On Thursday morning, Loanne and I flew over to Berlin to be one of the first to experience the MOXY Berlin, the brand’s new flagship hotel in the heart of the city’s cultural epicentre, Ostbahnhof.

You all probably know that we love a good ol’ party so not only were we extremely excited but also rather intrigued when we heard the launch party would be nothing less than an all-night party with scandalous dance performances, drag spectacles and a Berlin rave-ready makeover! (Sounds pretty epic, right?)

Upon arrival to the Moxy we were greeted by friendly staff whilst also becoming familiar with the Do-It-Yourself nature of the hotel which saw Loanne and I helping ourselves to the delectable choice of muffins, pastries and of course a cheeky cocktail.  A big tick in our box already!

The contemporary interior of the hotel along with the young looking guests gave off a modern, fun and vibrant feel to the place. Though technically a budget hotel, it felt more like a boutique hotel with its slick interior, comfortable & cozy bedrooms and 24 hour food & drink service. 

As it was a very quick 24 hour stop-over in Berlin we managed to squeeze in a couple of landmark visits during the day, one to the Holocaust Memorial & also to the Berlin wall - A  cultural must & also a very touching experience.

As the evening approached we headed back to the Moxy to get ready for the party, the hotel had prepared our rooms with champagne and chocolates to get us in the mood for the night. Along with seductive, lace masks that were to be worn on the evening. (What have we got ourselves in for?)

The night was a true blast (So much so that we didn’t take any photos, unless you were one of the lucky few to witness our Instagram stories ;))

The 300 odd party guests were a true reflection of the brand; fun, cool & stylish- tapping directly into the millennial cultural movement. As the party started and the DJ hit the decks, we helped ourselves to cocktails & canapes. The entertainment continued upstairs in different rooms, each room offering a very different experience, in one room was one of Berlin's best tattoo artists giving free tattoos (we didn't get one unfortunately, kicking ourselves now!) and in the other rooms were bondage & scandalous naked women and teddy bears. It was definitely something we hadn't experienced before. Frivolous & hilarious at the same time. The night continued at the official afterparty in Berlin's famous gay club "Schuwz" where the amazing music continued and we partied until early hours of the morning.

What a night and an amazing 24 hours in Berlin. A massive thanks to Moxy Hotels who provided a party like never before!

Last week Loanne and I, along with 12 other family members packed our bags and headed down to East Preston (Sussex) for a week of relaxation, sunshine and family time. We rented a beautiful house on the sea front and spent most of our days exploring, chilling and swimming in the sea (yes, it was surprisingly warm enough!) Such a beautiful place and at times it felt as though we were abroad watching the beautiful sunset over stretches of pebbly beach. We also took some amazing drone footage which we will share with you guys soon but for now here's a little snippet of us playing on our front lawn... If you're ever in need of a Summer vacation but don't want to venture too far,  East Preston is definitely worth considering!  

View fullsize

Loanne - 

White top - Never Fully Dressed

Black jeans -  Topshop

Sandals - Office

Necklace - Zoe Morton

Rings - Freedom Jewellery - Topshop

Jordan -

Red two piece - Topshop

Black Jacket - Carharrtt

Sliders - Puma




 

It's not often your friend throws an extravagant 30th birthday and rents a beautiful castle in the middle of the hot beautiful hills of Salamanca. This, however was a rare occasion, an amazing get together of great people, incredible fun, sun, music, poolside, sundowners, incredible settings and a few too many platters of meat and sweaty cheese.

Castillo del Buen Amor is located in the middle of Salamanca, a rare and beautiful XV century castle surrounded by vineyards, mazes and lakes. We spent three days exploring the grounds and having a bit too much fun with the 80 odd other party goers there!

We then drove up to the wonderful city of Madrid and had a few days of great food, city strolling, park roaming and stunning rooftops which made for a few great last days in the City, until we had to depart.

We ate in an AMAZING tapas place called Lateral - literally every dish was to die for, so I would highly recommend going and the atmosphere is super chilled. Three jugs of Sangria, more red wine and 50 odd tapas plates later, we were done and went to hit up the night in Madrid.

Going on the boats in El Parque Retero is a must and if you, like us, luckily have a friend who has an amazing roof terrace then crack open a bottle of wine, get the BBQ sizzling and watch the stunning city of Madrid twinkle as the sun sets over the city. That's how we spent our last night. Perfection.

We will be back soon, Madrid. Hasta Lluego! 

ps - Sorry about the shortage of photos (Think we may have had a bit too much fun!) 


 

L & J x x x



 

"For once you have tasted flight, 
You will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards,
For there you have been and there you will long to return"

Leonardo Da Vinci


When it comes to travelling you could say we're extremely lucky. Growing up in Portugal, studying in Brazil and frequently visiting holiday homes in Spain and Thailand has resulted in our inability to settle in one place for too long. Escaping the hustle and bustle of London life is an absolute must and the proximity of warm air, sandy skin, breathtaking sunsets and salty hair comes as second nature.
2015 was one of the quietest years in terms of travel and so I have resolved to make a 2016 bucket list of places I would love to go this year in the true hope that it reinforces me to save, book and just go! This blog post is an attempt for me to tick off at least two of these destinations before the end of the year!
Any one who has tips of things to do and places to go in these destinations, holla!!

