Amy Rowley Travel - Budapest City Break Part Two

Better late than never it's me again, with another Budapest ramble and yes, I'm still obsessing over the incredible food that I had whilst I was there. If you missed my first blog post then read it here, perfect if you're a food lover like me. 

So rewinding slightly, let's talk about the cool things to do and see that Budapest has to offer. As I said previously I wasn't sure what to expect or what I was really planning on doing until I got to the city, but once we had arrived it was clear as to how we were going to spend our time. 

Going in the height of June, the weather was either high 20' or early 30' degrees. So yes, very hot. In some cases too hot to be walking around for 7 hours, so we decided to mix it up a little and spend our days doing both relaxing and exploring. 

Things to do - 

Bar 360 - 

Great views and cocktails, what more could a gal want when she is on her holiday. Located a bit further out, but worth a walk I couldn't recommend it enough. We went to a handful of bars whilst we were in Budapest but this was by far my favourite. Shamefully, it was the one place I didn't get a picture of, but if you search it on Instagram you will find plenty of picturesque snaps. 

Buda castle -

 On our first full day we decided to have a little walk around the castle gardens and soak up some architecture and historical sights. It was beautiful of course and climbing up the castle was lots of fun in itself, you could see for miles across the city. The gardens and castle were kept lovely and everything seemed so peaceful and quiet. It's probably good to mention that me and my good friend decided to caption our entire trip and Budapest in itself...'chilled vibes', not only was this a running joke throughout our entire trip but it was simply how we were left feeling everywhere we went. Chilled, relaxed and content. 

Gellert baths -

 Moving on from that last point and flowing into the next quite nicely, next up on our check list were the famous Budapest spa baths. We went to two during our stay in the city but Gellert baths had to be our favourite. There was a main outside pool with sun beds and umbrellas, perfect for catching those rays on a sunny day like we were lucky enough to have. Inside is another pool and a choice of thermal baths, that were super relaxing at around 36-40 degrees. We spent time in both just taking it all in and simply enjoying some chill time, which let's be honest, we all need every now and then. 

You can choose to spend a full day there or just a couple of hours so there is no rush to leave if like us, you want to stay relaxing for a while. 

Walk, walk, walk -

My last recommendation and one I tend to say a lot after being to a city is to simply get those comfies on and walk, walk, walk. 

I like to just walk around taking pictures and soaking up all the architecture and sights. The bridges are beautiful and if you want to see the city from serious heights take a little hike up Gellert hill, it really is breathtaking. 

I managed to take a lot of snaps whilst I was there, as always.. so here are a few more of my trip for you to take a little look at. 

Of course, the question is...do I recommend Budapest? Without a doubt yes yes yes! Book a trip now if you can. It by far has to be one of my favourite places and at the top of my list along with Edinburgh and Bruges. I will no doubt be returning in the near future, to explore more, maybe in cooler temperatures next time, who knows. 

I hope you enjoyed both of my little Budapest posts and I would love to know or hear about your experiences. Where are you off to next? 

Thanks for reading my lovelies! 

Amy Rowley - Budapest...The Airbnb and the Food

So last week I took a little break from work to spend some much needed girl time with a bestie, in no other than the incredible city of Budapest. I really wasn't sure what to expect but I had heard so many wonderful things and after being on a couple of city breaks I was eager to travel to some more places. 

We booked our trip pretty last minute with only a month to wait until we flew away for a couple of days. After looking at several hotels not really sure what I was looking for, I decided to try Airbnb to see what it had to offer.  First off, it's safe to say there were plenty of adorable apartments up for grabs and an array of choices available but once I stumbled upon what was to be our little apartment for the trip, I knew I had found exactly what I wanted. Located in central Budapest, easy access to all landmarks, city life and of course interior goals I couldn't really say no. Being a bit apprehensive to the whole Airbnb thing, I was more than pleasantly surprised when we arrived. It literally couldn't be more perfect. Our host even offered to do the airport run to and from so we didn't have to worry about public transport. This was very welcomed and made the whole process a lot less daunting and stressful. I will leave a link to our little humble abode here, so if you fancy going to Budapest you can try it. I can highly recommend and would be happy to use again when I return to Budapest. (Which I plan to do in the near future) 

So, moving on of course you want to hear about the city and what we got up to. Our plan was to do some exploring,  eat incredible food and to relax whilst soaking up some rays...this my lovelies is exactly what we did. 

