Browsing Tag

Marbella

Beach to 5k

167 days since I first laced up my old gym trainers and attempted a run, I’ve hit my 5k target.

We were in Spain on Christmas Eve when I decided to strap on my old gym trainers, download Couch to 5k and go for a jog along the seafront. I’ve never run before, or been remotely interested in running before. But I had decided that I needed to get fitter and 2019 was going to be the year for it.

I’ve struggled to stick to anything fitness-wise since I gave up martial arts in my twenties. Since then I’ve had random spurts of joining and going to a gym or going to random classes but nothing has ever really stuck. That lack of motivation, combined with the 3-hour commute each day means that having no time to exercise is an excellent convenient excuse not to do it. So I realised I need something that is easy to do wherever you are, that doesn’t involve getting home and having to drive somewhere else and something that I can do at my own pace.

That first ‘run’ lasted just under 15 minutes. And nearly killed me.

But I went out again that week while we were in Spain, and since then I have either been out most weeks or gone for a run in the gym. I’ve run in Marbella and Malaga. I’ve run in Sussex and around Smithfield in London. I’ve run in the evenings and in the mornings, in the cold and in the warm. I’ve dumped the old trainers and bought shiny new lightweight ones, and a ridiculously bright pink jacket; and I’ve even bought a couple of copies of running magazines. My Mum and Dad have joined in by buying me some gloves to keep my hands warm and Madge regularly buys me fun socks that make me smile whenever I put them on. I’ve stopped using the the Couch to 5k and app and started listening to podcasts and I’ve had oodles of encouragement from friends – in person and virtually – and every single bit of it is utterly, totally appreciated.

Looking back on the last 6 months makes me very happy – and a little bit proud of myself that I’ve stuck to it. According to Strava I’ve run 94.78km!

The biggest revelation hasn’t been that, yes I am a bit fitter, and yes I look a bit slimmer – the biggest revelation has been how good I feel when I’m regularly running. How much it helps my head. A quick run at the end of the day is the perfect way to offload work-day stresses, which at some points in the last 6 months have felt almost overwhelming. Mid-way through, around Easter time while we were in Spain (again) I read ‘Eat, Drink, Run‘ by Bryony Gordon. It tells her journey to help tame her anxiety through running – how running saved her mental health and how through it, she set up her mental health support group ‘Mental Health Mates‘. Even if you don’t fancy donning your trainers and going out, I’d recommend it as a pretty inspirational, honest and heartfelt story.

I’m not making any big plans or ambitious goals for the next 6 months. I’m just going to keep on keeping on, running because I enjoy it and maybe adding some other activities to it a bit more regularly. I talked about the difficulty of finding time to do it with my coach, and he reminded me that if I don’t put myself first, no one else will. It’s up to me to stop prioritising other things (mostly work) above the things I want, or need, to do – like exercise. So keeping that in mind, I’m going to crack on and see if I can beat my 5k time over the next 6 months.

9th June 2019

Live

Embrace your comfort zone

When I was 13 I worked in a video shop on Saturdays. Every week pretty much the same people would come in and rent the latest VHS movies. Most customers wanted to watch the new releases, but what always fascinated me were the children. Rather than being tempted by the new films, the kids wanted to see something they’d seen before. Something they were comfortable with. Something they knew. Right down to being able to recite all the words. Epic tantrums followed when Mum or Dad tried to get them to try something different.

I didn’t know it then, but apparently this is not unusual. There are many and lengthy physiological explanations for why we are drawn to the things we are most familiar with, even from a very young age.

Fast-forward (pun intended) a few years and I’ve realised that actually, now that I am presented with more choice that ever, I also keep returning to the things I know and bring me comfort. We’re all accustomed to the the over-used term ‘comfort zone’.

I never thought I’d be ‘one of those people’ who go on holiday to the same place – yet that little piece of Andalucia that I adore to visit, with the restaurants I know and the beach club I love, brings me as much joy as any new adventure. The sense of peace I feel when I look at those familiar mountains, basking in the pink evening sky; the surge of joy when I see the beauty of the blue Mediterranean sea, the happiness of going back to places where we’ve had so much fun before is something I look forward to with something close to actual longing. It’s the place I go to in my head on a wet, cold Monday morning, and it’s the reason I go back there at least twice a year.

So, is this a lack of imagination on my part, an aversion to trying new things, or a genius strategy to make the best use of limited holiday time and budget? The truth is, it’s probably a number of things. A comfort zone is described as “a psychological state in which things feel familiar to a person and they are at ease and in control of their environment, experiencing low levels of anxiety and stress.”

