FIVE DAYS IN PALMA WAS PARADISE

Over the last few years I haven't done a lot to celebrate my birthday, I didn't feel the need to plan or organise anything because it's just another day. This year was very different, not only did I spend a weekend in Brighton I decided to go to Palma for five days. Originally I was going solo but two friends jumped on my band wagon and decided to go with me, I was thrilled to have two beautiful girlies to help me celebrate my birthday in style.

The purpose of this holiday was to relax, unwind and enjoy exploring a new place. I'm happy the girls decided not to get drunk every night as I don't think I would have enjoyed the holiday as much if I was holding their hair back while they threw up. I'm greatful they decided to take it easy considering I don't drink alcohol.

On the 25th July we celebrated me turning 25 years old. Yikes, its strange to write that down. I can't believe I'm a quarter of a century old! We ate at a gorgeous restaurant on the seafront, listening to the waves crash against the rocks was magical. It's so soothing. Jayde bless her paid for it which was a very generous birthday surprise.

HOTEL

We stayed at the TRYP Bellver Hotel in Palma, it's the nicest place I've stayed and made our trip perfect. The entire hotel was beautifully decorated, our room was completely white with wooden elements. The best part of the room was definitely the beds, the last time I slept in a bed that comfortable is when I stayed at the Virgin Hotel in Chicago. The pillows are unbelievable, I didn't want to get out of bed.

The staff were polite and very helpful, the language barrier was sometimes difficult but we got by. I'm going to make it my mission to learn the basic language skills for my next trip as it would be beneficial.

I would recommend this hotel if you're heading to Palma. It's reasonably priced, we paid £244 for 4 nights each. Normally I would stay in cheaper accommodation when travelling but this was a special occasion and we all needed a bit of luxury in our lives. When I travel solo I would opt for a hostel as it's cheap and cheerful, although we wanted to enjoy our stay and spend time at the hotel. I was having the time of my life relaxing and eating amazing food that I didn't take loads of photos of the hotel. Sorry guys, you'll just have to experience it for yourself.

PIER

The best thing about staying in a 4 star hotel is having a balcony. Ours overlooked the pier and what a spectacular view it was. What I wouldn't give to be having breakfast on the balcony watching the world go by right about now.

There is nothing I enjoy more than taking a stroll with beautiful scenery, it was great to wander along the pier. Naturally when there is a stunning backdrop I can't help but take photos, the sunset was particularly amazing to photograph. During the day it was still very picturesque, we were physically jumping for joy! The expression on my face is hilarious! 

I also got the chance to practice some yoga, love a good headstand. Emma and Jayde were like worried parents telling their child not to do something, but I did it anyways. Don't worry guys, I got this! 

BEACHES BITCHES

After sleeping in the amazing beds we woke up fresh faced and fabulous, we thought the beach would be the best place to get our tan on! Being in Spain there are plenty of beaches to choose from, although since we were only there for 5 days we didn't get a chance to visit many of them. In fact we only went to one because we spent the majority of our time tanning by the pool. Palma City Beach was a short 15 minute walk from our hotel, the staff mentioned it wasn't the best beach compared to others that are slightly further away but it was perfect for what we needed.

I expected to be able to hire a sunbed as most beaches love to make some extra cash from tourist. Unfortunately this wasn't the case and we had to tan ourselves on the sand. I think we had been spoilt with staying at a nice hotel that we forgot how to be like normal folk. 

We were so fortunate with the weather, clear blue skies and the sun felt lush, the perfect tanning day. After a little while Em started to feel too hot, she was a little red and needed suncream and shade. Luckily she didn't get sunstroke! A little lesson to always apply suncream everywhere and stay hydrated! I felt like a parent on this trip always telling the girls to apply suncream hehe.

We headed over to the beach cafe to shade ourselves, it was a little classy for a beach cafe, more like a membership club. You needed to purchase a drink or some nibbles to sit down but this wasn't a problem. There were sunbeds available and we did consider renting one until the staff told us it was €35! That's right, €35 for the sunbed and you didn't get anything additional included. What a rip off! After we finished drinks we headed back to the hotel to use the free sunbeds.

CITY CENTRE

One day the weather wasn't the best, a little cloudy so we decided to head into town and take a look around. There are loads of back streets and its very easy to get lost, but sometimes its great to wander, not think about the time of day or where you are.

There were standard tourist shops, chains and restaurants. If you go deeper into the city you find little cafes and restaurants that sell real Spanish food. We had Tapas, the girls had sangria and said it was strong but delicious, I took their word for it. The food itself was incredible, so many yummy flavours. We ordered Patas Bravas and the waitress said "you do know this is a very hot dish?", like english people can't handle spicy food haha!

PALMA CATHEDRAL

In-between tanning and relaxation we managed to do some sight seeing, one thing on my to do list while in Palma was to see the Cathedral. It's breath taking, the architecture is incredible and its the most beautiful building I have ever seen, along side the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. We didn't go inside but I'm sure it's just as stunning.

