I love London!

As much as I loved my holiday it really is so good to be back home. Obviously the fact that it's nearly December and all the Christmas lights are up helps... London looks so beautiful! I am such a city girl; sometimes it's nice to get away but I am the happiest here in the buzz of the city centre. I took these pictures this evening from my window!

 

Bye Bye Barbados!

We're all packed and ready to go. We have an overnight flight, which is a relief as there's no stress about Baby; she will most likely sleep through it. I had such an amazing holiday! A lot of relaxing but also a lot of fun nights out. I ate and drank way too much, which means detoxing at home this week... We saw a lot of interesting people at the hotel; Cliff Richard having the Sunday Buffet, Saudi Princesses with their female bodyguard (I say Saudi Princesses as that sounds so exotic, all I know is that they were young Middle Eastern girls with a very muscular minder), a man from Egypt who works for the Saudi Royal Family looking after their investments... We saw a gorgeous looking South American family with three children and three Nannies and the children and Nannies would have breakfast in a different table to the parents! All very interesting, I love people watching! Anyway, I'm sad to leave but always happy to get back home too. We will definitely be back.

Barbados: More Evening Outfits

 I wore this to Thanksgiving dinner here in Sandy Lane. They had an absolutely amazing buffet! R and S joined us with their children and we had a lovely meal. I wore a Daslu top (a superb store in Sao Paulo), Mulberry bag, Rag&Bone jodhpurs (from Intermix in New York) and Michael Kors sandals.

On Friday night we went to drinks at the Coral Reef Club. Old school but lovely. I wore an Etro dress that I bought in a boutique in France. Belt is Miu Miu from Net-A-Porter, cuff from Hermes and shoes are the Nicholas Kirkwood ones. S wore a lovely Jasmine Di Milo dress.

Barbados: Lunching

During this holiday we've had three lunches somewhere else than the Bajan Blue here at Sandy Lane. First one was at the Lonestar. It was okay but nothing spectacular. Everywhere seems very quiet at lunch time, which obviously affects the atmosphere so I would have to experience Lonestar at a busier time to fully make up my mind. For now it was just okay; food was okay, set up was okay and the service was okay. We did see the shark there though so I will always remember it! One thing I have to mention about Lonestar... they had smelly chairs!!

(picture from the Lonestar website)

The second place we tried for lunch was The Beach House. This was a recommendation by the Sandy Lane concierge and a little bit strange one at that... Again it was nearly empty and the place itself didn't look that impressive. Food was okay at best; not a lot of thought or effort had been put into it. I ate my starter and main but Mr W only had one bite of his burger, which he thought tasted strange. I can safely say this restaurant is not on my list of recommendations for Barbados.

Today we had lunch at the Sandy Lane country club, which is situated on their golf course. What a stunning place with an incredible view! I can't believe we hadn't gone there before! They have a nice, light menu and it's such a beautiful place you could sit there all day sipping wine.

(picture from unbagged.com)

Barbados: Did I Say I'm Not Afraid of Sharks?

We had lunch at the Lonestar the other day and this is what the local fisherman caught and dragged to the beach during our meal...

It was a hammerhead shark and quite a nice size at that. I'm so bad at estimating measurements but it was definitely man size (read: man eating size...). The locals kept saying to us that it was extremely rare to see sharks in Barbados and they joked that we shouldn't be telling anyone at our hotel that we saw one. Well, we didn't tell anyone but I have to say it has put me off swimming...

As much as I find them scarily fascinating though and it is my worst fear to ever come across even a tiniest one when swimming, I did and do feel very very sad for the shark. This big animal laying there all bloody. It had just been happily living in the ocean and all of a sudden something pierces through its head and kills it. Feels unfair.

