Summer Travels Recap

Hey fashionistas! I'm so sorry I've been absent on the blog for the past six months! Yikes! As some of you may know I've been dealing with some health issues but I'm trying to get back on track with blogging at the moment. 

As seen on social media, I spent my summer traveling throughout Europe and South Africa as I normally do. I visited London twice this summer, once in early July and once in early August. London is one of my favorite cities in the world due to its English charm, international zest, and architectural wonders. As always we stayed at the lovely Four Seasons in Hyde Park. I've stayed at many other hotels in London but keep returning to the Four Seasons due to its impeccable staff, wonderful service, and lavish hotel rooms. You can never go wrong with eating in London, whether it's a hole-in-the-wall café or a Michelin Starred restaurant. Some of my favorite restaurants include: Frescobaldi (Italian), Casa di Stefano (Italian), The Square (French haute cuisine/Michelin star), Seven Park Place (French/Michelin star), Noura (Lebanese), Oblix (Urban grill), StreetXO (Asian and European fusion), Ottolenghi (Cafe). As for shopping, some of my favorite streets and department stores include: Harrods, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, Bond Street, Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus, and Carnaby Street. Nightlife in London is spectacular due to the unique concepts and themes each bar or club creates: Cirque Le Soir, Ministry of Sound, Drama, Milk & Honey, Lights of SoHo, Gong, and Amaranto are some of the best in the city. 

South Africa is my home country…a country filled with vast natural beauty and amazing cities. My family lives in Johannesburg so we spent quite a lot of time there. The restaurants and coffee shops in Joburg are amazing…in fact South Africa is home to my favorite chain of cafès EVER…Tasha’s!!! Tasha’s is incredible, they have a different menu at every location and a different theme to go along with the menu. A few of my favorite restaurants in Joburg include: Signature (steakhouse), Don Armando (Argentinian), Marble (steakhouse), Pigalle (seafood), and Mezepoli (Greek). As for sightseeing there are quite a few things I always do: Gold Reef City (amusement park), The Lion Park (daytime safari), and the Johannesburg Zoo. There are no shortages of shopping centers in Joburg…my top picks include: Sandton City, Melrose Arch, Rosebank, and Hyde Park. A few of the top clubs and bars include: VIP Room Sandton, 86 Public, Hogshead, Churchills and Rockets. My family and I escaped to our family beach house in Umhlanga for a week. Umhlanga Rocks is a upscale sleepy beach town 25 minutes north of Durban. Some of my favorite restaurants there are The Grill Room (Steakhouse) at the Oyster Box Hotel, Ocean Terrace, Little Havana (Cuban), and Old Town Italy (Italian). Some cool places to check out include: The Moses Mahdiba Stadium (fun fact: I climbed to the top and bunjee jumped down!), The Shark Board (daily live shark dissections), and Gateway Mall.

After spending a few weeks in South Africa, my family and I headed back to Europe. Next up on the agenda was Spain! In Madrid, we stayed at The Ritz which a a true classic. It is located in the heart of Madrid across from El Museo Del Prado. The food in Madrid was unbelievable! East restaurant was better than the next, each one had superb food, an excellent vibe, and cool decor. BiBo by Dani Garcia, DiverXO, DSTAGE, and Tatel are some of the top restaurants in Madrid and now my new favorites. I'm not ashamed to say but I'm most definitely one of those typical tourists that goes on a City Sightseeing bus…I know…I know those are touristy but in my opinion it is the cheapest and best way to see each city. The only problem I had was that my bus hit into a BMW outside the Museo Del Prado LOL! 😂 One day we hired a driver to take us to Toledo which a beautiful fortress 45 minutes away from Madrid. We spent the day walking the narrow cobbled stone Jewish quarter, admiring the art in the Cathderal, and  strolling through El Greco’s home. After a few days in Madrid, we headed to Mallorca. In Mallorca we stayed in the gorgeous Jumeriah Resort in Port Soller. The resort stood atop a mountain with breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea and Port Soller. We spent our days in Mallorca yachting in the sea,  swimming in the Port, and strolling through Palma De Mallorca. One evening we took a trip to Deía which is an adorable village in the mountains. We went to Nikki Beach and spent the day parked out by the pool with amazing music and great vibes. Mallorca was truly spectacular! 

After Mallorca we headed back to London for a few days and then took the Eurostar to Paris. In Paris, we stayed at the magical Four Seasons George V which is located on the famous Avenue George V. The hotel is stunning and has the most amazing floral displays. From eating our hearts out, to shopping till we dropped, to being touristy we truly did it all! My favorite restaurants in Paris are Epicure which is an amazing Michelin starred restaurant in the Hotel Bristol, Le Cinq which is a Michelin star restaurant in the George V, and Kong which is a very trendy Japanese restaurant with a view of the Eiffel Tour. We also saw the Dior exhibition at the Louvre which was the most beautiful display of designs I have ever seen! After seeing all the gorgeous designs at the Dior exhibit I was in the shopping mood. The best streets to shop on in Paris are Avenue des Champs Elysèes, Avenue Montaigne, Rue Saint Honoré, and Rue de Rivoli-Le Marais. One of the best department stores is Galleries Lafayette, that is a MUST when in Paris! 

Overall, this trip was a trip of a lifetime and I'm so grateful and blessed to be able to see such wonderful places in the world! Thank you for reading and supporting this blog despite my absence over the last few months! 

XOXO
PASCALE 👄