Birthday celebrations are going to be tough to top next year, what am I going to do? Perhaps I should look into a trip to America or Japan, they've always been on my travel wishlist. One thing I can say about this year is it wouldn't have been the same without my amazing friends and family helping me celebrate in style. I truly am surrounded by the best people anyone could ask for.

Sincerely, Kimberly.

xxx

THE BEAUTIFUL MONTSERRAT / SPAIN

I saw this beautiful place on Instagram and knew I had to visit while in Barcelona. There are many companies that travel to this destination, I went with Viator on an early morning access tour. Pick up time was 6:45am from Barcelona city centre but when you arrive at a "touristy" place and there are no tourist to block your view its an amazing feeling. This was only half a day trip and we returned to Barcelona by 1pm. This was still plenty of time to explore and experience everything Montserrat has to offer. 

The tour begins with a visit to Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey, this is an incredible church with impressive gothic architecture. You're unable to go into some of this building as monks live there. The church inside had beautifully coloured stainglass windows, also we saw the "virgin mary" which is a worshiped statue for Catalonia people so its a privilege to see this statue upclose. Unfortunately I couldn't get many photos of this building as my memory card in my camera decided to develop a glitch. Gotta love technology aye! This was the one time I didn't bring my camera bag from the coach, so I had to run back to get another memory card!

We had 2 hours to explore, there is loads of options to choose from, you could sit in the cafe and enjoy a drink although in my opinion in a beautiful place like this you shouldn't be sitting in a cafe. If you wanted to go up the mountain you could either hike up or catch a gondaia "thingy". At the top there is several hikes to choose from, I could of taken the easy option but I decided to do the hike which took 1 hour and a half. The views at the top were amazing. Although in 30 degree heat hiking started to feel exhausting quickly but I powered through and kept going because the views were too great to miss!

This day trip gave me the opportunity to test out my new Joby camera stand, its perfect for travelling solo because the stand can bend around objects and adjust in awkward positions. Sometimes when you visit somewhere and there aren't many people around, it can be difficult to get a photo of yourself that isn't a selfie!

After I finished hiking for a few hours in the sun I decided to head back down the mountain to explore a little more. I was considering grabbing a drink and relaxing in the cafe, but naturally I decided to make the most of my time and look around. There is a museum that was meant to be incredible but I didn't have enough time to do this. One thing I knew I wanted to see on this trip was this square stacked statue, from the photos I saw people were climbing to the top and getting an amazing shot. I was very disappointed to find out that a fence had been put up to ensure tourist don't risk their life for a great photo! Despite the bright orange sign and fencing its still is an amazing view.

Sincerely, Kimberly.

xxx

DAYTRIP TO COSTA BRAVA FROM BARCELONA

Barcelona is a beautiful place to visit and I couldn't wait to explore the city. Since I had 10 days I decided to spend some time out of the city, I took a day trip to Costa Brava which is about 2 hours drive from Barcelona city centre, along the way we stopped at Calella, L'estartit, Illies Medes, Pals and Empuries. All these places I visited had different vibes and things to offer. There are loads of companies that do day trips from Barcelona, I went with Viator, the price wasn't too bad at £71 for the entire day and that included all the entry fees etc but unfortunately not food. The tour guides were bilingual and spoke highly of each destination and included any stories or fun facts.

Calella de Palafruguell

First stop on the tour was the beautiful Calella, we were given 1 1/2 hour to go off and explore. I did debate sitting on the beach the entire time but then I would miss so many amazing photography opportunities, I got some great scenic shots. I spend my time wondering around and enjoying the view, naturally I couldn't resist indulging in a chocolate ice cream when I came across a little shop, and yes it was worth it. 

L'estartit & Illes Medes

Second stop was L'estartit port, boats everywhere and there is nothing more I love than photographs of boats! Luckily we stopped for lunch here and it was the best timing as I was very hungry. Since it was 29 degrees I didn't fancy anything too heavy, in the end I had a chicken Caesar salad and it was delicious. I always love to eat where you have a great view. Afterwards it was time for the boat trip in a submarine boat, this was a new experience for me and was great because you could see everything as if you were diving.

Pals

I was very excited to see this medieval town after researching beforehand. We stopped here for 20 minutes and I wish we had longer as it's not enough time to explore this pretty place. I don't know about you but when I visit somewhere I don't like to be rushed and when we were here it felt very rushed. I understand its because they have a lot of tours coming and going but I think 40 minutes would have been a good amount of time so you could truly enjoy everything Pals has to offer. Overall I did love my time here and I would recommend to anyone to visit while in the area.

Empuries

Final stop on the day trip was Empuries, this is greek and roman ruins site. I don't know about you but I always find it interesting seeing ruins and learning about the history, as you can tell from the photos not a lot remains of these ruins. I felt like I didn't enjoy this as much as the other destinations due to the fact I had heat stoke! Yes heat stoke, I struggled to walk in a straight line at this point and had blurred vision, next time I NEED to wear a hat throughout the day to prevent this.

Sincerely, Kimberly.

xxx