Author: Sam Growdon

Cape Town’s top five beaches

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So, you’re off to Cape Town! Excellent news! You’ll have a long list of things to do, see, hear and eat and if you’re looking for the top 5 beaches to visit – then you’ve come to the right place. The best time of year to visit Cape Town is November through to March – it’s hot and sunny and also a superb time to escape the northern hemisphere too, which is exactly what we did this year! Check this out for packing tips! While there are other beautiful beaches around the world, many of them are private, overly crowded with sun-gazers or cultivated for tourists. Cape Town’s beaches are public beaches of natural beauty and rarely over-crowded – and anyway, you can always elbow yourself a spot without too many glares. All the beaches are accessible by road, although a few you’ll have to do a workout of stairs before reaching the bottom – but I promise, it’s totally worth it, and you’re calves will thank you later! Camps Bay Beach This is one of the …

5 reasons to go on a yoga retreat

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Even if you have never stepped foot onto a yoga mat before, there are lots of reasons to pack a bag and immerse yourself in the ancient practice of poses, breathing and meditation for a few days with no other distractions. I did just that at the end of last year – I packed a weekend bag filled with stretchy sweat pants (thanks LuluLemon!), a re-usable water bottle, some body-fitting comfy tops, a yoga mat, a swimsuit for good measure and headed for Chiang Mai in Thailand. This particular yoga retreat was organised by The Yoga Room, an intimate yoga studio in Hong Kong, and taught by the gorgeous, stretchy yogini Nora Lim. It was a four day retreat held at  The Pavana Resort  – a holistic resort with great vegetarian food and spa (very important!) Here are my top five reasons why everyone should find a retreat, make the time to go and indulge in yoga, meditation, pranayama and yourself : You practice yoga every single day – sometimes a few times a day. If …

When Nature takes over – Tours de Merles

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I’m not going to pretend that I’m a nature kinda girl. It’s not that I have anything against Mother Nature but I’m more of a city beast and so activities such as hiking, nature walking and rock climbing are not on the top of my to-do-list. However, it’s hard not to be impressed by the force of nature when one comes across a tourist sight such as Les Tours de Merle in France. Donning my sneakers we climbed the rocky paths and stone staircases of this ancient citadel and castle dating back to the 12th century, which was later classified as an Historical monument in 1927. My boys were in their element imagining how the Medieval knights lived, put ‘badies’ in the stocks and stood guard over seven castles, two chapels, a citadel and a whole village, which is pretty hard to imagine when you see the tangled ruin that has been left. What is completely fascinating to me is this picture-perfect example of how Mother Nature will eventually win over what we as human build. Author of …

Party Props!

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Since our trip to France time has flown too fast – it’s almost been a month! I’ve been wanting to upload the look I wore for my Mom’s birthday party for a while, and finally it’s here and what could be more easy than an LBD? Yup, a little dress that one can throw into a suitcase is always a must when travelling and preferably one that isn’t high maintenance! I’ve added a pair of black pair of skinnies here, the weather was a little chilly that night and these came in super useful. In fact a pair of black skinny denims are possibly the most versatile piece of clothing ever made! So I paired the two together, added a few props (we decorated the tables with loads of these fun Photobooth props and even made a few of our own) and teamed the look with my ‘shoe-du-jour’, the lace-up flat. I alsways find it hard to decide on a wardrobe for two weeks, especially when you’re changing continents and weather conditions, as well as moving …

September’s Camera Roll

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September has been such a busy and exciting month that my camera roll was more bloated than usual! Watching Autumn start on two continents, Hong Kong and Europe and experiencing their total differences, exploring more of my new home city – tram rides, beach trips and indoor evening swims. Packing for a two week trip to France to celebrate my gorgeous Mama’s 30×2 birthday in the serene french countryside, catching up with family and friends and even enjoying the brilliant blue, sunny skies poolside! Sightseeing old medieval villages and ruins and long days watching my boys play in the green lush garden of an exquisitely restored mill. Then heading north to Paris on the train (4 hours to enjoy my favourite magazines, bliss!) Visiting our favourite cafés in our old neighbourhood, shopping the best Parisian streets and spending evenings with friends (while wearing my new feather bangles and lace shirt). It’s been an amazing month. Stay updated and follow me on Instagram and Facebook, I’d love to hear from you so drop me a note too! PLUS! …

