Not what you might expect Tom Aikens to look like

After re-opening in January this year, I was excited to check out Tom Aiken‘s Michelin-starred restaurant in Chelsea.  Although never having visited the previous restaurant, the name Tom Aiken’s carries a lot of clout in British cuisine circles (yes I put British and cuisine in the same sentence!)  Although the restaurant Tom Aikens is actually French food, you can bet that Tom’s inspiration comes from the summers that he spent in Auvergne, France.

cheers!

The decor was not what I was expecting.  Developed by Turkish designer Hakan Ezer, the main dining room has oak floors, wooden chairs and mismatched oak tables.  It feels a little minimalist, a little bit rustic, with splashings of building-site concrete, canvas and raw iron.  The restaurant feels more like a place you’d go for brunch.  Plus there are food and wine-related quotes written on the walls which is kinda fun.

Duck Cassonade Amuse-bouche

Although the environment is quite casual, you’re reminded that this is indeed a special restaurant as the tables are well spaced apart for intimacy.  Despite the lack of soft furnishings to absorb sound, the volume of noise in the restaurant is manageable.  Only if it’s completely full do you start to notice.

Amuse-bouche #2 you can eat the flowers

Now for the good stuff – the food.  We were immediately served an amuse-bouche of  duck cassonade followed swiftly by another amuse-bouche this one of pickled apples, flowers, citrus pulp.  Although not a fan of duck, I enjoyed the cassonade.  The bottom seemed like fois gras and the top foam with various consistencies in between garnished with nuts.  It was a nice creamy, savoury contrast to the second amuse-bouche which was sharp and whose flavours exploded in my mouth.

I could have stuffed myself for hours on gluten-free bread and 3 different types of butter

I was extremely impressed with the fact that we were asked before ordering whether or not we had any dietary restrictions.  I explained that while we weren’t celiacs but we preferred a gluten-free diet.  So for the first time in my life we were served gluten-free bread in a restaurant and it was actually really good.  And I’ve tried a heck of a lot gluten-free bread so I know.  Count them three different types of butters were served to us - cep mushroom, bacon and onion, and plain with rock salt.  All whipped to perfection.

The perfect smoked salmon starter

For a starter I had smoked salmon with poached apples with purée, pickled cucumbers, apples Julien, jasmine gel with jasmine consommé poured on top.  I don’t even like smoked salmon, normally.  But I was intrigued by the dish and it lived up to my expectations.  It arrived at the table on its own separate plate with its own separate glass lid.  What with all of the smoke filling the glass you couldn’t even see the salmon.  Then with a flourish the waiter raise the lid and all of the smoke wafted up in spectacular style towards the heavens.  A real crowd-pleaser this one.

Heavenly slow cooked beef with 3 different types of pumpkin

What I loved about the actual taste of the salmon was that the fish was gently smoked to perfection.  It was really more in the smell of the fish than the actual taste of it.  The fish was so lightly cooked that it was practically sushi on the inside which I love so for me it was the perfect dish.

White chocolate delight

For a main I had slow roasted beef with pumpkin 3 ways: roasted, puréed, and candied, garnished with a lettuce emulsion.  I can’t believe Tom would actually want to bother with making an emulsion of lettuce.  I find lettuce an entirely pointless vegetable but it was still tasty.

Seriously more sweets???

For dessert I had a plate full of wonderful white chocolate creations.  There were white chocolate and pepper thingies and pralines.  Everything was covered in a white chocolate powered, which I kind of choked on at one point.  If it wasn’t for the dessert I probably still would have been hungry.  My fiancé joked that we should go for a pizza afterwards but he wound up satiated in the end.

The bill

Plus with our bill arrived a whole tin of more delicious concoctions.  And the bill arrived in an old cookbook.  Nice touch.  In summary delicious and artful food in a slightly strange environment.

Here are my top tips for travelling in Europe like a local.  The more you immerse yourself in local life, the more enriching the experience!

