Koh Samui - 14th July 2007

After a quick flight of only 2 hours we were back in Koh Samui after only 8 months. We landed and had to go through immigration which involved one man behind a lecturn and his cat asleep on the top. You were only allowed to approach the desk one at a time (yes even if you were under the age of 5) and then he would ask you if you wanted to pat his cat... and then stamp your passport. Finally we made it to the other side where our luggage was waiting for us along with our pick up for the hotel. We were quite surprised with the weather, we were expecting it to be so hot and humid, but it was actually quite bearable. We got to The Library where we were staying for the next 10 days, a new hotel that opened up at the beginning of the year and it definitely did not disappoint us - it was perfect!! http://www.thelibrary.name/. We checked into our room and quickly unpacked so we could head down the street to pick up some essentials and get some Baht... (which caused some difficulties after our London Bank decided to suspend our card because it was being used overseas, therefore they thought is was stolen.... so after 1 hour on the phone we finally got it reinstated for it to happen again a few days later - is it really that difficult!!)

It was a Saturday night.... so next up was a quick bite to eat at Red Snapper and then back to the room to prepare for a night out!! Around 11pm we were ready to embark on our favourite club Q Bar, so after bartering with the cab driver (we were not being rolled this time), we got him to take us up the hill to Q Bar where we walked straight in to be greeted by Pepe who runs Q Bar and we were all overwhelmed to be back... we started the night with our memorable Espresso Martini's and then drank the night away -met lots of people and many famaliar faces. We ended up visiting a Black Moon party afterwards and danced the night away to then be invited back to a Beach Party.. finally stumbled through the door very early hours of the morning!! There goes Sunday!!

Monday morning we were back in action and ready to hit the beach/pool and sunbeds - so off we went down to the pool, landed a great spot and didn't move for the rest of the day... apart from to jump in the water every now and then to cool off... just read and watched all the people go by and of course enjoying cocktails! Tuesday was spent much the same and both nights we were lazy and ventured only down to dinner at The Library, although we couldn't complain about the Thai food it was divine and so cheap... we were eating at the hotel and only paying about £4 a meal... and couldn't even fit dessert in!!

Wednesday was spent again on the beach relaxing and that night we had Hamish and Robby arrive in town so we organised another night on the town - starting a Q Bar to visit Pepe and Jane and then many more bars in Chaweng that night... again walked home early hours of the morning... Next night we had to venture out with Hamish and Robby but luckily it was for a quiet dinner on the beach. It was amazing Thai food again, thanks to our host Em who knew where to take us - it was gorgeous!

Yes you guessed it... the next day was again spent lazing by the pool lapping up the sun, we were very lucky and continued to receive great weather throughout our stay (Well almost). Friday arrived and we were meeting Bill and Caroline for dinner as they just flew in on Wednesday also from London. Bill had booked us into Dr Frog, a new restuarant up on the cliff overlooking Chaweng - it was stunning.... this is when the weather decided to turn on us and we were just finishing up dinner and the storm hit... it was amazing all the lights started to go out in Chaweng and the town became all dark.... along with our restaurant - although lucky enough we had enough power to keep the DJ going so all was well.... we ended up heading into town to meet up with Hamish, visited Q Bar on the way and they were all waiting around for the lights to come back on... yes that includes the Air Con too.... it was warm... but we found somewhere in Chaweng who had a generator along with the rest of the town and enjoyed a few drinks.... soon enough the town came back alive and light... the transformer had been changed!!! We continued the night dancing away to bring in Hamish's birthday!

Stay tuned... still more to come and photos too:-)

Hong Kong - 11th July 2007

Time for a much needed break - the past few months have been quite busy at work and we are finally off for 2 weeks to laze about in the sun and relax!!

