I Heart Paris! Paris thinks I'm "just OK"

Paris is awesome. The end. Well, not really the end - but I really feel it's worth saying as I, honestly, truly, 100% love Paris. It's a super awesome city with great food, great parks and you can literally walk everywhere. I last visited in May, a trip we initially planned after booking tickets for the French Open. As an aside - this was amazing. I'd never been before and it was everything I was hoping for. We had bought tickets for the cheaper court (of course) but actually ending up seeing both Murray and Nadal play (separate matches) so I would have been bummed if I'd been on the more 'spensive court watching Djokovic play Gasquet.

We spent the rest of our time in Paris, drinking, eating, wandering, parking (as in, being in parks, not parking cars) and sightseeing, and I could waffle on about all the lush things we did if I thought anything I said would be new information to anyone.

Anyway, my point is, I love Paris. And I'll tell you what, Paris loves me! Actually no, that's not right - Paris loves my Kate Spade purse. I'd not been off the train 5 minutes and it was gone - having been to Paris before I practically stuffed my bag up my top once on the metro so it could only have departed from me during the shuffling to get off the Eurostar / across Gare du Nord / waiting for the metro. I mean, it happens. When you travel a lot it's bound to happen sooner or later - you get to the hotel front desk, go to grab your credit card and go 'fuck, it's not here'. Luckily I was with my boyfriend who was able to pay for everything during the weekend we were there but it really made me realise the obvious importance of not keeping all your important things in one place. What if I had my passport in there as well? Losing all my money, credit cards and debit cards in one go is bad enough, but what if I had been alone? How would I have even been able to get any emergency cash? It's a shitty lesson to learn but an important one nonetheless - luckily enough I was away for a long weekend not too far from home, but it could have been a million times worse. Why did I even need to take my whole purse with me? Whoever took it is now the proud owner of my gym, nectar and boots advantage card - and all power to them - but really, I could have just left them in my beaut Kate Spade on my bed and just taken the essentials. 

Main lesson - just because you're on holiday doesn't mean everyone is going to treat you nicely. In fact, some people are probably going to treat you worse. Just chalk it up to experience, by a new (better) purse, and leave your boots advantage card at home.

What's your worse travel-theft-horror story?

p.s. I will truly have eternal pity on anyone else who has to experience the Eurostar Customer Service team, but that's for another day...

24 Hours In: Cannes

I recently spent three nights in Cannes on a work trip, and so most of what I saw was the inside of meeting rooms and sales stands. However, we did have enough down-time to amuse ourselves once or twice and so that, combined with a previous short visit, has meant I think I've just about got enough to cobble together a 24 hour guide...

10am Arrival

Depending on how you are arriving into Cannes, the best time is mid-morning when the sun is up but hasn't fully risen yet - the streets are quiet aside from joggers and dog-walkers and the roads are quiet, making it a much more peaceful place than the rest of the day. Take some time to wander along the beach-front, admiring both the waves and the huge amounts of small dogs.

12pm Lunch: Le Vesuvio*

Le Vesuvio is located on the Croisette, near the Martinez and opposite the Miramar Plage. It is an Italian-focused restaurant with a huge menu ranging from pizza and pasta to seafood and steaks, all at very reasonable (for Cannes) prices. I ate there once during my recent trip, and had veal escalope in a mushroom cream sauce, with frites and creamed spinach. Quite heavy for a lunch (!) but perfect for dinner after being on your feet all day. However, a lot of the salads and lighter options looked equally tasty so don't let this put you off a lunch visit!

*Booking Recommended for dinner reservations, not as necessary for lunch

2pm Post-lunch: Walk off those calories

You absolutely cannot go to Cannes and fail to see the ridiculous excess of it all. From ridiculous menu prices to dog-carrying designer handbags, money.is.everywhere. But, that's part of the charm of Cannes - it's a very unique place and if this level of excess makes you feel a bit unwell then you probably wouldn't be there! The Croisette is lined by designer shops, so take your time wandering up and down playing the 'guess how much that costs' game. The answers will range from the sublime to the ridiculous.

4pm Afternoon / early evening: The Carlton

The Carlton is probably the most well-known hotel in Cannes, and any visit should include a little stop-off here. Eating in the majority of restaurants in Cannes is pretty bank-busting, so my recommendation would be to splash a little less cash, and just go here for a round of drinks. If the sun is out (it probably will be) you should take advantage of the outside seating area and sip your cocktails while taking in the amazing sea-view. If you time this right as well then you can have your drink whilst watching the beautiful sunset - so much of Canens is a bit gaudy you really have to make the most of the beautiful sights when you can!

7pm Dinner: Le Petit Paris*

Le Petit Paris is located just off the Croisette on the Rue des Belges, but is definitely worth the walk. The restaurant serves class French fair but is still imaginative and interesting - I had the "unmissable" cheeseburger, which was topped with foie gras, and as boring as that sounds it was absolutely delicious and I would struggle to not have it again if I went back. More expensive than Le Vesuvio but still quite reasonable (again, for Cannes!) I would wholeheartedly recommend venturing away from the main street and hunting this out out. When we visited the staff were happy to let us while away our time until late, and we never felt harassed to leave - keep the wine flowing and spend your night in a part of Cannes that actually feels quite French.

