If you read my post on motivation (you can see it here), you’ll have seen that a trip to London was ticked off the October to-do list.
Victoria already had her ticket to the BossBabe Retreat in the Bloomsbury Hotel, so I couldn’t resist going too. A weekend of cocktails, street style and – of course – finding my motivation again at the retreat. What could be better?!
Although we were mainly down for the retreat, I thought I’d share some of the places we stopped at during our trip, just in case anyone else is looking for a London trip which won’t totally break the bank!
WHERE WE BRUNCHED
Let’s get to the important stuff first: where to brunch on a Sunday morning in London? There’s just so many gorgeous Insta-worthy places, but I’m so glad Vic booked Dalloway Terrace for us.
Funnily enough, we didn’t realise it was located in the very hotel the retreat was being held in, so it was a nice surprise.
You’ve probably seen a good few bloggers post their pics from Dalloway Terrace and for good reason. The outside-in set up and beautiful seasonal decoration (hello, autumn leaves) make for a brunch backdrop of dreams.
It isn’t just one of these places that looks pretty, either. The staff were really lovely and helpful and the food was amazing (the best eggs royale ever, said Vic, which is a pretty big deal). It’s also not any more expensive than usual brunch spots so a winner all round.
Make sure you book way (way) in advance, though, as spaces fill up in advance. And wear an outfit you love because you’re going to need to get a pic in front of the leaves. It’s practically the law.
WHERE WE ATE
Sometimes, the best spots are the ones not plastered all over social media. Instead, we randomly came across a cute little Italian called Il Castelletto on the way back to our apartment after the all-day retreat.
We thought we’d stop for a quick bottle of prosecco before going back to get changed and heading out, but one bottle of prosecco turned into another and a little chilled night was just what we needed, so we ordered some amazing pasta and stayed put!
We loved the chilled vibe of the restaurant so much, we ended up back the next day before going for our train. Predictable as always, our fave waiter even knew our order before we sat down. We just really like a good prosecco place…
WHERE WE DRANK
// SKETCH
Let’s be honest: who hasn’t seen Sketch on social and ooh’d over the pink room, egg toilets, etc? We met my friend (and resident Scot-living-in-London) Aveen and made our way to the very place.
Now, I’m in no way dissing Sketch, and I’m sure it’s really cute when you book a table for the beloved pink room, but we were in the other bar area and felt a little underwhelmed. I honestly feel like I should whisper that as it seems such a popular place, it just wasn’t maybe as magical as Instagram influencers would have you believe.
Spending about £16+ on a cocktail that tasted kinda like a Woo Woo isn’t really my thing, but I’m glad we went along to see it and I’d maybe try it again if we were booking a table for food.
// THE CORAL ROOM
Disclaimer: I was not sponsored in any way to visit or talk about The Bloomsbury Hotel, but I swear we just kept gravitating towards it by accident! We stopped in the hotel’s The Coral Room for a drink when we arrived in London and liked the vibe before realising it was where the retreat was the next day!
I opted for a glass of one of their chosen English sparkling rose wines, which was actually v. good. A nice spot if you’re staying in the Bloomsbury area.
WHERE WE STAYED
Knowing we would hardly be in the accommodation, we actually booked an apartment through Booking.com called Studios2Let. It was in a really good location, so close to King’s Cross station and on a really pretty street.
The apartment itself was clean and totally fine for what we needed it for (mainly throwing our clothes around in a mild panic when we couldn’t decide what to wear and ordering Uber Eats when we couldn’t be bothered going out again for dinner #glam).
I really loved the nearby streets and the walk to Russel Square. Plus, there were plenty of nearby coffee stops, which we really needed at 7.45 on a Saturday morning.
We were also close to the gorgeous Kate Halfpenny boutique, which definitely brought out the wedding journo/bride-to-be in me!
