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One of my favorite things about a city trip is staying at a beautiful boutique hotel. A place where great attention has been paid to the (design) interior, the service is top-notch, and you're spoiled with a delicious breakfast in the morning. For the past few years,...
One of my favorite things about a city trip is staying at a beautiful boutique hotel. A place where great attention has been paid to the (design) interior, the service is top-notch, and you're spoiled with a delicious breakfast in the morning. For the past few years, I've been going on more weekend getaways in my home country the Netherlands. And since I love boutique hotels, I usually let the destination be determined by the hotel I want to stay at. As a result, I now have a growing list of the best boutique hotels in the Netherlands. Perfect inspiration for a city trip or weekend getaway. Of course, there are many more hotels where you can have a great stay....
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I once did a wine tasting course together with a friend and my sister. We thought it was a good idea to learn 'how to impress people in a restaurant when ordering a bottle glass of wine'. To be honest, I don't remember much about it, except that it's fun to drink a...
And so it happened that I ticked three dishes off Time Out's 100 best dishes in London list...all in one afternoon. I was meeting our guide, or actually guides, at Old Spitalfields Market. I love this part of London. It's where I get my hair done, enjoy...
See what I just did there, in the picture above? A week ago that would have taken me ages. And it probably wouldn't have looked like this. I find it hard to believe, but it looks like I'm finally 'getting' Photoshop. At least the basics that I need for my blog....
It might be pouring while I'm writing this, but there's no denying... summer is here. I had signed up for Blogshop at Home this weekend which means I was tied to my computer most of the time in an apartment without air-conditioning. So I was really...
Finding the perfect camera bag is not easy. Especially for women. You don't wear the same shoes with every outfit. And the same goes for camera bags: different occasions ask for different camera bags. My life in camera bags: Crumpler camera backpack: I had just...
Trying to get a table at a restaurant with a celebrity chef that doesn't take reservations during the day is nearly a mission impossible in London. You could of course wait in line for about two hours. But since an empty stomach brings out the worst in me, I try...
Only foodies will understand that I already knew two months ago where I was having brunch on Sunday. At Duck & Waffle. Even though they're open 24 hours a day, it's still fairly difficult to get a reservation. Especially at times when...
We all know what alcohol can do to your brain, but in this case I'm afraid I cannot blame the wine. I forgot to bring my camera! Luckily the people at Waitrose were better prepared than I was, so as an exception to the rule I'm sharing not my own, but photos made by...
Lily Vanilli is not your ordinary bakery. First, it's only open on Sundays. Second, celebrities and big brands love her. And when I asked the guy behind the counter which cake he recommended, he asked me if I liked beetroot and courgette. We're talking cakes here,...
I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. Just between us, okay? The way my photos look on this blog... is not the same as how they look right after taking them. Yeah, I know...I'll give you a second to process. When you start to become more serious about your...
I say 'Brazil'. You say...World Cup? Olympics? Before last Tuesday I would have probably said the same, but now the first thing that comes to mind is food. What else? To celebrate this Brazilian summer, Brazilian food bloggers Rosana McPhee and Luiz Hara teamed up...
The Dutch may not be world-renowned for their food, but just like any other expat I do have this craving from time to time for snacks from home. Raw herring with (raw) onions, stroopwafels (syrup waffles), erwtensoep (split pea soup), hutspot (mashed...
There's a first time for everything. And yesterday was the first time I made my own pasta. And I don't want to brag, but I'm pretty damn good at it. Or maybe it had something to do with the professional help of the Cookery School team. Cookery School at Little...
Are Scandinavian cafes the new black? Seriously, they're everywhere. You might remember my visit to Fabrique and Nordic Bakery which sort of started this new obsession with anything Scandinavian. And I found a new place to add to the list. When my friend came to visit...
Outdoor dining doesn't really seem to be a London thing. The weather might have something to do with it. But then again, in the Netherlands (same depressing climate) terraces pop up everywhere as soon as we feel the first warm ray of sunshine. Luckily I found...
Someone clearly wasn't paying attention when deciding how to name this house in Hackney. Thomas Sutton, founder of the Charterhouse school (a boarding school in Surrey) was the neighbor, but never lived in the house named after him. So what makes Sutton House worth a...
Oops, I did it again... So much food, so much coffee. Having friends over for the weekend is great and all, but my idea of showing them the best of London means showing them the best brunch and coffee hotspots. Or in this case, places I haven't been to yet, but that...
If you're going to San Francisco...You better make sure you get a good night's rest. So why not stay in a boutique hotel that made it to Condé Nast Traveller's Hot List 2014 (the best new hotels in the world)? Hotel Zetta opened its doors only a year ago and it's just...
The question for me when I started planning my trip to San Francisco was not so much what to do, but rather where to eat. Right before I left, Condé Nast Traveller dedicated a whole feature on the new foodie capital of America, and they were right. Farmers' markets,...
The British Library is not just like any other library. It has treasures! And good ones too. They're so good that unfortunately you're not allowed to take photos of them. But take my word for it: it's worth the visit. As the national library of the United Kingdom, the...
I have a serious weak spot for hardcover books with beautiful photography. My iPad is fine for reading novels, but nothing beats sitting at your dining room table on a Sunday afternoon, drinking a cup of tea and flipping through the pages of a beautiful book. As an...
Living in London sometimes feels like you're on a (foodie) trip around the world. French macarons, Scandinavian pastries, Indian curries, Peruvian ceviche and even Dutch pancakes...it's all here. You soon start to appreciate each country's talents. And when it comes...
In my one year in London I still haven't spotted any 'real' celebrities. Which you'd think shouldn't be that difficult. After all, this city has so many of them. The problem is: they keep moving around! And since I have better things to do than chasing them in my free...
I love living in South London. And no...you don't need a passport to get here as some North Londoners keep suggesting. It's true that you'll find more of the famous London landmarks and attractions north of the river, but the south has plenty to offer as well. Such as...
More food? Yes, yet another Scandinavian bakery in London that I have to share with you. They're just too pretty, charming and delicious! After I blogged about Fabrique and their cinnamon rolls, people told me I really needed to try Nordic Bakery too. So when I was in...
I skipped breakfast on purpose. 'Cause let's face it... I'm me. If I'm gonna visit a food market there will be too many yummy things I won't be able to resist. What I hadn't anticipated was that the bike ride to Brockley Market would take me a bit longer than Mr...
Anyone up for a little science experiment? Oh, and did I mention it's with food? With the Science Museum and Museum of Natural History just around the corner, you can see where The Ampersand Hotel got the idea for this month's afternoon tea theme. I may not have been...
With so many hotspots in the city, my computer is filling up quickly with all the pictures I want to share with you. But then it would be nice if I would also actually publish them, which I totally forgot to do with this post (it was the end of the year, don't judge)....
I'm a bit ashamed to admit that every time I left the city last year, it was to fly to another country, not to explore the rest of the UK. This weekend I headed up north to attend Traverse 2014, a travel bloggers event in Newcastle. After the inspiring...
When I walk into the elegant lobby of The Royal Horseguards Hotel, I'm being welcomed by chef Ben Purton himself. 'I already thought you were a blogger.' Really? What gave it away? The handbag big enough to fit a DSLR camera? The slightly hungry look, scanning the...