Hailed as the reunion of all time, my trip to Amsterdam with eight of my long lost school friends was gearing up to be the most epic adventure since Phileas Fogg breezed around the world in eighty days. Booked into the Bulldog Hostel, the only 5* hostel in the world, with a vague itinerary, three months worth of gossip and a new pair of heels – there was nothing to stop the Bromley babes descent on the cobbled corridors of Amsterdam. And indeed, epic it was.
As I awoke at three in the morning, hoping to roll out of bed and straight into the cab, I was somewhat distracted by the inches of white powder that crunched under my feet. That’s right, the white Christmas had come early – and in its eagerness it had brought mountains of the magical white stuff. But our glee was short lived when, on arrival at the airport, we discovered our flight was cancelled. Feeling extremely hard done by, our hormonally charged group stood defiant in the face of adversity. ‘We will have our holiday. We will return with stories of wine, food and shopping’. And so we did. Choosing a destination closer to home, we picked our bags and spirits off the floor and ended up in … Brighton.
Armed with iphones we managed to reorganise our ad hoc excursion in just fifteen minutes. The greatest triumph of all was our accommodation, The Lanes Hotel. Situated right on the seafront, a ten minute walk from all the boutique lanes, the commercial high street and the busy bars and restaurants, it was a tourist treat! At only £30 a night, (including breakfast) we had our very own bachelorette pad. I cannot praise the staff enough, their helpful service really made our trip; clearly customer service is not lost on this young bunch.
Our time was spent relaxing in the Angel food bakery, drooling over their exceptional cupcakes, followed by exotic cocktails at My Hotel. Finally, we topped it off with a delicious dinner at Jamie Oliver’s Italian diner. With atmospheric lighting, fabulous food and extremely handsome staff (!) I was quite literally in my element.
Upon my return to hectic London life, I reflected on how I had misjudged what our little country has to offer. With a full belly, some vintage jewellery in hand, and many a fond memory, I realised that a holiday doesn’t have to be either well planned or stressful, indeed sometimes the more ad hoc the better, and for me – how worth the spontaneity it was!
Lauren