I’ve been going through a blog identity crisis recently.  ”Hi I’m Kat.  I blog about travel, mostly European travel.  Please like my blog!”  What is this all about?  What am I all about?  Why did I start this bloody blog last summer on a complete and total whim?  Well, the simple answer is because I LOVE to blog about my experiences when I travel, what I see, what I eat, what I think and feel.  I especially love blogging about Europe.  But I wanted to explore my passion further.  Here were some of my thoughts:

To me travel in Europe doesn’t actually feel like travel.  When I think of travel in its simplest form it is going from point A to point B, sometimes mistakenly winding up at Point C and hopefully what you experience a long the way, some of it good, some of it ugly, some of it you do just to tick a box.  Rio de Janeiro tick!  Playa de las Americas tick!  Four Seasons Nevis and St Kitt’s tick!  And I can honestly say that I didn’t like any of those places (seriously, not even the Four Seasons in tropical paradise).

Villa Ephrussi, Cap Ferrat, France – my favourite European villa (that I’ve seen on my European travels so far)

All of the discomfort that I’ve felt travelling to places that I didn’t like I have never experienced in Europe.  To me, Europe is like an old cashmere sweater – warm, cozy, inviting, comfortable, familiar.  In fact I think that the best analogy to make is to relate Europe to George Clooney.  They’re both timeless classics, attractive, sexy, and aged to perfection like a great bottle of wine.  More than that I feel that Europe is the yin to my yang.  We’re polar opposites – Europe is wise, established, self-assured whereas I can be impetuous like a spoiled child, future-looking, and insecure.  But at the same time Europe grounds me and always accepts me as I am.

This element of duality plays out on a more superficial in the fact that I am a dual national citizen.  I remember when I attended my British naturalisation ceremony that the officiant made a big point about welcoming us into the British family, the fact that our diverse backgrounds were adding value to Britain, and that we should be proud of our past and where we came from.  Even on an unofficial level I have always felt welcome in Britain and the wider Europe.  Truth be told when I travel to “the Continent” (no Britain is not included in the term) the locals always accept me first as an American and second for my British passport. Apparently in neither French, nor Italian, nor the Queen’s English have I ever lost my American accent!

George Clooney boating near his house on Lake Como, Italy

I hope that you’ll help me on my blog re-branding journey.  What are the things you like about my blog?  What have you found interesting?  What could you stand less of?  I really enjoy sharing my travels with you and hope that you’ll share your views with me!

Did you know that Da Vinci wasn’t just a painter and sculpture?  He was also a musician, architect, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, geologist, cartographer, botanist, writer, and anatomist?  Seriously, where did he find the time???  On the subject of anatomy, from now until October you can see the largest display of Leonardo’s anatomy drawings at the The Queen’s Gallery in Buckingham Palace.  I was there faster than you can say “Renaissance Man.”

The Queen’s Gallery Buckingham Palace

Da Vinci’s studies and drawings on anatomy were hundreds of years before his time.  Unfortunately the drawings were “lost” for 400 years until his notebooks like the one below were recovered from a mass of materials in his estate.  Just think about it the next time you feel that you are getting behind on your filing!

Da Vinci’s notebook which contained important drawings of anatomy

Being the artist that he was, Da Vinci’s early anatomical drawings were based on what people at the time “knew” about the human body which was more theoretical than anything else.  For example in the drawing below Da Vinci draws the brain with 3 bulbs – the first for the “senso commune” (which draws signals from the 5 senses as well as houses the imagination), the second for the intellect, and the third for memory.

Da Vinci’s early drawing of the human brain containing 3 bulbs

But Da Vinci got a lot more sophisticated (and accurate) in his drawings when he was finally allowed to study cadavers (ew, gross).  Here’s a later drawing of the brain looking from above rather than profile.

Da Vinci’s brain drawing take 2

Then came war and Da Vinci had to up sticks to Venice.  So no more cadavers but he did move on to study the anatomy of animals.  How beautiful is this bear foot?

