Tag: Lifestyle

Our stay at Regnum Aparthotel & Spa in Bansko, Bulgaria

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A few weeks ago, I was in Bulgaria with my husband to resolve some issues with my parent’s holiday home. We spent a few days in Bansko and a couple of days in Sofia. I love travelling to Bulgaria and today I would like to tell you about our stay at the Regnum Apart hotel & Spa in Bansko.

Location:

Regnum Apart hotel & Spa is based in the popular town of Bansko at the foot of the Pirin Mountains, in southwest Bulgaria. It is only a few minutes’ walk from town’s high street on which you can find many nice restaurants, clubs and a gondola. The hotels location is perfect – no matter whether you are in Bansko for skiing, hiking or just passing by.

Atmosphere:

Regnum Apart hotel & Spa has a classic and sophisticated décor. Its guests can enjoy many common areas such as an outdoor swimming pool, spa, bar, reading room and a large lounging area. All staff members we spoke with were helpful and accommodating.

Room:

We stayed in an Executive deluxe suite which consisted of two rooms, bathroom and a balcony with stunning mountain views. We enjoyed relaxing in our spacious living room with kitchenette which was fully equipped with a kettle all plates, cutlery, mini-fridge, safe box, and oven. We didn’t cook whilst we were there, but it would be handy for anyone who fancy preparing their meals whilst away from home. Our bedroom had a stylish décor and a comfortable with king size bed and a flat-screen TV.
Our bathroom had both shower cabin and bathtub and again was finished to a high standard. A selection of complimentary toiletries was also provided.


My favourite space in the apartment was our balcony – the view was simply stunning and as we were in Bansko in June it was perfect to lounging on with a drink after hiking all day.

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Overall experience:
We enjoyed our stay in Regnum Apart hotel & Spa and I would recommend it to anyone travelling to Bansko. In addition, the hotel has recently opened its own thermal SPA in a picturesque village of Banya. Regnum Banya Thermal features an outdoor swimming pool with mineral water which is complimentary to use for all hotel guests and can be easily reachable in 10min by a free hotel’s shuttle bus. The SPA has great facilities including a steam room, sauna and if you fancy you can have one of beauty treatments or a massage whilst in there.


The only let down was hotel’s buffet which we decided to try on one of the nights. All food was bland and overpriced for Bulgaria as it was around 20euros per person. It was a canteen quality food which I would not expect in a 5-star hotel.

Website:

For more information and to book visit:
https://www.regnum.bg/en/

Hope you enjoyed reading this review!

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Pauline

Holiday destinations: Hillwood, Washington D.C., USA

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As some of you might know, I traveled to Washington D.C. a few weeks ago. During my stay, I decided to visit some historic homes and gardens. Today, I would like to tell you about my visit to Hillwood Estate, Museum and Garden.

Museum

Marjorie Merriweather Post bought Hillwood in 1955. She was a daughter of Ella Merriweather Post and Charles William (C.W.) Post, who founded the Post cereal empire. She decided that she would like her home to become a museum:

“I want young Americans to see how someone lived in the twentieth century and how this person could collect works of art the way I have… I want to share this with the rest of the world.”
—Marjorie Merriweather Post

Her estate holds the most comprehensive collection of Russian imperial art outside of Russia, a distinguished eighteenth-century French decorative art collection, and twenty-five acres of serene landscaped gardens and natural woodlands for all to enjoy. It was firstly opened as a public institution in 1977 to inspire and educate the public.

Gardens:

Marjorie designed the gardens to flower in the spring and fall however nowadays they are open to public all year round.

Visitors can walk through some beautiful paths that lead them to:

  • Rose Garden
  • Four Season Garden
  • Japanese Style Garden
  • French Parterre
  • Lunar Lawn

Location:
4155 Linnean Avenue,
NW Washington, DC 20008

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

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Pauline

Holiday destinations: Heurich House, Washington D.C., USA

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As some of you might know, I traveled to Washington D.C. a few weeks ago. During my stay, I decided to visit some historic homes and gardens. Today, I would like to tell you about the Heurich House Museum known also as the Brewmaster’s House.

