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Phuket Cleanse

Posted on January 30, 2019

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Affectionately describing my upcoming trip to Thailand’s infamous detox resort as ‘fat camp’ I received more than a few giggles from friends and family who asked if a trip to Phuket Cleanse was really necessary. I myself know just how much I’ve eaten over the festive period and I’m not afraid to admit it. Every moment with a raclette or tartiflette up in the Alps was thoroughly enjoyed and to be honest, I didn’t stop enjoying myself when I got back either. I knew ‘fat camp’ would kick me back into shape.

Arrival is fuss-free. Straight in to Phuket airport from Dubai, the transfer to Phuket Cleanse is only an hour away. We landed pretty late, so it was great to be given a very quick run through of the open plan reception/dining/games room and an update on the next day’s activities. Kick starting the trip was a 5.45am wake up call for a 4km hike up to the Big Buddha, but we weren’t quite ready for that just yet…

I’m a fussy eater at best, but armed with a list of intolerances and dislikes, the next morning I ventured into the kitchen… “I’m easy” I said, wary that this almost vegan cuisine would last the 5 whole days of my stay, “I eat egg”. So, there it was, my base protein for the copious amounts of upcoming workouts was to be based around a fair few omelette’s. This may be tougher than I thought.

The days were as easy or as hard as you wanted them to be, ranging from high intensity workouts at the nearby RAW Fitness center to aerial yoga and Pilates back at the villa. I chose to concentrate on cheese-loss and gaining muscle mass as a goal. A whole list of about 10 -12 activities were scheduled out across the venues and you could opt in for extras such as a sunset SUP or snorkel too.

We conquered the Big Buddha hike twice in our 5 days and it was grueling, but entirely worth it too as the sunrise made for an amazing visit, sans tourists. My favourite sessions were the HIIT and Strength classes, separated by about 6 hours each day, I made a point to do both. Throw in some foam rolling sessions, light meditation and a daily foot massage too, there was plenty to keep you busy if you wanted it. If, however you wanted to enjoy some of that 30*C sunshine, the pool in between classes was also a hotspot.

Not only is Phuket Cleanse the most community minded retreat I have ever set foot in, it’s also the eco-friendliest. With a real effort to cull all plastics and notes everywhere around the room reminding you to use bottled water instead of tap to brush your teeth or fill up your water bottles (all provided) rather than buy plastic bottles, it’s ticking all the right boxes.

What I was most surprised at I have to say, was my willingness to try all the food. Save for a few highly spiced options, I was loving the regular breakfast chia and coconut bowls, pak choi and vegetable medleys and even loved the various vegan cheeses.

I’m already planning my post-summer retreat, with or without friends this time as it’s such a great place to really focus on YOU. And I didn’t even miss the wine…

Hotspot Recommended

Veganuary at The Four Seasons

Posted on January 16, 2019

It’s pretty self-explanatory, but Veganuary is a month-long pledge throughout the month of January where people try and live a more vegan lifestyle. The Four Seasons in Jumeirah is putting a precedence on wellness and nutrition and has decided to adopt this trend in one of its restaurants this month, which in my view, is fab news.

Let’s face it, adopting a plant-based diet with no meat, no dairy and no animal products can be for some, pretty tricky. I’m a vegetarian but I couldn’t imagine what my diet would look like if I gave up milk, eggs and bread… so I was intrigued to check out just what a vegan brekkie looks (tastes) like.

Their new ‘Get The Glow’ vegan menu unveiled this month at The Pearl Courtyard and I have to say, I was very impressed. (Check it out further down) My favourites are the Turmeric Quinoa Granola, Baobab Blueberry Yoghurt and the Superfruit Salad, share all three over a pot of England’s finest and you’ve got my winning strategy.

“Realizing the importance of a healthy and holistic lifestyle, Executive Chef Gilles has curated a dedicated menu rich in vitamins, antioxidants, minerals and nutrients which is skillfully prepared to create positive, and long-lasting change and promote overall health. Using fresh and seasonal produce sourced from a local organic farm, Chef Gilles aims to change the way we view food without compromising on the flavour.” …and he’s not wrong, with a menu like that, there really is something for everyone and I can definitely recommend it as a healthy hotspot.

Here’s what they’re serving…

Don’t miss out!

Fitness

Testing Out: Aqua Biking

Posted on February 24, 2017

Ok so I have to admit, I thought this was going to be a bit like aqua-aerobics, you know, where your gran would go to the local community pool for a ‘workout’… I was pleasantly surprised. Not only is L’Atelier Aqua Biking a resistance training class, it’s also a great way to workout if you’ve got an injury. There’s 4 positions on the bike to master, as well as an off-bike section thrown in to keep you moving.

What exactly is it? Described as a mix of circuits and spinning, L’Atelier has specially designed bikes that live in the water itself. It’s not going to be an easy swim where you can keep your hair dry too, the water goes up to your chest and you get 45 mins of legs, arms and core all underwater, with LOTS of splashing about. Feeling strong? Added weights at the side will help increase the resistance, but trust me, as a first timer, it wasn’t a walk in the park.

Not only is it a fun way to workout, it’s an effective form of hydromassage, that is said to help flatten out cellulite. You’ll get less water retention with this workout and thanks to the water’s buoyancy, you’ll be supported by 50% of your body weight, so if you’re injured or over-stretched, this will reduce the risk of further injury.

It’s cold when you first get in… but after the warm up, you’ll be glad your body temperature is controlled by some cooler water. If you’re feeling particularly fit, try the more intense training or HIIT classes too where you’ll be subjected to an underwater trampoline exercise!

Hotspot Recommended

A Seafood ‘Shellebration’ at Pier Chic!

Posted on August 18, 2016

Pier Chic is one of my favourite seafood restaurants in Dubai. It really is the epitome of fine-dining with its beautiful location out on the water at the end of the Al Qasr jetty. This (so special it should be saved for anniversaries only) hotspot is becoming more and more open and accessible too, with a whole host of delicious dining influences popping up. I jumped at the chance to check out their new six week seafood programme aptly named a ‘shellebration’ of the sea!

Chef Paul Lupton is the man behind this summer-curated concept, which is available from the 22nd of July –> the 4th of September. It boasts a weekly change in Pier Chic’s food focus, where you can expect to be taken on a journey through European coastal regions, enjoying all the fruit de la mar you could ever want. There’s a piece of the sea for everyone, with culinary themes such as; Marseilles Seafood Market, Valencian Seafood Paella and the Feast of St Antony, it’s a slice of (real) summertime.

There’s nothing I love more than a good fish & chips, so I was not going to miss sampling Pier Chic’s take on this British staple… and let me tell you – it was DELICIOUS! I may be biased because I love the venue, but honestly, that was the most chic fish & chips I’ve ever tried! Don’t let my snapchat fool you – I couldn’t put my fork down long enough to do it justice photographically.

Check out the schedule here:
Week 1: Marseilles Seafood Market
Week 2: Valencian Seafood Paella
Week 3: Feast of St Antony, Portugal’s Sardine Festival
Week 4: Posh Fish & Chic
Week 5: Amalfi Coast
Week 6: Galician Octopus Fiesta

Hotspot

Brunch is Back: Novikov At A Glance

Posted on July 26, 2016

I’ve never really been a fan of brunch. The loud crowds, high heels / short dresses and inevitable fight for the food, not to mention the 100 pounds-a-head price tag… I’d rather book a flight somewhere for the weekend thanks!

But there’s a few on my radar that have helped to quell that initial horror when someone with a Birthday mentions one. Having checked into Novikov last week for their re-opening post Ramadan, I have to say it’s slowly bringing me round to the idea of trying a few more.

Novikov is a London based institution that’s known for it’s famous faces as much as its food. Dubai’s hotspot is located in the Sheraton Grand Hotel on the Sheikh Zayed Road, featuring an Asian inspired menu. I have to say that atmosphere-wise it was a little dry, as in there was a real lack of it. There was a DJ who played my kind of lounge music, lovely staff who were completely attentive and helpful but for the size of the venue (it’s enormous – think Buddha lounge but all on one floor), it needs to be fuller to feel like we weren’t just having a nice lunch. It was just post-Ramadan and everyone right now seems to be in Greece/Ibiza/St Tropez according to my Instagram so I’m sure it will be full again in no time!