*Booking Recommended

9am Breakfast: Hunt out a Hotel

Most of the hotel restaurants in Cannes are glam, decadent and expensive. The food is all very lovely, but for the price my recommendation would be to skip eating lunch or dinner here, and instead stick with the breakfast and spend less of a fortune. If you're not staying in one of the top-quality hotels (The Carlton, The Majestic, The Grand, The Martinez etc...) then I would really recommend taking a little walk to one of the big players and experiencing one of their breakfasts. In addition to the food you will get to experience the sheer grandness of a lot of these hotels, and maybe even spot a little celeb or two.

I flew to Cannes on BA for the outward journey, and Easyjet for the inward.

My Favourite Hotels

I have been super lucky in my life that I have had the chance to travel a bit more than the average person. I've never done the backpacker thing, and the longest I've ever been away for in one go is 3 weeks, but I feel like I have seen a lot of places, cultures and people that a lot of people don't get the chance to.

Along with having an ever-growing destination list to tick-off, there are certain places that have a permanent place in my heart - these are the places that I just KNOW I will re-visit time and time again during my life. And along with this there are certain hotels that I will re-visit time and time again. I have been super-fortunate to be able to stay in some really amazing places, so here is my list of my all-time five favourite hotels. I have alphabetised them as I don't want to pick favourites!

Ace Hotel & Swim Club - Palm Springs, USA

I think this may be the first hotel I fell in love with instantly, right upon arrival, and then continued to love more and more as my stay continued. Situated a couple hours south of LA in the desert of Palm Springs, the Ace Hotel is a welcome haven from the ridiculous temperatures. It has a sort-of hipster vibe but not in an over-the-top way, and both the rooms and the facilities are everything you could want to relax and unwind in. The reason I loved the Ace Hotel is because of the freedom you have - it's not stuffy or pretentious and people come and go as they please. The poolside cocktails are delish, and the King's Highway diner is the perfect place to grab some food. Make sure you stay on a Monday night for Bingo and Trivia - both are now run by Bella da Ball after the lovely, lovely, Linda Gerard sadly passed away earlier this year. I've been to the Ace in Palm Springs twice now and the second time I purposely arranged the visit so I could play bingo with Linda again. Super super glad I did.

Hotel Devillas - Paris, France

This is a bit of a funny one - when we arrived the hotel didn't have our expedia-booked reservation, and then put us in a room for our first night that really wasn't up to scratch, promising us a better one in the morning. I was so cross about it all but then when we moved to our new room all was forgiven. This hotel isn't anything fancy or expensive (especially by Paris standards) but the rooms were lovely and clean and actually moderately spacious, and I loved the little juliet balcony. We were staying in the Latin Quarter (which I think I would do again on a return to Paris) and this hotel was in the perfect location for this - right opposite a Metro station and walking distance to the city centre. When we stayed there it was mid-way through a renovation and so there was no restaurant so I can't comment on this - and the price will probably have increased now as this will have all been finished - but I would have no hesitations in staying here again.

Nira Caledonia - Edinburgh, Scotland

I've stayed in the Nira Caledonia twice now - once by myself the night before a friend's wedding and once for a weekend away with my boyfriend. Both times I had the most wonderful stay - the beds are some of the comfiest I have ever slept in and I love all the boutique-touches the hotel offers - I'm a massive sucker for green and black chocolate in the fridge and classic fm playing when you enter your room. Although I haven't had dinner at the hotel we ate breakfast there every morning on our last stay and the food was all so delicious I think we might try the dinner menu on our next stay (in March, hopefully!) I wouldn't stay anywhere else in Edinburgh.

Shangri-La Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa - Penang, Malaysia

I stayed here a few years ago on a family holiday and just had the most relaxing time. The staff were all so friendly and accommodating and nothing was too much trouble. The rooms are large, the pool is amazing, and the sun loungers are super comfortable. Malaysia is one of those countries that you could feel a bit unsure in, but the hotel were great in arranging excursions and giving us advice on where we should visit. I also had a wonderful morning in the spa, part of which was spent having an aroma bath in an outside (private!) bath. One of my best ever holiday memories.

Sunset Marquis - West Hollywood, LA, USA

Now, I know I have mentioned comfortable beds already in this entry but without a doubt the bed I slept in at the Sunset Marquis was the most amazing bed I have ever slept in in my life. I stayed here for 3 nights with my sister last year, and having only stayed in LA once before (and doing it budget-style) I was a bit apprehensive about what hotel to choose. I'm so so so glad we made this choice though because it was just perfect - not too fussy or pretentious (my number one concern for LA hotels!) with amazing staff who did anything and everything they could to make our stay perfect (including paying a taxi fare for us one night when we were a bit, hmm, sleepy to pay it ourselves). Although I love California if it weren't for the Sunset Marquis I'm not sure I would stay in LA again, but next time I return to the west coast I will 100% be re-visiting, even if it is just to sleep in that bed again!