My Fashion Blog

Barbados 2021

Good morning guys are are we all doing?

We are recently back from Barbados and as always on Instagram I get so many messages asking the ins and outs.

A lot of questions re: PCR tests , customs clearance in Barbados, curfew and restaurants etc….

So I’m here to offer my help and give you a little nose on what we got up to this year.

This year we found it was a different holiday although it was truly amazing! It was different !

It was a case of us going or not going this year. We held back on things so we could go as prices have just gone through the roof!

We went to a different hotel and we had cheaper seats on the plane! This is what John didn’t like about it this year! For me I would rather have the cheaper flights and still go on the holiday (things like that don’t bother me , I’d sit with cases if it meant going 🤣).

So this year we stayed at The Coral Reef.

This was our cottage……

We stayed here back when Lucca was only 6 months old ! We stayed in one of the cottages both times and these rooms really are beautiful they come with tiny plunge pools with every cottage. The boys loved this ! All cottages come with bedroom , living room , dressing area and mini area with fridge etc.! And obviously a generous sized bathroom with shower and bath ! And not forgetting a huge balcony with seating area and dining table! For us it was perfect! Johns mum came with us this year and she has a cute room with it’s own balcony seating area which she loved as she use to love laying down there with her book !

PCR

So we had to do PCR tests on all of us 3 days before the holiday. We used Dam Health in Croydon, they were amazing. Our results came back the same day at midnight! Plus the boys got their tests for free ( one child per adult). The only downside in Croydon was parking! It was a pain!

Print EVERYTHING off

Double vacc cert from nhs website
Passports
Negative pcr test result, taken 72 hours prior to departure
From BIMSafe app::
QR codes for each passenger
QR code for immigration (one per family)

You will be given a green band at the airport in Barbados you cant REMOVE this until you get the all clear from the test from customs at Barbados Airport. You are not allowed out the hotel or on the beach while you are wearing these bands! Ours came off after 24hours !

If it wasn’t for my beautiful friend Tracy we would not have known any of this!

We got a taxi this year from home to Heathrow then checked in straight away , went  straight threw security and headed straight into number one lounge. This was all within 40 minutes I was really impressed! Sometimes security can take 25 minutes itself!
We had to wear masks through the airport and on the plane (boys exempt ).

We booked Economy for the boys and myself , Economy Delight for John and his mum! ( we always fly Premium but this year it was just ridiculous prices, by the time we added 5 seats on to premium we could have gone on another holiday).

The plane was slightly empty so the lovely Samantha running Virgin Atlantic that day let us move behind John as Sonny is extremely anxious and he could relax then looking out the window! To be truthful I would not probably book Premium ever again, Economy Delight was just as good and half the money! (the only downside is it takes about 5 minutes longer to get off the plane, nothing too terrible in my eyes).

Lucca stayed out in Economy and was next to John with just the aisle in between them , so perfect!
The films were RUBBISH but then that’s probably to do with COVID and not Virgin Atlantic fault! Although they could have shown better TV series and some old popular films 🤷‍♀️.
……………..

We booked fast pass VIATOR and boy it was totally worth every penny!

We usually never have to book fast pass as The Fairmont automatically give it to you when you stay at that resort.

It was £190 for the 5 of us and worth it.

It took us straight from the plane to the testing area then straight through customs and onto our luggage the whole experience took around 40 minutes again and not 2-3 hours which looked like they was having to do behind us!

Another tip we did not book transfer through Virgin Atlantic we took a taxi from the airport and it was only 40usd!

I will say one thing the staff at the airport are HORRIBLE!  We had all the paperwork for the boys disabilities and visually impaired cards from Moorfields. And they just kept on and on asking over again what was wrong with them one lady didn’t believe us! In the end I said they are BLIND or will be BLIND in the future. This made me so upset as it’s not nice for the boys to hear this and for adults who should no better to keep going on about a child’s disability! Barbados airport you was absolutely disgrace , you should be ashamed of your staff especially the nurse that more or less said we was lying about their disability!

To be honest even in the hotel they keep on about the boys wearing masks. We booked the holiday and Best at Travel told them and warned them over their vision, that was one of the reasons they was allowed in the cottage with us or they wanted them to have another cottage to themselves!

The staff was on and on about masks ( only the breakfast staff 🤷‍♀️).

It was sad because in the end the only way to get them to understand was to say out loud was that they are nearly blind (even then they looked at you like you was a alien ).

We also had some lovely staff too looking after us especially Shane who the boys loved and giggled with every day!

The hotel food was amazing but a lot more expensive and more expensive than the restaurants !

If you stay here and have Bbq night feed the kids before on kids menu, all sonny had was a hotdog and it was £90. Lucca was charged full price £120. The bbq was amazing but I can’t justify that money on kids , especially kids that don’t eat much! Me at the age probably would have eaten the £90 in steak and fish lol (they are nothing like me ).

The Fairmont where we usually stay is a lot more reasonable in dinner prices and we used to do one night on and one night off there just to keep it a bit more reasonable!

To be honest there are Fors and Againsts for both hotels!

Restaurants

First night we went to Lonestar.  The food was delicious as always but I do find the staff in there are very up their own backsides if I’m honest! Again they wanted to know the INs and OUTs of the boys vision and why they didn’t have masks on ( now remember they are completely blind of a evening, so they could see how they was walking there was a problem). Disgraceful! We didn’t go back ( we were booked but cancelled).

We tried Champers this year.  This restaurant is over the other side of the Island.

If you haven’t been… you must go and try it was amazing 🤩.
The staff could not have done more for us. They knew the boys were disabled and did everything in their power to help them! They even changed Sonny’s dinner when he didn’t like it ( out of all the restaurants this year they was the nicest staff by FAR!).  Mum and dad have been telling us to go years but John didn’t fancy the drive!

