Our Honeymoon ❤

When we planned our honeymoon back in 2017, we chose Sri Lanka as our destination. However, fate intervened when a week before we were due to set off, suicide bombers attacked a number of hotels and churches across Sri Lanka killing hundreds of innocent people. This threw our plans into chaos due to the UK government advising essential travel only.

Full of anxiety and upset we desperately called our travel agents who completely reassured us and put our minds at ease. Less than 48 hours after that initial phone call we were in the Trailfinders office designing a brand-new honeymoon. ❤

Thanks to Trailfinders we were able to Fly on Saturday 27^th April as planned with our main destination being Vietnam.

Doha, Qatar – Saturday 27^th April - Tuesday 30^th April

We planned a short stop over in Qatar as my brother and his wife  live there and it gave us the perfect opportunity to visit them. We arrived at around midnight on the Saturday, so after a short drive across the city we went straight to bed. We spent the morning in their apartment sleeping off our jet lag before heading out to Almayass for some delicious Arabic food! I also tried Limonana, a classic mint lemonade which is a favourite in the Middle East (and a new favourite of mine!)

After our lunch I treated myself to a mani-pedi at BD Nails to ensure I was flip-flop ready! We also took a walk along Iusail marina, marveling some of the city’s iconic architecture before driving to the Museum of Islamic Art for some great Dhow Harbor photos! For dinner that evening we went to Belgian Bar at the InterContinental Doha. The warm Doha air meant that we could enjoy our dinner outside on the terrace whilst admiring the city skyline. 

For our last day in Doha, we spent our morning at the pool outside my brother’s apartment before heading to Galleries Lafayette for a look around the luxury mall and eating lunch at Joe’s café. We also visited the Amphitheatre in the Cultural Village, a beautiful modern landmark. We spent our evening at the iconic Souq Waqif with all its bustle and atmosphere before heading to the airport to catch our flight to Hanoi.

Hanoi, Vietnam– Tuesday 30^th April - Friday 3^rd May

We arrived into Hanoi at around 3pm. Thankfully the drive to the hotel (Hilton Hanoi Opera) was only a 40min taxi journey as we were both fairly exhausted. Dinner that night was at a Vietnamese restaurant called Nha Hang Ngon – where I tried the famous Pho noodle soup. This was a nice restaurant for our first night the only issue was the long wait to be served.

We spent my birthday (1^st May) doing a tour of Hanoi with a local guide. This gave us a whistle stop tour of Hanoi’s highlights including the Temple of Literature, the one pillar pagoda, Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and Hoa Lo Prison Memorial. We ended our tour with a walk around the atmospheric old quarter before stopping off at a theater to see a traditional water puppet show.

Our last day in Hanoi was spent doing a cycle tour along the banks of the red river. This gave us a chance to see some of the surrounding countryside including ancient pagodas, quaint villages and lively markets. I did unfortunately fall off at one point (cycling clearly isn’t my forte) but overall it was a good way to see a different side Vietnam!

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam– Friday 3^rd May - Monday 6^th May

In Ho Chi Minh we stayed at the InterContinental hotel which was located right in the city center and had excellent cityscape views! We kicked off our time in the city in style with an evening street food tour on a vintage vespa. This was my favourite tour and it really made me fall in love with Vietnamese cuisine. Our first stop was a rooftop bar followed by several paveway eateries, all just as fantastic as each other and offering authentic street food. I loved the fresh spring rolls and banh xeo (happy pancakes!). We ended the tour in a hidden café listening to live acoustic music and drinking iced coffee (or eating ice cream in Scott’s case).

We were up bright and early the next day for a tour of the Mekong Delta. Here we boarded a private boat with a small group of fellow tourists to visit the bustling port of My Tho. Along the way we stopped by numerous farms and gardens to taste local produce, before going to a coconut candy factory to see how the locals make it. We also took a small drive in a Xe Loi (Vietnamese Tuk-Tuk) to visit a bee farm before boarding a row boat back to our main boat. We were able to take advantage of the Hard Rock Café situated next door to our hotel that evening for dinner. Collecting a Ho Chi Minh City Hurricane glass for good measure!

