A Southern state of mind

Americans often refer to “the South” as if it’s a different planet to the rest of America.
After visiting New Orleans, Savannah, Charleston & Wilmington I finally understood what they meant by this. From the Victorian houses, to the food, to the people – the southern states of America are unique and delightful to visit.

New Orleans, Louisiana was our first destination of the South. We flew in at night and realized our bags were missing, we found out they were on the next plane so we naturally headed to the pub. The family behind us were having an absolute freak out. This made me aware of how I am a better version of myself when travelling. I’m pretty sure stressed-out working Joanna would have been panicking about the delay but it really wasn’t a big deal.

After our bags arrived we made our way to our cute cottage in Metairie. We immediately hit it off with the cottage owners, Debbie & Diane who lived in front of us. They took us to an Authentic New Orleans Jazz night & were rather helpful and kind during our visit. I fell in love with the French Quarter. Never have I seen such beautiful buildings of all shades of colour. The people of NOLA were all so proud of their city, often saying they would never ever leave. We don’t have the same attitude or home pride back home; people my age make jokes about how their home town is a hole of sorts. It was a refreshing change.

During my time in Metairie I was leant an old bike which I would use in the evenings to explore the local neighbourhoods. The lawns were all groomed to perfection & the houses were all so sweet with their gorgeous French shutters & lanterns outside the front doors. I would wonder what the lives of the people were like, who lived behind the perfectly painted doors. Note: the house on the bottom right is the mansion featured in American Horror Story Coven!

Scott & I loved New Orleans so much we extended our stay by doing some handy work for our hosts. Some highlights of our time here included: exploring the French Quarter & the Historic District, walking around with a drink in hand (legally) on the classic & chaotic Bourbon Street!, visiting Oak Ally Plantation & attending an obligatory swamp tour (where we saw at least 100 alligators!). The only disappointment that occurred in New Orleans was my absolute fail of an attempt to break into the abandoned 6 Flags theme park. I don’t want to talk about it but I will say that I will be trying this again very soon and I will not fail again.

Savannah, Georgia was another beautiful southern city. We arrived here after a long drive from Miami, Florida. I was delighted with our room. It was the first Inn-style accommodation I had experienced & the rooms were very old fashioned. I felt like a cast member from Downtown Abbey as we entered the adorable lobby & checked in. The name of the hotel was “the Planters Inn” and Google tells me its a popular honey moon choice! thanks to Hotwire we paid $40 each! The staff were overly nice & offered a complimentary wine & cheese hour every evening at 5pm. This wine & cheese hour was nothing like your typical hotel continental breakfast (see Key & Peele video, thank me later). This wine & cheese hour was amazing! There was a lady serving 5 types of wine, there were also several options of cheese cut into cubes, a big array of crackers & fresh berries. I went back for seconds & thirds and fourths while Scott cleaned out his wallet. Sorry Scott I really do love cheese.

We went out drinking on our first night in Savannah. We went to a rooftop bar at the Bohemian hotel which had a stunning view of the city & river. We met some friends and partied till about 4am. My walk home afterwards was so peaceful. The summer nights in Savannah are so warm & there is barely ever wind. It feels almost unrealistically comfortable to be outdoors compared with New Zealand. Savannah is famous for its 22 town squares. Think Spanish moss, old looming oak trees & cobblestone paths. These parks were stunning & the houses surrounding them were to die for. I left Savannah wishing I could move there someday.

Our next stop was Charleston, South Carolina. We left Savannah at 5am on a morning grey hound; I jumped on the bus & grabbed a window seat, plugged into my iPod & selected Midnight River for the drive. We arrived in Charleston 2 hours later & rode a cab into the city. At this point in the trip we had been travelling long enough now that it has become a lifestyle and not a holiday. It felt like it was becoming somewhat of an addiction for me. The excitement of exploring a new city, laying your eyes on sights you have never seen before, the feeling of swiping your hotel card in the door & wondering what type of room you would see. Our accommodation in Charleston was very similar to Savannahs. These cute little inns were my favourite type of accommodation throughout the trip. They are so well decorated & personal. They felt like home. This Inn was called Fulton Lane Inn & offered the same wine & cheese hour to my delight.

The first thing we needed to do in Charleston was washing. This was the main hassle with travelling – the mission that is finding a Laundromat when you need one. The closest one was 2kms away & right next to The College of Charleston. This is where my curiosity with sororities & fraternities was brought back in full swing. As we walked to the Laundromat we came across several sorority houses full of college girls singing some sort of anthem. This is a very unusual culture from a Kiwi’s point of view. As I watched them sing I felt both embarrassed & intrigued at the same time. I secretly wanted to be part of it. I watch too many American movies. My biggest regret in life so far is not taking the opportunity to do a semester abroad while at University. I got as far as making an appointment with the exchange advisor at the University of Waikato & gave up after he was rude & unhelpful. Regret.

I spent some time wandering solo in Charleston. Scott was fascinated in old army aircraft carriers & war ships. I saw one & although it was great I didn’t wish to repeat the experience. While Scott checked out more of these I spent way too much money at Urban Outfitters (my favourite store in the states & yes they ship to New Zealand!!).

Other highlights of Charleston included a visit to the famous markets, finding cute places to eat & drink; walking the beautiful cobblestones streets & dolphin watching at the water front. Charleston was my favourite place. I would move there in a heartbeat. It was simply beautiful & I have had at least 5 dreams of being back there since I left, one of those times Britney Spears & Tina Fey were there too.

Our last Southern stop was Wilmington in North Carolina. We left Charleston by bus and our friend Jill picked us up on the other end. We mainly chose to visit Wilmington to spend time with Jill & meet her boyfriend Ryan. Jill was an exchange student at the University of Waikato and she was always a pleasure to be around. We had a fantastic week in Wilmington! We were introduced to Jill’s group of friends who were all loads of fun & lived close by. I was very jealous of their lifestyle, living right by the ocean with all their friends in the same neighbourhood. Bliss. I tried my hand at paddle boarding, spent lots of time at the beach, went out dancing in Wrightsville beach, explored downtown Wilmington & visited Brook’s house (from One Tree Hill). Our week in Wilmington was lovely. We were sad to leave.

If you are planning on visiting America, I do urge you to visit the South! It really was completely different to any other part of the states and I loved every minute!!

10 truths of being a flight attendant

Airline walk-in days are never short of interest as apprehensive men and woman come together from all walks of life to try their hand at the much anticipated role of the flight attendant.

The sixties glamour surrounding flight attending died and went to heaven a long time ago; however, this doesn’t seem to sway the hype and hysteria surrounding the life of a trolley dolly. After telling someone you are a flight attendant people’s eyes light up and the questions begin: Do you get to travel the world? What airline do you work for? Do you and your friends fly free? Oooooooh I love the uniform!

I worked as a flight attendant for one year and this is what I learnt.

1. It’s not as easy breezy covergirl as one would think

To say I severely underestimated the weight and importance of the role would be an understatement. Before being accepted into a training programme, newbie flight attendants must successfully complete several interviews, comprehensive first-aid training, swimming, medical, health and drug tests and a full on background & reference clearance.

During the training there are roughly 14 exams, a ton of home work, multiple physical challenges including: swimming lengths in heavy overalls, swiftly getting in and out of massive life rafts, blowing up lifejackets in 10ft deep freezing cold water, completing time pressure tasks in a burning down plane, daily verbal tests in front of your class mates and yes – the ever so exciting task of escaping the aircraft via the larger-than-life INFLATABLE SLIDE. All of these tests are done back to back, against the clock, in order to prepare another fresh-faced group of flight attendants for the worst case scenarios they all hope like hell will never happen.

After graduation day when you are finally rewarded your wings you can relax for about 24 hours and then come the hideous line checks. Your first few days in the sky are gruelling. Getting used to your new work place (a tiny steel tube) is one thing, the in-flight testing is another and it takes place all day (8-15 hour shifts).

After the first month, the life of a flight attendant becomes drastically more simple & pleasurable; however, there are spot tests before every single flight and it may well be 3am so you really do need to be self motivated. The roster doesn’t care for your social life, nor your beauty sleep. You will arrive at work groomed to perfection or be sent home. After each flight you are also graded on your performance.

2. You do not get to travel the world how one would like

You certainly do start from the bottom in this role. New recruits will begin by operating domestic or nearby routes unless they get super lucky and the airline is recruiting mid/long haul off the street. In my case I wasn’t so blessed & my flights were predominantly to Australia and the Pacific Islands. For the most part we would fly straight there & back meaning the only selfie opportunity is with the tarmac not the palm trees.  The staff trips are usually very brief; arriving late at night and leaving at the crack of dawn so you do not get to see the cities. If you hang in there and progress to mid or long haul there are many more perks & much longer trips and you will always be in a 4 star hotel with your own room. I really do recommend hanging in there until you are promoted as the staff satisfaction rate sky rockets after this.

3. Your social life takes a beating in this industry

The downfall of this role is missing out on some pretty pivotal social moments. Most of your friends will have weekends & public holidays off meaning engagement parties, weddings, birthday parties, Christmas, New Years etc will all be out of the question for you (or at the very least difficult to attend). The flip side to this is having blissful flatmate-free time during the week & shopping at non-peak times.

You and your entourage do not fly free. Each airline is different but they are all businesses not wish factories. You will however earn staff travel after at least a year’s commitment but sometimes the airlines public sales are better. You are also on standby, meaning you and your family could get seriously mucked around at the airport.

4. You will make life long friends in this role

The people you train with become your family; they develop into so much more than just work mates. They unconditionally support you during your training. The sense of friendship in the aviation school is really uplifting and motivating. The trainers are helpful & inspirational.

Once you are out working the people you work with are always an interesting mix. If you hate them, get over it you probably won’t fly with them again for months. If you love them, great! Make plans to see each other again. Some days you will start the day as lethargic strangers and leave the airport bouncing off the walls as if you have been friends forever! (Major highlight of the job!). Most flight attendants are very charismatic, confident and downright hilarious! This role does attract the sexy people. Have you seen my friend Laura Donaldson?

5. You will have a love/hate relationship with the passengers

The passengers can be a headache but they can also make your day. Travellers are excited for the most part & it’s rewarding to chat to them and exchange travel stories and advice. Passengers are always intrigued with flight attendants and can be really fun to mingle with. Other times they treat you like a brainless waitress, holding you solely responsible for any slight delay. The worst type of passenger treats you like their mother by ignoring your polite requests concerning their safety. The saving grace here is that the flight attendant is in control of the passengers experience in the air. Mysterious TV screen breakdowns are not really very mysterious at all.

6. Flight attendants do not simply go to sleep

Your shifts will be all over the show so say goodbye to your body clock & routine. The roster is 24 hours and no two rosters are the same. Sometimes you will work all through the night & other times it will be just like a normal 9-5 working day. Not to mention different time zones. Get used to sleeping during the day & taking unplanned naps in public places….

7. Flight attending is good for staying in shape (as long as you don’t binge on the crew meals)

Ever noticed that flight attendants are always strutting through the airports? This is because they are always in a hurry. Flight attendants have limited turnaround time to prepare the plane for new passengers and need as much time as they can get, thus strutting through airports in a rather uptight manner. Same goes for home time. The struggle is real with power walking from plane to car park! You also don’t have breaks in the normal sense of the word so 99% of the day is spent rushing around on your feet like a crazy person. The upside? Skinny skinny skinny. Kate Moss. skinny.

8. You will complain about being a flight attendant but cringe at the thought of quitting and going back to the ‘real world’

Flight attendants love a good galley gossip. There is always something to whinge about when you are a number among hundreds of other flight attendants; however as a flight attendant, you do have a union who totally has your back & it’s not all bad. Most flight attendants would feel like a fish out of water in a mundane 9-5 office job so they really just complain because they love a good sulking session. You are never bored or restless as a flight attendant, the days pass in a whimsical coffee-charged blur. It really is so much more fun than an office job.

9. The pay could and should be better

Different airlines offer different salaries, tour of duty hours, check in allowances & perks; however I still believe this role is severely underpaid for the level or commitment, sacrifice and training involved not to mention the exhaustion level. Those sassy sixties flight attendants were paid a small fortune due to the exclusivity and expense of flying. Sadly this is a thing of the past. This being said, it’s not a job people do for the money so this separates the miserable & non-committed pretty quickly.

10. The duty free is awesome & so is walking around the airport in your uniform

Two words: Victoria’s Secret. Having access to duty free products on a regular basis is a massive advantage for a hostey. Spirits & cigarettes are a fraction of the price in Rarotonga, you can nab some pure Fiji products in the Fiji airport & buy as much perfume, Mac & Ecoya candles as you like. This comes in rather handy for Christmas presents! I can only imagine the long haul duty free favourites! Plus walking through the airport with your suitcase & girlfriends in tow does feel a little bit sexy.

