9 Perfectly plausible reasons to visit Rome in the winter!

                You know the drill - it's been way to many months since you've seen the sun and if you                            look at one more amazing Instagram, you're going to cry (or is that just me!?).  

       I spent countless hours googling cheap winter getaways, with the majority of searches listing the snowy, in-season, and not to mention expensive, top spots or some fab places that I've already visited;    such as Paris, Amsterdam, Prague etc. Finally, 7364 flight searches in I decided on Rome, which                               turns out to be a great (yet unexpected) winter getaway! Here's why...

1. Less tourists

This is definitely the biggest selling point. Rome has tourists all year around, as you'd expect, however being in Rome in January was so care free. I've heard the stories and seen photos of peak season and every street is jam packed with tourists, especially around the coliseum and Trevy fountain. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a ghost town, but we walked freely around the whole city and didn't have a second thought about other tourists getting in our way.

2. Better photos

My partner and I absolutely love photography, so visiting Rome when the sites and streets are emptier was a massive perk. It's bliss taking a photo that's not blurred after being barged into the road mid pic and getting a clear shot of the coliseum, without Aunt Sandra, from Glasgow's mug shot in front of the frame, spoiling your beautiful candid. 

3. Smaller queues/No pre-booking

Without spending a summer in Rome, I couldn't say how long you have to wait in line for the biggest sites or if you ever need to book (from what i've heard, it's a long old wait), but on our first day we ended up at the coliseum and just 5-10 minutes later we were inside. We actually ended up doing a guided tour, which was not planned but was amazing - I will go into this more in my travel diary which is coming soon. Less time queuing = more time eating.

4. It's the perfect temperature

I personally love being hot and in the sun, but when theres no beach nearby and you're walking around all day, surrounded by people, it's not all it's cracked up to be. We were very lucky with the weather! We went at the end of January and every day was sunny, with temps of around 12°C. Half the time I didn't even need a coat and could dress for (English) Autumn. Even if it's not so warm, It will still likely be above freezing and you can snuggle up in your winter bests and maybe even see a bit of snow, if you're lucky!

5. It's cheaper

It goes without saying that off peak is a whole lot cheaper. When I first checked out the flights for January, prices were just £40 return! (To get these deals make sure you check out Sky Scanner to find the cheapest airline, preferably book on a weekday, and make sure you delete your cookies before finally booking). It's not just the flights though, of course all tourist operators are slightly desperate, so you can easily haggle yourself a good bargin (leaving you with more money for pizza, yay!).

6. It's easier to book last minute and get some amazing accommodation

Rolling on from the last point, accommodation is obviously a lot cheaper, so you can grab yourself a bit of luxury for your money. We had a look around and Air B&B was by far our best bet (first experience with them was amazing, I feel like i'm becoming an ambassador). There were so many options, but we finally chose an little arty apartment, that couldn't be more central to everything! (Although everything is walking distance, so being central isn't essential) Best of all, we booked this less that 2 weeks in advance! (Under £100 each for 3 nights). 

7. Outside dining

One (out of an ongoing list) thing I love about traveling around Europe is eating - but not just because of the food. Almost everywhere has outside dining, so you can soak up the beautiful scenery and architecture whilst you slurpe up your carbonara.  The reason this has made my list, is almost every restaurant was complete with outside heaters. So you don't miss out on the atmosphere and not to mention, you get that natural light - got to get a good food pic for your Insta. When in rome, ay.

8. You'll eat and drink more!

Some may not call this a perk, but it's definitely making my list. When it reaches the cooler months, all I tend to think about is food and drink! Italian is one of my favourite types of food and I absolutely LOVE a glass of Italian white wine. Everyday I looked forward to warming myself up by going face first into a pizza. In my eyes, getting to make the most out of more amazing dishes should be my number 1 travel tip!

Budget tip - we made eggs on toast every morning in our apartment, to save money for a luxurious lunch, dinner and not to forget, endless gelato! 

9. Hot chocolate

Final one, I discovered near the end of the trip (sadly), that Italian hot chocolate is amazing! Forget your typical watery, 19 cal machine cuppa, every mug I drank was almost pure melted chocolate - So thick and creamy! You can't enjoy mug after mug of this when it's 30°C outside. 

All in all, Rome would be incredible all year round, so why not enjoy the out of season perks! So, what are you waiting for?! Don't sit inside with the winter blues, book yourself a flight, grab a buddy and get going!

Pula, Croatia travel diary

After a long drive through the border, we made it to Croatia! The city we stayed in was Pula, known for it's Roman arena.

Our hostel looked like the dogs bollocks online and was super central, but after getting lost (what's new) and being escorted to 'reception' by a group of creepy men (which was actually, said creepy mens bedroom), we made a swift exit to our room avoiding the 30 something other European men on the floor below.

