2020, the year the world really lost its shit and exotic holidays were a thing of dreams.
Determined to have a change of scenery we hopped on the train to London armed with our face masks and sanitiser. Ready to make serious use of the Eat Out scheme, first stop was a truly delicious lunch at Dishoom. After checking in to the beautiful Redchurch Townhouse in the heart of Shoreditch we wasted no time in picking our spot by the rooftop pool of Shoreditch House and despite the unpredictable weather spent a lovely afternoon relaxing with a bottle of wine and a good book.
That evening we stomped to Covent Garden and the top secret comedy club where we saw 6 acts performing new material and had a right laugh, plus it was only £1 each! Quick pit stop at Beigel Bake for a late night snack and we sunk into our dreamy bed for the night.
The next morning we headed back to the roof for a very piggy and super tasty brunch before parking ourselves by the pool again. We managed to drag ourselves away for a potter around Shoreditch and couple of drinks over a game or 2 of cards before one last trip to the roof for cocktails in the late afternoon sunshine. That evening we met up with friends for dinner and drinks at steakhouse, Blacklock which was great fun.
Feeling slightly ropey the next morning we went for a very spicy brunch at The Breakfast Club before catching our train to Brighton. Unfortunately we arrived to classic British weather and so dropped our bags at The Artist Residence and went for a very wet walk in search of a brew and a sweet treat eventually ending up at The Ivy. The rest of the afternoon was spent chilling out at the hotel before The Salt Room for dinner. We both opted for fish washed down with a bottle of white from the Ibbotson vineyard, a lovely evening!
Next day the sun was shining and we headed to beach, meeting up with some friends from London we spent the day soaking up the rays and enjoying a few drinks, Dan even braved a dip in the waves. After lunch at Lucky Beach we also met up with Dan’s brother and sister who were down for a few days, after one too many Aperol’s and a few games of Uno that was that!
Friday morning we had a healthy breakfast of pancakes and french toast in the lanes and a quick hotel change in search of a decent night’s sleep! We then decided to blow the cobwebs away with a bike ride. Picking up Brighton’s answer the Boris Bike we headed out along the coastal road toward the white cliffs. You can normally cycle the under cliff path but it was super windy and the path was being battered by the waves so we stuck to the high road. After a quick coffee and cake stop we dropped off the bikes and wandered up to the Royal Pavillon which is a beautiful if somewhat out of place building. We headed back towards the sea via the colourful and eclectic lanes and onto the Palace Pier which is full of fairground rides and a lot of people say has a Coney Island vibe, but to be honest it’s a little rough around the edges.
It was still very windy so we decided on fish and chips for tea and a well earned bath! A 12 hour sleep later and a final breakfast at Lost in the Lanes, we set off home. A nice break with lots of good food, but we won’t be sorry to see an airport and the guaranteed sunshine next time!
If you like Piña Coladas... 