Living like Kings on a Paupers Wage

On the 30th May it was James' birthday and hence the title we spent far to much money (well I did!) on an amazing weekend! He had no idea what I had planned when we caught the train from Kelvedon, just that we were going to have a fab day in London... 

So to start the day we headed to Camden, where straight away we were greeted with the craziness of the Mad Hatters Tea Party, placed on the egde of the curb charging £2 for a photograph. Don't worry I wouldn't disappoint... Best £2 I ever spent. 

Camden is beautiful in the sunshine, walk through the chatters of people and buskers along the river, head over the lock and down the cobble slope to lead you into the manic street food markets, my favourite part of Camden! Food from all over the world is placed at your finger tips with people handing you tasters as you walk through the bustling crowds, it is fantastic! We had the most delicious paella I have ever eaten.

 After the food, we looked around the markets, spent time in the sun listening to the most amazing busker and of course, found a bar to drink lots of cocktails! It was then time for the next surprise... The Hard Rock Cafe! It was, of course a 45 minute wait to sit inside but we were lucky enough with the weather so we decided to sit outside, we ordered two more cocktails and a plate of nachos to share for starters... Lets just say we didn't need much else after those nachos.

We also enjoyed a huge burger and two more cocktails at the inside bar, absolutely delicious, a little bit pricey, but with guitars and outfits on the wall from Jimi Hendrix and records from The Beatles, it is the ideal restaurant for a budding musician with a big appetite!

After The Hard Rock Cafe, it was time to head to James' next surprise. A quick trip on the Jubilee line and we arrived at Tower Bridge, we were going up The Shard! 72 floors later and we were looking 40 miles out of London, it was incredible.

We decided that as we were here, we would try out the Aquashard Bar, and let's just say it wasn't our best move ever... We got in the lift, (slightly hot and bothered by our busy day in London) with those in the fanciest suits and long evening dresses... OOPS! Once we were finally served at the bar, the bill nearly knocked us out at £32 for two drinks! I have to say though sipping champagne cocktails 32 floors above London wasn't the worst way to end an incredible day. It was then that I told James that we weren't in fact going home but that building you can see behind the champagne glass was in fact the hotel we were staying in... The Tower Bridge Hilton!

I really want to give you the background on this fantastic offer I experienced with Hilton as I really did hit the jackpot. When I originally booked, I managed to get one of their flash deals on a normal double room, at £140, however when I phoned to enquire about the cost of breakfast I nearly cried when they said it was £21.50 per person, they instead offered an upgrade on the room with breakfast included for just £20 each, so of course I agreed! When we arrived to check in, James still grinning from ear to ear the lady looked at us in surprise as she said "you have the best room in the hotel" and when we got up to the top floor and walked in we discovered why... 

This was the view that we had from our window, including the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in,  complimentary black forest gateau, a big tub and my name on the TV screen! James and I just looked at one another and laughed at how we did not belong in this room! The next morning we also had our breakfast inside the 'executive lounge' where you could only use your room key to get inside! We sat in a private breakfast bar with every type of breakfast imaginable, from smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, cheese and ham, pastries and cereals, they had everything, and whilst I tried to uphold the sophistication, neither James or myself could figure out how to work the toaster and James sat there eating nutella on bread. I don't think we are made for a posh lifestyle haha! 

The rain started as we were packing our things to leave the room, and reality came crushing down that it was back to college for James and back to mopping the bar floor for me the next morning. What a wonderful get away we had had, and I also reccommend  to any of you guys to experience The Shard's wonderful view, taste the food at the Hard Rock Cafe but mostly, try and sneak a deal The Hilton. I promise they will not disappoint!

See you on my next adventure,
Jadeene x

"Follow old Rafiki, he knows the way"

So I have been visiting London once again, this time a coach trip with my grandparents, cousin, little brother and my great gran who is nearly 90! It was time for my little brother of nearly 11 years to finally see the show that my grandparents have taken my cousin and I to see more times than I care to admit... The Lion King.

We boarded the coach at Colchester Train Station, another gloomy looking day- given my previous blog by the looks of things a day out with me just determines a rainy one. My Grandad being the tightest man I know also had a bad start to the day, the car parking machine didn't give him his 10p change and we all bought a packet of crisp from the vending machine at £1.00 a packet. The poor man was pleading poverty before we had even reached London!

