Goodbye Summer | Monkey Park, Tenerife

Now that summer in the UK is officially over, this is my last post about my holiday at the beginning of summer to Tenerife. I've dragged these out a little so that I could end summer with the memories of the heat and joy with which it began. Saying that, Autumn is a beautiful month and I am so ready to get cosy with my yankee candles, blankets and snuggly jumpers! Heading to Monkey Park was the best day of the entire holiday, and potentially the summer itself as I got to engage with these amazing creatures. Stroking a lemur(!) was simply surreal - its fur was softer than I could have ever imagined.  As always, the day had it's little hiccups - but this one was hilarious! As I was stood stroking one of the lemurs a squirrel monkey decided to pounce and sit on my head: much to the amusement of my other half. As you guys know, this blog is all about healing yourself on the outside and inside, and so I think that our summer memories are definitely something to treasure and inspire us, rather than reminisce in sadness.  What was your favourite outing this summer?

Don't Look Back in Anger | Jungle Park, Tenerife

The past few weeks I've been feeling a bit off-balance, a bit glum, and a bit in danger of slipping back into old habits. Largely this is because we haven't had an oven or grill(!) since the beginning of August, so my diet has gone massively off the wagon to say the least. BUT, to cheer myself up I've been reminding myself of all the amazing experiences I've had this summer, and one of the highlights was definitely heading to Jungle Park when me and the boy sunned it up in Tenerife for a week. 
Reminiscing over "better times" always has the added danger of making you slip into an even greater pit of self pity - the whole "why can't I just go back to that day and relive it" thing is something I'm prone to do. So, I'm determined to stop that mentality and not get frustrated about how much better that day was in comparison to this day. INSTEAD, good memories are there to make us happy - so I'm going to use this post to remind me that life is great, and full of wonders.
Anyway, the park itself was so beautiful. Although it was our most expensive day out of the entire holiday, it was possibly the most exciting. We headed to a jungle inland on the island. Exploring the park was my favourite part of the experience, as the place was full of rope bridges and little nooks and crannies to get through.
What do you do to cheer you up- when you're glum?

My Essentials | Hand Luggage for Flights

I'm not going to lie to you, I am a NIGHTMARE with packing. Not only do I always massively over pack (hello 3 outfits per each day of holiday), but I always always forget something. Although it looks like I massively under-packed my new favourite bag, keeping my essentials to a minimum meant that there was room for me to stuff a jumper in, which proved pretty useful when travelling between the UK climate and that of Tenerife! So, I thought I'd do a little list of what I take on flights in my hand luggage to help those of you who, like me, need to read through something like this in order to remember everything. Here goes:
Your passport  Pretty obvious yes, but there will always be that person who packs it in their main case and only remembers and check in and then has to trawl through the case to retrieve it. And yes, I'm pretty sure I've been there.
Entertainment My kindle is pretty much glued to me at all times, and I find it vital for waiting on airports and going on flights. Not only can I read on it, but also jot down important information and even draft a blog post or two! On my recent trip to Tenerife, me and my boyfriend also grabbed a pack of cards to bring for the flight - small enough to slip into your bag, but they can ease the boredom of a long flight a fair amount.
Your purse/wallet Again, pretty obvious. I like to carry a little bit of cash in both the currency of my home country and where I'm travelling to.
Body care This holiday I chose to take my peach body mist, which unfortunately The Body Shop seem to have stopped doing (bring it back!), and Vitamin E lip balm, as well as some hand cream from LUSH and hand gel. These were gentle enough for use before and after the flight, and massaging my hands with cream - something I rarely have time for - was a great way to occupy a few minutes of the flight.
What are your hand luggage essentials?

5 Must-Dos | Holidaying in Los Cristianos, Tenerife

Last week I had the opportunity to go on the holiday of a lifetime, and me and my boyfriend headed to Los Cristianos for our second ever holiday together (n'awww). So, I thought I'd prepare a quick low down on what I think were must-dos for anyone heading to southern coastal Tenerife.

1.) Siam Park

Heralded as one of the best water parks in the world, this is definitely a necessity for anyone heading to the area. Although the tickets aren't exactly cheap, the free bus you can get from a variety of places in South Tenerife means that there aren't too many additional costs.

2.) Monkey Park

This was perhaps my favourite thing I did all week. I mean, I got to touch a lemur, and what's better than that?! This is a fairly small place, so takes about half a day to do, leaving you with the rest of the day to catch some rays by the beach or at the pool.

3.) Beach day!

Despite both of us being pasty white folk and having to slap on the factor 50 (damn you Irish heritage!), a beach day is a must for keeping on top of a holiday budget. A pair of sun beds and a parasol cost between 9 and 12 euros for the day, and it gives you the chance to get all that Vitamin D. Personally, I like taking my kindle down to the beach with me to really lose myself in a story and completely relax.

4.) Try some tapas

Trying different / new food is one of my favourite things to do on holiday, and tapas is high on my list of favourite styles. As a truly indecisive person I love the choice it gives you, meaning you can try new things without spending a lot of money on a dish you might not even like!

5.) Jungle Park

This is pretty much a jungle zoo in south Tenerife. I loved the atmosphere there - it was pretty much a maze and there were endless amounts of rope bridges and different routes for you to take around the park to make the day more interesting. I would definitely recommend this as a place to take kids - as I was wandering around I could see that child Steph would have loved trekking around this place seeking adventure!

Have you been to Tenerife? What would you recommend?

Steph x