Review: Llanerch Hotel, South Wales

*gifted stay

Hey Owlets,

If you've been keeping up with my Instagram you'll know that I've been doing a lot of travelling recently. While I love getting to explore sometimes you need a little quiet time in between to reset, so my boyfriend and I headed to Hensol to spend some time at Llanerch Vineyard. The beautiful five star hotel is tucked away in a quiet corner of South Wales in the kind of place that you would never find if you weren't looking for it.

Are Romanian Stereotypes True?

This content was created from a press trip to Romania, but all opinions are my own

Hey Owlets,

When I first told my family that I was planning to spend two weeks travelling across Romania they thought I’d gone mad - being totally honest I was wondering what on Earth had prompted me to say yes too. It wasn’t just my family being over-cautious though. Every single person I told about my trip replied with “why?”, “are you mad?!” or “it’s dangerous there!”. In fact, I’ve heard more about stray dogs, aggressive homeless people, orphans and pickpockets in the last two months than in the last two decades combined. 

If you’re not from the UK then maybe you’ve not heard any of these things, but if you’re English then I’m imagining you’ve probably heard every single one of these stereotypes at least once. By the time I’d heard them from everyone I spoke to I was so nervous I almost didn’t want to go. Since everyone in the UK seems to be terrified of the same things, I wanted to clear up a few stereotypes. 

A Lesson in Kindness from a French OAP

One of the things I love most about travelling is the huge variety of things you see- when you travel to another country yes you’re meeting local people but you’re also meeting other travellers from across the world and you almost always come away with unique memories that you’d never experience back home. But when you’re travelling by cruise ship you never quite know what’s going to happen. In some places you’re welcomed with open arms, hoping that you’ll open your wallet in return. In other places they’re sick of their hometown’s population growing by 4000 people for the day, and that attitude is unfortunately made known quite often, which means you probably won’t want to come back. 

If there’s one town where you could understand people not being so friendly it’s Cherbourg on the North Western coast of France. Receiving 9 ferries a week as well as multiple cruise ships you could forgive the residents for being less than welcoming but it was the complete opposite - I don’t think I’ve ever felt more at home. 

Review: Abbey Hotel, Bath

*gifted stay

Hey Owlets,

If you've been following my Instagram you'll know I've been pretty much living out of a suitcase recently. If I'm honest I absolutely love travelling this much and one of the best parts is getting to stay in so many different places. It's so inspiring to see how each place offers something different, the different decor, how hands on the staff are and of course comparing the food! One of my most recent trips took me to the beautiful Abbey Hotel in Bath. The luxurious four star hotel is laid out across three Georgian townhouses, just around the corner from the famous Abbey.

Managing Money while Travelling

*This post is in collaboration with CashLady*

Hey Owlets,

One of the biggest struggles with travelling is managing your money - personally I hate talking about money because it’s a huge source of stress for me, but it’s one of those things that needs to be done. 

Whenever I’m not travelling I’m really careful with money because I know it’s going towards something I really want to do, but as soon as you arrive on holiday it’s easy to say “sod it” because this is everything you’ve saved for, and a lot of the times it’s really easy to spend more than you thought. If you’re looking to go away without breaking the bank, here’s a few tips on how to keep your money in check.

A Day Onboard MV Oriana

Hey Owlets,

If you've ever been on a cruise before you'll know that your first ship is always the most special - it's the one that started everything and it will forever live in your memory. Well for Dad that first ship was a long time ago and has since been scrapped - as a child he went on the original Oriana in 1976 and it's always kept a place in his heart. So much so, in fact, that he's always wanted to experience the magic of the current Oriana. 

Having learned that this season would be her last he was absolutely devastated because he'd never get pay her a visit. Considering since my first P&O cruise I've been singing "you make my dreams come true" after it being on repeat in one of the lounges, I had to do as the song says. A few months later, the lovely team at P&O Cruises invited us on board for the day to explore the namesake of Dad's first ship.

Free Things to Do in London

Hey Owlets,

I always love getting messages from you asking for advice when you’re travelling to the UK, but the number one thing I hear is that you want to visit London but you’re worried about how much everything will cost. London is an incredible city to explore but it can be EXPENSIVE; going to the big attractions can set you back as much as £30 a ticket and in my opinion it’s just not worth it to be rammed in with hundreds or thousands of other tourists doing the exact same thing.  Instead, turn away from the big attractions in favour of these gems that make exploring London a lot more affordable, but also unique.

A Guide to Supporting Independents in Bath

If you've been reading The Owlet for a while you may have noticed that I seriously love Bath. It's got something for just about everyone and it's crammed full of independent shops and people turning their passions into their livelihoods. I love supporting small creators but sometimes it can feel a little daunting knowing where to go and who to support, especially if you're new to the city, so here's my list of everywhere to eat, drink, shop and stay when you're in Bath.