Hotel review: Hotel Grand Ferdinand, Vienna, Austria

As we were only in Vienna for a couple of nights, I wanted to make the most of it by booking us into a really nice hotel. Enter Hotel Grand Ferdinand. Located about a 15 minute walk from the centre, this sleek and stylish hotel couldn't be in a better location. Boasting three restaurants and a rooftop bar, there's no need to really leave it either if you don't want to. It seemed like the perfect hotel for us. And it was.

We booked the smallest room which worked out about £130 plus 13% tax and a local city tax when you check out. What it was lacking in size, it certainly didn't lack in style. The quirky suitcase minibar was a lovely touch and I loved the opulent marble sink against the cool white and grey colour scheme. The bed was comfy and the open plan bathroom helped to make the room feel bigger. We certainly didn't feel cramped. It was well worth the money and was lovely to have a little bit of luxury in such a beautiful city.

We made it up to the rooftop infinity pool one night which was slightly surreal looking out over at the the Viennese skyline. Ordering a G+T, I remember feeling so carefree, emotional at being able to travel and incredibly lucky that I live in such a diverse and cultural continent. When I got the bill, I didn't quite feel so lucky then so keep in mind that the bar isn't cheap but definitely stop for one! Towels and dressing gowns are provided which is a lovely touch.

I can't vouch for the restaurants as we didn't eat there but if you ever find yourself in Vienna, definitely book yourself in for a few nights of luxury. I will certainly stay here again if I ever find myself in the Austrian city.

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Recipe: sweet potato and chickpea vegetarian stew

I'm trying to make a conscious decision to eat less meat and adapted some of my cookbooks to be vegetarian. I find it encourages me to be a lot more adventurous with my meals as it's so easy to just go for meat, potatoes and veggies. I omitted the chicken from the original recipe and bulked it up with more beans and vegetables. It was delicious and even better the next day when I had the leftovers for lunch. Definitely something I'd rustle up again.

Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson's Chicken Cosimo

Feeds 6

Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of plain flour
1 bag of chopped butternut squash
1 can of butterbeans
1 can of chickpeas
1 large onion
500ml of vegetable stock
1 pinch of sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of ground turmeric
1 teaspoon of sweet paprika

Method
1. Pour the olive oil into a large casserole dish and cook the chopped onion until soft but not quite browned.

2. Stir in all the spices and flour before popping in the sweet potato and butternut squash. Cook for ten minutes.

3. Pour in the chicken stock and give it a good stir. Bring it to the boil.

4. Once boiled, add the drained chickpeas and butterbeans. Give it another stir.

5. Pop the lid on and put it in the oven for around 25 minutes until the sweet potato is tender.

6. Take out the oven and leave it for ten minutes with the lid still on. Then serve. I enjoyed it with some crusty bread.

As always I would love to know what you all think and do send me a tweet with a picture if you make it!

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A whirlwind winter weekend in Paris

A few weeks ago I went on my first trip of the year to Paris. I managed to snag some bargain Eurostar tickets for my mum's christmas present and conveniently booked it for my birthday weekend. Two birds, one stone eh? It was my mum's first time to Paris and first time on the Eurostar so I was pretty excited to show her around. It's always so lovely to see something through someone else's eyes for the first time.

We were in the French capital for less than 24 hours but we packed in a hell of a lot. After pulling into Gare Du Nord station, we jumped straight on the metro to dump our bags at our hotel. Hotel Cervantes was the perfect location for us and did the job for one night. A 15 minute walk from Galeries Lafayette department store and a 20 min metro ride away from the Eiffel Tower.

Our first stop of the day was the Arc D'Triomphe. I'd seen it a few times but never managed to walk to the top until that weekend. After struggling up the stairs - convinced my mum was going to stop breathing at one point - the view we were rewarded with was beautiful. It's my favourite thing I've ever seen in Paris and looking out at Paris' most famous landmark was pretty special.

Then it was off to Galeries Lafayette, again something I had never done. We wondered around marvelling at the stunning dome before reading the food section to take some goodies home. Sadly we couldn't stay long as we had a dinner reservation at Corsican Le Wagon Bleu. On my mum's bucket list is riding the Orient Express. So as the next best thing, I booked a restaurant in an old Orient Express carriage. It served delicious food, good wine and didn't break the bank. A great choice! We very nearly went straight back to the hotel room after drinking a bit too much wine but we decided to jump back on the metro to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle. I am so glad we did as it was the perfect end to the trip. I had such a wonderful weekend away with my mum and made me think why I don't do it more often. We're already planning out next trip!

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