Falling for Autumn

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The family and I have been back in France for the last two weeks to celebrate my mama’s birthday, which btw has been far too much fun. Spending time in the French countryside in Autumn is magnificent. Big blue skies and soft sunshine during the day whilst sightseeing the local villages and evenings spent by the fire drinking red wine – who could ask for more? This countryside doesn’t exactly call for high fashion, so as the leaves turn from bright green to dirty yellow, a cozy jersey and muted layers are the best wardrobe pieces for comfort and a bit of warmth. On one of our daily explorations, we stopped by the medieval town of Martel to snap a few photos (taken by my talented sister-in-law) while the locals set up for a medieval festival! I love this cozy cream jersey, (the tie in the front adds a cute detail making it a little less ‘grandma’) and I find myself still reaching for summer’s denim shirt – worn here around the hips (so 90’s but so versatile!) …

Crazy Cool Hong Kong

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Unlike Paris, the city of Hong Kong is completely organic. Like a Lego City built by a 4-Year-old. Block upon block creating high towers, small kiosks with loads of mismatched colour and tons of small moveable accessories that all have their purpose and story – this is crazy, cool Hong Kong. There is no grid, no meticulous planning, no unanimity, no organization – what you get is organic and visually energizing. I have walked down this same street dozens of times and I notice something different, my eyes are drawn simultaneously all over the place trying to take in all the detail. The washing that hangs on the skyscrapers reaching 50 stories, small neon signs begging for you to try the foot massages, road works with their vivid yellow and black cautionary boards, unguarded street-food stalls spewing steam and the strong smell of cuisine cooking, bamboo poles ascending up the sides of weakened structures. The juxtaposition of colour, the disorganization of the shops overlapping each other and the typography of the millions of signs attracting …

Get stoned

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The last few seasons have seen blinged-up accessories adorning the catwalks and retail shelves everywhere. Statement neckpieces with shiny stones, finer jewelry with diamonds and diamanté, as well as coloured gemstones to finish off an outfit of the day perfectly. Now, it’s all about returning to the roughest form of the stone – uncut and unpolished. So, If you’re looking for a little something to spoil yourself with, or an inexpensive accessory to add to the upcoming season’s wardrobe, then find yourself a piece of jewellery or an accessory with a raw gemstone or crystal. The choice is endless – think Moonstone, Aquamarine, Morganite, Agate or Rose Quarts – but make sure that the look is unfinished and raw to wear this micro-trend perfectly. Raw stones are also recognised as carrying certain healing qualities within them, but whether you believe in these powers to heal or not, you can’t deny that they have an innate natural beauty that brings an ethereal quality with them.     Yale Sonia Bourbon & Bowties Christina Rose Jewelry Krystleknightjewellery.com Fresh …

How well do you know your Minionistas? Take the Quiz

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Erm, heard of the Minions? If not then you MUST have been locked in a dark room in some kind of solitary confinement, ‘cause these little “Despicable Me” break-out stars are the biggest phenomenon at the moment! Every time I open my Facebook page there is a meme of one of them, although I still can never figure out if it’s Stuart, Kevin or Bob, glaring back at me! You don’t even have to be a 5-year-old, a parent or a Facebook fundi to be stalked by the minute bright yellow, pill-shaped posse – they can be seen everywhere from McDonalds to Selfridges and they even have their own Pantone shade called – you guessed it – Minion Yellow! The fashpack were not ones to ignore the huge phenomenon either, and big name designers such as Giles Decon and Rupert Sanderson have done collaborations with the minute characters, catapulting minionfever into the world of high fashion – and giving the little yellow army major style cred. British Vogue starred them on their cover and Suzy Menkes interviews …