The next night Was Tides

We LOVE tides as a lot of you do! The lady that was running it, in fact both ladies that were running it ( or taking you to your table was extremely rude ). Again about the boys.. I think they are so ignorant and so worried about covid out there that they are just being extra cautious! But they don’t want the vaccine it’s crazy.
Anyway my dad went crazy and said THEY ARE BLOODY BLIND and I think they realized then we were not happy!

The food and atmosphere is always so beautiful in Tides but the experience over the boys just ruined it in every restaurant! ( the second time we went to Tides our last night, they were on it again ( the doorman on the other hand was lovely and remembered them straight away and said these are the beautiful boys who don’t wear masks)

Tides you could do with training all your staff to be more like him!
They wanted to charge John $5 for a mask each for the boys after we had been through it all AGAIN!

The manger did come over and say sorry !

I’ll Tempo was really wonderful we went TWICE and John hated it last time ( 2years ago). I reckon he would have gone again if we had more nights lol. Staff were super and friendly ( my parents are friends of the owners so all the staff were wonderful with the boys , no questions about masks here )

Mum a dad moved hotels during their stay from Treasure Beach to Colony Club ( they booked their holiday last minute and could  only get Treasure Beach, NEVER AGAIN!).

We stayed at Colony the year I fell pregnant with Lucca.  It was wonderful and extremely child friendly! Mum a dad loved it too and on the plus side they were next door to us so we could all be on the beach together 🏖.

Unfortunately dad was taken ill with cellulitis out there and they are still there as the hospital won’t let him home until he is fully recovered! There are worse places to be though.. right !

The Cliff is closed, they are completely changing it all over, we drove past a couple of times it looks like a BIG refurb! Look forward to trying that in the future. It’s has ALWAYS been our last night restaurant and it’s one of my favourites we missed it so much this year!

We went to try Paul Owes at the Beach House { he used to be the chef at The Cliff).
We went here a few years ago and wasn’t a fan then, we should have realised really. The staff was useless and no kids menu with nothing on the adults menu for Sonny.  Lucca obviously is not bothered he would have had a steak but Sonny still needs a kids menu and they were not prepared to cook just plain spaghetti even though there was pasta on the main menu. There was a Power Cut too so we upped and left back to Mums and Dads at the Colony Club. There was a wonderful band on when we arrived and the food was just beyond fabulous so it ended up to be a wonderful evening had by all!

Seashed

We were booked in one afternoon but it was so hot we cancelled. I prefer going out in the evening than going for lunch! Maybe next time and there will be no curfew.

If your going soon and curfew is on then book about 6-6:30 that way you still feel you have had a night out , plus it’s dark then and so you don’t feel like a Norman all dressed up lol.

Our last night John booked Karl to get us at 5;30 so we could have drinks in the car first at Tides ( something we do at every restaurant normally bloody curfew).

So I was walking round doing pictures at 4:00 in a Versace sequin dress ( I did get some funny looks lol ).

We had Karl drive us about, he is mum a dads guy and they have used him for the last 15 years.  He is so wonderful and always said to mum and dad if you need me to take you to hospital anytime you call me ( he really does look after them so Karl Thankyou x).

A lot of followers asking about hotels and where to stay

5 star hotels

Sandy Lane
Coral Reef
The Fairmont

5-4 star and good for family’s

Colony Club
Tamarind Cove

We have stayed in all of these except Sandy Lane lol

We like them all

If I had to choose between the Fairmont and Coral Reef again I might choose Coral Reef only because for me I just loved our cottage. It’s nice to have more space and it’s more beautiful gardens etc. Although the Fairmont are all front line rooms
The coral Reef has a nicer breakfast and bar area.

The only other thing is it’s not that child friendly ( but mine are growing up now ).

I did moan about this on Instagram and I stick to it they are not child friendly like the Fairmont!

My Tips and Tricks

1: Always book restaurants at least 6 months in advance ( if you can ). I always book them once i book the holiday ! You get better tables. I always ask for a rail side or waterside tables. Book V Room or Priority Pass No1 lounge too then as the lounges get so busy. It’s one guest per card for Priority Pass!

2: If like myself you have kids with phones , i pads , power banks etc. U.K. extension lead so you can plug everything in at once to charge ( see photo).

3: A silly one but effective one (pack a little bag for phone , key , credit cards , headache tablets and mask ).

This year I had a YSL one I took it every morning to breakfast rather than lug a bog bag around and I put it inside my beach bag so the phone power bank, wire etc don’t get sandy!

4: I never pack boys electric toothbrush’s I always buy cheap ones out of Tesco to take with me and leave them there as the electric ones take up a lot of room in the wash bags.

5: I take my favourites shampoo and conditioner on little mini containers rather than take big bottles with me, ( if I’m close to running out before I go I just keep those half bottles and again leave it there ).

6: Nurofen melts are great for travelling on the plane for the boys too ! And rescue remedy for  Sonny.

7: On the way back I pack tracksuits in the boys rucksacks so they can change half way through the flight to keep warm ( going  out they are already in tracksuits and have shorts in their rucksacks but never change as they are too excited to get there i think lol).

8: I always pack biscuits and crisps for the room always ..! It’s so expensive to keep buying it all out there and 9/10 they don’t have what they want!

9: if like me you look like you have joined The Supremes on holiday then pack lots of grips , pins and bows for hair up
I even took a hair piece to wear I used to wear them all the time.
John said I looked like Kim Kardashian in it so I ripped it off lol.

I only wore my hair down once as I got a blow dry which was wonderful by Linda at Coral Reef but was £90 so wasn’t having 2 or 3 of those 🤣🤦‍♀️.

10: if anything is a bit small on the boys and I know they won’t wear again I leave it there for the maids. This year I left Loafers,
4 pairs of swimming trunks and 2 t shirts. My lovely maid was very pleased with these for her boys!

So i think i have coverd everything for you all.

If there is anything else you want to ask about Barbados or Disney (remember i have Disney blog posts on here too for tips and tricks) then please dont hesitate to contact me on Instagram EYEZONZANELLI and lots more holiday snaps too!

