Salsa, Cigars & Sunshine | Cuba

On Saturday morning I arrived home from the most incredible 2 weeks in Cuba. My mum, my step-dad and I stayed in a hotel called Iberostar Tainos which is situated on the North coast of the island in the resort town of Varadero, which is known for its breath taking white sandy beaches.We didn't visit Havana or do any excursions this year as having been to Cuba before we had already visited everywhere we wanted to visit so we just had a relaxing 2 weeks around the hotel.

Walkway to the beach

Paradise!

This was our third visit to the hotel so it was really nice to see the members of staff that we had gotten friendly with over the years.

Barmen Risel & Yudel

Bar Staff Risel & Daylin

Our 'Cuban family' Yudel & Claudia 

The welcome back cocktail party for return guests

Birthday celebrations for my step-dad

For me one of the best parts about going on holiday is meeting new people and this year I was lucky enough to meet loads of different people from different countries. I made friends from the UK, Cuba, Argentina, France and Italy. They definitely made the holiday extra special and as soppy as it sounds, I will never forget them or the memories we made.

oooo holiday friends oooo

late night beach partyyyy

running red lights

         
the 'bit too hot for a club' selfie

One thing is for sure, you will never starve while staying in this hotel. There is a buffet style restaurant which is open every day for breakfast lunch and dinner with a wide variety of choices. One of my favourite meals was from 'Sakuru' which is the hotel's Japanese A'la Carte restaurant. They cook all of the food right in front of you whilst doing various tricks with the utensils, talk about dinner with a show! The food is also super tasty!  

I enjoyed every single minute of my time in Cuba but for me there was diffidently one stand out highlight! The first year we visited the hotel we became friends with a couple from Belgium named Ellen and Rudi and we have met up with them the past two summers in Cuba. It was our last night in the hotel and we were all extremely sad about leaving but suddenly Ellen dropped the bombshell...Rudi had proposed to her!!! It was SO romantic and I honesty couldn't have been happier for them.

Congratulations to the happy couple

I think that out of all of the holidays I have ever been on this one has 100% been the best. Cuba is the most beautiful place I have ever visited. I love the music, the people, the dancing and especially the gorgeous beaches, you really couldn't ask for anything more. I have only been home for 4 days and I am already missing it crazy amounts. I would honestly do anything to be back!!

Until next time Cuba...

Packing For Cuba!

I think I'm one of the only people I know that actually enjoys packing for a holiday. Don't get me wrong it does stress me out but on the whole it makes me really excited! I always try to be super organised and have set outfits for set nights with everything all matching but I never fail to over pack which always leads to sweaty palms when my case is getting weighed at the check-in desk! 

Tomorrow I'm flying out to the Caribbean island of Cuba with my mum and my step-dad for a 2 week holiday. It's the third time we've visited Cuba and I'm extremely excited as I fell in love with the country and its culture the very first day I spent there. 

Bikinis are an ESSENTIAL part of any beach holiday. I tend to be verrrrrry picky when it comes to choosing swimwear but this year I managed to find 4 that I really like. I usually go for strapless bikinis as I don't like having tan lines from straps but this year I have ventured out and bought 2 strapless ones, one navy and one black, and 2 with straps, one baby pink with black trim and one with a floral pattern. 

Top Left (pink): Missguided

Top Right (black): Primark

Bottom Left (navy): Primark

Bottom Right (floral): Boohoo

I thought that these 2 playsuits would be perfect for casual day time outfits.

              

Blue aztec print: Primark

White with fruit print: River Island

For me when it comes to beach cover ups the cheaper the better and this year I have decided to get a bit creative. I bought these two t-shirts from Primark (both in size 18 so the would be really oversized) and I have decided to cut off the sleeves and make them into dresses. Two beach dresses for £4, really can't complain! 

Summer fashion is definitely my favourite so when it comes to choosing outfits to wear at night I am always spoiled for choice. I have managed to whittle down my wardrobe to these 14 outfits...

Playsuit: Boohoo
Sandals Topshop

Dress: Dorothy Perkins

Belt: New Look

Sandals: New Look

Playsuit: Missguided

Necklace: New Look

Sandals Primark

Stapless Crop Top: Miss Selfridge

Maxi Skirt: Primark (it was only £1...bargain of the centuary!!!)

