30/07/2016

Exploring Ouranoupolis, Greece.




What do you do on that rare occasion when the clouds come out to hide the sunshine, a light breeze picks up and it suddenly becomes a whole lot easier to move about? Go and explore the local towns without practically throwing yourself into the ocean, of course! 

If you haven't been on my blog before or have somehow missed out on my last few posts, I spend the last week luxuriously resting in Halkidiki, Greece, and whilst the weather was consistently beautiful, we had one day of heavy cloud and cooler winds. Now I'm someone who loves to explore whilst I'm travelling, particularly the local towns and villages and whilst I'm not that adventurous when it comes to eating at new places, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to head to Ouranoupolis, the closest town to where we stayed. 

Naturally as a coastal town it was full of cafes and bars hugging the sea front, coupled with an abundance of travellers and locals. However unlike some places I've been - Sorrento, Italy for example - it didn't feel like a tourist trap. Instead we heard mainly Greek voices as we meandered around narrow streets, stopping occasionally to browse the many jewellery stores and coffee shops. 








I think if you're in the Halkidiki region, particularly if you're staying in the same hotel I did *side note: there's a post coming soon all about our hotel and resort* then it's worth a trip, even if you just fancy getting out of the hotel for a few hours. When you stay in a place that's mainly inhabited by other Brits you don't tend to experience any of the culture aside from the food and drink of course, so I would really recommend booking a tour or just having a little wander around like we did. The one thing I would say is that there wasn't a huge amount to do so after a couple of hours we were ready to head back for some lunch and a glass of wine!

As our morning came to a close the sun did make a brief appearance and it seriously lit up the town. All the colours looked brighter, the sea once again glistened like liquid turquoise and the temperatures soared. All in all it was a nice morning and great fun to escape from our bubble for a little while. 




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28/07/2016

Sparkling In The Sunlight | Halkidiki, Greece.




As unbelievably lovely as the weather has been this past week in the UK, nothing can beat escaping to the luxurious sunshine of somewhere new. And in my case, Halkidiki, Greece was on the cards. Think: azure seas, white sands and an absolute abundance of good food and wine - it truly was a magical week. After months of tirelessly working, I was in serious need of a good holiday, and this has certainly provided me with some much needed rest and relaxation. I've returned to the England feeling a lot happier than when I left, which must have something to do with this stunning scenery!

If you haven't seen my last post, I took you guys along with me as my family boated around the gorgeous Aegean Sea that surrounds the peninsula of Halkidiki. It was such a fantastic experience, and even as someone who doesn't particularly enjoy not having my feet on dry land, I cannot recommend it enough! So for today's post, I'm going to share some more photos and memories and talk a little bit more about some of my favourite new fashion pieces for travelling in. 






When it comes to swimwear, I have to say it's the one thing I hate shopping for. Because I'm so small chested, I find it really hard to find bikinis and one-pieces that flatter my figure to the point where I usually just avoid doing it. But whilst on ASOS I discovered this gorgeous bandeau bikini from River Island, and I'm utterly obsessed with it. Everything from the detailing to the design just looks so glamorous and expensive, you really wouldn't know it was from the high street. And while we're on the subject, if you're in the market for a new bikini I would highly recommend checking out River Island as their design team are absolutely killing it recently!

Something I've been constantly gushing about recently - you'll have to forgive me for bringing it up again - is my incredible Quay Australia sunglasses. Before going away I wanted to purchase something that was a little less expensive than my beloved Burberry's as wearing those bad-boys on a beach didn't exactly seem like their intended use. But upon spotting these it was love at first sight... I mean: rose gold and a cat eye?! Yes please! They came with me pretty much everywhere whilst on holiday and certainly won't be going back in the drawer just yet. 

Now if you've been following me for a little while you'll probably know that I don't do uninteresting. Even if I'm just headed for a morning relax by the pool or a quick trip to the breakfast buffet you can bet your bottom dollar they'll be a touch of sparkle somewhere about my person. So when this stunning set of Gemporia stacking rings* landed on my doorstep I knew they'd be perfect to take into the Grecian sunshine with me. 

When it comes to jewellery I tend to alternate between silver and rose gold, mainly because I adore a modern twist on classic pieces. These rings are sterling silver set with glistening white topaz that couples both a classical, almost diamond-esque feeling with a unique interlocking triangle design. All in all I think they're remarkably versatile and would work just as well in the autumn / wintertime  or of course with a bikini on the beach catching those last rays of sunlight. 




As our day touring the seas came to a close, the waters seemed to calm into a smooth velvety mass of gentle, lapping waves, spreading out like an endless infinity of blue as far as the eye could see. We rarely saw another boat and if we did it disappeared as rapidly as it had arrived leaving behind a trail of ripples in its wake. In fact, if it wasn't for the rocks and cliffs upon which small villages and towns resided, we could easily have been marooned on deserted tropical islands. 

*

After spending the morning lounging in the sun and taking ample photographs, we headed back to our hotel, thoroughly in the need of a good glass of something icy and a large helping of Greek salad! 




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26/07/2016

Boating Around Halkidiki, Greece.





This past week I've spent time sunning myself, indulging in way too much delectable food and shooting over 750 photos of the beautiful azure ocean. If you're not following me on Instagram or Twitter you may be unaware that myself and my family recently packed our bags for a stunning holiday in the beautiful peninsula of Halkidiki, northern Greece. It truly was paradise, from the wave of hot air that hit us as we disembarked the aeroplane, to the chilled glasses of passion fruit lemonade, enjoyed from a lounger just feet away from the glistening Aegean Sea. I must say, I've fallen head over heels in love with Greece, and would highly suggest a trip to anyone who might be interested.

This post is the first in what will be a series, focusing on my trip, on everything from the sights, to the fashion, to the hotel and resort we stayed in. However to begin with, I wanted to share with you all, one of my absolute favourite days from the trip: the time we hired a motorboat and explored the seas, finding multiple private beaches, secluded corners of the island and vast expanses of blue waves.

In all honesty, if you asked me what I preferred: Land or Sea? The answer would come easily to me: I like to have both feet firmly planted in the sand if at all possible. However there was something so magical about gliding across the coast, the gentle breeze keeping us cool whilst rocks and beaches whizzed past. And whilst I won't be taking up sailing anytime soon, this was definitely an experience I won't be forgetting any time soon.





After sailing past row upon row of the cutest coastal buildings, built into the cliff, many bleached white in order to keep out the oppressive sunlight, we headed to our first private beach. I've never been somewhere so quite and tranquil before, and whilst you could see towns and villages in the distance they felt so far away it was almost like we entirely alone on the island. We spend time climbing the boulders, paddling in the crystal waters and taking an absolute abundance of photos. 














Naturally I couldn't give up the opportunity to take some outfit photos, especially when the view was as insatiably stunning as this! In these photos I'm wearing an oversized shirt cover up from New Look, which I bought in the clearance so unfortunately I don't think is available anymore, however I've linked a similar one here. My sunglasses are from Quay Australia and I'm absolutely obsessed with them; almost as much as my Burberry's, which if you're a regular reader, you'll know is a lot

After leaving the first island we spent some more time meandering through the various islands, some inhabited, others not, before happening on another gorgeous beach. I'll be covering the second half of this incredible day in my next blog post, so stay tuned! 

I hope you've all enjoyed a first look insight into my trip to Halkidiki, and rest assured many more posts are on their way. I'm so happy to be back blogging again, so watch this space, as some very exciting things are on their way!






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