St Tropez & Monaco Road Trip

St Tropez & Monaco Road Trip

Wednesday, 9 September 2026

After our trip to Champagne in July, we were hooked on the idea of another Ferrari road trip. Unsurprising. 

This time, we left London with no idea where we were going. 

There was a loose idea of going to Lake Como, but that was scrapped the minute we saw lightning on the weather forecast. So, naturally, we followed the sunshine and that too us to the French Riviera instead.

The first leg took us from London, to Folkstone, under the chanel and as far as Lyon which was as far as we could manage for the day. Ten hours later, we arrived, during a thunder storm to a cute little converted barn complex in the middle of a field; which I found from the passengers seat along the way.

We spent hardly any time there as we knew the sun was further south so from Lyon, we got up early and made our way to Monaco, taking a wrong turn and a very unnecessary detour through Paris. 

There was a momentary consideration of staying there and heading to soho house but we were both desperate for some sunshine so Monaco prevailed. 

Monaco was awesome, and so was the trip there. Twisting turning roads, carved into the side of the mountain, roof down, sun shining. Perfect. 

We did a couple of laps of Monte Carlo to get a feel for the place, tick off all the necessary sights and try to work out which hotel we wanted to stay in. We settled on the Fairmont, and were lucky enough to get upgraded to a sea view room, so there was a brief moment of stillness whilst we just took in the views from the balcony but it wasn't long before we were ready to go again. 

We grabbed a couple of rooftop cocktails and some dressed oysters at Amazonico and headed down to the harbour for yacht watching with champagne and a fresh seafood dinner.  

Waking up to the sound of the ocean; again there was no real plan for the day so we decided to go hang out by the pool and work out what we were going to do.

Conveniently enough, the pool at the hotel was part of Nikki Beach, so what started as a quiet matcha on the roof turned into a day party so we ended up staying there. I'm not usually a fan of beach clubs, but on a city rooftop, it was much more my vibe! Our bed was set back from the pool so away from all that chaos and it was 5pm before we realised we should have left hours ago. 

When the time finally came to leave (6 hours after we had imagined) we jumped back in the car and headed west towards St Tropez - catching golden hour along the coast as we arrived.

It was late and we didn't make a room reservation so we hoped for the best and got lucky. A very cute boutique hotel, with one ocean view garden room left. 

We dumped the bags and headed straight to the hotel restaurant as the sun dipped down behind the mountains. The food, the views, and so it turned out, the hotel itself were all incredible - another very good find! 

Refreshed and raring to go, the next morning started with a quick swim before heading out to explore St Tropez town. I didn't really have any expectations but what we found was a cute little cobbled old town, lined with designer shops and seafood restaurants. 

We spend hours wandering around from shop to shop before finally stopping for a late lunch - a bowl of fresh mussels and a glass of champagne at one of the waterfront spots. It was a awesome day. 

I'd been saving for a pair of designer flats all summer and the opportunity to buy them in St Tropez was not wasted on me. RE below: very pleased with my new shoes.

I had wanted to go to Club 55 but by the time we were bored with the old town, we'd been there all day and we're well and truly spent (lol) so we drove down to have a look but couldn't be bothered to get out of the car so skipped that and went back to the hotel.

I had another swim and then we had the most dreamy sunset cocktail situation by the pool during what felt like a never ending golden hour.

After such a wonderful meal the first night, we stuck to what we knew and had dinner in the same spot at the hotel, except tonight it was a huge steak and local red wine! 

We were back by the pool early for a swim and a croissant. The pastry in France, as suspected, is next level! The playlist this morning was whimsical piano music which set the perfect scene for a peaceful morning. Again, we were very delayed leaving; I definitely could have spent a few more days there!

The drive back north was much longer than predicted because of traffic but by 8:30, we finally arrived (back) in the middle of nowhere at another very cute little chateau where I promptly fell asleep. The next morning we were woken up by natural daylight streaming in and the sound of songbirds which was quite nice.