Who wouldn’t want that on holiday?

But in truth, it’s not just holidays. I’m the same with books and films – I love to re-read or re-watch something I already know. I look up the ending of a film before I watch it. I have a set of favourite restaurants and tend to choose one of these for a night out. I love re-watching old boxsets, and I listen to much, much more old music than I do new. Oh, and I categorically hate surprises.

According to Psychology Today magazine, ‘ familiar things – food, music, activities, surroundings, etc. – make us feel comfortable. From an evolutionary perspective, it makes sense that familiarity breeds liking. Generally speaking, things that are familiar are likely to be safer than things that are not. If something is familiar, we have clearly survived exposure to it, and our brain, recognising this, steers us towards it.’

Makes total sense. Yet, paradoxically, I’m not against trying new things – I’ve moved house 13 times in my adult life, I’ve started a business (well, 2 actually), changed jobs multiple times, rarely stick to traditions, have a pretty variable daily life and have travelled all over the world. So, actually, I think that the peace and soul calming headspace I experience from a trip back to that familiar part of Spain is less about hiding away in the ‘safe’ and more about recognising that it’s nice to be able to rely on instant relaxation and a guaranteed good time. While travel undoubtedly broadens the mind, getting to get to know a place deeply – exploring it bit by bit and peeling back the layers brings a calmness and satisfaction that’s hard to beat. And it works brilliantly for a short break. I never get bored, because it’s never totally the same, and neither am I. A trip to that special part of Spain is a tradition I won’t ever tire of.

So for me, it’s about balance. A couple of trips a year back to Andalucia, complemented with new experiences and destinations is the perfect mix.

2nd September 2018

Play, Travel

Top 10 Cosmo’s of 2018…so far

Anyone who knows me knows that the Cosmopolitan is unashamedly my favourite cocktail. As we’re coming to the halfway point of the year, I’ve rounded up the best Cosmo’s from 2018 – so far. Conveniently, it makes a nice neat list of 10 – though these are in no particular order, they’re all great 🙂

Forever linked with the 90’s and Sex and the City, the Cosmo dates back much further, with its roots in a 1930’s confection featuring gin, instead of vodka. There are mentions of it in the 1970’s in America, before it was popularised by SJP and the gang. The International Bartenders Association quotes the recipe as:

4 cl Citron Vodka
1.5 cl Cointreau
3 cl Cranberry juice
1.5 cl Fresh lime juice

Shake all ingredients in cocktail shaker filled with ice. Strain into a large cocktail glass, garnish with lime slice…and voila. They also very sensibly catagorise it as an ‘All Day Cocktail‘. I’m not arguing with that!

Hakkasan, London W1

The Cosmopolitan at Hakkasan was stop-you-in-your-tracks-knock-your-socks-off-good. More than good, it was the best Cosmo I’ve had in years. A stand-out cocktail and a lovely bar to drink it at. Followed by some Michelin Starred Chinese nibbles.

Trocadero Playa, Marbella

Cocktail on the beach at sunset, perfect. Nicely balanced and a good size. Usual routine is to drop the bags off and head out for one of these on arrival.

Artesian Bar, the Langham Hotel, London W1

Well earned cocktail after a busy days shopping in London. Lovely unusual glasses. Quite red in colour but perfectly balanced.

Purobeach, Marbella

Beach club perfection – and huge too! Perfect to sip while listening to some Balearic beats and chilling out. Look at that for a holiday cocktail 🙂

Chilli Pickle, Brighton

Ordered off-menu and this wonderful restaurant made me my favourite cocktail. Lovely as a pre-curser to an Indian feast.

Charlotte St Hotel, London W1

One of London’s classic hotel bars, as expected they do an excellent Cosmo (and a great Old Fashioned too).

Mayfair Hotel, London W1

Again, excellent hotel cocktail bar – great place for meeting friends. In fact, I was having so much fun that I forgot to take a picture, so here’s one I obviously took from their website!

Nobu, London W1

These slip down incredibly well with a selection of Japanese food. Had a few more in the bar downstairs after too.

Malmaison, LondonEC1

Much better in the upstairs bar than the downstairs one, but still a good shout for a cocktail in EC1.

Iberica, London EC1

Cocktails and tapas…yum.

Any must-drink Cosmo recommendations for me?