I will be doing my next blog post on Heaven Skincare its amazing!

Take care and thanks for reading

Daniella

xoxo

 

 

 

 

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Well hello everyone.

How are we all doing? Wow it’s been a while!

To be honest it’s been all over the place here, so I haven’t had the time to actually sit and write anything!

Obviously we had lockdown, then my mum was unwell and moved up from the coast  and my youngest finished primary school, so it’s all been go go go!

We also had our first date weekend away in ages on Saturday we headed up to London with Mr O’s sister and her husband and we really did have an amazing time! We stayed at The Washington Hotel in Mayfair. It was cheaper than the others with a continental breakfast included! It was like a posh Fawlty Towers if im honest! It was very clean and comfortable but one of the lifts was broken, our key to our room didn’t work after 3 times changing it and the ironing board fell apart on me lol ..!

We headed to The Cut Park Lane as its Mr O’s favorite, , although its super expensive its always an amazing evening out! Although i did come over funny after eating Oysters they are my favorite dish and i had to head home early but it still was a fab eve!

Make Sure you have a drink first upstairs we always do and it really sets the evening off in style!

I wore a dress by Never Fully Dressed

I think we can safely say that summer has finally arrived, which means time to get those bodies out ladies! If like myself you are not as body confident as you used to be then fear not , I have some tips tricks and fabulous lotions and potions too!

First of all I think as you get older you really do need to understand that your body will change and the shape will too!

And let’s face it we all have that one dress that we just love and can’t rid of, we look at it and pray we will get back in it one day .. lol!

Back in my wardrobe detoxing days, I used to advise clients to stock up ! By this I mean if it’s a classic and you no you will wear it then prepare for the change!

I have some Topshop string summer dresses ( just an every day dress) as soon as I bought one I loved it so much that that I got it in 3 colours and 3 sizes.

Yep .. 10, 12 and 14 that way I know the dress will go where I go and I knew that the dress will not date I’m on to the 12 now so time to ditch the 10 lol.

Obviously not saying buy anything too expensive only something you know you will wear forever!

 

Its a taboo thing body talk and so many of us think that we need to be back where we was when we was 18 and it’s never going to happen! Social Media plays a big part in how we think we should look but I think it really is getting to know what suits your body and know your style too!
I’m never going to be a jeans t shirt and converse girl! I’m classic and I know that style suits my body shape!

Swimwear

The one piece! Do we don’t we?

I love a one piece especially a bandeau swimsuit they look so chic and so classic! Every lady should own a white as black  one piece for holiday!

Again even with a bikini I always choose bandeau style I can’t be doing with the straps getting all over the place and I don’t want to get strap marks!

Banish the cellulite

So I have two creams I have been using and I love both but I think I will have to give the first one my best rating

So what do we think so far about our new found freedom?

If your going away, stay safe . I hope my little tips have helped!

So great to have you on board! Have a wonderful Thursday !

Daniella

XOXO

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Hello and welcome to 2021

Well what a year 2020 was. I hope everyone is safe and well!

So Christmas came and went in a flash and I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as they could!

If I’m honest I’m quite glad it’s over and back to normal.
Well as normal as can be! As we started homeschooling again like everyone else and I will confirm do LOVE having the bubbas home!

So what’s in store for everyone in 21?

We hope to try a get away at some point (fingers crossed)

So I have been searching for some new bits.  I’d like a new beach bag this year and I’m desperate for some new beachwear too!

So will keep you updated on my way. I do love these new swimsuit styles by Prestige Boutique and this Jacquemus beach bag! Although i noticed Fendi too have some amazing new bags in for S/S ……

 

For those who don’t follow on Instagram, every month I do a Q&A on my stories

I find this gives my followers a bit more of a chance to get to know me and ask me fashion Do’s and Don’t’s, as well as anything else?

I had quite a lot this Saturday just gone and i didn’t get a chance to answer all of them!

So I thought I’d share some on my blog , especially the fashion related ones!

Q: What is the one thing you see a lot that drives you crazy on Instagram ? ( fashion related)

A: Hello and thanks for the question. If there is one thing that annoys me about Instagram and blogging is the fact that everyone looks the same! Don’t get me wrong some looks will be similar!

I think what makes me hungry to surf on this platform is the big bloggers.  As for the everyday Instagram posts, well nothing ever jumps out at me. I find it’s all a bit repetitive and that’s why I try to be a bit different. I don’t want to be the same. I never have been! I like to put my own stamp on things I would like to hope and think that’s why people follow me!

Q: Hi what’s your biggest DON’T in an outfit?

A: The  one thing that annoys me the most is black shoes 🤣.  Yes, black shoes with a light colour dress ! NO NO NO!
The amount of times I see this! The eye will go straight to the big black clunky shoe instead of the beautiful dress! Always opt for a light colour shoe (nude works best or even match the colour of the dress) but please no more black shoes with light colour garments! And Mirrored  sandals NO NO NO. Always go for matt or leather 100%

Q: : what is new for 2021?

A: Hello , so Pink, Yellow and Orange! All these are back for the spring/summer and also flares are making an appearance too!

I do love a bit of yellow. Yellow especially a light lemon yellow looks amazing with a tan and with gold accessories!  Extremely chic and stylish!

 

Q: What’s the one thing in your wardrobe you will never get rid of?

A: Well I have a statement dress by Alexander Campbell.  It was a dress that my parents bought me back in the day. It’s a bit Jessica Rabbit and just super chic! I always get so many compliments when I wear it.

In fact I’m surprised I can still get in it, I have had it since I was 19! Lol. I also have a vintage Wim Hemmink dress that’s just beautiful! ( it was my mums ). And a backless sassy Moschino number ! Those 3 things will NEVER leave this house 🤣.

Q: Do you watch what you eat and do you exercise? You always look so nice , so i had to ask?

