Tag: #lifestyleblogger

Holiday destinations: Bansko, Bulgaria

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I have just came back from my winter holidays with my family in Bansko in Bulgaria. This mountain resort is an excellent choice for your ski and snowboard holiday in Bulgaria.

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Bansko was voted as the best winter resort in Bulgaria with the longest ski runs and the richest cultural history. The town of Bansko is situated at the foot of the Pirin mountain in the south-western Bulgaria, 160 km from Sofia (around 3.5 hours’ drive from the airport).

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The resort offers excellent ski and snowboard conditions and infrastructure. There are a lot of hotels of various standards and prices based in there. I would personally recommend Premier Mountain Resort or Kempinski Hotel if you like staying in luxury hotels.

What’s worth mentioning here, the prices of hotels, ski rentals etc. are probably 50% cheaper than in Alps so you can stay in a 5 star hotel for the price of 2/3 star hotel in Austria or France.

Après ski

So what to do after a day on slopes? Après ski in the resort is really good and offers hundreds of bars, traditional restaurants and clubs where you can indulge after your skiing or snowboarding adventures. I will be posting some reviews of places that are worth visiting whilst in Bulgaria soon.

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Location

Bansko is a ski and mountain resort located in the south-western part of Bulgaria. The town is situated 6 km from the town of Razlog and 160 km from the capital of Sofia. The town of Bansko is located 925 m above the sea level whereas its ski area – at an altitude of 2000 – 2600 m.

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Resort information

Bansko ski resort is attractive in all seasons but I’ve only been there during the winter as I love skiing.

The ski season in Bansko lasts from 15 December to 14 April. During the recent years a multimillion Euros investment in a brand new skiing area has been made by Yulen, the company that runs the skiing area of Bansko. Numerous new luxury hotels and facilities in the area of the Gondola lift station have been constructed. It provides excellent ski and snowboard facilities, as well as a unique history and architecture of an old and new part of the town.

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

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Pauline

Tried and Tested: OGX Beauty biotin & collagen range

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I have a fine hair so I recently decided to try some products from OGX Beauty Biotin & Collagen range.

OGX Beauty biotin & collagen products are designed to give each strand of your hair a boost and leave it feeling thicker and fuller.

I decided to try all 4 products from this range:

1. Biotin & Collagen Shampoo. It contains the Biotin & Collagen blend consisting of  to help thicken and texturise any hair type with just one use. This powerful formula helps to volumise even the skinniest strands into fuller and more abundant looking locks. Size: 385 ml.

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2. Biotin & Collagen Conditioner. This amazing lightweight conditioner will help give your hair a beautiful boost after just one use. Size: 385 ml.

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3. Biotin & Collagen Root Boost Spray. This product should be used after washing your hair and sprayed into roots for thicker, stronger, fuller hair. Size 177 ml.

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4. Biotin & Collagen Weightless Revieving Oil Mist. This lightweight mist helps protect and heal your hair while infusing it with lustrous shine. Size: 118 ml.

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Result:

If you are looking for an affordable hair-care that will transform your fine hair and leave it feeling fuller and healthier than look no further. My hair definitely feels fuller and stronger and I’ve just started using this amazing range. I will definitely try some more products from OGX Beauty soon!

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

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Pauline

My stay at GLO Hotel Espoo Sello in Finland

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Last week, I was in Finland on a business trip and I stayed at Glo Hotel Sello for 3 days.

Location:

GLO Hotel Espoo Sello is very conveniently located in the centre of Espoo town, 15 minutes drive from Helsinki. Trains reach central Helsinki in 10 minutes from Leppävaara Station which is only a few minutes walk away. It is situated next to Sello Shopping Mall so you can get a bit of retail therapy whilst in Espoo.

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Atmosphere:

The hotel has an informal atmosphere. For all my eco-loving friends, you would be glad to discover that GLO Hotel Espoo Sello is environmentally friendly and certified by the Green Key.

Facilities:

GLO Hotel Espoo Sello has a 24-hours reception, baggage storage room, restaurant and a rooftop terrace. Free WiFi is available throughout the property.

