HOLIDAY WISHLIST: 10 DREAMY (& AFFORDABLE) AIRBNBS

I'm just back from a week camping in the Scottish Highlands, and already my mind has turned to what holiday I can plan next - I am a fan of having something to look forward to!

I think my plan this year is to try and get two weeks away somewhere sunny and interesting in the Autumn - the last few years have been great for weekends away and short breaks, but it's been ages since I've had a proper 'big' holiday, and I am ready to soak up some sunshine and culture.

Saying that, my budget is not very big-holiday friendly, so enter Airbnb (not a sponsored post, although I wish!). I've been using Airbnb for years and I love it. It's such a great way to discover a city, feel like you are (almost!) a local, and stay somewhere with personality, that can be tailored to your budget.

As I've been spending a lot of time searching through their listings, I thought I'd share 10 places that caught my eye (that are also surprisingly affordable!). If you've stayed at any super dreamy airbnbs, please share them in the comments - I am still searching for that perfect holiday spot!

1. Budapest, Hungary

Just look at this gorgeous design-led apartment. I've never been to Budapest, but everyone raves about it, and places like this make it even more tempting. It's close to all the main attractions, and a bargain at £45/night. 

2. Ostuni, Italy

I've always fancied staying in an Italian Trullo, and look how beautiful this is! It's a 300 year old building (recently refurbished to be environmentally friendly), set in grounds with olive, almond, fig, cherry, apple, pear and mulberry trees (which you can help yourself to). There's beaches and little towns nearby, and hammocks to hang out in, and it looks so nice! It's roughly £80/night.

3. Barcelona, Spain

I've stayed in this apartment, so I can vouch it is as dreamy as it looks! It's just around the corner from a metro station and a market, so it's a really great spot to explore Barcelona from. Plus it's got great balconies to people-watch from, with prices around £100/night (prices have gone up since I stayed there, but it was very nice!).

4. Palermo, Italy

Look at those plants! This palazzo is nestled in Palermo's old city, in a magnificent and aristocratic apartment with a private courtyard. It's perfect if you want to stay somewhere packed with colour and character - imagine drinking wine sitting on that terrace after a day of exploring the old streets? It's roughly £70/night.

5. Lacanau, France

Airbnb is great if you are looking for something different, and this tiny house is just that! Based in the pine forest and lake of Lacanau, it boasts to be the perfect place for a romantic stay in the middle of nature. It's close to the coast, and there's loads of great French villages you can explore from this base. It's £62/night.

6. Koufonisia, Greece

Greece can be pretty pricey, but this studio is a bit more affordable at roughly £119/night. It's on a little beach on a beaut Greek island, and looks like a great spot for a chilled holiday.

7. Madeira, Portugal

I hadn't really considered Madeira as a holiday destination, until I saw how affordable it is! This pink cottage caught my eye - it looks perfect if you want an idyllic getaway, where you can swim in the pool, pick fresh fruit off the trees, and explore the island. It's £55/night.

8. Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen is super cool, so it stands to reason that most of the places you can stay are stylish and super cool too. This apartment caught my eye - it's stylish, in a great spot, and has a beaut outdoor terrace you can enjoy. It's around £91/night.

9. Prince Edward, Canada

How cute is this Wes Anderson themed house?! Every room in this 100+ year old house is themed after or inspired by a different Wes Anderson film - you can sleep in Margot's bedroom, hang out in the Life Aquatic themed living room, and eat in the Darjeeling Limited Tea Room. It's roughly £87/night and I would like to stay here please!

10. Brac, Croatia

This stone Croatian cottage is nestled high on a hill top, giving you beautiful views of islands, mainland Croatia and the Adriatic Sea. I stayed here last year for a week - we've been obsessively travelling to Croatia for the last four (!!) years, because it's so wonderful - and it was a beautiful place to stay. It's only £54/night, which makes the view even sweeter.

A LOCAL'S GUIDE TO EDINBURGH

Gifted post: Spending money was gifted by Hotels.com but all views are my own.  

Edinburgh Scratched map - Fruitmarket Gallery shop

I'm pretty lucky to live in Edinburgh, a city that is frequently lauded for being such an all-rounder of culture, history and good times (in 2018 Auld Reekie was voted the best city to visit in the UK for the fifth time running AND named the best city in the world to live in! Go Edinburgh). It's a city famous for its festivals, and there's an abundance of interesting spaces, places, restaurants, bars, coffee shops and hotels in Edinburgh to choose from. Phew!

But like any local, I can get a bit lazy about actually making an effort to get out and explore my city! So it was much appreciated to get a prompt challenging me to go on a day out and find Edinburgh's best spots and hidden gems. 

Buff Nails | Bada Budan

I started off my day by heading to the Arches at New Waverley - a super cute street of renovated Victorian arches, that's tucked away just between Waverley Railway Station and the Royal Mile (a perfect antidote to the tartan shops that crowd the Old Town). It's packed with independent businesses and hipster delights to eat, drink and shop.

