The Hotel

Not to be dramatic, but I literally felt as though the hotel staff would die for me. Every tiny request I had was fulfilled – from the smallest to the most annoying. Walking in through the entrance, a member of staff would prise the door open for me whilst another greeted me from reception, getting up to swipe their card for the elevator so that I wouldn’t have to wait a single second for it to arrive. When I would leave the hotel, I would be offered an umbrella for the rain, and could grab an extra pillow chocolate or two from the cleaners (who were so nice). Reception had daily weather forecasts on the front desk, and would give me flawless advice about how to spend the day, and I felt so incredibly taken care of.

The hotel is located in the very heart of Vancouver, a perfect distance away from downtown attractions, restaurants, and malls. Whilst the city life is bustling, the rooms are completely blocked off from outside noise which is a relief. Local transport is accessible from almost directly outside the hotel, conveniently connecting you to other areas of the city. 

The Suite

The suite itself is gorgeous, with patched jade faux-leather walls, two flat screen televisions, and the plumpest pillows I have ever come across. Every evening, I would return to the hotel to find little chocolates on the bed cushions – which tasted exactly like a bar I ate once as a child, making me want to abandon my lactose-free diet to indulge in mounds upon mounds of the stuff.

The bathroom was, in essence, a wet room, with a large marble seat to lounge upon in the shower, a plethora of L’occitane gels and lotions (my favourite skincare brand), and extremely thick towels and dressing gowns. The mirror was massive and very Hollywood-esque, which made applying make-up feel like I was prepping for the Oscars. Oh, and the walls were textured with little folds and ribbons. 

The small living room was incredibly comfy and cosy – and made it exceedingly difficult to leave to explore the city. Styled like a 50’s living room, it brought me a large amount of joy to merely lounge across the sofa, watch daytime TV, and brew copious amounts of coffee and tea (I’m British, after all). The complimentary Fiji water made me feel exceedingly suave, and the luxe throw rendered my binge sofa-eating into something more glamorous. 

Have you guys ever stayed at a hotel like this, or even the St. Regis itself? Or have I inspired you to venture out to Vancouver to check out this little haven? Let me know in the comments below!

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The Hotel

Walking up to the hotel entrance with an old green rucksack slung over my shoulder, I felt throughly underdressed. Mirroring the exterior of an old manor house, it looked like the sort of place you’d catch Carrie Bradshaw sauntering around, swathed in Gucci and mink – and here I was in trainers. After checking in and denying the option for a porter at reception, I found myself led to the most gorgeous of open-plan rooms.

I’d landed the executive suite, and it was even larger than I’d imagined. The room followed a green and gold colour scheme, with high ceilings punctured with a crystal chandelier, and wide glass doors opening out to my balcony. With the light filtering in through the white voile curtains, my room was bright and airy. I immediately began to fill the massive wardrobe with an array of obnoxious outfits and popped open a bottle of sparkling water. It wasn’t hard to see why this place had such a high status.

The balcony was gorgeous, overlooking the gorgeous golf course surrounding the resort. Enveloped in my new matching robe and slippers, I ordered room service and sat outside snacking on sorbet – a stunning selection of raspberry, lemon, and apple cider, brought in on a silver platter.

It didn’t take long for me to understand the concept of a ‘staycation,’ where people book little holidays away in gorgeous hotels, spending the time relaxing and truly taking advantage of the services available. I spent a good hour lounged out on my massive and ridiculously comfy bed (which would easily have fit four people, with enough space for them to starfish), and chilled around the room for a while – taking it all in, reading, and drinking coffee.

The bathroom was pristine, with a massive bath and accessories from the White Company. It didn’t take long the massive bath was filled to the brim with scalding water and bubbles, where I submerged myself and lay uncontactable for hours. After, I slathered myself in the White Company’s moisturiser and dived into the millions of pillows of my bed, feeling truly cosy and cared for. With the help of my complimentary ‘sleep spray,’ I fell asleep easily.

The Food

As I made my way to the Vale Grill for AA Rosette dining, my heels clacked on the shiny reception floor. Walking into the restaurant surrounded by candles, flowers, and art, I was led to a table where my chair was pulled out for me and a napkin was placed over my lap. The chefs were visible at their assigned stations at the back of the restaurant, frying and sizzling and roasting. It didn’t take long for the place to fill up.

