Paris
Saturday 18 June 2016
Paris was a top destination on my too-see list, and I finally got to go in February last year.
WARNING: February in Paris is colder than words can describe.
After seeing New York, Paris was next on my to-do list.
The week was great and Paris was not how I had imagined it. Unfortuanly I was pretty ill whilst I was there, and the freezing cold temperatures did not help. But I still had a brilliant time.
On Day 1 we spent the day site seeing. As I can imagine most tourists do, we visited the Eiffel Tower first. The whole process was a lot smoother than I thought it was going to be. The tickets were a reasonable price (an adult ticket is €17 and a youth (12-24) is €14.50) and the queue moved fairly quickly. And once you were up it didn't seem that busy. We only went up to the first and main viewing point, but the views were incredible!!
After picking our next route from a height, we then made our way to the Champs élysées where we visited the beautiful Arc De Triomphe. Fact of the day - the Arc de Triomphe is so big that in 1919 Charles Godefroy actually flew a place through the middle! I never realised that it was quite so big in the pictures.
We spent the rest of the day strolling around the area. Visiting a few shops on the way including Mac, which I have the ability to find wherever I am in the world!
We made our way down to the Louvre, but decided not to go and see the Mona Lisa as we weren't really feeling the queue, or the price. In hindsight, I really wish I had gone in to see it as I think it is such a big part of the Paris sight-seeing.
We made our way down to the Louvre, but decided not to go and see the Mona Lisa as we weren't really feeling the queue, or the price. In hindsight, I really wish I had gone in to see it as I think it is such a big part of the Paris sight-seeing.
We decided to then take the subway to find the Moulin Rouge, of course the film had been prep for our trip. The actual place was not what I imagined at all. The area looked a bit seedy and we didn't want to stay long. I'm not really sure why the Moulin Rouge is even a tourist attraction, because there's not really much to see.
The following day we continued our sight seeing. Our first port of call was Notre Dame. I was particularly excited about this trip as The Huncback of Notre Dame is my absolute favourite Disney film - also it's a lot darker than you realise when you watch it as an adult!
It was incredible to see the real life building in front of me, and it was one of my favourite moments from the whole trip!
As the sun was out and it was a bit warmer than the previous day, we decided to get a city tour bus. This made sure we covered all the main sites of Paris, most of which we had seen but it was a nice relaxing way to see the city. The downside was the the sun was misleading, and after a few minutes on the bus we were starting to lose feeling in our fingers and toes and were regretting our desicion. Nevertheless we had paid for this tour so we were going to see this tour. We stuck in it out for the whole journey, and by the end we could barely move. In hindsight we probably could have just sat in the warm on the lower deck, but staying on the top I felt like I achieved something.
We ended the day by seeing the Eiffel Tower at night. Which is way cooler! If you get there on the hour it sparkles for around 5 minutes, which is one of the most beautiful things you will see whilst in Paris.
Our final full day was the most exciting. We went to Disney Land!! The day was very cold again, but we wrapped up warm. The park was surprisingly busy for a cold February day. I had thought it may have been quiet but I was wrong. We had a ticket that included a bus from central Paris to the park. I was a little confusing as to where we had to go, as there were no signs up in the area. The bus was also fairly late. Luckily there was a french lady (who also spoke english) waiting in the same area, and she said we were at the right address and she had got the bus before, so we didn't panic too much.
One of the bad things about going to Disneyland at this time of year was that a lot of the attractions and resturants were closed whilst they 'made improvements'. This was particularly gutting as I had prepped myself to take on Space Mountain, as on my previous Disneyland visit, aged 7, they had turned me away due to my lack of height, but no, it was closed.
One of the bad things about going to Disneyland at this time of year was that a lot of the attractions and resturants were closed whilst they 'made improvements'. This was particularly gutting as I had prepped myself to take on Space Mountain, as on my previous Disneyland visit, aged 7, they had turned me away due to my lack of height, but no, it was closed.
We had lunch in Planet Hollywood, which looked like it hadn't had a makeover since I was 7. Let's bear in mind I'm in my 20's now. The foods was average, nothing to rave about unfortunately.
Towards the end of the day we watched the Main Street parade, which was magical. It's amazing how it still gets me emotional at my age, but it was worth standing out in the cold for. I stocked up on numourous Disney gifts from the gift store.
