Radisson Blu Edwardian New Providence Wharf

For Christmas I bought my Fiancé tickets to see David Haye at the O2 Arena in London. We hadn't been to the O2 before and so I wanted to make a weekend of it and book a hotel to stay the night.
I searched on the internet for hotels near the arena and came across Radisson Blu Edwardian which is just across the river from the O2 - perfect!
I actually booked through LateRooms.com as it was a lot cheaper, because of the location you can imagine it's in the higher price range.
After happily booking I wanted to look at a possible upgrade and maybe added extras to the room so I gave the hotel a call direct.
I spoke to the lovely Cleo who I informed the night was a Christmas present but it was also our 10th anniversary last month upon doing this Cleo confirmed they could add rose petals on the bed and a swan towel origami which I was really pleased about, I then asked about upgrades and after discussing options I upgraded to a river view room - I was not expecting the view we had!

When we arrived at the hotel we were really impressed with the location, I can imagine in the Summer sitting by the river with a cocktail is even better!.
The reception was lovely and the staff are all very friendly. What's even better is there is a sweet cart you can help yourself to!

After checking in very swiftly we made our way to our room, I was very excited to see what the upgrade had to offer and wasn't expecting to how amazing it was when I opened the door....

The view of the O2 arena from our window was amazing, we were both totally blown away. The rose petals and swan origami towels on the bed was a lovely touch and they had also put chocolate covered strawberries (definitely a winner with me) and a lovely card on the side for us.
They really made it feel that extra bit special.

The bathroom was also very impressive and with a great view, although if you do happen to stay here please remember it's not privacy glass if you do take a bath!
One thing I didn't do was take a photo of the shower which was one of those with the giant flat shower heads and was amazing!

The view of the O2 was even more breathtaking at night when it's all lit up and reflecting over the Thames.

We also had breakfast which was lovely, it was a buffet breakfast although if you wanted to you could fill out the breakfast card in your room to order room service for the morning.
Typically I didn't take photos (I was too excited to get tucked in) but I had pancakes with maple syrup, strawberries and bacon which was delicious. There was also full English breakfast, meats, cereals, A la carte menu to order things like eggs benedict, pancakes etc.

Overall I'd highly recommend anyone to stay here whether it be for an event at the O2 or a romantic getaway.
We will definitely be returning and I look forward to it already.

If you'd like to book a night you can check out their website here.

Maxine x

Don't forget to follow my blog on Bloglovin'

Valentine's Date Night

I have to admit I'm not the biggest fan of Valentine's Day as I don't think people should just use that day to tell each other they love them, it should be said all year round :)
But that said we do still get each other a card and go for a nice meal - any excuse to get dressed up!

I've browsed the net for hours looking for outfits which are somewhat related to Valentine's Day and below are my top picks.

 

 

1. Boohoo Mini Bodycon Lips Dress - £10

2. Pandora Heart Ring - £55

3. Ann Summers Pink/Black Teddy- £25

4. Boohoo Love Heart Earrings - £4

5. Boohoo Pink Glitter Heart Clasp Clutch bag - £14

6. Topshop Fluffy Sandals - £50

7. Boohoo Slinky Red Lace Night Dress - £10

8. Pandora Heart Charm - £25

9. Dorothy Perkins Pink Bardot Dress - £55

10. Charlotte Olympia Suede Heart Shoes - £445

 

 

 

 

Happy Valentine's Day

 

Maxine x 

January Book Review - Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Each month I'm going to do a book review, I absolutely love reading and getting lost in a book, falling in love with the characters and story.

This month I decided to choose a book genre that I don't usually read as I'm more of a Crime, Mystery, Murder Detective book fan.
So choosing Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell was totally out of my comfort zone when it comes to reading.

However, I'm so glad I did choose it as I loved it from the first page to the last.

Eleanor & Park is about two teenagers who meet on the school bus, Eleanor is the new (awkward) girl at school and Park is the slightly popular half korean boy.
It's a book which will remind you of those awkward times at school when you had your first crush and possible love. Both characters have a lot going on in their complicated family lives which brings them closer together.

What I loved the most about the book is how real it seemed, there were no far fetched romantic events, in fact the two characters are like chalk and cheese which makes them perfect for each other. What happens in both of their lives is something that has/will be happening in many peoples lives that you can actually relate to the characters and that's what made me fall in love with them even more.

With the book being set in the 80's there aren't any smartphones or laptops they communicate via landline, mix tapes and conversations face to face which is quite refreshing to read.

I'd recommend Eleanor & Park to everyone, even if like me you're not a fan of romance books and would prefer a good murder mystery, because you can relate to the characters and it's very realistic it makes it a book for pretty much everyone to read.
I'll definitely be checking out Rainbow Rowell's other books.

I'm looking forward to my next book review for February, make sure to follow me on Bloglovin' so you don't miss it and if there's a book you'd recommend I read and review please let me know :)

Maxine x 

January Fitness Diary - Week Four

So this is my final post of the 'My Fitness Plan' series. I'd recommend anyone doing this, whether it be on a blog or just in a diary. It gives you the chance to keep a track of what you're eating and see if there are any improvements you can make.

I'd also highly recommend downloading the 'Youfood' app, it's basically like Instagram but just for food. So it's great to also use that to keep track of meals and you can get some great recipe ideas from other people. It's clever in the way that because you're sharing your meals you want them to look good and not post anything unhealthy so it makes you want to eat better foods to show it off!

Monday 25th January

Breakfast - Porridge Oats with semi skimmed milk and a sliced banana

Lunch - Mediterranean flavoured tuna on wholemeal bread, Dairylea dunkers and a toffee flavoured muller light yogurt

Dinner - Chinese style rice with tandoori salmon

Snacks - Banana and 2 Satsumas
Water - 0 glasses of water but two cups of green tea with lemon


Tuesday 26th January

Breakfast - Porridge oats with semi skimmed milk and a sliced banana with almonds

Lunch - Spicy Mexican rice, Melon pieces, Banana and custard muller light yogurt and diarylea dunkers

Dinner - Chicken en croute with vegetables

Snacks - 2 Satsumas and a banana
Water - 2 cups of green tea with lemon

Exercise - surprisingly I did do a bit of a exercise and it was a 15 minute HIT workout.

Wednesday 27th January

Breakfast - Porridge with semi skimmed milk and blueberries

Lunch - Chicken rice, dairylea dunkers and crabsticks

Dinner - Spaghetti Bolognese

Snacks - Banana and 2 Satsumas
Water - 1 cup of green tea with lemon

Thursday 28th January

Breakfast - Two Weetabix with semi skimmed milk

Lunch - Mexican flavoured tuna on wholemeal bread

Dinner - Stuffed peppers with tempura bassa fish and pasta

Snacks - half a slice of pork pie, fruit pot

Friday 29th January

Breakfast - Two Weetabix with semi skimmed milk

Lunch - Mexican flavoured tuna on wholemeal bread

Dinner - Southern Fried Chicken and Chips

Snacks - Banana and 2 satsumas

Saturday 30th January

Breakfast - Vegetarian sausage sandwich with ketchup

Lunch - packet of mini cheddars (not the healthiest or best lunch!)

Dinner - Salmon with soy and ginger sauce and supernoodles

Snacks - no fruit today :(

Sunday 31st January

I'm so annoyed I forgot to take photos on this day and can't remember what I had :(


I think from doing this diary I've learnt that I definitely need to do more exercise, I'm thinking of joining back at the gym and do a few classes as I did enjoy it before.

Let me know if you have been keeping a fitness diary and how you're getting on.

Maxine x

Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin'