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HOW NOW TOWN COW?

One is living the urban dream in London, the other is buried in deepest North Yorkshire. Different lives, shared interests. This is their blog.

B L O G

F O O D

F A S H I O N

TR AV E L

H O M E S

A B O U T

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Lets talk about the sun.Lets talk about the sun.

FEBRUARY 26, 2016

IN HOLIDAY, TRAVEL

You are absolutely right Jen. I have indeed been dreaming of the sunshine of late, and the where-to-

holiday-this-summer debate is a hot (sorry, couldn't resist) topic at the moment, especially with current

baltic temperatures, and a particularly gruelling half term spent here in London. I am just not good with

winter, and if I see another smug family skiing or, even worse, winter-sun shot on Facebook........

However, your post made me giggle A LOT, and whilst we are sadly not mountain-bound this season, I am

off to an 'apres ski' themed party soon so your reccos have come in very handy for that... thank you!

Back to the job in hand though, and with my old travel PR hat firmly back on, here are my top 5 genuinely

fabulous European family holiday hotspots... Greece features heavily due to its virtually 100% guaranteed

scorchio sunshine (and to anyone that knows the Northern cow & I, this is a summer-holiday pre-requisite,

we cry at the sight of a cloud whilst abroad):

1. 1 . Ikos Olivia, Halkidiki, GreeceIkos Olivia, Halkidiki, Greece

very close to HNTC's heart ! One of the renowned Sani Hotel owners

new little-sister properties. Having opened last year, the Ikos Olivia is a sparkling, gleaming, resort holiday

kind-of-place guaranteed to give you a fun, safe, relaxing holiday where you don't have to lift a finger, or, in

fact, even move from the resort. With super-comfy, spacious rooms dotted around am old olive grove, The

Olivia's USP however has to be its 'infinite lifestyle' offering (that's new, posh speak for all-inclusive) with its

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range of fab restaurants and bars, you can literally eat and drink yourself silly with the best food & booze,

whilst being waited on hand and foot. AND because you will have paid up-front, there will be no bill at the

end. Genius I tell you, go book NOW!

2. 2. My Little Place on the Hill, Kefalonia, GreeceMy Little Place on the Hill, Kefalonia, Greece - - Complete opposite to the above, this is a small,

intimate, boutique hotel located up on a hill (as you have probably already guessed) with the most

incredible views out over the sea. Very laid-back and tranquil, there are 18-self catering suites, set amongst

lush gardens, with a beautiful pool. Vicky & Alex, the owners, are very much on hand, giving it that fabulous

personal touch. There is a pool-side bar serving breakfast plus all-day drinks and snacks, but other than that

you do your own thing for food. Great value for money and rustic-luxe at its very best. And whilst it may not

be bang on the beach, its hill-side location is amazing.

3. 3. The Peligoni Club, Zakythos, GreeceThe Peligoni Club, Zakythos, Greece - - The Peligoni Club is an exclusive beach club & luxurious

villas. You basically book a villa along with 'membership' to the beach club where there is a restaurant, bar,

water sports, beach, kids club, spa, gym etc.. for the duration of your holiday. So the good thing is you can

combine self catering together with hanging out in 'the club'. The villas are of varying price ranges, but the

club is great fun, very social, and brilliant in particular for families with kids aged 9+ - and comes into its

own when you have teens in tow. Not the cheapest of options, but it can be done on a slightly cheaper

budget by booking your own villa and just buying member-ship to the club for the duration of your hols.

4.4. Dounas Douradas, Algarve, Portugal Dounas Douradas, Algarve, Portugal - - Apart from running the risk of bumping into half of SW18,

this Algarve hot spot ticks a lot of boxes and promises to provide a fantastic holiday for all the family, which

is why people head back year after year. A luxury beach club and hotel with all the trimmings - there are

139 apartments and villas, with various swimming pools, bars, restaurants, one of the best beaches in the

area, kids club, spa.. I could go on. And a big bonus is the golf and tennis available. An all round, action

packed holiday. And do not forget to book in a long boozy afternoon/evening (or few) at local beach bar &

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IKOS OLIV IA, MY L ITTLE PLACE ON THE HILL, THE PELIGONI CLUB, DOUNAS DOURADAS, CHATEAU ST P IERREDE SERJAC, HOLIDAYS, GREECE, PORTUGAL, FRANCE, BEST EUROPEAN SUMMER HOLIDAYS 2016

COMMENT

restaurant Marias ! mariasbeachalgarve.com

5.5.