First up was Hong Kong and after a lovely relaxing flight (with great champagne... and the new Business in upper deck was divine!!) we arrived in the great city of Hong Kong. We went straight to the hotel to check in, staying at the Mandarin Oriental www.mandarinoriental.com/hongkong in a harbour view room, which was the most amazing view and hotel was stunning on Hong Kong Island!! It was our first night in town and we had the afternoon to wander about... yes of course into the shops, they are everywhere in Hong Kong and all air conditioning - you don't even need to put a foot outdoors from your hotel, the whole city is connected... well most of it anyway!! Sal was lucky enough to walk into Jimmy Choo and guess what Sales were on!!! 50% off... who could resist... obviously not us... we walked out to another 2 fab pairs - lucky me!! We thought we had better head back to hotel after that quick little spree as we had dinner to get ready for, we were being picked up by MYOB GM of HK - Shelia and her hubby at 8pm to dine at Aqua http://www.aqua.com.hk/, which of course we were looking forward to as it was on the harbour and you had a great view of Hong Kong Island and all the wonderful lights. We enjoyed a fantastic meal and great company over the delights of a bottle of Bollinger (our fave champagne!!) After dinner we headed off to Felix Bar at Peninsula for a quick drink, wasn't impressed so headed back to hotel bar - M Bar for a Cosmopolitan - fast becoming our fave cocktail!!! (after 6 seasons of Sex & the City in one month what choice do you have - but admittedly they are yummy!!).

We had another 2 full days to relax and shop in Hong Kong and that is exactly what we did... lots of shopping and a 1/2 day in the Spa, we we had massages, facials, body scrubs, haircuts, pedicures, waxing you name it... we were ready for the beach!!! And in need of new luggage, after 5 pairs of shoes, a new suit, jeans, shirts, skirts, pants we were wondering how on earth we were going to get all this home... but with some smart packing and minimal throwing out of the shoe boxes... (seriously you can not throw out the great shoe boxes and bags you get) we managed to squeeze everything in.

We experienced amazing weather in Hong Kong, the 2 times I have been there previously you were never able to see the Peak... but every day was clear, so we made sure we headed up to Victoria Peak to view Hong Kong on the Peak Tram - wow was it steep... Once up to the Peak we came across Pearl on the Peak (Aussie Chef - owns Pearl in Melbourne), so we sat down and enjoyed a champers and a snack and managed to meet the Manager and were able to score the best table for the most amazing view later that night. Later that afternoon we headed back to hotel and worked out at the gym then got ready to visit the Aqua Bar (upstairs from restaurant) to view the Light show - every night at 8... we made it just in time and were lucky enough to see the show - it was gorgeous - so many lights:-) We then headed back up to the Peak for dinner... which was an amazing night with the most amazing food and wine... after a 3 hour dinner and getting to know the staff we decided to head out and visit some bars, we came across a couple and spent the night dancing and meeting people - it was a lot of fun!

It soon came to say our farewells to Hong Kong once again and head off to our honeymoon destination Koh Samui - Thailand.... but not before we experienced 'High Tea' at The Peninsula... off we went to see what was on offer and it was devine!! Will post pictures soon...

Dinner with the Prince - 20th June 2007

Wayne is going to share his experience dining with Prince Michael of Kent....

Bath - 1st June 2007

The best white chocolate cheesecake in the world!!! - What more can I say!!! (Sorry no pictures... but if you ever go to Bath you must visit http://www.raphaelrestaurant.co.uk/ and pray they have it on the menu)

Okay...now I will tell you all about our weekend... we left for Bath on the Friday night after work.. we experienced our first delays with the Tube... but surprisingly still got there on time after sitting on the platform for ages not moving. We took the train down or is it up.. never been good at Geography to Bath (I think its up!!) and arrived around 8.30pm at night, we have been to Bath before so we sort of have an idea on where we were going, but we took the punt and started walking to our hotel... 15 mins later we were there. It was the most gorgeous little hotel and the most perfect location - right in the centre of Bath and so close to everything. It was called Harringtons Hotel (http://www.haringtonshotel.co.uk/) and definitely worth staying if in Bath. We checked in quickly and were taken up to our room by the very lovely staff - it felt like you were staying at your grandmothers it was very homely, the room was really nice as the hotel was recently refurbished.

Dinner was next on the cards, so we headed off into the gorgeous city of Bath and it was alive, busy and aloud - this town is obviously the place to spend the weekend for all Stags and Hens... they were everywhere... all dressed up in large groups partying away - it was scary!! (Stags and Hens are not as nice in England to each other as they are in Oz). We found a really nice little restaurant away from it all and enjoyed a bottle of our favourite champagne 'Bollinger' and a nice quiet meal before heading home for a quiet night and much needed sleep after a busy week!

