Hog Hollow Lodge at Plettenberg Bay, South Africa

The other day, me and the Boy were reminiscing about our time in South Africa, the adventures and most important the food and luxury accommodation! South Africa is home to three of my top five favourite hotels I have stayed in so far (Camp Bay Retreat and Bayethe in Shamwari) so I want to share with you our experience of the Hog Hollow Lodge in Plettenberg Bay. 

stunning - low clouds and dense forest

These private lodges with roaring fires ad balconies overlooking the forest, and the little touches that make a hotel stay cute  (my favourite being tubs of popcorn and biscuits, the hot water bottle at night and a bed time story left on our pillow), the stay here was oh so comfy and absolutely welcoming. I didn't want to leave!!! 

roaring fires in the rooms 

cute - bedtime story on the pillows 

Three nights in Dubai (UAE)

A few weeks ago me and the Boy were in Dubai. Dubai is one of those places that hasn’t made it to the “must have” list (that is reserved for the likes of South America, New York and Japan) but it is somewhere I was curious to go to, simply because I know so many people I know have gone there!

So we decided that, seeing as we were flying with Emirates, we would stop by there on the way home from our honeymoon in South Africa.

The flights time from Johannesburg to Dubai is just over 8 hours, so with our night flight, we landed in Dubai at 5.30am. Luckily the hotel had organised a transfer for us and the hotel was only 25 minutes drive away (and yes I did sleep the whole way) so we had a quick check in and helped ourselves to the amazing buffet breakfast.

Having not slept, a nap was definitely in order but we never actually managed to get ourselves back out of bed until midday! We had already booked cocktails for 5pm at the Burj Kalifa, so spent the interim wandering around the Dubai Mall which is kind of attached to the Burj Kalifa. Although we didn’t really see that much of it, as it is absolutely huuuge – the world’s largest in fact! It even has an aquarium in it (albeit a small one). 

watching the rays being fed at the mall

Camps Bay Retreat Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa

For the start of our adventure, we had four nights in Cape Town. When we left the capital for our twelve day road trip along the garden route, one of the things I was sad to leave was our hotel. Less of a hotel actually and more of boutique B&B set in some lush surroundings, this is one of the best hotels I have ever stayed in.

the veranda and gardens overlooking the sea

We stayed at the Camps Bay Retreat, in the laid back beach area of Camps Bay, which we were informed, numerous times, that Camps Bay was the area for the rich and famous! 

one of the lounges  

Estee Lauder advanced night repair serum: review

At Christmas the Boy treated me to a beauty product that has been on my wish list for sometime now – Estee Lauder’s advanced night repair serum.

finally have my mitts on this! 

Why has this been on my wish list for so long?

Well firstly cos it is bloody expensive at about £50 a bottle, so out of my usual beauty product price range,  but also because it claims to reduce the appearance of the key signs of visible aging, revealing smoother, firmer and fresher skin.