Early Monday morning my boyfriend and I ventured to Edinburgh for some sort of Valentines-esque experience. For us, this occasion entails few roses and love hearts but an abundance of tasty food and tasteful attire. Almost 3 years into our relationship we figured maybe a city break is expected for a couple as established as ourselves (read: usually spending our nights watching anything Ryan Gosling and eating anything greasy). So we gathered our hard earned, and terribly saved, pennies and booked for a one night stay at The Hilton Edinburgh (we were determined to portray "classy" for our romantic adventure). We effectively spent two days doing what we do best; eating and wandering, but with an excuse to spend money - being a tourist - and a comfier bed than normal to return to.
I figured, on the rare occasion I escape Newcastle, I would piece together a little post about our time away. A sort of "how to do valentines" for the less romantically inclined individual (someone who'd rather spend money on a portion of 'garlicky fries' than a teddy bear - yep, they're real).
Newcastle has some impressive eateries/artisan coffee stops but I really enjoyed wandering the streets and taking advantage of all the good flavour Edinburgh had to offer. As quite the coffee connoisseur (a consequence of working at Whittards of Chelsea and an eternal reliance on caffeine), I'd say Wellington Coffee promoted the nicest coffee I've ever tasted. Mark and I both agreed that we could have drunk that frothy goodness all day long, and with the cafe's cool-toned furnishing and white-tiled walls, I think I enjoyed the quirky interior design as much as my latte.
For food on Monday evening we did a bit of research (we take these matters very seriously) and checked out GQ's city guide to the Scottish capital. We booked a place at The Outsider and gorged on scallops, duck breast and lemon sorbet. Next came Edinburgh's own 'speakeasy' Panda & Sons which fulfilled my Gatsby desires, whilst providing a tasty cocktail (to busy drinking it to photograph, obviously).
Aside from these favourite spots, we visited various other eateries and coffee shops (I know, how was there time?) before taxiing back to our hotel due to stiletto suffrage on my part. I'd say discovering that The Hilton's complimentary toiletries were all by Peter Thomas Roth was a true highlight for me, especially adorning the branded shower cap that was, probably, more expensive than my train ticket. Oh and with an abundance of herbal teabags positioned politely beside our kettle and mugs within the room, I found myself drinking camomile tea and (forgive me) decaf coffee, because, who doesn't love a posh-looking freebie?!
I guess I'd really recommend taking the approach that we did when heading for any city break: check out a city guide when you're spending big bucks, to avoid disappointment, but during the day be sure to take advantage of your time by wandering. Browse around, stop for as many breaks as possible, in as many new places as you can find and get the 'behind the scenes' tour of wherever you are. Find your way with small alleyways and walking, instead of public transport, as it's a cracking excuse to buy yourself some new trainers, all in the name of comfort.
Now to achieve that ultimate frothy latte with some Nescafe and a hand whisk #unilife.
