My Fair er… Brighton?

Ok, ok, so I know it’s not London but I have been a very bad tourist and have not taken any pictures of my city recently. But don’t despair, I have something else for you that you might enjoy… Ta da! I present the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. I was a little confused the first time I saw this palace, I mean it’s a ornate Indian palace on the Brighton seafront nestled amongst traditional Georgian townhouses. Random, but very impressive. No? Unfortunately you aren’t allowed to take photos inside but the interiors are some of the most jaw dropping I have ever come across. Have a lovely weekend all!

All images via Wishful Thinking

10 Palace Hotels…

Thanks for all the fantastic suggestions and well wishes on our trip to New York. We get more excited about it every minute! Of course I am spending every free moment on Tripadvisor gathering as much information as possible (sorry, I know I have been neglecting catching up on blogs but can ya blame me?) I think I have probably sang the praises of Tripadvisor many times here on my blog but I can’t remember travelling without it! I also really enjoy their new ‘10 places’ series – here is their latest series featuring 10 of the best palace hotels. Google them when you have a moment, the interiors will have you swooning! Have you ever stayed in a palace hotel? Any favourites on this list? (Mine is the Tai Lake Palace).

1. Bussaco Palace Hotel - Luso, Portugal

2. Palazzo Magnani Feroni - Florence, Italy

3. Parador de Lerma - Castilla y Leon

4. Taj Lake Palace - Udaipur, India

5. Kempinski Hybernska Prague – Prague

6. Ciragan Palace Kempinski - Istanbul, Turkey

7. Taj Rambagh Palace - Jaipur, India

8. Gritti Palace – Venice, Italy

9. Hotel Du Palais – Biarritz, France

10. Hotel de Crillon – Paris, France

Read more about them here. All images via Tripadvisor.

I’m so excited and I just can’t hide it!

It’s finally happening! We are going to NEW YORK! The tickets are booked, the visas are ready and the bags would be packed but we are only going in October so I will just settle for getting them down from the loft and looking at them! It will be our first time in America so I need some ‘insider information’. Although we would like to visit the major touristy sites, we also like to take it easy and walk around neighbourhoods etc. So this is where you fellow bloggers come in – if you live/have visited New York I want to know it all: places to eat, places to shop, places to visit, food we have to try etc. I have made a little list of the things we don’t want to miss – am I missing anything here or is there anything I should leave out?

Top of the Rock

Stroll through Central Park

Bike around on Governor's Island 

Walk over Brooklyn Bridge

See NY from the water

Walk around Brooklyn

Eat until we burst…

Soak up the atmosphere!

If I had some serious dough…

Just because it’s Tuesday, doesn’t mean we can’t continue to be glamorous! We all know that I am a big fan of Ikea and thrifting. I don’t place a lot of importance of how much a piece of furniture costs or which fancy store it came from, but saying that, I can certainly appreciate a beautiful well-made piece of furniture! I spend a lot of time furnishing my dream home in my head and you can bet that if money was no object, I would have a field day buying up the stock at Soane. Here is what I am wishful thinking about…

1. Halma Man Resin Table; 2. Pompadour Day Bed; 3. Hand and Bamboo Cupboard Handle; 4. Brunelleschi Lamp; 5. Bascule Dressing Table; 6. Reading Wall Light; 7. Ladder; 8. Corbel; 9. Orb Mirror; 10. Cavaletti Bedside Table;      11. Tom Tiger Desk; 12. Aries Stool

Glamorama!

Between mowing the lawn, waiting in endless traffic queues, giving myself a haircut (I don’t trust hairdressers since this incident) and cleaning the living room, my weekend lacked a bit of glamour to say the least! So I thought I would start the week with some fabulously glamorous interiors by British based designers SHH Architects. I was initially drawn to the intricate moulding and the beautiful black and white tiled floor in the first few pictures but then I discovered the chic furniture and fittings used in the other spaces… Can’t you just picture yourself sweeping into this entry in a glamorous outfit?

All images via SHH Architects