sutton045

Before visiting Monart I knew it was known to be one of the best spas in Ireland, so of course I was eager to see what all the fuss was about. Little did I know that Monart was more than a spa hotel, it was the spa hotel. Unlike most other hotels with a spa, if you are visiting Monart you are there for the spa, it's not just an added bonus. The whole place is almost a retreat, a detox or a slight break from reality. Upon arriving at the five star Monart hotel, we pulled up outside the main door where two concierges were waiting, one to take our bags inside and one to park my car! For someone who is not used to five star service, I giddily handed over my car keys while trying to hide the numerous bottles of wine we were trying to sneak in with us.  We took a few moments to take in the grandeur of our surroundings before we were welcomed by a staff member, who gave us our room information as well as a brief introduction to the hotel.  As part of the hotel's aim to offer a compl...

Do you like sunshine? Do you like cheap wine and delicious food? We ll if so, make Porto your next stop! Our two hour flight to Porto was an absolute steal at €60 per person return (no checked bags) and with no time difference you pretty much pick up where you left off. It's a small enough city with a fairly uncomplicated  Metro system, so f or €2.60 you can get the 'E' line directly from the airport to the city (Trinidade stop) and you're there within 40 minutes. Literally no hassle at all. Usually myself and Dean like to stay in Airbnb's when travelling but as the rates were so cheap we 'treated' ourselves to a nice hotel. The  Exe Almada Hotel  is very modern, very central and the rooms were a bit bigger (and nicer) than most European city hotels. I have the hotel marked on the map below and anywhere from the hotel down to the water would be considered central (as you can see I've saved loads of bars and restaurants in between the hotel and the river)...

If you haven't heard me mention it a million times already, Dean surprised me with a trip to Nerja for my 30th birthday, which you can read about - here . Not only was the holiday a lovely getaway for us but also a chance for us to meet with a wedding planner and look at potential wedding venues. Going back a few months, not long after we had gotten engaged, I got in contact with Nerja Weddings By Sonya (after many, many recommendations) to take the first step in planning our Spanish wedding. Sonya and her team sent me some information on venues and prices etc and told me to get in touch again when I knew we'd be going to Nerja. As we weren't planning on going to Spain anytime soon all plans were put on hold. That was until Dean arranged the surprise holiday and a meeting with Sonya and her colleagues. Our first meeting was with Sonya's husband Matt who took us around to have a look at six different venues. Some venues were hotels, some were bars/restaurants and one pr...

***Disclaimer: I thought I was going to be here for two days, not one (due to a surprise trip to Spain) so I don't have many pics! As mentioned in my last post , myself and Dean went to Seafield Spa Hotel for part of my 30th birthday celebrations. We had stayed there before, probably about five years ago, and I've always been eager to return. When we arrived we were too early to check in so we took a very cute beach walk, relaxed by the sea and soaked up some rays before heading back to the Oceo Spa. We didn't have any treatments booked but we did manage to spend about two hours in pure luxury. We went from one pool to the next, indoors and outdoors, reclined on heated loungers with iced face cloths and cucumbers on our eyes and tested every jacuzzi function the pools had to offer. *I didn't bring my phone into the spa - so no pics! Once we could check into our room we headed up to get ready for dinner. The room we had offered stunning balcony views of the golf course, ...

For my 30th birthday (weep) the plan was for myself and Dean to head to Seafield Spa in Wexford for two nights then spend a further two nights in his aunties house also in Wexford. A nice local long weekend. We did manage to spend one lovely day and night in Wexford but on the second day, Dean very early and very excitedly handed me our passports and said we were heading to Nerja (Spain) in two days! The second night in Seafield and the two nights in his aunties house were all a lie as we had to go home to shop and pack, as well as hosting a party he had arranged for me! Top:  http://bit.ly/2A7mHhc After a whirlwind couple of days of frantic shopping, partying and packing we headed to the airport on Sunday afternoon. As Nerja isn't a big main city it is a bit of a trek getting there. Once you arrive in Malaga airport you can get the train to Malaga Zambrano Train Station , then walk across the road to the bus station and get the bus to Nerja, which takes about an hour an a half. I...