This bear foot looks strangely similar to a human foot (which is exactly why Da Vinci decided to dissect a bear leg)

One of the most stunning works for me was Da Vinci’s drawing of a foetus in utero.  I can’t imagine that this is something very easy to draw.  But the foetus is really human-like and just breath-taking to behold.

Da Vinci’s drawing of this foetus in utero was amazingly accurate considering the difficulty level in observing the subject

If you’re finding it hard to read any of Da Vinci’s writing, that could be because you need a mirror.  He wrote from left to right rather than right to left.  This is probably because it was easier for him being left-handed (and not some kind of Da Vinci code for secrecy).  Of course the language he wrote in was the Florentine dialect of Italian so don’t beat yourself up too badly if you can’t decipher his notes!

Probably the most famous of Da Vinci’s anatomy drawings is this one of the human skull

Da Vinci was always going where people hadn’t been before.  On the left side of the skull Da Vinci has captured the facial cavities and the eye sockets the holes where the optical nerves pass through.  On the right he captured for the first time the accurate number and the root structure of teeth.  I suspect his study of the mandible helped him when it came to painting Mona Lisa’s smile!

Touchstone the fool from Shakespeare’s As You Like It welcomes you to Stratford-upon-Avon

For the first time in about 5 years I decided to stay in the UK during a bank holiday weekend to play tourist.  I’m a big Shakespeare fan and have always wanted to visit his home town of Stratford-upon-Avon.  Just 2 hours by train from London’s Marylebone station it’s the perfect day trip.

Bank or church? A little confusing

The weather was not exactly obliging (hence I remembered why I normally go abroad during the long weekend, in search of sun).  However in between bouts of rain it is a lovely town to stroll through.  Stratford-upon-Avon has been very well-preserved and most of the buildings in town have been renovated to reflect the style during Shakespeare’s time.

Swan: Hey idiot, don’t lob the bread over my head. Me: Please don’t bite me you satanic bird.

You can stroll upon the river Avon, peek into the houseboats, and catch a show at the Royal Shakespeare Theater.  We had a nice lunch on Sheep Street where you will find many nice restaurants.  Then we took a tour of the various houses related to Shakespeare’s life.

Shakespeare’s Birthplace

First stop – Shakespeare’s birthplace, also referred to by signs as “The Birthplace.”  Obviously this is The Place to be!

The room where the literary genius actually entered the world

It’s always incredible to see a 500-year-old house preserved in a fantastic shape for tourists, who have been visiting for over 250 years.  Some of those tourists have been presidents, famous politicians, and illustrious writers such as Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Charles Dickens, and John Keats just to name a few.

Lovely garden behind Shakespeare’s birthplace

Next we headed to New Place and Nash’s House.  New Place is where Shakespeare lived the last of his days after retiring from London.  The house was demolished in the 18th century so actually what you visit is under excavation.  It is believed that Shakespeare wrote some of his later works at New Place including The Tempest.

Hall’s Croft

Next door at Nash’s House you can visit the house that Shakespeare’s granddaughter, Elizabeth Barnard lived with her husband Thomas Nash.  It’s now a museum dedicated to Tudor life.

Holy Trinity Church

We moved on to Hall’s Croft where Shakespeare’s daughter Susanna lived with her husband Dr. John Hall.  As a respected physician of high standing in the community you can see how a wealthy family lived during the late Tudor and early Jacobean period.  The biggest sign of their affluence?  The large rooms and wide expanse of glass which come in stark contrast to the teeny tiny windows you see on most of the other houses in town.

And this is where Shakespeare spends eternity

Finally we come to the end of Shakespeare’s life and where he was buried – Holy Trinity Church.  You have to be pretty important to get a prime real estate burial plot.  Shakespeare’s remains are laid next to his wife Anne Hathaway, daughter Susanna, son-in-law John Hall, and Thomas Nash.

