Five Golden Gifts: The Gift of Time + Win Afternoon Tea For Two At The Fitzwilliam Hotel Dublin

Last year, instead of doing the typical gift guides that I had done in the past, I did the 12 Days of Giftmas. This was 12 days where I wrote a post each day on a different brand, store or specific type of gift and did a giveaway to accompany each post.

I loved the result but the whole process nearly killed me. Between communicating with the brands in advance of the giveaway, posting each day (without pause), promoting the post, monitoring the entries, doing the draws, contacting the winners and arranging prizes to be sent out, I was stressed and exhausted. This year, I've already been crazily busy between the day job, trying to have a life, the blog, another big side project (see day five this year), travelling more and going back to college for an evening course in a new language. I couldn't figure out how I was going to make time for the 12 Days this year but I didn't want to not do it either. I like giving something back to people who keep returning to this blog, even if it's nothing very big or impressive, and I didn't want to skip out on that.

After stressing about it for a while, my best friend just said, "Why don't you make it 'Five Golden Gifts'?"

Which is what I decided to do. Never fear, however. There may be less giveaways this year but they are bigger and better than before and I'm really happy with them. I also really like the gift ideas that I'm putting forward this year as they really reflect how I feel about gifting, in general, and the way I plan on giving gifts myself.

The first of these gifts, and the one I believe in most, is the gift of time.

We are all so busy and spend so much time running around like idiots that it is easy to turn into a recluse and just bail on everything in favour of our pyjamas and preferred streaming sites. As a result, we often don't spend as much quality time with the important people in our lives as we should or would like to.

For me, one of the best gifts to receive is a concert ticket or a trip or meal in a restaurant. Preferably, it is one-on-one with someone and we have the chance to spend time together and talk beyond merely catching up. I have way too much stuff in my life as it is, I don't need more things but I could always do with more time with the people I love. Most of all, this gift isn't just about monetary value, it is somebody setting aside time to focus on you and you alone. Money can't buy that.

So, my first gift idea is a voucher. Not just a voucher for a shop (not that there's anything wrong with that) but one that comes with an additional gift; the promise that you'll spend some quality time together.

The 5 Star Fitzwilliam Hotel on St Stephen's Green in Dublin coming swooping in this festive season with vouchers that are perfect for this. There is quite a range of vouchers to choose from with options for all sorts of pairings, groups and price points. Whether you want to bring your dad to dinner, go on a spa weekend with your bestie, take your granny on a shopping trip, have a romantic staycation with a partner or go for afternoon tea with your mammy, there is something for everyone.

You can personalise the message on each of the vouchers and design them according to your taste and then have them posted to yourself or the person in question or, even, have them e-mailed for the environmentally conscious giftee. We've teamed up to give away a voucher for afternoon tea for two but you can browse the other voucher options here, with prices starting at just €25.00.

I had the opportunity to try out the afternoon tea a few months ago with one of my closest friends and it actually opened the door to a really lovely day where we ended up spending a good fifteen hours straight together. It was probably one of the nicest days I had with a friend all year. Afternoon tea itself took two or three hours, as we were really relaxed and taking our time, and consisted of delicious sweet and savory snacks, good tea (so hard to find) from a wide selection and cocktails. The environment was decidedly unhurried and perfect for chatting at length. The staff at the Fitzwilliam were incredibly accommodating and informed, explaining what everything was in detail and making sure we were never short of anything.

As a bit of an afternoon tea aficionado, I can confidently say that it was one of the better experiences I've had and I can't recommend it enough. If you want to try it yourself and give the gift of your time and a lovely afternoon to someone you lovely, just read on to find out how to enter. And be sure to come back for the next four days for some more amazing gift ideas and prizes!

1. This giveaway is open to anyone, over 18, who can be in Ireland to use the voucher.

2. The prize is a voucher for Afternoon Tea for Two at the Fitzwilliam Hotel, Dublin and is worth €70.00. 

3. All you need to do is comment below here or on Facebook with who you'd give it to - or if you want it for yourself! However, you must be following me on at least one platform (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google Friend Connect, Bloglovin', Tumblr), let me know which one in the comment if it's not obvious!

4. Competition closes a week from now on the 8th of December 2016 at midnight Irish time.

5. Winners will be chosen at random.

6. I will then comment below the winner's comment and ask you to email my official blog email address.

(Thanks to The Fitzwilliam for providing this amazing prize!)

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Photo Post - July 2016

July was a month of realisations, resolutions and change. I had fun, ate good food and spent quality time with people I love, as per, but I also started implementing healthy alterations to my life that were necessary and a long time coming, if I'm honest.

I began the month on a high, at home in my newly tracked down Vetements, sipping on Champagne, getting a haircut and grabbing brunch with my parents and I spent the first Monday of the month eating dinner out with friends and laughing. That week I planned a family getaway for the following weekend with my parents, checked out the Create 2016 display in Brown Thomas and, on Friday evening, got a deep tissue massage. I felt loose and happy but spent the weekend a little tender. The next morning my brother and I went for brunch and I had one of the most bizarre restaurant experiences of my life.

I suggested a Vietnamese place where the food was really great and we strolled along in the sun and grabbed a table outside. Upon sitting down and ordering, we noticed that a four or five year old boy, clearly the son of the owner, was running around. He was super beautiful and cute and we smiled at his antics. Suddenly, he came up to our table and we said hello and asked what his name was. He didn't reply but sat down next to me and tried on my sunglasses. They looked ridiculously big on him, so we laughed again. By now, he was clearly getting comfortable but he was sweet so we entertained him. He stayed by my side as our drinks arrived and asked for a sip of my brother's Fanta, then rested his head on my arm and looked up at me sweetly. When our starters came out, he asked for a chicken wing and I offered him one. Then he took another off the plate without asking. From here, his behaviour started escalating and his mother noticed and began to give out to him but, as we had laughed and encouraged him, we felt bad and didn't want the kid to get in trouble. The other tables started to murmur and notice and we became increasingly uncomfortable. When my main course arrived, he wanted some of that too, so I gave him a little of the beef. He said it was too hot so I blew on it for him. Then he wanted another piece so I did the same but he decided it was still too hot and spat it out on my plate. At this point, I was utterly baffled but could do little else but laugh. He took another piece of beef off my plate with his bare hands and I ended up having to eat while cradling my food to my chest and away from his reach. My brother and I acted a little cooler and pretended not to notice his trying to get our attention, in order to calm the situation. This resulted in his running around and creating lots of noise and his mother dragging him inside. While the food was as good as I remembered and the kid was sweet (just a little bold and clearly without anyone to play with), I felt terrible for suggesting the place to my brother. I saw the funny side of it all and quite like when things go a little wrong, as it makes a day memorable but I know others don't always feel the same way.

The next day was a lot calmer. I skyped with my best friend living in Hong Kong and then went to play board games at a friend's place. The following week was spent having dinner with a pal who lives in England now, getting tea and talking for hours with my best friend, and planning our trip to Galway. On Saturday, we headed off to the west coast and arrived in Galway in the evening. We got to our apartment in Salthill and then strolled into town and had a drink before our dinner reservation. Upon arriving at the restaurant I discovered Bell X1 and another band had just been in, as they were playing at the International Arts Festival, but, crucially, I also learned that they had eaten the last of the pork belly...having ordered my second pick off the menu, I went to the bathroom, where my second restaurant incident of the month took place.

I noticed, as I locked the door, that the lock was a bit dodgy but ignored my intuition (why do I always make this mistake?) and closed it fully. When I tried to unlock it, I noticed that the knob was loose and not turning the bar that slid across to open and close the door. I turned it repeatedly and, at the noise, a girl outside asked me if I was okay. I told her what had happened and she went to ask a waitress for help before returning shortly to say that it was, apparently, common and to keep turning. She left before I could say that wiggling it was not going to solve the problem. After another girl came and went without being much help, I began to get panicky and rang my father to tell him what had happened. Then next thing I knew, my father, brother and the owner were all gathered outside the cubicle, passing me knives under the door and giving me advice on how to jimmy the lock into place. I could see, however, that the bar was knocked out of place and removing it was the only thing that would fix it and kept asking for a screwdriver. My pleas were ignored and my dad even attempted to kick the door in before, finally, a screwdriver was passed under the door to me. I removed the lock and escaped, without succumbing to a panic attack, and walked back into the restaurant with all eyes on me. As I moved through the building with burning cheeks and shaky legs, back towards our table, I realised the worst part of the situation: my traitorous family had eaten all the starters without me.

The rest of the trip was less eventful, but in a good way. It mostly involved eating, wandering around, a little shopping, checking out the Hughie O'Donoghue exhibition and going to a market. That evening, my brother and I splashed around in the water while others looked at us like we were lunatics for braving the cold Atlantic sea on an overcast night, before going to an arcade and earning enough tickets to win a ridiculous stuffed flower toy for our mother. Silly as that all sounds, it was incredibly fun and probably the most pure quality time we've had together in a long time. The next day, we awoke to a Galway that was so sunny, it looked like the Mediterranean. Our apartment overlooked the sea and the water was bluer than I've ever seen. Of course, it was the day we were headed home. Obviously. But we made the most of it, ate more good food, splashed around some more, walked along the beach and visited a craft village in Spiddal before Dad drove me all the way back to my apartment in Dublin...I am a little bit spoiled.

By comparison, the following week was relatively quiet, until the weekend, when I had my first proper swim of the summer; tried out a new afternoon tea and fashion tour package in the Fitzwilliam Hotel with my friend Matthew; then spent a solid 12 hours together, hanging out, eating, grabbing a few drinks, listening to our friend, Tom's, music and talking about everything under the sun. Sunday, I grabbed coffee with another pal before going to my best friend's birthday dinner where I was so hangry I spent most of the evening pouting until I was fed and spent that night being thoroughly embarrassed by my behaviour.

In the final week of the month, on the back of travel, getting back into swimming and a burst of motivation in all aspects of my life, I began organising LFW in September in earnest, eating better and deciding to be more active. And I then spent the final weekend of the month getting up earlyish (for me and for the weekend) to go walking all around Blessington Lake with my bestie, playing racquetball with my family, going to see the new Star Trek film with my siblings and cousin, welcoming my little sister back from Thailand, playing with the Thai makeup she bought for me and hanging out and watching terrible television with my parents.

Once again, the month didn't feel eventful to me until I looked back on it. It was only then that I saw how lucky I was to have a life so filled with joy, laughter, good people, wonderful opportunities and great food. My resolution to get in better shape based on that sudden, mysterious burst of motivation halfway through the month is still going strong and will probably shape this month but the biggest takeaway, now that I think about it, is probably the importance of quality time in life. There's simply no substitute in life for a friend spilling their guts to you and you getting suddenly closer; childlike adventures with a younger sibling who is now very much an adult; hilarious mishaps that make the people around you cry with laughter upon recounting them; traveling with loved ones to see a familiar city in a different way; and simply reconnecting with best friends by making time for each other. The best thing in my life is the people and they constantly remind me why that is very much the case.

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Fashion Tourism in Dublin: The Trending Package at the Fitzwilliam Hotel Dublin

Two of my great loves in life are food and fashion and anything that combines the two is usually good by me, so when I was invited to try out the Fitzwilliam Hotel Dublin's new "Trending" package, I was stoked. The package includes a stay in one of the hotel's stunning signature rooms, afternoon tea, a fashion podcast walking tour of Dublin and breakfast on the morning of departure, all for two people, from €299 per night.

While I wasn't able to stay overnight, I did try out the rest of the package over the past weekend and was given a quick tour of the rooms before I left. First of all, The Fitzwilliam is definitely one of the prettiest and best located hotels in the city. Its interiors were designed by Sir. Terence Conran and are contemporary and cool while remaining plush, warm and welcoming. The hotel is also perfectly situated at the top of Grafton Street, the main shopping street of the city, and across from St Stephen's Green park, offering both the perks of city life, just an easy amble away, and greenery, fresh air and pretty views. For fashion lovers, it is ideally located for shopping as it is around the corner from St Stephen's Green Shopping centre, a beautiful and historic mall that was the first purposefully built space of its kind in the city; Grafton Street; Irish fashion institutions like luxury retailer Brown Thomas and Kilkenny on Nassau Street, one of the largest emporiums for Irish designed apparel and homewares, who are offering a 10% discount and personal shopper experience to all Fitzwilliam customers; the iconic George's Arcade; the stunning Powerscourt Town Centre; countless boutiques; and the burgeoning "fashion quarter" of Dublin.

If you are interested in fashion and are thinking of visiting Dublin or have an interest in Irish design, in particular, this package is the perfect introduction. It is a new fashion tourism option for visitors to Dublin and gives an insight to native fashion and design and helps savvy shoppers discover the unique delights of the city beyond the high street names that can be found everywhere else around the world. If you are looking for something a little more authentic, this is just the thing for you.

The main attraction of this package is the city itself but the afternoon tea comes a close second. I mentioned this on Instagram already, but it was probably the best afternoon tea I've ever had and, due to my mother's passion for the practice, I can say that with some authority and a lot of experience.

The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful, well-informed about all aspects of the meal and engaging and pleasant, in general. As they knew I was there as press, I do think I probably got an especially kind welcome but I noticed that other customers were getting similar levels of attention, as well. However, I never felt anyone was hovering or intruding and this is a fine balance that I know, from personal experience, is hard to manage.

Another impressive aspect was the tea we were served. There was a nice little range of options of decent, fragrant loose leaf teas, none of those nonsense "fancy" tea bags that masquerade as real tea.

The food followed not too long after we were served our tea and everything was succinctly explained and pointed out. It was a real step up from the usual fare of sandwiches and lackluster cakes and comprised of items such as miniature smoked salmon crème fraiche caviar blinis; tuna tartar and avocado sesame cones; asparagus and parma ham and egg mousse; mini scones with clotted cream and raspberry jam; a selection of macaroons; choux buns with peanut salted caramel ganache, rhubarb jelly with white chocolate mousse and chocolate and peanut cups, among other delights. This was all then followed with a choice of the Cucumber Cup or the Nutella Martini cocktail. The meal featured a lot of fish dishes and, despite my not being a big seafood lover, I ate and really enjoyed almost all of it, which says a lot about the quality of the food. In fact, it was the first time I've ever had afternoon tea where we've left nothing uneaten.

After a leisurely two hours of eating, we quickly peeped in at the rooms, which are bright and airy but cosy and have great views, before heading off on the tour. The afternoon tea had left us sleepy but once fresh air hit my face, I was full, energised and ready to do the fashion tour. The tour is available as a podcast that anyone can download but the hotel helps guests through the steps and provides them with headphones. While the tour is really interesting and brought me to a couple places I hadn't been before, I'm not really the target audience as a local. I knew a lot about the history of the city, fashion, Irish designers and retailers in Dublin anyway but, for those who have less of an intense interest in the area and preexisting knowledge or who were just getting to know the city, it would be a nice introduction. It throws in a little history, gives some directions and brings you to different spaces, stores and designers, allowing time for pauses to peruse as you go. However, I would warn you to bring a map unless you are familiar with the city, as the directions can be a little confusing at times and I would have been lost were I not so familiar with the city and stores. If you have the time, luxury and desire to get a little lost though, it's a perfect guide to shopping in the city and will introduce you to important names in Irish design, cute boutiques, historic retailers and much more besides.

I'd love to go back some time and do the whole package with my mother, as I can imagine how nice it would be to check in one day, grab afternoon tea, do the tour and shop along the way before heading back to one of those comfy rooms to put our feet up!

If you are a fashion lover and fan of Irish design thinking about visiting Dublin, this really is the ideal package.

(I was invited to try out this package by the Fitzwilliam Hotel. I was not paid to write this post, however, and all opinions are my own.)


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