful Saguaro Hotel to rest your head you know you'd be in for a good stay. I often wonder whether I would be suited to desert living, although I would have to decide between split and ducted air conditioning as I do not handle the heat well! I'm probably more suited to a relaxing vacay with a drive out into the Joshua Tree National Park or Salvation Mountain.

BERLIN

This city totally stole my heart with its cool coffee culture, laid back attitude and creative vibes. I spent a few days here in the spring and spent the entire time exploring the city on foot, tasting the culinary delights it had to offer, especially the best steamed dumplings I've ever had. I would head back in a heartbeat and could even imagine owning a flat here one day *a girl can dream ay* You can check out a few more pics from my Berlin trip here!

AMSTERDAM

Now here's a city who knows its way to a girls heart. Sunshine, endless canals, cute bicycles and cool architecture, Amsterdam in Spring is the perfect weekend getaway. We loved wandering off the beaten track, finding great places to eat and enjoyed the stylish design hotels the city had to offer. I would recommend a stay at the Loft in the Hotel V Fredericksplein.

Have you got a favourite place for Spring? What's on your bucket list?

* Image source 1 2 3/ 4

DESIGN HOTEL IN AMSTERDAM // PART THREE

Time flies when you're having fun and making exciting travel plans, and I've realised I haven't shared the final stint of our fab Amsterdam design hotel trip with i-escape with you. I love looking back over our adventures and remembering all the fun finds and exciting eats, you can read our first day and second day here.After a very relaxing sleep in our design bolt holes, Hotel V Nepslein situated in the theatre quarter of Amsterdam, I was very excited to head down for breakfast and sample its delights after seeing how popular the restaurant was the night before, but nothing could have prepared me for the surprise I got as we made our way to our table!

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DESIGN HOTEL IN AMSTERDAM // PART TWO WITH I-ESCAPE

It's been a few weeks since we returned from our city break in Amsterdam with i-escape – you find part one here – and there is still so much to share with you. Not only do I love the design hotels, culture and coffee,  but I also love the food and shops too.

On waking from our gorgeous loft suite at the Hotel V Fredericksplein, we packed our bags ready to make our way over to our next bolthole, its luxury sister Hotel V Nepslein, just a short tram ride away. As we headed into the centre and wandered down a small cobbled lane filled with colour we found a discreet sign alerting us to our destination, as we stepped through the door a stunning tiered floor to ceiling chandelier greeted us and immediately I knew we were in for a treat.

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STYLE IN YOUR CITY // AN URBAN STORE

It's been another fortnight since our last series of Style In Your City, which showcases your life and creates a community celebrating all the things you love about where you live. I loved reading your posts and all your stylish photos over on Instagram, I think this is definitely my favourite colourful coffee capture. My pick from the last fortnight was by Not Another Mummy Blog, I loved discovering a new city and how friendly a local neighbourhood cafe can be.


This fortnight I focused on stylish interiors, I'm slightly cheating as this is a store I found in Amsterdam but totally loved this urban feel and wanted to share it with you, plus I'm hoping that city might adopt me ;)

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DESIGN HOTEL IN AMSTERDAM // PART ONE WITH I-ESCAPE

I'm very excited to announce that this year Wild & Grizzly will be collaborating with the fab online travel company i-escape and last weekend we got to sample a brilliant design hotel in Amsterdam for a Valentines weekend break. I'm so excited to share our top things to do in Amsterdam and showcase our two beautiful city pads.With direct flights from Bristol to Amsterdam taking less than an hour, it's the perfect destination for a weekend city break. This is the first trip we've taken abroad without F – who stayed at my folks for a few days – and to be honest  I felt a bit guilty but the thought of being out after 6.30pm was enough to make me giddy, and as Amsterdam is so kid friendly I can't wait to return with F.

We touched down as the light started to fade and took the €5 train ride to the heart of the city, and even though the trams are super easy to use we jumped in a taxi eager to find our first hotel. Proving the Dutch do design hotels well, we were welcomed by a stunning circular copper fireplace and curved leather sofa as we entered  Hotel V Fredericksplein and shown to our beautifully designed loft suite.

After a quick change of clothes we headed out onto Utrechtsestraat, a stones throw from the hotel, a street buzzing with cafes, bars and design boutiques and spent the evening at the newly opened Guts N Glory before exploring the city's canals at night.

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