My Summer vacation recap: London, Johannesburg, Athens, Mykonos, and Santorini

         Hello fashionistas! I'm back in the USA and I'm  going to give you a little recap of my summer holiday escapades. First off, London! Ahhhh good ole London Town...it's so beautiful there and its one of my favorite cities besides New York and Paris. I was in London for five days and it was an amazing time. My family and I stayed at the Four Seasons Park Lane which is a fabulous hotel right in the heart of London. From the hotel everything is pretty close because of the hotels central location. One of my favorite things to do is hop on a "London City Sightseeing Bus" because you can see all the sights in under two hours. I know...I know...it sounds pretty touristy, but it is the cheapest and best way to get around the city. You can also hop on and off the bus at each stop. When it comes to shopping visiting Harrods, Hamleys, Selfridges, and Harvey Nichols are the best department stores. Some of the best shopping streets and areas are Oxford Circus, Regent Street, Bond Street, Piccadilly Circus, Barnes High Street, Covent Gardens, Knightsbridge, Mayfair, and many more. I came to London at the right time because I hit all the sales such as Allsaints, Topshop, Zara, Harrods, and more. When in London it's nice being a tourist, but I also love going to places the locals go to. For instance, this little farmers market in downtown London was so cool and had the freshest fruit and vegetables I have ever seen. Everyone was so relaxed and was eating delicous fresh sandwiches and pressed juices. Ten minutes awaits from the farmers market was the Tower of London. After 15 years of visiting London annually I finally forced myself to see it and I'm glad I did. As for dining we went to a few great resturants. On Father's Day my family and I went to CUT by Wolfgang Puck which is in the Dorchester Hotel. It was delicious and the quality of the meat was excellent. For my mom's birthday we went and saw Les Miserables and it was OUTSTANDING!! The sets, the costumes, the acting, the singing, everything was flawless. After the show we went for tapas to Amaranto at the Four Seasons Hotel in Park Lane. The food is excellent at Amaranto and I ate breakfast there every morning. Side note: personally I think food in Europe is better than America not only is it heathlier, but also you can taste the freshness and you can tell it's truly organic. Noura is an amazing Lebanse resturant in Belgravai (there is also one in Paris). It has excellent food and is very vibrant. London was so much fun and I hope to go back very soon! 

                 Next up on the itinerary was my hometown of Johannesburg, South Africa! I was in Johannesburg for two weeks catching up with family and friends. I also enjoyed going to a monkey and elephant sanctuary. My 15th birthday was spent in Joburg and it was awesome (check out birthday weekend blog). Jozi was a great time and I wish to go back in March for my cousin's wedding!

                After Johannesburg we went to Greece for 7 days. It was short and sweet but a lot of fun! First we went to Athens for a one night and stayed at the King George Hotel in Syntagma Square where we enjoyed going on the "Athens City Sightseeing Tour Bus" and going to the Acropolis. For lunch we had an amazing gastromic meal at the Tudor Hall on the 7th floor at the King George Hotel and for dinner we went to a local fish resturant called Papadakis in Kolonaki. Then we were off to Mykonos where my family and I stayed at the Kivotos Hotel in Ornos Bay. It was breathtakingly beautiful there and I wish I was there righ now...having a little post holiday depression! 😂 Mykonos is known as the "party island" but doesn't get much praise about its beauty which is upsetting. One day we went on the hotel's private vintage yacht and sailed to all the beautiful bays and beaches. Also, exploring the main village was fun and I enjoyed shopping and buying local jewelry and handmade Grecian sandals. For dinner went to Una Con Carne which is a steakhouse with a live dj, sushi lounge, and dance floor. It was an incredible resturant and was so vibrant and energetic. Typically places with dance floors and djs don't have great food, but this place was an exception to that pre notion. I LOVED THE FOOD! The last night in Mykonos was more laid-back and we went to a delicous souvlaki place and just exlpored the night-life of the village. In Santorini we stayed at the Vedema Resort & Spa which was stunning. While in Santorini we took a private tour of the island, explored Oia and Firá, went to black beach, and walked and shopped in the local village by the resort. For dinner on the first night we went to Apiron for some quality Greek food. The second night was spent at the one Michelin star resturant Koukoumavlos where we enjoyed typical Mediterranean cuisine with a gastromic twist. It was gorgeous on both islands and I hope to go back sometime in the near future. On the way back we went to Athens for another night and stayed at the King George again we arrived late afternoon and went to dinner at ten o'clock at Varoulko in Pirraeus where we dined on the incredible five course chef'so tasting menu. 

              Overall, this vacation was fantastic and I am so blessed to have gone to Europe and Africa! See more awesome pictures on Instagram @poshtalkwithpascale ! 

XOXO LOVE, PASCALE 💋