The 10 Most Instagrammable Houses in London

During my visits in London I have stumbled upon a lot of pretty houses. Notting Hill is a goldmine for finding pastel gems on every street, but the rest of London is not too shabby either. Today I am sharing my top 10 of most Instagrammable houses in London. Some are a no brainer and others may be the houses that you always see on Instagram, but could never find yourself. 

1. Trevor Square
This pink house on number 14 is what I would describe as my dream house. Not that I can afford it, but I can dream right? It's really close to Harrods, so easy to find and whenever you are in London this is the house to snap!

2. St. Lukes Mews
This street is full for pretty houses. The most famous one is the pastel pink house -hello house from 'Love Actually'- and I have photographed that babe a million times. The entire mew is lovely though so this will definitely up your #prettylittlelondon Instagram game.

3. Liberty London
A bit obvious, but still one of the prettiest buildings in London. Every time I'm in London I have to take a snap of the flower shop. The way they display their flowers is amazing and it's a classic for me.

4. Regent Street
Since I am near Liberty I always take a quick snap of Regent Street too. I love it when the Christmas lights are on. It makes the street look really cosy and festive!

5. Wild at Heart
Technically this is not a house, but this flower shop is so insta famous that I had to include it. Wild at Heart by Nikki Tibbles has a few flowers shops around London, but the Notting Hill shop is the one you will probably recognize from the gram. The green tiles are a perfect combo for the colourful flowers. Keep in mind that they are closed on Sunday, that will save you a trip to a closed flower shop. - Yes this happened to me-.

6. Pottery Lane
I always saw this curved pink house on Instagram and could never figure out on which street it was, well it's on Pottery Lane! A short walk from Portobello Road market and you will find this hidden gem. Unfortunately for me there was construction work going on, but I will definitely come back to take a better photo. 

7. Warren Mews
The all black flowery building of dreams. Close to Regent's Park and easy to find. Some people blocked the view though, but I was lucky enough to take a snap with no people in it!

8. Primrose Hill
The hill alone allows you to have an amazing view across London and the streets in Primrose Hill are so pastel and pretty. I like how it's not as busy as Notting Hill and has a homely feel to it. The best place for a Sunday brunch or coffee and cupcake break.

9. Hyde Park Mews
I discovered this mew on my recent trip and was very happy I did.  If you didn't know it existed you would probably walk right by it, but thanks to Google Maps I knew exactly where to turn right. Again this mew is full of pretty houses, so make sure you have enough space on your phone to take photos!

10. Chance Street
Shoreditch is amazing by itself with the trendy shops and cafes, but the graffiti art is also on point in this neighbourhood. Chance Street has a couple of walls full with great designs. Great for photos and artsy look books.

Some of my other faves...
I would also advise to follow a couple of London related Instagram accounts to see what is hot. Usually they are the first ones to post about pretty new streets and flowery buildings. My favourites are:
@prettylittlelondon                           @prettycitylondon
@freckledlondoner                            @angelacoomey

Other places I recommend for perfect Instagram snaps are the Maddox Gallery. They have gorgeous flowers on the outside of their gallery and it's the most amazing thing I've seen. Peggy Porschen Cakes is also known for their flowers and pink ensemble, so I would highly recommend eating a cake -or two- here. I went in the morning to escape the afternoon tea crowds and there were not a lot of people there. Perfect for an Instagram shoot. 

These are all my recommendations for and Insta worthy London trip. Of course there are many other places so I will keep this post updated where I can, or maybe create a take two once I have found 10 more houses? That should not take long with London being as pretty as always.

What is your favourite pretty house/street in London?

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The London Trip July 2017

At the beginning of this month it was time for another trip and surprise, surprise, I went to London. Now this time I had a reason to go, besides shopping and eating at all the cute places, because I was going to see Adele at Wembley Stadium. I really wanted to get tickets when she came to perform in Amsterdam but I was not able to buy them, so hopping on a plane across the pond seemed like the only option.