Photo credits: photos are from 2003 film View from the top & 2002 film Catch me if you can

6 ways to travel America luxuriously on a budget

Photo credit: The love of my life – Taylor Swift in Glamour Magazine October 2012.

The main hesitation that holds us back from travelling the world is the assumption that one needs a small fortune. This is simply not true.

My trip deviated from the original plan ridiculously & ended up like this:

100 nights

3 countries

30 cities

20 states

15 road trips

9 flights

15  4 star hotels

2 weeks staying with friends

1 island resort

3 backpackers

3 Air BNB home rentals

65 Restaurants

6 grocery shops

drinking like a pirate… most nights

buying new outfits once a week

Making new friends almost every day

& Countless crazy adventures.

All for $100 per day $700 per week.

To put this into perspective; proceeding this trip I had $450 worth of weekly bills & expenses living in Auckland city & working every day.

Fast forward to today – I have been back in the motherland for two weeks now & I am already back to the daily grind.
I have my old job back, my old coffee cup back & my old day dreams back of escaping to somewhere new and exciting.  At the same time I am very happy to be back with my friends & family and very grateful to be getting paid again for the first time since May.

I wrote a pre-travel article about tips for saving money for travel which is perhaps the most fundamental skill to learn; however, it’s just as imperative to make the most of your expenditure. With the below few tips you can travel like a diva without burning through your cash too quickly.

1.Book accommodation at the last minute through hotwire.com

This took a little getting used to for me as I like to be super prepared and have accommodation booked for at least a week in advance. I quickly learnt this wasn’t saving me any money.

The best thing to do with a multi-stop trip is to wait until the very last minute to ensure the cheapest rates on Hotwire.com. You need to wait until you arrive in the city or are close by for the best rates. Hotwire can track your location and will take advantage if they can see you are still in your home country or your dates are too far in the future. Technology is so stalky these days.

2. Split meals

You have most likely heard this one before. The portion sizes in New Zealand are considered pretty small compared with the rest of the world. Splitting meals is still more than enough food.  Choosing a local beer/wine/cider on tap can also save you money as the vodka drinks at the bar are very expensive considering that spirits can be brought for under $10 at the local supermarket.

3. Stay in accommodation with kitchen facilities for longer stays

Hotwire is perfect for short term stays but the hotels don’t usually boast kitchen facilities. Air BNB is another site we used where people rent their homes to the public. We used Air BNB a handful of times mainly to have more space and have our own kitchen. Groceries are less expensive in the US so we found that having a kitchen saved us a ton! Not to mention I was missing my own cooking. Another bonus with this type of accommodation is experiencing what it’s like to live in a residential area, have neighbours and experience authentic living specific to the country you are visiting. My favourite Air BNB find was in New Orleans. We rented a cottage for $80NZD per night and got along really well with the hosts who lived in front of us. They offered us rides, bikes to use, dogs to play with & a really fun Southern experience. We also scored a few free nights by cooking for them & making new hand rails for their deck.

4. Stay with friends, house sit or couch surf

Some of our best times in the US were definitely with our friends. It is awesome to be around a big group of people your age again and Americans are beyond hospitable! House sitting can also be a good idea if you are looking to stay somewhere a while. Usually it’s free accommodation in exchange for looking after someone’s home or pet. Making a profile online is free or a small one off fee. Some good sites are mindmyhouse.com & trustedhousesitters.com. Scott & I didn’t utilize house sitting this trip because we had so many cities to see in 4 short months but I will certainly be doing this someday soon! Couchsurfing.com can introduce you to some interesting characters and is perfect for gaining a locals perspective. We were very lucky to have lovely friends in the US to stay with.

5. Be aware of the hustlers

During my 4 months in the US I went from an idiot to an asshole when it came to the service industry. You will find out pretty quickly that countries like America & Mexico are shamelessly all about your money.  Tipping is not an optional gratitutity you must tip the minimum and if the server is good a larger tip is encouraged. The service level is very different to back home & they simply get away with being rude because they are not paid more than a couple of bucks by their employer. It’s unfortunate that the system is set up that most people end up giving everyone a mediocre tip instead of good tips for good performers and low tips for under performers.

