I haven’t been able to fly for six weeks following my surgery, so I feel like I missed out my usual summer travel escapades (although I did travel lots in June, so I suppose that made up for it). I have a holiday booked to Greece in mid-September but have been eager to find something to tired me over until then, as I’ve been largely stuck in the house (I blame the weather) or interning.
So, when UNIQLO got in touch a couple of weeks back and asked if I’d like to be a part of their mini-London holiday campaign, I think you can guess my immediate answer. It was lovely to have something in the diary to look forward to!
In addition to booking an evening River Thames cruise for myself and a guest, with bubbles and canapés, I was also treated to a new outfit – which I wore for the ‘mini holiday’ itself. Assigned a ‘nautical’ theme for my trip (which I suppose went well with our cruise), I chose this gorgeous striped three quarter length dress which is admittedly a little big for me (I opted for a medium, which I found rather generous) but so super soft and comfy. It actually looks really well made and expensive so I was really surprised to find it only cost a mere £14.90. Amazing! I teamed it with a belt to cinch things in at the waist and a pair of White Slip-On Plimsolls, also from the brands website.
I roped poor Danielle into snapping a few pictures of my outfit before we headed off to Westminster Pier to board our cruise, however as you can tell – I’m still working on the ‘fashion blogger posing’ thing. I haven’t quite mastered it yet. Any tips? My mum says I’m morphing into Sia (the singer) because I never seem to show my face. Here’s the reasons why (forever pulling the most ridiculous/confused/bemused expressions)…
After our mini photo shoot, it was time for the beginning of our mini holiday! UNIQLO organised the trip in collaboration with Virgin Experience Days, who as you probably know, offer a whole host of fun (and affordable) trips, experiences and meals. The two-hour bubbly and canapés trip we were venturing onto cost £44 for two people, which I think is actually really well priced for London! Our fellow passengers were a mix of families, couples (even one on their first date, which was both cute and cringe worthy to watch) and friends.
We were greeted with a glass of something sparkling (always a good sign and great start to any evening) and took a seat in the main area, next to the bar. As we pulled away, canapés were served and the cocktail menu was handed out. We shared a peach Bellini (a little pricey at £8, but we were on ‘holiday’ after all) and made our way up to the top deck to admire London as the sun was setting.
Live jazz music was played as we passed the Houses of Parliament, London Eye and Big Ben. We spent a good twenty minutes trying to take the perfect picture (blogger problems) before retiring to the warmth of the lower deck. Although it wasn’t cold by any means, the wind doesn’t do great things for blow-dried hair!
The trip had a very relaxed feel, as we whiled away the remainder of the trip catching up, chatting and eating yet more canapés. UNIQLO had kindly informed the cruise company that I was egg/milk free before I boarded and they actually brought me an entire plate of canapés I could eat, which was a generous gesture – since everyone else only picked at a few.
8.30pm soon found it’s way to us, as we stepped off the boat and ‘back to reality’ – well almost. Since it was a ‘holiday’ after all, we headed to The Savoy for some rather fancy cocktails, ending our trip in the best way possible!
Thank you to UNIQLO for organising a fab trip for Danielle and I. I think mini holidays (or trips) are a great idea – and it’s definitely inspired me to book more experiences in the future, as a river cruise was something I’d never even considered doing before. We both had such a great time – and I shall be wearing my outfit again soon!
Have you been on a River Thames cruise before? Or any of the Virgin Experience Days packages?
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