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The Heurich House Museum is a well-preserved Victorian mansion previously owned by Christian Heurich, a German immigrant that left his country to start a new life in Washington, DC. It is located near the trendy Dupont Circle.

 

The Heurich House Museum.as built from 1892-94 by German immigrant, local brewer Christian Heurich (1842-1945). He lived with his family in Dupont Circle from its 1894 until 1956. He was terrified of fires and the mansion is notable for its fireproof construction. It has original interiors that still look amazing due to the shade and lower temperature of the house.

The Heurich House Museum offers guided tours that last approximately 1 hour on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. I’ve joined a tour on Saturday and it was great to learn about the history of the house, its owner and what currently happens there. We walked through the rooms with a knowledgeable guide and admired lots of beautiful antics inspired by French style.

What I found interesting was that the Heurich House Museum, runs a monthly History & Hops event every third Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30pm. During that events the museum partners with a local beer insider for house tours and beer tastings so if you enjoy trying some local beers then you should definitely book yourself in on one of these evenings.

I loved the quotes that were displayed in a drinking room of the owner where he would meet up with a group of friends to try his locally-brewed beer.

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Address:

Heurich House Museum

1307 New Hampshire Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20036

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

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Pauline

 

Holiday destinations: Washington D.C., USA

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A few weeks ago, I traveled to Washington D.C., the capital of the United States. Washington, D.C. is formally known as the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as “Washington”, “the District”, or simply “D.C.”.

Statistics from last year show that Washington had an estimated population of 681,170 however commuters from the surrounding Maryland and Virginia suburbs raise the city’s population to more than one million during the workweek. Washington, D.C., is located in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. East Coast.

There are many places worth visiting in Washington. Please find a quick summary listed below:

  • Learn more by visiting free Smithsonian museums so you can absorb culture the way it was meant to be experienced — in short encounters in the midst of everyday life.
  • Take flight at the National Air & Space Museum.
  • Learn about the freedom of the press and take some cool photos at the Newseum.

IMG_2019You should also visit the Pulitzer Prize photographs gallery which features all the winning photographs.

  • Go and take some photos of the White House. Unfortunately, it is difficult to get the access to the building but there are quite a few good places where you can view it from.
  • Visit United States Capitol. You can still access it and the tickets are available from a kiosk just outside the building.
  • Stroll down The National Mall. It is definitely the best way to see most of Washington’s monuments starting from the Capitol all the way to the Lincoln Memorial.
  • Visit Washington National Cathedral. This beautiful Gothic cathedral has been used for state funerals for three presidents and many other important burials and memorials.
  • Go shopping at Tanger Outlet. It is located 20 min drive from central Washington and if you like a bargain then you should definitely go there and check it out.

I hope you enjoyed reading this review.

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Pauline

Holiday destinations: Tudor Place, Washington D.C., USA

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As some of you might know, I traveled to Washington D.C. a few weeks ago. During my stay, I decided to visit some historic homes and gardens. Today, I would like to tell you about the Tudor Place. The name of this place is a bit deceiving as it doesn’t have anything in common with a Tudor era but even though it is definitely worth visiting.

Tudor Place House and Garden is an elegant neoclassical house dating back to 1816. To start with it was a home of Martha Custis (a granddaughter of Martha Washington) who built her estate with her husband Thomas Peter.

Tudor Place Owners

The house was extended and through six generations (until 1983), the Peter family celebrated their heritage here while also embracing contemporary art and fashion.

Today, visitors can enjoy a guided tour of the estate, giving them an opportunity to admire displays of family artifacts. I enjoyed walking through the drawing room, dinning room and kitchen while admiring the antics and listening to the stories of each of these rooms.

After the tour, as I love the gardens, I really enjoyed relaxing at the expansive, quiet historic gardens that are located in front of the property. Perfect to unwind when you are busy and fancy a bit of peace and relaxation.

Tudor Place

Location:

Tudor Place is located in Georgetown Heights at 1644 31st Street, Northwest.