I headed to my favourite nail salon, the Scandi-inspired Buff Nails for a shellac manicure, opting for a grey/neon yellow fade which felt fairly appropriate for the is-it-winter/is-it-spring weather we've got going on. I couldn't recommend Buff more - they do classic manicures alongside cool, custom nail art, and it's such a nice way to treat yourself!

After Buff, I wandered along to independent doughnut and coffee shop, Bada Budan. They offer an ace looking brunch menu, but I couldn't resist going for a salted caramel chocolate doughnut (playing tourist is a good excuse to eat doughnuts for lunch, right?). It's a really cute little coffee shop - I cosied in with my book for a while, but they also have a nice outdoor spot, perfect for sunnier days.

Other ideas to treat yourself: the Lush Spa, One Spa (they have a rooftop pool!)

More amazing coffee shops: Artisan Roast (Broughton St), Lovecrumbs (Grassmarket), Brew Lab (South College St), Wellington (George St).

Creative Connections - Fruitmarket Gallery

Next up, it was time for some culture! I have been dying to go see the National Museum of Scotland's new Egyptian exhibit, but I probably don't need to tell you to go there - the Museum is the most visited attraction in Scotland (but it is amazing, and you should absolutely go).

Instead I popped into Edinburgh's Fruitmarket Gallery - a contemporary art gallery based right next to the train station, to look at their current exhibition, Creative Connections, a programme showcasing the work of groups working with diverse communities from across the city. I'm a sucker for bold, bright installations, so loved this piece by Scottish artist Juliana Capes.

The Fruitmarket Gallery also houses a cute cafe and an excellent book and gift shop!

Calton Hill

It's fair to say Edinburgh doesn't always have the greatest weather, but I was lucky today as the sun was shining as I made my way up Calton Hill - the home of the Nelson Monument, the City Observatory, Edinburgh's half-finished acropolis (aka Edinburgh's disgrace!) and the very best views in the city.

I was headed that way to check out the newly-opened Collective Gallery (who moved to their new home on Calton Hill at the end of last year), but was completely distracted by the view. I've lived in this city for years, and even though I've been up here many times, I realised I've actually never walked up on a clear day (instead it's been a destination for firework-watching or Beltane-partying - all fun, but not quite the same!). It's only a 10 minute walk from Princes St, and it's just incredible. You can see Edinburgh's Old and New Towns, the Castle, Arthur's Seat, the Palace at Holyroodhouse, down to Leith and over the Forth to Fife. If you're visiting Edinburgh, it's worth doing this on day one to take in the whole city and get your bearings.

The Gallery was also good though! They have restored the City Observatory, creating a new space for people to engage and think about contemporary art. They also have an amazing gift shop (I'm such a sucker for nice art gifts). 

Want more suggestions? Edinburgh's packed with amazing cultural spots. Watch arthouse films at Filmhouse Cinema, explore the beautiful National Gallery of Modern Art and its amazing grounds, venture out to Jupiter Artland, or discover Edinburgh's creepy medical history at Surgeon's Hall. 

Aurora

One of Edinburgh's best neighbourhoods is Leith, a historic port district that houses creatives and colourful characters, ace bars and cafes and quirky shops. In recent years, loads of amazing restaurants have popped up, as Leith develops a reputation for being home to some of the best restaurants in the city. It also houses me, so yeah, you could say I'm biased, but it is a brilliant place to live and I love it so.

Nestled on the otherwise-uninspiring Great Junction Street, is Aurora, a tiny restaurant that's been getting rave reviews on trip advisor. Aurora aims to create delicious and genuine food with great respect for the ingredients they use, using locally sourced, seasonal and unprocessed produce.

I'd guessed this was going to be good, but holy moly. The menu is made up of smallish-plates so you can try many things - we had the braised pork cheeks with langoustine bisque and scampi, wild mushrooms with smoked almonds and confit yolk (this was so good, take me back), pan fried sea trout with lobster cappelletti, pigeon breast with pear, and honey pannacotta to finish. It was a delight and all very reasonably priced (between £8-12 a dish), given how beautifully prepared and delicious it all was! 

If you're travelling to Aurora, make sure you make a booking in advance. It'll take about 10 minutes to travel there in a taxi from the city centre.

Other places to eat: Finn & Bear (the Shore), Bell's Diner (Stockbridge), Mother India's Cafe (Infirmary St), Chop House (Leith, Market St, Bruntsfield).

A TRIP TO FUERTEVENTURA

It's absolutely freezing outside, so if you are dreaming of some winter sunshine, I have just the place for you. Boasting an average temperature of 20°C in December, beautiful coasts, easy direct flights from the UK, and a whole heap of quirky and interesting places to stay, Fuerteventura, one of the Canary Islands, is lightyears away from the Brits-abroad island I thought it was.

We went in January this year, hopping on cheap-as-chips Ryanair flights for a week of much-needed sunshine and it was glorious.

WHERE WE STAYED

We were there with a big group of pals for a birthday trip, which meant we were able to splash out and book this amazing Airbnb villa (which was still a bit of a bargain, given the size it was). It had a huge garden filled with loungers and hammocks, a beautiful pool (that admittedly, was a bit too cold in January, but we did go in it!), a massive kitchen and lovely rooms.

