Contemplating Abroad

Well, it's finally here... I'm about to begin my final year of college, after three years studying part-time I'm simply itching to get into an internship next summer and spend some time doing what I love... Writing! And endless possibilities are popping into my head... So which destinations are on my list.

I would simply love to go to New York, and USIT have partnered with the US government to allow graduates entry into the US for 12 months to work! Wouldn't that be a dream to get back there - roll on 2015!

However as I finish college May 2014, I'm looking for some outage straight away! So I'm thinking initially London or Edinburgh as it's close enough to home if it doesn't work out (and for graduation in November).

My ideal is for an internship with Glamour Magazine which is based in London, but I've applied for several others also. From there I'd love to get into a publishing house - but we'll see how that pans out. I was accepted for an internship with Harmonia - publishers of Irish Tatler and U Magazine - last summer, but was unable to take it up at that point because I work full time. I'm hoping to take that up summer 2014 (Fingers crossed). I was also published in the 2013 readers issue of U magazine, which you can check out here.

So for now I continue to blog and dream of abroad. Stay tuned.

Juls

What to Pack... Summer Packing Essentials!

This can vary immensely, depending on where you are going, with whom and for what purpose.
So I'll start with 'Summer Packing Essentials'. With all the baggage restraints and the cost of checking luggage, we chose to share one 20kg case for a week, as you can also bring a 10kg carry on bag.

Cabin Bag

I adore my Anter carry on, it's a perfect fit for Ryanair baggage check and fits everything I need on board. It's also a great weekend bag! It fit everything I needed for the flight, plus some extras like a spare outfit and Bikini - I'm always terrified of losing my luggage!

I picked up a great addition to this in the Canaries - a mini tote bag, which fits perfectly inside the carry on for boarding. It fits everything you need for in flight, without having to fuss with the bigger bag.





 

I was able to tuck all of my essentials in here: book, phone, Vaseline, hand cream, water, chewing gum, tissues and some comfy socks (I'm prone to ankle swelling when I fly - glamorous I know). It's a great little bag to keep everything together and to hand, like Passport, boarding cards, travel insurance and coach transfer details.



Checked Luggage

How do you choose what to bring on holidays? I love my creature comforts and love having all my home comforts to hand; which isn't always possible especially when you’re restricted by weight. Thankfully, I love organising/ packing and so usually start by making a list of what I think I 'need' to bring: Clothes/ Accessories, Beauty, Toiletries, Essentials like adapters etc. and then what you need for the Beach/ Pool.  Then I lay it all with the clothes I want to bring on the bed in the spare room and narrow it down piece by piece.

I don’t like to be carting a lot of stuff around with me if I'm not going to wear/ use it - so finding the balance between summer colour and outfits of choice can be a little tricky. I tend to stick to neutral coloured footwear as they tend to go with everything, making my options more versatile: White wedges and Rose Gold flats. 

It's always a good idea to familiarise yourself with the weather conditions at your destination. The Canaries has sun 350 days per year but I always throw in a pair of leggings and a shrug just in case.

This is what my case usually contains:

• 2 day dresses
• 2 evening dresses
• 2 tank tops
• 2 skirts (can be dressed up or down)
• 1 shorts
• 2 bikinis
• 1 maxi dress
• flat sandals
• wedges
• floppy sun hat
• beach towel
• bikini bag

Apart from not having the right clothes with you, the last thing you want to have to worry about on holiday is your make up running down your face! My Beauty bag usually just contains a lot of light waterproof items such as Rimmels Waterproof mascara/ eyeliner, Benefit Porefessional Primer, Rimmel Bronzer with SPF 8, and Revlon Lip Stain, which will not rub off, leaving you worry free and looking your best! 

Here's my checklist, feel free to use/ print.

Holiday Checklist from Juls Nicholl-Stimpson

Juls GFC Linkup # 2

<a href="http://julshiddengems.blogspot.ie/" target="_self"><img alt="julshiddengems" height="125" src="http://i737.photobucket.com/albums/xx13/Juls_Nicholl-Stimpson/667d383e-18d3-497e-aca3-7366f2b68b66_zps6c9d83d8.jpg?t=1377031810" width="150" /></a>

The Blazin' Grill

The Blazin’ Grill, Tallaght, looks like it has a lot to offer; with its contemporary design, timber cut tables and chilled out attitude. An extremely friendly atmosphere, with great service, - although a little on the slow side. It would seem to be the perfect alternative on a Sunday afternoon, to the usual carvery down the pub! The atmosphere is quite and family orientated, with 3 course set menus at €19.50 which is most friendly on the wallet and to top that off on Sunday’s kids’ meals are free (from the kids menu).