Another major hustle is when people try to sell you tourist attractions for ridiculous prices. In Cancun we assumed we could trust our hotel concierge over the in-your-face street workers but it turned out our hotel was charging up to 5 times the price for the same tours & attractions.

6. Don’t waste money on cabs. Utilize the bus, train, plane & rental car

We tried a bit of everything when getting around America. From budget airlines to grey hound buses to luxury rental cars. Megabus.com was probably the best value for money boasting free wifi and power cables; however they don’t drive everywhere so cannot be your only way around. Mega buses start at $1 per person. For long drives across the country we would hire a car and this was always cheaper than a flight especially if you are not affected by the under 25 fee which we sadly were. The flights in the US are cheap if you book far in advance but they are expensive when left to the last minute so not ideal for last minute travellers.

Well thats about enough rambling from me! remember you are living the dream so make the most of it while you’re young & wild & free. I shall leave you with a quote from the very sexy Leo Dicaprio ❤

 

 

 

 

Trash on the pier takes a drive to San Francisco

After a brilliant first week in Los Angeles we depart for San Francisco early Saturday morning. Miraculously, we manage to leave by around 9am and settle into the Dodge for the 8 hour drive ahead. Our first stop is the Malibu Farm Pier Café for a late breakfast. This is where the infamous phrase trash on the pier was born as Melissa’s violent burp caught the attention of a scruffy fisherman. I found it humorously ironic that a man whose pants were halfway down his rather large bottom would be disgruntled by us. We then realized almost everyone in the outdoor area was looking at us sideways as our conversation was somewhat unfitting for the picturesque café.

Trash on the pier went on to become somewhat a reality TV show amongst ourselves from that point on. The term trash on the pier was coined by Christy Arundel©

The drive to San Francisco went quicker and more pleasantly than I had anticipated. Trash on the pier managed to get from A to B with minimal issues until the final stop for gas. As we pulled into a gas station about 40 minutes shy of San Fran we encountered a special man who would just not give up on wanting to be a part of our lives. He poked his head and shoulders into the car and insisted on shaking everyone’s hand and proceeded to talk rubbish for what felt like hours. When we explained that we needed to get our rental car back to the airport on time he became upset and refused to leave. When we finally thought we had gotten rid of him, he came back again and again and again. Fellow humans at the servo chose to glance at us sympathetically but no one really cared enough to tell him to move along. As a result of this we put a quick $50 in the car and headed off without a full tank of gas costing us a $35 fine when it came to returning the rental car. Not happy.

After returning the rental car, a sneaky shuttle driver tries to charge us $70 each to get into the city. We sigh at this preposterous offer and continue to look for another shuttle. Sneaky ends up approaching us again and says we can pay $10 each so we enter his van thinking THAT’S MORE LIKE IT! I then see on the sign inside that the adult fare is only $12 anyway. Seriously.

It takes about 20 minutes to get from San Francisco airport into Ellis Street where we are staying. We notice that our area has an overwhelming abundance of homeless people and drug addicts. One man is chewing his arm off, another throws himself at a moving vehicle. The volume of undesirables is so vast it’s as if we are in a low-budget zombie film. It’s also dark and cold. I immediately feel anxious. We check into the hostel and the blasé receptionist takes about an hour to figure out how much everyone needs to pay (the freedom here with Marijuana is not always a good thing when it comes to sharp service) she then shows us a map and aggressively blacks out an area next to our hostel, she looks deep into our eyes and says we should never turn right when leaving the hostel. I decide I am not in the mood to go out and take a sleeping pill and call it a day.

In the morning everyone’s spirits seem higher as it’s a sunny day and we leave the hostel for a big day of exploring. We soon see that San Francisco is beautiful and full of the most adorable houses we have ever seen. We go over the Golden gate bridge and tour the iconic spots learning a little about the history of the city. We then have Fish’n‘chips at The Cod Mother For $10. This meal was huge and delicious. We then head to the pier For the Alcatraz tour all feeling ridiculously full.

Alcatraz was mind-blowing. It really did feel like we were on set of the Shawshank redemption. The audio tour was all very ShawShankésque too, as the prisoners escape was almost identical to Tim Robbins. After some snaps, we head back to the ferry and return to the hostel for some beers where a spontaneous game of ‘never have I ever’ begins. I wasn’t thrilled by the game at first thinking I knew everything about my friends. Let’s just say I was very wrong.

