Luvverly, Luvverly Blissful Time

I have had the most divine twenty four hours away.  Truly it has been wonderful.

We dropped Oscar at granny’s house at about three o’clock yesterday afternoon and then wandered over to Birmingham.  Birmingham is a city which is virtually unrecognisable from when I was a teenager.  It is the second largest city in England, and now, with a massive, and ongoing makeover, it looks and feels like it.

Mostly it used to feel like a place you had to go to if you had been very, very naughty indeed.  Possibly to be poked with sticks, or made to live in a cellar and eat dirt.

It has wonderful Victorian architecture, much of which is now being saved, instead of being bull dozed to make way for cement monstrosities that resemble public toilets.  It has fantastic restaurants and bars, good hotels and wonderful shopping.  It is perfect for a weekend break, and we are lucky in that we only live an hour away.

We stayed in the Hotel du Vin, which is one of those examples of Victorian architecture I was talking about.  Originally an eye hospital, and then a derelict building, it has been lovingly restored and is absolutely beautiful.  The stone flags in the entrance hall and ornate iron balustrades on the stairs, the funky, punched zinc lift and the restful courtyard with a fountain, and a courtyard roof that slides back on sunny days, makes it a very aesthetically pleasing place to stay.

We love the Hotel du Vin chain, and usually stay in one of the suites at their hotel in Harrogate.  It was full this weekend, but to be honest I wasn’t too sorry once I saw what we were getting in Birmingham.  We didn’t take a suite.  They were very expensive and we would have been paying for things like a personal gym, which we wouldn’t have used.  We usually try for a suite because we like space and hotel rooms are notoriously small and pinchy for the most part.

I was worried about the room until we got in it.  It was huge. We had a king sized bed, a three seater sofa, two arm chairs, a desk and a huge wardrobe, and there was still more than enough room to host a party.  The bathroom was splendid with an enormous drenching shower and a vast, roll top bath, and everything was spotless and warm.

We even had a Nespresso machine in our room which I utilised to the full this morning with great results, although having tested the equivalent machine but made by Illy earlier this year, I would go for the Illy one every time.  Just as simple to use. Nicer coffee.

The service was immaculate, the staff were friendly, nothing was too much bother, and it was a pleasure to stay there.  We had requested a quiet room, which they assured us we had.  We needed it to be, as there was a wedding party on last night.  We really didn’t want to have the luxury of getting away from the children to enjoy uninterrupted sleep, only to find we were woken by people doing the conga at three in the morning.

It was utterly peaceful and very restful.  I know this because I slept twelve hours round.

Oh yes.

You can keep your clubbing and your all night parties thank you very much.

It was bliss.

We had an early dinner in the hotel bistro.  It was delicious.  I drank champagne cocktails, Jason pushed the boat out (he usually only drinks once a year), and had a gin and tonic made with Hendricks gin, lots of ice and lots of lime.  Even I, who am not a fan of gin, thought it was delicious.  We ate perfectly cooked steaks with crisp, salty fries and wonderful bearnaise sauce, followed by sticky toffee pudding and proper vanilla ice cream full of vanilla seeds.

This morning we checked out as late as possible. The staff were happy to keep our bags for us while we wandered into the city, and we set off into a beautiful day. It was warm and sunny and the skies were gloriously blue.  We had brunch at Cafe Rouge, which is usually ok, but they ballsed up my order twice, which didn’t make me very happy. I did feel a lot better when they finally got it right and I tucked into salmon benedict with a side of Lyonnaise potatoes.  It is amazing how much calmer I feel on a full belly.

We then spent ages wandering around Selfridges, stroking things.  I fell in love with a Vivienne Westwood coat, and a Paul Smith weekend bag, and a Mulberry handbag and lots and lots of things that made my desirabilityometer ping like crazy.

Jason bought me this wonderful Famille Summerbelle map of London.  I had seen it in a shop on holiday, and it was going to be my anniversary present, but they had sold out.  Then, today we found it reduced in the Pedlars shop in Selfridges for £50 including the frame, which is an absolute steal, as framing is so very expensive.  The one I’ve linked to is red. Mine is grey/blue, and I absolutely love it.

My final treat of the day was being bought the UGG biker boots we saw yesterday in Schuh.  They were £255 in Schuh and we found them in a shop called Cloggs for £219 with 20% off today only.  He didn’t hesitate, which was utterly amazing of him, but as he said, I have worn my other UGGS to bits and they genuinely do keep my feet unbelievably warm all winter. The only issue with the ones I already have is that they are wool and sheepskin and so I cannot wear them anywhere they are likely to get wet.  Mostly those are the places my feet are likely to get the coldest.

Also, although I love my UGGS more than any other shoe I own, it is not because they are pretty.  They are truly ugly things, hence the name.  The biker boots, on the other hand, I love both because they will keep my feet warm, and because they look very, very cool indeed.

I have been spoiled.  I have had a wonderful weekend.  We have had a wonderful weekend.  We feel like we have been away for a week, when in fact it was less than twenty four hours, which is a sign of time well spent.

Wonderful.

 

 

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