It was our last day, and although we were slightly tight on time, I was able to make the most of the roll top bathtub that sat in the middle of the bathroom and have a lazy breakfast (and a croissant snuck into my bag) before we left. 

Our journey home took a detour via Maison Moet to restock on that delicious imperial nectar we tried last time we were there, and the rest of the drive home was wonderful. No traffic meant long stretches of empty roads and not seeing another person as we drove through countryside. There were a couple of close calls with the petrol, arriving at the tunnel with about 5km left in the tank but it all worked out fine! The train got us back to the UK in 35 minutes which meant I was back at home and in bed by 9 o'clock.

And thus, another awesome road trip in the bag!

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Birthday month

Birthday month

Friday, 4 September 2026

August is my favourite month because it's birthday month yay! and 2026 did not disappoint! I can't believe it's come and gone already and I'm writing this as I watch the rain fall outside!

I actually did have a little dip at the start of the month because it felt like the best summer ever was coming to an end but that was quickly forgotten with the help of all the great people I have worked so hard to have in my life now - and of course the sunshine did continue for the most part so no need to be sad about it! 

Girls Weekend at Oakley Court 

Birthday month started strong, waking up extremely peacefully in the Windsor countryside with Alexandra. We had a lovely weekend away at Oakley Court.

Painting by numbers

I spent a lot of time at home with my arts and crafts during the dark winter nights, and in an attempt to bring our winter activity into the sun, Paige and I have spent the month taking Amazon specials to the pub to paint whilst we have our Friday afternoon drinks in the beer garden! 

Skating

I managed to go skating a couple of times this month which was nice and something I really miss having access to! Paige decided she wanted to try quad skates so we had a fun afternoon picking them out at the shop and going straight to Hyde park from there. 

Battersea Power Station also had a pop up rink so we checked that out too!

BBQ

I finally had my first BBQ of the year, and maybe my only by the looks of it now! At least I managed one before the summer was out. Being home also meant I got to hang out with my parents and Molly. Plus my mum did my nails for my birthday!

Well Crafted events

I helped Alexandra out at a few more events this month, and our first one in Chiswick! It was a paper flower crafts night at High Road house and the space was my favourite of all the events I've been to with her. We arrived early to set up and have some food (wine and steak tartare have become tradition).  It was a small private room with a big table and with the windows open, it was bright and airy, overlooking the high street; a lovely place to spend a summers evening. Also, the pretty bunch of sunflowers she got for my birthday! 

Pints of Knowledge

I have been wanting to go to one of these for months. The last one I bought a ticket for got moved to (scary) East London so when I saw it being repeated more locally, again in Chiswick, I got myself another ticket. It actually fell on the same day as the eclipse, which as timing allowed, I was able to watch before heading inside. 

The talk was called "Kinks and Connection: A Scientific Guide to Sex and Relationships” by Dr. Ashley Brown and I feel like I learnt a whole lot about communication within a relationship. It very much did reinforce all the issues I have come up against in the past. If someone isn't willing to tell you how they feel or what they want, then you've got no hope. 

Lots of swimming

August was hot and swimming was the only form of exercise I could manage so I made it my mission to seek out swimming pools wherever I could find! London, Windsor, Lyon, St Tropez & Monaco. Nice. 

Afternoon tea

Birthday week started with afternoon tea at Raffles - one of my favourite hotels in London! I didn't take many photos, but I did drink a lot of very fancy champagne. The OWO has a crazy wine list and I was able to two two very expensive glasses. What a treat. 

Yasmin

Birthday! Yay! I spent the afternoon on a sunny soho rooftop with my mum, brother and aunt. We're all big fans of middle eastern food so Yasmin was the perfect spot. We got there at midday and they didn't leave until almost 10pm!