We got dropped off and decided to head to Covent Garden for lunch, and a lunch it was! I had the biggest southern fried chicken, cheese and bacon burger with fries and slaw, nice and healthy! Oh and of course a glass of zinfandel. We then headed for the Covent Garden Jubilee Market Hall, where the boys picked up some sweets for the theatre in an old fashioned style Fry's shop, plus a few souvenirs and I bought an amazing candle which placed in front of a lamp just looks fantastic, although my photography does not do it justice sitting on my bed side with my little rose lights (which I may add, is also a Covent Garden purchase)

For those of you who haven't yet been to Covent Garden, I would reccomend an attempt when the weather is sunny, the markets are beautiful and in nice weather you also get to see all of the fantastic street performers, who decided not to brave the disgusting weather we were enduring! After we had finished around the market we made a slow walk over to the beautiful Lyceum Theatre just 5 minutes away. 

We were also super lucky with our seats, given the fact we had a nearly 90 year old lady with us, they swapped our seats so were in the Royal Circle, had extra leg room and was along the aisle. Thanks Nan!

I made sure my little brother was on the aisle seat, knowing that the animals would be walking past his eyes as that first neck tingling song 'The Cirle of Life' came on. His little face was gobsmacked as it started, and his eyes were everywhere as from every direction there was something incredible to look at. I absolutely sobbed just watching him, as I remember the first time I saw it. I know... I'm such a sap for all this stuff.  For those of you who haven't seen this incredible production, it is an absolute must see, with costumes so great that you forget your in a theatre seat and travel to Africa, locked in a story which will make you laugh, cry, sing-a-long and actually make you think a little about what is truley important in life. It's the perfect performance for any age or gender, and would recommend it to all.

See you on my next adventure, and Hakuna Matata!
Jadeene. x

Feeling Hungry? I've got just the place...

This past week I've been a bit of a spendthrift when it comes to food, dining out in what are now two of my new favourite restaurants to stop for lunch and a cheeky chinese inbetween the two, but let me tell you about these two little gems.

First up is The Oyster Bar located on the docks in West Mersea, Colchester, Essex, in which James and I headed last Sunday with hope that the summer weather we had that week would be following that day. It didn't. So we decided to have lunch here instead, and whilst the outside doesn't look too glamourous, the inside is incredble and far from your average fish and chip shop on the front! I would give you some pictures but even on this dismal Sunday afternoon it turned out we still had to book to get a seat and they were full for the day. Luckily in the grey cold outside there was outdoor seating available... Fabulous...

We still wanted to stay so I dug into a plate of the most fresh tasting plate of cockles I have ever tasted whilst James had a fancy prawn cocktail, then for mains James had classic fish and chips with mushy peas whilst I tried the king scallops and bacon salad. The food was fantastic.

And if you don't believe how good it is by the pictures or my word, take a look at their wall of fame, on the inside they have a list of all the famous people they have had tasting their food. I managed to get a quick snap shot whilst I was cueing to buy pots of cockles to take away, and yes that is Justin Timberlake on there! 

My other little discover came today after having lunch with friends at the Thatchers pub/restaurant located in Mount Bures, Suffolk. This lovely little village pub has a fantastic location, where outside seating looks over rolls of fields, and the modern yet classic interior makes you feel very at home.

The food was also amazing great hearty portions, and with a window seat what more could you want! I had delicious chicken and chorizo pasta with a creamy sauce and garlic bread, my friends had the biggest portion of fish and chips I've ever seen and we ate the whole lot.

For those of you who know me, I am a huge foodie, and absolutely love to both cook and eat! I am most definitely one of those saddos you see in the restaurant taking a picture of their frothy coffee or their food, but hey it makes for a good blog!

See you on my next adventure, 

Jadeene x

Get Unplugged at Jimmy's Farm!

So Friday just gone I was at another music event with James at the famous
Jimmy's Farm in Ipswich, known for being run by the cheeky chappy Jimmy Doherty a famous TV Presenter and Farmer.

Commonly known as a great place to take the kids, Jimmy's Farm also has a range of events put on each month, and this one was the 'Unplugged Night' based in their restaurant area, people pre paid for a set 2 course meal to choose on the night and some great acoustic acts for entertainment.