The food, as expected, was stunning. Having grown up in a household run by chefs, I pride myself in being able to spot good, high quality food – and the Vale Grill definitely lived up to standards. I sampled the salmon en croute with pea puree and watercress salad, with the pastry being perfect and the dish well-balanced. That was followed by pan seared chicken with crushed new potatoes, baby vegetables, and salsa verde, with a side of leek and spinach. The chicken was cooked flawlessly, although it could definitely have done with more sauce – especially as it came with a tower of potato, you don’t get a lot of moisture from the food itself. For dessert, I followed a recommendation from my waiter and went for homemade toffee cookie dough ice-cream and it was stunning – although, full from the rest of the meal, I sadly couldn’t even come close to finishing it.

In the same location you would also have your breakfast, which would come in the style of a buffet. With an abundance of fruits, cakes, and fry-up ingredients, you can fill yourself up for hours. Next door, you have the Vale Bar, where I whittled away several hours sat amongst the plush green and grey chairs, minding my own business as I wrote and sipped green tea. At some point the Welsh rugby team sauntered past my table, and I was reminded of the sort of company I was amongst.

Lunch was included as part of my spa day, so I headed to the Chai Cafe for food which again came in my favourite form of dining – a buffet. Helping myself to smoked salmon, falafel, tomato soup, meats, tarts, and an array of salads – from quinoa to Greek to classic veg – I ate a ridiculous amount. Due to the fact that it was all healthy, instead of feeling bloated I felt energised and ready for the afternoon ahead.

The Spa

I was taken on a tour around the spa (recorded to be Wales’ largest) prior to my treatment, and was shown around dozens of traditional and holistic treatment rooms and relaxation zones. They had a sauna, steam room, whirlpool bath, indoor pool, ‘slumber’ zone, ‘float’ zone (the best one), and a room where you could just sit back and rub a stone Buddha’s stomach for good luck. It didn’t take me long to realise that this was where I would be spending the majority of my down-time. After my tour, I was handed a branded drawstring bag – perfect should I had been better prepared and arrived with a book – and went into the dressing room to change into my robe and slippers. Surrounded by Hollywood-esque dressing tables, I felt excited at my upcoming treatment. Spoiler: it turned out to be amazing.

Having never had aromatherapy before, I didn’t have a clue as to what to expect when I went in for my treatment. As it happens, the basic idea is that you’re slathered in essential oils and then massaged for healing purposes. I’m not sure as to how much the massage actually healed my ailments – instead, I merely felt more relaxed than I ever had in my whole life. It felt surprisingly good to have my body go through a thorough kneading, and with the background music consisting of Chinese zen tunes and ocean waves, I very nearly fell asleep.

When it ended I felt so relaxed that I may as well have just melted into a puddle on the table, and my masseuse brought me a glass of water as after aromatherapy it is really important to stay hydrated as the body releases toxins. I was led to the ‘float’ zone where I spread out on a heated waterbed in a candle-lit room, closing my eyes and feeling engulfed in pure bliss. With a mini indoor waterfall making soft noises in the middle of the room, I felt as if I were in a suspended state like that moment just before you nod off. With snoring lightly coming from the other end of the dark room, I didn’t doubt that that was exactly the feeling we all shared.

My stay at the Vale Resort was one of which I feel blessed to have experienced. Leaving the hotel, I felt thoroughly disappointed to be walking away from a life where I had other people bring food to my room and pull out chairs for me, to a place where I have to wash my own dishes. The Vale was an absolute dream – and I already want to return.

And so, would you guys consider staying somewhere like the Vale Resort, where you can just spend days on end feeling utterly pampered? Let me know in the comments below!

One of my favourite bloggers when I first entered the game was Adventurous Kate – I loved her energy, her travels, and her writing. If it weren’t for her continuously producing inspirational travel content, then I’m certain that Wandering Everywhere wouldn’t be even close to where it is today.

A couple months ago, I was finally able to interview the wonderful Adventurous Kate – and here’s what she said.

Firstly, what was the main motivation behind you quitting your job at the age of 26 and travelling across Southeast Asia? Have you always wanted to stray from the 9-to-5 life?

Women’s empowerment is a big theme on your blog. How did your family and friends react to you breaking the news that you would be travelling solo, and did it turn out to be as unsafe as everyone said?