I was there for an entire weekend and had a lot of things to do. I had made a list a few weeks in advance of all the places that I wanted to visit. I was by myself so the best thing is that you can actually do all these things and you don't have to compromise with your travel buddy.
Now you might think going all the way to England for a concert by yourself is a bit weird. And at the beginning I also thought that. I almost didn't buy the concert ticket because I didn't know anyone who wanted to go with me. It's not just the ticket but also the flight, hotel, food and shopping's, so I get why people don't immediately scream yes to the idea. For me the only reason not to go was that I had to go by myself and I thought that was a stupid reason so I decided to go anyways. I have been going solo to a couple of concerts in Amsterdam so I wasn't as frightened of the idea anymore and I am the kind of person that doesn't mind being alone so I was pretty excited to go on this trip.

The first day was probably the busiest of them all. I booked the earliest flight possible at 07:05 AM from Amsterdam Airport which was why at 09:30 AM I was already eating matcha French toast at Hally's in Parsons Green. My sister and I went to this café on our last trip but it was too busy so I decided to try again and I managed to get a seat on the big table across the bar. The food was really good and I have to say the staff was very friendly. Definitely a must when you visit London. Next on the list was a visit to the Sky Garden. I booked my ticket at 12:00 (you need to book a free ticket in advance) and since I was early I popped into New Look and TK Maxx. I bought the most amazing dress in the New Look sale which I will write about in another post.
I took the elevator to the highest floor and had the most amazing view all across London. The garden itself is also the perfect place to take lots of instagrammable photos but since I was alone I couldn't go crazy with that. A lady did take some photos of me but those were not very insta proof. Trust me they were not.
I didn't stay in the garden for too long, because moments after I took all the photos my iPhone battery died and I ended up in Eat. with a pink lemonade and my seat as close to a charger as possible. It's not that I am that obsessed with my phone but on trips, Google Maps is my best friend. After about 30 minutes I went on the bus to Hackney, which seriously took 45 minutes. I did see a lot of London though.

Two hotspots on my list were not that far away from each other so I went to both of them. At Café Miami I had an iced chai latte and Nutella stuffed pancakes -yes STUFFED with Nutella-. They were as amazing as it sounds and I loved the pastel pink and purple interior. It wasn't that busy too which was amazing. I just ate my pancakes, charged my phone and looked outside the window to see all the Londoners walk by. That's also what I like about going to the places you find on Instagram, they are not that touristy -at least most of them are not- and you get to see all these different sides of London.
Palm Vaults was very high on my list and apparently also on everyone else’s. It was so busy in there that I decided to take a lavender latte to go. Not that I was hungry after the pancakes so a drink was just what I needed. The place looked gorgeous though with marble tables and plants in pink pots hanging from the ceiling, so I will definitely go back for a yummy smoothie bowl or a slice of cake. By this time it was late in the afternoon and the lack of sleep started to kick in. I took the bus to Oxford Street for a short shopping trip at Topshop, Anthropologie and Primark, went on the tube to my hotel and picked up a takeaway from Shake Shack on the way. Their cheesy fries are so good! 

The next day I woke up with the news that Adele wasn't going to perform. I was disappointed with the news but the days before I had a feeling it was going to happen. Very strange that I already kinda knew she wasn't going to be able to perform. I was still happy to be in London and decided that I just had more hours to do stuff. Peggy Porschen Cakes was the first location on my list. You might think it's weird to eat cake at 10 AM, but it's honestly the only time you can get a table at this place. It was empty when I arrived so I ordered a pink lemonade and a strawberry & champagne cupcake. Bit snazzy for in the morning but I went with it haha!
A couple of girls where actually having a photoshoot near the pretty flowers in front of the store so I kindly asked them to take a few photos of me. I'm so happy I did, because a photo at Peggy Porschen Cakes was something I really wanted. After the cupcake I went to a food market near Sloane Square. I had seen this market in a Tanya Burr vlog from a couple of years ago and after some research I found out where it was. I bought two beignets from the same stand as she did and also bought a lot of fudge. There was so much different kinds of food and I loved that it wasn't packed with tourists like Borough market. I then picked up a smoothie at the Good Life Eatery and walked all the way to Harrods. Near there is the famous pink Trevor Square house and after a few snaps -because of the lightning they don't look as nice- I dropped of my fudge, beignets and Zara Home stuff -yes I also bought the most amazing cups in Zara Home! They are so pretty- at the hotel. 
After a lie down I took the tube to Notting Hill. I wanted to take a photo of the Bisquiteers shop but they were doing some work on the road so I wasn't able to get the shot that I wanted. Walking past all the colourful houses I took the tube to Oxford Street, had a last little shop at New Look and TK Maxx and bought some delicious things from Crosstown Doughnuts. Ooh and on the way home I picked up another takeaway from Shake Shack.
The London night life is probably amazing but I couldn't be happier, laying in my bed with doughnuts, cheesy fries and watching Me Before You on Netflix. That's my perfect evening right there!