14th May 2018

Travel

48 hours in Marbella

We go to Marbella quite often – at least a couple of times a year, and we’ve found some pretty lovely places to eat and drink and hang out there. Only 2.5 hours from Gatwick, it’s the perfect weekend destination if you want to get some good food and some sunshine. We keep mostly away from the very touristy times of year and any really touristy hang-outs, and we’ve got to know some great places to go.

Malaga to Marbella

We used to hire a car, but realised that it spent most of its time parked up in the hotel car park, so since last year we now always get the bus from the airport straight to the bus terminal at Marbella. A bargain at around €6 each way (a taxi is about €100), the bus departs from right outside the arrivals hall and runs regularly. The ‘directo’ bus uses the toll road, rather than the slower coastal road and takes about 40 minutes. You can either walk into town from the bus station or grab a cab from the rank to where you are staying. Buy your ticket online or at the ticket office in the arrival hall. There’s often a queue, so we found buying it in advance online the best option.

Accommodation

There are tons of hotels, villas and Airbnb places to stay, as you would expect. If you’re looking for reasonable priced without too many frills then the NH Marbella is a good shout. They have a small pool with a bar that’s open in high-season and an excellent buffet breakfast for the price. It’s also a good location, within strolling distance of Central Marbella and a nice longer walk along the beach to Puerto Banús (about 5km). It’s also handy for the beach and local buses along the coast.

Bars

My favourite stretch of beach is Copacabana – and the Trocadero Playa is a great bar for a cocktail at sunset or to while away an afternoon. It’s a bit pricier than other bars, but it has a perfect location so sometimes you have to pay a little extra for that!

My hidden gem is a sports bar called Boca Seca. It’s on the side of the road between the NH Hotel and the Puente Romano hotel and it’s a real locals place. The food is good, cheap and plentiful, they play the MotoGP race on a Sunday and are open late. It gets busy, but it’s worth waiting for a spot outside. The ensalada rusa, jamon croquettas and the pig cheek are all highly recommended!

Food

Wow – where to start? Well, my all time favourite is a Dani Garcia restaurant called Lobito Del Mar. A beautiful Hamptons Coastal inspired decor with a fantastic bar and a fantastic bar menu to go with it. I recommend sitting at the bar, chatting with the excellent bar staff and sampling a range of fishy delights over a long and lingering lunch. The martini’s are huge, and the clams are delicious.

There’s a newly-ish open organic restaurant opposite the Marbella Club Hotel called the Organic Market and Food and it serves amazing fresh ingredients, lots of veggie and vegan dishes, with a fresh modern decor and some outside seating. The food is excellent, but I have always (3 trips) found the service lacking. It’s worth going for the food, but don’t expect the service to be particularly friendly.

If you’re looking for tasty snacks in a busy buzzy environment then LeKune Bar de Pinxos in Marbella is the perfect place. Pinxo‘s are small snacks, usually served on bread with a drink. It gets packed, which all adds to the atmosphere and it’s a great place to pop into to fill up on tasty morsels. It’s quieter at breakfast time and it’s lovely to sit outside with a cafe con leche and a glass of fresh orange and watch the world go by on a Saturday or Sunday morning.

Plus ++

A trip out of Marbella about 30 mins along the coast by bus to Laguna Village has two benefits – firstly the gorgeous Purobeach Beach Club. My idea of a perfect heavenly day is to arrive there at 11 and stay all day, hanging out, listening to great music and drinking cocktails. I’ve never had a bad time there. But a few doors down from PuroBeach is Camuri, where we always go for lunch if we are there. A Mediterranean-Asian fusion restaurant serving fresh quality ingredients. Ask for a table down the side of the restaurant. The service is better there and the view is ace.

There are tons more places to go, this list only scratches the surface, but if you’re looking for more ideas:

Italian food and people watching in Puerto Banús. Go at lunchtime when it’s not full of partying youngsters. They do a mean escalope milanese (ask for it with spaghetti pomadoro).
Drinks at the bar by the pool at the Marbella Club Hotel.
Sunday morning coffee in Plaza de los Naranjos in Marbella. Go to the cathedral and watch the well-dressed locals arrive for mass then get coffee in the square.
Hire a bike at the Marbella Bike Club and have an early morning cycle.
Dress up for lunch on the terrace at the Villa Padierna hotel.
Take a trip out of town, up into the hills of Ronda.
If you have all-day Sunday then a trip out to The Beach House is worth the journey for good food and daytime entertainment

Basically, 48 hours isn’t long enough, but that’s why we keep going back 🙂

13th May 2018

Live, Play

Oh Hai

I can’t believe it’s been so long since I wrote anything – 3 months! I’m feeling very rusty. It’s not that my ramblings cover anything particularly earth-shattering, it’s more that it is a stark reminder to myself of how long it is since I sat down with some time to spare and created something. It’s about the same amount of time since I picked up my camera, so I definitely need to get back into the habit.

