¡Adios Lanzarote!

The final day of our trip was a relaxing one, especially after all of the running and walking we did on Ironman day!

Instead, it was time to relax and top up our tans before getting our flight back to London this morning.

Ironman Lanzarote

It's 5:30am, and outside it is as silent as can be, but behind the apartment doors are 2200 participants all getting ready for one of the most challenging days of their lives.

We are all about to meet by the swimming pool.

Casa Roja

We are back at the airport this morning with his and hers sombreros and maracas, and la Isla bonita playing from our small speaker. 

Steak and Sparklers

After those beach sprints and topping up the tan all day, it was time for another dinner.

A lot of restaurants along the sea front in any holiday resort have people outside begging you to come in with a 'ThisIsWhatWeHaveTonightAndIWillTalkAsFastAsICanIn10Seconds' monologue, and some of them are really nice places to eat too.

A few years ago, Mum and Dad found this local spanish restaurant one evening when wandering towards the old port. There wasn't a a huge open front with tables showing, just a door with a name above it. 

They took the plunge and went in to see what it had to offer.

¡Hola España!

Buenos dias mi amigos! 

Ciao Italia

Say hello to Frank, who is giving us a quick introduction as to what we would be doing for the day.

Altogether now.... Hellloooo Frannnnkkkk!

Après Ski

After a day of skiing down the slopes, going up the chair lift, bracing the cold as it hits your face whilst you speed down, there is only one thing that will warm you back up.

Après-ski.

Which is French for ‘After Ski’ in case you were wondering. 

It's basically a big party that takes place on the last run down the slopes for the day. You ski down and stop halfway, unclip your skis and mark your poles so you know where to find them later on. (trust me, you will need a little assistance!)

It’s easy to spot where the best Après-ski bars are by seeing how many skis are outside!

Time To Ski

I remember going to Austria for my first ski trip, and having to learn the complete basics of skiing.

Starting with snow ploughs, our instructor would have us slowly moving down the nursery slope until we reached the bottom, falling over a couple of times on the way, and then side step back up to the top.

It was tedious to start with, because all you wanted to do was ski down the mountain and not stop.

Then, after a couple of times of trying, it clicks into place and you can start to say ‘I’m doing it!’ As your experience grows, so does your ability and it becomes second nature to ski.

Nothing beats waking up in the morning, throwing on your salopettes and jacket, and heading up the mountain to start skiing!

We hopped on the ski train and made our way up from Zermatt to the slopes.

Welcome To Switzerland

It's Ski Season!

Which means it is time to grab my skis, get out of London, and head to the Alps for the week.

Can you tell I am a little excited?

The Palm - Dubai.

The Palm has always been on my list of places I have wanted to see when I visited Dubai. A huge, man made palm in the middle of the sea, housing some of the most expensive villas in the world, and the Atlantis hotel at the very tip.

So, for day 2 of our trip we did just that. Up early, slightly hungover from the night before, we packed our beach bags and hailed a taxi to head over to the Palm.

To say it is big is an understatement. At over 4 miles long, the Palm is absolutely huge. Villas and apartments fill the majority of it, with the most private of pools and personal beaches, whilst huge hotels fill the outer Crescent.

The Atlantis is as famous as the Burj or the Mall in Dubai, overlooking the Palm and its residents at the very end, and this is exactly where we were heading. for a day of sunbathing. Nasimi Beach Club is part of the Atlantis complex, with views looking back over the palm and Dubai shoreline. 

The perfect spot to chill out with a few frozen Daiquiri's, and pose for the holiday album!

I obviously haven't mastered that jumping shot just yet... will try again later!

As a quick snack at lunch (it is too hot to eat full on meals) we grabbed some sushi and pizza to share, and a few more bottles of water to stay hydrated.

Hannah was desperate to recreate an image she saw on Instagram, so we headed to the pool to cool down and perform the 'heart pose', with me as the designated photographer and arm-placer...

