Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

It's a year on. A year since my first trip to Vegas. Likewise, a year since my last trip to Vegas. I hope.

I'm not sure if I needed a year to be able to physically write about it. Or if I had buried the experience so deep in my subconscious, that it has been lost for the last 12 months.

You can probably already guess that I am not a Vegas fan. This is not a tale of debauchery gone too far and filled with regret. There's no tigers in bathrooms, no crazy monkey stories, no shotgun weddings with Elvis. This is simply the rare tale of one person, ironically underwhelmed by Sin City.

I didn't set out expecting to be impressed.
I was fairly certain before I embarked on the Vegas adventure that this was not my typical voyage du jour and that it was missing from my bucket list for a reason. It was, however, everything I expected it to be. Just not in a good way.

But, I like a party as much as the next person, so off I trekked with my own way too excited company and got ready to get my Vegas on.

Pre-travel disappointment precaution was duly done and I went straight to the top, with luxury rooms booked at the iconic Bellagio.

They were great, despite their ginormous (isn't everything) room capacity, I was greeted by name and had personalised gifts waiting for me in my room. That bit was fab. Had I stayed right there, Vegas might have been right up my street...

Unfortunately I didn't. I battled the Strip and all it's feather flouncing can-can dancers with pert bottoms. I battled the swimming pools of Spring Break weekenders, and their high pitched screams. I battled the gold lamé hotel shops, the boredom of slot machines and lasted 5 minutes trying to learn poker. I battled the wince of a fake Eifel Tower, pretend gondolas and fabricated pyramids. Everyday was a battle, but I battled on and made my best efforts to grin and bear it.

Nothing was going to get me to love Vegas. Big, gaudy, garish, overtly fake, incredulously silly, Vegas. 

Then I got hungry. Finally, the surprise I needed to survive the longest five days of my life. I certainly didn't anticipate the dining, and the surprise was more than pleasant. Surrounded in bling ker-ching, the one good thing that is big in Sin City is the restaurant scene. Top chefs, top restaurants, top food from every region, every taste. By far my best was José Andrés French and Julian Serrano a the Aria.

My nightly dessert, a double serving of the Bellagio fountains. That, I did love. Every dance, every song, I could have taken in the fountains all evening. In fact, I think I did, all to stay out of the mayhem of casinos. 

Ocean's 11 this was not. Claire de Lune, did not engulf my every movement.

What goes on in Vegas, stays in Vegas, they say. I say, keep it all, stories and all. I doubt I will return. That's a fairly safe bet, guaranteed to win.

'Til next time, Pandora.

From High Street to Hotel - my visit to the new Laura Ashley Hotel

There is no shortage of product endorsement these days. The best of the best make no excuse for showcasing their skills, fame and fortune to the viewing public, making a pretty penny as they do. Chefs with restaurants, models with fashion lines, pop stars with perfumes and the latest, high street furniture stores with hotels. 

Laura Ashley is the latest in a long line of success stories to cross pollinate their wares to a new arena, and what better way than a boutique hotel. They only need to lift and shift their window displays to create the perfect room, and that is pretty close to what they have just done. 

Newly acquired in Elstree, The Manor has been reborn with a new luxury boutique birthmark. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was curious to find out just what the new Laura Ashley hotel would look like. Don't get me wrong, I have a fair flavour of Laura Ashley silks and velvets in my own home, but my immediate thoughts a feared a floral overload and embroiderie anglais bedrooms, in an effort to create the quintessential English country garden.

They haven't. You certainly know you are in Laura Ashley terrain. In fact, you are like a human mannequin in a Laura Ashley store, a page from their catalogue. 

Their fabrics and accessories are fairly recognisable, even out of the shop front, but the hotel is gracefully appointed and is the epitome of relaxation, thanks to a calming palette of duck egg blue and putty shades in bedrooms, pearlised walls in hallways and pops of signature yellow and taupe in break out bars and lobby. There is plentiful adornment of oversized mirrors and glass lighting to add elegance and the necessary finishing touch cushions and throws to lock in the comfort. All with the mandatory Laura Ashley magazine as bedside cabinet reading, just in case you want to savour the style for longer, at home. 

You can sense the hotel is new and perhaps not running at full occupancy. I tried two rooms during my stay - one lacked toiletries, the other missed the delicious lemon shortcake for in-room coffee. 

I missed the latter more and my one advice is that you pack your own bathroom products for your stay, as the quality of the Laura Ashley branded ones provided is harsh if not caustic and lacks the luxury to match your surroundings. 