From the outside, it looks like you live the dream life. What’s it really like to build and sustain a blog, and subsequently travel the world?

How did you originally monetise your site? How do you maintain it now?

Why exactly did you decide to settle down in NYC instead of travelling the globe nonstop forever?

What country would you recommend for female solo travellers?

What would you say to other females who ache to travel but believe they don’t have the confidence/ opportunity to?

THE FISHERMAN’S BASTION, BUDAPEST

There’s only two things that I really want when I’m drinking hot coco – one, for the chocolate to be bordering heavenly, and two, for it to come with an absolute stunner of a view. The Fisherman’s Bastion in Hungary is definite champion for both of these categories, with views overlooking the famed Danube River, little townhouses, antiquated Hungarian ruins, and whole array of bastion turrets just a few feet away. It genuinely feels like you’ve just stepped into a magical fairytale castle, where the hot cocoa is thick, decorated with cream, and inordinately sweet. Prefer coffee over cocoa? Bones Coffee Company’s premium coffee pods offer an alternative for home brewing, featuring a range of flavored options, including seasonal and dessert-style varieties.

ANTICA DOMUS, ROME

Like with the Fisherman’s Bastion, Antica Domus hosts both incredible hot coco and an incredible view. This one, however, is definitely more well-known – it’s located only 20 feet from the Colosseum! It’s the absolute best place to see the ancient amphitheater, staying for a couple hours chatting to locals as the sun goes down and the tourists disappear. Also, the typical Italian mugs of melted chocolate are even more adjunct at Antica Domus, where you can really lose yourself in the thickly poured, rich coco, contemplating the beautiful city around you.

THE GRAPE AND OLIVE, SWANSEA

Situated in a gorgeous little city which will forever hold my heart, I would happily refer to the Grape and Olive as housing some of the best hot cocos in the whole entire world. A restaurant housed in the tallest building of the city, you’re really offered some insane views in a tower completely bereft of tourists. Overlooking the ocean, the marina, the town, and distant hills, I wouldn’t blame you for staying for a full lunch, dinner, and finishing with some hand-shaken cocktails. The hot coco is sweet and light, and perfect for that lil’ sugar rush needed for exploring the furthest depths of the city.

GLACIAR, BARCELONA

In another one of my favourite cities, I came across one of the best hot cocos I’ve ever been blessed with the privilege to try. The City of Gaudi is unsurprisingly going to be utterly stunning, but coupled with cinnamon and caramel churros with the cocoa, it instantly becomes a little sweeter. Glaciar is located just off the tiny square of Plaça Reial, which houses violin-playing wanderers and men offering to sell a rose to your sweetheart, offering you the heart of the city whilst you sip your coco. It’s the cutest little location, and the hot coco tastes just like thick churro dip – sweet and luxurious and bound to linger on your upper lip for an unprecedented amount of time.

RIVA, TROGIR

I wandered the streets of Croatia for what felt like years, trying to find a decent place that offered lactose-free hot chocolate. When I landed in the country, my Crohn’s was playing up a fair bit – meaning that I had to cancel out a lot of food groups. I was literally devastated when I found that absolutely nowhere could serve me hot coco I could actually consume – until I went to Riva. Located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Trogir, overlooking a quaint harbour bordering beautiful ruins, you can just sit for hours and watch the world go by. The hot coco is dark and syrupy, and the fact that they went completely out of their way to figure out how to make it lactose-free was really lovely.

VIA CAFFE, KRAKOW

When you’re stuck in the middle of a snow storm, fingers numb, eyeballs turning to frost, the thing that you want most in the world is to be somewhere warm, sipping something steaming, and soon. This scenario is more or less what happened when I visited Krakow and found myself freezing my absolute butt off, bundling into the warmest cafe I could find, and stumbling upon this indulgent hot chocolate. Not only did they do soya hot coco (yesss!), but they also served the most divine cakes to go with it. It took me hours to muster up the strength to leave the confines of the cafe and venture back out in the cold – and I could only do that after one more coco.

And so, that concludes my findings for now. I have explored more of Europe than any other continent, and tried a lot of hot coco – and these are undoubtably the best.

It’s absolutely a matter of life and death – or merely just pure insanity – that I must find the best hot coco in Europe. Let me know in the comments below where you guys have scouted out the best hot coco – this may be my most important assignment yet.*

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*I just really want to lose myself in coco.