The best part of the experience is their fresh market, where you can select from a whole host of fresh seafood or vegetables and have them cooked to your requirements. The seafood is a little too fresh for my liking (the lobster winked at me) but the veggies were delicious!

I tried and LOVED the Miso soup

Vegetable Maki

Mushroom Dim Sum

Black Cod

Hotspot Recommended

Fish & Chips at their Finest 🐟🍟

Posted on March 3, 2016

There’s a handful of ‘authentic’ British dishes that I judge quite harshly out here… with fish and chips being the hardest for restaurants to get right (or so it seems). Their mushy peas are either too dry or non-existent or their batter is too oily, but i’m pleased to announce i’ll be haunting this new waterfront hotspot on a Thursday eve!

Where: SENARA is a homegrown concept fusing the UAE’s staple seafood cuisine with Head Chef Anthony Reilly’s British flair. It’s the newest seafood bistro to open in Dubai, fully conceptualised in the UAE and situated perfectly on the waters edge of the Palm Jumeirah, boasting some of the best sunset views in town. Just a stones-throw from the Shoreline, Golden Mile and Frond villas.

What to try: Signatures include a host of fresh fish dishes daily. Its famous fish & chips is a must of course, buckets of mussels & oysters and a mouth-watering lobster linguini is amongst many more mains. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, the baked cheesecake is a worthy dish, and don’t underestimate the apple crumble or sticky date pudding… a true fusion of cultures.

It’s also just about to get its alcohol license through so stay tuned!

Adventure Animals Hotspot travel Winter

Life in the Bay for Christmas

Posted on December 29, 2015

I love South Africa. I’m particularly in love with the southern coastline, from Cape Town to Plettenberg, it’s nothing but blue skies, blue seas and beautiful people!

It feels like Christmas every day here, waking up to the most gorgeous bay views and sea air. It’s amazing how tired salty air can make you, but you definitely feel like you’ve had a long, fruitful (if not too eventful) day. The African sun is relentless too, warm yes, but strong, even when it’s overcast. We welcome the odd splashes of rain.

This sleepy bayside town wakes up for 2 weeks a year to a plethora of surfers, VIP’s and people like us, who are just looking for some winter sunshine, all mingling in beautiful café’s with quaint views, and the same long waiting lists.

The days are spent surfing, shopping, eating and napping, whilst the evenings gather everyone around the BBQ’s. The smell I tell you is fantastic. I’m a vegetarian but oh my…

I’ve been so glad for two particular necessities here, one is Neutrogena’s sun cream and the other, is their chap stick… with the winter winds out on the water raging, my normally semi-coiffed hair hasn’t had a look in this holiday, and it’s been great to let go. Apart from getting the odd eyeball whipping from the baby strands around my face, it’s actually been nice to not care.

We had a fantastic day out on the water yesterday, venturing out with the ocean safari team with our sights set on finding some whales, (it’s technically out of season but I was optimistic none the less). What we did see straight away was a large seal feasting on a stingray, happily enjoying his well deserved breakfast with the ever-growing fear of the dreaded ‘Robberg Express’ hanging over him. The Robberg express is not the channel between which all the sharks roam as I later found out; it’s the name of a singularly enormous creature that haunts the bay. (May be why I haven’t gotten into the water to surf yet…)

As he rolled on his back, waved at us and promptly sank beneath the waves, we moved on in search of more aquatic wonders. We headed straight for the coastline where we saw a collective of at least 30 bottlenose dolphins hugging the waves in fear of the Express, and followed their movements in the swells for a good half an hour. Soaking up the sun from the top deck, with these small, beautiful mammals playing next to us was a moment of absolute perfection. Then we spotted (I spotted and alerted the boat rather loudly) a baby hammerhead shark off to the right, swimming with a small family of indo-pacific humpback dolphins! (These are incredibly incredibly rare – hence my exclamation mark).