Here are the main factors to our trip and what I recommend if you are booking a trip or already have one sorted for he near future. 

Food - 

Now before I go even further, it's important that I tell you we did not eat one bad meal whilst in Budapest. Everything we had was scrummy and the drinks were just as good. 

Kiosk - we went to kiosk for dessert and drinks after our Airbnb host recommended it to us. The interior and exterior was incredibly instagramable and the drinks and dessert we had were sublime. We had a white wine spritzer with elder flower and cucumber and they were delicious, followed by a salted caramel and chocolate dessert. It's safe to say the dessert was one of the best I'd ever had and I will happily reminisce over for months. Looking back now I would have loved to have a starter and main too, so if you get the chance to, do a girl a favour and let me know if it's just as good as I imagine. 

Mazel Tov - one of the prettiest little restaurants I ever did see, this was worth getting lost for. So yes as you can imagine it's a bit tucked away, but a hidden gem if it were. We had lunch here, I tucked into a lovely hummus bowl with Pitta and falafel, whilst Katie, my friend, had a sweet potato burger with red cheddar and falafel, which of course I had a cheeky bite of too. We also got a side of fries which were lovely too. It looked like a great place to go for the evening as I can imagine it would look gorgeous at night and it looked like they had bands and singers on a regular basis. 

Perfetto - of course I can't go anywhere without finding an Italian and eating either pasta or pizza. Perfetto filled that obsession nicely with it's beautiful pasta dishes and refreshing lemonade. I had salmon fettuccine with a creamy white wine sauce and hint of garlic. Again, another amazing meal that I quite happily devoured. You can tell how good the food is when you start running out of adjectives. *laughs* 

Other quick mentions would have to go to Gelarto Rosa and Madal Coffee. Rosa being the epitome of Instagramable rose shaped ice cream and possibly the best gelato I've tasted. Madal Coffee, the perfect little pit stop for a pick me up and incredible coffee. 

So....this post is starting to seem longer than I expected, but hey what can you expect when a food lover gets started. Stay tuned for part two of my Budapest blog post. Up next is things to do and places to see. 

Thanks for reading my lovelies x 

Three Beautiful Beach Towns to Visit - Amy Rowley Lifestyle

During the last month I have had the pleasure of visiting some lovely little seaside towns in Essex and Suffolk. Each one has a beautiful picturesque town, gorgeous beach and they are all just lovely little towns that I would easily recommend for a day out. In fact they make a perfect Sunday trip out if I do say so myself. So grab your other half, best friend or family member and take them for a drive. 

Frinton - I have been visiting Frinton for years with family and friends. It's very near to where I live so perfect for an afternoon adventure. I always pick Frinton above the likes of Walton or Clacton, simply because it's so pretty. The green above the beach is the perfect location for a picnic, without the annoyance of getting sand in your sandwiches and you can even walk to Walton if you would like as they really are so close. 

They have some lovely little cafes and a yummy sweet shop too if you get a bit peckish. 

Aldeburgh - Now Aldeburgh has a lot of history for me. My grandma lived very nearby when I was younger so I am lucky to have some lovely childhood memories there. It is a gorgeous little town full of pretty shops and boutiques. They also have the best fish and chip shop too!

We decided to visit Aldeburgh for Mother's Day with my mum her partner and my brother. A proper little family day. 

The beach is all stones so although it may not be ideal for making a sandcastle, it makes for a lovely walk and great pictures. Oh and if like some your are good at skimming stones on the sea, your afternoon is sorted.

We wandered through the streets of Aldeburgh, taking in all the gorgeous little places and just enjoying the view. I took an abundance of pictures and managed to spend some quality time with my family, this doesn't happen very often so it was lovely to catch up. 