A: That is very kind of you. I do watch what i eat.  I try to eat once a day early about 11-12! Don’t get me wrong i will pick at things after, as im cooking for the boys and Mr O ! But in general nope once a day works best! One thing i will say never deprive yourself of anything! I still get a Big Mac down me every so often! Not since lockdown, i haven’t done much except walk i miss my swimming and look forward to get back to it soon!

So i hope this has made a little change on the blog today. I will carry this over to here again next month so you can be apart of it too! If you would like to ask me anything then please email me or message on Instagram!

So tonight we are having a BBQ .. yep crazy i know! The boys just LOVE a BBQ and Buddy is a fan now too lol!

Wish you all the best for 2021 , and PLEASE stay at home and stay safe! The quicker we all do this the faster we will try a get back to normality! I see so many stories on Instagram where people are round each others house having sleepovers, and play dates! Its crazy!

Have a wonderful Friday!

Daniella

XOXO

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Hello and Good afternoon

How are we all doing today? So it’s been a while and a whirlwind since we last spoke ! Well a lot has changed not only in the world today but in every day life its so strange!

I hope your all safe and well!

We moved just before lockdown so was extremely grateful for that, as I think we would have gone stir crazy in our old house! I do love our new house!  We have so much more space and the children have more space to run around in the garden.  They have their own X box room so they are over the moon for these.  Although we are taking our time to sort those rooms out, otherwise I’m feeling we won’t see them ever again lol!

Summer for us  this year has been a blow out.  As im sure it has  for everyone hasn’t it ? We was due to go to Spain as soon as the boys broke up, we ummed and arrrddd over it bit decided to stay put, we even considered driving. To be honest I’m not the best passenger in a car so thought best not! We have also taken the tough decision to postpone Barbados till early next year ( I’m very sad about this as I’m sure you can imagine lol ).  Still we all have our health and that’s more important at this time so we support our decision to stay put! Although I’m extremely envious watching everyone’s Instagram holiday stories lol !

The house has kept us busy , i have finally got the lounge and kitchen as i like it!

https://www.johnlewis.com/philippe-starck-for-kartell-masters-chair/p326288?sku=231061541&colour=Black&s_ppc=2dx92700055886864979&tmad=c&tmcampid=2&msclkid=50302a2509c110b2f9c975aff2a9aeb5&gclid=COHA7O3pu-wCFUSZhQodww4LCw&gclsrc=ds

I added more colour to the lounge with Pink and Grey.  We had Pink and Grey in our Villa in Spain so i wanted to bring a slice of my childhood to our home!

Fashion:

Fashion for some this season has gone a bit by the waist side but for me even though lockdown was hard it was still nice to take part in #dressupfriday on Instagram. Which meant I got to dress up once a week and show off my new dresses from Prestige Boutique ( and other brands of course) This was such a wonderful idea and enjoyable for all of us insta ladies who took part!

Some of my favorites…..

I do love dressing up as you know!

Still when the holiday eventually rolls round the outfits will be bigger and better that I will assure you lol !

I do love the fact the 80s and 90s are making the way back onto the catwalk these really are my favorites times and I just think it was a real elegant era! Big hair , big statement clothes what is there not to love 💕.  Just remember to splash it up with a dash of elegance at the same time and you can’t go wrong! So autumn 🍂… who’s ready ?  As you know I always start about this time thinking winter wardrobe and this year has been no exception!

Look at this wonderful vintage number that i wore out the other evening , this was in Mammas wardrobe back in the 90s! It took me 3 hours to help clear her loft full of clothes a couple of weeks ago so was only fair she passed it on lol…..

So lets talk winter boots? Hands up who has ordered 👐, yes me i will confess!

Currently looking at a winter coat to go with it! Im not sure what i fancy this year , but will keep you posted!

Skin Care for the winter:

So im all over Laura  Mercier at the moment. I have ordered some amazing products so give me a few weeks and i will be sure to report back on what i think of those!

Make Up:

So im going to try the Dior Addict Lipstick

I really do intend to do more regular posts from now on. I have been busy with the house and PB that the time just flies by!

Next thing i will popping the Christmas tree up lol! And im especially excited as this year i will have two. I could even get away with three but i think that is  pushing it .. ha!

Anyway im glad i finally caught up with you all! Hands up who will be watching Strictly this evening? I know i will be … yippee!

Have a wonderful weekend all and i will be back asap with some bits from Zara i ordered!

Daniella

xoxo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hello and Good Evening

How is everyone doing? Half term came and went very quickly didn’t it?

Things really all come at once don’t they? We are in the process of moving and changing cars , whilst trying to catch up on day to day busy life.  The days just seem to roll into one a the moment!

Dubai couldn’t have come at a better time for us.  It was amazing to get away with my little crew and just chill!

We stayed at the Anantara on the palm

We have been once before about 3 years ago. Both this time and last, we had access lagoon rooms. For the boys these are perfect as they can have direct access to the little lagoon pool straight outside your room , although this time was even better as we had a mini beach opposite our room and they just absolutely loved it!

We really had a wonderful time, would we go back for a 3rd time to this hotel… No!

Why?

Breakfast was very lame. Considering everyone raves about Dubai, saying they have this a that, for me it was nothing to wake up a get excited about! Although i did love the omelettes and had one every morning! The boys found it hard to find things to eat and it was hard work for us of a morning to get anything down them!

Room;

The room was very big and  spacious… but the bed was only changed once the whole time we was there and i had to keep asking for towels! The room was really dark too, the room we had 3 years ago was a lighter a slightly bigger room, although it was further up the lagoon and had not mini beach opposite it was nice!

This was a personal one for me, but the mirror to do hair etc, was so dark it had no light over it and was right near the patio door no where near the bathroom so i had to keep running back and forth to grab things, the mirror by the open wardrobe was literally on top of the open wardrobe which always looks a mess, so i couldn’t really snap any of my outfits , the light was terrible and you couldn’t see clearly as all our holiday wardrobe was behind it! (This really did drive me mad). Why have open wardrobes in a hotel , they always look a mess! They had so much space too put the full length mirror too but chose to put it there, drove me mad! Mind you that’s the ONLY thing i would change about The Fairmont in Barbados ,  please put nice Full length mirrors in the room , NOT inside the wardrobe door its really annoying!