Inside Holy Trinity Church Stratford-upon-Avon

Unfortunately we didn’t have time to visit Anne Hathaway’s cottage or Anne Arden’s (Shakespeare’s mum’s) farm in the same day.  However what really struck me the most about visiting Stratford-upon-Avon is the distinct impression that Shakespeare was an actual person.  It’s easy to lose yourself in his wonderful plays and forget that the man was a living, breathing legend.

A tribute to my favourite of Shakespeare’s plays – Much Ado About Nothing the 1993 movie with a star-studded cast and where Keanu Reeves first exposed himself as a very bad actor.

After 9 years of living in London, it’s been a while since I’ve been excited about a new (to me) restaurant.  Then I went to Rasoi in Chelsea on Sunday night and I got excited.  Very excited.

Ding-dong! We’ve arrived

Rasoi is the result of a brilliant husband and wife team - Vineet and Rashima Bhatia.  When we rang the doorbell of 10 Lincoln Street, we weren’t sure if we were in the right place.  Then we were ushered into an intimate dining room, no more than 12 tables in the whole restaurant split between two rooms.  It was like dining in someone from the upper crust’s Mumbai home.

Help me select from the gorgeous menu!

When we were given our menus my crisis started.  How on earth could I select?  In most other restaurants I read a few things on the menu and then something jumps out as the obvious choice.  Here at Rasoi I laboured and laboured to finally make a decision.  My fiancé and I made a pact that we’d order different things and then share.  Good idea in theory, rubbish in practice as neither of us would part with any of the food on our plates.  However, for the record he did admit at the end of the meal that I chose better on every course!

Amuse-bouche

The first plate to arrive was compliments of the chef – a cheese and rice puff pastry, mushroom soup and pappadoms with coriander and mango chutney.  The puff pastries were delicious, a great consistency.  The mushroom soup had an edgy spice to it the left us wanting more “er, do you make this in a starter size?” Unfortunately not.  Normally I skip over pappadoms.  I mean they’re really don’t add any value to a meal but I thought I would have a taste and glad I did.  These pappadoms were light yet substantial, not greasy at all.  Plus the chutneys were very fresh and flavourful.

Shrimp, Scallops, Crab, yes please

My shrimp and scallops were marinated in chillis and served on skewers.  My crab risotto was heavenly (and served in its own special box).

Seabass two ways – tandoori and grilled with lemongrass

Finally the piece de resistance arrived – seabass served two ways.  On the top the filet of seabass was cooked Tandoori style and on bottom the filet was grilled with lemongrass.  The fish was served along side a beet root semolina with pea purée.  Not being familiar with semolina I was a little skeptical.  I’d describe the texture as a sort of grits for the Americans or a very course polenta for the Italians.  To top of the dish a tomato foam garnished the side.  I’m not sure the point of foam but I do know that it comes with fancy meals and has a pleasing texture on the tongue!  As per normal in an Indian restaurant I ordered a side of raita.  The cucumber chunks were so big and the yoghurt so thick that the raita could practically stand up by itself.  Even something that could have been overlooked as an accompaniment was extraordinary at Rasoi.

This chocolate dessert should have been for two people

When my dessert arrived I started to wonder whether I had been wrong in declaring my seabass the piece de resistance.  I have never had chocolate served up so many different ways on one plate!  Starting from the two-o-clock position there were chocolate samosas with 2 different types of chocolate, a chocolate caramelised nut delice, a dark chocolate cumin fondant which I can only describe as hot chocolate soufflé soup, a winter berries kulfi capsule (sort of like hard ice cream) which helped combat the sweetness of the other things on the plate, and finally a Paan chutney chocolate panacotta which I was warned to eat last since it was a digestive and left an aftertaste of incense.  They were right.  It was like noshing on an incense stick (but it a nice way).

What I love about London is how restaurants like Rasoi have elevated Indian food to a fine culinary experience.  Up until my visit to Rasoi, Zaika had previously been my favourite Indian restaurant in all of London and perhaps uncoincidently Chef-restauranteur Bhatia was behind that one too.  In fact Bhatia has been quite revolutionary on the Indian restaurant scene.  He was the first India to hold a Michelin star for Zaika (back in 2001) and his second Michelin star came in 2006 for Rasoi.  I tend to have the same taste as Mr Michelin so I will certainly be paying Rasoi a repeat visit.