On the drive back we took a little pit stop at the gorgeous Snape Maltings shopping village and tea room. It has a beautiful selection of gift and home shops perfect for a little nosey and some interior inspiration if you need some. 

Southwold - A long bank holiday meant I had to visit somewhere new and I am so glad I did. Southwold is beautiful! A gorgeous little town, a stunning beach with the best beach huts and to top it off I have never seen so many gorgeous dogs and puppies wandering around. 

We went to a cute cafe called No.Fifty one for lunch which was super yummy and took a wander around the lovely shops. I made sure to buy some Adnams beer for my boyfriend as Southwold is famous for it and it's his favourite. 

If you don't mind going that little bit further, I couldn't recommend Southwold enough. I will definitely be returning in the summer and taking my boyfriend as he will love it too. 

My three current favourite seaside towns that you should take a trip to! Especially as the weather is getting warmer. I hope you enjoyed this little post and let me know if you take a trip to any of them, or even if you know of another lovely beach town. After all i'm always on the hunt for somewhere new to visit. 

Thanks for reading my lovelies x 

A Short and Sweet Guide to Amsterdam - Amy Rowley Travel

Now this may be a little late, but I still wanted to write about this beautiful city and some of my must see and dos should you ever visit. About three weeks ago I visited Amsterdam with a group of friends for a fantastic weekend of food, exploring and way too much drinking. Nevertheless I came away from the weekend with smiles all round and another of my must see cities ticked off my list.

 So I thought I would do a similar post to my Bruges blog post (read it here) where I talk through some of my favourite parts of the trip and what I would recommend to you, if like me you are eager to see Amsterdam in all its glory. So here are my 4 must sees and dos for the city of dam!

1. First things first walk out of the train station and head to the first cafe you see that serves, crepes, churros, waffles or simply anything sweet. Choose whatever takes your fancy and indulge...start Amsterdam with pure yumminess and satisfaction, ready for exploring and walking as I can tell you now there will be a lot of it. I couldn't have just one option whilst on my trip, so after trying churros, I went back for more with a crepe. Both topped with nutella and strawberries of course and they didn't disappoint. 

While on the subject off food, make sure you have a portion of chips with chip sauce, I missed out on this and its still bugs me to this day, but my friend assures me they are fantastic. 

2. Visit the Red Light District and take it all in. It may seem like a silly recommendation, but its probably one of the most weird yet fascinating things i've seen in my entire life. Its such a normal day to day occurence for so many people living in Amsterdam, that what in my head should seem wrong, was actually rather interesting. Obviously its best to go at night for the full experience. 

One bar recommendation has to be Cafe Remember, I had one of the best nights in this Coyte Ugly inspired bar, dancing and drinking like crazy nutters with friends. If you fancy a fun casual night out, then give it a whirl and let your hair down. 

3. Take an afternoon, to wonder round the back streets and the cute and fancy boutiques. We spent a good few hours on the Sunday exploring these little boutiques and doing a spot of shopping and it was the best way to end the trip. This area of the city was in my opinion the prettiest, of what I saw anyway and not something to be missed. 

There are a variety of shops too, plenty of affordable high street prices and then the more high end and designer items. One of my favourite boutiques was called Wind, I purchased a gorgeous rose gold watch for 19 euros and it was full of cute little gifts, jewellery and clothing items. 

4. We visited many museums whilst in Amsterdam, the Van Gogh museum, the Sex museum, but my favourite had to be the Prostitution museum. You may find this a bit odd but it was just so interesting to learn about the life that so many women choose to live. The reasons behind it, how the system is controlled out there and how that for many choosing to visit a prostitute its simply for companionship.

I definitely think its worth a visit, for me travelling with a group of girls we all found the information interesting to say the least. 

So here are my 4 favourite places to see and things to eat that I did whilst in Amsterdam for a weekend of fun. I hope you enjoyed my little insight and a few of my pretty snaps from this beautiful yet intriguing city and I also hope this gives you a little bit of inspo should you be thinking of booking a trip or even already have one booked. 

Thanks for reading my lovelies x