Showing posts with label coffee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coffee. Show all posts

Sunday, 2 September 2012

It's All Greek to Me....or German?

Having recently returned from a sunny week spent relaxing in Kos I can now say that I enjoy a hot & sunny vacation, on occasion.

Up until this point I have been someone who dives into the shade as soon as the sun peeks out from behind a cloud and have preferred sticking to cultural city breaks rather than poolside lounging. 

I'm now the gal lathered in factor 50 who happily wears a humongous wide brimmed sun hat, scooting my sunbed to readjust as the parasol shade moves throughout the day.  

Now moving on to the delicious side of the vacation....


The well catered hotel subscribed to my ethos of the glory of cake and afternoon tea.

Each day at 4.30 a selection of cakes and hot beverages were laid out and allowed us to partake in a caffeinated sugary energy boost.

There was also an air-conditioned Coffee Bar on site (think walk-in freezer).  Not only did it offer espresso based drinks and yet another selection of sweet things to tickle our taste buds but it was also a very welcome blast of cool to help us in our daily battle against melting in the Grecian heat (30+ C / 90+ F).

I freely admit that I was quite giddy when we found this place.

  
Of course we ate proper meals as well as cake.

Every meal offered a large selection of grilled fish, skewered meats, and Mediterranean vegetable dishes as well as the familiar stodgy carb fest (french fries & spaghetti bolognese) for those who were creatures of habit. 

Random German dishes could also be found sprinkled in amongst the Greek delights. Various Schnitzel, gherkin salads, cabbage dishes and rye bread meant my buffet plate was truly internationalised at each meal.  

The uniting factor for each of these meals of course, was that they always included sweets of some kind. 

Vacation is the time to indulge, so why not have a sugar ball infused waffle with your breakfast muesli & fruit?


Why not pair up your healthy dessert of fresh melon with baklava & creme caramel?

Why not indeed. 

Long live fun in the sun or should I say a warm welcome to it finally, whichever the case may be.




    


 

Monday, 16 January 2012

A Weekend at the Hotel Du Vin

A little decadence is a big treat and a weekend away in festive Edinburgh is a great opportunity to try some of the local specialities. 
Fried Duck Eggs on Haggis
Staying at the Hotel Du Vin, described on its web page as "Nestled deep in Edinburgh's Old Town and housed within a former city asylum" was a treat in itself.

There was an eery feeling in the twists and turns of the corridor as though you might be sharing the hotel with former residents. The random deep nooks and crannies in the exposed stone walls didn't help matters in this particular department. 
Mini oat muffin with butter
The fancy-pants monsoon shower, fluffy over sized robes and underfloor heating in the bathroom plus the amazing breakfast was the icing on the cake (let me tell you I felt pretty darn spoiled and it wasn't even my birthday!). 

Along with the 'let's stuff ourselves' breakfast on offer, the Nespresso machine  was an unexpected extra bit of culinary fun in the hotel room (who expects to fall in love with a coffee-maker while on a weekend city break?).

Nespresso!
Consequently I am now debating which cute colourful Nespresso machine will share my kitchen counter with my toaster & kettle, roll on January sales!