We got there and went through to the little restaurant. It was beautiful, with fairy lights and beamed ceilings with a welcoming and cosy vibe, perfect for a family event with live music. Fab!

We got settled whilst James did sound checks and we were given our set menu, filled with rare breed meat dishes and deliciously naughty desserts, right up my street! I had a cheese burger and then sticky banoffee pudding for afters, and it was absolutely amazing.

The acts were also incredibly talented, James went first and opened the night perfectly, he was then followed by another young chap named Jan and the fantastic Jake Morrell Band!

You will be able to see James, alongside these other local acts playing at Jimmy's Farm Sausage and Beer Festival this summer on the 26th and 27th July, headlined by the brilliant Toploader! Tickets are out now, hope to see you there! http://bit.ly/1N86iFp

See you on my next adventure,

Jadeene x

A Little Trip to Venice

Having visited Paris over the new year the boyfriend and I decided to go one better and see the stunning city of Venice to celebrate the 5 years we have been together, and it was absolutely perfect. However there were a few mishaps, and if you're planning a trip there anytime soon this might be a handy guide to all the things you may not yet know...

Departing at 6:20am with Ryan Air I felt shattered from clocking off work at 23:00 the night before but estatic that I was getting away for a few days. 4 days, 3 nights to be precise. We landed after an hour and a half and I couldn't wait to see the sights.

Okay guys Lesson One: Water Taxi's
If you're getting transfers from the airport to Venice, bare in mind that cars/busses/coaches cannot get onto the main land, therefore you must either get a water taxi or the monorail. If you are travelling on a budget, I promise you despite how appealing the water taxi looks, make sure you find the monorail, for a 5 minute journey it cost us €40! They saw us coming I reckon.

Anyway we finally got to our hotel,The Casa Sant Andrea, best described as cheap and cheerful with a rustic exterior. We walked through to the reception, greeted by a less than smiley lady with bright red hair and thick rimmed glasses, she checked us in, handed us a paper weight in the shape of a bell with a door key attached and gestured up the stairs. After walking up 2 flights of stairs and round a few little corridors we finally found room 209. Not the Ritz but not prison either!

After checking in, we just spent the first day finding our bearings and exploring, and it really was incredible. Finding our way into the mist of Venice was easy enough; it was like heading into a jungle of little bridges, cafes, pizza parlours, gelato stalls and fancy shops selling Venician glass, carnival masks and stunning jewellery. You couldn't always find your way back easily, but then again when a place is this beautiful you don't mind getting lost in it.

We had a lovely day just seeing the sights, and I had my first bolognese in Italy, tried tiramisu ice-cream and as you can see from the picture and it was delicious! 

That evening we discovered a lovely little restaurant along the canal, it was small and we could sit outside which was nice. We tucked into bread and oil, and tomatoes and mozzarella for start and then carbonara and pizza for mains. I also had the famous Bellini drink, made from peach puree and prosecco, officially my new favourite cocktail! However... 

Lesson Two: Service Charge

Make sure you always check before choosing a restaurant if they have a service charge, they caught us off guard and whacked 14% of our total bill on top, not ideal for budgeting travellers!

That night we also found a magnum shop where you paid to decorate the outsite of a magum ice-cream and get a free expresso with it! James scoffed the ice-cream and I had the expresso.

When we woke up Monday morning, it wasn't to the sound of birds or the smell of coffee, it was to the most awful sounding bell that was placed just a few yards from our hotel. The unattractive bell tower gave out an even more unattractive noise at 7:45 every morning. That first Monday morning James shot out of bed still delerious from sleep thinking there was a fire. 

Once again we spent the day exploring, unfortunatley in gloomy weather. This time trying to find things specifically, we wanted to find the Rialto bridge and San Marco square although Venice isn't one for being helpful with directions...

Lesson Three: Street Signs

Do not bother relying on street signs, the fact is you are on an island and you will come to what you're looking for eventually, and if you're in a hurry and don't have time for getting lost in Venice, make sure you get a good map, as most street signs look like this..

Once we finally got past the signs... We did get onto both Rialto Bridge and San Marco Square, both absolutely incredible in their own right. Rialto bridge looks over the most beautiful part of the grand canal and it was my favourite spot in Venice; when the sun is shining and the sky is blue, a photo cannot do it justice.