I think I did a good enough job there, didn't I?

We did it! A proper jump... with a small child in the background!

After a day of topping up the tan, me and Hannah were introduced to #ThirstyThursdays by Stacey and her Emirates team. Everyone gathered round her's for the traditional pre-drinking catch up.

The whole building houses the Emirates team, from all around the world, so Stacey got to introducing us to some of her friends over drinks...

Before I left the SLR at home, and headed to The Yacht Club for a night of drinking and dancing, Dubai style.

Drink prices in Dubai are about the same as you would find in London. The currency is in Dirham though, which you get about 5.50 to every £1, so don't be freaked out when you see drinks for 45AED!

Everything is a little different when you are clubbing in Dubai. You can smoke indoors, the air con actually works, and when you think you better go outside for some fresh air, it is like a sauna... Much like the inside of a busy UK club!

Shirt from River Island (Similar here) and jeans from Asos (found here)

From there onwards, the pictures stopped, the night became a drunken blur thanks to the vodka, and we stumbled back to the apartment in the early hours. 

Did I mention that everywhere delivers too?! From McDonalds, to Wahaca, everywhere delivers direct to your door.

Perfect when you are drunk and hungry...

Waking Up In Dubai

Autumn is always fun, but once the sunshine disappears and a blanket of cloud covers London, everyone is already missing summer. My birthday had just passed on the last day of September, and the next bank holiday isn't until Christmas, so a little bit of October sunshine away was exactly what was needed before winter sets in.

This time, I decided to venture out of Europe and head to Dubai for my escape, catch up with friends, see the sights, and pick up a bit of a tan in-between!

A few in-flight movies and drinks later, I woke up as we touched down at Dubai International in the early hours, and I made my way downtown to Stacey's apartment.

If you have never been before, then be prepared for the heat! Outside is like a sauna, even in the middle of the night when it was 35 degrees, and you are thankful for that little invention called Air-Con!

By the time we had woken up the temperature had hit 40 degrees and the humidity levels meant that everything I have from my camera, to mobile, to sunglasses, had steamed up.

Fortunately, Stacey has lived here for a couple of years so adapted into tour guide quite easily, planning where we were going to go and making sure we get to see as much of Dubai as we could in the 4 days we were there.

To start, a bit of sunbathing on the rooftop pool for the afternoon, taking in the skyline and pointing out the landmarks that makes Dubai what it is.

The views were absolutely amazing from the roof. With a 360 view of Dubai, you could see right across to the Palm...

 ...all the way down to the world-famous Dubai Golf Course.

That evening, we headed to the Emirates Mall for drinks, dinner, and a quick round of shopping.

One thing to remember if you visit Dubai, is that not all of the restaurants serve alcohol. Whilst every restaurant has to have a licence like in the UK, not all of them chose to due to the strict laws, so if you fancy a glass of wine with dinner then chose carefully!

We ended up eating at a restaurant called Apres, which is situated next to the indoor ski centre.
Yes, there is a ski centre, in a shopping mall, in the middle of the dessert. Surreal, I know. We grabbed a table next to the slope, kicked back, ate and enjoyed the wine.

Feeling slightly tipsy, a little bigger round the waist, and ready to get some shut eyes, we ventured back out into the heat and headed home.

If you happen to be in Dubai and fancy skiing, then Ski Dubai details can be found here.

Ten Tips For Brighton Pride

Brighton pride. Probably the biggest pride of them all, which means that you would be a fool to miss it!

It is a rainbow-storm that is about to hit this traditional seaside, with street parties, rainbow flags and a pride park about to sprinkle a load of gay glitter all over the party-goers. For everyone who isn't from England, this is our Big-Huge-Gay-Bash of the year!

Think Lady Gaga meets Glitter Cannon mixed with The English Seaside.