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

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Pauline

Holiday destinations: Zagreb, Croatia

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Two weeks ago, I travelled with my husband to Zagreb in Croatia. Zagreb is not the first city that comes on anyone’s mind when thinking of Croatia but it should definitely change. For me, it was the third Croatian city we’ve seen so far as we previously visited Split and Dubrovnik known from Game of Thrones.

Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of Croatia. It is located in the northwest of the country, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb’s metropolitan area is the biggest in Croatia with a population of over one million.

Zagreb is a city with a rich history dating from the Roman times to the present day. The city smells of roses and there are many flower shops as well as a flower market located in center of the town.

I love how colorful and vibrant it it. It is a perfect destination for a weekend / city break. There are hundreds of great restaurants and bars located in there and even the most demanding foodies like me can choose from a range of local and international cuisines.

If you like sightseeing then there is a lot to see. Here is a short list of my suggestions of places worth visiting:

  • The Upper Town
  • Zagreb Cathedral
  • Zagreb Eye
  • King Tomislav Square
  • Maksimir Park and Zagreb Zoo
  • Ilica Street (for a bit of retail therapy)
  • Museum of Broken Relationships (if you would like to read some heartbreaking stories told by hundreds of personal belongings of past lovers from all over the world).
  • And many more hidden gems like these:

How to get there?

Monarch, the scheduled leisure airline, operates year round flights and holidays to Zagreb from London Gatwick and Manchester airports with fares, including taxes, from £42 one way (£79 return). It is a great cheap airline with the friendliest flight attendants I have ever met.

For further information or to book Monarch flights, Monarch Holidays or Monarch Hotels, please visit www.monarch.co.uk

I hope you enjoyed reading this review.

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Pauline

Holiday destinations: Cologne, Germany

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Last week, we traveled with my husband to Cologne for 3-days weekend break.

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Cologne is the fourth-largest city in German located within the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region, one of the major European metropolitan areas, and with more than ten million inhabitants, the largest in Germany.

The city is less than 80 km from Belgium and it is located on both sides of the Rhine River.
IMG_3109When we arrived to Cologne, before we started our sightseeing we decided to visit Cologne Tourist Information Center which is located just opposite of cathedral.

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We bought two KölnCards, that provided us with free public transport as well as reductions at various restaurants, museums, bars and so on around the city. As Cologne is a major cultural center it hosts more than thirty museums and hundreds of galleries so the discounts we received using KölnCards were significant.

There are lots of places worth visiting whilst in Cologne. Here is a short list of my suggestions:
  1. Cologne Cathedral – beautiful Roman Gothic cathedral that is the main tourist attraction of Cologne and attracts over 6 million visitors per year.
  2. Museum Ludwig – great place to visit for art lovers. It holds extensive collection of Picasso works.
  3. Romano-Germanic Museum – holds a lot of Roman artifacts and antiques.
  4. Cologne Cable Car – a gondola lift that runs across the River Rhine.
  5. Fragrance Museum – perfume museum that holds artworks from 1685.

In addition, I would also recommend one of the city sightseeing bus tours. They take around 1.5 hour and you will be able to see all of the main attractions. There was a couple of companies running them and the tickets were 11 EUR.

I hope you enjoyed reading this review.

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Pauline

Mother’s Day Gift Edit 2019

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Mother’s Day is one of the few opportunities when I can spoil my mum a bit and make her feel loved and appreciated. We are very close but as she lives in another country, I always consider what to send her across for this special celebrations.

I created a shortlist of products that I’ve sent her this year. I hope that you will like my ideas and perhaps even consider them as gifts for your mum.

Firstly, I bough my mum a bottle of her favourite perfumes – J’Adore from Dior.