The villa was in the small surfing town of Lajares, which had lots of little bakeries, interesting shops, a market, restaurants and bars. I am not a fan of places that are too touristy, so it was nice to find this little town that was super welcoming with lots of local charm.

I found loads of lovely Airbnbs in Fuerteventura, when we were looking for this villa. How nice is this super quirky guesthouse? Ugh, take me back! (If you haven't tried airbnb yet, use this link to sign up and get money off!).

WHAT WE DID

We hired a car (pretty much a must in Fuerteventura), so we had lots of opportunities to explore the island. The whole place is beautiful - it's volcanic and rocky, which makes from some incredible scenery, with huge gorgeous beaches.

Hands down my favourite thing, was discovering that the island was inhabited by tiny adorable ground squirrels, who would eat from your hand! We climbed up a volcanic crater near Lajares armed with some monkey nuts, and were instantly covered in very brave squirrels, who knew exactly what they wanted and had zero fear in getting it. As a lover of small animals, this was my dream come true, but maaaay be something to watch out for if you don't want tiny animals descending on you.

We explored a lot of the island. We went to Morro Jable, visited the turtle sanctuary and saw wild stingrays looking for scraps from fishermen in the harbour. We went to massive beaches, which were beautiful, but a bit windy to sit out on (instead we found nice beach bars, and hung out there instead). We stood under the giant statues at Morro Velosa, and learned the reason that most of the island's towns are inland is because the coast used to be threatened by pirates. We climbed rocks and followed adventurous trails, and it was so much fun.

WHAT WE ATE

As there was a big group of us, we cooked a lot at our airbnb, hanging out there in the evenings to play games and catch up. The house had a massive barbecue, so it was perfect for big cookouts with loads of food from the local shops.

Lajares was peppered with bakeries, so it was a total delight to try every one of them. My favourite moment was going into one and buying everyone of their 'fuerte' goat-shaped biscuits (delicious, would eat again). We found lots of excuses to stop for jamón and goats cheese (when in Spain!), and ate loads of amazing fish in tiny restaurants by the sea.

The hardest place to pick food was in Corralejo, the island's largest resort town. Everything seemed a bit bland and touristy, but we came across Single Fin, a really cute burger place that was tiny but packed full of personality and flavour.

All in all, it was an excellent and pretty affordable escape from winter.

A TRIP TO GENEVA

One of the nicest things of the last few years is that I've started going on annual trips with my mum and sisters (#tweediesontour). In 2016 we went to super-cool Copenhagen, and in 2017 we went to Geneva, a place I absolutely wouldn't have been able to go to without the kindness of my mum (thanks mum!).

I didn't really know much about Geneva, other than it being the European home of the UN, and a place of peace, built on cash, clocks, and chocolate. That's kind of true? It's a beautiful city, with old streets and gorgeous parks, chocolate shops on every corner, and is packed with art galleries, museums and interesting designers. It's also one of the most expensive cities in the world - brace yourself.

WHERE WE STAYED

We stayed in Hotel Montbrillant, which was a really great base for exploring the city. It is literally next door to the train station, which made it so easy for getting to and from the airport, and it was only a ten minute walk from the Old Town, and very close to tram and bus stops, so everything was a breeze.

The hotel also gave us free travel cards, which meant buses, trams, trains and taxi-boats were all free of charge - this seems to be a common thing if you stay at a hotel, hostel or campsite in Geneva.

WHAT WE DID

Geneva is a beautiful city, and looking out over Lake Geneva is just breath-taking. The huge fountain (the Jet d'Eau) is 140m high and has 500 litres of water passing through it per second. Madness. My family all love boats, so of course we took the water shuttle across the lake, but we also had a nice wander around it.

We did loads of exploring in the Old Town (the largest historic town in Switzerland), climbed the steps of St Peter's Cathedral, explored the parks, rummaged through the Plainpalais flea market, visited the Palace of Nations, and had a lovely wander round the Natural History Museum.

Possibly the best part of the trip was visiting Mont Saleve, a mountain just on the edge of Geneva (that's actually in French territory), with incredible views over Lake Geneva, the Jura mountains and Mont Blanc (the highest mountain in the Alps!). You get a cable car up the mountain, and then there's loads of lovely trails you can explore - we climbed trees and scrambled around and pretended to be in Sound of Music and it was brilliant.

If we'd had more time I'd have loved to visit the CERN laboratory... I'll just need to go back!

WHAT WE ATE

Switzerland is big on coffee and chocolate, so we did a really good job of making sure we sampled loads of these! There were lovely little cafes dotted all around Geneva's Old Town, which were perfect to pause at - you could easily spend an afternoon happily in one of Geneva's courtyard cafes (assuming you have enough money to cover cakes that cost ONE MILLION POUNDS).

One of my sisters can't eat gluten, so we had to be on the lookout for places that were gluten-free friendly... which felt a bit tricky, but might have been down to us being picky. Right in the middle of the touristy bit there's Spaghetti Factory Geneva, which offers gluten-free pasta and is sorta affordable, Pizza Leggera do gluten-free pizzas, and we found a Le Pain Quotidien near the Museum which did really nice salads (which also cost ONE MILLION POUNDS. Seriously, Geneva is painfully expensive).