Ekstedt at The Yard

At 6pm however, I left my family on the roof and headed to Old Scotland Yard for an incredible tasting menu at Ekstedt. Described as a Nordic fine dining, I didn't have a clue what to expect but it was all very unique and I learnt about some new cooking techniques. Stand outs were absolutely their signature flambadou oysters which we were invited into the kitchen see being made, and the Swedish candy at the end. I love a handmade jelly sweet.

South of France

Two days after my birthday, we were off on what turned out to be an incredible road trip around the South of France and Monaco. What a dreamy way to spend the my first week as a 33 year old. 

Summer party

I haven't been to a house party in years but my friend decided to throw and end of summer party and it was a great send off for the sunshine! It rained all afternoon, but that didn't actually bother us all that much, we kept the vibes in the kitchen (with the snacks) and did manage to grab one group photo when the sun came out for a couple of minutes.  It's been a long time since I've been in a room full of people that I don't know but I made some new friends and look forward to building on those going into the winter.

Notting Hill on Carnival Weekend 

I didn't actually go to the carnival but I did visit a friend who lives in Notting Hill over the weekend and it was quite the spectacle.

Anyway, until next month! 

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A Girls trip to Oakley Court

A Girls trip to Oakley Court

Friday, 14 August 2026

I've spent my last few years in London, creating and cultivating female friendships and last week, one of my new friends and I decided to go for a little weekend away.

I seem to have accidentally documented the transition (here, on the blog) from meeting Alexandra at one of her creative events, to becoming friends, so she's a familiar part of my world at the moment. I made such a big effort at the start of the year to fill my life with fun, new activates and love that in doing so, I made a new friend!

It was another warm Friday so I took the afternoon off and I headed out to Windsor early to make the most of the booking. 

Oakley Court is a Victorian mansion, set on the banks of the river, in Windsor. It took less than an hour to get there from London, via a little stroll around the town. 

The room wasn't ready when I arrived so after a wander around the grounds, I went straight to the wellness centre. I had visited the Soho house pop up there last summer, but didn't realise the hotel itself was so gothic and majestic. Very cool! 

I went for a quick swim, which was wonderfully refreshing given the heatwave and then enjoyed an array of Cowshed products in the shower afterwards. 

If you know anything about me, you'll know that the river is my happy place so I was very pleased to follow it further outside of London and see it surrounded by the English countryside, rather than, erm, Fulham haha. 

I spent the next few hours on a comfy garden chair, under a tree watching the boats and the ducks go by. All very whimsy. All very content.

Alexandra arrived at about 4, which was perfect timing for a cocktail or two. I couldn't quite decide what I wanted so I tasked the barman with making me some kind of strawberry spritz and he did an excellent job. Sweet, fruity, and most importantly, cold. 

When it was time to check in, we excitedly explored the room and all the freebies (plate of cookies, more Cowshed products and a picnic basket full of snacks) before dumping our bags and heading back out to the restaurant for dinner. 

We both ordered crisp glass of white wine and the miso black cod, which happens to be my favourite dish ever - I always get excited when I see it on a menu! Our lazy afternoon, turned into a lazy evening as the sun slowly, set over the riverside. 

Back in the room, we grabbed the hotel robes, raided the box of snacks and put on a film before I fell asleep at 9pm, which is pretty on brand for me. As far as I'm aware, Alexandra stayed up and had a bath.

The speckled rays of sun, shining through the leaves and into the room was a very gentle start the next morning. We woke up to the sound of nothing, which is an absolute treat when you live in Central London.

After a few hours of faffing around in the room it was breakfast time! A little buffet, set up in the back room, opening out into the courtyard. The staff were very attentive, I seem to make a habit of ordering annoying drinks, but they were happy to oblige and got it right first time when I ordered my go to - an iced, coconut milk, hot chocolate. 

In typical Alexandra style, she had brought some arts and crafts supplies so after breakfast we took a few steps down to the river and got painting. It was so nice to really switch off for a few hours.

I had plans back in London that evening, so I dipped off for another swim and then caught the train home refreshed, and relaxed!

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