Le Balcon Restaurant, London

Hi guys,

Sorry for my absence, I won't go into why I haven't been posting but one thing I will say is: absence makes the heart grow fonder! So I'm ready to whip out some awesome posts in the near future for you all!

Today I'm reviewing The Balcon Restaurant in London.

Set in the Sofitel St James, just a two minute walk from bustling Picadilly, The Balcon is a modern French brasserie, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner to hotel guests, businessmen and tourists alike. With an atmosphere and decor that can only be described as continental and sophisticated, the restaurant acts as an oasis in the middle of central London, allowing a respite from the busy city life.
I stayed at the hotel recently, so had the fortune of trying breakfast, lunch and dinner at the hotel and I must say, all three were very impressive.

Breakfast was my least favourite meal I had at The Balcon, probably more due to the service, which took slightly longer than normal, and the price for a continental breakfast selection, which was extremely expensive! However, the food was very nice and the daily changing smoothie shots on offer were delicious - I especially liked the banana and strawberry.

Lunch and Dinner do not have words to describe their deliciousness! For a light lunch, I ordered that months 'Chef Special', the (excuse the caps, but it really deserves it) BEEF BURGER YORKSHIRE PUDDING (picture below).

A light, crisp yorkshire pudding with a succulent beef meatball perching inside it, topped with sweet caremelised onions, mushrooms and sticky bacon jam. OH MY. There are no words to even express how good this was. 

For dinner, I opted to not have a starter, as I was eyeing up the desserts, so I nibbled on the crunchy, homemade, mini baguettes in the bread basket instead. For my main, I ordered the Roasted Oxfordshire Lamb Saddle with Seasonal Vegetable Navarin (pictured below) and it did not disappoint. I also ordered the Rooster Mashed Potatoes as a side and I think these are the best mashed potatoes I have ever had... and my mum's mash is good, so that's saying a lot. 

I didn't manage to get a picture of the desserts because no-one (including myself) would wait before digging in! The Warm Chocolate Mug Cake with Milk Ice Cream, the Vanilla Ice Cream Profiteroles, Hot Chocolate and Praline Sauce and the French Cheeses were all ordered and all met our high expectations, both taste-wise and presentation-wise. 

Overall, I love this restaurant! Beautiful setting, good service, polite and personable waiters, delicious food, cool atmosphere, perfect location... what more could you ask for? 

Food: 9/10

Presentation: 10/10

Service: 8/10

Price: 8/10

Ambiance: 8/10

Location: 9/10

Keep your eyes peeled for more restaurant reviews, as I have been eating out a lot recently! 

I would love to hear any restaurant recommendations, so please leave a comment below. 

Thanks for reading, 

H x

2015's 'in' places

Hey everyone,

How are you all doing? I hope you are having a good week!

Today I wanted to write a quick post about the trendiest places to go in 2015. This may seem like not a very interesting subject as some people don't like going to the 'in' places, they want the opposite but for anyone who just wants a good holiday, you can almost be assured that these places will be amazing to go to, especially in 2015!! Check back next week when I will have a post up about the places that aren't  the 'in' places but are fantastic nonetheless (and sometimes better!)

In no particular order, we have:

• Cuba - for any Americans, this is the year! Cuba and the USA have recently settled some differences, meaning it is now much easier for you lot to visit Cuba... so what are you waiting for?! 
• Mallorca - this may seem biased after my last post (check it out here) but reports are in that hotels and flights for the summer season in Mallorca are nearly booked out already. So get in while you can! 
• UK - for many reasons, such as the Rugby World Cup, the UK has been dubbed one of the places to go in 2015, as there's pretty much something for everyone! It may sound strange to go to the UK in summer but if you go down south (Cornwall/Dorset), you can get a 'proper' summer holiday in! 
• Croatia - this seemingly random destination has been growing in popularity for the last few years and this year it is set to hit it's peak. All reviews I have heard have been extremely positive, from both young and old alike! 
• Scandinavia - I know this is a very broad one, but recently, everything 'Scandi' has instantly become trendy in the eyes of the public. So there must be some reasons the Scandinavians are leading the way with fashion, food and more, why not see for yourself? 
• Bali - Indonesia has recently become a playground for not only the young gap year backpackers but also the rich and famous. With many healthy eating restaurants and cafes, spa retreats, luxury hotels and cool culture, its going to be a popular place this year! 