Next morning we were up bright and early to head down for breakfast, we were given a great front table where we enjoyed the best poached eggs we have found in England/Europe to date.... (I don't believe they were on the agenda at chef school...), but these were edible completely and we thoroughly enjoyed them... this is when we miss Brunswick Street and especially Don's!!!

After Breakfast we got out for some fresh air and strolled around Bath - the weather was absolutely stunning at 24 degrees, so it was blissful walking through the streets. Bath is the most beautiful city and the buildings are again just amazing... some of them were 600 years old and still standing! There is a stunning river running through, so we just walked along and enjoyed the scenery...

Next up was a relaxing river cruise, we cruised the River Avon on this gorgeous day and took in all in beautiful sites and basically just relaxed - it was very romantic!! After our cruise it was time for lunch so this is when we stumbled across Raphaels and found the worlds best cheesecake... it was a lovely lunch and then back to the room for an afternoon nap and then off to dinner. We made reservations at a highly recommended restaurant in town - The Olive Tree that we had found in the local mag, it looked great so off we went (www.thequeensberry.co.uk/olivetree/index.html), more great food and wine... after dinner we took off to a cocktail bar we also found in the mag, which was a nice quiet night on Mohito's and back in bed by midnight.

Sunday saw us rise just before 10am.... and then again off for our poached eggs and the weather was on our side again for yet another stroll around Bath. We had a realxing day seeing more wonderful buildings. We ventured past the Roman Baths, but as we visited them nearly 2 years ago we didn't feel the need to go back in there, but they are definitely worth a visit. Here is a picture from our first trip to Bath.

We decided to head back to London around 4pm, so we could get home and relax some before the week commences yet again.... and as usual another busy one on the cards!

Paris - 27th April 2007

We finally got to Paris - the city of love!! We boarded the Eurostar straight after work and relaxed for the next 2 and half hours to Paris. It was a great way to travel and much easier than the plane. As soon as it departed London we headed for the bar and enjoyed a little bottle of champagne each while watching the gorgeous English scenery as we headed towards France via underneath the English Channel.... this was alittle weird when we hit the tunnel and the scenery disappeared, but 20 minutes later we were in the land of France!!

We got to Paris around 9pm so headed straight to the hotel and were lucky enough to land a room where you could actually move - if you have ever been to Paris you will understand! We quickly freshened up and took to the streets to find somewhere for our first meal in Paris, it was around 10pm so quite late, but we finally found a place where we could sit outside (the weather was absolutely gorgeous - 19 degrees at this time), anyway we sat down attempted to read the menu of which had no idea it was all in French!!! This is when I realised I should have taken more notice in French class in High School... The only words I remembered were the obvious 'Oui', 'Bonjour', 'Merci', 'Auvoir', 'J'adore', 'J'aime', of which were not going to help me order dinner.... fortunately the waiter was in no hurry to deliver service to us so up we got and escaped! We then found a lovely place on the corner which spoke English and had the best Champagne list in town... well we were in France!! We ordered a gorgeous bottle of Billecart Salmon Rose.... beautiful and enjoyed a great dinner!

Saturday morning we rose and went on the hunt for Breakfast... which shouldn't be too difficult, we ended up down at Champes Elysees - which is where every other Tourist was too... so we took some back streets and found a great little local cafe (yes another French menu...) but we worked it out and ended up with Pancakes... cannot complain;-) We sat there for an hour or so watching the world pass us by and the other customers who would come and go... many with their dogs - the french love their pets... they even dress them up and they not only wear collars and leashes.. but get scarves too - to match their owners - quite cute really! We ended up ordering a champagne after Breakfast and enjoyed the sunshine!

We finally dragged ourselves out of there and went walking to discover Paris and the Eiffel Tower... which is lovely but the tourists do really take the glory from it.... you could hardly move - so a couple of snapshots and we continued along our way. We then came across another great little cafe... so down we sat and yes another bottle of champagne was enjoyed along with some magnificent food - I swear all you do is drink and eat....!