Chateau St Pierre de Serjac, South of FranceChateau St Pierre de Serjac, South of France.. This total gem of a place is a hidden secret! It

brilliantly blends the privacy of luxury self catering villas with the usual hotel facilities such as restaurant &

wine bar (complete with extensive Languedoc wine list to die for), Kids Club, tennis courts, pool, boules &

bbq area and a lovely Med Garden Spa. But what's lovely is that you can be lazing by the huge infinity pool

one day, then off on a bike ride along the Canal du Midi the next, plus picnics in the vines, or day trips to

the beach, visits to historic castles and charming market towns, and of course, being in the Languedoc, it

would be rude not to squeeze in a bit of wine tasting...

Right there we have it, something for everyone I hope?! Which one do you reckon then Jen for summer '16?

PS. Photos above in order I have written...

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Not piste offNot piste off

FEBRUARY 23, 2016

IN TRAVEL, FASHION

It's Baltic up here. And whilst sub-zero temperatures would normally have me muttering about SAD and

reaching for the gin, this year I can't complain. The sun is out and we are going skiing next month.

We've taken an eight year sabbatical from the slopes due to young children. And apparently things have

moved on a bit... everyone wears a helmet (sensible but disastrous for the tan) and ski passes no longer live

on a string round your neck (thank God, HOW annoying was that?).

I am a bit concerned the old kit isn't going to cut it. It's not quite a dish dash C&A all-in-one but it does

come from White Stuff (who ironically no longer make ski wear) circa 1992. Which prompted me to hit

Pinterest for some inspiration. This, in my opinion, is how to nail it: monochrome, fur and serious goggles.

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Unsurprisingly you can spend a small fortune on ski wear (Moncler, I'm looking at you). It's a cost per wear

ratio shocker. So here's my pick of the high street that doesn't require you to sell a kidney (click on pics for

further details)...

Ski JacketsSki Jackets

Sweaty Betty Exploration Softshell Ski J… Poivre Blanc Quilted Ski Jacket, £180 Eider Shibuya Faux Fur Down Jacket, £…

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Ski TrousersSki Trousers

Topshop SNO Skinny Ski Trousers, £70 Bogner Lischana White Fitted Ski Pant, … Poivre Blanc Softshell Ski Pant, £170

Base Layers & Ski AccessoriesBase Layers & Ski Accessories

Dry Sweat Full-Zip Hoodie, £2…Sweaty Betty Ski Trail Seamle…Dirty Dog Doffer Sunglasses…Oakley A Frame Goggles, £11…

Apres SkiApres Ski

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SKIWEAR, SNOW & ROCK, WHITE STONE, TOPSHOP, BODEN, MINT VELVET, SOREL, POIVRE BLANC, SWEATYBETTY, UNIQLO, OAKLEY

COMMENT

M&S Faux Fur Headband, £12… Sorel Caribou Boot, £130 Mint Velvet Khaki Faux Fur G…Boden Longer Line Cable Ju…

Am I ever going to tempt you onto the slopes Al? Knowing you, you'll be heavily researching summer hols

by now...

PS thrilled you introduced me to & Other Stories in your last post. LOVE. Did you get that amazing ear cuff?

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How we came close to cracking the perfect familyHow we came close to cracking the perfect familysummer hols...summer hols...

NOVEMBER 19, 2015

IN TRAVEL, FAMILY, HOLIDAY

There has been an on-going debate in our household on a subject very dear to my heart - the perfect

summer holiday. To be clear, I’m talking a proper getaway-from-it-all two-weeker, uber-relaxing for all the

family, with (dare I say it) a smattering of childcare, poolside rose-on tap, and of course not forgetting the

most important ingredient of all; guaranteed daily scorching sunshine, the kind that really warms right

through to the bone…. I swear it is good for the soul. And if I don’t get my annual dose of ‘proper’ sun, there

is no hope for the winter ahead…..

So when great holiday-debate reared its head again just before Christmas last year (its always around this

time as I think its whilst we’re making Christmas plans, trying to split ourselves between all the family, in

various corners of the country, many a-heated conversation on who’s ‘turn’ is it this year, when the husband

and I say to each other, next Christmas we are going away…but we never do…because of our beloved

families). So we focus our minds on next year’s summer holiday…where to go, and who with?! We ask

ourselves the same old question ‘what is the recipe for the perfect family holiday’?

Option 1 – a couple of weeks away just the five of us? Categorically NO.

Option 2 – hiring a lovely villa with friends? Possibly. But never as relaxing as you might think, the kids get

bored, so not a holiday for parents, essentially its just a change-of-scene. So, go with friends…yes, but

who?! Who do we want to spend precious time with and who more importantly would put up with us!!

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Option 3 – a full-on Mark Warner stylee activity holiday…. Possibly, but can be a bit too Dirty-Dancing

resort-esq, full-on, and often just over priced for what they offer.

Option 4 –

a straight forward hotel or resort.… Fabulous, however any hotels worth their salt usually mean

you need to re-mortgage your house to pay for it, then you know full well its going to be a painful and a

very much UN-RELAXING holiday as the husband will have heart failure every time anyone orders

anything…. Ugh.