When I arrived at the hotel on Sunday evening (9:40 p.m.), I was surprised to discover that their restaurant was closed and there was no room-service offered… I ended up having some sweets for my dinner-not great if you are traveling the whole day and want something to eat when you arrive.

The breakfast was served at the restaurant downstairs and was quite limited. There wasn’t much to choose from and I normally just ended up with some yogurt and fruits.

Room:

The room had a modern décor.

The bed was comfortable and I was able to choose my own special pillow and blanket for free. These services are not offered to all guest so you need to enquire about them at the reception to take advantage. My room also had a flat-screen TV, safe, mini-bar and blackout curtains. After a long day of meetings, I was always looking forward to relaxing in my room. The bathroom was simple and had the basic facilities like a shower, washbasin.

Overall:

GLO Hotel Espoo Sello is quite an average hotel that would be good for anyone travelling to Espoo on business. What you need to be aware of is that, there is not much to do in the town itself so if you wish to do a bit of sightseeing then it probably would be easier to stay in Helsinki. If you arrive late then be prepared that there is no-room service so you will need to go to bed on an empty stomach…

Address:

Leppaevaarankatu 1
Espoo, Finland, 02600

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

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Pauline

Tried and Tested: OGX Beauty Niacin3 & caffeine range

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As some of you might remember, a couple of weeks ago I tried OGX  Beauty Biotin and Collagen range and really liked it. As a result, I decided to try OGX Beauty Niacin3 & caffeine range. It contains a fallout-busting formula blend of niacin and caffeine to help exfoliate and stimulate your scalp while combating hair loss.

For best results, all products in this collection should be used together so I decided to try:

1. OGX Beauty Niacin3 & caffeine Shampoo. Its powerful formula blend with niacin and caffeine, alpha hydroxy acid and natural DHT blockers can help make your scalp happy and help prevent hair fallout. Size: 385 ml.

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2. GX Beauty Niacin3 & caffeine Conditioner.  This lightweight conditioner not only smells great but it also detangles fine and fragile hair. Its special formula blend includes niacin and caffeine, alpha hydroxy acid and natural DHT blockers to help prevent hair loss caused by breakage.  Size: 385 ml.

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3. GX Beauty Niacin3 & caffeine Root Stimulator Spray. This invigorating spray helps stimulate the hair follicles and scalp with niacin and caffeine, alpha hydroxy acid and natural DHT blockers. It should be used at least once a day in order to create an optimal scalp environment for thicker, stronger, fuller hair. Size: 118 ml.

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Result:

I’ve been using the whole range for 2 weeks and my hair definitely feels fuller and stronger. If you need to give your hair some extra boost than you should definitely try this OGX Beauty Niacin3 & caffeine range as a seasonal treat for your locks.

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

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Pauline

Holiday destinations: Brussels, Belgium

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A few weeks ago, I took my husband to Brussels. It is one of these places where I’ve been to on multiple occasions and I always like returning to this city made famous by its French fries, waffles, seafood and beer.

Brussels is the largest city and a capital of Belgium. It has a population of 1.2 million and it has been increasingly becoming multilingual with increasing numbers of migrants, expatriates and minority groups speaking their own languages.

Historically it was a Dutch-speaking city, it has seen a language shift to French from the late 19th century onwards. Today the majority language is French however all road signs, street names and many services are shown in both languages. If you fancy a short break then Brussels is a great destination as it is only 2 hours away on the Eurostar.

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There’s lots to see in the city from the famous chocolate shops to enjoying its cafe culture in the Grand-Place area.

Here is a short list of my suggestions:

  1. Grote Markt (Dutch) / Grand-Place (French).
  2. City Museum – Maison du Roi (French) – Broodhuis (Flemish).
  3. Hôtel de Ville – Town Hall.
  4. Heysel Park and the Atomium.
  5. Basilica of the Sacred Heart (Koekelberg Basilica).

I hope you enjoyed reading this review.

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Pauline

Competition time! 9 days to win Marco Polo travel guides

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Starting from the 22nd of February, I will have an amazing competition running in partnership with Marco Polo to win a different travel guide each day.