Day three involved a drive through the countryside to the incredible Cu Chi Tunnels, constructed by the Viet Cong. I was amazed and saddened by history of the tunnels and the way the Viet Cong survived in the tunnel network – this is a must see if you ever visit Vietnam.

We returned back to city for lunch stopping by Hoa Tuc for a bite to eat before getting a tour around the city’s main sights including the reunification palace, the colonial style post office and the colourful Ben Than Market.  We stayed close by our hotel of dinner that night choosing to eat at the Propaganda Bistro which was just a few blocks from our hotel.

Phu Quoc, Vietnam– Monday 6^th May - Friday 10^th May

We stayed in La Veranda Resort in Phu Quoc. A 5 * resort which has a beautiful 1920s French colonial style mansion as its centerpiece. Here we were transported to a different world for a few days as Phu Quoc is largely untouched and has been out of influence for most of its modern history.

Our room overlooked stunning gardens and we ate breakfast each morning with a view of a white sand beach. Here we were able to relax and unwind, enjoying a slower and simpler pace. Most days we lazed about by the pool, enjoying cocktails and seeing what restaurants were close by. Two of our favourites actually weren’t Vietnamese restaurants! If your ever in the area I’d highly suggest visiting Winston’s Burgers & Beer and Sher-e-Punjab Indian Cuisine.  

Bangkok, Thailand – Friday 10th May – Sunday 12th May

We were lucky enough to be upgraded to a suite when we arrived at the Anantara Riverside hotel in Bangkok (defiantly played the honeymoon card!). It was a great hotel with a fabulous location on the Chaophraya river which is the major river that runs through the city. We spent the only full day we had in Bangkok doing a city tour to get a taste of the city and what it had to offer.

We caught a river boat from our hotel to the atmospheric old quarter where we could marvel at the glittering Grand Palace before taking a tuk-tuk to Wat Pho to see its famous reclining Buddha. We finished the tour with a visit to the impressive Golden Mount where we could take in some views of the city!

Where we ate in Bangkok:

Basil Thai

La Scarpetta

The Pizza Company

❤

Our Wedding!

After a lengthy 2-year engagement (or at least I thought it was lengthy!) we finally tied the knot last Friday!! The day was truly perfect and everything came together beautifully, just as I imagined it. I was very relaxed right up until it was time to walk down the aisle – then all the emotions took over! Despite this, I wish I could relive the moment over and over. I am so grateful to everyone (suppliers and family alike) who helped me make the day so magical. Photography credit to our amazing photographer Martin Ward. 📸

Wedding Details:

Piper- Jimmy Banks
Ceremony Location – The Long Gallery @ Balbirnie House
Chairs – Balbirnie’s Limewash Chiavari Chairs decorated with pink sashes supplied by Style A Chair 
Drinks reception drink - Bellini
Photographer- Martin Ward
Cake – Fantastic wedding cake supplied by Cherry on Top
Evening Entertainment – “ NOTHERN STAR “
Bridal Make-up- and Bridal Hair- Pouts and Pinups
Favours – Personalised Shortbread
Flowers- mixed cream roses and cream blooms, blush pink avalanche roses, florets of blue hydrangea, white bouvardia & gypsophilia filler
Florist- Green Room florists
Sweetie Buffet- Supplied by Bride and Groom
Post Box- Balbirnie’s vintage post box

xx

When In Rome...

Last year myself and my fiancé Scott headed off on a 4-day trip to Rome. We had never been to Italy before and it had long been on my bucket list of countries to visit!  We were also there over my birthday which made the trip extra special!

I wanted to share some photos and helpful travel hints as well as our hotel, restaurants we visited and what we got up to. So, let’s start with day 1…

Day 1: Arriving in Rome

We caught a direct, 3-hour flight from Edinburgh to Ciampino airport in Rome and arrived into the city at 10.30am. We had decided before we left the UK that we would take a cab to our hotel as we knew that there was a fixed fee of 30 euros imposed on cab companies for airport runs into the centre of Rome. Just a word of warning here, some cab drivers are trying to negotiate higher fares (a bit cartel style) with tourists – but if you know your hotel is in the centre of Rome – an area known as the Aurelian walls please stick to your guns! We did have one taxi driver trying to charge us €50 before a second driver agreed to take us for the fixed fee of €30. Also, you are not expected to tip in Rome so unless your taxi driver has done something exceptional – keep your cash.

