The Crazy Bear Beaconsfield

I woke up in a sea of pillows after spending a lovely day and night at The Crazy Bear Hotel in Beaconsfield. A generous present from my boyfriend for our anniversary. The room was decorated with black quilted walls, velvet accessories and there was even a copper bath at the end of the bed. This hotel is bursting with flamboyant decorations including the huge chandelier in the bar area. 

We had booked dinner in the restaurant for 8.30pm so we made our way through the bar and the Moroccan conservatory out to the pool area. It was beautiful and the perfect setting to sip cocktails. Dinner was lovely too, I had a lobster risotto and my boyfriend ordered the steak. There are always deals on Groupon for the 7 course taster menu but we wanted to order whatever we fancied on the day. Portions were generous though typical us, our eyes were bigger than our bellies and we ordered desert. It was chocolate heaven. 

Breakfast was included in our stay where there was fresh fruit, pastries and cereals in the bar. We also opted for cooked breakfast, my boyfriend had his usually fry up with the works where my eyes lit up when I saw eggs Benedict on the menu. 

The atmosphere is completely different to anywhere I have stayed before, the dark character of the place really makes it unique and as the name would suggest all a bit crazy. Though it is very grand inside it is actually tucked away on the high street and did take a couple of drives up the road to find it. Customer service was excellent as you would expect, I even had a diva moment and asked for an ironing board to be brought up to the room. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the iron board cover was cow print - it's like they knew!

I would completely recommend this hotel, the one in Oxford is even set on the farm if you are after something very different. Don't be expecting any privacy from whoever you are sharing a room with though, it's a completely romantic hotel. No business here purely pleasure, and a glass of champagne while you check in!

Roaming Around Rome

I love cities, big lights, pretty buildings and lots of character. To me the most peaceful place is overlooking a city at night. Don't get me wrong I wouldn't turn down a cocktail poolside but that's a different story. For my boyfriends birthday (the hater of all things city) I took him away to Rome. Neither of us had visited Italy so naturally we only had the stereotypes to go by. 

Rome itself is beautiful. Possibly the prettiest city Joe and I have ever visited. Everywhere you look there is a hidden gem of architecture and of course the odd cobbled street. The city was busy especially unbeknownst to us as it was a bank holiday. There was a special service at the Vatican to mark St Peters day where the atmosphere was something completely ordinary. 

We were happy just to walk around the city and find one piazza after another. Piazza nova is lovely with various artists and acts we enjoyed a bottle of prosecco while watching the day pass us by. Portions are bigger than I expected - with pizzas spilling over the plates and spaghetti piled high, I instantly knew why Italian food was my favourite. Not mentioning the odd Aperol spritz that went down a treat. 

We did venture out of the city - just under an hour away is the beautiful lake Bracciano. It's so picturesque. The beach was full of families and even a rouge dog was lapping up the weather running in and out of the lake. There was a wake boarding competition going on , which if I had previously known would have definitely signed Joe up for. 

All in all even after a weeks weeks have past I've still got holiday blues. The galeto, the character of the place and the atmosphere of Rome I loved it and would recommend anyone to visit. I also brought home a box of chocolates for my parents - apparently the Italians do pretty good chocolates as well. 

Have you been to Rome - what was your favourite thing?