SUMMER IN SALCOMBE // 5 IRRESISTIBLE HOLIDAY TREATS

GUEST POST

Salcombe in beautiful South Devon is a hugely popular holiday location in the summer. Every year its winding sunlit streets fill with discerning holidaymakers, all making the most of the town’s boutique shops and renowned restaurants, sparkling waters and countless opportunities to revel in the great outdoors. Set within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Salcombe’s pristine beaches, undulating hills and craggy coastline mean that its visitors are treated to a breathtaking range of scenery within just a few short steps of the town.

On a summer day in Salcombe you’ll brush shoulders with keen sailors, romantic couples, active families, passionate foodies, hikers and shopaholics, all of whom share a love of this timeless getaway on Devon’s southernmost tip.

To provide just a taste of what Salcombe has to offer, we’ve picked out five of our favourite things to do in the town.

FAMILY TRAVEL AND HOLIDAY STYLE

One of the exciting things about travelling abroad is deciding what to pack and wear. Choosing what holiday style to go for can be a challenging process, as I want to be comfortable and look good without taking everything but the kitchen sink. So when Debenhams asked if we'd like to choose some items from their Holiday Shop I was excited that I could get something for all the family in one fell swoop, without spending days darting around in a lat minute pre-holiday panic.

With a renewed sense of wanderlust, I'm excited about all the travel plans we have lined up in the near future and I feel so grateful for the opportunities this blog of mine has given me and my little family, and mostly to you lovely lot for reading it *blows kiss.* I've done a few solo trips this year and found it easy to pack light, but heading on a family holiday is a whole other matter.  On our most recent trip we managed to take two small carry on cases and a trunki, which meant that a lot of things were jammed in due to F wanting to take various toys, books and other home comforts.

However in July we have two weeks of travel to take and I've been dreaming of a long haul flight, I really want to visit San Fransisco, Portland and LA as it would be an amazing adventure. So I though this would be the perfect opportunity to upscale our luggage with this generous Tripp suitcase, also the bright pattern makes it easy to spot at baggage claim.

Packing for F is easy as he's happy in t-shirts and shorts while hanging out by the pool, he was pretty stoked when I picked out this Dinosaur top and palm print hat, which looks good and protects him from the sun. Paul loved these brilliant blue casual shorts and I think the contrast of these brightly coloured suede boat shoes really makes the blue pop.

I tend to stick to dresses and shorts when travellings somewhere hot as I hate feeling restricted in my clothes, so this knee length scalloped hem dress is perfect for the day and the embroidery detail is so cute.

But my favourite of all is this Grecian style midi dress teamed with these minimalist white flats from one of my favourite brands, perfect to dress up or down depending on what you're getting up to!What is your staple style when holidaying abroad? Do you have a favourite holiday outfit?

A STAY AT THE LUXURIOUS PORTIXOL HOTEL IN PALMA

A few weeks back we woke bleary eyed in Bristol and rolled out of bed at 3am to catch a flight to the sunny island of Mallorca nestled in the Mediterranean sea and check into the luxurious Portixol Hotel, with i-escape with Kids. As a child I used to holiday on the north-western coats of this Balearic Isle, and have fond memories exploring cobbled stone pathways shaded with beautiful palms with my parents so I was excited to return. 

Apart from the mad last minute dash for the gate I was quite impressed at how smooth it all went and how good F was during the flight considering how early it was. We arrived at Palma Airport and immediately felt our shoulders relax as the balmy 28 degrees washed over us and we managed to grab a taxi outside the airport – most of which have child booster seats in the boot – and made our way to the beautiful Portixol Hotel.

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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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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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A NIGHT AT THE CHAPEL WITH I-ESCAPE

The other week I was woke up in the luxury of soft cotton sheets and pillows that embrace you like a mothers arms, and the best thing was the silence. No shouts of breakfast or transformers, just pure silence and the smell of freshly baked croissants drifting in from the hall. A rare treat indeed for this tired mama.

The wonderful online travel company i-escape invited me and some other lovely bloggers to an evening At the Chapel in the en vogue village of Bruton. It was great to meet the team behind the company I've admired for a while now. We were invited downstairs to the beautiful Club room, where cowhide, stone stacks and marble floors dress the space to create the perfectly minimalist ranch style room that would suit the likes of Palm Springs.

There was prosecco and pizza – the perfect combination – to enjoy while we listened to the many destinations around the world that i-escape showcases. If you haven't used the website before I would definitely recommend it, we used it to find one of our honeymoon stays in the South of France and it couldn't have been more dreamy. The best thing about booking through i-escape – apart from the in depth reviews, listing both the pro's and con's – is that you will always get the the same, if not better deal than booking with the hotel directly. Plus there are little extras to make your time that bit more special, like a welcome hamper or a complimentary bottle of fizz depending on where you book.