Barbados: Another Cin Cin Evening

R and S arrived here yesterday so the four of us headed back to Cin Cin for dinner. We had a great time in each other's company and sitting on the beautiful terrace but oh boy did the staff struggle with service... So badly so that it put me off the restaurant. We had to sit in the bar for 20 minutes without drinks, the food took ages to arrive and the Maitre'd promised us drinks on the house, a promise that he later took back as they weren't meant for us after all!

Anyway, then to the important things... what I wore! The top is a Missoni one from Net-A-Porter, jeans are  another Intermix puchase by a brand called Genetic Denim and the clutch is the same DVF one. S wore a stunning Herve Leger dress (the same I had put on my Net-A-Porter wish list in burgundy!) and a sequin clutch from Zara.

Barbados: More Dining

On Friday night we dined at a new restaurant called Cin Cin. When we first got there I thought it was probably not going to be that good; it was very modern and sterile and the lounge bar lacked atmosphere. We got seated on the terrace overlooking the sea but as it was dark by then we didn't really have any view regardless of that. It was still a pretty set up of course and the atmosphere was much better outside than in. It just had a few things that they clearly hadn't figured out yet. However when the food arrived we totally changed our opinion about the place as it was amazingly good!  We ended up having a really lovely night and drinking way too much.

My Cin Cin outfit was a Missoni dress with a YSL waisted belt. I bought the dress in a boutique in South of France last summer and the belt in Net-A-Porter. The shoes are Michael Kors and I got them in their Soho New York store last month.

On Saturday night we went to The Cliff. It was as stunningly beautiful as I had remembered and the food was very good. They also have a terrace overlooking the sea but the difference to Cin Cin is that the sea beneath the restaurant is lit and very clear so you can see through the turquoise water. If I have to compare these two quite similar restaurants I would say that The Cliff wins in the set up but Cin Cin wins in food as the menu there is a little bit lighter. 

This was my outfit for The Cliff: DVF dress that I bought in Intermix in New York, with the DFV clutch that I also got in New York but in the DVF flagship store. Shoes are by my friend Nicholas Kirkwood. Mr W is not the best at taking these headless shots... he keeps on leaving half the shoes out!

Barbados: Sandy Lane

This is my second time in Barbados and also in Sandy Lane. I have to say this is a hotel with a capital H. The service and attention to detail is incredible. The set up is stunning and I even love the pink umbrellas and sunbeds! Sandy Lane has a somewhat cheesy reputation but cheesy or not it works. Staying here is so comfortable and relaxing, just how it should be on a holiday. Rooms are spacious and comfy. The bed is amazing and so are the sofas. That might sound silly but it's important; I've been to some of the modern and minimalistic hotels where you can't literally even sit on the sofa as it's only been made to look cool! Have to also mention the great walk-in wardrobe and the complimentary packing and unpacking service. Sandy Lane may not be that cool but it certainly is luxurious and beautiful and everything works smoothly and what ever you need you only have to ask the staff.

This place is also very good for families. Our room layout is so that there is a bedroom at the back for Baby. It's tucked away so that we don't need to worry about noise after Baby has gone to bed. That is such a relief as we've tried to do holidays having us all in one room. It's never a holiday for us that way as Baby goes to bed by 7pm and needs a dark room and quietness. They have a baby in-room dining menu just as well as a kids' one. We have a babysitter from the kids' club and she has been wonderful. Baby is still too young to go to the club without a one-on-one sitter. The pool area has a few different pools one of them being very shallow and therefore perfect for kids. 

Barbados: Dining

On our first night we dined at our hotel's more casual restaurant called Bajan Blue. Last night we chose the more fine dining one called L'Acajou. Both were great. Hotel in question is called Sandy Lane. (It's amazing!)

Here is my last night's outfit; DVF dress (it's actually purple but still learning to use my new camera), Etro sandals and a Loubutin clutch. 

And here is Mr W's "holiday wine" with my clutch. Now that I have a new camera I'm on the roll, photographing everything! I took 267 photos yesterday... oops!

Barbados!

