Les Diablerets

If you are looking to go skiing somewhere which isn't going to be heaving with British, Les Diablerets is always a good shout. Situated under two hours away from Geneva airport, the journey up to the mountains is not only stress free but beautiful. The route follows the lake before climbing up the mountains to Les Diablerets.

From first appearances its look like a small and quaint town - however after a closer look, Les Diablerets has a lot more to offer..
Firstly, there is plenty of skiing to be done. Les Diableret plays host to three different mountains, one which runs down into two different valleys opening up even more options. There is ample choice when it comes to runs, ski parks and there is also a glacier to keep the pros interested.

For beginners: Isenau is by far the best place to learn to ski. The slopes are wide and easy and its ski friendly with hardly any snowboarders around.

The Glacier and Meilleret are larger mountains with a variety of runs leading off to different resorts and valleys. Even though there are some blue and green runs on these mountains, there are less options available for learners.

Restaurants and Nightlife: On arrival, expectations of a good night life were low. Luckily we were staying with some Les Diableret residents who quickly showed us the ropes and introduced us to the local haunts. There is a small but fun club called Discotheque Le Pot - however Friday and Saturday nights are the only nights when its busy - we attempted going on a Wednesday and we were quite literally the only people there.

There are an array of restaurants available, however I would suggest going to a typically Swiss eatery. Order a Fondue or Raclette - i promise they wont let you down! If you are on a budget, like most ski resorts eating on the mountains is expensive..however the local COOP is great and will cater all your needs. There are plenty of picnic areas on all mountains so i would advise making your own lunch and taking it with you!

Day trips: Take a trip to Gstaad if you fancy a bit of luxury. Apres ski is big and the locals dress up to the nines (as much as one can dress up in winter get up). Head to Apple Pie for a Vin Chaud and a slice of pie and watch the world go by. If are tempted to stay the evening, try and get into the exclusive club at the Palace Hotel, GreenGo (the only club ive been to which has a pool by the dance floor).

Villars is also just across the valley where they all get involved in Apres Ski in a slightly more casual fashion - if your a fan I would suggest making the trip over. 

This hidden gem really does have a bit of everything for all, I would highly recommend it to anyone!

Bon voyage x

Barcelona in December

There really is nothing better than escaping London during the winter months, and even though I would normally not expect the weather conditions in Spain to be any better than England at that time of year, on arriving at Barcelona airport I was pleasantly surprised (14 degrees and sunny!). This made me feel a lot better after my impulse buy on www.voyageprive.com!

Places and food to eat: TAPAS TAPAS TAPAS! When in Barcelona, the best thing to do is veer off the beaten track - the best places to eat and drink are hidden down side alleys and plazas. Local wine is cheap and super yummy as is the local tapas ( I would personally highly recommend the manchago cheese!) Paella is another MUST!

For all you foodies, the Las Ramblas Market is a definite must see! Every form of meat, fish, cheese, fruit, juices, chocolate etc is readily available and right at your finger tips. Amelia and I spent an entire afternoon just wondering around and sampling different cuisine.

Places to visit: 
The top of the list would 100% be La Sagrada Familia (which I'm sure most people would suggest). By far my favourite European Cathedral! From the way the building is sculptured to the beautiful stain glass windows, this was a memorable experience!

I would also highly recommend walking up the mountain of steps to Parc Guell. Parc Guell was commissioned by Eusebi Guell who wanted to create a stylish park for Barcelona Aristocracy. The park contains amazing stone structures, stunning tiling and fascinating buildings produced by Gaudi. However its not just the structures that are amazing, the views are something to be appreciated as is the museum which is situated in the heart of the park. 

Parc Guell isnt the only impressive park in Barcelona - Parc de la Ciutadella is also beautiful and situation closely to other tourist hot spots including the Barcelona Zoo. Other sites to see in the park include the Catalan Parliment Buildings, Cascada fountains, Castel dels Tres Dragons and a boating lake! On a weekend the Parc is buzzing with people, picnicing on the grass and strolling through the gardens - its a great place to go and sit and watch the world go by. 

Take a wonder through the gothic quarter and visit the other Barcelona Cathedral . It is also the perfect place to find little restaurants for dinner or drinks - I would recommend the Plaza of Santa Maria - even though its fairly touristy, its beautiful at night time. 

If you have time, try and fit in a trip to Montjuic. Its another place to take in the spectacular Barcelona views.  It is also home to the Magic Fountains which are an amazing display of colour, light, motion, music and water acrobatics! There are also great exhibitions always running at Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya which is situated at the top of the hill. 

 Another thing to note is the shopping!! Zara especially is a store to be hit - prices are considerably lower than they are in London. Other places i would recommend are...

