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'Twas the night before Disney..

‘Twas the night before Disney, and all through the house, not a thing was stirring, not even a ~~Mickey~~ mouse…

OHMYGOSHIMSOEXCITED!!!!!

Putting Tinks on top of our beautiful Disney tree!

Hey everyone,

So as you can tell I’m just a TAD excited about going to my happy place tomorrow.. I’m travelling to Disneyland Paris for my third visit, and my fourth and final trip of 2015, and I can’t wait to return to the most magical place on earth to see everything all lit up and Christmassy!

On my most recent trip to DLP in 2013…

As many of you lovely readers will now know, I am a huuuuuge Disney fan- I love it all! Ever since I was a baby I’ve just loved it so much, Bambi was the first ever Disney film that I watched.. don’t believe me? The proof is below…

Watching my first ever Disney movie…

I’m all packed and ready to board the Disney Express Eurostar from St Pancras direct to Marne La Vallee station tomorrow morning with my Minnie Mouse ears firmly attached to my head!

A set of ears for each of my friends!

I’ll also be taking loads of Disney tops and my Disney pj’s to keep in line with the evident theme! I’m hoping to meet lots of princesses and popular characters just like I’ve done for my last two visits!

Meeting Sleeping Beauty in 2013…

I can’t wait to check out the giant Disney Christmas tree at St Pancras station and will of course write up my magical adventure when I return from my trip at the end of next week.

Photo courtesy of Google Images

To keep up to date with all the Disney magic don’t forget to follow me over on Instagram!

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See you when I get back.. With faith, trust and pixie dust!

Love Jess x

December 5, 2015/by jessicalouise1601

Restaurant Reviews

Westminster Review: Top Bars and Restaurants

Hi everyone,

So I recently had the pleasure of spending the day in London reviewing bars and restaurants for a neighbourhood project that I’m currently working on for The Culture Trip. I’ve never done anything like this before, most of my write ups have been based on internet research rather than personal experience as I can’t put too much first person writing into my Culture Trip articles! As you can imagine, I jumped at the chance to review some of the trendiest bars and restaurants in one of the best parts of London, the beautiful borough of Westminster. It’s no secret that I’ve always loved London and I have a particular soft spot for Westminster so was delighted to be able to take on this area for one of my neighbourhood projects.

I didn’t have long in the capital and knew I had to plan my day as best as I could so I emailed a few of my chosen establishments in advance to set up some meetings. To my delight, managers from my top 2 bars and restaurants replied and I set up meetings with them both; Didier Agueh (Executive Host & Artistic Director) and Gregory (Restaurant Manager) of Primo Bar, Park Plaza Hotel and Sergio of The Zander Bar, part of Bank Westminster. Both interviews went brilliantly and I was able to learn a lot about the establishments as well as get an understanding of the menus and the types of customers that pass through the doors. My friend and I were even treated to some lovely complimentary drinks- thanks guys! So without further ado, here are the big interviews …

Primo Bar, Park Plaza Westminster Hotel

When did you first open? March 2010

Most popular time of day? After work for business people, or after 9pm on events nights. Primo Bar is proud to host a number of events and music nights throughout the year, including shows from top tribute acts and jazz and soul artists.

Who are your target audience? We attract guests of all ages, but our main target audience are adults over the age of 25. Most are of course hotel guests but we do get large numbers of locals and tourists looking for a luxurious place to relax and unwind after a hard day at work, or to enjoy their Saturday night out.

Signature drink? We run a Cocktail of the Month promotion, and October’s special is a fantastic Spiced Rum Sour for £12.95. Alternatively we run a 2-4-1 cocktail deal every weekday from 5-8pm only.

Any famous celebrity spots? Bruno Mars, Nicole Scherzinger, the cast of Fast & Furious 7 and our very own Prime Minister David Cameron!

Brasserie Joel, Park Plaza Westminster Hotel

When did you first open? March 2010

Most popular time of day? Evening meal times between Thursdays and Saturdays.

Who are your target audience? Mainly hotel residents, it’s about a 75% to 25% split between residents and members of the public.

Signature dish? Chef Walter Ishizuka is known for his excellent Tournedos Rossini, a fillet of beef served in a truffle sauce.

Any famous celebrity spots? Jessica Wright (of hit TV show The Only Way is Essex) dined here last week actually!

The Zander Bar, Bank Restaurant

When did you first open? 2007

Most popular time of day? Straight after work for locals, and on into the early part of the evening. We run a Happy Hour promotion between 5pm and 9pm Tuesdays-Fridays.

Who are your target audience? Business people

Signature drink? Our cocktails and our selection of Martini’s

Any famous celebrity spots? Because of our close proximity to The Houses of Parliament we often attract many politicians, one of the most well known being Nick Clegg.

Bank Restaurant

When did you first open? 2007.

Most popular time of day? Early evening for after work locals and business people, where corporate events and meetings are often held in our private dining rooms.

Who are your target audience? Business people during the week, but we also attract tourists and locals during weekend leisure.