First up is the wonderfully, beautiful:

Santorini, Greece - 

There's just something about those white washed villas and sky blue roofs that's so enticing. The sunsets, the wine, the light, the food....
And I mean, if there was a villa to stay in, it would have to be this one:
 http://www.luxuryretreats.com/Europe/Greece/Santorini/Firostefani/Villa-Aura-115874

View fullsize

Venice, Italy-

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner that the idea of no cars or roadways, truly appeals to me. The thought of travelling merely by boat through canals is exciting! The City's grand canal which snakes through its narrow, mazelike alleys and small squares makes Venice an absolute must see!

Cape Town, SA - 

Now let's face it, there seems to be no place more beautiful, fun and inexpensive to escape too than Cape Town. When we're all freezing our socks off here in the UK, Cape town is the perfect place to escape the dark and frosty winter nights.

Saint Lucia -

I believe we all deserve a bit of luxury now and then, don't we? And that every now and then for me would have to be in Saint Lucia. The serenity, the calm and the beauty of the island illustrate nature at its finest. Or in the words of the country itself  "The Land, The People, The Light".

Lo xxx

It was my second visit to the big apple so this time round I was adamant about experiencing it like a REAL 'New Yorker' rather than spending my days doing the touristy stuff! We decided to stay in Williamsburg, probably one of the coolest neighbourhoods I've ever been too!! Why? It's hip, young, the streets are full of people selling one-off pieces, amazing coffee shops, authentic cafes, great Sunday flea markets... oh and also home to the best Brooklyn bagels... Located only a 3 minute walk from our AirBnB, we made a couple of cheeky pit stops there... of course!  I guess you could compare Williamsburg to East London but I'll put it out there and say it's definitely got that edge. A couple of recommendations for anyone who decides to stay in Williamsburg (I mean you'd be crazy not too!)

Wythe Hotel   The ideal place to watch the sunset over the big smoke (also perfect for a date too!)

Space Ninety 8 A really cool rooftop bar above Urban Outfitters where you can have a few cheeky cocktails and watch the sunset.

Rosarito Fish Shack probably the best fish tacos out there so good we returned two days later! Tip: Go there for Happy Hour, the white wine Sangria is delish!

Toby's Estate Coffee This was our local coffee shop. Literally the  tastiest almond cappucino I've ever tried. You'll see lots of creative types in there too!

A couple of weekends ago we decided to do a last minute, exciting trip to the beautiful and romantic city of Paris. Myself, Jordan and Rosie packed our things and off we went ready for a weekend adventure! It had been ages since I had been there....a few distant and vague memories of Disney land, French hip hop and fresh baguettes were pretty much what Paris boiled down to for me, so I was super excited to go back!

Waking up at 4am is definitely NOT the one.... but the quick journey (for which most of it we were all snoring) meant we got there at 9am and spent the whole day roaming the streets, finding shooting locations and discovering the little treasures of the backstreets of Paris. Of course, what's a trip to Paris without the very occasional pit stop for red wine and a traditional cheese board and fresh bread? This was definitely a highlight.

Now if you're a fan of macaroons, which, to be honest, I never thought I was - then you HAVE to go to Laduree! It is unbelievable. You can get macaroons in any flavour, colour and size and they simply melt in your mouth in one bite. It's a super cute, traditional looking French Patisserie and is so beautiful inside. Tip : Go for the coconut macaroon - simply divine!

After visiting pretty much all the most famous monuments in Paris on Saturday including The Eiffel tower, The Arc de Triomphe and the Notre Dame, we decided to treat ourselves to a yummy, tender steak in the evening at 'The Beef House.' However, funnily enough it's not the steak I am about to rave about, it was in fact the unbelievable, mouth watering, jaw dropping, over sized profiterole dessert that they gave us! One huge profiterole covered in melted chocolate and freshly whipped cream covering layers of gooey, rich chocolate and ice cream (Mmmm I'm hungry thinking about it) The Beef House definitely surpassed our expectations and I would definitely go back...even if it is only for the profiterole!

Sunday consisted of a similar itinerary and we continued to roam the streets looking for the coolest places to shoot. Thank god it didn't rain! We were really lucky but it was so cold  and even more so than London which is always a tough one to beat.

Our Eurostar back was nothing short of a nightmare being stuck on it for at least 6 hours...but we shan't go in to that now, we'll stick to the positives. Paris, you were brilliant, we'll be back!!!

Hope you like the photos :) :)

Lo x                                            

Jordan:

Outfit 1:

Black Jumper - Cos Grey culottes - Topshop

Outfit 2: Polka dot shirt - Olive Clothing

Outfit 3: Pink top - Topshop Black leather trousers - Zara Dr Marten Shoes - Dr Martens

Outfit 4:

White patterned cardigan - Zara

Loanne:

Outfit 1:

Grey coat - Missguided Black trousers - Zara Trainers - Stan smiths

Outfit 2:

Black oversized jumper - Zara Black scarf - Topshop Gold necklace - Effra London Sunnies - Ray Bans

Outfit 2:

Pale yellow shirt - Op shop Austrlia Black Brogues - Zara

Outft 3:

Calvin Klein Jumper - Urban Outfitters Black leather jacker - Minusey