Universal:
There's so much to do here! As you enter the parks you pass through city walk, including Cinnabon (yum) and Vivo an Italian restaurant with lots of vegetarian options, something of a rarity in Orlando. Plus they had a Voodoo Doughnuts, thanks to my ever growing YouTube obsession I had heard a lot about this place. I picked one of their classic designs the Voodoo Doll, filled with jam and topped with a pretzel and a chocolate glaze. After you've finished tucking into all of the treats, you can either visit the Universal Studios or Islands of Adventure sections of the park. Some of my favourite rides in the studios section of the park were Transformers 3D, The Simpsons Ride and Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts. In my opinion the best rides from Islands of Adenture were Jurassic Park River Adventure (wear a rain-mac), Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (I went on this three times...) and the Flight of the Hippogriff. I've only ever been to Chessington and Disneyland Paris before, so this was my first experience of a proper theme park. I didn't go on any of the massive loop rides, but there's plenty of thrill rides if like me, you don't feel like being thrown upside down.
Halloween Horror Nights:
As my trip was over Halloween, we booked tickets to go to Halloween Horror Nights, and I have to be totally honest I was very scared of going. I don't really like horror films so I was terrified that this was going to be the scariest night of my life, but I'm happy to report that I survived and it actually wasn't too bad. I wasn't that scared at all. We arrived at around 8:30 and it was pretty busy, it took a while for us to get in and the queue for the Stranger Things house (the main experience this year) was just under two hours. This was the only house I visited as we wanted to look around the whole park and see everything else that was going on, plus I didn't really want to get scared! There were loads of other houses including Blumhouse, Halloween, Poltergeist and The Purge, all of which sound way too scary for me! The night had such a fun atmosphere and you find yourself laughing way more than you do screaming. If you're planning on going next year my advice would be to get there early, and book fastpass tickets if you can.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter:
This was one of my favourite things about the whole trip. The Harry Potter areas of the parks were amazing, with such incredible attention to detail, and even better rides! A Hogwarts train connects the two parks and that is a fantastic experience in itself. Every inch of Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade had been thought about and it all felt really authentic. Plus the Forbidden Journey ride was like no other rollercoaster I have ever been on, I don’t want to share too much as if you ever get the chance to go I want it all to be a total surprise for you, but it’s the best ride I have ever been on. I’ll just say it’s immersive, fun and magical. One evening we went to see the Hogwarts at night display, which was really special. Make sure you stay to see all of the evening shows at both Universal and Disney. It’s such a fun way to end the day and see amazing fireworks.
P.S I put all of my photos into my highlights on my Instagram page, so feel free to take a look for more there!
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Worthing is a seaside town, 10 miles away from Brighton and somewhere I've visited a lot this year as my parents moved here back in February. It's also where Tank Girl and Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewllett is from, and there's little nods to him across the town. It's not somewhere you'd think to visit, but with lots of places to eat and drink, it's worth the day trip. Plus it's far less crowded than Brighton!
I've pretty much eaten my way around the area and there are a few places I still want to visit, so I'll try and update this post once I have. For brunch I'd recommend heading to Malt for a variety of vegetarian and vegan options, as well as their daily cake offerings. In the photo above is their spiced chickpeas on toast and scrambled tofu on toast.
Opposite is Boho Gelato who are known for their handmade, Italian-style ice cream and vegan sorbets. If that wasn't enough Pizza Face is right next door, their Brighton is venue is always super busy, so here's the perfect chance to try some of their raved about pizza (there's even one called Daisy)! Looking for even more pizza? Try Fiordilatte for perfect sourdough and delicious olives - I always pick the Mistica, a true veggie delight.
So many restaurants in the area offer vegan options, but if you're looking for something extra indulgent, try Cactus Kitchen Gals. Their vegan menu includes a double cheezburger, deep fried pickles and milkshakes galore! They also have Sunday brunch too.
Surprisingly Worthing is full of Instagram opportunities. From the pier filled with vintage arcade games, to using your walk along the seafront to get the perfect shot of your ice-cream and chips, it's a rather good chance to go a little bit Martin Parr on your followers. If that's not quite your style use the varying architecture to ensure some great outfit shots. I love how bold and colourful the Worthing car park is, it apparently took 600 cans of spray paint to complete! Check out the local website to see what's going on that weekend, during the summer they had a great food festival as well as a fireworks display on the pier.
For the last three or four years my boyfriend and I have
gone to the as a little escape from life in the big and rather polluted city. It was exactly what we were after: lots of fresh air, nice weather,
flowers and great food. I often don’t take full advantage of living in London, so
it was lovely to spend the full day out and not be stuck on the sofa watching Netflix.
I didn’t take my DSLR camera like I have in previous years so these were
all taken on my iPhone but I think they make for a nice photo diary of my trip!
For Christmas my boyfriend and I were kindly given national
trust memberships by his parents so were sure to take full advantage of them. I
know, we’re old before our years but we love cake, flowers and some time away
from London every now and again. As well as visiting a few national trust
locations we discovered Cotswolds Lavender fields, despite visiting the are a
good few times I’d only just heard of it. I’ve always wanted to go to one,
before they became an insta hit so it was good to tick that off my bucket list.
If you’re looking for somewhere good to eat for dinner, I’d recommend The
George Townhouse, tasty food with a scrumptious looking desert menu too!
When we stay, we are always sure to visit Daylesford, Cotswolds Farm Park and Hidcote manor gardens. Places for great food/shopping, fun and wonderful flowers!
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