West Wittering Beach & East Head

August 29, 2018 by Emily Shen in England, Beach, Travel

August marks the end of summer in the UK so we decided to make the most of the weather by taking a day trip to West Wittering Beach and East Head which is part of the National Trust.

The train journey from London Victoria station took an hour and a half to Chichester station followed by a 15 minute bus ride (bus numbers 52 or 53) to the nearest bus stop (Old House At Home bus stop) where we then walked about 15 minutes to the beach. We noticed that a lot of people came by car and set up barbecues and tents on the beach as well as on the parking ground.

As we got to the entrance of the car park which is literally next to the entrance to the beach, there were restrooms and shower booths and also food stalls lined up near the car park. We headed straight to the beach and took a stroll along the beach huts making our way towards East Head. The walk took about 30 minutes as we were stopping to take photos.

People still swimming on a 20 degree day

The wetland just opposite the sand dunes

We had a really lovely time here and a day trip is enough to explore the beach and East Head. We even brought our own packed lunch and snacks. If you drive here, there is a small fee for the car park and cars must leave the car park by 8.30pm. We saw lots of families gathering together and what a better way to make an end to the British summer! We were extremely lucky with the weather so this day trip was really worth it. Maybe we could squeeze in a few more trips before we come face to face with the British winter?

Paris - My Favourite Places

August 08, 2018 by Emily Shen in Travel, Hotel, France

It was our second time staying at Hotel Henriette which is located in the 13th arrondissement just a few minutes walk from Les Gobelins metro station on Line 7. I love the decor of the hotel which makes it feel so inviting. For this post, I will be sharing my favourite places to visit in Paris.

Pont de Bir-Hakeim & The Eiffel Tower

This definitely feels like 'Inception'... To get here, jump on Line 6 of the Paris metro and get off at Passy station then follow the exit signs towards the bridge.

View of the Eiffel Tower from the bridge.

Killing two birds with one stone by visiting the bridge and also being able to take this wonderful picture of the Eiffel Tower.

Tuileries Garden

Places des Vosges

Always happy being in the Place des Vosges.

The nearest station is Bastille (metro lines 1, 5 and 8) and it is a 5 minute walk from the station.

Rue Crémieux

To reach here, get off at Bastille station (metro lines 1, 5 and 8) and walk for about 7 minutes along Rue de Lyon. You can even visit Place des Vosges on the same day as they are both close by which is what we did.

Santorini - Kamari Beach

August 04, 2018 by Emily Shen in Travel, Hotel

Our last two nights were spent at Bellonias Villas located right in front of Kamari Beach which is a black pebble beach on the east coast of Santorini. The villas itself were well located and the staff was friendly as they helped us with our luggage to and from the property. Our stay included breakfast and they have a vast breakfast menu where you can order as much of it as you wanted during the session.

Eating out was so easy in Kamari as there were a lot of restaurants along the beach front and also around the hotels. We had our last dinner at Bellonias Villas and the food was surprisingly good.

Most of the time we spent playing by the pool and hanging out at the beach. One thing to note is that the beach is a pebble beach and these black pebbles get really hot during the day so I recommend to bring swimming socks if you want to go swimming in the sea or just stroll along the beach.

On the last morning of our stay here, we went to see the sun rise. We got up at 6am and headed straight to the beach and waited patiently until 6:17am. We managed to capture the amazing sun rising, a rare sight in my opinion.

This marks the last day of our Santorini trip and even though we did not want to leave, we had an unforgettable time here on the island, Spending a few days around different towns in Santorini definitely made the trip interesting as we were able to explore more. If you are planning a trip to Santorini, I recommend spending a few days around the island like we did. Make sure to book your hotel and flights well in advance if you plan to go in the summer!

Santorini - Imerovigli

August 02, 2018 by Emily Shen in Hotel, Travel

After Oia, we took a taxi to our next stop which was Imerovigli where we stayed for a further two nights at Chromata Hotel.

As soon as we arrived at Imerovigli, we loved it. It is less crowded than Oia and definitely more relaxed. We were given a tour of Chromata Hotel and were then escorted to our suite where we were given a free bottle of champagne and fruit (as we made the booking through Mr and Mrs Smith).

Outdoor lounge and sunbeds at Chromata Hotel

Thira is a 20 minute walk from our hotel and we made the decision to explore just before sunset as that is when it is cool enough to walk. The Greek sun can be quite difficult to walk under during the day so if you want to explore the town and Thira, I recommend to do this after 6pm as you can see the pink skies just before the sunset.

A white dome roof along the way to Thira

What better way to have the view of the Aegean Sea beside you as you explore Imerovigli and Thira by foot?

Santorini - Oia

July 31, 2018 by Emily Shen in Travel

Our first stop of our 7-day trip was Oia. Oia is known for its beautiful sunsets and white cave suites and of course those infamous blue dome roofs.

We chose Charisma Suites for its location and décor and we were not disappointed. Breakfast was served daily outside our suite on the balcony overseeing the caldera.