After cooing over some beautiful destinations and hearing about their selective process for handpicking the best boutique hotels and apartments, we were able to take part in a destination matchmaking workshop where the team put their heads together to match our preferences to perfect breaks abroad. It was brilliant to see how spot on they were with my matches being this beautiful Architect's cottage in Reykjavik  and this stunning apartment in Spain with Eames chairs, exposed stone walls and warm lighting *swoon*.

Booking accommodation abroad with little ones can sometimes be a bit tricky which is why I love i-escape with kids, not only does it allow you to travel without compromising on style – a big issue or me – but it makes finding the perfect bolthole easy with categories such as babies, toddlers, kids and teens to choose from as well as using countries and amenities to shortlist your preferences.

After lots of laughter and chats with friends, I took my tipsy self upstairs to my beautiful twin room which I was sharing with Fritha, and sunk into the welcoming bed before getting the most restful nights sleep. In the morning I woke slowly to the soft light filtering in through the window, jumping in the shower and heading downstairs to enjoy a latte or two before catching the train home.At the Chapel is definitely a favourite of mine (click on the link to see my full review) and I was super grateful for another chance to stay in this beautiful hotel.*I was a guest of i-escape's At the Chapel, all word and opinions are 100% my own .

MY NEW YEAR'S EVE AIRBNB WISH LIST

New Year's Eve is one of those funny nights either filled with amazing potential or laced with disappointment. People tend to fall into one of three brackets:

1. The eager to go out with party shoes at the ready.
2. The dinner party do-ers who create an inviting fun environment at home or attend someone else's.
3. Those who just aren't that fussed, those who stay in and perhaps struggle to reach midnight.

All three options can be great depending on your mood when the big night rolls around, but what about those after a bit of adventure? Do you fancy seeing in 2015 under new skies? Exploring a different city or country perhaps?



I've often thought about celebrating abroad with champagne and a view of the Eiffel Tower, dancing the night away in glittering heels in the heart of New York City, sharing cocktails with friends old and new in an underground Berlin bar, wrapped in a blanket all cosy by a beach pitt fire under the stars, or sipping late night coffee by the canals in Amsterdam.

Whenever we plan to travel the first thing I do is look for a place to stay on Airbnb, with unique listings in over 35,000 cities and over 26 million guests who have tried and tested the service, it's a no brainer and we've stayed in some great apartments allowing us to live like a local and explore our new surroundings.

It's super easy to use, you just go online and select your city and budget, and scroll through the listing or search using the interactive map. When travelling to Copenhagen with F - his first trip abroad - we rented a cosy little place in Nørrebrogade which was perfectly located for us to explore the city.

I've already put together a little list of places I would like to stay in if I had the chance – including the two apartments above – and if I can't go abroad for NYE then I'll certainly be looking to visit some fun places in 2015!

Images source 1/2/3/4/5

Joining Airbnb means you can always find a place to escape to and even make your home work for you. Why not use the days you're out of town or have holidays booked to act as a host and generate an income whilst you relax elsewhere. I know I'll be looking at doing this with our flat in 2015.

Where would you love to be on New Years Eve?

TOP TIPS ON TRAVELLING LIGHT

Image via Pinterest

Some people take the art of travel quite seriously and others are much more of a last minute dash sort of person, where clothes are grabbed, shoes are flung and passports are clutched in hand while racing to the airport. As a traveller I think I fall between the two, not organised enough to plan that far ahead but happy that I know what essentials I couldn't fly without. Often I like to travel light but be prepared for any event, and no I'm not talking first aid kits and travellers cheques, but fun adventures and serendipitous moments.

There are a few places that I've been itching to visit: San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Amsterdam and Berlin are a few that come to mind, and as I get nearer to jetting off into the big blue I thought I'd share some of my top tips for travelling light to one of my top destinations, New York City.


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A CHRISTMAS WISH TO YOU

 Image via Julep

I'm taking a break from blogging so I can enjoy the Christmas holidays without distraction. There'll be a few posts here and there but mainly you can find me over on Instagram – come say hi. So here's a quick post to to wish you a magical Christmas full of family, friends, love and warmth. No doubt I'll wake early to a bouncing toddler enthusiastic to open the presents under the tree, before heading over to my family's house for a delicious feast prepared lovingly by my wonderful mum. It's having a child that makes you appreciate your parents efforts over the years in making this one day ever so special.  I hope you eat well and laughter is your companion tomorrow, and to those far away I send you my Christmas love.

Merry Christmas  xx