We arrived here in Barbados yesterday and I'm already having the best holiday ever! It's so beautiful and warm and I feel totally relaxed even though I'm jet lagged and Baby woke us up at 5am this morning. The sea here is for some reason the best sea that I've ever swam in; it's so calm and warm and clear that I could stay in it for hours. I'm not even scared of sharks here and that says something! The locals are super friendly and the food - and drinks - are good. We have ten more days here, how lucky is that!

Rihanna

I went to see Rihanna at the O2 on Sunday night. She was great, as always! One little negative was that she kept us waiting for a little bit too long before starting the show so I was slightly fed up when she did start... But she obviously gave an amazing performance so I forgot about it quite quickly. We had great tickets so I managed to get some pics. Had I had a better camera they would have been ten times better. That is next on my shopping list.

Not Enough Hours

Yesterday

6.45am - 5pm Work 

5.30pm - 7pm Time with Baby 

 7pm Baby to bed

7pm - 8pm Personal Training in our Sitting Room 

8pm - 9.30pm Eye lash extensions, Pedicure and Manicure in our bedroom

9.30pm - 10.30pm Chilling with Mr W

Today

6.45am - 5pm Work 

5.30pm - 7pm Time with Baby and Mother In Law 

 7pm Baby to bed

7pm - 8pm Personal Training in the bedroom 

8pm - 10pm Packing for Barbados 

10pm - ... On my laptop in bed 

I'm always busy. I have a similar schedule most days. I totally put it on myself; I don't need to work out and I don't need to have lashes and nails done but I want to as all that makes me feel good... And therefore I shall never complain that there are not enough hours in the day! Good night!

Jennifer Nicole Lee

I'm back in the game as I got my laptop back so here we go... Pictures of the body of my dreams. The outfits are questionable... but the body in my opinion is perfect; shapely, feminine but super toned and lean. Shame I'll never have the willpower to get there! I like my wining and dining too much. 

All the pictures are from Dailymail.

B.O.D.Y

Now this is what I call a body!! Check out this article Jennifer Nicole Lee in Dailymail. I only have one wish for Santa this year; please could I have a body like that too? I would add the pics to this post but as I still don't have my laptop back I'm writing from Mr W's iPad and struggling.

Chewton Glen

I've just had the loveliest weekend in a spa hotel called Chewton Glen in New Forest. It was my second stay, we also went exactly a year ago. Even a year ago I thought it was amazing but they have since revamped their restaurant and changed the menu and it was all for much better. Also the difference to year ago is that back then Baby was still so small that she wouldn't have even realised we were somewhere special but this time we were able to utilise the kids' swimming times and the amazing gardens and grounds. I also enjoyed (read: slept through...) some luxurious spa treatments, hung out in the outdoor jacuzzi (I know; sounds cheesy but in a place as classy as that they have managed to do it in style), had lunch on the terrace in our room, enjoyed two amazing dinners and drank extensive amounts of wine. Everything about that hotel gets top marks from me.

I stupidly left my laptop there... I'm getting it back by tomorrow so will be putting some pics up then.

My Favourite Holidays - Cote D'Azur

South of France gets the 1st place in my favourite holidays ranking... Here are some of my holiday pics from the past couple of years. 

Some winter pictures to show how amazing the French Riviera can be even off season. The pictures on the top were taken on the La Garoupe beach in Cap d'Antibes in February! The one below them was taken on the beach in Cannes in March.

The incredible Hotel du Cap, again in Cap d'Antibes. 

Get yourself on a boat ride to St Tropez you'll most likely end up taking a similar shot... 

"We are all famous here" in one of my favourite restaurants in South of France; La Petit Maison in Nice. Couldn't recommend more.

Partying in Baoli in Cannes. Always fun times! Hooded man in the picture is actually Lewis Hamilton!

Sunning myself in Cap d'Ail

Sun setting over Antibes Old Town.

 

Plage Keller beach club on La Garoupe. Our favourite day time hang out!