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All my new and old Twitter followers from UK have a chance of winning a different travel guide each day (22/02-03/03) if they follow me and re-tweet the competition.  Prize will be send by 2ndclass recorded delivery to the winners in the week commencing on the 6th of March 2017. 

The competition will be run over 9 days and each day 1 of my Twitter followers will win a different guide:

  • 22/02/2017 – Australia
  • 23/02/2017 – Boston & New England
  • 25/02/2017 – Dublin
  • 26/02/2017 – French Rivera
  • 27/02/2017 – New Zealand
  • 28/02/2017 – Portugal
  • 01/03/2017 – Sardinia
  • 02/03/2017  – Scotland
  • 03/03/2017 – Vancouver

To enter the competition and for your chance to win you just need to follow @1stclasslounge on Twitter and re-tweet the competition to your followers.

Terms and Conditions:

  1. The competition is run on Twitter by Firstclasslounge.net
  2. There is no entry fee and no purchase necessary to enter this competition.
  3. The competition is open ONLY to residents of Great Britain aged 18 and over as at the time of the competition opening. Failure to comply with any part of this clause will disqualify the respective entry from the competition. Prize will not be posted outside of Great Britain.
  4. Only one entry per person per weekly prize draw competition will be accepted.
  5. Each entrant shall enter the prize draw via Twitter only, in the way of re-tweeting the competition message and following @1stClassLounge Twitter account.
  6. The winning prize is a travel guide from Marco Polo. Destination of the travel guide will depend on the day of the competition.
  7. The promoter (FirstClassLounge.net) will not be liable for any failure of receipt of entries. The promoter takes no responsibility for any entries which are lost, delayed, illegible, corrupted, damaged, incomplete or otherwise invalid.
  8. Prizes are non-negotiable, non-transferable and non-refundable. No cash alternative is available.
  9. In the event of unforeseen circumstances beyond the promoter’s reasonable control, the promoter reserves the right to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the prize draw competition or these terms and conditions, either in whole or in part, with or without notice.
  10. These terms and conditions and the competition prize draw are governed by English law and subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.
  11. Entry into the competition will be deemed as acceptance of these terms and conditions.
  12. The promoter’s decision in respect of all matters to do with the competition will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
  13. This promotion is in not sponsored, endorsed or administered by Twitter or any other Social Network.
  14. The promoter’s decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into.
  15. The winner’s twitter username will be posted on Twitter by @1stclasslounge after the winner has been selected.
  16. If the winner cannot be contacted or do not claim the prize within 14 days of notification, we will pick a replacement winner.
  17. All guides will be posted by Marco Polo company in the week commencing on the 6th of March.

Good luck everyone!

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Pauline

Greek feast at Kafenio Restaurant, Brussels, Belgium

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A few weeks ago I was in Brussels with my husband to celebrate his birthday.  On our second night, we decided to book a traditional Greek restaurant as I knew that food is very important in Greek culture and it is tradition for the whole family to get together at the table.

Location:

Kafenio is located opposite of the European Commission building, a couple of hundred meters away from Schuman station.

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Address:

Rue Stevin 134, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium

Atmosphere:

We booked our table for 7:00 p.m. When we arrived the restaurant was quite empty but in 30 minutes from our arrival it was buzzing with dinners. We were greeted by Arkoulis and later on discovered that his father owns the restaurant so it is a family-run enterprise. He took us to our table in the corner of restaurant and made us feel welcomed. From that moment on, we were looked after by a friendly waitress Anna.

Kafenio has a stylish, modern decor. There was a live-band laying some Greek songs in the background which made our experience extra special.

The menu:

The menu at this traditional Greek restaurant offers an impressive selection of dishes that are all built around traditional Greek recipes. I had some delicious, sweet wine to start with.

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We decided to share a signature ‘Menu Mega Pikilia’ which was fantastic and will not leave you feeling hungry!

