My luxury stay in London

Just recently I was invited to enjoy a selection of rather luxurious experiences in London.

It all started with a driver picking me up in a beautiful Mercedes C-Class, well-equiped with water, newspapers and it's very own iPad. The journey was short but made me feel like a superstar, especially when we pulled up to the five-star Hotel 41 in central London, located between the Rubens Hotel and bbar and restaurant (amazing meat by the way).

As I was ushered inside and sat down at the reception, one of the staff pushed over a drinks trolley with a lovely glass of champagne for me while I checked in. Highlighting all of the features of this beautiful hotel, one in particular caught my eye, the 'Plunder The Pantry' service, offering a range of snacks to nibble on throughout the day, all of which were complimentary. I was just in time for afternoon tea with some tasty scones, enjoying the rather grand designs of the hotel's lounge area.

After checking-in and checking-out how super comfy my bed was, I headed over to my next port of call, the Mayfair hotel where I enjoyed a (semi)private screening of Suffragette, the amazing film depicting the lives of a number of 'Panks' fighting for the right to give women the vote. Another glass of bubbly, free sweets and popcorn and I was well on my way to becoming a heffalump by the end of the day. Fantastic film, I would definitely recommend it and the Mayfair hotel's staff could not be faulted.

Back to the hotel for a wonderful night's sleep (the best in ages). I always know a good night's sleep when I feel the need to make a note of the bedding information the next morning before check-out. You know, in case I come across thousands of pounds and can start shopping for all this luxury bedding.

After a little lie in, snacking up to my eyeballs and check-out, I took the quick cab ride to the five-star Corinthia Hotel near Embankment station. This hotel is frequented by the rich and famous with penthouse apartments and all sorts. Here, the beautifully designed spa, award winning and voted the best in the UK, was awaiting me.

Heading downstairs to the depths of the hotel, the maze of corridors led to plush changing rooms and a very well equipped gym, complete with chilled water with lemon, coconut water, bananas and protein balls. After a brief (but sweat inducing) workout, it was time to really enjoy myself. The dark and tranquil surroundings of the spa are simply sublime. Sauna, steam room, jacuzzi pool and other water features, swimming pool and finally some relaxingly warm loungers, perfect for relaxing the mind and......zzzzzzzz

Sunday evening - Back to work

Ever think 'where the hell has the weekend gone?'

I think that is me almost every weekend. Monday comes around so quickly and back to work I go, but crazily enough, before I know it, it's the weekend again and time is just flying by. It's so easy to get caught up with the daily grind of life. I've actually started questioning what's the point if you aren't actually stopping to enjoy it all.

There have been a few conversations about death recently. No one I know directly but friends of friends. Someone I know well recently lost her brother. It was tragic. A bit of a shock to everyone but it was one of those situations where you had feared it might happen. She came back from his funeral dazed, confused and questioning everything. And she was right to. Her brother was young, in his twenties. He was younger than me and I still believe I have decades ahead of me. But it ultimately comes down to the fact that you can be taken away at any point, and actually you shouldn't get caught up in day-to-day life. You should live for today.

It's a phrase I've always believed but never really appreciated until recently. With age comes these types of situations and it does make you question things. But it's happened a little too much recently and it's started me thinking and reminding myself a lot more that today is your life. Yesterday has been and gone, there's nothing you can do about it. Tomorrow may never come. So actually today is your life. What if you didn't wake up tomorrow? Would you be happy with what you have achieved today, let alone in the past week? Maybe, but maybe not.

It's a bit deep and meaningful but I am in one of those contemplative moods. I'd much rather be enjoying myself than simply having to get through each day. Possibly looking forward to a holiday that I've booked, or simply the weekend. But what do I do with my weekends? Probably not as much as I should. My problem, however, is a lack of cash? Up to my eyeballs in debt that I really need to get myself out of, and I'm working hard to get out of, but my prospects for enjoying an easier life are limited until I don't have this debt hanging around my neck.

Just some food for thought....

It's 2016...where have I been?

Wow, so it's been a very long time since I last updated my blog. So much has happened and I have so many stories to tell, however, I think I will have to tell them gradually over time as it would just be too much to read if I put it all in this one blog post.

So where am I now? Back in London (I've moved around a lot). Central London actually, which is amazing. I can walk to town, my commute is only 40 minutes door to door (although I wish I could walk to work), and the best part is that my weekly Sunday morning run takes me right along the river Thames, from Westminster Bridge, all the way down to London Bridge and back. Early in the morning when the sun is rising over East London and Canary Wharf, the views are absolutely stunning.

I'm working in the travel industry (I won't tell you where) but I'm enjoying my job....to an extent. Well, no one 100% loves their job do they. That's why we get paid for doing it, although working in the travel industry does have it's perks.

I've visited some incredible places. Had a blast on the beautiful beaches of Thailand. Saw the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles. Chilled out by the pool at a five-star resort in Tenerife. Saw a stunning wedding underneath the Cherry Blossom in Tokyo. And so much more. And the best part of it all is that I've got plenty of trips to come in 2016. This year was supposed to be the year of working hard, paying off debt and getting on the property ladder. I'm not so sure anymore but I'll still try and get out of debt. The problem is that sometimes, some of the deals I find are just too good to miss. Cheap flights to Thailand, utilising Nectar points for flights to Tenerife (that's another blog post), and collecting free hotel nights because I stay so often with work.

So watch this space and I'll (try and) keep my blog updated again.