Is there anything better than stepping off a plane abroad and having that heat hit you square in the face? For me, there's nothing like it... I love the smell of SPF (Hawaiian Tropic is my ultimate favourite), I love the heat and being able to wear nothing but shorts and a t-shirt, I love not having to carry an umbrella around everywhere JUST IN CASE of a sudden downpour... being abroad makes me so happy, and going away is one of the things I look forward to most!
This year for my birthday I went back to one of my favourite places... Greece! There's something about Greece - the people, the food, the weather - that makes it easy to fall in love with. I'm the type of person who likes to go away and do nothing for a week. I see it as a chance to really stop, rest my mind, body and soul, and just TURN OFF. I'll maybe do a day trip once or twice and visit the beach/sea, but otherwise I'm happiest lying on a sunlounger, a book in one hand and a drink in the other!
This year, I went to Kos - a small, unassuming island of Greece that I adore. I visited this same location last year and loved it so much we decided to re-visit! The hotel - Pelagos Suites & Spa - is really stunning. I've never visited a hotel where the staff is so friendly and on top of things - my bestie and vacation partner-in-crime, Han, even saw the staff picking leaves up off the floor! The attention to detail is insane - and it makes the world of difference.
Amazingly, the staff even remembered us from last time, and were really lovely and friendly! They're constantly checking you're ok, and genuinely seem to like talking to you.
Obviously, I was seriosly layering up on my SPF. I always end up going through 2+ tubes of this stuff in the space of a week - the sun is blazing but the cooling breeze can throw you off! Regardless, I'm a pale mo'fo and find it so important to make sure I'm well covered. I keep near shade so I can choose to be in or out when I need to, and I layer more SPF on every hour or so to make sure I'm thoroughly covered. This year, I took 2 tubes of my fave, Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration in SPF 50, and 2 cans of Vichy SPF 50 to ensure I didn't miss any spots. I'm so careful in the sun - I'm a redhead and freckly so very prone to burning, which is SO bad for you as we know - but with careful layering of products, I can get a nice colour to me without burning!
Wearing Chanel Cambon lipstick in the above picture, such a beautiful pinky/red shade (I'll post a review soon!) which I always forget to wear... the sunshine always makes me want to brighten up my makeup look!
Can I just take a moment to say just how INCREDIBLE the food is here? I swear it's some of the nicest food I've ever had. They do a buffet, which for me us usually a bad experience, but the quality of food at this hotel is insane! Every meal is a flavour explosion, God I miss it just thinking about it... Also, beer, standard!
Unfortunately, we did have a day of clouds and a little bit of rain, so we sought sanctuary in the spa! The spa is so clean and - shockingly - it's EMPTY 95% of the time! Me and Han had the run of the place and booked in for an incredible facial which I'm still dreaming about now! I went for the Marine Collagen Facial (which is anti-aging), while Han went for the Hydrating Facial as she has dry skin. The pool was completely empty apart from us two, and it was truly so relaxing to have the entire room to ourselves with no one to bump into or swim around! It's revamped my love for swimming, but I went the other morning at my gym and it was packed... I'm afraid this holiday has totally spoilt me, as I found other people present really annoying!
I also took a new product with me, the Tropic SPF 50 for the face! I've been wanting to try Tropic skincare for ages ever since my hairdresser mentioned them to me, so I was chuffed to get my hands on this. It's a tinted SPF, I chose the lightest colour (light/medium) which was still a tad dark for me and made my face look obscenely tanned... but I didn't actually mind the coverage, though it did feel weird wearing what was effectively makeup to the pool! It was also HELLA shiny once applied, but I've come to expect that from SPF's for the face - not much you can do except apply a bit of powder if it's really bothering you!
More importantly, this DIDN'T make me break out as other face SPF's normally do - and my face didn't burn once while I was away, which I see as a result! I am definitely going to use every drop of this product - but as I lose my natural colour, I think this will be a bit too dark for me, unfortunately! Tropic, if you're listening, could you do a slightly lighter shade for us fair'uns? Ta! Also took my trusty Quay Australia sunglasses which I'm totally in love with! I desperately want another pair by this brand, they're really unique and fun...
I've definitely got the holiday blues! Thank God I have another trip planned in a couple months... the weather in England is so dire right now! What happened to the sun?! Come baaaaaaack! Meli X