If you're planning on visiting Paris for yourself in February make sure you take warm clothes!
My essentials also included - scarfs, ear muffs, leather gloves, thick socks and lip balm. It was the coldest I think I have ever felt! I did end up getting a nasty cold from my trip so try and make sure you keep warm, as it's not great fun going on a plane when you feel like death warmed up!
If I returned to Paris, I would like to visit some of the museums, as that was something we didn't really have time for. But if I'm completely honest I don't think I will be rushing back - although maybe a summer visit would change my mind. I was glad we had the Disney Tickets, as other than museums, I'm not sure what else we would of done due to the weather, as it was far to cold to explore and get lost.
The Everglades
Whilst visiting Miami we took a day trip to the Everglades.
We paid $45 dollars for a tour that picked us up from our hotel. The trip takes about half a day, and you have the option of a morning tour and afternoon tour. We went for the morning so we still had the afternoon to do other things.
The trip included an airboat trip and an alligator show.
The airboat tour was brilliant. I was happy to be sat on the end of the row, so I had a good view. Our captain was called Tanya, and she took us on a trip around the waters, on the hunt for alligators. Now and again she went really fast, which was so much fun, and nice and cooling when it was getting super hot. I did lose my hat at one point but luckily it only flew to the back of the boat. And, we did get to see alligators! In fact we got really close to them. It took a while, and I was starting to thick we weren't going to see them. But then they seemed to be everywhere! The tour guide was great, and made sure people on both sides of the boats got a good look.
The alligator show after was a bit bizarre. It consisted of a woman dragging an alligator round by its tail, and at one point, putting her head in it's mouth, whilst insisting that the alligator was not drugged it was just familiar with her. It was pretty uncomfortable to watch, and I didn't enjoy this part. There was an opportunity after to get your photo taken with a small alligator with it's mouth taped shut, however I thought that was kind of cruel, so kept away. I was also super hot and excited to get back into the air conditioned bus.
The place had a souvenir store, a food bit (didn't have chance to see what kind of food but I assume the normal burger and chips etc.) and toilets. Pretty simple, but going on the tour you did not have time for any more.
I definitely recommend this day trip to anyone going to Miami. It was very interesting, and there was lots to see on the boat tour. There were other forms of wildlife seen on the boat tour such as different birds and fish (I know, not as exciting as the alligator), and the tour guide sure knew her stuff and gave us some interesting facts.
Before you go on the air boat tour, you get your photo taken, which they then print and let you have for free at the end - i thought this was pretty god, as I was expecting them to charge about $20 for it.
Miami
Wednesday 15 June 2016
I recently went to Miami for a week, and it was incredible. Miami feels like paradise. It is a mixture of a city and a beach and the weather is fantastic.
We stayed in the Red South Beach Hotel and were there for 6 days in total.
Miami had always been on my wish list. As you may have noticed, I love visiting America. I think this is due to my obsession with American TV growing up. I went to Orlando when I was 15, so this wasn't my first time to Florida. Miami was very different though.
We did so many different things whilst there, such as a trip to the Everglades, a baseball game, a bus tour and a boat tour. My favourite part of the trip was the sightseeing bus tour and I would recommend this to anyone who is travelling to Miami. The city is so big and there is so much to see, the hop on hop off tour is a perfect way to see as much as possible in an easy and convenient way.
There were 4 routes, and the ticket lasted for 48 hours - and we didn't even complete it all in that time. There were still places I would have liked to have gone and if we had been there longer, I would have considered buying another 2 day ticket. The buses also have a tour guide, who shared loads of cool facts about the different areas.
Some of the tour highlights were:
Bayside
This was the main bus stop where all the routes start. This area is home to the Miami Heat stadium - much to my boyfriends delight. There is also a small shopping complex with numerous restaurants including Hooters, Chilli's, Five Guys, Bubbu Gump Shrimp and Hard Rock Cafe.
There is a small selection of shops, some market style, and some actual shops such as Express, Gap, Footlocker and Guess. Bayside also has a harbour, and it's where you go to start all the Biscayne Bay boat tours - another must do. On these tours, you can see all the homes of the rich and famous - not sure how true these celeb tours actually are, but there are some beaut views and perfect photo ops.