Compared to other prides I have been to, this is probably the best around, so I will be heading down once again to get involved with the celebrations. Tweet me if you are going, it would be good to say hello to you all!
As Brighton has so much going on, and sometimes the feeling of 'where do I start?', I have 10 tips that will guarantee you have a great pride! So pack your wellies in you are camping incase it rains, get your pre-party alcohol stocks ready, and get ready to spend your Saturday at one big party!

1. The Parade



First things first. If you are planning to come down and stay in Brighton, then you NEED to catch the Parade. Setting off at 11am, this is going to be the parade of all parades. There will be floats, there will be hot people, and it will be busy! Make sure you grab a spot, or just join in and follow it up to Preston Park. Grab a spot along Grand Parade. With grass areas, you can grab a spot back from the crowds but still see the full parade. Then, you can join in the end and follow it up through Brighton to the park.

2. The Pride Park



This is where the party starts. Preston Park has been transformed into a Rainbow City, with 8 tents of music, funfairs and alcohol, you will be there for hours enjoying the atmosphere. It is open from 12pm till 8pm, which means you have 8 hours of absolute party party party.



Just be warned, once you are in a tent, you are in! If you need to use the bathroom, then you will need to leave the tent and re-queuing  is never fun! This especially goes for the bigger tents which hold 3000-5000 people!


If you haven't already, buy a ticket here. They are cheaper in advance at £17.50, otherwise you will have to pay on the door which could be costly!

3. Buy a Flag



Buying a rainbow flag is probably not on the top of your to-do list when you get to pride, but once you see everyone having one, you will want in on the action! There will be stalls in the pride park, and shops all around Brighton selling them.
Grab one, wave it like you just don't care, and support the LGBT community.

4. Pace Yourself

Pride starts early, but you don't want to be going to bed early. So pace yourself throughout the day. Start on a few drinks in the morning and slowly work yourself up to the evening.
Then, as night falls, crack out the shots and go for it in one of the many clubs. No-one wants to be in bed by midnight now, do they?

5. Hit up the Pride Street Party

This is an absolute must.
When I lived in Brighton, my flat was on St Jame's Street, which turns into a street long party from the bottom all the way to the top. With bars and music blasting out, this is the place to go inbetween the Park and the club. It can get pretty busy, and the music varies as you go up the street, so be sure to explore and see how you get on!



6. Let's go to the Beach, beach!

Brighton has a beach, so get on it.
If you need somewhere to go to finish off your own booze before the club, or for a breather from the partying, then the beach is perfect!
They will probably be alot of people on it, so make friends and join in with everyone.

7. Get In A Club



Okay, so you have traveled to Brighton, and queued for ages to get in a club, and get turned away because it is too busy. Not the ideal situation!
Before you go, have a look online at some of the clubs and see if you can get tickets to them. If not, make sure you get to the clubs early as the queues will be long, it will be busy, and last thing you want is to be wandering the streets trying to get in somewhere.
Clubs like Revenge, Wild Fruit, and Legends all have after-pride parties. Just click on their names to be taken to the tickets page for each!

8. Spot the TV Crews

Brighton Pride is one of the biggest prides, and most years there will be a TV crew filming some sort of news bulletin, or a new TV show. Grab your 5 minutes of fame and get on camera if you can.

9. Buy 4 drinks at the bar, not 2.



That doesn't need explaining. With it being manic, expect the bars to be queues upon queues. So buy a few more drinks so you don't need to go back. Afterall, if you meet someone then at least you can offer a drink (or receive one) without having to stand and wait for ages!

10. Enjoy Pride

Most of all, enjoy pride. Brighton is in it's 21st year now, and each year seems to get bigger and bigger. Enjoy, celebrate and have an amazing time.
Do things you might never do (like skinny dipping in the sea) and take pictures for the memory book. Drink until the sun comes up, and look back on it being the best day and night you have had in a long time!



And just remember to have phone battery, in-case you don't know where everyone is when you wake up the next morning, or you lose a friend in a club!

Happy pride everyone!