To start with we got very generous portions of some Greek dishes including some calamari, selection of Greek cheese, zucchini donuts, giant baked beans, houmous and pork dices and vine leaves. When we finished this, our waitress arrived with some more food including tzatziki, chtipiti, grilled halloumi cheese, salad, kebab, steak some meat skewers, lamb ribs and Greek pasta.

Wow! There was so much food that unfortunately we weren’t able to finish it all even though it was all very tasty. Everything was presented nicely and I really liked the idea of sharing it with my husband and would recommend it as a great date idea.

Desserts:

As I have a bad sweet tooth, I had some Tiramisu and let me tell you, it was the best Tiramisu I had in a while. I would definitely come back to have some more of it soon!

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My husband was completely full so he decided to only have a digestive (some Limoncello) to finish his meal.

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Overall experience:

We both had a lovely time at this traditional Greek restaurant. Everything was fresh and tasty and portion sizes were generous. The atmosphere was very welcoming and staff made us feel like at home. If you like Greek food then look no further and book it today!

For more information and to book visit:

https://www.kafenio.be/

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

Valentine’s Day Competition-iPhone accessories set!

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Starting from the 14th of February, I will have an amazing competition run in partnership with PNY Europe for all my Twitter followers based in UK! PNY’s product portfolio includes a broad assortment of Solid-State Drives, Memory Modules, NVIDIA® GeForce Graphics Cards, Flash Memory Cards, USB Flash Drives, PowerPacks, as well as a complete line up of mobile accessories for the on the go consumer. All PNY products have sustained stringent testing and are ROHS compliant to assure the ultimate in quality and reliability.

From 14th until 21st  of February 2017 all my new and old Twitter followers from UK can win a set of iPhone travel accessories for him and for her  if they follow me and re-tweet the competition.  Prize will be send by 2ndclass recorded delivery to the winners.

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The set consists of accessories for him and for her-perfect for sharing with your loved one:

  • 2 powerpacks (in metalic pink and in grey)
  • 2 apple lightning cables (in metalic pink and black)

To enter the competition and for your chance to win you just need to follow @1stclasslounge on Twitter and re-tweet the competition to your followers.

Terms and Conditions:

  1. The competition is run on Twitter by Firstclasslounge.net
  2. There is no entry fee and no purchase necessary to enter this competition.
  3. The competition is open ONLY to residents of Great Britain aged 18 and over as at the time of the competition opening. Failure to comply with any part of this clause will disqualify the respective entry from the competition. Prize will not be posted outside of Great Britain.
  4. Only one entry per person per weekly prize draw competition will be accepted.
  5. Each entrant shall enter the prize draw via Twitter only, in the way of re-tweeting the competition message listed below and following @1stClassLounge Twitter account.
  6. #ValentinesDay #competition RT & follow @1stclasslounge to #Win this iphone accessories @pnyeuropeUK! #giveaway T&C: https://firstclasslounge.net/2017/02/12/valentines-day-competition-iphone-accessories-set/  Obscene or inappropriate entries will not be accepted and FirstClassLounge.net reserves the right to reject any entries for any reason at its sole discretion.
  7. The winning prize is a set of iPhone accessories for HIM & for HER from PNY  Europe.
  8. The promoter (FirstClassLounge.net) will not be liable for any failure of receipt of entries. The promoter takes no responsibility for any entries which are lost, delayed, illegible, corrupted, damaged, incomplete or otherwise invalid.
  9. Prizes are non-negotiable, non-transferable and non-refundable. No cash alternative is available.
  10. In the event of unforeseen circumstances beyond the promoter’s reasonable control, the promoter reserves the right to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the prize draw competition or these terms and conditions, either in whole or in part, with or without notice.
  11. These terms and conditions and the competition prize draw are governed by English law and subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.
  12. Entry into the competition will be deemed as acceptance of these terms and conditions.
  13. The promoter’s decision in respect of all matters to do with the competition will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
  14. This promotion is in not sponsored, endorsed or administered by Twitter or any other Social Network.
  15. The promoter’s decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into.
  16. The winner’s twitter username will be posted on Twitter by @1stclasslounge after the winner has been selected.
  17. If the winner cannot be contacted or do not claim the prize within 14 days of notification, we will pick a replacement winner. The winner will be selected at random and announced on Twitter on  Tuesday 21st of February for all entries received from 8 A.M on 14th February until 20th February 2017 at 11:59 PM.