My favourite place we went to was Chez Ma Cousine, a roast chicken restaurant that was cheap, informal, and really tasty (so good that we had to wait an age before we could get in, but I reckon it was worth it).

We also drank wine and many gins, as is the new Tweedie tradition. I'm so lucky getting to go on trips like this with my family, it's so nice to get to spend actual, proper time with them and see places I couldn't do on my own. We're starting to talk about our 2018 trip, I'm excited already!

A TRIP TO COPENHAGEN

Last year I went on holiday with my mum and two big sisters. We'd been talking about going on a Tweedie trip for YEARS, but life always seemed to get in the way, until FINALLY the stars aligned, and we managed to find a date/time/place that suited.

We decided to head to Copenhagen, Denmark's super cool capital city, for a weekend of exploring, eating, and instagramming the world's happiest city.

WHERE WE STAYED

We stayed in the super-cool luxury hotel Skt. Petri (thanks mum!). They market themselves as a destination of laidback luxury, and it was beautiful, with a stylish (but expensive!) bar, design-led rooms, an amazing courtyard garden (perfect for drinking gin and soaking up the sun after a long day of touristin'), and nice little touches everywhere - check out their Kanye door hangers.

Skt. Petri is right in the heart of Copenhagen, with loads of cafes, bars and shops nearby, so it's really easy to walk everywhere. We were only there for a long weekend so were keen to try and pack as much as possible in, but also wanted time to chill, so it was great being in a location we could easily pop back to.

There was a little issue around check-in (we'd booked with an external provider which had caused an error on their system), and staff were initially pretty unsympathetic - not the best start to the trip! But eventually it was sorted, and our hotel grumpiness was worn away (the very lovely hotel gin definitely helped with this).

WHAT WE DID

Copenhagen is such a cool city, packed with beautiful architecture, gorgeous views and amazing tiny indie design shops (I wanted everything), so it was perfect to ramble around in the sunshine.

My family all seem to love boats (me, not so much) so we started out with a canal boat trip - it was freezing, but it was a good way to get our bearings and be mildly terrorised as we sailed under teeny low bridges (which threatened to behead the annoying tourists who refused to listen to our nice guide telling them to sit down!).

Over the weekend we packed in a visit to the National Museum (is it bad that the main thing I remember is how nice the museum cafe was?), a trip to the Royal Stables at Christiansborg Palace (really interesting AND full of beautiful royal horses!), we explored the Round Tower (the oldest functioning observatory in Europe and home to quite a creepy attic!), climbed the Church of Our Saviour's spiral tower (I'm good with heights, but the last 150 steps are on the OUTSIDE of the spire which WOBBLES and it's all a bit much), and had a really fun time at Tivoli Gardens, the second oldest amusement park in the world!

We also hired bikes and cycled around town, explored some lovely parks, and read our books in the sunshine. Bliss!

WHAT WE ATE

One of my sisters can't eat gluten, which meant we had to be a bit picky about where to eat, but luckily Copenhagen is pretty gluten-free friendly!

We had really great salads and almond milk coffee in 42Raw, and then went back to the same street the next day to try out Palaeo, a mega hipster, mega healthy, and (luckily) mega tasty primal gastronomy restaurant.

To balance out all the goodness we'd been consuming, we also managed a trip to Copenhagen's Bastard Cafe - a really fun board game cafe, where we discovered my mum is EXCELLENT at playing Exploding Kittens and was able to swiftly destroy us all, much to our horror. We had cheese nachos (although I don't know how I missed their Big Bastard Toast Of Doom which I obviously would have picked for the name alone).

On our last night we had an amazing meal at Tight, a gorgeous quirky restaurant, housed in an old building with stone walls, wood beams, and cute twinkly ambient lights. Everything they cook is made in house with local in season produce and it was delicious (as was the wine!).

SUCH a fun trip - I feel like we packed in loads, but there is so much more to see (and eat!) and I'd go back in a heartbeat.

COASTAL CARRIAGE

Earlier this month, Josh and I went on a trip up North. We had both just worked the Edinburgh Science Festival (which was 18 days of non-stop festival work, and months and months of prep beforehand), so we were in need of sleep and peace and quiet.

We had been swithering over where to go - originally the plan was to go camping (open fires! Gorgeous views! Nature!), then I went on a bit of an enthusiastic tangent and starting planning a walk of the West Highland Way (lol), before we realised that we were both too knackered and the weather was too unreliable to do anything but find somewhere snug and cosy in a quiet location.

After a fairly stressful bit of last-minute searching, we came across Coastal Carriage - a reclaimed railway carriage on the Banffshire Coast. Owned by the same people who run High Seas Hobbit, it ticked all of our boxes: relatively cheap (£70 per night, plus a discount as we were staying for 4 nights); a quiet, scenic location; a wood-burning stove; we didn't need a car to get there; and it looked pretty quirky (we've stayed in a gypsy caravan and a treehouse, so a railway carriage was the obvious next step!).

