A WEEK IN CROATIA

Wednesday

I think Split and Hvar in Croatia are two of my new favourite places. I feel like I say this every time I get back from travelling somewhere but it's happened yet again! I'm writing this with severe holiday blues.


I recently went on a week-long holiday to Split in Croatia with five of my friends and we had such an amazing time. We stayed in an Airbnb villa a short taxi ride away from Split with a pool.


We flew from Gatwick to Split and the flight was only around two and a half hours which went really quickly.



What we got up to


Instead of writing the details day by day like I usually do, I thought I'd just write the highlights of what we got up to under one heading and food under another. Spoiler alert: the food was so amazing it deserves its own spot in this post.


Exploring Split



So aside from chilling by the pool in the villa, our first activity was exploring the town of Split. Split is a very historical place with beauty around each corner. Cars and taxis can only reach certain areas of Split, because when you go into the city centre, it is walking only which is one of the things that made it so unique. 

The centre of Split is a bit like a maze and I would still find it difficult to find my way around without maps even after staying there for a week.

For me, our holiday was a perfect mix of everything because we stayed in a villa with a pool, but you could actually travel to Split as a city break as well. It has great nightlife and lots of amazing restaurants.

Krka National Park



Before travelling to Split, we had pre-booked a trip to Krka National Park which is about 1 hour - 1:30 hours drive away. The park is known for its waterfalls and it was like nothing I'd ever seen before. I'd definitely recommend visiting. There was a lot of walking up and down steep hills which I wasn't totally aware of before the trip so wear comfy shoes and pack lots of water!

On our trip, we got to visit the waterfalls, go to a nearby town for a dip in the lakes and finish off the day with wine tasting at a local, family-run winery. All of this cost just short of £35 which I think was definitely worth it.


Unfortunately, the usual part of Krka that you go to on the tour was closed due to flooding so we had to go to another part of the park. But it was still just as beautiful and didn't ruin the trip at all.

Hvar for the day




Hvar is an island about 1 hour away from Split by boat. For a return ferry, it was a little expensive - around the £40-£45 mark, but it was so worth it.

I feel like Hvar is quite a luxury place. One, because they go there on Made in Chelsea, and two, because there are lots of exclusive beach clubs where you have to pay for entry. You could easily spend a lot here but there are still lots of bars and restaurants that are a similar price to Split and there are areas of the beach where it is free to go and sit.

Hvar is one of the most stunning places I've ever been to and I would 100% recommend visiting there if you travel to Split. You can, of course, stay in Hvar too but it would cost you a pretty penny. Also, I felt like there was less to do there than in Split.

Boat Party Split



Around Split, there were lots of people selling tickets to boat parties and in principle, it sounded like a lot of fun so we went. It cost around 40 euros and you are pretty much out all day. The ticket also gets you free entry to a club later on.

Now I did have fun, but the weather turned really bad while we were on the boat and it got quite choppy which wasn't as enjoyable. Especially with drunk people slipping around and drinks flying everywhere. I never thought I got seasick until going on this boat.

I'm sure it's usually fine when the weather is good but I'd recommend checking the weather and booking it for a sunny calm day. Other than that, it was quite fun and we made friends with other people who had travelled to Split. This is probably the activity I'd recommend the least but if it's your thing and a clear day, you will probably enjoy it.

Talent Show


One good thing about staying in a villa with friends is that you can be as weird as you want because it's just you. In light of that, we decided to do a talent show one night before dinner which went down a treat. If you are planning on going away to a villa with friends or family I'd definitely recommend organising one, I've never laughed so much.

My talent was a roast and we had a good range of others like the recorder and a magic mike number.

The Food


Now for the bit you've been waiting for ... I didn't realise that Split was going to be such a foodie destination but every meal we had was 10/10. Usually, when you go away you get at least one kind of below-average meal but each meal we had was stunning, it was just so easy to find amazing restaurants.

Here are some of the amazing meals I had and where to find them




... but not your ordinary burger and chips. I don't know how they did it but it was just so elevated and the location was amazing. The owner was very chatty and enthusiastic about the restaurant and he told us about the history of the building. It's mainly Mexican food and I'm fussy so of course, I ordered the burger but we all equally enjoyed our meals. The burger cost me 15 euros.

The Second Best Sandwich of my Life


The first best sandwich I've had was in Milan, but this proscuitto, mozzarella and tomato masterpiece was a close second. Annoyingly, I can't remember the name of the place where we got it but it was along the front of the harbour where the palm trees are and it cost around 10 euros. Go along that row and look for a place that does both pizza slices and sandwiches. Perfect for lunch.