So it was a stroke of luck when early this year we agreed to holiday with my fellow blogger from the North!!

After copious amounts of online searches into the aforementioned options 2-4, trawling through travel

magazines and articles that we stumbled upon a feature in The Sunday Times travel section saying

the place to go with families this summer was one of the new Ikos Resorts in Greece – sister properties to

the renowned and highly reputable (also highly spenny) Sani Resorts. Our ears immediately pricked up as it

ticked a lot of boxes. Two weeks later and the Ikos Olivia was booked for 12 nights in mid-August, despite

the place not even opening until May. GULP.

Now here’s the boring bit, the Ikos Resorts comprise the Ikos Olivia and the Ikos Oceana and are both

located in Halkidiki, northern mainland Greece, a 40-min drive from Thessaloniki airport. What the Ikos

resorts have done though rather brilliantly is to create a similar offering found at the Sani resorts, but at a

less eye-watering price point. Admittedly, 2015 being the very first season, we got a good deal, HOWEVER

it was most definitely verging on 5 star at 4 star price.

So here’s the thing, they are all inclusive resorts, or ‘Infinite lifestyle’ as they call it. Not everyone’s cup of

tea, obviously, however this was no ordinary all-inclusive, I assure you. That is everything was properly

included and at an amazingly high standard. ALL food 24/7, all drinks, soft and alcoholic, and not just the

local Greek stuff, we’re talking all French, Italian, New World wines etc., branded spirits….I could go on.

This, in my mind is a miracle, especially when holidaying with three permanently hungry & thirsty children,

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and an even thirstier husband…..

The Olivia had a main hotel block which is a few stories high, whilst the rest of the rooms are spread out

among the property which is a former olive grove, hence the name, which is where we were. The rooms

were just fantastic. We had a junior suite which was made up of a double room, with a large en suite

bathroom, a separate sitting room that had a double bed and an extra put up bed – more than adequate for

our 3 children aged 8,7 & 5 at the time. We also had a massive balcony. Fab.

Seriously comfy beds, and amazing pillows, I even contacted the hotel afterwards to ask where the pillows

were from they were that perfect!! One of the many rather nice little touches was that every day when the

rooms were cleaned and beds made, the mini bar would be re-stocked, for free. Amazing! Yes, I mean you

could drink your mini-bar dry and every day it would be filled up again… Having been there only a day, I was

fast becoming the world’s number one ‘infinite lifestyle’ fan.

Once we were able to tear ourselves away from the minibar and mega-pillows, a lovely, shiny, sparkly resort

awaited…Two large swimming pools with lots of lovely sun-loungers dotted around the place. One of the

pools had a rather nice little swim up bar – always a bonus. Then there were tennis courts, a gym, spa, a

football pitch, ping-pong tables, playground, bikes to roam around the property (great for the kids). And if

this isn’t enough for the little ones, there is also a kids club - which we dipped in and out of - run by an

external company with British staff who all seemed great. Then of course the beach with the usual water

sports, and these rather friendly 'beach buddies' on hand seeing to your every whim, mojito order etc… And

all of this still included in this infinite lifestyle deal.... I'm sounding like a broken record, I know!! The only

thing you would have to pay for would be spa treatments and motorized water sports, but that’s it.

Aside from the lovely ‘beach buddies’, all the hotel staff were particularly lovely, nothing was too much

trouble… I can also honestly say the quality of the food in each of the property’s five restaurants was

fabulous, and because such a wide range, you didn’t get bored or feel like you were going stir crazy, which

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IKOS OLIV IA, GREECE, HALKIDIKI, HOTEL

COMMENT

is also amazing for an all-inclusive, I mean infinite lifestyle, hotel. A firm favourite of ours was the beach-

side Greek restaurant where we would find ourselves most lunchtimes trying out yet another crisp white

wine as recommended by the fabulous Grigoris. Furthermore, there are even two (very) authentic Greek

tavernas in the local village that are included in a ‘dine-around’ deal (!!) which meant you could get out of

the resort in the evenings a few times too.

If I was going to be picky, I would say that the only downside was the beach which was man-made as the

resort is located on the ‘arm pit’ of the second prong of the Halkidiki peninsula – however head off down

the coast for a drive or hire a boat and you will come across some of the most stunning beaches and crystal

clear waters you can imagine.

So what more can I say, a properly fabulous, mojito-fuelled, yet relaxing holiday - one which I would

absolutely recommend. I mean, to leave a hotel after 12 glorious days, with not one penny to pay on check

out – nope, NADA – is incredible. And obviously we had some okay company too…

'Infinite' and 'lifestyle' are most definitely my two new favourite words.

How was it for you Jen?! How Now.

Al x

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