There’s way too much to catch up on all in one go, so I might save the big things for posts of their own. But a whistle-stop tour of the past 3 months includes Christmas parties, Christmas lunches and a Christmas break to Marbella.

There have been some fun days and fun nights out, some cosy days and cosy nights in, my first bottomless brunch, my 4-year anniversary at work, and of course, some cocktails. There also seems to have been quite a lot of rain.

It’s been extraordinarily busy at work, but I’m hoping to get a little bit more organised and carve out some time again for doing the things I love. This quick post is dipping my toe back in, and reminding myself. It’s always easier when the weather is better, and at least coming into March we know that Spring is on the way. Just this really cold snap to get through first!

25th February 2018

Travel

Purobeach Marbella Birthday

We got to spend my Birthday week in Marbella again, which is one of my favourite things to do. And we got to spend my actual Birthday at Purobeach. It was an ace day.

In fact, the whole week was ace. We spent time lying down, eating, drinking and generally relaxing. So many highlights, including disovering a new-ish restaurant from local chef Dani Garcia. Lobito de Mar was a fanstastic discovery – fresh seafood, little nibbles, HUGE martini’s and all set in a stylish, Hamptons-vibe restaurant. Of course, we opted to sit at the bar, which is always first choice for me.

We stayed at the NH just outside Marbella, which is cost-effective and really good value. They’ve got a nice pool and you can easily get around the local area. The local bus stops practically outside, the cabs are not too expensive and it’s a lovely stroll along the beach in either direction to Marbella or Puerto Banus. We’ve been there so many times before the Wifi picked up my phone both at the hotel and the neighbouring bar, Boca Seca.

This time, as well as Lobito de Mar, we ate at a few different places. We found excellent Pinxos in Marbella called Le Kune, we had great cocktails at Trocadero Playa and we travelled the other side of Marbella to go to The Beach House. A bit of a trek, but the food and Cosmo’s made up for it. We also lunched at La Milla and ate (excellent) ‘experimental’ tapas by streelight in Marbella old town at Garnacha.

I can’t wait to go back.

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15th September 2017

Travel

Viva España

Just back from a wonderful 6 days in Andalucia. I love this area and could happily live there tomorrow.

Because Madge is doing the epic cycle from Venice to Rome in 3 weeks, he needed to get some cycling in during the week so after we picked up our car and got to the hotel, we went out in search of the bike hire place. Turns out the combinaton of an unknown car, on unknown roads, on the wrong side is a hairy combination so it took us a few goes to find the place, but once we did they kitted him out with the bike, leaving him to ride back to the hotel and me to find my way in the car. Once we got back I was happy to park the car up and start the holiday!

We stayed for 2 nights in the NH hotel just outside Marbella, which is a nice basic hotel with a lovely pool and a good bar next door, perfect for watching the MotoGP in while eating tapas and drinking cava. The best way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

On Monday we got the bus into Marbella for a stroll around the old town and along the beach. We dipped our toes in the Med and had some lovely tapas.

We got the bus back, checked out and headed off to our villa, where we were staying for the next 4 days. We’ve been there before, so finding our way was easy and it was nice to go back to somewhere so lovely and so familiar.

We were straight into the pool, before heading out for dinner at Villa Padierna, a very nice hotel near by. On Tuesday Madge was up early for a cycle into the mountains, so I dropped him at San Luis de Sabinillas down the road and headed back to Puerto Banus for breakfast on my own.

It was lovely drinking cafe con leche and watching the world go by, and before I knew it it was time to leave to go and pick Madge back up. We had lunch back at the Villa Padierna and dinner out at our favourite Italian restaurant in Puerto Banus.

Wednesday was my Birthday and we had already made plans to spend it at the PuroBeach club in Estapona. We booked beach-facing pool beds and started the day with fresh fruit and water, followed by swimming in the sea, the pool and pre-lunch cocktails. We had a gorgeous lunch at Camuri and then spent the rest of the afternoon round the pool listening to the great music, drinking cocktails and snoozing, before heading home, getting dressed up and going out to La Sala. A brilliant Birthday.

The rest of the week flew by in a flash and before we knew it, it was Friday morning and time to leave to drop the bike off and head to the airport.

We finished our wonderful holiday with champagne at the airport, perfect end to a perfect trip.

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11th September 2016