THE STAY CAY, LONDON | LONG WEEKEND- AT THE RITZ

We are living life on the edge after this pandemic, considering we will likely only be able to do this within the confines of our home counties, this will involve some heavily and at times outrageously indulgent moments away by ourselves; away from the home we have been cooped up in for the better part of eighteen months. The operative word here being INDULGENT. The Ritz hotel gets a bit of a bad rap as being stuffy and old worldly it is both those things, but it is also a grown up hotel; and a perfect place for a proper grown up getaway. The Ritz is one mighty fine place to stay. Old? Yes. Stuffy? In parts, or maybe the word is seasoned, but an experience it most certainly is, and a service level that feels both indulgent and extraordinary. Nothing, absolutely nothing is too much for them.

So check in with yourself for a bit.

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Be sure to sit down to afternoon tea in one of its opulent settings; Let me set the scene; soft piano playing in the background, conversation carrying on without being intrusive, resplendent setting. Men, women and children smartly dressed; the Ritz is not a place you simply turn up to, you show up in your Sunday best. Crustless finger sandwiches, warm scones, cakes that both delight and indulge and champagne. I am not much of a tea drinker so I opted for champagne.

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Again, the staff; the calling card for the Ritz is the impeccable service, above and beyond fabulous service that makes a stay there priceless. and memorable. It does not come on the cheap, hence the indulgence. If the pandemic has taught us anything, I hate to sound like a cliche and I won’t, but we do not treat ourselves enough. We wake up, go through the rig-marrow of getting ourselves ready, take the train and head to work where we give our all over and above our contracted hours… we did that five, sometimes seven days a week hardly a moment to ourselves, to indulge. I say its time.

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We are hunkered down at home for the next few months, possibly the rest of the year, there is no reason why that should be ordinary. So go on and indulge.

But you did not just come to London to stay in your suite all day did you? No. There are dinners to be had and places to see and walks to have around the city and if mother nature is aligned with us, we will be spending an afternoon picnicing in the sunshine in any of the parks available at our doorstep; my favourite park in this part of town is Hyde Park for its sheer vastness but also its indescribable charm.

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THE SHORT, SHORT STOPS

There is always something to do, see, and eat in London, places to go, something surprising around the corner to be awed by; it is such a city. Snag a ticket to an art show there is plenty going on in London right now. Leg it to Covent Garden to see the Banksy exhibition on until September. Go see the Fast 9 movie, best franchise ever, don’t @ me.

Here are a couple suggestions to help you get started.

VISIT- SOTHERAN’S OF SACKVILLE

If you blink you might miss this bookstore considering it is in one of the not so known streets of London. But if you know, you most certainly know. Here you will find rare books and print like the sign above the door says, you will also find knowledgeable staff who are only too happy to work there and eager to help you. Rare and beautiful books in the best condition. A true book lover and collectors’ paradise.

DINNER AT THE OLD FAITHFUL- HAKKASAN

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the old faithful stomping ground. There are new places I want to visit, but old places I want to go back to with friends. Hakkasan is one of them. It’s rare to find a place that is all the hype but has good food and good service to back the hype up; Hakkasan has both in spades. It is an entire mood, sophisticated and not cheap, being a Michelin star restaurant and all, but it’s such good food and all the vibes. Whilst in the thick of the lockdown ordering from Hakkasan was a habit and a treat. The food is good, scrumptious, the drinks, perfection, excellent and despite its moody feel it’s not as intimidating as it first pretends to be. Dress up whilst you are at it, will you. It’s not a place we want to just roll up in trackies, we have done that the past year and then some. So throw on your heels, albeit it training heels (put those flats in the bag because we are still out of practise so trailing heels) and wear something nice, tell your friend to tell her friend and let’s be out, out and have the time of our lives; we deserve to

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THE WARDROBE

DAY TIME

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We are keeping it simple and easy because the heat… I am praying this will come back again and it will, so stick to a simple and easy palette. Trainers are my absolute go to… since lockdown I have lost the ability to walk in heels. I have taken to practising this at home, but outside please throw on a good pair of white trainers and call it a day. We are going walkies by day.

NIGHT TIME

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Go with some heat but lighten this up. A little cliche I know, but seriously, nothing beats a Black dress, little or not so little, it is the perfect dress for night time anything, I stand by that. Break up the mellow with some bright colours.

THE EXTRAS

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Because you know we can never pack enough so throw in an extra pair of shoes and a dress, you never know you might want to stay that extra night…