22 February 2017

Jury's Inn Hotel ◦ Leeds Review

Having my student accommodation flooded for over a week wasn't the best for my studies, however, living in hotels for a short while certainly made up for it! Although we were out for just over a week, we did a bit of hotel-hopping throughout the city of Leeds with the majority of our stay being at the Jury's Inn Hotel

The hotel is located in Brewery Wharf meaning you're just around the corner from an abundance of restaurants and cool bars. Also, it's only a 5/10 minute walk from the train station/city centre which is a  major plus! 

For a student, the hotels that we were placed in (including this one) were a welcomed luxury from our little rooms and student living. Having fresh sheets every day, room service and food cooked for you? Yes please!

I was placed in a 'Double and Single' room so I had a double bed and a single with an ensuite bathroom to the side. 





After freshening up, we decided to head down to the restaurant named 'The Grill' to see what the menu had to offer. 


I opted for the Chipotle Marinated Chicken Breast with pineapple salsa and thick cut chips which was so nice (coming from a very picky eater!).


Then, we ordered dessert - Apple and Blackcurrant Crumble which was huge but after living off noodles for the past 2 weeks, I definitely made the most of it. These two courses (and a vodka mixer) came to roughly £25.

As I mentioned above, the hotel also offers room service which is what I opted for on a few occasions. The first time, I had to make a follow up call to reception as it hadn't arrived 2 hours after the initial phone call but the receptionist was very apologetic. Shortly after I put the phone down I received another call from the manager who apologised and offered the meal free of charge. 



Despite this small error, I would definitely recommend staying here if you're looking for a hotel in Leeds that's slightly out of the mania of the city centre - yet easily within walking distance. 



21 January 2017

A Week In Kavos ◦ Girls Holiday / Kavos Favourites

In August, 8 friends and I visited the Greek island of Corfu to begin a week long holiday in Kavos. 


When we first booked the holiday, I wasn't 100% sure as the reputation of this seaside village isn't the greatest but these worries vanished as soon as we began our holiday!

We arrived at Manchester Airport, where we boarded the flight that took just over 3 hours. From there, we had a coach transfer to our airport - about an hour away. As the coach drove down the strip, we immediately felt the infamous party atmosphere as teens excitedly welcomed the coach.


During our time in Kavos, we stayed at the Olympian Village Hotel which I definitely recommend. Having arrived at 2am(ish), we didn't want to waste the night and headed to the hotel bar where we were greeted with cocktails and shots before heading to the strip. Alex and Pedros, the bar men at the hotel, are the best - especially Alex who was like an older brother to us during our time there. 

The next few nights were all over way too quick and I had the best time! We started all of our nights at the hotel for pre-drinks/cocktails before we walked to the strip (2 minutes from our hotel) where we then spent the nights having fun in the bars/clubs. 

Here are some favourites and recommendations for a girls holiday in Kavos...


We had a rep at the hotel who we decided to book a few events with. In my opinion, the full moon party and the frat party were the best however if you've never done a paint party before I'd recommend that too! 


Atlantis was the open club that hosted the full moon party and other nights with famous/well-loved DJs performing. This was home to many fun nights. 


Madison's was - I think as a group - our favourite club on the strip. It always seemed to be the busiest, play the best music and just had the best atmosphere overall. 


Also, I'd highly recommend the boat party. Unfortunately for me, I was quite hungover/sea sick whilst we were on the boat which wasn't ideal so I wasn't able to get involved or drink which was probably a nice rest for my liver. However, the boat stops off at Thesprotia (a beach where you can sunbathe, get food from the BBQ or do some water sports). 
Then, it sets off again and stops where you're able to jump off the boat into the sea, before getting back on and taking part in the 'rave in a cave'. 
This was definitely my favourite daytime activity. 

Overall, we had a great time and I wish I could do it all over again!

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08 December 2014

Spotlight On: Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Orlando,Florida)


Whilst I was on holiday in Florida, we decided to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter which is in both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. However, if I'm being 100% honest, I've never been a fan of Harry Potter - I just don't get the hype. ...But, my mum and a family friend were desperate to go here so it was definitely a must do for us. 


The detail throughout this area was incredible, they definitely did a great job with this! Even the staff members had donned English accents, all of which didn't sound that English but their effort didn't go unnoticed. Also, I loved looking in all of the little shops but if you're wanting to get your hands on a wand then definitely go early! Whilst I was there, there was huuggee queues to even see the wands.  

The majority of the rides are actually in a different park (Islands of Adventure) but they've made it very easy to access...



So strange/cool seeing your home town on the board whilst in Florida...
You just hop on the Hogwarts Express! The journey is definitely an experience as well, I don't want to spoil it but you certainly won't be bored on the short trip there.


The Forbidden Journey world was amazing - even for someone who really doesn't like the books/films - I've never seen a ride like it! It's not a roller-coaster though so if you're not fond of them then you can still go on this. Overall, I did like the Wizarding World of Harry Potter but I'm sure someone who was an avid fan would have loved it!

Are you a Harry Potter fan?

01 November 2014

Spotlight On: Animal Kingdom


As I mentioned in my previous post, I was in Florida during September and it was definitely a must to visit some of our favourite parks! With the first being Animal Kingdom. 

Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of animals (gasp!) so this park has never really been that appealing to me but this year I genuinely enjoyed it and it's now definitely up there with my favourites. As soon as you enter the park you're greeted by the flamingo's which are on the left of a path that leads you to individual paths where the options are endless. However, I'd definitely recommend to start your day by going straight to the safari as that's when the animals tend to be out.





At one point the giraffe almost had it's head inside the actual vehicle!
The safari was located in Africa which was actually my favourite as I could have spent hours looking at all the little trinkets sold within the Mombasa marketplace but one thing I did purchase was henna. There was a lovely lady who was doing henna designs, you chose from a booklet ranging from $15-$35, and she did it right there and then. 

I opted for a subtle design.
Also, if you go to Animal Kingdom you have to go on the Kali River Rapids...


and Everest...


You also can't miss the famous tree which is honestly amazing, it has a multitude of various animals sculpted into it. Due to the fact that we went during the rainy season, it rained quite regularly so if you find yourself stuck outside then head over to the Nemo show. Unfortunately, my attempts at taking photos in here were miserable as the performers were constantly moving but you get an idea...


Or, watch the bird show - this is something I was very reluctant to do as I'm terrified of birds but the rest of my family really wanted to see it. Honestly, I ended up spending the majority of the show not looking so my mum took the photos! Just make sure you don't sit near the front or at the end near the aisles if you're not a fan of birds. 



Now, I can definitely see why many others love this park and will hopefully be able to return here in the future.

Going to leave you with what I like to think is the ape doing yoga...


or just drinking from the stream, but I prefer the first.





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