Cuttlefish Risotto is something I saw on quite a few menus while we were in Split so it must be a pretty popular dish and the one I had at this restaurant was stunning. I was a little put off at first by the ink making it black but it was so delicious.

The restaurant is really cute too, you go through a little cove to get to it (great for pictures if you are a little early to dinner). They also had lots of other nice dishes on the menu. I'd recommend it here if you want food that you can't really get anywhere else.



I am a big pizza lover and this was one of the best pizzas I've ever had. Perfect Italian base and the fact that we were on a rooftop just made the whole thing even more special. They also had blankets for if it was cold. Comfort food at its finest.

Fritto Misto in Hvar


Once again I can't remember the name of the restaurant (I'm a terrible blogger when I go on holiday and I was too hungry to think when I arrived here) but it was on the main square by the ferry port in Hvar. We were enticed in by being offered 15% discount because we were in a group, RESULT!

Due to the area we were eating in, this could have easily been a tourist trap but we ended up having a lovely meal and we were given free Limoncello shots and a free bottle of wine to share. Also, I loved my squid and prawns. All of the chips I had in Croatia were unreal too, they just know how to do dining over there.



Once again, another amazing dish in Split. By this point, I was comfortable knowing that everything I had was going to be delicious and my proscuitto gnocchi was no exception.






I would come to this restaurant just for the views, honestly someone could propose there it was so nice, especially if you go when the sun is setting. The food being stunning was just a plus. It was right on the seafront and you can watch boats going by.

Maddie and I couldn't decide whether to get the Adriatic steak dish or the monkfish so we had half of each which was the best decision ever. We also got complimentary bread before our meal and we Brits love free stuff.

It was the perfect restaurant for our final night and because I hadn't actually spent all my euros (don't know how) I got a pudding - Snickers Bomb, which was amazing but so so sweet.

Would I recommend travelling to Croatia?


Yes yes yes! I can only comment on Split, Hvar and Krka and I would definitely recommend visiting all three. As soon as I left I wanted to go back and I don't get that with every place that I go to (albeit most). It's also made me want to explore more of Croatia like Dubrovnik and Zadar. 

We all had the best time and it was amazing to go away with my friends and just have so much fun together.
Have you ever been to Croatia?
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THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL REVIEW

Thursday

A few weeks ago my friend Ellie and I went to watch The Spongebob Musical at The Mayflower Theatre in Southampton.


We honestly had such a good time, so I must tell you about it. I grew up watching Spongebob Squarepants and have always enjoyed it since. Yes, 24-year-olds can still enjoy Spongebob into adulthood.


I saw The Spongebob Musical being advertised on Instagram and it was quite a reasonable price so getting tickets was a no-brainer.


It was made even more exciting because Divina De Campo, a drag queen who featured on RuPaul's Drag Race UK Season 1, played Plankton. Everyone who knows me knows about my obsession with Drag Race. 


Also, the person who played Plankton's wife, Karen, was Hannah Lowther. Hannah is a TikToker I have followed since she was working in Tesco during the pandemic when theatre shows weren't on, so it was great to see her perform live as Karen.

Related: 9 to 5 The Musical Review

The show


The spongebob musical mayflower southampton

Before the show, we weren't too sure what to expect. Spongebob is a family show so we weren't sure whether it was going to be mainly aimed at children, but it definitely exceeded expectations and had something for everyone to enjoy.

The plot of the show was that there was going to be a volcanic eruption that was going to wipe out Bikini Bottom and the citizens of Bikini Bottom had to work together to stop that from happening.

Spongebob and Sandy set out to save the day, while Plankton was conspiring an evil plan. Alongside that, the main characters all had individual musical numbers.

The singing and dancing were 10/10 but our favourite thing about the show is that it was SO funny and cleverly so.

We were so impressed by the attention to detail which made the show that much better and gave it a special edge. Things like someone playing the maracas while Mr. Krabs walked side to side, and Squidward having another set of legs sewn onto the back of his.

The show was just so much fun that I think people would have no choice but to enjoy it. Before going to watch Spongebob, I had a lot of people laughing about it because they were saying it was for children. It's funny because who's the one who had a great Saturday and saw what was probably one of my favourite shows? Me!

Spongebob decorations at the mayflower theatre

If you get a chance to watch The Spongebob Musical I'd definitely recommend it. Whether you are planning to go as a family, or not, there is something for everyone to enjoy.
What's your favourite musical?
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3 DAYS IN LISBON

Earlier this year I had a fabulous city break in Lisbon, Portugal's capital so I had to write about it and tell you what we got up to. I went with Joe and our friends Maddie and Cormac and this is how it went ... SPOILER ALERT: we had an amazing time.