Now we all know how much we love going out for dinner , well the hotel was VERY busy this time so it was extremely hard to get tables in one of the 5 restaurants ! If we had known this and the Anantara had answered my instagram messages before we arrived,  we would have been ok, but we never had the times  in the restaurants we wanted and found ourselves eating in the same one two nights running! So remember to book in advance! (As you know my Barbados restaurants are booked a year in advance).

If you decide to go between Jan / Feb  take warm coats for the evening , i nearly made them leave their puffers in the car at Gatwick, thank goodness i didn’t! Although i was prepared with hoodies , they still was not warm enough, but in all fairness towards to end of the week, it was warmer and the boys started to leave the puffers in the room!

If you are planning to stay here , this little boat every day runs on the lagoon , he rings his bell to let you know that he is around for you to have cocktails, we did this twice , but be warned its VERY expensive! A fab idea though just needs to be cheaper!

Now for the good bit…

Outfits

First night we dinned at the Beach House this was our favourite last time i think its the location its just the most magical setting , with a real holiday vibe and total tranquility!

So our first night i wore our Rainbow Polka dress

If you go Half Board as we did watch out as you can only order things off the menu that do NOT have prices next to them , and if your taste buds have expensive taste like mine do , you will still have to pay a sur-charge for all the yummy things! Except in Bushmans there steak with no price next to it , was AMAZING!

Back to our outfits.

The next day we headed off to breakfast in the glorious sun and i wore

Second night we ended up at back at The Beach house due to those dinner reservations being messed up as the hotel was super busy and as explained before they never had restaurants or times we wanted! It was a good job we liked The Beach House lol

I wore a beauty of a dress, super elegant and stylish…

We woke up to a super hot Sunday and i was desperate to wear my hat teamed with those amazing pearl sunglasses chains we have , super chic!

We decided we wanted to take the children to The Atlantis hotel to see the fish , so glad we did, by far it was our best night and actually wished we had booked this hotel instead! A few friends had put us off saying it was very big and busy, which it was , but it just had a vibe that we loved!

The boys loved looking at the fish..

We decided that it was best to go for an Italian meal , plus the boys were desperate to get a Milanase  down them, they ended up having two each ha!

I wore a Zesty Lemon dress, and the boys coordinated in yellow Next shirts! Before we came away i realised that Lucca still had a lot of clothes he needed to wear that he hadn’t worn , and a few didn’t fit him, so he did end up matching Sonny a couple of nights, but being a real pro he he never moaned once , in-fact i don’t think he noticed! He is so easy and always supports mummy! I did say in November though he is 13 and he will have to model all our new Teenage range , he likes the sound of that, i think because he will have pictures done by himself and will feel very grown up , bless him! He loves a holiday pic , they both do actually, i often get lovely messages saying how good the boys are being in the pictures, i guess its in them, they have always done, that’s why our routine works and we do have a giggle when we do them too!

I didn’t want to leave this hotel , i just loved it after dinner we went for a long walk around the hotel , and decided this would be our next adventure , maybe next year! (fingers crossed).

Monday:

Who said Bubblegum pink was no good for a Monday was wrong lol. I couldn’t wait to wear our NEW swirl pink dress, our other colours were so popular last year and this one has been just perfect i absolutely love it!

Sitting pretty in pink

It was back to The Beach House for dinner!

When we arrived on our first night we was so late arriving that the only restaurant that was open was The Bushmans , the boys loved it so much , we had tried to get in since and finally managed to get in on the Tuesday .

I decided to wear a maxi inspired dress, this pattern looks so great with a tan and i had had this in my suitcase for the last 2 years back and forth to Spain and Barbados , but never wore it, so it was time to take it for a spin!

 

The meal was amazing , but it was back to bed and ready for our last full day a night the next day…sad!

In the morning Sonny and myself decided to go for a walk on the beach, to be honest we didn’t sit on the beach at all this time, the sea was freezing and there was Jellyfish everywhere, i nearly stood on one on our walk!

So let me just add , its a good job Mr O checked up on the flight details as i though we still had another whole day and night, was saying by the pool, not sure what dress to save for my last night, when he popped up and said…Its tonight you better choose! huh!!!!

So my afternoon was spent packing as we had to be up at the 3:00 to get ourselves to the airport! Again i hadn’t thought that one through!

Anyway our last Happy Hour was spent by the pool, Mr O used to play cards every afternoon with the boys while we had our Happy Hour cocktails!

If your thinking of staying here , check out all the restaurants they all do different Happy Hours! We only ever did the 3-5 one by the pool, as we always head in at 5 to start getting dinner ready!

I chose what i think was one of my favourite dresses , in fact it went crazy on insta and has been very popular…

We headed back to The Bushmans again , are you seeing a pattern ? This is what drove me mad , as you couldn’t get the restaurants we wanted we had to go back to the same one twice in this holiday in a row! Anyway we decided to go to The Lotus Lounge first upstairs , we did this every night before dinner

After drinks the boys played a bit of snooker while we waited for our table , the food was especially good for our last night, all i could think of was that early wake up call , so it was a sort of early night and a goodbye to The Anantara Dubai!

The boys were like zombies at the early wake up call, but we managed to get an hour on the plane then it was home to a very windy cold London Gatwick and home!

It really goes so fast when you only get a week away, but we really did have a wonderful chilled time, the kids had a blast and met some friends that i know they keep in touch with!

For any information on any of my outfits remember to contact me via Instagram EYEZONZANELLI

I hope you enjoyed my holiday blog!

All i will say is please be patient with me for your next post due to our move im not sure when i will have time but will do my best to keep you up to date !

Have a wonderful evening

Daniella

xoxo

 

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Good Afternoon all

How are we all doing? Its been a while!  I have had a lot going on, so sorry for the late post!

First of a huge thank you to everyone who follows and continues to follow me on here and my instagram!  My instagram hit 10,000 at the beginning of January so that was a real nice surprise!

We are moving house and going on holiday all at the same time so needless to say , my feet have not touched the ground!

Mind you though i have still found time to have a nose on the high street and i found some amazing looks that i wanted to share with you.

River Island:

ZARA:

The White boot

Remember if you style them well, the white shoe or boot will not look like you have raided the dressing up  box and heading off to a  90s fancy dress party!

I always keep it simple , try mixing old with new . I do love a vintage item and lucky enough my mum keeps everything so i pinched this Escada blazer from the 90s,  from her Spainish wardrobe from back in the day when we lived there.

So if you have anything from the 80s or 90s go get it and jazz it up right now, you will be bang on trend!

As i mentioned we are away for half term , so make sure you check in next time to check out my holiday wardrobe! Hopefully it will be nice and warm, im so over the cold weather now!

Anyway im signing off as Lucca is away next week with the school and we still have loads to do. I just wanted to check in and say Hi.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Daniella

xoxo

 

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Welcome to 2020!!!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year! We had the perfect little Christmas at home just the four of us.   Lots off fizz and the boys played lots of games with daddy!

Boxing day we had a wonderful meal at Branded with my parents.  Then we went back, drank and eat more or at least they all did. I’m trying to keep the body ready for Feb half term as we are meant to be going away!

I wore my Cream Yumi Tunic dress, with My PB cardigan and GG tights…

New Year and we headed off to one of our favorites Primadonnas in West Wickham, it was lovely , we didn’t last till 12, but we did see it in with the kids! We came home and watched the fire works on TV and had some fizz! I wore my pink sequin dress by QUIZ clothing , the Sam Fairs range!

So 2020 is upon us and i have for you today whats hot for 2020 fashion wise!

1: Its acceptable in 2020 to wear Silver and Gold jewelerry together, yes its true, and everyone is doing it!

 

2: Another one that is  big for 2020 is to wear Navy and Black together!  I know its always been a fashion sin but everyone is  doing it ! To be honest i have always done it anyway. I did try a get Mr Ox to wear this a while back i wanted him to wear a Black suit with Navy shirt and black tie, he wasn’t having any of it! lol

 

3: Leather is back for 2020 and its big, one item you should never get rid of is leather! I have always said leather never dates ! My Zara dress i had bespoken is defiantly making a come back in 2020

4: Dogtooth is huge and it has that catwalk vibe all over , i have vintage looks in my wardrobe that i have had for years in this print! Again something not to be thrown out, it ALWAYS makes a come back!

5: The Turban

 

The Colours for 2020

Pink, Purple , White and Teal and anything bright really!

So i hope i this is a bit of help for your 2020 wardrobe ladies!

Have a wonderful start to 2020!

Daniella

xoxo

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Merry Christmas 🎄

Good Evening

Hope you are all ready and excited for Christmas!

We actually manged to fight our way through M&S today to collect our Christmas dinner and i have to say it wasn’t that terrible!

We are having a chilled one at home this year just the four of us so will look forward to that , lots of presents under our tree for the boys so i cant wait to see there faces!

Hope you all have a wonderful day and send you best wishes for 2020. I will be back then!

Thank you for your continued support , not only on my blog and Instagram but with Prestige Boutique too.

Merry Christmas much love

Daniella

xoxo

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Hello and Good Afternoon

How are we all? How is it December?  This year has just flown by, so the tree is up as you all know i like it up for Lucca’s Birthday, that was in November ha!

Cant believe my boy is 12 and i turned 40 this year too, a huge thank you to Bree and the girls for making it a really wonderful evening! We went to Lupo Bianco in Locks Bottom, we just had a few nibbles, drank and giggled and danced! Just perfect… I shall look forward to see you all Friday for round two!

So hands up who is all over Sequins, Puff Sleeves , Bows, you name it , if its big and over the top this year , i want it!

Starting with River Island , these two really stood out to me, im loving Fuchsia Pink right now and unfortunately im too late to get this amazing jacket, only size 6s left online so time to hunt down one in store!

H&M:

ASOS:

Quiz Clothing by Sam Faires:

Prestige Boutique:

Hair and Accessories:

I’ve chosen Prestige Boutique only because i do really believe we have some real party season looks that you will love!

Clutches:

Or maybe something not so in your face then this little clutch is cute

Those Pink Shoes, so i have hunted some down for you and im sure you will love them.

ASOS;

Well i think i might be pinked out now , its definitely put me in the mood to get dressed up and head out

But its Sunday and i have been wrapping up orders for 3 hours,  So Christmas Orders are on there way  ladies.. yipeeee!

So it’s a  roast dinner and snuggles this afternoon!

Have  a wonderful Sunday all and thank you for reading today!

Daniella

xoxo

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Hello everyone hope your all doing well and had a wonderful  half term!

So as you know we headed off to our favorite place and we truly had the most amazing time as always! We were so lucky with the weather this year too 🙏.

After having a little fall out on route to Gatwick as Daddy O missed the turn off we finally got into the V room where we could relax and start to enjoy the V Room specials including this cool selfie booth

Boys had a quick pic while waiting for Daddy O , who took bloody ages to get from the car park to the terminal. By now i was well and truly ready for a chilled glass of fizz!

 

Most of my holiday are looks by our Prestige Boutique.  For anyone wanting to place any orders please go to my instagram and order on there – EYEZONZANELLI

 

My dress is from Prestige Boutique and sold out within one day of me wearing it (we do have the white version left for those interested).

 

After boarding we could eventually sit and relax. I watched The Hustle it was really good if you enjoyed  Dirty Rotten Scandals you will like this !

Barbados 2019

Our guy from The Fairmont hotel was there to meet and greet us for our fast pass through customs which really does help as after that long journey the kids really just wanted to get there and get swimming.

And after a hot ride we arrived.

As you know from previous posts, Daddy O, always takes them off for a swim while I unpack then we usually just have a chilled night in the hotel restaurant! I especially love the Prawn  salad and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it!

Early to bed and early up it was.  Sonny and I went for a long walk on the beach at 6am and he captured this gorgeous picture for me ! Clever boy , he is doing a great job at taking my pictures lately 👋.

The first night we always head to the Lonestar as it’s only a 3 min walk on the beach so it’s a nice and easy .

For anyone staying at The Fairmont and you want to do the same, if you ask at reception they will supply you with lanterns ! We didn’t do this as we only found out the night after, so it was phones to the rescue. And a  word of advise ,  mind the crabs 🦀.

I wore a dress and sandals from Prestige Boutique and boys had their new Fortnight tops on from PB and next shorts with next sandals ( I’m not one for Fortnight, Batman or any logo tops like that as you know but as these seemed a bit more swish I gave them a go and the boys were surprised)

And a quick picture before dinner

Sunday came and those who follow me on Instagram know that i had been looking for the perfect pink dress to wear. As you all know we always go pink for Sandy Lane . It took a while but i was super happy with my choice! That morning we didn’t really do much except a quick swim and chill. We like to get to Sandy Lane early to have a few drinks and take it all in!  To be honest we have had 2 years off of Sandy Lane’s Sunday Brunch and now i know why,  it was so hot and i do prefer going out on a evening , especially in Barbados, But as always it was amazing and we all loved it !

It was actually quite nice after all that wonderful food to head back to the hotel and get into bed , we chilled with a film while kids had an hour on the ipads!

We woke to a extremely hot day it was lovely.  I had to make sure the boys kept drinking water! We had decided to have a chilled night in the hotel so it was a nice lazy day . Although, we still got dressed up and did our pictures it was nice to be able to just walk out the door straight into the bar! We dined with some friends that were staying at the hotel which was very nice but Sonny didn’t quite make it past desert! I choose to wear my Dolce style dress with H sandals , just simple and easy! For anyone dining at The Fairmont i have been told  recommend the burgers!

As you will know from previous posts , i do like classics on the boys and RL and Next are always my faith fulls 100%

Sonny and i were up early doors to get a snap of my new dress that I did manage to get a quick pic in Spain but i really felt this dress belonged in Barbados.

So once all photos were done it was time to head to breakfast for my omelette and smoke salmon , i really do try a be good on holiday ! I try to eat lots of fish a salads , in fact i always seem lose weight on holiday because i eat so well.  I don’t deprive myself of anything and will always eat if i fancy it, i just take in an extra swimming session the next day! One thing i did enjoy every morning is these health juices

We decided to head out on a boat ride so Daddy O and Lucca could do some water skiing , we had such a lovely time the water was so clear and truly beautiful! Poor Lucca didn’t manage to get up , Daddy O did very well!

We saw some fab celeb homes on our trip too, Daddy O has mentioned these houses before but i guess because i never venture out on the Jet Skis i have never seen them

After our boat ride we decided to head back to the hotel and chill as after all we were heading to Hugos,  this is the sister restaurant to CIN CIN by THE SEA, we was all very excited , this was our favorite last year!

I do love a sequin number nothing like it with a tan , i always advise having at least one in your suitcase !

So after a lot of fun in Hugos, we decided to have a couple of Rum Punches in the bar to end the night off, so to be honest i just wanted to do nothing and that’s what we did.  I sat and took in this amazing view and drank my coffee hoping to feel better soon and swore that i never wanted to see a Rum Punch again!

This year i took no toys for the boys as hey they are getting older now but i did take a set of Drafts , Playing Cards and Dominos they were a hit. Not only with my kids but some of the others too and every day at 4 Daddy O would take them all to play 21 for peanuts , they loved it!

We decided to take it easy at the hotel for another night, the rain had set in, so we just wanted to chill! I was so lucky to receive some bits earlier on the year by Aspiga Beach so i wanted to show it off and wear it   Sonny and i went out to do pictures , he is getting so good now so proud of him! I especially like this one , romantic lighting with a smouldering shape!

It was up and out early for breakfast, followed by a long walk on the beach we absolutely loved it, it was fun to walk along and look at the houses. Plus to see the boys so happy really does make it for me! Although Lucca did take a bit of persuading to head out for the walk !

Then we saw the house of our dreams

But will settle for this and do a refurb ha!

And then the rain appeared and we came back from our walk to find a friend outside…

Cin Cin

Right, i know i said last year we wouldn’t go back, well i believe in second chances and we did give it a second chance this year, but NO! Next year we will not go again , the food was absolutley amazing as always but no im not paying all that money for poor service . One thing i have always found with CIN CIN is the service, they cant wait to get you in and out , when its time for the bill they soon bring that over but to wait 25mins before you get a drink, no not having it! Last year i thought we just had a one off bad night, it was sad to say it was the same this year!

Such a shame as the food and scenery is to die for!

I was excited to wear a vintage 80s number i had been saving for holiday and finally got the chance to wear!

I added my Versace pins to give it that real 80s look, this is such a cute tip, if you have anything like this at home add to your some of your old things in the back of the wardrobe to spice your look up!

We woke to more rain and another long walk, if there is one thing about Barbados its the food and i love it, but i do try a keep on top of the weight especially on holiday.

Boys was not impressed about another walk but it had to be done, after hiding under an umbrella for the best part of 10 mins we eventually headed for the pool, and Daddy O and i enjoyed a cold beverage with the lovely Marcia ( a lady i mentioned last year, im not allowed to say who this wonderful lady is but her company is huge and we all use it! I love her and we used to have cocktails every day , we started this tradition last year, so it was a real surprise when we crossed over this year).

The holiday was in full swing but in  reality we only had 4 nights left , so we dined at the hotel for the last  time of an evening before hitting our favorites before we head home!

I decided to leave my hair as i just couldn’t handle it any longer, i did say last year , i would take my own hair dryer this year which i did, but it was no use , it would have taken me all day to dry , the dryer just had no puff! So off i went to book in with the lovely Chreyle!

Back to Friday, i wanted to wear an Olivia Rubin dress i bought this from ASOS before OR was as huge as she is today! Pastles are always a winner with a tan, so the boys needless to say had to get in on  the action too!

Yes he did look…

Then it was time to chill with some cards by the pool while i headed off to get the mop sorted out

Hair by Cheryl:

And for anyone that suffers with the holiday frizz , this product was absolutely amazing and my blow dry lasted until i got back to the uk so that was around 5 days. I know its expensive to get your hair done sometimes , but i honestly found it worth every penny this year!

Tides:

We was off to Tides and it was all about the Golds this evening as i decided to wear vintage Karen Millen

Tides was truly amazing , in the top two of the holiday, but then to be fair it always is

And of course we always have to get a family pic

If Tides looks like it would be one you would like to try , my advise is book in advance , a waterside table is a must here! I book all restaurants as soon as the deposit for the holiday is paid for. We like to have the same tables on the front , you travel all that way you don’t want to be stuck by the kitchen or without a view! BOOK EARLY!

Another tip,  we always find the restaurants clear out early , we tend to go out about 7:30 and that works especially as we like drinks first!

Well Sunday was upon us and its was nearly all over for another year.

A quick walk on the beach to wake myself up and Sonny took a cool pic of me wearing my Aspiga Beach kaftan (gifted).

As i waved Daddy O and Sonny off for there swim , Lucca and i had a nice chilled half hour in the sea trying to see if we could see any fish! It was so clear this year at The Fairmont which meant the boys could see so well in the sea!

It was nearly time to start packing it all away so i headed in early to make a start , we had been recommended IL TEMPO restaurant and i knew the boys was going to be happy as they could have their Chicken Milanese. So headed in early so i could get started!

I always have this thing once i wear an item on holiday , if i know im no wearing it again , i will put in the suitcase as i go and in theory it should make less packing , i keep one case (usually mine) open but standing up then just pop the  item of clothing in every night!

I don’t do this with the boys bits or Mr O’s , especially as i tend to keep the boys tops out so that i can jut throw them on for breakfast!

 

So it was IL Tempo we were off to, unfortunately for us it was only ok, not great but ok. The boys loved it , i think for us it lacked atmosphere! We was the only table in there too, but it was a Sunday and the season hadn’t really kicked off yet!

I wore my Lemon Cello dress as i call it by PB , boys had their bespoke matching tops on by PB too, its a real l Dolce look and oozes Italian style so the perfect look i thought for a little taste of Italy!

The day i dread had arrived , our last FULL day, it really is horrible when you wait all year for that dream holiday and just like that its over! Sad face !

For me this meant full blown sunbathing , lots of swimming and anything that will deepen the tan and firm up the flab!

Woody came up and challenged Lucca to drafts , this what  love about Barbados, no one has attitude, everyone is so supportive and friendly , its a shame people over here are not more like the bajan’s !

We never have lunch or head out as you may have noticed, why? Well we tend to eat breakfast late and to be honest we just don’t get hungry in the day not even the boys i guess we are in chilled mode ! Again we never head out into town , as for me i haven’t come all that way to go shopping and walk around in the heat! So if its sightseeing and shops your after on this blog , your looking at the wrong girl, i could not think of anything worse!

All day it was driving me crazy what to wear i had new pink bow shoes that i was desperate to wear but also a real gem of a dress by PB that was really beautiful. when i get like this i try not to stress i had plenty of looks left for me and the boys , you know incase we suddenly stay on longer! HA , yeah right, i wish! I always pack an extra 4 outfits so i can have plenty of choice if i need to , I tend to have a bath and just get ready then try on what i thought i might wear, this year as i wasn’t sure what to go with, which in all fare ness for me is unheard of, i showed Mr O and he liked the Dolce style dress the best and that was what i went with , the boys wore RL blue tops, Next black shorts and Pisamonas loafers!

Only one place for us on the last night is The Cliff and boy what a way to end it on, was by FAR the BEST  . As usual we feed the boys first at the hotel , if they was good eaters it wouldn’t be a problem, but they ate terrible eaters so chicken nuggets at the hotel if definitely a safer option for when we go to The Cliff . { we only do this for this restaurant }

If you get to the restaurant before 6pm you can feed these bad boys! We have never manged to be ready that early so never done it plus it would be too dark for the boy with their eyes!

The next day i was obviously not in a hurry to jump out of bed , i did manage to get an hour on the beach in my favorite bikini and say goodbye for another year!

 

Im not very good on our last day , i would rather get up and go, i hate the waiting about! I usually send Mr O out with the boys while i finish off! We always have a farewell lunch on the front to say our goodbyes ! The conversation usually consists of me asking if i book next year! ha! I think if we do go next year again we will 100% try some of the new restaurants that have opened , for anyone booked , i have been told Dockside at Port Ferdinand

How amazing does this one look, its 100% on my list

Another one that meant to be fab is La Cabane

Not sure if this is more a day thing but will definitely look into my parents are going next so they are going to give us the download on the new ones!

Some bits that i showed on stories was these popular looks

So there you have it ladies and gents the holiday spam all over for yet another year! Its taken a few days to finish this so sorry for the slow upload! And apologies if you have seen it on Instagram too!

I came back to my 40th and im out this Friday with all my lovely girls, a huge thanks to Bree for organizing! See you all then and be kind you know im a lightweight!

For everyone who had a October holiday hope you had fun, its all Christmas talk now! I think this could be the first year im not organised! We are moving in Jan and what with working with PB  its trying to find the time to do it all! I will buy some bits next week! Although i have Lucca’s  birthday first as well, oh god help me , take me back to Barbs!

Signing off to do the dinner now , back to reality!

Have a wonderful evening!

Daniella

xoxo