We'd been keen to avoid hiring a car (to save £££s), so travelled up from Edinburgh using public transport. This meant getting a train from Edinburgh to Aberdeen (2.5 hours), a bus from Aberdeen to Rosehearty (2 hours), then a lift from Rosehearty to the Carriage (the owner very kindly picked us up on the way there, and we ordered a taxi back to town for our way home).

The Carriage is situated on a quiet, family-run farm in Aberdeenshire - in farming country near Fraserburgh and Banff. It looks out over the Moray Firth (you can see dolphins if you are lucky!), and  there's loads of beaches, cliff walks, castles, and other interesting historic things nearby.

We were pretty lazy for most of the trip, but went on a big walk to New Aberdour beach - a beautiful big pebble beach, with loads of rock pools and caves to explore. There was also a cute doocot near by, and an interesting old graveyard, with a memorial to a chieftain who fell at Culloden.

The Carriage itself was pretty simple, but cosy enough to just curl up and chill in. At one end there's a really comfy bed (I spent about 80% of my time here), and at the other there's a wood-burning stove, a small table, and some chairs. The Carriage has french doors that look out over the sea, so it's a pretty beautiful place to nestle down in - although it would benefit from an armchair and a rug to make the space a bit nicer to nestle in!

The wood-burning stove took a while to get going, but was very toasty in the end - even when the weather went bonkers, and alternated between sun, sleet and snow in one day. I'm lucky that Josh is such a good cook, so we ate amazing food all week - slow roasted lamb stew, spatchcock poussin, steak and chips, and baked avocado, eggs and bacon. YUM.

There's no electricity (so you really are forced to switch off), but there's solar powered lights and lanterns, so you aren't sitting in the pitch black every night. There's also a bush shower in the Carriage, and a toilet in a hut nearby.

We spent the week reading, playing yahtzee and cribbage, and listening to a totally ancient Jurassic Park audiobook (which I loved!). It was bliss!

A TRIP TO VALLDEMOSSA, MALLORCA

A few weeks ago Joshua & I escaped the grey Scottish skies for somewhere a little brighter. We headed off to Mallorca for his (super belated) birthday trip and it was AMAZING.

I always kind of thought of Mallorca as being super-Brits-abroad territory but last summer Josh & I really got into Frederic Chopin (by playing a surreal Japanese video game about him all summer - is that weird? It sounds really weird when I try to describe it. ANYWAY, we like Chopin, now, okay?). The game tells the story of Chopin's life, and one of the places that kept coming up was Valldemossa - a small Spanish village where Chopin lived and wrote some of his most famous works.

We had joked about going on a video game/Chopin pilgrimage, but then when I was looking for holiday inspiration, Valldemossa kept ticking all of the boxes. Beautiful location, cheap and quick flights, ace Airbnbs, lovely weather - check check check!


WHERE WE STAYED

I was so impressed at how easy it was to get to Valldemossa from Edinburgh. We flew to Palma from Edinburgh with Jet2, which only took about two hours and was a total bargain. Then we got the airport bus to Palma bus station, and it took another 30 minutes to drive from Palma to Valldemossa.

I booked this beautiful apartment on Airbnb, mainly because I was quite obsessed with the bathroom - check out that bath! It was really perfect for what we needed, with a gorgeous balcony that looked out over old rooftops and mountains, loads of space, and a great location in the middle of town, just round the corner from a bakery. The hosts were really good too - picking us up from the bus stop and driving us to get firewood and wine (the essentials) before they gave us keys and left us alone.

I can't imagine travelling and not using Airbnb these days - you get so much more for your money, and you get your own wee house! If you're thinking about using it, do it (and use this link if you'd like money off!).


WHAT WE DID

Valldemossa is a beautiful old quiet town, and had the perfect amount of places for us to explore over a long weekend. We OF COURSE went straight to the Monastery where Chopin lived with his lover, and it was really moving - they had his actual piano, books and sheet music, and you could explore his rooms and stand in his very peaceful garden, looking out over the hills to Palma.

The whole monastery is really fascinating, and you can explore old rooms, including the monks' library which is filled with ancient books and maps, and the old pharmacy which has shelves stacked high with old bottles, vials, and mysterious looking potions.

We spent a fair bit of time reading our books and drinking wine in the sunshine, but also went on a proper adventure - exploring the Archduke's Way, which was a 4 hour hike up a mountain... a bit exhausting, but totally worth it for the amazing views we got over the island.


WHAT WE ATE

Spain is the home of cheese, meat and wine, so we consumed all three with gusto. The best place we went was a tiny restaurant called QuitaPenas, which was just around the corner from our apartment and served the most amazing tapas, made entirely from local ingredients.

Valldemossa's speciality is the coca de patata, a sweet cake made from boiled potatoes, which sounds odd but was delicious. We had these for breakfast every day for the local bakery, which was also packed full of tasty-looking pies, cakes, and meringues (I broke my sugar ban to eat the world's biggest meringue, because of course I did!).

As we were in Valldemossa in the off-season, it was surprisingly difficult to find a restaurant that was open in the evening, but every night we managed to find somewhere to go (even if we did have to explore every tiny street before we chanced upon a lit up door).

Oh, I want to go back already. SO lovely.

