Monthly Archives: August 2015

Top 10, Travel, Uncategorized

Travel-lusting: Oia, Santorini, Greece

Santorini, GreeceNHYM1

All Photos Copyright of NHYM 2015. 

2015 was Greece’s year, although not necessarily for good reasons. Greece has made the media spotlight for it’s shambolic economy that closed down ATMs and banks and froze money coming in and out of Greece. But let’s look at the positives coming from Greece: a travel-lusting destination. I know at least 6 couples that are currently in Greece: Mykonos for the party people, Santorini for couples or Sani Resort for families, there’s something for everyone.

For a romantic long weekend a deux, sans kids, Santorini is my top pick. Often chosen as a top honeymoon destination, Oia never fails to impress with those towering views over the underwater volcano. It is a quick, direct Easjyet flight and in a few hours you could be basking in the Greek sun.

In Oia, all the hotels share the same views, so you can’t go wrong. Here are some of the hotels I recommend:

  1. Pezoules Hotel: www.http://pezoules.gr
  2. Katikies Hotel: http://www.katikies.com
  3. Kirini Suites & Spa: http://www.kirini.com
  4. Perivolas: http://www.perivolas.gr
  5. Mystique: http://mystique.gr

And the restaurant not to miss is the Sunset Taverna in the fishing village down the other side of the mountain. Fresh Greek Seabream there is an absolute must when visiting Oia.

Don’t forget a boat ride around the island, also another must-do.

Here are some photos. Go on, lust away.

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SunsetOiaSantoriniGreece10NHYM

xx

NHYM

http://www.nottinghillyummymummy.com

@NHyummymummy

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Top 10, Travel

Top 10 Children’s Activities to do this Summer in London

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Butterfly exhibit, Natural History Museum NHYM Copyright 2015. 

If like me, you are desperately trying to entertain and organise playdates and activities for your children this summer in London, here are my Top 10 Picks. These may not be the most original, but there are some firm favourites as well as some newcomers and other ideas to keep them busy!

  1. Kidzania Westfield: If you haven’t heard of Kidzania, you soon will. A whole city created for kids, your child can decide what he/she wants to be when he/she grows up: theatre actor, shopkeeper, scientist or firefighter. My favourite part are the identity bracelets that enable you to go all ‘Big Brother’ on them. Go early and beat the crowds. http://london.kidzania.com/en-uk/
  2. Clip ‘n’ Climb: For the sporty ones, a whole array of climbing walls are at their foot-tips in Fulham. http://www.clipnclimbchelsea.co.uk
  3. The London Zoo: Not very original, but never goes out of style. Especially for those with memberships, it’s a quick day out with Carrousels, Bouncy Castles, Face painting and all the animals you need to entertain. http://www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo
  4. Garson’s Farm: A little further away, you can PYO (pick your own) fruit and vegetable for the real life experience of being a farmer. Nothing beats the real deal. http://www.garsons.co.uk
  5. The Butterfly Exhibit, Natural History Museum: I personally love the butterfly exhibit, and you have probably been a thousand times, but I never stop enjoying it, as do my kids. Arrive 10/15 minutes before your allocated time and beat the queues. Then head to the dinosaurs next door and your day’s fulfilled. http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/sensational-butterflies.html ButterflyexhibitNatHistoryMuseum2NHYM
  6. Petersham Nurseries, Richmond, and Rowboats: Richmond Park has lots to offer, but if you forget your picnic basket, hop over some fences and cow-filled fields to the beautiful Petersham nurseries where you can lunch in their gardens. After, head towards Richmond bridge and pick up a rowboat for some afternoon exercise. The kids loved the rowing. It’s not quite a Superyacht, but just as fun for the kids. http://petershamnurseries.com
  7. Serpentine Gallery Family Day: The Serpentine gallery has regular family day events, offering workshops on film, shapes, and the upcoming one on the selgascano pavilion. For the budding artists, this is as good as it gets. http://www.serpentinegalleries.org/exhibitions-events/pavilion-family-day (https://nottinghillmummy.com/2015/07/03/the-serpentine-summer-partys-uptown-funk-2015/)
  8. Splash in the Science Museum & workshops: Another very popular event, so be wary of the long lines, the Science Museum is the fun-and-educational museum that keeps on giving. The water area is always a favourite. http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
  9. Diana’s Playground, Kensington Gardens: Another favourite that has people waiting hours to get in. Show up first thing in the morning and avoid all the crowds. Bring swimsuits on a sunny day and your children can pretend to be in an Aqua Park. One of the best kid’s playgrounds in London. https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/kensington-gardens/things-to-see-and-do/sports-and-leisure/diana-memorial-playground
  10. Hyde Park Discovery Days: Activities in the heart of Hyde Park like Sunset Safaris, Wild Water and Meadow Madness. http://www.supporttheroyalparks.org/shop/experiences/1382_discovery_day_-_wild_water

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Petersham Nurseries NHYM Copyright 2015. 

