Goodbye July, Hello August; A Hectic Month Of Eats and Treats

July. Good riddance. I don’t normally say that but this gone week I’ve been craving the weekend and a much needed payday. July’s been a bit stressful, packed full of busy weekends catching a train here and there. I know, I know, I shouldn’t complain but sometimes I just want two days to catch up with my blog in my joggers and spend some quality time with my man (Netflix).

So what exactly have I been doing?

Well the month began on a high/low as Allyn and I returned home from our holiday in Lindos. It really is a beautiful town on the island of Rhodes, with so much to see and many romantic spots to discover. We stayed at the Lindos Sun, a stunning Cycladic hotel where we got a luxurious suite for a fraction of the price. You can read all about why Lindos needs to be on your bucket list here and also snap up some summer bargains in my Lindos Look Book.

The next week I celebrated my 24th birthday, sharing some humorous childhood memories (and slightly embarrassing pictures) in my birthday post. I had a rather relaxed day with Allyn, having a lovely pancake breakfast in the morning followed by my first Deliveroo experience in the evening – with a bottle of Prosecco of course (click here for £10 off your first Deliveroo order). We nibbled on cocktail chocolates from Hotel Chocolat (forgiving their cheeky looking appearance they are RIDICULOUSLY strong yet tasty) whilst checking out jewellery brands for a new piece of bling.

After discovering Alex Monroe’s collection I couldn’t wait to visit his flagship store and after um-ing and aw-ing over his beautiful designs, I fell in love with the Teeny Tiny Diamond Ring in White Gold. Isn’t it just gorgeous?!

I saved the birthday hangover for the weekend after a night out in Shoreditch at Trapeze Bar. We turned up to a surprise 90s and 00s night so I happily danced the night away to the likes of Sean Paul and Missy Elliot. I would really recommend Trapeze for anyone who wants a cheap cocktail or two along with a boogie (you can get 241 cocktail vouchers by subscribing to their newsletter), although be wary of booking a table… I booked for 7 people and ended up with a tiny table and one stool – safe to say I kicked up a polite-yet-firm fuss and got myself some extra seating!

I ordered the 6 shooter Russian roulette shot palette… safe to say it got the party started.

My main birthday present was a brand spanking new camera, which I was of course overly indecisive about! After reading 1000 reviews and comparing way to many prices, I decided on the Canon 80D from Very after finding out you can save 20% by signing up for a credit card account – result!

My new favourite toy was a worthy investment, with a flip out touch screen, weather resistant coating and so many features I don’t know where to start… I’ve happily been playing around with it all week. Yesterday I took it to the Fireworks Champions Show at Stanford Hall and I’m pretty happy with my snaps!

I also had a lovely girls weekend in Manchester, reuniting with some of my uni friends. We headed out for a night on the town, beginning with an incredible meal at The Botanist. This lovely hip restaurant brings the outdoors in with gorgeous décor and a spring/summer menu. I sipped on a Botanist cocktail (elderflower, vodka and a strange beetroot topping that was slightly earthy) before we ooo-ed over the menu. The variety on offer is excellent for sharing with a deli board selection that you can personalise, and a range of cuisines. I opted for the lamb tagine which was truly delicious.

Lastly, in the blogging world, I was invited to The Mandeville Hotel’s Reviera room launch, a celebration of their selection of bedrooms exclusively designed by Maison Christian Lacroix. Each of the 4 bedrooms has been individually designed on the French Reviera, taking inspiration from Spanish dance, Grace Kelly’s stolen Cartier jewels and Monaco’s Botanical Garden.

It was a wonderful evening spent with lovely new bloggers including Sunny In London and First Class Lounge, sipping on Taittinger and discovering the Reform Social’s latest cocktails. Bartender Maciek kindly served his favourite creation, made with fresh orange and Angostura aromatic sours. This slightly scary looking liquor was originally used as a medicine in 1824 and adds a Christmasy herb flavour to this citrus drink, delicious. If you want to give it a go, order a Bitter Love Sour!

This month has been an exciting one for travel plans, having booked my flights to Berlin for the end of September and winning a 2 night trip to Budapest at the Corinthia! I’m planning on using my voucher for Allyn and I’s anniversary in December, perfect for the Christmas markets. I can’t wait to relax in the thermal spas and celebrate at one of the ruin bars. If anyone has any posts or recommendations for either destination, please do leave them in the comments.

Thankfully August is quieter and I don’t even have to leave London until the very end. Hoorah! Firstly, I’m heading to the West End next week to see Guys and Dolls with none other than Rebel Wilson. Well she’s not coming with me, but she’ll be dancing around the stage and I can NOT wait.

I’ll then be boarding the Benefit Good Ship for afternoon tea with my Mum and Auntie. Our favourite make up brand has taken over the Hispanoia, offering a range of dining and cocktail experiences with make up selections hidden around every corner! I will have to leave my purse at home…

Then for the bank holiday weekend, I’m off the Wales with the boyf and his fam for a relaxing few days on the North West coastline. I visited last year and can’t wait to go back to the beach front cottage overlooking Snowdonia! I’ll make sure to write a post but in the meantime you can read up on last year’s adventures here.

I think, that’s it for now. I hope you’ve all had a good month and fingers crossed have some exciting plans for the rest of summer! Check back on Tuesday for my next post as part of the monthly travel link up, this month I’ll be sharing my ‘greatest lesson learnt whilst travelling’… putting my thinking cap on for this one!