Tram 28 lisbon


Day 1


Day 1 consisted of traveling early in the morning from Luton to Lisbon Airport and we arrived at around 11am. The flight lasted around 2 hours and 45 minutes which would have gone quite quickly had we not sat on the plane for an hour before taking off.


Upon arrival at Lisbon, we checked out the location of our Airbnb and realised we could go there on the metro from the airport, so we bought our travel cards at the airport metro station and went on our way.


The travel cards are quite good as you can put as much money as you want on them and use them on most of the types of transport around Lisbon such as buses, trams, and metro.


We then checked into our Airbnb which was in the perfect location. Lisbon is known for being quite hilly and steep but we managed to stay in a relatively flat area right by the sea and we were within walking distance of the main tourist attractions.


After checking in and a quick change, we headed out for some lunch and ended up picking somewhere by the sea, in the sun, and shared a few jugs of sangria. It was actually the first time I'd seen the sun in ages as we went in March and the UK had been freezing for months, so it was just perfect.


Sangria jug and glass


After a few drinks and a wander around our area of Lisbon, we went back to our Airbnb for some chill time as we had a VERY early start and chilled out for a bit before dinner.


For dinner, we went to a restaurant quite near to our Airbnb called Lugar Marcado where we were greeted with great service and enjoyed some lovely wine and seafood. I had the cod which was unlike any cod I'd had before. I enjoyed the taste but just couldn't eat a lot of it, I think because I was so tired from getting up early and traveling.



Cod at lugar marcada


Day 2


After a good night's sleep in our Airbnb, we went for an alfresco breakfast ready for a day of exploring.


We got the train to Belem, where you can find the Belem Tower (Torre de Belem) and the famous home of the Pastel de Nata at Pasteis de Belem. This is a foodie must for Lisbon!


Pastel de natas at pasteis de belem


After that, we took the train again further away from Lisbon and went to the beautiful seaside town of Cascais. I'd really recommend giving yourself a day to explore this town if you are planning to visit Lisbon as it was so beautiful and had much more of a quiet vibe than Lisbon, so you get the best of the city and somewhere quieter.

Related: 3 nights in Barcelona

Cascais also has beaches where you can swim in the sea, whereas there isn't really a beach in the centre of Lisbon although it is on the sea.





When we arrived at Cascais we found a nice outdoor bar right by the beach and of course, had a couple of glasses of sangria. The sun was shining and it was one of those moments where you think "ah, life is good."


We then had a wander around Cascais, followed by some Portuguese sparkling wine and some tapas at a wine bar. The name of the bar escapes me now which is a shame because it was amazing and you need to go there! It was on a road called Rua Frederico Arouca and the tapas was 10/10. Foodie pictures below if you don't believe me...




We then headed back to Lisbon and went out for the evening in the Bairro Alto area. There were a lot of stag and hen parties around there and seemed to be where the main clubs and bars were, so head there if you want a piece of the Lisbon nightlife.


My advice to you would be if you are a heel-wearer, forget them in Lisbon, don't even pack them. There are so many hills and everywhere you walked was cobbled. The cobbles are also quite slippy too so comfortable shoes only. I was wearing my comfiest trainers and nearly stacked it a couple of times in the rain.


Day 3


On our final day in Lisbon, we headed for another alfresco breakfast (great way to start a day, especially if it includes a pastel de nata).


The main thing we wanted to do on the last day was to go to Timeout market, a world-famous food market in the centre of Lisbon. It was too close after having breakfast though when we went there, so we decided to go on the iconic 28 tram to see the city that way.


We traveled a little bit to ensure we got on the tram at the start of the line instead of getting on somewhere central which would have been super busy. I'd recommend doing this because it means you'll definitely get a seat.


After seeing the city by tram, it made me so thankful I wasn't walking up and down all those hills and that we were staying in a flat area!


We got off the tram back at the Timeout market for some lunch and I was overwhelmed by choice. I tend to go into sensory overload at foodie markets like this as there are so many people, and there's so much choice of food so I quite often end up making rash decisions so I can get it over and done with.



I had a surf and turf ciabatta sandwich with steak and prawns which was good but a little small for the price. One thing I will say about the Timeout market is that you have to go but be prepared to spend a lot. I don't think it was a bad thing that the portions were a little small because it meant I could try a few things, but you have to be prepared for the cost.