Signature dish? We serve a range of meats and steaks in our fantastic tandoori clay oven- they are always popular with our customers!

Any famous celebrity spots? As above, many politicians visit due to our brilliant Westminster location.

My published articles for Best Bars and Best Restaurants have just gone live, and I wrote a post on Top Things to See and Do in Westminster a while back. I’d just like to say a big THANK YOU again to Didier, Gregory and Sergio for having me- I’ll certainly be back! My next neighbourhood projects are Covent Garden and Canary Wharf so I’ll be heading back down to the capital for some more research soon and will be posting my reviews and interviews afterwards. I’m thoroughly enjoying my latest projects and cannot wait to share more of my handy tips with you and all of The Culture Trip readers.

Speak soon!

Love Jess x

October 19, 2015/by jessicalouise1601

All Posts, Europe

Preparing for Beautiful Budapest!

Hey everyone,

So my second city break of the year is almost here and I AM SO EXCITED to be heading to Budapest on Saturday!! Me and my sister visited Prague back in February (we had a whale of a time!) so we thought we’d plan adventure number two and chose the beautiful Hungarian city as our next go-to destination! First of all I just want to say a massive THANK YOU to my lovely fellow travel bloggers Vicky from Eat Sleep Love Travel and Rebecca from The World As Bec Sees It for providing me with the stunning images to enable me to write this post! They’re both amazing – go check out their blogs and, if you’re after some more Budapest-esque info, they’ve both compiled posts and handy guides to the city…

Budapest looks to be absolutely AMAZING and I can’t wait to experience the local history and culture that the European capital has to offer. We’ll be staying in the 4* Hotel President on the Pest side of the river Danube and location wise it looks perfect for us. Its described as a luxury boutique hotel and we’re particularly excited about trying out the spa facilities and marvelling at the city views from the panoramic roof terrace – who said anything about high expectations?!

Image courtesy of Google Images

As we’re only staying for three nights we are trying to cram in as much as we can so that our city break is as adventurous and fun filled as can be. So far we’ve pin pointed Chain Bridge, St Stephen’s Basilica & the stunning Hungarian Parliament Building as main attractions that we are just dying to see! We’re also planning to head to the Thermae Spa’s both in the evening and during the day and are super excited to be spending some relaxation time in one of the world’s prettiest spots of natural beauty.

We’re catching our Easyjet flight from London Gatwick on Saturday morning and anticipate arriving in the capital during the early part of the afternoon ready for a few hours of exploring whilst daylight is still present! We’ll then be staying until Tuesday 29^th September before flying home around dinner time and arriving back in the sunny UK close to midnight (booo).

I’ll obviously be too busy having fun to be blogging whilst on my travels but you can keep up to date with my Budapest antics over on my Instagram page– I’ll be posting wanderlust inducing photos whenever I get a spare minute… and usage of some free wifi!

Have you ever been to Budapest before? If so, what are the main sights I should see without fail, and do you have any local tips and hints I should know about before I travel?! If you haven’t been, is Budapest on your wanderlust list at all? If you have any advice for me please leave a comment below and I’ll catch up with you all when I’m home…

Bon Voyage!

Love Jess x

September 24, 2015/by jessicalouise1601

British Summertime Festival: London

Hi everyone,

This week we are set for a heatwave here in Britain with temperatures in some parts of the country reaching as high as 33 degrees! I love a good old British summer, with the sun shining gloriously one day and then the skies pouring with rain the next! It looks as though we are in for a good few months of warm weather though so fingers crossed it stays that way. Luckily my family are one of the thousands that have booked a stay-cation and we will be holidaying in the UK this year. We are off to sunny Cornwall at the end of this week so I’ll be posting about that on my return, in the meantime you can check my Instagram account while I’m away to see all my seaside snaps!

Anyway, back to this post and in line with the GB theme that’s present throughout many of my articles I thought I’d bring you a review of a summers day out I recently had in London. I headed to Hyde Park in the capital on for the annual British Summertime Festival that returned for its second year running. This year the line up was huge, with headline acts including Kylie Minogue, Blur, Taylor Swift & The Who. Spread across two different weekends, the concerts provide a fun filled day out for all the family with plenty of food stalls, bars, kids activity dens and fairground rides. I attended with one of my close friends on Sunday 21^st June and our headline act was global superstar Kylie Minogue featuring disco band Chic & Nile Rodgers, pop star Mika, icon Grace Jones and the up and coming Years & Years and Foxes. There was a real festival vibe throughout the venue and it was very chilled, the weather was great and we had a fantastic time!

General admission was at 1pm so we caught a late morning Oxford Tube from Thornhill Park & Ride direct to Marble Arch – this is a brilliant way of travelling from Oxford to London and our adult return fares were just £14 each! After we were allowed in we checked out the attractions around the park, got our faces painted for free by the Palmolive promo team & had a ride on the fairground. Just be aware that once you’re into the park and your tickets have been scanned you aren’t allowed out again so there’s no chance of popping back to Oxford Street for some last minute shopping!