I'm unsure if they are own brand minis from an in-store range, or a poorly chosen. low quality hotel amenity, but they did put me off buying future products for gifts, as I have often done for Xmas in the past. 

Decor aside, because that is pretty much a given, there is a host of other surprises to delight you at The Manor.  

The restaurant is fantastic - traditional British fayre from lamb to venison, chicken and beef, taken up a notch or two, wonderfully cooked and as beautifully presented as the table tops. Taste and quality is pristine - the restaurant might set you back £50 per person for a meal before wine, but they have a great online offer at the point of booking that cuts this in half. Regardless, you must eat here, it is so good. Bar food is also offered and, I imagine, as great. Breakfast certainly is, and was included in the rate I had online.

The exterior grounds are also impressive. Front to back, meticulously manicured lawns and flower beds, delicate fountains and garden ponds and a quirky rework of the former tennis court to a human sized chess board on the lawn. On a clear day, the view extends to the London skyline, showing the Gherkin and the Shard in the distance.

Surrounded in acres of quietude and greenery, it is hard to think you ares till just a 20min train ride into London.

My favourite takeaway? Without a question of a doubt the great night's sleep, courtesy of the Laura Ashley Strathmoor mattress, I was soon to learn. And, yes, I will be ordering one for home. I imagine you might also find a favourite and have a delivery soon after your stay. 

'Til next time, Pandora

Go West - Finding Designer Decadence in Donegal

I've been very tempted not to write this blog, purely for selfish reasons of secrecy, so that my hideaway in Donegal stay free for my whims to escape when the notion takes me. But, alas, it's too good not to shout about it and, if you get anywhere near as much love from it as I do, then I have done the right thing.

You might not think of boutique luxury in the same train of thought as remote coastal Ireland. You might think rugged walkways, green rolling hills, choppy seas and blustery winds. You might think traditional music, hand spun tweed, freshly caught langoustines and pintsof hearty Guinness. Well, you're right. It's all there.

But there's more. And it's this extra special more that clinches the deal for me in Donegal. The keys to boutique bliss at Gatsby House, in Ardara. Gatsby is a privately owned designer house, owned by the Swell Group, who have a small but perfectly accessorised portfolio of stunning properties in lens-perfect locations. 

So, think Vera Wang dinner sets, Smeg refrigerators, Farrow and Ball wall coverings, Molton Brown bathrooms and oodles of interior design to package it all up. 

It's not my first time to stay at Gatsby grandeur. Or my second. It certainly won't be my last.

If I could move here and live the peaceful life, forever, I would.

Every room is named as appropriately as it is designed to Hollywood glamour. My usual sleep takes on Ava Gardner, but I have enjoyed the comforts of Grace Kelly and, more recently, Cary Grant.

The house is now rented as a whole so sleeps 10 in the five luxurious en suite rooms.for a more intimate getaway,choose the adjoining Secret Cottage, adorably open plan and perfectly cosy for a getaway for two.

Cold Irish nights are best enjoyed with a turf fire and friends but it is impossible to avoid the call of good old Irish Craic at the Corner Bar. Day or night, great people with live music that rolls on to the wee hours.

Fresh air is in plentiful supply and I spend it best on the miles of stunning beach at Portnoo. Rain, sun, wind, it takes on new form on every visit and it the epitome of serenity and calm.

This is my secret getaway. Enjoy it, love it. But leave some free time for me to return.

'Til next time, Pandora

Time for a Pawse - Pet-Friendly Ireland, The Weekend Botanical Sabbatical

The temperatures have dropped and autumn is making a speedy inwards track to replace the sunny spells we have had entering September. 

Whatever the weather, you still need somewhere to escape with the puppy. Botanic Gardens in Belfast has been a great spot this summer, even in showers, to kill two birds with one stone - walking and talking!

Botanic is at its best in the sun, it has to be said. It's a hotspot for dog owners, with good walk ways (beware of cyclists if you're off lead!) and great open grass areas where ball and frisbee fun is all the rage.

It's another responsible owner area, so impressively well kept and tidy from dog mess, which is critical as it is a major play area for families and children, being located right next door to the Ulster Museum. 

But Botanic Gardens is also pretty in the rain. Cover up and wander in the Rose Garden, take shelter in the quaint band stand, or venture into the horticultural hub in the giant conservatory.

I also love to walk out of the gardens, through Queen's Unniversity. My Alma Mater, it is magnificent to walk through and brings back great memories of time gone by.