The Portal de l’Àngel - just off Placa de Catalunya, is lined with an endless array of shops selling the most exclusive brands of clothing and accessories. 



Plaça de Sant Josep Oriol is usually filled with street musicians, fortune-tellers and painters. This area is full of designer boutiques and handicraft shops that will definitely tempt you into buying.



Avinguda Diagonal is the place to look if you're after international fashion. Shops along here include Calvin Klein, Giorgio Armani, Gianni Versace and Gucci. 



Les Glòries - close to the metro and situated on the Avinguda Diagonal is a huge commercial centre with 230 well-known shops, a multiplex cinema, bars and restaurants - the complex is spread over 3 levels.



The Centre Comercial Maremàgnum is a large American style shopping mall with shops, discos, bars, restaurants, rooftop mini golf course, cinemas and aquarium.  Located at the end of Moll de la Fusta open from 10am to 10 pm all-year round, and the only mall to be open on Sundays.  This is the perfect spot to find what you are looking for and experience fashion at its best. 



El Bulevard Rosa - Indoor arcade of over 100 shops in the heart of the Barri Gotic area - mostly clothes boutiques.  The side streets in the area are lined with a multitude of antique shops - visit Bulevard dels Antiquaris, which has more than 70 antiques shops, mostly furnishings, paintings, decorative items.



El Corte Inglés–spread over 9 floors and possibly the most important chain-store in Europe, can be found on the Plaça de Catalunya.



Diagonal Mar– At the end of the Avenida Diagonal can be found the newest and most modern commercial centre in Barcelona with more than 250 stores, cinemas, game spaces for children and a large public walkway with views to the sea.  The complex is split into convenient to use levels.  First floor White goods, TVs, and all your household goods.  Second floor for fashion, design and personal care and then the top floor for a good meal.



L’illa Diagonal - complex was the first commercial centre to be opened in the nineties.   Due to its size, it was known as the "Superblock".  Home to over 100 big-name shops the mall can be found on the Avenida Diagonal.  



La Maquinista- Catalonia’s largest and newest mall on three levels. The complex houses 225 shops, ranging from top-rung designers to ready-to-wear fashions There’s also a cinema, a bowling alley and a Carrefour hypermarket

I am hoping the next time i get to visit Barcelona will be in the summer so I can take a trip to the famous beaches! 

Till then, Bon voyage x

Brussels - a day trip to the capital of fries and waffles!

This was one of my more sporadic ideas.. A boring day at work led to my usual holiday browsing - my focus on this occasion being particularly on Eurostar travel. After an hour of perusing, i realised a day trip to Brussels wasn't as stupid as i had previously thought. One conversation with my friend Sophie who jumped on board with the idea and the tickets were booked. 

On a rainy April day at 6am we set off having no idea what to expect from the Belgium capital. 

After finally managing to navigate ourselves to the centre of town, map in tow, we sat down to a glass of vin chaud overlooking one of the most beautiful squares I've ever seen. 

The vin chauds went down a treat on the chilly day and by the time we had finished we had mapped out our route and decided on what food we were going to eat.
First stop - the Cathedral of Saint Michel and Gudaue of course (i think my obsession with European churches is starting to get quite worrying!). Not my most favourite but still beautiful none the less!

We then took a stroll around the streets up to the Parc de Bruxelles - a.k.a Warandepark. Not the biggest park but definitely a cutie!

We then headed up to the Royal Palais, across to Monts des Arts, and into the Sablon where we stopped for some lunch! Sablon is full of gorgeous vintage clothes and antique shops - slightly out of my price range for this particular trip but will definitely be a point of interest when i next go back. If you are looking for somewhere fancy to stop for lunch then Sablon is your best bet. As we were more in the mood for street food we headed down the road to Rue de Bouchers where we feasted on mussles followed by chips from a corner shop. One bit of advice when trying to find good fries.. follow the queues!

Markets were the next pit stop - cute and quant with matching red and green roofs, there was nothing not to love about wandering around, especially when a little old man is playing music in the background!

The Atomium were next and this, for me, seemed completely out of place next to the rest of beautiful Brussels. However, to give it justice its definitely one of a kind and worth the visit!

The day finished with an early dinner where we sampled local cheese and chocolate - an ideal end to our outing. Two and a half hours later we were back in London.. Not bad really!

The best thing about Brussels is that its all walkable and the whole city smells like waffles (which for a coeliac is painful!) - however wear trainers and be prepared to walk up and down hills all day! Below are some of my favourite snaps of the day - overall it was definitely a worth while trip.

Street shot

Sophie sitting outside the Royal Place

The view from Monts des Arts

Every corner you turn this is what you will find!

Street art! 

A sample of Belgium delights! 

Bon Voyage x