It may not be the Taj Mahal but to me the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens is the largest tribute to love in London.  Commissioned by Queen Victoria after her beloved husband’s death in 1861.  Theirs was a real love match, before it was cool for royals to marry for love.  They clearly fancied each other as the fact that they had 9 children would seem to indicate!

Portrait by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1842

At the four corners of the base, there are two allegorical sculpture programs: one depicting Victorian industrial arts and sciences (agriculture, commerce,  engineering and manufacturing) as well as another depicting the 4 continents of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas through representative animals (bull, elephant, camel, and bison respectively). And in the middle of it all is Prince Albert holding court quite dramatically in gilt bronze.

I could sit on a park bench and stare at this colossal monument for hours reflecting on how heartbroken Victoria was that she had to live the rest of her life without her beloved Albert.  She wore black for the rest of her days, had all of the railings and fences in London painted black, and retired from public life, such was the acute suffering that Albert’s death brought upon her.

A young Victoria waltzing with Albert at her coronation ball (before they were married) as played by Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend.

Montpelier Plantation, Nevis

I have never been so relaxed in my life as when I visited Montpelier Plantation on the island of Nevis.  From when we were first welcomed by Valerie from Spain to when we were checked out by Jackie from Yorkshire, the staff were attentive and always greeted us by our first names.  It’s these sorts of personal touches that can’t help but make you feel comfortable and start the unwinding process which modern life has made necessary through its day to day accumulation of stress.

The old mill - you can have dinner inside it

Valerie gave us a tour of the property after we checked in.  ”See the old mill?  You can have dinner in there.”  Indeed upon further inspection I could see tables had been set up inside the large brick structure.  We then crossed paths with Benjamin the chef and were promptly introduced.  ”Enjoy your stay!” He told us.

I'm a sucker for mosaics, and the one at the bottom of the pool is one of the finest

We were shown the pool area complete with bar and beautiful mosaic swimming pool.  By the time we got to our room we were very impressed.  There are only 19 rooms on the property so except at breakfast or at the pool you rarely see other guests.  All of the 19 rooms have ocean views and various places on the property boast fantastic views of Nevis Peak, a potentially active volcano, but don’t worry the last eruption was in prehistoric days!

The cows seem oblivious to the volcano

The plantation room that we stayed is was simple, yet elegant.  My favourite aspect about it was the fact that it didn’t have a TV.  In the evenings with the windows open you get a lovely breeze and can let yourself be sung to sleep by the crickets who kindly offer up a lullaby.  I absolutely loved this.  My fiancé was not so enthusiastic, but he’s a city boy so you can kind of understand.  Full sized Elemis products in the bathroom were the perfect luxurious touch.  Not to mention the daily housekeeping ritual of making the beds in the morning with a duvet and then removing the duvet before bed so you can slip under the cool crisp sheets and not be too hot whilst you sleep.

Can you hear the crickets and feel the breeze?

Although nicely perched high up a mountain, the Montpelier Planation’s private beach is on the other side of the island, a 15 minute drive away.  At first I was a little sceptical of the length of the drive but it’s totally worth it.  The beach couldn’t be lovelier.  One morning when we arrived we were the only ones there for a few hours. So we had our own private beach with views of St Kitt’s.  There’s a nice guy down at the beach who works the bar, so you’re never short of cocktails and food if required!

Views of St Kitt's at the Montpelier's private beach

There’s plenty to do at the Montpelier Plantation.  You can book yourself into the spa, go for a tennis lesson, hike through the rain forest.  Or if you prefer you can just swing back and forth in a hammock until the cows come home (and there are plenty of cows just across the street!)

Relax here in the evenings with a glass of wine

I can’t state enough just how peaceful and relaxing the Montpelier Plantation is.  Despite feeling completely disconnected from the world, you can still access it on the free wifi.  It is truly the best of everything!

