48 Fast Hours in Londontown in Early January!

Regents Street, London.

Last New Year, we spent the week between Christmas and New Year’s—also known as my birthday week—in the United Kingdom! Our trip began in Scotland, where we celebrated Hogmanay, and wrapped up in London, our departure city for the flight home. In this post, I’m sharing how we spent three very fast days exploring London in January.

DAY ONE: A TRAIN FROM GLASGOW, LUNCH AT THE PRADA CAFFÈ, A GUINNESS, AND ONE OF OUR FAVORITE DINNERS

Our first day in London actually began in Glasgow, Scotland, where we boarded a train from Glasgow Central to London Kings Cross station. We were lucky that we boarded early and had seats, as another train on the same line broke down, and many, many passengers joined our train. It was largely standing room only for most of the ride to London (which is over 4 hours!). As we very luckily had seats, it didn’t bother us too much. We arrived in London just a bit behind schedule. We took a Black Cab to our hotel in Kensington, the Kensington Marriott.

Snow in Glasgow before the early train to London

Early departure from Glasgow, and it was snowing in Scotland when we left! 

We didn’t have too much time at our hotel, as we had a late lunch reservation at the Prada Caffè, located inside Harrods department store! I convinced my husband and my friend’s husband to go with be under the guise of a “Birthday lunch.” And, I had so much fun! The Prada Caffè is very Prada, very cute, and the food was shockingly quite good. The menu was Italian, inspired by Prada’s flagship in Milano, and while I am super picky about Italian food (being a citizen and all), this meal was legit. We, of course, also did a bit of shopping at Harrods before heading back to the hotel. If you are considering going to Harrods the weekend after New Years, known that Harrods decorations were still up almost a week out (although I think they came down the next day) and it was SUPER crowded.

Harrods still decorated for Christmas in early January

Harrods still decorated for Christmas on January 3rd.

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The Perfect Itinerary for 5 Relaxing Days in Chania, Crete!

Chania, Crete.

This summer’s Mediterranean vacay brought us back to Greece,this time to the stunning islands of Crete and Naxos, followed by a one-night stay in Athens. Crete and Naxos were both new islands for us, and we absolutely loved them. In this post, we’re sharing highlights from our five-day stay in Crete – though honestly, five days wasn’t nearly enough. We’re already read to go back! This post details what we did in Chania over five days and how you can recreate our trip for yourself!

A postcard-perfect first view of Chania on the Greek island of Crete

A postcard-perfect welcome to beautiful Chania.

DAY 1: ARRIVAL AND DINNER IN THE OLD VENETIAN PORT

Our first day in Crete was an exhausting one, as we arrived in Athens direct from JFK in the early morning and transferred a few hours later to Aegean Airlines for a 1 hour flight to Chania, Crete. While tiring, our transit and arrival was pretty seamless and we spent about two hours in Athen’s Skyserv domestic lounge (it’s just OK). We finally arrived in Chania in the late afternoon, taxied to our hotel, Domes Zeen Chania (which is GREAT!), and promptly took a nap. Luckily, Domes Zeen Chania is super nice and comfortable – separate review coming soon.

The private pool at our room at Domes Zeen Chania, Crete

Our private pool at Domes Zeen Chania.

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Airport Lounge Review: Primeclass Lounge (US Departures), Bermuda St. Georges’s L.F. Wade International

The other half of the Primeclass Lounge at Bermuda's L.F. Wade International Airport

We visited Bermuda for Labor Day weekend at the end of August to celebrate the long weekend and, more importantly, our 8th anniversary! We visited Bermuda airport’s U.S. Departures Primeclass Lounge on our way home. While small, we found this Primeclass Lounge to be quite nice and relaxing. We would happily visit again. This post reviews the Primeclass Lounge for U.S. Departures in Bermuda St. George’s L.F. Wade International Airport. Note that there is a separate Primeclass Lounge for non-US international departures in the same airport, which we did not (and could not) visit.

The beach in Bermuda, a two hour flight from the New York City area

Bermuda – only 2 hours from the NYC area.

THE BERMUDA PRIMECLASS LOUNGE – US DEPARTURES

The US Departures Primeclass Lounge is located past security, past passport control, and past US Customs (which one does in Bermuda – not on arrival in the US) on the second floor of the airport. It is located between the sole bar in the US Departures area and an overpriced Love Bermuda gift shop, just at the top of the escalator. The US departures area is not large, and the lounge is not difficult to locate. The Primeclass lounge is currently the sole lounge in the US departures area.

Entrance to the US Departures Primeclass Lounge at Bermuda's L.F. Wade International Airport

Entrance to the Primeclass Lounge in the US Departures area.

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Niagara Falls: A Long Weekend from NYC!

Niagara Falls from the Rainbow Bridge.

I drive to Montreal almost every Memorial Day to start the summer in one of Dan and my favorite cities (Montreal!). This year, however, we switched it up and drove to Niagara Falls, mainly due to the fact that we had two Hilton resort credits to use through our Hilton Aspire cards. While we still love, love, love Montreal, we were surprised by Niagara Falls and had a really fun time. We will absolutely return! This post details what we did over our long weekend driving from the New York City area.

Wide view of Niagara Falls from the Canadian side in Ontario, Canada

Niagara Falls!

DAY ONE: A COUNTRY DRIVE, CROSSING THE BORDER, AND A TERRIBLE DINNER AT THE SKYLON TOWER

Our Niagara Falls long weekend began on a Friday morning, leaving the New York City area around 9:30 AM. Our drive took us through Western New York and while it originally consisted of normal highway, the road changed to more country roads for the second half of the drive (and my internet to work no longer worked). We crossed the border via The Peace Bridge in Buffalo, which crossing took no time at all and was quicker than what we are used to at Montreal. You can check times for the border crossing here.  We arrived in the late afternoon to very, very cold weather. Not exactly what we were hoping for for Memorial Day weekend (although the weather was the same in Montreal).

Chilly view of the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls from Niagara Falls, Ontario

A chilly view of the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls.

As you probably guessed, we stayed on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, our first two nights at the DoubleTree Fallsview Resort & Spa. The hotel looked like a mountain resort and offered, albeit a bit far, views of the Falls. We enjoyed staying here, but recommend staying closer for better views if you can.

Morning view of Niagara Falls from a guest room at the DoubleTree Fallsview Resort

View from our room at the DoubleTree. This was our second morning when we had great weather.

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Lunching at the Fabulous Prada Caffè in Harrods!

Prada Caffè. Harrods, London.

Prada, yes the Italian fashion company, opened a “temporary” restaurant and pastry shop inside Harrods department store in London in 2023. As I found myself in London to celebrate my birthday in January (2025), and as I LOVE Prada (I know, so basic), I had to make a lunch reservation during my stay. This post reviews my lunch at the Prada Caffè, including how to make a reservation, cost and food quality,

How to Find the Prada Caffè in Harrods

Prada Caffè is technically located “inside” Harrods main department store in Knightsbridge, London, but the restaurant actually has its own fabulous entrance that is street level. And while you can access the cafe from inside Harrods, entering via the street is more exciting, at least for the photos, LOL. There is no security or anything of the like, so you can just walk in, even to take a photograph.

Street level entrance to the Prada Caffè at Harrods in Knightsbridge, London

Welcome to the “pop up” Prada Caffè!

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