My days to the gardens are coupled with a catch up with friends - Botanic and Stanmillis are lined with great coffee shops and many have outside seating where you can have a latte al fresco, with the puppy in tow. Starbucks, Clements, Bridcage, Maggie Mays...and many more - you might just move to hot chocolate as the chill gets chillier, in winter!

'Til next time, Pandora (and Nacho)

Photos: PandoraSkies

Fame! I'm Gonna Learn How to Fly....

Do you remember the first time you wanted to learn how to fly? From screen to stage, some of us will remember Fame from the 80's TV hit, others from the stage show musical or the re-adapted more recent movie.

I'm a first time around dreamer. Every Thursday night, armed with my own teenage dreams from the sofa, dressed in my maroon Fame sweater and captivated by the signature theme words of Lydia Grant in the Fame dance studio, “You’ve got big dreams? You want fame? Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying in sweat”...cue music, star jumps and happy tunes!

That was New York School of Performing Arts, PA, in the 80’s. This time around, PA was transformed at Belfast's urban shared-activity space in the Titanic Quarter, T13, and the stars were some 80 local children from 10 to 22, all with their own dreams. Headline sponsored by Belfast City Airport and produced by MT4Uth, the kids and their dreams were about to find out if they could learn how to fly, and it wasn't going to be easy.

Auditions were held at George Best Belfast City Airport in June. And they were no ordinary auditions - young hopefuls, from all over the Province, live-auditioned in song and dance trials to audiences of summer check-in and arrival passengers to the airport. 

But, incredibly, it was only I week before curtain that the casting was actually completed!  A week-long boot-camp of rehearsals and non-stop professional choreography and mentoring to children who may never have acted or danced before. This is as real as the Fame experience gets - one week to produce a 2 night show of one of the most famous dance musicals of all time!

Michelle Hatfield, Director of HR and Corporate Responsibility at BCA is delighted that the airport was involved as the headline sponsor, “The airport’s partnership with MT4Uth has allowed us to play such a significant role in supporting and developing this incredible talent” 

The Dream came from Music Theatre for Youth, CEO Jenny Cook. Now on its 8th anniversary, patronised by musical stars such as Chris de Burgh and Niamh Perry, MT4Uth was borne from a vision of educating, training and networking young people, from all backgrounds, to achieve their dreams. Jenny’s commitment to the young people of Ireland in the Arts is exemplary and MT4Uth is the platform for apprentice programmes, outreach initiatives and productions since 2005, funded and supported by The Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

Believing in the dream had endless support. A line up of local business leaders joined Belfast City  Airport as the headline sponsor to help fund and make the event possible. George Best Belfast City Airport is active in community support with more than £100, 000 already invested in projects. As well as transforming the airport to a temporary stage school for Fame auditions, apprenticeship opportunities with MT4Uth will follow through into 2014.

And did they achieve? Only real dreams can make the impossible possible. An exceptional cast with formidable determination and passion, the focus and success defied their young age. The show was perfectly staged in the gritty graffiti setting of the H&W shipbuilding turned skate-park, T13, the cast were script perfect and the dance and song was executed flawlessly. Had I had my leg warmers, I would have been tempted to join them on stage! 

I was delighted to be invited to cover the show. Fame was one of my childhood dreams, but now one of Belfast’s most aspirational and inspirational projects for young people this year. A great example of ‘Go big, or go home’. MT4uth is an inspiration to local business to help support the dreams and talent of NI young people. Belfast City Airport is proud to have been involved in this very special project, and look forward to many more. 

Thank you, too, for the opportunity to cover the production and blog my dreams!

'Till next time, Pandora

Time for a Pawse - Pet-Friendly Ireland, Puppies Wot Brunch

Lazy Sundays. They're probably the best day of the week. The wind down from a busy Saturday, one you promised yourself you would take easy, and the rest ahead of another hectic Monday to Friday. Sundays are sacrilege, in my week and, with it, the Sunday ritual. 

As a hobby blogger, my weekends in general have pre-planned coffee stops and writing time built in to my blackberry. How would these weekend essential work out, now had the company of a cute puppy in tow? 

Well, they work out just fine. A few tweaks and change of venue, but blogging and relaxation outdoors continues and Nacho is a bone fide puppy wot brunches at the super pet-friendly Birdcage in Belfast

Birdcage is perfectly equipped for passing pet-owners and they are onto a very good thing. Their spacious terrace is a delight in the sunshine, and has the option of outdoor heaters and snug fleecy blankets when the chill returns.