In our final instalment with our resident plane spotter, David O’Reilly, I ask him all of my paranoid questions and like a champ he’s got answers for everything!

What is the paperwork that the despatch officer gives the captain to sign? Isn’t it just a list of passengers?

The captain is signing a document called a load sheet which sets out not just the number of passengers and crew on board for load balancing purposes (called trimming the aircraft) but also the cargo on board and the fuel on board (FOB). This process is much more than just bureaucratic red tape, there is a much more practical angle to what is going on here. Airliners are not like your family car, where you just refuel up to the top of the tank each time you visit the gas station: it costs money to fly a plane that is loaded with too much fuel for the weight it has to carry and for the journey it has to make. Loading the correct fuel is therefore very important to the airline, keeping everything within safe limits obviously (such as having an emergency reserve or buffer in the tank to divert to another airport or to hold in a circle over the airport if required).

What on earth does “cabin doors to automatic and cross check” mean?

After the paperwork is signed and the cabin doors are sealed you’ll hear this familiar command announced on the PA system by the chief flight attendant. Each door has an inflatable rubber slide which, when the door is set to “automatic”, fires itself and inflates automatically if that door is opened for any reason. Once a plane is on the ground and the doors need to be opened for disembarking or loading passengers, the doors are set to manual which means the slide will not fire itself and inflate (which would be embarrassing for everyone concerned).

What is that high pitched whining noise when the engines first start up?

This is called spooling up, and typically one engine is started (using a device in the plane called an APU, which stands for auxiliary power unit, to get things rolling). Think of the APU as the battery in your family car. Once engine 1 has roared into life, it can be used to kick start engine 2, and so on. After the engines are stabilised and the push back tug has detached and severed its wire to the plane (which connects the cockpit to the tug controller), the plane is on its own steam and ready to taxi to its take off position on the runway.

Initial take off and climb out - wheels still down

Before powering up for takeoff, why do I hear (and see) various flying surfaces moving around and whirring, clunking and thumping? It kind of makes me nervous…

Rest assured these are positive signs. Some of these movements are being carried out by the pilots to check their controls are working properly and that all the moving parts on the tail and the wings are operating as they should. However, if you monitor your wing you will see parts growing from the front and especially at the back (extending rearwards and downwards), leaving a small gap between the main section and the extended section. These extensions are called leading edge slats (which extend over the front, and downwards, like mini scoops) and flaps (which extend rearwards and downwards, and are generally larger and easier to spot moving into position as you taxi out to the end of the runway before take-off).

Why do the pilots use these devices at all?

They are used in order to optimise the performance of the wing in terms of its ability to lift the aircraft (the correct term for this being the co-efficient of lift) which means that the aircraft can fly properly at lower speeds. Having these devices extended on the wing makes it easier to get off the ground, at a slower speed than the plane otherwise could. They also enable the plane to fly in and land safely at the lowest speed possible, making landing safer and smoother for everyone on board.

What else can I expect to see as far as aircraft preparation for takeoff?

You may also see sections of the wing raise themselves up in the air briefly before coming back down again, as the pilots go through all their controls moving everything back and forth to make sure it is smooth and fully functional before takeoff. These are called spoilers, and as the name implies, they are little parts of the wing that can be raised to spoil (break up) the flow of air over the wing and begin slowing the plane down and reducing lift to aid descent prior to landing. Keep an eye out for these being raised as you get towards the end of your flight, most likely you will see them being used out of the window, you will feel a slight movement as the plane begins to slow down and descend, accompanied by some reduction or change in the engine noise, and you may then hear an announcement from the pilot or the crew to the effect that the initial descent into your destination airport has begun.

The under carriage of a 747 - note the large flaps extended at the back of the wing

What is the average speed of an aircraft as it goes down the runway for takeoff?

In general, commercial airliners take off at a speed in the region of 150mph-180mph. Some planes have a higher power ratio than others and climb out faster or slower at shallower or steeper angles.