My steak sandwich was 12 Euros so not too bad but it is quite a lot for a small sandwich. When in Rome...


I then had some fried squid and an Aperol Spritz; they had a whole stand dedicated to it so it would have been rude not to! Then, I had a pastel de nata and I have to say, I actually preferred the one at the Timeout Market to the one I had as Pasteis de Belem which is controversial.


We then had a bit of a chill before heading out again in the evening for some drinks. As we had quite a late lunch, we got ready and had a few drinks first before dinner.


For dinner, we went to a tapas restaurant we'd been eyeing up the whole time called Tapas n' Friends. It was fitting because we were indeed wanting to eat tapas with friends. There are a few of these restaurants in Lisbon but the one we went to was kind of like a rooftop bar, although it wasn't on a roof, you did have to go up some stairs to sit there.

 

We ordered quite a lot of different tapas dishes to try and everything was amazing. It was giving me a kind of last supper vibe because we had such a lovely couple of days and it was being finished off with great food, drinks, and of course company. Both my heart and belly were full once we'd left there.



Do you need to add Lisbon to your travel list?


Absolutely. There's no doubt about it. You can quite often bag cheap flights to Lisbon and the weather is beautiful for most of the year, starting in March. We paid around £220 for flights and our AirBnB all in which is an absolute bargain.


I also think it's up there in my top 3 favourite European cities that I've traveled to so far. There's so much to do and although we did a lot, I feel like we could go again and still have more to see and do.

Related: 4 nights in Milan

Have you visited Lisbon before? If not, are you adding it to your travel list?

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2022 ROUND UP

Friday

Every year, I finish the year with a roundup blog post of the whole year and I think it is one of my favourite blog posts to write. It's great to be able to look back on the year, and especially remember positives, achievements and good memories before the new year. So welcome to my roundup post for 2022 and I hope you enjoy seeing what I've been up to.


January


January is always my least favourite month as I just find it so depressing even though I make every effort for it to seem less so by making fun plans.


I did manage to make some good memories in January with my friends and I visited Ballie Ballerson in London for the first time. If you don't know, it's essentially an adult ball pit/night club which for me was kind of an assault on the senses but it was fun to try once.



Other highlights included going on a winter beach walk down in Mudeford and trying a roast dinner at the local pub for my Dad's birthday which was a success!




February


Once January was out of the way, February came in to step the year up a notch. One of my favourite activities from February was seeing the Rupaul's Drag Race UK Season 2 live tour in Bournemouth with my friend Kitty which was AMAZING! I love Drag Race so much, especially that season.



For Valentine's Day, Joe and I had a date day extravaganza which consisted of brunch, mini golf, Gordon Ramsay's bottomless street pizza for dinner and drinks in Battersea afterwards. We ended up so tired afterwards but it was such a good day!




My gorgeous baby nephew Leo was born mid-February and it's so bizarre looking back at the pictures now as he's gotten so big and will be 1 soon.



With work, I got to watch BBC South Today while they recorded and get some footage for socials. It was really cool being there while they recorded and getting to watch the news later that day after having been there.


March


The beginning of March included a mega night out to Bath with my friends - there were injuries, and lots of sick (not from me luckily) but we still had a great time even if it wasn't all of our finest of moments.



Joe and I tried an amazing Japanese restaurant in London called Flesh and Buns (weird name great food). It was my first time trying Japanese food too and I loved everything I had. It was quite expensive though so defo a special occasion venue.




More foodie fun consisted of a Bottomless Brunch at Tinga in Salisbury (*PR Invite) with my bestie Poppy which was fab.




At the end of March, another one of my besties, Maddie and I had a joint birthday in London between both of our birthdays which was so much fun. We had a pizza bottomless brunch at Pizza Pilgrims, tried out Vagabond wine bar which is basically wine vending machines and you can help yourself! This was followed by a night out in Shoreditch.





April


To start April off, Joe and I went on a trip to Cardiff for my 23rd birthday. I had 2 lockdown birthdays in a row before this so it was great to get away and explore a new city.




The weekend after that, Mum and I walked alpacas. This was a present I'd got her for her birthday so luckily she chose to take me with her because I really wanted to walk alpacas too. It was so much fun I want to do it again! Warning: you WILL want to take the alpaca home with you at the end.




Later on in April was the meeting of the parents - AKA the day mine and Joe's family met. Joe and I have been together for 4 and a half years and we always said our parents should meet so we ended up arranging it and meeting Joe's family down in Hastings where they live. It honestly couldn't have gone better!