BROCKLOCH TREEHOUSE

Just before Christmas, Joshua and I went off on a secret adventure to celebrate my birthday, and I was so excited! It's the first time I've ever been whisked away on a secret trip, and I couldn't wait to see what he had planned. My only clue was that we were taking books and wine, so I knew it would be a super relaxing escape - I imagined a little cottage or cabin, maybe somewhere up in the Highlands.

Turns out I was wrong - we headed South. Two taxis, one train, and one bus later, we pulled into a field in the middle of nowhere and discovered this...a treehouse! An actual treehouse!

This is the absolutely beautiful Brockloch Treehouse, and it's possibly the most adorable place I've ever stayed (and definitely one of the nicest surprises I have ever gotten!). It's an eco retreat on Brockloch Farm in Dumfries and Galloway (the farm also has a Bothy, if trees aren't your thing), and it is the PERFECT place for a peaceful, lazy adventure.

The treehouse sits in a Bluebell wood in the grounds of the farm, and it feels like you have disappeared from the world. There's a log-burning stove so it's super cosy, and a small kitchen and bathroom, so you don't have to go anywhere at all, unless you fancy a walk through the wilderness. There's a bath with a skylight too! A bath! In a treehouse! Another skylight sits above the bed, so you can gaze at the stars, and watch the trees in the wind.

I was a bit broken by 2015 (more on that here), so it was SO nice to get the chance to properly relax before the madness of the festive season kicked in. This is the second year we've gone off on a birthday adventure (last year we stayed in a lovely gypsy caravan in the Scottish Borders), and I'm so happy that this is becoming a new tradition in our lives!

I'm already dreaming of when I can go back to Brockloch - I think it would be wonderful in summer, when the days are warm, and the wood is leafy and full of flowers!

A TRIP TO GLASGOW

Sometimes it feels a bit exhausting trying to keep up blogging (on a fairly regular basis) alongside a full-time job. And other times, you get to do such fun things that it reminds you one of the reasons it's all worthwhile!

Last week I was invited, by the lovely hotel group citizenM, to visit Glasgow for an evening of 'art, nice drinks and bites'. I like all of those things! Despite only being 50 minutes away by train, I rarely venture West unless it's for work, so I was excited to try a bit of touristin' in Glasgow...

WHERE I STAYED

Photos by me / Joni Israeli

I was very kindly gifted an overnight stay in citizenM Glasgow (thanks guys!). I'd heard the hotel was pretty cool, but I'd never been in before, and I was seriously impressed. The rooms are pretty petite, but perfectly sized, with absolutely MASSIVE beds, a huge window (with an ace city view and blackout blinds), a rain shower (I am obsessed with these), plus free wifi, loads of free movies, and MAGICAL COLOUR-CHANGING ROOMS. 

I realise this makes me sound seriously easily-pleased, but this was so cool! You control the whole room from a mini ipad next to your bed, and you can set a pre-programmed mood, or change the colour by scrolling a (super satisfying) colour wheel. It also makes the room instantly amazing for selfies.

The whole hotel is lovely, with quirky features, chill-out areas, and just a nice vibe throughout. It's also surprisingly affordable - rooms start at £69. 

WHAT I DID

Clockwise: Turner Prize | Nicole Wermers | Queuing (by myself) in head to toe H&M | Bloggers unite!

citizenM's an art-loving hotel, so keeping in with this ethos, I was whisked away with a group of lovely Scottish bloggers to attend the preview of the Turner Prize, Europe's most prestigious visual art award, which is in Scotland for the very first time.

I often find it hard to comment on large-scale pieces of art - I'm worried I won't get it, or I'll find it a bit boring and then feel guilty for finding it boring. But I really loved Nicole Wermers' piece - a series of fur coats stitched onto chairs, and DOUG, a musical composition, was moving to listen to (although I reckon it would make more of an impact with a less-party crowd around).

It was ace to get the chance to explore Tramway (a venue I've always meant to visit) and finally chat properly to Scottish bloggers that I feel like I've known for ages, even though we hadn't talked before (hi Wardrobe Conversations!).

WHAT I ATE

I ate well. First of all we were served beautiful citizenM sushi, then after the exhibition we were whisked off to Stravaigin - a Scottish restaurant in Glasgow's West End that specialises in local food and wild ingredients.

It was fairly impossible to choose from their menu, but I managed -  Shetland salmon, followed by pork belly, then a Dulce de leche parfait with hazelnut brittle and brownie pieces. Oh boy. I was thoroughly defeated, but it was all delicious - it's worth a trip across the country just for that dinner!

It was all just lovely. Thanks to everyone who spoiled me so!

A TRIP TO CROATIA

Earlier this year, Joshua & I were planning our summer holiday. We wanted somewhere in Europe that was definitely going to be sunny, but not too touristry, wasn't too pricey, but had nice places to eat and stay, and that had places to explore and adventure, but also offered the chance to laze and relax.

I thought it might be a bit of an impossible ask... and felt a bit stuck before I even started looking. But good old twitter came to the rescue, and after a cry for help, loads of people recommended Croatia.