Ok we’re airborne now what is that whirring noise followed by a bump?

That’s the sound and sensation of the landing gear being brought up and locking into position. You will also hear a little bit after this the sound of the slats and flaps retracting; once the plane has climbed high enough and is cruising fast enough these can be retracted.

Why not just leave the slats and flaps extended rather than retracting them since they are so helpful at creating lift in the wing?

That’s a good question; actually they are a bit of a double edged sword. They increase the plane’s drag (which means they slow it down and make it more cumbersome in the air to fly) if they are left extended all the time. So, they are safely put away, to be brought back into play during the final approach as the plane is close to landing at the other end of the journey.

The most enjoyable part of aviation research!

I noticed that the flight attendants start to move around the cabin in reaction to a beeping noise. Is it a secret code?

It’s not a secret code but that sound can either be a pre-arranged beep or series of beeps. These differ from airline to airline and some pilots have their own little code which they brief their crew on before each specific flight. In essence they will ping a pre-set number of beeps out on the PA system once they are happy with the performance of the aircraft immediately following take off, followed by another beep or series of beeps when they are happy to allow the crew to get up and start moving around the cabin to begin their drinks service. This is my favourite part of any flight.

Happy flying and safe landing wherever your travels may take you!

About the author

David O’Reilly has worked in London since 2003 as a corporate finance advisor to European technology and media corporate clients. He lives in Kew Gardens in London. His favourite past time is settling back in his BA Club World seat with a glass of wine and day dreaming out of the window.

The Hotel Le Toiny in St Barth’s has pretty much ruined me for every hotel I may ever stay in again.  I just can’t picture having such an amazing experience anywhere else.

Our living room at Le Toiny

It all started with a swift and efficient pick up at the airport.  We were greeted by a very friendly Frenchman who proceeded to tell us everything there was to know about the island the entire way to the hotel.

Best Madeleines I've ever tasted

Upon arrival we were escorted into the reception by more friendly staff who couldn’t apologise enough that our room wasn’t ready yet.  It was only 10am so we weren’t expecting the room to be ready anyways.  We were told that there are a lot of preparations that go into making the room suitable for our arrival.  It’s only after seeing the room for the first time that I understood.  In the meantime a rental car was ordered for us and we enjoyed some fruit salad by the pool overlooking the sea.

Our private infinity pool and ocean panorama

While we lounged by the pool I looked down the hills below us and saw many green copper roofs.  ”I think we’re getting our own private villa!” I tried to discretely inform my travel companion which came out more like a screechy hiss.  He replied negative that he thought for sure there were multiple rooms in each complex.  Liar.

Bedroom complete with virtual fish tank on the flatscreen TV

When we first entered villa 13 I was shocked.  It was indeed our own villa with a spacious living room/kitchenette, bedroom, infinity pool, and the largest bathroom I’ve ever seen in my life.  The bathroom was almost the same size as the bedroom.  Here at Le Toiny the devil is in the detail.  There were home baked madeleines and chocolate cakes waiting to be eaten.  There was a lime and knife resting on the kitchenette counter top just to put in our complimentary water.  There was an electric bug swatter shaped like a tennis racket so you could multitask by killing bugs and practicing your back hand at the same time.

Tennis or bug killing anyone?

For dinner we headed to Le Gaiac where head chef Stephane Mazieres is cooking up both classic and local inspired French cuisine.  I had wonderful crab stuffed spring rolls and a beautiful filet steak.

Fried risotto with seafood

When we returned to our room white muslin had been draped over the top and sides of our four poster bed to keep the bugs out presumably.  What a nice touch.

Crab stuffed springrolls

The next morning we elected to have our breakfast served on our outdoor terrace.  After breakfast we floated around our private infinity pool which was just large enough for the two of us to each have our own floating raft.

You could park the smart car we rented in our shower!

I will always have fond memories of Le Toiny for not only is it the most amazing place I’ve ever stayed but it is also where my travel companion got upgraded to “life” companion.  In colloquial terms – we’re engaged!