Travel: Brighton Micro-Trip

My boyfriend and I have been trying to spend some time travelling England recently; he’s here for the whole summer and we don’t have the funds to travel further afield at the moment, so we’re taking advantage of places close to home. I had a couple of days off from work this last week and we headed to Brighton! I completed my degree at the nearby University of Sussex, and lived in the city for three years - it’s one of my favourite places in the world. We visited most of my BTN must-dos, and I wanted to mention them here. 

Travel: Bristol

Why have two cocktails when you can have four (for the
price of two?!)

So my trip to Bristol was far too short, especially once I'd realised how well this city and I would get on! I was visiting a friend who's just moved there, but she had an exam the following Tuesday, which meant that I didn't go until Saturday afternoon, to give her time to revise. We'd booked a table at Turtle Bay, a Caribbean restaurant that has an amazing 2-4-1 happy hour - a rare find on a Saturday night! Apparently it's a chain (normally when I go somewhere new I like to find a more local place to eat), but we couldn't resist BOGOF cocktails! Apparently neither could anyone else, because the place was rammed! We managed to grab some drinks just before happy hour ended, and even a seat to drink them at while we waited for our table. It’s a good job we did, because the trip seemed a little wasted once we realised just how hot all the food was! Neither of us are big spice people but we figured that if we went for some safe options (i.e. nothing with the words “chilli” or “jerk” in them) we’d be okay. Uh-uh! Cue lots of water-downing. So, whilst I could appreciate how quick and fresh the food appeared, the experience was kind of wasted on us.

Café review: Caracoli (Guildford, Surrey)

Once again I found myself in Guildford this Friday! In order to get the biggest bargain on a pair of shoes from Urban Outfitters, I had to return two pairs and re-buy them instore, so I was back again this week to return the last pair! Wanting to try somewhere different - as always - I did a bit of research and came across some great reviews of coffee shop/food store Caracoli. 

Café review: Coffee Culture (Guildford, Surrey)

I went for a little shopping spree in Guildford last week, with my mother and sister, and we stopped in this lovely, independently-owned coffee shop in the town centre. I love independent café's - probably because I used to work in one, but also because I go to university in Brighton, where new ones open every week! I know that familiarity can at times be useful and comforting, but exploring what different things the world offers is so exciting! I also feel that independent establishments can be more interesting and welcoming, with an eye to detail that chains don't need/want to bother with.