Enjoy!

xx

NHYM

http://www.nottinghillyummymummy.com

@NHyummymummy

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In the Press, Social Commentary

Bloggerrant & Why I am Blacklisting Tatler: NHYM Interview with Tatler on Children’s Birthday Parties

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Tatler September 2015 Issue. Interview with NHYM on ‘How to Throw the Ultimate Children’s Party’

I was recently extensively interviewed on the SuperRich’s children’s birthday parties for the September Issue 2015 of Tatler. I spent an hour speaking to the writer and gave her lots of juicy morsels of gossip like where the SuperRich throw their children’s birthday parties (5*hotels), which celebrities rent out all of Bramley’s (Beyonce for Blue Ivy) or which stars rent out suites at the Dorchester for their children’s birthdays. In exchange, I always expect some kind of credit in the article. Below is the article. Now, I wasn’t credit once, whereas I really did write half of that article. Well, 75% of the content in that article is mine. Half from my Blogpost: https://nottinghillmummy.com/2014/06/05/kids-birthday-parties-these-days-nobu-or-the-dorchester-darling/ and half from the interview.

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  • The story about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-themed party at the Mandarin? It doesn’t actually exist, it was a story that I changed to keep the privacy of the family throwing it. This was purely a ‘copy-and-paste’ from my post.
  • The mention of the 5 star hotels as a current favourite? That was from my numerous invites to the various hotels, also included from my post.
  • Party planners Les Enfants and Quintessentially? Another of my tips & hints from my post.
  • The quote ‘no one wants their child become famous for throwing the worst parties in the class‘ was my actual quote, word for word.
  • The save the dates sent in September? Also a phenomenon in my daughter’s class.
  • The 7 years olds Netjetted to the Alps? The actual story was that they were jetted to Africa for a Safari, so another blatant journalistic error.
  • Renting out the whole of the Electric Cinema for a birthday party? Yes, indeed, another of my comments.

Sadly, the self-serving, self-absorbed writers and editors of this magazine truly do not improve their reputation by rubbing bloggers the wrong way. The Devil Wears Prada was a hit for a good reason. So, this is why I am blacklisting Tatler, their editors and writers. It is basic plagiarism, and really shows their lack of originality by copying a blog post. I don’t get paid to write my blog, neither do I for any interviews. The least I can do is try to get credit for my work. In this case, this media outlet has failed to do that, which is unprofessional and downright offensive.

Next time I get called by a magazine writer for an interview, I will think twice about working with them. Perhaps this is an indication of what some magazines are today: irrelevant and a dying breed, trying to hold onto their circulation numbers by plagiarising other people’s work.

xx

NHYM

http://www.nottinghillyummymummy.com

@NHyummymummy

 

 

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Uncategorized

Review: Notting Gill Chippy Fish & Chips Pop-Up Restaurant

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All photos Courtesy of NHYM 2015. Copyright. 

This summer, Pop-Up restaurants are all the rage, bringing in tourists while the locals are on holiday. Pop Ups are oh-so-trendy, that when I was invited to try the latest Pop-Up fad, Fish & Chips, I couldn’t say no. Fish & Chips are having a revival, and like the recent Burger trend, it is back with bells and whistles.

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Kensington Place, a Notting Hill stalwart, is housing a Fish & Chips Pop-Up during the month of August, housed in their usual private dining room. It boasts Fish & Chips twists on its menu like Lobster Thermi-bun, a lobster bun, and curry flavoured Fish & Chips. The Pop-Up has space for about 26 people, but is light, airy and its host, Jack is very enthusiastic and charming.

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Now, Fish & Chips are not for the Calorie-counting, Carb-free, Atkins-diet, low cal/low fat crowd, which excludes a certain demographic in the neighbourhood (read: of the stick skinny kind). I, for one, am not a Fish & Chips expert, having had my last fish & chips about 15 years ago. But I am a local supporter and am very happy to support the neighbourhood Pop Ups! I asked Mr. X, more of a Fish & Chips connoisseur than I am, about these fish & chips and he approved.

Passion Fruit & Fish & Chips

Of course, as a side dish, I ordered a Passion Fruit Martini, which washed away the deep fried fish & chips and tartar sauce and sweetened my taste buds. To top it off, we had Jude’s salted caramel ice-cream which was delicious. Notting Gill Chippy is a lovely neighbourhood Pop-Up, for those looking for a quick, quintessentially British bite in the form of the National Dish, Fish & Chips. Enjoy! xx NHYM

http://www.nottinghillyummymummy.com

@NHyummymummy

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