Coconut Grove
Another beautiful area of Miami, big houses, beautiful scenery and a place you can dream of living in. When driving through, look out for the peacocks strolling through. One of the stops is another small shopping area, where you can find The Cheesecake Factory - home of the best cheesecake in the world, and also some delicious food. I had an amazing Californian Cheesesteak sandwich and it was probably my favourite meal I had in Miami. This was followed by a huge chunk of salted caramel cheesecake, which sadly was so big I couldn't finish it. The choice of cheesecake options is amazing, you won't be able to pick!
Little Havana
This is an area we didn't get to explore properly, but I wish we did. It is home to the Cuban community of Miami. As you drive through, you are hit by a delicious smell coming from the numerous food places. If I ever go back, I will definitely head there for a meal. We got off here as it was the closest stop to Marlins Park - home of the Miami Marlins Baseball Team. we were however warned that the neighbourhood was not the safest to walk through, so we got our first Uber to the stadium for a Baseball game.
Art District
Driving through the art district we saw some amazing graffiti art work on the buildings. This is another area we did not have enough time to explore as I think if we had got off at the art district stop, there would have been lots to see. Lots of people got off here, and the place seemed very busy, so I think there was a lot more there than you see driving through. I did however, get some great photos of some brilliant art.
South Beach
This is one of the main tourist attractions in Miami. The bus takes you nice and close to the beach, and you can go to places such as Lincoln Road Mall - so many shops!!, and Espanola Way - a spanish style street with numerous restaurants. We went to a lovely Italian restaurant, where I had a delicious Carbonara accompanied by Cosmopolitans. The prices were a bit higher than other places, but the atmosphere and tasty food makes it worth it. South Beach is also home to shops such as Sephora and DASH. Along Ocean Drive you can find famous places such as The Clevelander and The Sugar Factory. The tour also takes you past some famous hotels and past Millionaires Row, which is 'supposedly' homes to stars such as Justin Bieber, David Beckham and Simon Cowell. South Beach and Ocean Drive also have some amazing art deco style buildings that make the place even more beautiful.
Miami - Red South Beach Hotel
So last week I went to Miami! What an amazing place.
We stayed at the Red South Beach Hotel. It was more mid-beach than South Beach so it was a bit of a trek when we wanted to explore, but Ubers became life/feet savers.
We upgraded our room so we had a bigger bed, as neither me or my boyfriend are great at bed sharing. The room was well air conditioned - another life saver, and there was a en-suite, wardrobe, fridge and safe. Also a TV and dressing table. There was an iron and ironing board - but please, we were on holiday - so I pretended that didn't exist.
As you probably guessed by the name, the theme of the hotel is the colour red, so the hotel and rooms have a nice red decor.
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| Bedroom |
We didn't pay for an ocean view room - which I believe was an option (I guess this would be the higher rooms) but we could just see it through the buildings. We mainly looked out over a main road - Collins Ave, which could be a bit noisy at night - a lot of racing cars and sirens. But this didn't bother us too much. What was annoying though was the other people staying in the hotel. We were often woken up by shouting, and people walking down the corridors talking loudly and playing music at 5am - but hey it is Miami, a lot of people go there to party, and I expect it's the same in most hotels.
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| View from room - window was a bit dirty! |
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| Hotel pool area |
The hotel also had a nice pool area with a restaurant. The restaurant offers room service - although we didn't take advantage of this. We did however have the most delicious mushroom pizza there. Service was a little slow, but they made up for it with the delicious food. One day we even had a pizza out by the pool while we were sunbathing - heaven.
I'm ashamed to say I never actually went in the pool as the only time I went down it was pretty busy and I was too engrossed in my book. There were plenty of sun loungers for sun bathing and the hotel offers beach towels to use by the pool or the beach.
The beach is literally two minutes away. Cross the road, and walk down a small street and you are there. There were plenty of places to hire sun loungers and parasols - $35 for 2 loungers and a parasol for the day. As you can imagine the beach was beautiful. There was a path so you can walk all the way along it. A lot of people were jogging along the path - crazy people - I could barely walk in that heat.
The hotel also offers tours to different places around Miami, such as the Everglades, the Mall, the Sea Aquarium and many others. Obviously these are at a cost, but the prices seemed reasonable. This is booked through the concierge at the front of the hotel.
Over all we were happy with the hotel and would probably stay there again. The staff were friendly and the hotel had everything you need for a holiday in Miami!
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