Wander Sugar

A Weekend Break to Essex

Know your ‘Well Jels’ from your ‘Totes Ridics’, your Sugar Huts from your Mahiki and your Brentwood High Street from The King’s Road? If these ring a bell to you and you favour the former rather than the latter of each pair, then chances are you’re more TOWIE than MIC and a weekend break to the home of TOWIE itself could be the perfect break for you. The only way is Essex after all.

Here is a roundup of some of the ultimate Essex hotspots, perfect for a girlie weekend to this increasingly popular county.

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Every year me and my friends have the same conversation: the girls holiday. We usually start with grand and exotic schemes about faraway shores – diving in Zanzibar, revisiting Thailand, and wind up with a short city break in Europe (a fail safe). Along the way there is a medley of clashing diaries, different priorities, incompatible budgets and wildly opposing holiday styles. If you’re the same as me and my friends, here are my tips for ensuring a hassle free girls holiday:
1. Decide what’s important

Do you want some quality time with your friends? Or the perfect escape? By deciding early on what’s important to you, you can think about how much your willing to compromise on budget, destination and holiday style. Yes, refusing to compromise may mean you jet off with a smaller group, but it will also mean you don’t resent anybody who wants a different sort of trip.
2. What’s your holiday style?

Are you looking for a boozy few days or a week of barefoot luxury? What about your friends? Think about what you’re after from your getaway, and how much your willing to adapt to what your friends want. Bear in mind that it can actually be a lot of fun to go away with people who have different holiday styles and will take you out of your comfort zone – on the other hand, it can also be a nightmare!
3. Apartment v hotel

I am a big advocate of holiday apartments: they’re often better value for money, more flexible and make you feel like you actually live in the city. They’re also great for groups and can make you feel like you’re having a house-party every night! One hint, however, many apartments advertised for six or more actually have just one bathroom – the kiss of death to a fun girly holiday!
4. Think outside the box

Glamping, boutique festivals and gypsy caravans are a little off the wall but can make fantastic getaways-with-a-difference. Likewise, the less cliched destinations such as Tel Aviv, Istanbul and Poland are definitely worth checking out. Being open minded when looking for your holiday can often save you money and give you a far richer experience.
5. Sync your diaries

This may sound ridiculously 21st century, but it’s a actually vital step of any group holiday. My tip: create a shared spreadsheet on Google Docs where people can select the dates they are available. Much easier than multiple emails and Facebook messages trying to work out a weekend you can all do!

It really is though isn’t it? Despite being only a short hop across the channel, I’d never been to Paris. I’d dreamt about it, read about it, worked it up into this big Moulin Rouge esque fantasy-land, and finally booked tickets last November. It would be an understatement to say I was exited.

Settling in to the Eurostar (so much nicer than the plane), a thought struck me: what if I was expecting too much? Could a city really live up to the image I had created of Paris?

Pics below: Insanely gorgeous Mont Blanc pastry and hot chocolate from Angelina’s. First view of the Eiffel Tower from just outside the Louvre. The Eiffel Tower up close. The Seine with full moon.

The answer to my question…of course it could! Paris was everything I expected and more. There are literally no words to capture that first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower, at twilight, as you leave the Louvre, wandering along Champs Elysee’s, devouring a Mont Blanc Pastry and tar-thick hot chocolate at Angelina’s, leaving your apartment in the morning to views of the Sacre Coer. Yep, Paris is for lovers, because who could not love Paris?

Over the last few months, I’ve been finding it harder and harder to write about travel: I have to face the cold hard truth – I just don’t travel enough to have a travel blog. Yes, I could be galavanting around Europe on city breaks, however I’m just not that sort of traveller: I’d much rather save all year and go on one exotic holiday than split up my time with smaller jaunts. That’s why Wandersugar is changing track: travel will still be a big feature, however spa treatments, healthy eating and recipes will get much more of a look in. I hope you enjoy!

Birthdays definitely require some pampering and, with that in mind, I booked myself in for a Ila Kunalini back massage at Leaf Lifestyle and Beauty in Tattenhall.

Leaf is a wonderful salon: a wide range of wonderful treatments using high quality – often organic – products, gorgeous rural surroundings and a friendly, calming atmosphere to melt away your stresses before your treatment even begins.

When it comes to my Spa treatments, I’m a sucker for anything Ayurvedic, exotic or slightly mystical. Luckily for me, the Ila Kundalini back massage is all of the above! Ila create heart-stoppingly expensive but impressively pure products – the type of thing my bathroom will be full of when I win the lottery. The Kundalini part refers to the serpent energy that is supposedly swirling around the base of our spines, waiting to be unleashed and help us reach our full potential – see, I said it was mystical! Having recently discovered the incredible practice of Kundalini yoga, I was definitely intrigued.

I googled this massage before booking and found a number of articles extolling its magical healing powers, I sensed a hint of PR gloss, but really didn’t care – nothing wrong with a bit of spin if it makes a nice story…

All Ila treatments begin with a cleansing foot wash – a nice touch that adds to the ritual, mystical feel of the massage. The massage itself is hard to describe; it’s certainly unlike any treatment I’ve had before. Sweeping and gentle, yet incredibly powerful, your muscles will just melt with relaxation. The movements just flow, and somehow it seems to work on your body as a whole rather than just specific muscles – sort of like acupuncture. At some point, deliciously hot poultices filled with Jasmine and other aromatic treasures, were placed along my spine. The effect was incredibly restorative; I don’t have an achey back but I’d imagine this would be heaven if you did. Weirdest thing – after the treatment was over, I felt almost drunk! Groggy, smiley and very happy, without even the sniff of a mojito! I’ll definitely book in for another of these babies when l’m back up North!