The next Sunday morning was my last day in London. I actually bought a bit too much so I tried to get it all in my carry-on luggage -you all know I'm not good with carry-on bags- and went all the way to Regent's Park. I have always had a little obsession with Primrose Hill. I think it's from the fact that I always wanted to go to Primrose Bakery. I don't even know how I found that bakery to begin with because it was way before Instagram existed. And even though I have been to London many times I never went to Primrose Hill. So on that gorgeous sunny Sunday morning I walked all the way through Regent's Park, up to Primrose Hill to enjoy the amazing view of London. I then went to Regent's Park road and totally forgot about the fact that Primrose Bakery is here too. I did like Primrose Hill though. Can't wait to have a Sunday brunch at Greenberry Café and go for a cupcake at Sweet Things and Primrose Bakery.
One last thing on my list was an ice cream at Milk Train. They have the most amazing creations and since it was sunny and very hot I thought it was the perfect moment for something sweet and cold. Unfortunately many people thought that and there was already a queue when I arrived. I wanted to be there earlier but there was a problem on the underground so it took ages to get to Covent Garden. Instead I decided to have a late brunch at Covent Garden Grind. You find Grind all over London and I've always wanted to eat there. I sat by the window and had a cold ice tea and avocado toast with poached eggs and feta cheese. I loved the chill vibe there and it's the perfect 'sit down with your laptop' kinda café. Since I had about an hour left I wanted to take one last photo of an item on my list. So I decided to go to the Ivy Chelsea Garden. They have these gorgeous flowers outside -according to Instagram- but when I arrived it wasn't as pretty so I made my way back to the hotel to pick up my luggage. Kind of in a hurry because I lost track of time, but I catched my train on time and even had a little time at Gatwick Airport to do a little shopping. I just bought three massive Toblerone bars and some Pret sandwiches for that night and the next morning. Call me crazy but I love me some Pret.

And sadly that is the end of my trip to London. I had an amazing time exploring the city by myself and taking lots of photos. I didn't cross everything of my London list but I know I will be back in London in no-time. I hope you don't get tired of my London craziness because I certainly haven't. Until next time London!


Have you ever been to London? What is your favourite place there?

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My Top 6 Brunch Spots in London

Recently I posted about my top 5 favourite brunch spots in Amsterdam and based on the views, you really liked it! That's why today I'm writing about my top 6 brunch spots in London - I wanted to do a top 5, but whilst thinking about all the cafés I came down to 6!-. I say that I'm writing this for you, but I also do it a bit for myself. I just love writing about brunch cafés!

Little note: I do know there are maybe a lot of other/better cafés in London that you love, but this is my own experience from the places where I stuffed my face with pancakes and avocado toast. There are still a lot of other places that I want to visit -the London brunch list in my phone is huge- so there will definitely be a part two. :)

1. Eggbreak
By far the nicest café I have ever eaten at in London. Eggbreak is a small cafe just behind Notting Hill Gate tube station. The man that helped us was super friendly and I love everything on the menu. Pancakes covered in maple caramel sauce and the sweet potato rosti with goats cheese are definitely my favourites. The food is served on quirky plates and loved by locals as well. Perfect when you are in the Notting Hill area. Don’t forget to snap those pastel houses whilst you’re there.