I can't say I'm the most organised person and when visiting a new location I like to get my bearings then plan the days ahead once I've arrived, rather than in advance. 

The main town is quite small and mostly packed with restaurants, cafe's and souvenir shops. There are day trips to Islands you can arrange, but we didn't have time and fancied having a chilled few days eating and sunbathing to end our trip.  

Although everyone staying in our hostel at the time was a bit pervy, the decor was so shabby chić and cute!

There had been a film festival taking place in the arena over the last few days. Luckily we arrived on the final day, so we're able to catch the last midnight viewing under the stars. You have to get there super early to get yourself a seat with a good view and have time to queue for a snack. 

Our early was not early enough, so we squeezed in a little spot at the very back to watch the first film. Only problem was the film was in Croatian with English subtitles - which would have been fine if the subtitles weren't showing right at the bottom of the screen, behind everyones heads. Still have no clue what that film was about. 

Luckily, as it was quite late everyone disappeared after the first film. I grabbed us a spot right in the centre while Holly took popcorn duty. We had the perfect spot and the film was in english! Who wouldn't want to watch ghost busters at 1am in the middle of Croatia, wrapped in your borrowed hostel duvet? 

There are a few different beaches in Pula, however they don't all tend to be sand or pebble, occasionally they're made of concrete terraces or rock where you have to ease yourself into the sea. 

The first beach we went to was in Valkane which was like this. We weren't a fan of the concrete beach, so we set ourselves up on the rocky side, a small climb from the cocktail bar. We found a spot where the sea had eroded the rock into seat (throne) shaped coves where we could read our books and chill like royals. 

The view from our room, looking out at the 'Lighting Giants'.

If you ever find yourself in Pula for a small amount of time, I'd recommend taking a trip to the Verudella beach over Valkane, which is where these photos were taken the next day. 

There's a restaurant that over looks the beach that sells amazing frozen cocktails and food, so you don't have to go too far in your flip flops. We went back there for dinner in the evening, it had the best view to watch the sun set. 

We of course had to rent a pedalo because you can't go to the beach without taking trip on one.

We pedaled up the coast and unexpectedly stumbled across a nudest each full of old men, with their wangs out. It was quite wavy by the rocks and they'd constantly pull you closer to the edge, so we definitely got more an eye full - I've been put of prunes for life. 

We had an early light the next day after an amazing chilled few days in Croatia. 

Piran - Photo Diary

I hadn't heard of Piran until we started planning this trip, but after seeing a handful of photos, we were sold. Piran is like a mini Venice perched on the edge of the sea in the very corner of Slovenia, every turn is a new photo opportunity. 

Our hostel, although owned by a the strangest man, was very central and happened to be located on the narrowest street in Piran,  surrounded by a maize of beautiful streets. 

After being turned away 10 mins before check in, we spent most of our first day wandering around and getting lost in the windy streets (and continued to get lost each night we stayed here).  

The main square, full of cafes and restaurants. (below)

The weather turned out to be beautiful in the afternoon, so we wandered around looking for somewhere to sunbath. After walking around the whole of Piran, turns out there isn't a beach, but the marina is surrounded by large rocks where everyone goes to soak up the sun. 

We'd had quite a busy holiday until this point, and I was still as pale as Holly, so a chilled afternoon sunbathing was needed. Had a great view of the harbour.. and some old ladies baps who took up a seat next to me. 

There are so many restaurants lined up along the coast, with a beautiful view out to sea. Being so close to Italy, each one was full of sea food and Italian specialities - we were in our element. 

After such a chilled day in the sun, we finished the night off with lots of wine and cocktails. Although I may have had a few too many...  I managed to walk all the way back through the restaurant thinking I looked like a boss ass bitch because everyone was watching me. 

In reality I'd forgot to pull the under skirt of my very sheer midi down, only to be told by the French lady next to be once I'd sat back at my seat in the front of the restaurant. So glad I was wearing a thong that evening. Bare ass bitch.

''More wine please"

It was raining cats and dogs the next day, so we nursed our hangovers with a lye-in and bunch - the food did not disappoint! Piran is so small and relaxed, there isn't too much to do when the weather bad, so we took cover in a cafe with boots, snacks and wifi.

Luckily, it was bright again in the afternoon, so we could take a trip up the viewing tower and see the whole of Piran. 

Just a tad windy, but the views are beaut. Just practicing for my lead role in the next L'Oréal advert..  

Taken after stuffing our faces at dinner before rushing round the corner for golden hour. Sunsets out weigh indigestion apparently. Worth it. 

I can't say Piran is the liveliest area but if you're after a couple of days relaxing and eating in the sun and you can't afford Italian prices, why not take a visit. 

Next stop Croatia.