Split, Croatia

It's the sunniest place in Europe, it's easy to fly to from Edinburgh, it has old Roman cities and tiny beaches, and the food was apparently incredible. We were sold! So, at the end of June, just before the tourist season began, we packed our (hand-luggage only) bags and jumped on a plane...

WHERE WE STAYED

We wanted a mix of sunshine-lazing and city-exploring, so we split our holiday over two locations: Hvar, one of Croatia's many islands; and Split, an amazing city on the coast that is built around an amazing 4th century Roman fortress (which is also one of the main filming locations for Game of Thrones!).

We stayed in airbnb apartments in both places, which were ace. I can't imagine booking a normal hotel anymore, I think airbnb is always so much better (and cheaper!).

Our Hvar apartment was lovely! It was nestled in a private bay, in a small block of about eight flats. The apartment itself was a bit basic inside, but very clean, and we had the most amazing view from our little balcony. The bay was absolutely beautiful, with clear water, boats bobbing about, and a few loungers dotted about for days when you just wanted to read your book and soak up some sun.

The owners were lovely too - even if we couldn't quite understand them! Every night they'd have fresh fish, and if you met them in the morning, you could put a request in for your dinner that night. They also would drive you into town if you didn't have transport - the apartment was a 10 minute drive from Hvar town, or a one hour walk (which was quite pleasant, once you got up the massive hill!).

The studio apartment in Split wasn't quite as picturesque, but we were only there for two nights (and it was only £15 per night!). I was under the impression that it had a balcony, so was a bit put out when we discovered it was on the ground floor - my fault for not looking at the listing properly! It was really central though, which made it a good budget option, but if I was to go back I would definitely find a balcony flat!

WHAT WE DID

Our main mission on Hvar was to eat good food, drink lovely wine, and read as many books as possible, so it wasn't the most action-packed holiday. Hvar island is quite small, but very hilly, so after swithering over electric bicycles (which sound magic!), we hired a moped for a few days, which was so much fun! Joshua had driven one once, but we managed to enthusiastically convince the rental place that he was a pro at driving them, and we didn't get into any moped drama!

There's loads of little towns dotted around the island that are worth visiting, with little cobbled streets, beautiful marinas, and old architecture. The island is covered in olive groves, lavender fields, old vineyards and interesting historic features like the Spanish fortress in Hvar Town - it's all pretty picture perfect.

There are millions of little beaches and bays around the coastline, and you can get a water taxi to even tinier islands nearby too, so we never ran out of places to swim and laze by the sea.

Split is such a beautiful and interesting old city, and you can easily spend hours exploring its old streets and underground passages. The city is built around Diocletian's Palace and it's absolutely fascinating, I've never seen anything quite like it! It's full of twisty little streets and old clocktowers and hidden underground wells and old cobbled courtyards.

We did a lot of walking in Split, climbing a massive hill that overlooks the city to visit the world's weirdest tiny zoo (featuring one wolf and an army of guinea pigs), and going on a mission to find a beach, and coming across the brilliant Archaeological Museum - we were the only people there, and they just had corridor after corridor filled with mosiacs and statues and ancient stonework.

WHAT WE ATE

Croatian food was brilliant, and so cheap! There were amazing cheeses and salamis, fresh pasta, and incredible seafood. My favourite morning was when we got up at 6am, walked into Hvar Town and bought fresh fish that had just been caught - we had fresh sashimi for lunch and barbecued fish for dinner. So perfect!

Split is packed full of restaurants, cafes and bars, so it was always easy to find something interesting and great to eat. Hvar is a wonderful place to eat, if you avoid the more pricey, touristy places in Hvar Town. We managed to get a table at Dalmatino and it completely lived up to the hype, and stumbled across Konoba Kokot - an amazing traditional restaurant, tucked down a tiny path in a little village. I want to go back just for that meal!

USEFUL TIPS

Croatia is beautiful, but it is rocky! If you are planning to go in the water, you'll need something for your feet - I just bought cheap surf shoes from Amazon that did an ace job. This will also protect you from the little stinging sea anemones that line the coast - you do not want to step on those with bare feet (or, ahem, sit on one by accident).

Also, if you're European, remember your EU medical card! I didn't. Then I was bitten by a spider, had a massive reaction, had to go to a Croatian doctor and get loads of drugs and a massive bandage. It wasn't too expensive or traumatic (apart from when Josh told me the spider probably laid eggs in my arm, aaaaah), but it would have been less stressful if I'd been more organised before travelling!

There's so much more to see in Croatia, and I'd love to explore the other islands - take me back!

HAPPY THOUGHTS

It's time for a happy thoughts update! Here are the things that are making me smile...

1. Summer meadow flowers

I was sent this absolutely beautiful bunch from the very kind people at Blossoming Gifts online flowers, and I love it! It's their summer meadow bouquet which contains blue veronica, lilac eustoma, avalanche roses and daisy-like tanacetum single vegmo... I'm not great with flower names, but I know these ones were just gorgeous.

I feel like I'm always banging on about how much I love fresh flowers, but it's so true - they just make such a difference to your home, and as vices go, I reckon a flower addiction ain't too bad. I particularly like the look of the under £20 cheap flowers range - how cute is this cinder rose bouquet?