I hope you have enjoyed reading this post and thank you for taking the time to come and look at my blog! If you like what you see, then don't forget to subscribe and tell your friends about the blog too! Follow me on Instagram: addicted_to_paradise and let me know on here or on Instagram where YOU want to go in 2015! 

Have a good week!

Love, 

H x 

The Balearic Islands

Hi everyone,

Hope you are all well. Today I wanted to discuss a place that is very close to my heart, the Balearics. Some of you may be wondering what even are the Balearics? It is a group of islands off of the South-East of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea, in between Barcelona and North Africa. Now you may be thinking yeah, I could have typed that into Google! Here are some things you may not know about the Balearics and just a general review of these magnificent islands.

Consisting of (in order of size) Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera and Cabrera, this archipelago is one of the most well-known holiday destinations in Europe and for good reason!
Firstly, the flight from Germany or the UK is around 2 hours, making it far enough away to feel like a true holiday yet close enough to not have to worry about a day (or more!) wasted travelling or horrible jet lag!
Additionally, the official language is Spanish, which is not too dissimilar to French so even if you've only retained your year 7 level french or spanish, you will still be able to get by with the help of the english speaking locals.
What is also nice is that you needn't worry about many practicalities such as an unstable government (like in Greece), where you can change your money before you go (they use Euros, so its easy to get) and so much more!
I could go on and on about places to go, things to do etc. etc. but for now I will finish off with this last point, explaining the main reason for the Balearics' popularity: it has something for everyone. Golf, shopping, amazing food, beaches, nightclubs, cities, mountains and so so much more are available to you. I've seen such a wide variety of people holidaying here, like newborn babies, old grandmas, stag/hen dos, luxury wedding parties, celebrities, professional cyclists just to name a few!!

So there are some qualities that will entice and inform you about the Balearics and reveal their magic secret (don't tell anyone!). I will definitely be posting more about these magnificent islands and if you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments! Oh and check out my instagram: addicted_to_paradise  where I will be posting more pictures to go along with blog posts! Dont forget to subscribe to my blog!

Thanks for reading,
H x

Travel bucket list

Hi everyone,

Hope you're all good! Today's post as a little bit of an introduction is my travel bucket list of places I really want to go to soon (because if I made a list of all the places I want to go to it would be never ending!)

In no particular order:
Canada
South Africa
Amsterdam
Costa Rica
New Zealand
Monaco
Greece
Hawaii
Lake District
Hong Kong
Dubai
Morocco

These are just a few of the places I am desperate to go to and as you can see they are all very far away from each other so I'm sure it will take quite some time before I get to them all!!
Leave me a comment letting me know where you want to go next!

Thanks for reading,
H x

First blog post

Hi there,

I hope you're all having a lovely day and hope you all had a great christmas (even though it seems ages ago now!)

This is my first post on this blog, so I'm just going to outline what you can expect from this blog and tell you a bit about myself!
Here is a list of some things I love:

• Travelling
• Food
• Eating healthily
• Eating unhealthily
• Reading
• Languages 
• Cooking
• Makeup
• Skincare 

This is my new blog which I have decided to start to record my travels and my lifestyle. Hopefully I can inspire more people to travel and give some tips and information that will help you! Or you can just come and look at my blog for a dose of escapism, simply browsing through the photos and reading about the places I visit! 

I'm really looking forward to blogging regularly for you guys and I will also start an Instagram page for you to follow aswell! 

Leave me a comment if you have a blog with your blog name and I'll have a look or leave me a comment telling me one thing you love! 

Thanks for reading, 

See you next time, 

H x