Rhodes BABY

As you may remember me mentioning in a previous post - me and my boyfriend Ryan booked a holiday to Rhodes to celebrate our first anniversary together. I wrote about the fears I had for something going wrong and I wrote about the excitement I had, especially for the hotel we had booked.

If you can't already tell - we are back alive and kicking, with only a few minor things going wrong, but definitely feeling the holiday blues as the night draws in... 

So as we sit here looking at our holiday photos for the billionth time - I thought I would post a quick blog review on Rhodes, Faliraki and most importantly The Kouros Exclusive - which I have to say, blew us away. 

For all you normal humans who aren't totally obsessed with Geography like me - Rhodes is an island located off the coast of Greece in the Aegean sea. It is northeast of Crete, southeast of Athens and just off the coast of Turkey. Shaped like a spear head, it is actually only 1,400 square kilometres in total. It only has one airport - so you're pretty set for getting there.

Faliraki (as you can see from the above) is situated on the North East coast of Rhodes. It used to be very popular for 'party holidays' back in the day - think Magaluf or Malia now, but way more wild (seriously) - it has now died right down after the locals and governing body in Faliraki got fed up of the tourist's behaviour and demanded things changed. These days it still has a lot of bars, clubs. shops and restaurants and a 'strip' designed to cater for tourists (and there are still a lot of lads and girls holidays out for a wild time) but is clean, tidy and really pleasant - even at night. 

The beach is spotless, with a stunning clear blue sea, delicious restaurants where you can eat whilst the sun sets and quite possibly the hottest sand I have ever experienced in my life - it was brilliant to see everyone walk, well - sprint, from their sun loungers to the sea to avoid burning their soles. And there are numerous hidden jewells such as Anthony Quinn Bay with it's deep emerald water - only accessible by boat or by trekking on foot for a while. We were lucky enough to get on board a diving boat that dropped us off on a mini cruise around these coves - meaning we could dive/snorkel in each one and experience the secluded beauty. 

We stayed in the most wonderful hotel - The Kouros Exclusive. They made us so incredibly welcome right from the second we arrived, with advice on where to go and visit and how to get there, what food and drink to try, surprise cocktails and best of all.....the treat of being upgraded to two suites during the week as they got wind of our anniversary. 

Each night we went and had cocktails on the terrace next to the pool as you can see from the photo just above before we either had dinner there (the food is so fresh it's to die for) or went for a wander in the town to have a look at whatever took our fancy. We never stayed out too late as we didn't want to run into the drunken groups - so we headed home to top-up the after sun each night and either sit out on our cushion or watch a film in English (with greek subtitles) on the tv with a glass of wine. 

Faliraki has it's own water park - which is either a short bus or taxi ride away - the taxi's are extortionate unless you demand the meter to be used, so make sure if you do go - make sure you ask for the meter to be switched on before you ask for your destination so you don't get ripped off. Anyway, the water park was one of the best days we had - and we bumped into some friend's of mine from college - of all the places and 2000 miles from home there they were! We got ridiculously burnt and scared ourselves silly - but it was soooo much fun and I would recommend it to anyone! 

We also managed to fit in a visit to Rodos - the capital 'city' of Rhodes which is entirely walled, with hundreds and hundreds of Taverna's, stalls and gelatto shops - vivid colours and flavours every where you turned. There are also really interesting ruins that you can climb to get a great view of the stunning water there - although they smell of wee..
We also dreamt of fame and fortune whilst we looked at all of the yachts docked in the bay...

All in all - we fell in love with the entire place and will be returning as soon as possible to enjoy the parts we simply didn't have the time to get around to doing - but I would recommend going 100000000%

Where else do you recommend going on holiday to?

Lots of love, Emily-Rose xoxo

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Get your ass into gear

This year is the year that I will finally start driving lessons. 

I am fed up of my local Trent Barton buses never being on time and always charging ridiculously high fares, I am fed up of not being able to just get up and go wherever I fancy going and I am fed up of feeling awful when I ask my parents or friends for a lift somewhere....and I have put off driving lessons for more than long enough.

Okay - so I'm 18, it's not like I'm almost 90 and only now learning to drive, but I feel old before my time because everyone else my age or a year below is already bombing around in their cars. 

I say 'start' driving lessons because there is no guarantee that I will be driving around by the time 2015 rolls in... that isn't because I don't think I can do it, I have a dad who had aims of me learning to drive a car or motorbike before I could even talk - I know more than most. My anxiety levels are at the most stable level they have ever been and I am determined enough to get it done. I say that because no matter how much I earn, I will always think 'I don't have the money'. 

Which is stupid. 

I do have the money, not necessarily enough for a car and insurance outright, but I certainly earn enough to pay for the lessons I will need and my theory and practical. I'm on pretty much twice what I used to earn in my old job and I managed to fork out for a ludicrous £500+ a year bus fare then. 