2. Daisy Green
Daisy Green is part of a chain of cafés all around London. Maybe Timmy Green or Beanie Green ring a bell? You find Daisy Green right behind Marble Arch station on Oxford Street. The café is perfect for a to-go coffee or a lovely brunch. Downstairs you find a pretty indoor garden with flowers on the ceiling and golden marble tables. I always go for the coconut bread French toast, but help yourself to all the yummy things that the menu has to offer. Also perfect for when you have a gluten allergy!

3. The Breakfast Club
A bit of a no-brainer, but since a few of you might not live in the UK you have to try this place out. The Breakfast Club serves an all-day breakfast menu including berry pancakes, waffles, breakfast burritos, eggs benedict and more. Every café is always packed on the weekend, so either wake up early or stand in the queue for a bit. TBC is and will always be a favourite of mine!

4. Sunday
A recent discovery and Sunday totally deserves place number 4! This petite café is located in Barnsbury and always full on the weekend. All your brunch favourites are on the menu, I tried the brioche French toast myself and it was absolutely delicious. Definitely go here on a weekday to avoid queuing up!

5. Hally's
In the area Parsons Green you will find Hally's, a Californian-inspired café. The interior is very pretty and the food is on point. I had matcha French toast -the sweet tooth that I am- and it was so good! The lady who helped me was so friendly and chatted to me since I was all by myself. Also have a look around the neighbourhood Parsons Green. It made me forget about the fact that I was still in crazy busy London.

6. Muriel’s Kitchen
Muriel's Kitchen has two locations in London and I visited the restaurant in Soho. It has a very family feel to it and the food is really nice. They also have these swing chairs that are absolutely amazing. We were so lucky to get that table and I felt like a kid the entire time. I went for the berry pancakes -like I would choose anything else-, but the grilled haloumi with roasted tomatoes are also pretty good.

Other brunch cafés that I love: Farm Girl, Miami Café, Palm Vaults and The Daysroom Café. Also check out my post about the 10 most Instagrammable houses in London!

What is your favourite brunch spot in London? I would love to know!

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The London Trip June 2018

At the beginning of June I finally visited London again. If you have been a reader of my blog you know I absolutely adore London and everything about it. When I came back from my trip my life turned upside down and I was too busy with uni to even write a post about it, so that's what I'm doing right now!

Tuesday June 5th

An early flight took us from Amsterdam to London Gatwick and the small delay didn't stop us from going straight to the hotel and to our first breakfast spot: The Breakfast Club. I LOVE this place so much. It can be busy -which is probably the only thing I do not like about it- but their pancakes are so good that I easily forget about the 30 minute wait. The berries & cream version is loaded with so much cream, maple syrup and berries that I order it every single time. I mean who can say no to that?

Since the weather wasn't as good we decided that today was our shopping day. We went past New Look, Primark, Boots, Zara and Topshop and I surprisingly only bought a bag at the last store. Oh, and a few beauty bits from Boots obviously. Got to stock up on my Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer somehow. 

We ended the day at Zizzi near Paddington station and went to bed early since we slept for like three hours the day before.

Wednesday June 6th

Rise and shine because on this day the sun decided to join us! So happy when London doesn't look as gloomy. We walked around the Sloan Square area to eat breakfast at The Locals. I went for these eggs with feta cheese, tomatoes and red pepper and it was so tasty. Top that off with a curcuma latte and I'm all happy.

Since today was going to be all about food we immediately went to Peggy Porschen Cakes. One of the reasons was to skip long queues and I was surprised to see there were like two tables left. At 9:45 AM. People must love cake. We ordered way too much -everything for a pretty Instagram pic- and took the big slice of cake with us in a box. I loved my cupcake though. It was with berries and I get hungry even thinking about it.

Since Dominique Ansel Bakery is on the same street as Peggy Porschen Cakes it felt stupid not to include it on this foodie day. They have these amazing watermelon soft serves and we had to try them. They start selling them from 11am -which we didn't know- and we were so lucky because we popped in at 10:59am. The ice cream was so pretty and yummy but did melt fast. Especially with the hot weather.

Then we walked over to Harrods, cycled through Hyde Park and made our way to Notting Hill. All the pastel houses make this one of my favourite areas in London. I bought a vegan red velvet donut from Doughnut Time - which was delicious btw- and also tried the vegan chocolate cookie from Pret a Manger that everyone is raving about. I have to say, that one was pretty good too.