San Marco Square is probably my second favourite part of Venice. There you had the incredible St Mark Basilica, famous for its mosaic walls and ceiling, it was beautiful to see, we went onto the roof top where you could also look down to the square. The square itself was lined with coffee shops, fancy restaurants and unaffordable jewlers, I think mentally James and I spent millions choosing out watches and rings we couldn't afford!

Rialto Bridge

The beautiful square however was swarmed with street sellers and beggers wandering between tourists trying to get you to give up your money...

Lesson Four: Selfie Sticks
If you don't own a selfie stick, you will do by the time you leave! We were swamped with selfie stick sellers on the streets, we even brought ours out at night just to make a point we had one so they would leave us alone!

After leaving San Marco Square we just walked and walked, getting lost down little alleyways and over bridges, peering into shop windows and stopping for calzone for lunch! Delicious.

We also found a nice little restaurant in the depths of Venice and with no service charge either! Two main meals each for €18 perfect! We had seafood pasta and fried seafood, something a bit unsual but very tasty, I also tried a drink called Aperol Spritz, everyone seemed to drink it here so I thought I would give it a go. The best way I can describe it is a bitter fizzy orange juice, not my cup of tea but obviously everyone else's!

Our last full day and night was our anniversary, 5 years of being together and waking up in Venice, you can't go wrong. Apart from that bell waking us up, deary me. We were very lucky, the weather was perfect with blue skies and sunshine. We got ice-cream at around 11, tucked into a tasty lunch and then got a coffee at a tucked away cafe we visited a few times whilst we were there. I had the most incredible hot chocolate, like liquid gold, and a soft plain pastry to dunk into it, recommended by a little Italian barista man!

We then done the one thing everyone comes to Venice to do... The Gondola. We went at 16:45 just as the sun was at its peak and it was absolutely beautiful.
After the gondola ride we searched in a few more shops and wandered the streets at dusk, I truley loved being in Venice, it had such a great feel to it, although, I was in a way ready to go home...
Lesson 5: Don't outstay your welcome

Venice is a wonderful city that I would reccomend anyone to visit, but once you have seen San Marco Square, Rialto Bridge, tasted the coffee, ice-cream and pizza, and rode the gondola, for any young person you're pretty much ready to go home. We left Venice for our transfers at 19:00 and we felt like we really had been there just a tad too long.


Our last meal that night was enjoyed by the grand canal right next to Rialto Bridge, despite the bill being way out of our budget we both had the most amazing meals, and our waiter was just hilarious, singing our dishes names as he served them to us, it was fabulous.

The only other exciting thing I can really tell you is that we did discover the monorail, and when we got to Treviso Airport our plane was delayed and we had completely blown all of our money. Here's your last lesson.

Lesson 6: Airport Delays
BE PREPARED. Scraping the bottom of my purse I managed to pull together enough change for a bag of crisps which we ate routinely with James taking one, then me taking one, and also having intervals in eating to break up the delay time. You don't want to be in that situation. Trust me.

I hope you've enjoyed having a read of our four day adventure in Venice, and for those of you who are thinking of visiting Venice I hope my tips have helped a tad. It really is a wonderful city and everyone should go and see it once.

See you on my next adventure!
Jadeene. x

Visitare l'Italia nel 2015

Firstly I must appologise for the inconsistent blogging nature, juggling 3 jobs and what I have left of a life is tricky, but I promise to try and make more time for it!!

Now for the more exciting news of the day! I wanted to inform you all of my future plans as I am getting EXTREMELY excited for my next trip. I am off to Venice next week! It shall be my first time in Italy and one that is long overdue.

Photo taken from Casa Sant'Andrea Website: http://bit.ly/1FYXQ7q

I am away for 3 nights / 4 days with my boyfriend, staying at the Casa Sant'Andrea Hotel right along the Santa Chiara canal.

I have been warned of the sewage sitation in Venice and I am kind of glad that we are not visiting in the height of summer I have to say...

I shall have many photos and information about the accomodation and my first experience of Italy on my blog as soon as I am home! I can't wait to find a little coffee shop by the canal and get my notepad out, although the boyfriend may feel slightly neglected...

I have also once again emptied the bank account on yet another trip to Italy, this time to the South to finally visit the beautiful region of Basilicata at the beginning of July. For those of you who read my last blog on the Destinations Travel Show, you would have already heard about why it means so much for me to visit this region however for those that do not let me fill you in...