Secondly, as my mum loves skincare so I got her some natural products from Made for Life Organics:

  • Head and Hair Treatment Oil – a deeply nourishing and conditioning treatment for head and scalp. Based on ingredients like: rosemary, burdock nettle, almond and apricot kernel oil which are rich in vitamins D and E. The product is known to boost circulation, clear the mind and condition hair so I though that it would be a perfect gift for my mum as she loves to have a healthy and shiny hair. It comes in 100ml bottle at the cost of £30.
  • Tone and Firm Body Oil – offers detoxifying combination of organic herbs and essential oils including green tea, rosemary, mint and lemon stimulates circulation. Active nutrients penetrate the skin, encouraging the elimination of toxins from the fatty tissue. It comes in 100ml bottle at the cost of £30.

Both of these products are 100% organic and full of natural botanicals, created to nurture anyone with the purest organics packed with active ingredients from the wild world. They come in a pretty packaging so would be a great gift for anyone. For more information and to purchase visit:

https://www.madeforlifeorganics.com/

Thirdly, as my mum has likes unusual and trendy accessories I got her a couple of products from BasketBasket range:

  • African inspired Raffia Fruit basket – a beautiful, colourful fruit bowl to add up some vibrancy to her bedroom. Made from straw and raffia.

basket

  • Raffia Beach Basket – a lovely beach / shopping basket with wooden button and cord fastener, inner pocket, plus leather handles, along enough to go over the shoulder.

bag

Both of these products are handmade with natural, sustainable products, mainly from Morocco and Madagascar. Website offers a lot of other handmade products and there’s something for everyone with the prices ranging from £19-£50.

https://www.basketbasket.co.uk/

Lastly, I decided to get my mum a Gioteck TX-40 headset as she is a music lover. It took one year in research & development and now all TX headsets deliver an impeccable blend of features, quality and design. I loved how stylish it looks as it combines sleek black with cooper finishes. Gioteck’s range not only looks good but also is durable, reliable and stylish so I am sure my mum will enjoy using it.

headset

Product can be purchased from Argos for £24.99:

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8361851

I hope that I gave you some ideas which might help you to come up with a perfect gift for your mum.

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Pauline

 

Holiday destinations: Helsinki, Finland

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At the beginning of March I was on a business trip in Helsinki in Finland. It was my third trip to that city and honestly speaking it is not one of my favorite destinations.

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Helsinki is the capital city of Finland. It is located in southern Finland and has a population an urban population of over 1.2 million. Helsinki is located some 80 km north of Estonia, 400 km east of Sweden and 388 km west of Russia.
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Here is a short list of my suggestions of places worth visiting while in this city:
  1. Esplanade Park;
  2. Helsinki Cathedral;
  3. Helsinki Zoo;
  4. Market Square;
  5. Old Market Hall.
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I hope you enjoyed reading this review.

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Pauline

Tried and Tested: The Honestly Good Smoothie Co.

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As some of you know, a few weeks ago, I decided to start a 6-weeks challenge to reduce my body fat. I was shocked to discover that my body fat was at 38% as I have a relatively healthy diet and BMI. I had to drastically change my diet and include some more fruits and vegetables into it. As I work long hours, sometimes it is challenging to have the recommended 5 portions of fruit & veg so I thought about having a daily smoothie. I then came across The Honestly Good Smoothie Co. and decided to try their range. Today I would like to tell you more about it.

What are they? 

The Honestly Good Smoothie Co. are delicious smoothie kits which are hand prepared, 100% organic and conveniently delivered to your door. You can put these handy pre-prepared pouches into your blender whenever you fancy a smoothie or two.

They are based on many highly nutritious and natural recipes including the following blends:

  • fruity
  • green
  • protein
  • veggie

Opinion:

I love smoothies but to be honest I do not not normally have enough fruits and veggies to prepare them at the comfort of my house. I really like the concept of pre-prepared smoothie kits as  they are easy to prepare, you can simply put them into your fridge and have one daily. I ordered a variety box as I wanted to explore some of the smoothies offered by the The Honestly Good Smoothie Co.. The box was delivered on Saturday and when I opened it I was impressed by how great the smoothies looked. Once I blended my first pouch I became a fan of these little fruit and veg smoothie pouches and ordered some more for the coming weeks. You should try them!

Price:

From £4.75 per smoothie.

You can order them from:

https://www.honestly-good.co/

I hope you enjoyed reading this review.

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Pauline