MOXY MERCHANT CITY: A PURSE-FRIENDLY HOTEL THAT'S PERFECT FOR A GIRL'S WEEKEND

Glasgow, in my eyes, is a bloody brilliant city. We have fantastic shopping, a competitive food scene, a diverse range of bars and a solid cultural calendar. So, it comes as no surprise to me that tourism has kicked it up a notch, with new hotels popping up across the city throughout the last year. Last week I had the pleasure of test running one of our newest additions – the swanky new Moxy hotel, located just off High Street.

STYLISH INTERIORS

Part of the Marriot family, Moxy is a laid-back, fun, and quirky hotel that’s the ideal option for those who are after modern bedroom interiors mixed with and a vibrant bar area. On arrival, you’ll find a large lounge area that includes everything from a pool table to a glass fireplace and a large screen – perfect for movie nights. After checking-in at the bar, you’ll be directed to your room where everything feels a lot calmer and sleek, with a comfy bed, TV screen and modern bathroom with shower.

PILLOW FIGHTS 

To mark the opening of the funky new hotel, myself and a few other Glasgow gals were treated to the ultimate girls night in, complete with scavenger hunt, cocktails, pizza, Magic Mike and the best part of all – a pillow fight room covered in feathers and the biggest teddy bear I’ve ever laid eyes on.

PURSE FRIENDLY

Music to my ears, the hotel is also extremely affordable with a double room with breakfast available from around £60 - bargain! So, if you’re visiting Glasgow for an upcoming Christmas shopping trip or simply want to be staying central for your next night out, Moxy is a great option!

Thanks so much to the team at Moxy for a great night.

XoXo  

Cosy couples getaway

Every once and a while, city life can get a bit much and if, you're anything like me, you’ll crave some fresh, countryside air. Living in Glasgow, it’s easy to forget just how fortunate we are in terms of geography (yes, geography). The capital and one of the best cities in the world is just 50 miles away.  One of the most romantic places in the UK, the Lake District, can be reached in under two hours.  And one of the world’s most beautiful Loch’s (and my happy place) can be discovered in just an hour’s drive. It’s time to make the most of having access to so many fabulous destinations so to kick it off, last month, Liam and I took up the offer to visit a quaint hotel perched on the edge of Loch Lomond, in the charming little town of St Fillan’s.

A BEAUTIFUL AUTUMN DAY

On route to St Fillan’s it was clear we’d struck the weather jackpot. The sun was splitting in the sky and the temperatures had reached above 15 degrees – it was perfect. On arrival to The Four Seasons, we were greeted with a warm welcome, but what I was most impressed with was just how welcome our little pug, Indie. We’ve taken Indie to a few hotels in the past but I can say without doubt that the staff at The Four Seasons took doggy welcomes to the next level. We were informed that our little baby could even join us for dinner AND breakfast. If you’ve got a dog of your own, you’ll appreciate how rare this is!

A PERFECT SUNSET

All checked in, we decided to head straight out and explore St Fillan’s while the sun was still shining bright.  We never actually made it into the little town but instead stuck to the loch edge, exploring forest walks, stumbling across tree swings and stopping to take pictures. Lots of pictures!

With the sun beginning to dip, we headed back to our hotel to get ready for dinner. Putting my makeup on in front of our HUGE window that looked directly onto the loch, I noticed the sun setting behind the hills quicker than I expected. I grabbed Liam, Indie and the camera and we headed down to the little dock and captured some of my favourite pictures of recent. You honestly can’t beat a sunset picture!

TASTING THE GRUB

Dinner time now and we were suitably starving and ready to stuff our faces! We’d read a little about the Tarken Bar & Bistro on Tripadvisor before we headed up so knew were in for some good food. For starters, we shared the Chicken and Haggis Croquettes. I’m not one to choose haggis but these were actually super tast. For mains, we chowed down the Traditional Burger in a Brioche Bun with double (or was it triple) cooked chips. TAST-Y. With little room left to spare but just enough, we ordered some desert and by desert, I mean cheese and crackers for me (LOL) and cheesecake for Liam. Full to the brim and a little tipsy from prosecco, we called it a night and headed back to our room.

Unfortunately, we had plans the next afternoon so couldn’t stay around to enjoy more of the area but we did have time to enjoy breakfast (yes, more food) before we departed and a brisk walk in the foggy weather. Again, breakfast was super tasty and set us up for the day ahead.

One thing I truly loved about St Fillan’s was how laid back the community was. Walking Indie down the road at 9am felt more like 6am with not a soul in sight and just the occasional car passing by. The Four Seasons echoes just that feeling with cosy fireplaces and the cutest library nook that would be the ideal spot to get lost in a book.

If you’re looking for a cosy, welcoming and homely place to stay with unbeatable views of Loch Lomond, The Four Seasons is just the place. I could only imagine how beautiful this place would be in the winter and would make a great Christmas getaway.

Thanks again to the staff at The Four Seasons for inviting us to stay and experience the beautiful St Fillan’s. We hope to be back one day soon.

xoxo

Falling in and out of love

I 'm gonna make a presumption and say the above heading has you questioning an uncertain love and whether or not I'm going through a rocky pre-marital stage of my relationship. Well folks, I'm happy to report that I'm not. And this blog post actually has nothing to do with the love of my relationship (phew). What I do want to talk about though is my love/hate relationship with Instagram at the moment.

I'm sure you're probably well aware of the sticky topic of Instagram's algorithm. Whether you've experienced its annoyance first hand or have seen other Instagrammers that you follow complain about it on their channel - you know something is going on and the majority rules: Not in Favour! I can now say that I'm joining this group of frustrated Instagrammers.

If you follow me on the photo sharing app you'll know that I have a modest following. For me, Instagram has never been just about the numbers but of course, creating content and getting acknowledgement via kind comments for something you've worked hard on is super rewarding. Nowadays though, you could post one really kick-ass image that's taken time and consideration, vs a lack-lustre 2-minute snap from your phone and get more engagement on the latter. Despite how much I love to capture creative imagery and (what I hope is) interesting content, the exposure you get on your work does have an impact on your motivation, whether I like it or not.

I  don't want to ramble on about what Instagram is or isn't doing but I wanted to put my thoughts down on keyboard and ask, do you still enjoy my content? I guess nowadays it's hard to know what people like and don't like so please, please, please, share your thoughts. I'll always stay true to my own style but it would be great to know what type of things you like seeing and reading.

From my side, I want to share a lot more wedding content - we're on the nine month countdown now...eek! I also always love to show fashion-led posts and despite a near non-existent clothes shopping budget atm, I'll try my best to keep this up. I'd also like to dip my toes into more emotional/real blog posts - it's one category I've typically stayed away from in the past but love to read other peoples. And finally, experiencing life and sharing those happy little moments in the best way I possibly can!

If you've made it to the end of this post - thank you! This post is a little different to what I've written in the past and am happy to step out of my comfort zone.

I hope this is the start of more regular posting here on The Girl with the Big Hair and you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.

Until next time.

xoxo