If you fancy getting yourself a flower delivery, then you can also get 33% off at Blossoming Gifts, with the discount code BGIFT33.

2. I ran my first 10k!

I DID IT! I can't quite believe that I did it, but I completed my Race for Life and it didn't kill me. In fact, I actually even had quite a nice time - what has happened to me?!

I ran for the first time just over three months ago, and it was exhausting trying to keep going for just one minute. Since then I've tried to run three times a week (although realistically, at points it was only once a week), and somehow, bit by bit, I've turned into a runner who can do a 10k race in 67 minutes - slow by most runner standards, but an achievement I'm so chuffed with.

When I crossed the starting line and was immediately confronted by a massive hill, I was filled with FEAR (because running up hills is the worst), and it took me a while to settle into my pace. But when I did, it suddenly felt quite easy, and running the last two k was really fun - my parents and Joshua had come out to support me, everyone was cheering, and I got loads of high fives.

Now I'm looking for another 10k to sign up for later in the year, as I really want to keep up running, but I know I need a race to give me the fear to actually go out and do it!

3. I'm going on holiday

Photo: Fairytale photos of Croatia

I'm so excited! This weekend I fly off to adventure on Croatia, and I can't wait. We're staying on the island of Hvar in an apartment with steps down to the sea (amazing!), then going to Split for a couple of days, to explore Diocletian's Palace, and channel my inner Daenerys Targaryen at Game of Thrones locations.

I've never been to Croatia before, and I am in desperate need of a sunny adventure, so bring it on!

A TRIP TO YORK

A couple of months ago, Josh and I went on a fairly impromptu trip to York. I've not actually seen much of England outside London, so it was nice to play tourist for a couple of days. It only takes a couple of hours on the train from Edinburgh, so after a fairly stressful week at work (we went just before the Festival started!) I packed my bags and headed off on a sunny day.

Here's what we got up to...

WHERE WE STAYED...

I'd been invited to stay with a well-known hotel chain (hence the impromptu trip), so I confirmed everything, booked my (non-refundable!) train tickets and time off work. Then it turned out just a few days before we went (!) that we couldn't actually get booked into a York hotel. And everywhere in York was booked. And expensive. Like the non-refundable train tickets I had booked. Thanks PR!

So, after a fairly stressful day of trying to work out what to do, we decided to reclaim our holiday from being just a blogging trip, and booked a room at the very beautiful Hotel du Vin. This hotel was gorgeous - it's tucked away just down from the walls of the city, in a Grade II-listed mansion house.

My favourite bit was the absolutely massive bath - I even took some lush bathbombs for the occasion (I don't have a bath in my flat, so this was a total treat). It was expensive (particularly as I had not budgeted for a holiday, aaaargh), but it was an absolutely lovely place to stay and I'd definitely recommend it if you are feeling flush!

WHAT WE DID...

York is a beautiful city, so it was nice just to wander around its cobbled streets. We made a beeline straight for The Shamble, Europe's best preserved Medieval street, which is lined with 15th century buildings that lean over and almost touch in the middle. We also explored around the walls of the city (which has such nice views!) and took a look at York Castle and York Minster (although were too cheap to actually pay to enter them!

We did pay to go to the Jorvik Viking Centre, which is built on the site of the Viking-age city, Jorvik, and packed full of cool archaeology things (and a fairly hilarious/terrifying animatronic ride through a Viking village), and to visit the Treasurer's House, a house very close to York Minster with a 2,000 year history. The owner (a rich bachelor with an eye for pretty things) packed it with the most amazing antique furniture, ceramics and art, then gave it up to the National Trust, who have looked after it ever since. He has a mirror that is held up by a GIANT GOLD EAGLE. Definitely worth a visit!

Finally, we went to the (free!) National Railway Museum to look at giant trains. I wouldn't say I was the most enthusiastic person about rail transport, but it was actually really fascinating, and we got to have drinks in a fancy 19th century railway carriage, and watch a massive train spin round.

WHAT WE ATE...

If I'm honest, the majority of our trip revolved around food and drink. My favourite place was the House of Trembling Madness, an incredibly atmospheric medieval bar with stuffed animal heads lining the walls. It's in the Shambles and could easily be missed - you enter through a shop that is packed with different types of beer, wine and spirits, and go up a tiny set of stairs. We ordered Shambles sausages and mash and a platter board, and it was cheap and tasty.

York is full of amazing-looking restaurants, but they were all booked in advance! If you're planning a trip, it's definitely worth getting yourself a reservation early... I reckon we had to phone about six places before we booked in for dinner at the Walmgate Ale House, which was nice traditional food, but nothing particularly special. We lucked out with an amazing brunch at a traditional cafe near York Minster (I'm pretty sure it was Betty's Tea Rooms), and found loads of nice little pubs to stop at for a sunny beer garden pint or a Sunday roast.

And that was York! The accommodation was pricey (but so good), and there were more loud students than I expected, but it's a beautiful place and well worth a weekend visit. Now I think Brighton's next on my list... I want to see the Pier!