Nacho actually made his first visit here the very first day he came home to Belfast, so I guess he has a special love for it. The girls are incredible with him and always welcome him with a smile and a chat, so Birdcage quickly took top spot for the weekend brunch stop. 

No sooner has he crossed the terrace, Nacho gets presented with a bright doggy bowl of water. 

I can coffee, blog, brunch and lunch and the scrummy chicken has more than once made its way home for Nacho's evening snack!

Sunday Eggs Benni are uninterrupted. Bloody Mary emergencies are a safe bet. Afternoon mocktail and cocktail jam jar coolers are go! 

Coffee culture, weekend relaxing and a puppy - there is no need to think they can't all happen as one! 

'Til next time, Pandora (and Nacho)

Time for a Pawse - Pet-Friendly Ireland, Life's a Beach in County Down

It's been a fabulous summer and perfect weather to take time out from the park, to let the puppy find his sea legs. Nacho ventured to Dundrum, a favourite spot for Sunday lunch at the delicious Mourne Seafood, followed by an afternoon of sea air and splashing in the stunning Murlough Beach.

Our usual visit to Mourne Seafood close to home, in Belfast city centre. But, hearing news of their new outside terrace in Dundrum, I was delighted to get the green light to come for lunch in the sun, with full puppy permission. 

The terrace is roadside, but large enough to get seated at the back and, with a well behaved pup, you can follow a walk in Dundrum Bay with a relaxing lunch, al fresco. The staff at Mourne Seafood are renown for their knowledge of the menu and impeccable service.

The chef skills go without saying, everything on the menu is outstanding, and even better with a crisp glass of white, in the sunshine.

Nacho wasn't the only pup on the terrace, and both were presented with big bowls of water to keep them refreshed from the heat. I'm not going to lie, an interest in the great smelling food was a challenge to distract his attentions, but there is a time for dog owners to have their own territories and a plate of Mourne Seafood oysters and Guinness is right up there!

There are a number of pet-friendly cafes advertised through the town of Dundrum, so worth a wander if a cuppa is what you are after.

The drive from Dundrum to Murlough Nature Reserve is just a few minutes away. A National Trust conservation area, it's awash with protected wild flora and fauna and is a stunning walk. Reaching the beach is a little hilly, if you have any mobility challenges, but the walkway is covered with a wooden boardwalk, and easily manoevered.

There are some restrictions on when dogs are allowed on the beach, as it is a blue flag beach, but there were many there in August and, like everywhere I have been in Northern Ireland, dog owners were all very responsible in keeping the beach spotless.

An intricate sand dune system borders over 5 miles of soft sand. The sea is fresh and cold, but picture perfect, as it runs right to the foot of the Mourne mountains. The views are spectacular and the space is vast. An amazing day out that will exercise and thrill your four-legged friend, and will be a very quick favourite place!

'Til next time, Pandora (and Nacho)

Time for a Pawse - Pet-Friendly Ireland, A Dog's Life is a Good Life in Belfast

This year I became a mum. And, like everyone tells you, it totally changed my life. But, I'm speaking as a mum of the four-legged type, the cutest miniature dachshund puppy you could ever find. Too cute not to spoil and too loveable not to be slotted in to your everyday life.

Now, almost 6 months on, I'm learning how easy (or not) it is to wholly integrate even the cutest of puppies into your pre-puppy lifestyle. 

My lifestyle and timeout hasn't changed. My choices have. My new canine priorities have some limits and I have quickly learned to appreciate and applaud the pet friendly patrons of home. They deserve acknowledgement and praise and, through a new series of pet friendly posts, I want to share the wins for dog owners that I find on my search not to feel like I have been put in the dog house, just because my new best friend is with me!

This weekend is the perfect place to start. A return to the stunning grounds of Belfast Stormont Estate for a long puppy walk in the sunshine.  

Stormont is impressive for anyone, but it is a Mecca for dog owners. Dawn to dusk opening hours, woodland walks of 4km through the estate with stunning statues, gardens and castle buildings.

The simple 1 mile stretch along Prince of Wales Avenue to the striking Northern Ireland Assembly in the Parliament Building is a shared route for joggers and dog walkers, lined on either side by greenery to take stop, play ball or walk through.

Stormont promotes responsible dog owners. Waste bags are provided in bins and I am delighted that it sponsors a environment of ownership and cleanliness. 

The grounds are kept this stunning as a result of this, and is testament to how pleasant a morning or weekly visit to the grounds can be for everyone.

There is nothing like a 2 mile jaunt to start your day and set you and the puppy up for the weekend! More to come...

'Til next time, Pandora (and Nacho)