I am determined to pay for every single lesson I take, both tests, the car, the insurance, the tax, the petrol, the MOT's, everything - MYSELF. 

I think it's lovely that some people are given a car for their birthday by their parents, or get everything paid for, but that's just not me - I personally don't wish for my parents to pay for ANYTHING for me any more. I'm 18, I'm working, there is no excuse or reason for me not to be giving them full board each and every month and paying for everything I want or need with no help. They have given me more than enough for the last 18 years and I could not be more grateful - hence the fact I now wish to fund the thing's in my life on my own.

So now is the time to really buckle down and save, save, save. 

But there's just a few things standing in my way: my own impatience and the car I have set my heart on....

A Nissan Figaro. 

Any guys reading this post (I would be seriously surprised if you are) will currently be clicking the exit button in disgust, my boyfriend will more than likely point blank refuse to get in the passenger seat... 

But any girls - you have to agree, it's a stunner. 

I have loved this car since the moment my mum first brought her's home when I was 10. Our Minty Monty. It was an absolute dream.

But we had to sell him on to what I hope is a good owner after my brother thought it would be a good idea to grow to a whopping 6'2 and no longer fit without being folded like a beach chair...

That day my heart broke as much as my mum's did, and I vowed one day I would get my own. 

But they are rare, expensive and the parts if a repair is needed are nearly impossible to obtain......meaning my saving my need to take itself up a gear or two before I have even a chance.... 

And that's before I have even passed or decided on the colour.... ;)

Watch this space, keep off the roads once I set off and actually keep off the pavements too....if I manage to reach the pedals on my driving instructors car - then you all better be careful in the surrounding area for a few months! 

Lots of love, Emily-Rose xoxo 

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Mollie Makes – Handmade Wedding

The magazine that made my wildest wedding dreams come true.

It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I have a severely unhealthy obsession with weddings. With many guys, if their girlfriend admitted that, they would give Usain Bolt a run for his money (no pun intended….well…maybe) but I am lucky enough to have a long-suffering angel who doesn’t seem to mind. Either that, or he is so petrified that he daren’t even say ;). I’m hoping it’s not the latter and that he simply breathes a sigh of relief knowing that if/when (hopefully less ‘if’ than ‘when’) it comes to our wedding, he won’t be dragged in to help plan ANYTHING, he can just sit back with a pint in hand until the day arrives, where he can again, sit back with a pint in hand.

Quite frankly, I don’t disagree with anyone who thinks it’s totally weird. I’m 18 years of age, if I had stayed on at college like many of the friends I have – I would be preparing for my first year of University to get well and truly gazeboed every night, not planning my wedding and saving for a house deposit. But not many people have had the example I have had in life – my parents.

Engaged on my mum’s 18^th birthday after just under a year together, my parents were married before they both turned 20 and this year will celebrate their 25^th wedding anniversary in blissful happiness as always.  I know what you may be thinking – ‘surely there must be a reason they got married so early’ – and you are right – they were desperate to be together. There was no other reason for it than that. They waited for almost 6 years until they had me, and another 2 and a half before my ‘little’ brother came along. To everyone who meets them, they are a complete anomaly in modern life and funnily enough, they have been through more heartbreak and difficulty in their married years than a million couples put together – each event bringing them closer together.

How very very soppy.

ANYWAY…..moving onnnnnn

 ‘Mollie Makes’ is a fabulous magazine that usually focuses on handmade items, crafting and all things adorable. Being a keen crafter myself alongside my mum, this magazine is one of our top go-to’s for any new projects and we treat each other to a new issue whenever we see one. I say ‘treat’, because at a fiver a pop, with me being such a tight arse with money, it’s a treat!

So when my eagle-eyed momma spotted a special wedding edition of it, we went into a geeky excitement meltdown!!!

It is chockablock full of incredible real-life weddings, ideas for handmade invites, decorations and includes links to find literally anything you see on each page – a complete dream.

Just look at this one particular featured wedding below….just look at it.

 

Beyond stunning. And every detail is hand made, even down to the hundreds of individual delicate sugar hydrangeas on their cake which they made together (am I the only one who swoons at that?!) I for one know how painstaking those ruddy sugar hydrangeas are to make and set on a cake.... *multiple curse words*

Anyway - to anyone who loves weddings, to anyone who is due to get married or to anyone who appreciates beautiful handmade items - go and get Mollie Makes in your life!!!!!

Even a cute little old guy on my bus was reading it the other day - I felt we had a real friendship bond when I geekily got my copy out of my bag too!!

Haha....apologies that my second blog post is so girly and soppy, but thats me! 

Lots of love, Emily-Rose xoxo

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