BANNATYNE SPA BREAK!

Hello everyone!

This week's blog is all about my weekend at the Bannatyne Hotel & Spa in Darlington.
Bannatyne have hotels and spas up and down the country and I'd heard many great reviews. Callum booked us a spa break for my birthday which was so lovely of him! Aren't I lucky?

We headed to Darlington (an hour's drive away) on Saturday afternoon and checked into the hotel, which is also very popular for wedding receptions. We were made to feel extremely welcome as we dropped off our bags in the room.

Then we headed to the spa, which is about a 5 minute drive away. The staff were really friendly and showed us around. We got a bag each containing a towel, robe and flipflops. After we'd got changed into our swimming gear, we headed to the spa where we were booked in for back, neck and shoulder massages. Our spa therapists were so lovely and made us feel extremely relaxed.

I didn't take any pictures at the spa because I was having such a good time relaxing but I'll insert some from the website so you can see what it looks like.

We spent a few hours using the pool, steam room, sauna and hot tub. It was lovely to just relax and enjoy our stay. The sauna is supposed to be good for alleviating pain and stress as well as increasing circulation, and the steam room was really good for clearing our colds away (everyone seems to be a bit sniffly at the moment don't they?)
Then we headed back to the hotel and got ready for our evening meal in the in-house Maxine's Restaurant.
The menu was incredible, with so many amazing dishes available. I'll include some pictures I took of our meal below.

Starter: Pork Belly Bites

Main: Gormet Burger

Main: Chicken, Pancetta and Spinach in a White Wine Sauce

 We also had ice cream for pudding too! After finishing the last of our gorgeous wine, we headed back up to the room to watch some telly before settling in for the night.
When we got up, we were able to help ourselves to a breakfast buffet. We both had a Full English, followed by tea and toast.

I hope you enjoyed this blog! I loved my weekend away and can't wait to go back for a treat another time.

Until next time,
Charlotte x

*Our spa break package included x2 treatments, full use of the spa facilities, evening meal, overnight stay in the hotel and breakfast.*

WHAT I GOT FOR MY BIRTHDAY 2019

Hi everyone!
This blog is all about the presents I was very kindly given for my birthday this year. I’d just like to say that I am in no way trying to brag about anything, I am so lucky to have received some lovely bits and bobs and would just like to share a few things with you, because I know I love being nosy and finding out what people got for their birthdays.

From my parents I got a gorgeous burgundy shawl which will be perfect for weddings and YFC dinner dances! I’ve been stealing my mum’s grey shawl for ages now so I’m really grateful to have received my own. I can’t find this online and don’t currently have a picture but I will try and upload one once I’m home at the weekend!

My parents also got me a lovely tassel key ring from High Bird Designs. I’m going to put it on my Joules tweed handbag! I really love High Bird Designs, you’ll have seen some other gorgeous bespoke pieces featured on my blog before.

I got a beautiful fur collar from my sister, alongside this leather Hiho Silver bracelet. I’m excited to wear the fur collar with my tweed jacket to add a bit more to my outfit!

From my grandparents, I got a pair of Hortons England socks (purchased from Wild & Westbrooke  in York). I haven’t worn them yet but they look so comfy and I can’t wait to try them out! They also got me the  Wrendale Designs Tortoise Mug, which is so cute! I’ve loved tortoises since I was little and hope to have my own one day (I’ve never been allowed one before). We have a few other Wrendale mugs and I’ve featured some on here too.

When I was younger I remember my mum got my granny a Dcuk and we wrapped it in a big box full of straw and poked air holes in the top to trick her into thinking it was a real animal. I was looking at my granny’s small collection of Dcuks a few weeks ago and said how I’d quite like one for myself. I love how each Dcuk has its own name (mine is called Clyde) and how there are so many styles available.

My friend Shannon got me a gorgeous scarf from Joules which is really cosy and looks fab too. I’ll be taking some photos with the scarf over the next few days and will post them when I do! She also got me a gorgeous friendship bracelet with the quote “True friends are like stars- you don’t always see them but you know they’re always there”. That’s one of my favourite quotes because it is so true!

I got lots of lovely toiletries from my friends and family and I’ll include some in a list below.


-Sanctuary Spa Drift Off Bath Soak
-Sanctuary Spa Dream Easy Pillow Mist
-Soap & Glory Birthday Washes Set
-Jack Wills Body Spray Trio
-Lush ‘Peachy’ Bath Bomb
-Treacle Moon Gift Set

Finally, Callum got me a spa break to The Bannatyne Hotel & Spa in Darlington! I’m so excited to go this weekend and I will be blogging about it so you can see what I got up to and what the spa and hotel are like!

Thank you for reading, I really hope you enjoyed reading about what I got for my birthday!

Until next time,
Charlotte x

MOTHER'S DAY GIFT GUIDE

Hello everyone!

Before I start- I'd just like to say that Mother's Day can be a really sensitive time of year for some people. If you would prefer to skip this blog, I completely understand, and if anybody would like any support, don't hesitate to message me.

If you are celebrating this year, it's time to start thinking about what you're going to get your mum/grandma/granny/auntie/nan or whoever for Mother's Day! This year, it is on Sunday 31st March.
I've come up with a few things that I know my mum loves and hope that it will give you some inspiration for your own shopping!

 Firstly, I would recommend a gorgeous mug from Wrendale Designs. There are so many different animals available to suit anybody. My mum loves hedgehogs and has this hedgehog mug at home. We also have pheasant, squirrel and badger mugs too. I just got the tortoise mug for my birthday.

Sticking with the kitchen theme, I love these personalised paddle chopping boards by Holder and Hook. I think these are gorgeous and would also double up well as a serving platter too. I'd be really chuffed to receive one of these and I'm sure your mum would find it really practical as well as sentimental!

Another practical gift is a Bathboard. I can't wait to get one of these when I have my own house (and bath!). These look amazing and are available in so many styles too. The company is based in Darlington, which is local(ish) to me. You could team this gift with a selection of bathbombs from Bomb Cosmetics and a gorgeous candle from The Little Yorkshire Candle to give your mum the ultimate bath hamper. If you go for a gin board, why not add a little bottle of York Gin?

If you're going down the clothing route, yet again I'd recommend browsing the Rydale website. My mum loves the Wistow Printed shirts as they can be dressed up or down. I spoke about my Wistow Pheasant shirt in the Spring issue of Femme Magazine (click here to order yourself a copy or pop into Wild and Westbrooke in York)

Hiho Silver do a lovely range of jewellery, including some gorgeous bracelets that would be a lovely gift. I really like the foxtail bracelet- which would look lovely with a selection of pretty roller beads. I would really like one of these and think they would make a great addition to any outfit.

Finally, how about a pair of boot tassels? I love these handmade feather tassels from Bonny Birds Crafts. I don't have any long boots at the moment but I've been eyeing up the Fairfax and Favor Reginas and would love these tassels when I get them.

Thank you for reading- I hope you've enjoyed this blog and it's given you a few ideas for gifts, or even some ideas of what to add to your wishlist!

Until next time,
Charlotte x