 

The Blazin' Grill

My friends had raved about the food, as they eat there all the time so I was eager to try it. However, I was a little underwhelmed. I went for their famous Blazin’ Chicken wings, which were perfectly cooked, crispy and succulent. The ‘Blazin’ sauce on the other hand was a little too sweet and not enough ‘Blaze’ as the name suggests -  a far cry from other hot wings. For my main course I chose the Roast Chicken Breast, Stuffing and Bacon – what self-deserving Dubliner doesn’t love a good Sunday roast?! Over all the meal was only OK, nothing to write home about. The meat was dry and tasteless, however the roasted carrot and turnip completely made up for that.

After that lot, I was extremely looking forward to the Raspberry "Styled" Cheesecake which came highly recommended. When it arrived at the table, I was awed by the presentation which was stunning. Sadly, it was not love at first bite! The first word that came to mind was Flubber! Had I wished, I could have easily dribbled my desert through the restaurant before I slam dunked back to the kitchen.

It’s unfortunate that for such a beautiful restaurant, it was the food that let them down. Ironic.

Amusements, Eateries, Nightlife and Shopping!

Activities are in abundance in Maspalomas, it's hard to find the time to fit everything in; from water sports, day trips to shopping. There is just so much to see and do. There were loads of places we just didn't opt for this time around, but are definitely on the list for next time.

Our first stop was Holiday world, a big amusements centre with everything from Air hockey, bowling, to a roller coaster and Ferris wheel outside.

The place was huge but after wandering around it once, you've seen it all. It does seem a bit run down but the pricing is quite good. You can buy a pass with 60 units for €20 which lasted us 3 trips. We ended up giving it to someone when we were leaving as unless you go on all the amusements you wouldn't really use it up. It is really a family centre but to say it was peak season, it was never overly busy.

By far my favourite part of Maspalomas are the long stretching beaches from Playa del Ingles to Meleronas, with miles of sand dunes. There are some busy sections of the beach, but if you’re willing to walk a little way along you will find some stunningly beautiful spots which are a bit quieter, to soak up the sun. There is a nudist beach along here though, right in the middle, so keep your eyes to the sand if you’re shocked easily! We walked for over an hour and back and it was just such a relaxing thing to do by the sea. It’s also a great way to work on your tan if you bore easily by the pool, with the temperatures reaching 35c everyday.

There are literally masses of restaurants along the Playa del Ingles beach strip along with plenty of shops, and we ate in many of them; but by far the best food we had was in Meleronas and the Yumbo centre!The supermarkets are fantastic to, also great if you get a self catering apartment. We had plenty of meals on our patio, overlooking the pool.

This is the restaurant we visited in Meleronas - I cant remember the name!!

We went to La Candela in the Yumbo centre on our last night and the food was exquisite, both in taste and presentation. The décor was that of Old Hollywood glamour with easy lighting, but with a Spanish/ modern twist. It’s situated on the second floor of the Yumbo centre, and so we opted for a balcony seat as the night was breezy - which was a delicious break from the humidity - to soak up the relaxing atmosphere of the restaurant, along with the lively buzz of the bars and entertainment below. 

There are three Chinese buffets on the ground floor of the Yumbo centre, one out of three is worth a trip. The first night we arrived we had food in the Thailandia Chinese restaurant as I hadn't wanted to do the buffet thing. Our money was wasted - the meat had a rubbery texture and I was really disappointed as the service and presentation of the food was lovely. However a few days later we came back and decided to try the Chinese buffet just beyond Thailandia, by the stairs; and this was absolutely gorgeous and far cheaper than Thailandia. The service was impeccable and the waitress implored us to try the FIFTEEN types of ice cream - we politely declined.

It’s all about the nightlife in Gran Canaria – especially around Playa del Ingles where the Yumbo is situated! There are plenty of place to have a quiet drink but equal amounts of bars where you can dance until dawn! On our first night Sab suggested we head to a well know Show bar, Sparkles. We turned up just before the show started and sat outside on some high stools, I wanted to get a better view of the show so we squeezed in to find seats, one of the staff seated us front row and the fun started here! We got strips torn off us by Andi Martine one of the owners who was on stage pre show; all in good fun of course. I fell in Love. He is a great show man/ artist and I would travel back just to see him perform. Drag shows get a lot of bad press but this is one of the most professional acts I’ve ever been to, from the choreography to props.