I work for redPepper Marketing who represents this stunning region, and having helped to write a guidebook and blogged about the area for over a year I felt that 2015 was the year I had to go. There is so much to see and do in Basilicata and has something for everyone of all ages, however I am travelling to the city of Matera with my best friend. Matera is such a special place, not only is it famous for its UNESCO world heritage site of the Sassi District, where lines of cave dwellings sit inside the rock, but it is also the European Capital of Culture for 2019. Pretty impressive huh?!

The Sassi, Matera 

Travelling from Bari, it is only a 45 minute drive from the airport into Matera, and our hotel is in the center! It is called Hotel Sassi and is a transformed cave dwelling. (For more info on hotels and other accomodation in Matera visit http://www.discoverbasilicata.com/accomodation/)

 I am visiting Matera at the start of July to not only catch a glimpse of the Southern Italian sunshine (and trust me with my current ghost like complexion I am in dire need of some!) but I am also going at that time for a reason. Annually on the second of July every year there is a big festival located in Matera, it's for the patron saint called The Madonna Della Bruna, where a day of festivites and excitement is based around a statue of the saint being carried around the town on a beautifully designed float, which later in the day is ripped apart by the crowds as a piece represents good fortune. The festival is ended by a fireworks display over the ravine.

There are lots of reasons why you should travel to  Basilicata but this event in particular is something special, and something I cannot wait to experience. For a more detailed description of the festival check out my blog on the 'discover basilicata' website! http://bit.ly/19tSVRf

Don't forget to keep up to date with me on twitter, instagram and facebook to get a live feed on all of my discoveries in Venice.

Speak to you soon,

Jadeene. x


Photos credited with permission from http://www.discoverbasilicata.com/

Heading to Kensington; The Destinations Travel Show

I have been so excited to blog about my experience at Destinations Travel Show! For those of you who don't know, (and don't worry I didn't either) Destinations is a big exhibition where companys, continents, countries and places from all over the world meet in one place to promote what they are and what they can offer to the travelling public.

Located at the Olympia Exhibition Centre this year, I hopped off the train at Kensington and stood in awe outside just bursting with excitement. I have to say it did feel good to slip down the 'B Entrance' with an Exhibitors pass, smiling stupidly as if I was some kind of member of the MI5. I embarrass myself.

The reason I was there is because I work for a marketing company called redPepper and we represent the beautiful region of Basilicata in Southern Italy. I was so excited to be on the stand because despite not having yet travelled to Basilicata, I am so passionate about the region, and our stand looked great.

After setting up the literature and preparing for a busy day, I got a quick chance to go and explore before they let in the public. The other stands were incredible; with places in the world I had never even seen before, I was like a kid in a sweet store! Unfortunately at that point I had to run back and get into promotion mode as they announced that the event had started.

It felt amazing to enlighten people on the region of Basilicata, 'it's a little hidden gem that Italy offers' I told people as they looked at our stand with puzzled faces, wondering if we were located in Spain, or Brazil. Many were put off by the lack of tourism in the region, looking for an all inclusive, all organised holiday without having to worry, although by the end we had managed to change peoples minds and open them up to a different kind of holiday all together. One with adventure, romance, scenery, culture and beauty, and it felt amazing to watch people turn from 'Ohh it's only Italy...' to 'Can we book with you today!'

On my lunch break I finally got to have a proper look around the exhibition and what I saw was truly incredible. Over in Africa and China there were native singers and dancers performing, and Switzerland even had 200 pound St Bernard sprawled out across their stand. It was madness!




Mentally I spent millions travelling the world, it was fascinating to learn so much about other places in the world first hand. I have to say one of my favourite parts was that they had an Indian street food van, and oh my, I had died and gone to heaven!


Being at Destinations has been a journey for me as it has made me realize just how important travel is and that this is really what I want to do, and representing Basilicata has just been an absolute joy. This summer I will be planning my journey to visit the region I know so much about and I hope you will still be following my travels to hear all about it.

In the mean time check out our website for Basilicata, (especially the blog pages where you will find more of my work there!) Maybe you will find a new destination to travel to and fall in love with it as much as I have. www.discoverbasilicata.com

Thanks for reading, see you on my next adventure,

Jadeene. x