‘Travel improves the mind wonderfully, and does away with all one’s prejudices.’ Oscar Wilde

‘Live Life, Be Happy, and Let Everything Else Go’ 

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I am a self-confessed sybarite, who loves the pleasures of eating out in great restaurants, traveling to awe-inspiring places and staying in amazing hotels. I am always in the search of the next up-and-coming artist to collect, my latest acquisitions include David Yarrow (photographer), Brainwash (street artist), and Zhuang Hong Yi. I am also passionate about books, films, photography, my two daughters and observing people in their natural habitats.

I am a Notting Hill Mummy in that I have made Notting Hill my home, and I have two delicious, scrumptious girls that make me smile on a daily basis. I don’t have a wardrobe full of Isabel Marant, Alexander McQueen or Marc Jacobs and am just as happy in a Miu Miu dress or a Sandro/Zara version of it. I like to look well put together and I hope to avoid the ageing fairy for as long as I can. I am a travel-foodie-artsy-victim rather than a fashion victim (although I will accept jewelry any day) so if that makes me a Notting Hill Yummy Mummy, I don’t apologize for who I am or what I enjoy in life.

Travelling is beyond my passion: it makes me happy, feeds my soul, and it is an indelible part of me: I was born in French Polynesia, I have lived in 10 cities and 7 countries after all and travelled to over 50 countries. It is not about money or about impressing others but about priorities: I don’t need designer clothes or luxury handbags or Michelin starred restaurants or luxury cars, but I cannot live without roaming the world, going on adventures, seeing new cultures and different ways of living. Travelling can be transformative and teaches me about myself; it makes me appreciate returning home and realising how much I love my adopted home, Notting Hill.

Like Leonardo di Caprio, I have lived in hotel rooms for extended periods of times, for up to 6 months at a time, whenever I moved to a new country. They hold a special place in my heart and provided a familiarity when everything seemed so foreign. Hotels are more than just places I stay in; they become homes for a moment in time and evoke feelings of safety, comfort and (hopefully) happiness. They hold stories and history, help create memories, and go beyond being just a place to sleep in. Those are the places I love the most, those that enrich me and allow me to be a part of history.

People often ask me why I started writing, and when I was faced with multiple health problems and I was bedbound for months at a time, writing and humour were my only outlets. This is what I started writing and wrote my first novel, The Beta Mum, Adventures in Alpha Land during a novel writing class at Faber Academy. While there will always be haters, it was my first attempt at writing a full novel, so I’d like some credit for that at least!

Prior to starting my writing career, I trained as a doctor and therefore have brought my three passions together: Travel, Writing and Health. I have a special interest in Wellness Travel and can advise on medical resorts and spas. As a doctor trained in general medicine and having worked at Imperial College, St Mary’s Hospital and other hospitals worldwide, I have expertise and special interests in mental and general health, nutrition, post-operative care, chronic illnesses, skin health and preventive medicine. I can guide and support you through any medical or health issue you may be faced with and have connections to many private doctors in London. For bespoke expert Ultra Luxury Travel, Health & Wellness consultancy, please contact me on nottinghillyummymummy@hotmail.com for further info!

Buy my book: The Beta Mum, Adventures in Alpha Land

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My Favourites

Favourite Magazine: Conde Nast Traveller to keep my dreams alive. New York Magazine, if in New York.

Favourite Author: Isabel Allende, author of House of Spirits.

Favourite Book: Shogun by James Clavell (reminds me of my childhood, reading it for the first time and trying to learn Japanese from it).

Favourite Art gallery: Serpentine Gallery. An art gallery in Kensington Gardens? On a sunny summer’s day, nothing beats it.

Favourite Artist: Too many to list. Matisse, Cezanne’s pointilism, Gauguin, Degas, Miro, Warhol, Kusama, Jackson Pollock, Frida Kahlo, Zhuang Hong Yi….

Favourite Photographers: Slim Aarons for his pool photographs, Mario Testino & Helmut Newton for fashion, and Sebastiao Salgado for his work with MSF and Peter Beard.

Favourite Film: Cinema Paradiso

Favourite Actors: Daniel Day Lewis (he is just as cool in real life than in films, super down to earth, and interesting and interested) and Meryl Streep. No one compares. (Leonardo Di Caprio is surprisingly creeping up my list for his cool-actor-factor in his latest film and for the fact that he has always been very nice and polite every time we’ve met).

Favourite TV shows: Too many to choose! Sex and The City in the 90s (for its friendship and love of New York), Game of Thrones in the 2000s (just brilliant,), and many more!

Favourite Destinations: Maldives, South of France, Asia

Favourite City: London as a home, New York for its energy, Paris for its cafe culture.

Favourite Nightclub: Spa, New York City, circa 1999. So.Many.Memories

Favourite Notting Hill restaurants: See Top 10 new NH restaurants. 

Favourite Critic: Giles Coren. He says what everyone thinks but is too polite or self-conscious to say.

Favourite Quote of All Time: ‘You are like a lobster, very expensive but not a lot of meat.’ Italian playboy wooing blond twiglet beauty on a Sunseeker motorboat in the Hamptons, NY circa 2000.

Greatest inspiration: my father. My father once told me about the quote that every man or woman should plant a tree, have a child, and write a book in his or her lifetime. Well this is the 21st century so I’ve written both a blog and a book, The Beta Mum! He also taught me to value experiences over material things, to value intelligence over good looks, and gave me the confidence to follow my dreams, even if I failed, as it is the journey that is really exciting.

DISCLAIMER: All the stories that have been written about Notting Hill residents are based on fact, but fictionalised. The identities of all Notting Hill residents are meant to remain private and anonymous. This blog is not meant to offend, defame, or mock anyone but just to share insight into the world of Notting Hillers.

Order my book on Amazon: The Beta Mum by Isabella Davidson

Contact me with any comments and enquiries at: nottinghillyummymummy@hotmail.com

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