Good luck everyone!

X

Pauline

Our stay in Chelton Hotel, Brussels, Belgium

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Last week, I travelled with my husband to celebrate his birthday in Belgium. We stayed in 2 hotels during our 4 days’ break. To start with we booked Chelton Hotel.

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Location:
Chelton Hotel is very conveniently located in the centre of the European Quarter, just minutes away from the European Commission and a short 5-minutes’ walk from Schuman metro station.

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Atmosphere:

The hotel has a very informal atmosphere. The staff was friendly and ready to help with their suggestions of places worth visiting whilst in Brussels.

Facilities:

Chelton Hotel has a 24-hours reception, baggage storage room, bar and restaurant and a rooftop terrace. My husband really enjoyed going to the top floor for a cigarette as the terrace had a great panoramic view of Brussels. There were lots of small tables and modern chairs all around it so it is a perfect place to hang-out during the summer for a drink with some friends.

Our breakfast was served at the restaurant downstairs and consisted of a great selection of continental meat and cheese.

I loved the vast selection of the freshly squeezed juices and homemade marmalades-you should definitely try the strawberry one with some pancakes as it was mouth-watering. There was also a selection of cereals and some pastries to satisfy any hungry travellers.

Room:

Our room was large and had a simple, modern décor. Our king-size bed was comfortable and after a long day of sightseeing it was always great to rest in it while watching TV and snacking on some Belgian Chocolate. The room had a large work-table so would be perfect for anyone travelling too Brussels on business if they had to work a bit during the evenings. The bathroom was again very simple but had everything you need-a shower, bath, washbasin, hairdryer etc.

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Overall:

Chelton Hotel is perfectly located in the heart of European Quarter so would be perfect for anyone travelling there on business or for pleasure as it is just a short walk away from Brussel’s main attractions. I would recommend you to visit if you wish to stay in the comfortable, spacious room and you don’t want to break your bank as the rooms are reasonably priced.

All my readers can get 10% discount on their reservations with Chelton Hotel. The code to use for further reservations is « FIRSTCLASSLOUNGE ».

I hope you enjoyed reading it!

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Pauline

Holiday destinations: Paris during the winter, France

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A few weeks ago I travelled to Paris with one of my best friends – Natasha.

Paris is a capital city of France and it has a population of 12 million (2014) which covers 18 percent of the residents of France. In 2015 Paris received 22.2 million visitors, making it one of the world’s top tourist destinations.

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Travel:

We decided to go to Paris by Eurostar as it is the easiest way to travel to Paris from London. It takes under 2.5 hours and trains depart from King’s Cross Station in central London every hour. Prices vary from £29 for a standard single ticket booked in advance to £249 for a business premiere ticket including an access to the Executive Lounge and some complementary drinks and a meal on-board.

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Attractions:

Paris is wonderful and it doesn’t matter whether you travel there during the winter or during the summer.

The Central area of Paris along the Seine River is classified as a UNESCO Heritage Site, and includes many notable monuments. In addition, Paris is the home of many important museums and cultural institutions. There are many places worth seeing however if you are in Paris for a limited time (we were there for 3 days) then you should definitely visit:

  • The Eiffel Tower – an iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars that was named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower.
  • The Louvre – the most visited and the largest art museum in the world.
  • Arc de Triomphe – is one of the most famous monuments in Paris. It stands in the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle, at the western end of the Champs-Élysées.
  • Notre Dame Cathedral – is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité built in the 12th century.

Furthermore, I would definitely recommend that you either take a walk down the river or alternatively you can take one of many mini-cruises especially if the weather is nice.

In addition, if you love live-shows and cabaret then you should definitely visit Moulin Rouge but be prepared-tickets for a show and dinner are quite expensive and start at 190 Euros per person thus we decided to skip it this time.

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Hope you enjoyed reading this review.

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Pauline