After what was the perfect way to start the day, we felt it was only right to end it just as memorably. Dinner last night was at a little romantic hotspot called Emily Moon River Lodge… it boasts spectacular views across polo fields and wet lands by day, the ideal place for a sunset aperitif or two!

Anyway, I’m off to enjoy the rest of it now… ☺

Adventure Recommended travel

A Weekend in… Santorini

Posted on June 3, 2015

A lot of people say “you are ALWAYS off on holiday” and I guess that’s kind of true… There’s just so many places in the world that are begging to be visited, and rather than staying for one week or more and totally exhausting that country/city/island, hopping across for just a long weekend is a great way of discovering the best bits, whilst still leaving enough places undiscovered for any future work trips/weddings etc. Dubai is the centre of the world travel wise, and especially for Europe, Asia and Africa, there’s plenty of weekend-long excursions just begging to be booked!

Santorini

What constitutes a long weekend destination? For normal people – I believe it’s max 4 hours away by plane? But I have been known to take the odd 9 hour vacay to Cape Town and Jo’burg… I think the key here is to make sure you’re not crossing too many time zones – that way you won’t lose a day and won’t be too groggy when you get back for work the next morning.

My latest travel adventure was to the sunny white isle of Santorini, Greece. Well, at least it was supposed to be sunny…I have to say, it was a total toss-up between Mykonos and Santorini when we were booking this trip, but a very helpful blog gave us exactly the advice we needed – Santorini has more than you think it does, it isn’t all couples and there are enough bars to keep any singles happy 🙂

Landing in Athens, it was a quick 45 min transfer on Aegean Air to the island, where we were met at the airport by a private chauffeur. A mere 20 mins from the airport is the beautiful capital of Thira – (Fira). We stayed at THE most incredible hotel – The Tsitouras Collection. Seriously – I can see why it’s booked up already for most of the summer – it’s a 5 bedroom ex-mansion on the side of Firostefani (a seriously scenic and beautiful) walking distance from Fira. Each room is dedicated to a different collection of arts. Ours was the room of porcelain. Next door had a Picasso above the bed!

Our hotel!

What started off as slightly wet weather – the odd little drizzle, quickly became a brilliant storm! We had just finished our sunset drinks on the balcony as the sight of two water spouts off the coast sent us back to the room to grab warmer clothing (of which I packed none!). Within 5 mins of heading back in, it hit, and it was brilliant! I’m a big fan of a glass of wine and a game or two of cards whilst a storm lashes outside, but this was so dramatic thanks to the white walls and beautifully clean terraces.

Once the storm faded, we headed out for dinner to a lovely local fish restaurant (the oldest on the island). George, who was the son-in-law of the owner of our hotel is the most fantastic guide. He literally had our trip organised for us, which may seem off-putting to people who like the spontentaity of travel, but trust me, he knows best! Everywhere he sent us, we wouldn’t have found without him, and we would want to head back to again. One of the most awesome places we visited was the black volcanic beaches of Perivolos. There was an awesome bar/restaurant called Sea Side that you must visit if you are Santorini bound… Although during the summer, book ahead as the sun beds book up 4x days in advance!

We rented a car (fiat 500 convertible) while we were there (again on George’s advice) which really was a godsend – never mind the rain intervals, we had to get away from all the (license-less) tourists driving around on ATV’s. It also gave us the opportunity to visit Oia for dinner, where there was a cliff side tavern that was another of George’s expert recommendations.

Breakfast

If you’re visiting Santorini, i’d recommend you stay in Firostefani (Fira), shop local (gorgeous jewellery and leather shoes galore) and eat Greek – I’m craving some Tzatziki! A couple of things I don’t reeeeally recommend are 1) The boat trip around the Volcano – it’s long and unless it’s BOILING outside – it will be cold. Also the hot springs – not hot, but the sulphur is supposed to be good for your hair… 2) Greek red wine – bring your own favourites in through duty free… you are likely to be disappointed in the local varieties 😛 or just enjoy the sunset cocktails instead!