After all the sugar we hopped on a tube to the Tower Bridge and took way too many photos. With the blue sky in the background the bridge looked even more magical. We stayed there for a while and took a bus to Covent Garden. Ever since New York I really miss Shake Shack so I had to fix my Shack burger and cheesy fries cravings. After my first bite I was so happy and it totally brought me back to my first trip to New York in January of this year. 

Dear Shake Shack, can you please open in Amsterdam too? Sincerely, a Shake Shack obsessed girl.

Tuesday June 7th

Sadly, this was our last day in London town so we packed up our things -which was surprisingly easy since I always have to sit on my suitcase to close it- and hopped to our last London breakfast. I think I have told you about  Eggbreak before in a best London brunch post, and it's hands down one of my favourites in the city. You find this hidden gem on a side street in Notting Hill and they serve the best breakfast foods. I went for caramel pancakes -shocking choice I know- and they were SO good. The plates they serve everything on are so pretty too.

Then we went to Camden Lock Market to get me some new rings from the Poppie Jasper stand. I talked about this on my Insta stories, but they honestly have the best jewellery. I have about seven silver rings from them and they still look so nice. The guy behind the stand even recognised me from when I was there in November. 100% would recommend having a look at their stuff.

We then visited the London Eye area and walked to Covent Garden for some Milk Train ice cream. I entered one of their giveaways the week before, so we got two soft serves for free! The ice creams looked so cute with the cotton candy clouds, but because of the warm weather they started to melt pretty quickly. They were so yummy though.

The last hotspot that we wanted to visit was Saint Aymes. This place and its pretty flowers are seen all over the gram and I loved everything about it. We had a pink hot chocolate, a blue latte, some macarons and a unicorn cookie. It was expensive though, but we had to do it for the gram. Go on a non-rainy day so you can sit outside with the pretty purple flowers. You'll love it!

And that was everything we did. After another sugar overload we grabbed our suitcases, jumped on a busy train to Gatwick and boarded our flight back to the Dam. I already made a list of new cafés that I want to visit so expect a new London travel post soon! 

What are your favourite hotspots in London?

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The London & Brighton Trip 2016

Travelling is one of the things that makes me incredibly happy, even though this means I visit the same city over and over again. There is something about London that I can't explain. When I step one foot on London ground I get all excited and the weird thing is it never stops. While other people are in love with Paris, New York City or Rome I can't get enough of this British city across the pond.

Now this time around I wanted to do something different and visit another city while I was there. I've always wanted to go to Brighton and since it's only 30 minutes away from Gatwick airport I thought this was my chance to visit the seaside.
I started the day with a stack of pancakes at Café Coho and visited the Brighton Pier, Pavilion and The Lanes right after that. I have to say it was a bit lonely being on my own with a heavy suitcase following alongside me, but once I took the train to London all those feelings disappeared. I had never really traveled alone to another country before so for me it was a whole new experience.

In London I went to a small hotel in Paddington, took a quick nap – I woke up at 3 AM that morning- and shopped till I dropped. For me a London trip isn't completed without the following things:
- Going to Whole Foods to get the Guacamole and tortilla chips. They are the best late night hotel snack!
- Same goes for cake from Lola's. I had the salted caramel cake -it was as good as it sounds- and the guy behind the counter even gave me a bigger slice because they were almost closing. I love him for that! :)
- Trying out new places. I have a London food list in my phone with places where I want to eat. A bit sad maybe, but they just have way better things over there. I am happy that I can now cross Shake Shack, Joe & the Juice, Monmouth Coffee, Bluebird Tea Co. and Café Coho of that list.

As you can see I love food way too much haha!

I also went to the National History Museum with Laura. I met her through blogging and it was so lovely to finally meet her in real life. The museum itself was also very interesting and it gave me a magical Harry Potter vibe. For the rest of the three days I shopped, drank many juices from Joe & the Juice and strolled around the city. I also took a lot of photos along the way so you can enjoy the London vibe with me!

And to top it all off I’ve booked a new trip for January, so I will be back before you know it!

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