We wasted the afternoon there and then went back to relax in our hotel for an hour or so before dinner was due.... we had made a reservation at a place on the river overlooking Paris and the Eiffel Tower so would of been lovely... but the taxi never arrived on time and our reservation was cancelled - not happy... but we got over that and remembered of another restaurant we saw during the day at The Westin and thought we would try our luck there.... fortunately they had some spare tables and again we enjoyed another fabulous evening of service, food and champagne... we even found a chardonnay from France we enjoyed:-) As we left our waitress provided us with some bars we should visit, so off we went to hit the town.

First up was Buddha Bar - quite a cool bar, but after waiting 30 minutes for a bottle of wine we thought best we should move onto the next one - jumped in a cab and ended up at a club called 'Le Cab', this was awesome landed the best table in the house and mingled with the crowd and met many people throughout the night. We ended up calling it a night around 3am! and it was supposed to be a quiet night!!











Sunday was spent strolling through Paris and seeing more of what it has to offer along with more food.... it was really warm around 27 degrees so we were taking it easy and just relaxed. Our train was leaving around 5pm, so that afternoon we headed to the station and caught our ride back to London!!


We had a lovely time in Paris and will definitely go back soon:-) As there is so much more to experience!!

PS. We saw the most bizarre thing while walking around the Paris... refer to the picture to the left!! We are so used to seeing sccaffolding all over buildings when they are refurbishing, but in Paris they actually put up an image of the building on a massive canvas so it still appears normal - every building being renovated had the same thing - looks very odd when you first see it... especially if its windy as in the pic!!

Dirty Dancing - 24th April 2007

I've had the time of my life..... Oh my god!!! We absolutely loved it!! Want to go and see it again already.

It was time to catch up with Bill again, so we decided we would all go see Dirty Dancing at the Aldwych Theatre in the Westend - the theatre district together. We were lucky enough to score some tickets (as they were booked out until September) - thank you so much Bill:-)

We took Mel along too, as she was wanting to see it and we had a spare ticket so it was great to have another girl who appreciates it all... although the boys did pretty well!

We all met in the city after work, I was at a training course so was already there early so Bill and I dropped in at the Hilton Waldorf for a quick champagne (okay 2...) before dinner. We then all had a quick bite at a little italian restaurant and then raced to the show... very excited we were!

We got into theatre and our seats were in the Upper circle but in row 3, so they were good and we could see the whole stage which was awesome.

The show started and we were mesmerized until interval... it was more a play than a musical, but still thoroughly enjoyable... yes (even when he took his shirt off.. to show his 8 pack) - sorry Baby!! The cast did a great job - Johnny also did the Australian performance - I did feel he could of been alittle stronger in his acting - but definitely made up for it in his dancing!

It finished up with the amazing scene at the end... although by now we were all buzzing so had to head off for a nightcap... so headed to a nearby bar called 'Dirty Martini', although it was a gorgeous little bar and we enjoyed another bottle of Moet... we ended up leaving there about 1am - I think!!

It was a school night, so we were behaving - yes our heads were alittle sore the next day - but Dirty Dancing was worth every second!!! Anyone coming across let me know and will be happy to come along with you again:-)

Breakfast in Chelsea - 22nd April 2007

I really, really want to live in Chelsea!! You have to see this place - it is gorgeous! But so of course is the price tag on all the property!! But doesn't mean we can't go there for breakfast and check it out.

My friend from Rotterdam - The Netherlands was staying in Chelsea for the night and we hadn't really been to Chelsea (in the daytime.. found ourselves there one morning at 5am - ChinaWhite night) so we thought we would meet up there. We jumped on the Tube and 20 minutes later we were there - which was great!

Chelsea is where the likes of Kylie Minogue and other celebrities tend to live, along with all the other well-to-do people in London, the cars driving up and down the streets are Ferraris, Bentleys, RollsRoyce and so on... but it is great for people watching and of course shopping (where isn't in London!)

Martine (dutch friend), we had not seen her since our world trip in 2005 when we stayed with her in Rotterdam, so it was great to see her and also met up with one of her friends, so we all sat around catching up all afternoon in a lovely organic... (even had organic waiters) cafe in the sunshine - 23 degrees - cannot complain about the weather.

We didn't have our camera so couldn't take pics, but have found one - although it doesn't do it justice...