Sandals: Primark

Necklace: Topshop

Fringed Kimono: Missguided

Crop Top: Missguided

Levi Shorts: Urban Outfitters

Sandals: Primark

Top: Topshop

Levi Shorts: Urban Outfitters

Sandals: Topshop

Kimono: Boohoo

Bralet: Missguided

Levi Shorts: Urban Outfitters

Sandals: New Look

Crop Top: Topshop

Levi Shorts: Urban Outfitters

Necklace: New Look

Sandals: Topshop

Off-the-Shoulder Crop Top: Missguided

Floral Shorts: Missguided

Sandals: Primark

Top: Boohoo

Shorts: Boohoo

Necklace: Boohoo

Sandals: New Look

Bralet: Missguided

Skirt: Missguided

Sandals: Primark

Lace Crop Top: New Look

Skirt: Boohoo

Sandals: Primark

Top: Topshop

Skirt: Missguided

Necklace: Primark

Sandals: Primark

Crop Top: Boohoo

Shorts: Topshop

Necklace: Jack Wills

Sandals: Topshop

Case all packed and weighing less than 20kgs (hopefully!!) the final countdown begins!! Only one more sleep until I head off for 2 weeks of sand, sunshine, sea and of course COCKTAILS!!!

Adios amigosssss ☀️ ✈️ ☀️

Cheat Day // Making Malteser Tray Bake

When you're a massive chocoholic like I am those sweet chocolaty cravings are sometimes just too hard to ignore. This is one of my all time favourite recipes as it's really simple to make and it's super tasty too. It's definitely the perfect treat!

To make this malteser tray bake you will need:

• 110g of butter
• 600g of chocolate
• 225g of digestive biscuits
• 225g of maltesers
• 3 tablespoons of golden syrup

Step 1: Crush the digestive biscuits. You could use a blender or you could do it the old fashioned way by using a rolling pin. (Make sure there are no lumps!) 

Step 2:  Melt the butter, golden syrup and 250g of the chocolate in a pan on a medium to high heat. (Make sure not to let it burn)

Step 3: Once melted add the crushed digestives and the maltesers to the pan and mix well.

Step 4:  Press the mixture into a baking tray making sure it's evenly spread out and leave for around 15 minutes to set. (I know it looks a bit dodgy here but trust me, it tastes good!) 

Step 5:  While the mixture is setting melt the remaining 350g of chocolate (you can use white chocolate for this part if you prefer) and pour evenly over the top. Leave to set until the chocolate is hard. You can use any left over maltesers to decorate the top!

Step 6:  Once it has set remove from the tin and cut into squares.

Happy baking! 

One Direction @ Murrayfield!

After 1 year and 2 weeks of waiting the day had finally arrived. I was going to see One Direction live at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh.  I have been a really big fan of the band ever since X Factor and even though I'm 18 now I still get ridiculously excited over them!

 My little sister and I outside the stadium

I had never been to a stadium concert and I was astounded by the number of people. The 64,000 fans in attendance even set the record for the biggest gig in Scotland! I was really happy with our seats as we had a great view of the stage! We were sitting in block 23 in the west stand (right in front of X Factor finalist Nicholas McDonald!)

64,000 1D fans fill Murrayfield

They were supported by an Australian band named 5 Seconds Of Summer, who also supported them in their last tour. They really got the crowed revved up singing their newest singles 'Don't Stop' and 'She Looks So Perfect.' They also sung a cover of Katy Perry's 'Teenage Dream' which I particularity enjoyed. The 5 Seconds of Summer boys done an extremely good job of starting of the show and after they had finished their set the countdown to One Direction began!

  Eagerly waiting for 1D

After what seemed like the longest half an hour the time had finally arrived. One Direction burst onto the stage singing 'Midnight Memories' which caused a great deal of excitement around the stadium. They sung a mixture of songs from all three albums and put on an amazing show!

Finishing the show with 'Best Song Ever'

I had such an amazing night and after a year of waiting I'm really sad that it's all over . I would do anything to re-live it. I'm really excited to get tickets for their next tour and hopefully do it all over again!