MichealMarouli their leading show boy is another fine act with a whopping set of lungs on him, he really has a fabulous voice. Daniella Mantrapp is another of the cast and a fantastic performer. They have a fantastic team at Sparkles- taking time to chat with the audience, whilst engaging them in the acts; they certainly know how to show you a good time and keep you entertained. My face hurt, I laughed so much! All of the staff are extremely warm and friendly, but if you are in any way prudish, be warned this show isn’t for the faint hearted! Friday night is really the best night to go as they do a version of the Scissor sisters 'Let's have have a KiKi'!! It was brilliant - we made several trips to Sparkles and each night the show was brilliant – it is well worth a trip!

We visited a couple of other bars in the Yumbo, ManTrixx was not our cup of tea… it was DEAD quiet. We didn’t even finish our drinks and left bound for Coco Loco which was much more lively.

This is Si, lovely guy we met in Coco Loco

There really is nowhere like Gran Canaria for holiday shopping and you can't beat the prices and choice! My hat obsession was not helped by the huge amount of choice, and I had to limit myself to just one.

The only thing that I would warn against are the perfume shops. I had been advised before I went that they sold fake perfume and after experiencing the atmosphere in these shops, I would never buy here. Your best bet is to buy in the airport on the way over or way back. You can check out other peoples advice here, there seems to be a lot of con artists! Also, don’t be afraid to shop around and come back later or even better barter - what’s selling for €10 in one shop may be €7 in another a little further on!

Along the beach I also came across a place that did fish pedicures. I was a bit unsure but tried it anyway, it was certainly an experience. They don’t have teeth, so don’t bite you as such… more of a tickling sensation. My feet did feel quite soft afterwards though I didn’t like the way they  swarmed around my feet - but others could find this quite relaxing...

All in all Maspalomas has a lot to offer the tourist/ traveler, both high end or on a budget. Avoid preconceptions and taking advice too literally and go find out for yourselves - you might miss an amazing time otherwise!

Gran Canaria

Well after two years without a proper holiday AND sun, I decided we were most definitely having both! So it's been 10 days since we landed back from an amazing week and we are already planning our trip back!
Gran Canaria hasn't got the best reputation and is usually sneered at when filling people in on where you're going. 'So where are you off to then?', 'The Canaries...', 'Oh Right' is the usual response. Well having only visited Playa del Ingles in the past, I can see where these misconceptions stem from.
Well let's set the record straight - I'm just back from a 7 night stay in San Fernando, Maspalomas; which is only a stones throw away from Playa del Ingles - but worlds apart! I had been pretty apprehensive about going back to Gran Canaria, but after researching the resorts on TripAdvisor I was pretty excited when it came to booking the holiday.
Let me fill you in on the accommodation and general area, I'll fill you in on the nightlife and Restaurants next week!

So we booked through Budget Travel FINALLY, after a tiresome trudge through various package websites - I was a bit annoyed with the restrictions that seemed in abundance on this website, much has changed since the last time I used it in 2008. After figuring out that the total price was not in fact the total price, the holiday was booked. I printed off the travel vouchers for the coach transfer, checking in online with Ryanair, and printed the accommodation voucher. I got single trip holiday insurance through a recommendation from a friend with Get Cover for €14, much to my delight! Next on the list was parking (much cheaper than a return taxi in my estimation), after checking the various car parks I rested on The Blue Car park through the DAA website. We were lucky and got a summer special offer of €33 for the week. I also purchased the Airport Genie for €4.95 each, which allowed us to get through security screening in less than 5 minutes - I hate standing in those screening ques! It also provides a free coffee voucher which we didn't bother using as it only listed three options!

The trip couldn't have gone more smoothly, after landing earlier than expected, we sailed through baggage collection and found our coach within minutes. The Bus dropped us at the top of the road and we walked less than 5 minutes to the complex. On arrival I noticed that the place seemed a little out of the way and the entrance could do with a facelift, but I told myself 'don't judge the book just yet' -We checked in with one of the nicest receptionists I've ever met, very friendly and warm. We got to our apartment, ground floor terrace, pool view (right on the pool) was gorgeous. We got inside and while the apartments were basic, they were spotlessly clean and bright, nicer than the last place I'd stayed in Playa del Ingles!!

After Briefly unpacking we sat outside to catch our breath and take in the view. We were greeted by a lovely woman and her daughter who were staying in the apartment next to us. We hit it off straight away, chatting about the area, the complex etc She had just graduated from her degree course with a first WELL DONE TASH! and it was her daughters first two week holiday - she was a little doll with a huge love of cats! Hello Kitty to be exact!

All in all, for a budget package holiday this place was a little Gem! We paid €450 each for Flights, Accommodation, Baggage, Transfers - which I think is pretty reasonable. I would definitely recommend this resort for a quiet, relaxing holiday on a budget - with the option of nightlife close by!

El Toro Ride, Holiday World, Maspalomas

I hope you check back in to follow my adventures!