The next morning we venture out to do the final few things we had in mind for San Francisco. We visit the iconic painted ladies which were a bit disappointing as two of them were undergoing renovations and were therefore covered. In the early afternoon we eat delicious cheesecake at Macy’s before heading to the airport for our Vegas flight. All in all we made the most of our short time in Sanfran. I would recommend a little longer than a weekend there if you have the time!

Eats & sleeps

Malibu Farm Pier Café

 

Although this café is not in San Francisco I have to write about it. I got eggs and pancakes and shared with Kayla. I can’t tell you how psyched I am when someone wants to share with me so I can experience both sweet and savory in the one sitting. The eggs were cooked to perfection and presented how they would be back home with actual greenery (this never happens in America). The pancakes were delicious with strawberries and cream galore. The prices were reasonable and the coffee was good, not to mention this setting is the most beautiful place you could eat breakfast and have a rude conversation.

The Cheesecake Factory at Macys

 

Top quality service! by far the best I received in San Francisco. Great food and prices. Cheesecake to die for. Lovely setting.

The Cod mother

 

$10 for a seriously ridiculous amount of fish’n‘chips. I would have happily gone halvesies this with someone and still been too full. This café also had a cute local aroma about it and very authentic staff & service.

Hostelling international San Francisco

 

I would give this hostel 4 stars if its location wasn’t in the worst street in town. The building was bursting with creative décor providing a young-in-a-good-way atmosphere, $2 slices of pizza, $1 scrambled eggs and a nice bar with affordable beers, you cant go wrong.

 

 

 

 

 

The Beginning: Santa Monica

I have been in America for over a month already and have had the pleasure of checking out
Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York, New Jersey & Montreal. I am already in love with this country, or more so – this lifestyle.

I will write a small post on each place. First up is a little on LA, as well as some of my preferred eats and sleeps in case this popular travel destination is on the horizon for YOU!

Sexy ladies featured as “we “in this post include: Coralie, Christy, Kayla & Melissa.

After a 12 hour flight, we arrive in Los Angeles feeling fuzzy and excited all at once. We pick up our beasty rental car and head to 28^th Street Santa Monica where we will be living for the next week.

Melissa does a good job of driving us to our destination as safely as possible.
The accommodation is outstanding. We snapped this beauty up on Air BNB, a website which features homes for short-term rent. Often the listings are more spacious and affordable than a hotel. I would highly recommend Air BNB for people travelling as a family or in a group.

After shot-gunning our beds we head to Albertsons our local grocery store, where we stock up on food and alcohol for the week. This simple task ends up taking 2 hours as we are all mind-blown at the prices compared to back home. Some stellar examples are large bottles of Malibu & Vodka for $8-$15 and large punnets of berries for a couple of bucks. If you are a dirty smoker, a pack of cigarettes will only set you back $5!! On the flip side, something strangely upsetting about this super market is that they do not know what cocktail sausages or sausage rolls are, nor do they sell them. WHAT!?

After the grocery shop finally concludes, we head back to our apartment for some drinks before our first night out in Hollywood. My friend Laura comes over and we all head into the bars. We somehow manage to lose each other in a matter of minutes and spend the rest of the night in two separate groups. I won’t go into too much detail about what happened. It was a different experience for everyone, let’s just leave it at that.

The next few days involved the emblematic tourist activities. One does not simply go to LA and not visit DISNEYLAND. Other highlights included the Santa Monica Pier, biking around Venice Beach Boardwalk & Muscle Beach (Muscle beach can be loosely described as hulking douchbags aggressively and shamelessly hounding tourists for tips) Universal studios, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum and miscellaneous meandering and exploring.

Sadly downtown Hollywood has gone to seed since my last visit as a small child. Hollywood Boulevard came across washed up and desperate for a buck; however this is
still no reason to rule out LA as a destination, you just need to veer off the beaten track a little.

Recommended eats & sleeps

Taste on Melrose 

I had the chicken main with creamy mash and vegetables and this was one of the best meals I had in LA, despite how simple it sounds. The service, price, location and atmosphere were all tops. There was also a free bottle of bubbles for the table which one can certainly not complain about.

Modern town house Santa Monica on 28^th Street

3 floors of sunlight, posh decor, extremely comfortable beds and high quality linen. Fully equipped kitchen and sundecks. Private garage and bikes to use at your leisure. Perfect accommodation for a girl’s trip.