We were worried that we’d have so much time to waste before the concert that we wouldn’t know what to do with ourselves, but by the time we checked out the surroundings and had something to eat the music was nearly starting and the concert was in full swing! Food-wise I opted for meatballs, chips and garlic bread (£10 with a drink) and my friend had a BBQ pulled pork sandwich with chips and a drink (£13). The food is a little on the pricey side but the portions were a very good size, larger than we expected, and included a drink which was a bonus. There is so much choice with cuisine from all around the world as well as plenty of sweet treat stalls including Spanish churros and Belgian waffles – they were to die for!!

On to the music which started just before 4pm, with newbies to the pop scene Years and Years performing first on the Great Oak Stage. They were followed shortly by Mika who really got the crowd on their feet with his famous pop tunes. After an interval dance legends Chic and Nile Rodgers took to the stage and added to the party atmosphere getting everyone to sing along to their greatest hits. Over on the Barclaycard stage we watched young Louisa , also known as Foxes, perform some of her well known songs. Shortly afterwards the iconic Grace Jones performed some of her wacky songs back over on the Great Oak Stage in a choice of rather revealing outfits until it was time for the main event to take place. We had all been waiting for Kylie and Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills provided an entertaining countdown to her set whilst the crowds flocked towards the front of the stage. There was a Barclaycard VIP arena for celebs and people with priority tickets but we were stood in the general admission area with good views of the stage and there were plenty of big screens around aswell.

Kylie’s set was fantastic and she was certainly the star of the show! unfortunately we had to miss the end as the Oxford Tube’s from Marble Arch finished early but we were actualyl glad to be able to get back and beat the crowds so it all worked out well in the end. We had a fantastic day out at British Summertime Festival and can’t wait to return next year! I’ll certainly be keeping my eyes peeled for the 2016 dates and line ups once they’ve been revealed!

Love Jess x

June 30, 2015/by jessicalouise1601

All Posts, UK

A Royal Day out: Ascot Races

Hi everyone,

I’ve recently returned from my very first Royal Ascot experience and I’m delighted to be sharing this with you all; I had a truly fantastic time and the atmosphere was incredible. Unfortunately my bets didn’t pay off so I didn’t win any mega bucks, but the day was brilliant none the less! So without further ado here is my Amazing Ascot round up…

We travelled to Ascot as part of a coach trip group leaving from a local Burford pub, The Mermaid, located on the busy high street. I went with my mum, sisters, cousin and aunty and my cousin’s fiancé’s family actually own The Mermaid and they all came with us as well. There was a large group going from the pub and the coach was full so there was a brilliant party atmosphere on board!

The journey took around an hour and a half and we stopped at a lovely village pub (The George on the Green, nr Maidenhead) on the way for a quick drink before heading towards Ascot. Our ticket price of £45pp included transport there and back, a champagne breakfast and access to The Silver Ring Enclosure at Ascot.

Upon arrival at The Silver Ring Enclosure we split up in to our separate groups and enjoyed the day with our families. The enclosure is huge and the dress code is much more relaxed than the Grandstand and Royal Enclosures which require you to look very formal and to wear a certain attire. I chose to wear a coral coloured shift dress with matching clutch bag and comfy tan wedged heels. My dress was a bargain from Quiz clothing and I didn’t want to take it off I loved it that much! I would have liked to have worn a fascinator if we weren’t in the Silver Ring, but it wasn’t compulsory and not many other people wore one so I went without!

The day doesn’t officially start until Her Royal Highness the Queen arrives in the Royal Procession which takes place each day at 2pm. We got a great spot on the sidelines so we could watch the carriages ride past and I got some lovely photos of the Royal family. I’d never seen the Queen before so it was super exciting!

We placed our bets for the first race and watched the horses gallop past, they were so close we could feel the ground move and it was such a great experience. We moved around the enclosure for the other races that took part throughout the day so we could see the track from different areas. There were tonnes of betting stands dotted around so you could get the best odds on offer. Many race goers took picnics and drinks with them but, if you’re like us and hate carrying things, there’s plenty of food stalls and bars offering a range of products.. just be prepared to pay a bit more than average as it is Ascot after all!

There are six races in total on each day of Ascot and famous jockeys from all over the world take part and compete for first place. We witnessed horse racing history as we saw the legendary Frankie Dettori win his 50th Ascot race with his horse Osalia. He was congratulated by the Royal family and cheered loudly by the enormous crowds. The racecourse was packed full of around 40,000 people on the day that we went and the atmosphere was electric!

Image courtesy of www.dailymail.co.uk

With a 300 year history, Ascot is a five day long world famous extravaganza best known for its sporting, social and fashion highlights. We had a truly amazing experience and I’d urge everyone to go at least once in their lives as its definitely something to tick off the bucket list! As their strapline says.. Ascot really is Like Nowhere Else..

Image courtesy of www.essexlifemag.co.uk

Have you ever been to Ascot or are you wanting to go next year? If you’ve been to the races before please comment and show me your best outfits I’d love to see them!

Love Jess x

June 25, 2015/by jessicalouise1601

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