We were staying at the Tribune Hotel, a beautiful hotel in the historical centre of Rome. Let me start off by saying that I am in no way sponsored by the Tribune Hotel (God I wish!!). It’s just a hotel that I bloody loved! The hotel was so modern and beautifully styled with mustard gold velvet seats and deep purple walls, high ceilings and a grand staircase that sported some very elegant tubular ceiling lights.  One of the best features of this hotel was a complimentary smart phone that comes with every room. This wasn’t so appealing to us as coming from another EU country (although not for long ☹) as we could use our own phones for 3G free of charge. However, this would be very useful for anyone coming from outside the EU as it comes preprogramed with maps and restaurant recommendations etc.

We used the phone given to us to find a restaurant for lunch. We went to a place called Harry’s which was very nice although it was a little on the pricey side – perhaps just the area as it was just around the corner from some very nice hotels.

After lunch we headed off to the Spanish steps and the Trevi fountain two very popular tourist sites. Luckily for us we had very nice weather and we could sit, people watch and enjoy the views around us.

For dinner that night we headed to Pizzaria da baffeto – a pizzeria close to Piazza Navona. This pizzeria is very popular with tourists and locals alike (even a few celebrities such as actor Jeff Goldblum). The pizzas are very cheap and very good (two things that aren’t often associated together) but trust me they are good – thin, crispy and traditional, just the way they should be! The only thing I would say is that it has a very simple, convivial style where you could be sharing a table with strangers. So, if that’s not your thing you might feel uncomfortable.

Day 2   - My Birthday!

Whist we didn’t go away specifically for my birthday it was very nice to be on holiday and enjoy turning 25 in a beautiful city. I chose to go to the Colosseum for my birthday - and it did not disappoint. I was blown away by the history and grandeur of the Colosseum and really enjoyed learning some fascinating facts. For example, did you know that the Colosseum was once filled with water to stage a mock see battle for spectators? Nope, me either!

For lunch we stumbled across a café called Antico Forno Al Serpenti. It was perfect for a quick snack as there was a little seating area and it felt very local rather than being swamped by tourists. It was also very reasonably priced - which is a nice little bonus.

For dinner we went to Cul De Sac - a wine bar and restaurant close to Piazza Navona. This was one of my favourite restaurants of the trip. I had a pesto pasta and the best wine I’ve ever drank in my entire life – but I can’t remember what the wine was called! I’m sure all their wine is delicious…

 Day 3 – Vatican City

On day three we took a cab over to the Vatican City. Unfortunately, this was on a Wednesday in high season and apparently this is one of the worst times you can visit as it is so busy! The Papal audience occurs on Wednesdays, giving tourists and pilgrims a chance to see the Pope. We didn’t know this – and experienced crowds like we have never experienced crowds before. However, it was a good trip and is a must see if visiting Rome. Just avoid a Wednesday (or Sunday – another chance to see the Pope) if you can – unless you specifically want to see the Pope that is.

For lunch we visited Alice Pizza – a little street pizza café in Rome where pizza is served by the kilo and cut into rectangular slices. It was DELICIOUS!

 Dinner was spent at Osteria Barberini – not too far from our hotel. This restaurant specializes in truffles and OMG is it incredible. I had black ruffle bruschetta as a starter and the ravioli with sage butter as a main – it was heavenly. If you decide to go here, you will have to book as its very popular with locals and tourists alike.

Day 4 - Last Minute Shopping / Time to Fly Home

Day 4 left us with just a little time to pick up a few souvenirs and goodies before flying back home including this cute little decoration for our Christmas tree so we could treasure our trip for years to come. 

Thanks for reading!

M x

❤