May


In May I went on the first holiday I'd been on since 2019 before covid to Corfu with the girls and I can't even tell you how good it was. I actually cried a few days before going because I was so happy I could leave the country again. Who remembers lockdown?


Everything about the holiday was 10/10 I just wish we had more time and went for longer.








Mine and Joe's anniversary is 1st June so we celebrated a few days early at the end of May by going to Cholderton Rare Breeds Farm and going on a date night in Salisbury to Tinga for food and drinks.




June

June was good vibes all around. More boozy bottomless brunches and trips to London and I just had a great time all month with friends. 





I also bought my new car at the end of June which I felt was such a win for me. It just felt like a moment in my life where my hard work had paid off because I saved up so much and was finally able to get the car I'd wanted for years. 



I went to see Six the musical in Southampton which was great - I am obsessed with the soundtrack now.




July

In July, I went to a festival in Poole with my work colleagues and it was so much fun. Ladies' night was a huge success!



I also went to my first-ever gender reveal party. Joe's sister hosted a gender reveal party, where you bite into the cupcakes and the icing, is either blue or pink. It was pink!!




July seemed to have a baby theme because I went to a baby shower too for my cousin's baby girl. AND I met my friend Siobhan's little boy Tommy for the first time.


Some not-so-good news from July, I had a really painful infected wisdom tooth. Luckily it went away with anti-biotics and it didn't have to be taken out. I wasn't really in the mood for minor surgery it would have killed my best summer since before covid vibe.


August


Speaking of killing the good vibes, I also killed a deer at the beginning of August so we didn't get off to a good start.


After having my new car for only a month, I hit a deer with my car while driving to work one day and sadly the deer died :( and my car was in the garage for about 2 months being fixed as there was so much damage.



There was nothing I could do to stop in time - it just ran straight in front of me and it was pretty traumatic. There were police and RSPCA surrounding me - not to mention it was in the heatwave.


As bad days go, that was a very bad day!


August did get better though, I went to my cousin's wedding which was lovely - I love weddings so much. We also celebrated Joe's birthday and went out for a lovely meal with his family.




I also had 2 great PR meals at Cosmo in Bournemouth and The Giggling Squid (*PR Invites). These meals were both fantastic and I'll be honest - they couldn't have come at a better time. They really cheered me up after the deer incident and it cost me a lot of money so review visits really did come in handy.





September

My main highlight from September was of course visiting Barcelona with Joe - it was one of the best weeks of my life - if not THE best. Barcelona is my new fav city now so it is going to be difficult to top it but I will keep trying the more I travel.





Another highlight was going to my friend Maddie's new flat in London and having a dinner party. She is an amazing cook and we felt like such adults. That was of course until we went clubbing afterwards. Some things just never change.




Also in September, Mum and I went on a cocktail-making experience at Revs which she bought me for my birthday and it was great!




I also got my car back from the garage after hitting the deer - it's as good as new.


October


In October I was invited along to an awards ceremony with work and it was one of the most fun nights I've had. The CEO of my organisation won the award which was fantastic and we were all so proud. It was also great to dress up and have fun with colleagues outside of work.


The National Trust was giving out free tickets over autumn so Joe and I utilised that by going for a long walk around Stourhead. It was the first time I'd been but we really enjoyed it.




I did some more travelling in October and went to Milan, which included a trip to Lake Como. I really loved my time in Milan - I just feel like anywhere in Italy is fab. The food was 10/10 and I felt like I was made up of 70% Aperol Spritz when we got back.






At the end of October, I met my new baby niece on Joe's side, Mahli-Blu. The gender reveal party I mentioned earlier - was for her!



November


November started with a pub quiz that I went to for the first time and I have ended the year as a regular. The best thing about it is that you get a great prize for coming second to last, which we have now won multiple times. I would say work smarter not harder but I'm not sure that works for this. Work dumber not smarter?


Joe and I also went on a relaxing trip to the Cotswolds in November. We stayed in a barn conversion that had a hot tub! I truly was living my best life.



I also had a great time meeting up with lots of friends which left me feeling very grateful.



December


Towards the end of the year, I celebrated the festivities with lots of my friends and family. I went to the Christmas markets in Dortmund after two years of missing out due to covid. Ironically, I caught the worst flu I've had and still have it at the time of writing - I am on day nine of it now so I am hoping it bogs off.





Looking forward to next year


Here are some of the things I already have planned for 2023 that I'm looking forward to:

  • Seeing Harry Styles
  • Watching Pangina Heals live
  • Circa Waves gig
  • More travelling!
  • 5 years with Joe
  • Visiting Harry Potter Studios

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