How My European Holiday Just Doubled in Length

Some coincidences are so random and odd that you can't even reconcile them in your head.

A while ago, I went to the Africology Spa Launch at the Maslow Hotel. It's stunning- you must go check it out. While there, I met Sarah who blogs at The Angel Headed Hipster. I also met her mom, Kerry, from Pleiades Media. We got chatting about what we do and I told her about my upcoming trip to Europe. She mentioned that she does PR for Cruises International.

I've never really been interested in going on a cruise, possibly because the only cruises I've heard people talk about are the MSC ones that go to "nowhere" or to an isolated Portuguese Island where there are no toilets. I'm definitely more keen to explore a city, rather than a ship, so have never pursued reviewing a cruise liner. I told Kerry this and she said I've got it all wrong- Cruises International do luxury European cruises, through the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. Now that sounds like my kinda holiday :) We spoke about maybe looking at me doing a review of one in 2014, because I was already going to Europe this year and I have endless leave constraints, but also because she suspected they might have exhausted their press trips for 2013.

We promised to stay in touch but then I lost her business card and forgot about it for a while, until a tweet from Sarah popped up on my timeline and I was reminded about it. I asked Sarah for her mom's email addy and dropped her a mail just introducing myself for future reference.

About 2 weeks ago, she gave me a call and asked if I'd like to go on a cruise straight after my holiday to Paris, Madrid and Barcelona, given that I'm already going to be in Europe.
I immediately googled the liner (Azamara) and discovered that there was a cruise through the Italian Riviera happening 4 days after I was due to depart Madrid. So, obviously I said yes, but I knew there were tons of obstacles in my way and it most likely wasn't going to materialise. The thing is, opportunities like this don't come around often. I declined a press trip to Mauritius earlier this year because it "wasn't the right time" and now they've run out of tickets and I've lost the chance to go. So I was determined that if I could get this to work, there was no way I'd turn it down.

1) Kerry still had to check if a) the ship was even interested in hosting me and b) if they had availability for the specific cruise I wanted to go on.
2) I needed to check with my editor at the Sunday Independent if she would be happy for me to write a story about the cruise. She already agreed to me doing a trade exchange with a hotel in Paris in return for a story in the newspaper about that so I was worried 2 travel stories may be too much.
3) This "extended" version of the trip would require 15 days of leave. By July, I'd only have 13.
4) What's the point of an adventure if you can't share it with the person you love most? I still had to convince my anti- travel husband, whose arm I already had to twist to agree to the Paris/Madrid/Barcelona trip.
5) At this point, my dad had just been hospitalised and was not doing that well. If his condition were to worsen, I was contemplating cancelling my original trip.
6) The cruise ends in Nice, so I'd have to change my flight from Madrid - JNB to Nice - JNB. Cost implication, a hefty R10k for the 2 of us.

So, you can understand why I was pretty much convinced that I wouldn't be able pull it off, especially with 2 weeks to go!

Slowly, the pieces of the puzzle started coming together. Kerry said that the ship was keen to send me, we just had to confirm availability. The editor agreed to me running the story. Work allowed me to take 2 days of unpaid leave. Rishav saw that we'd be going to Monaco on the cruise and that alone seemed to convince him. My dad started feeling better and was discharged from hospital. Miraculously, the airline cost dropped from R10k to R4k. And then, the cruise confirmed availability a few days ago.

And I was finally allowed to get excited :) I know. I'm disgustingly lucky.

So: here's what I'll be up to:

We leave for Paris next Tuesday night, and arrive there on Wednesday morning. After 3 nights there, we go to Barcelona for 4 nights, and then to Madrid for another 4 nights. From there, we fly to Rome, spend 4 nights there, and then embark the cruise. The itinerary for the cruise looks amazing. Check it out.

How awesome is it that the ship docks at each spot early in the morning and only leaves late at night, so there's no real time wasted on the ship, and lots of time for exploring and eating.

Azamara has tons of other cruises- fancy cruising through Greece? What about going from Ibiza, to Cannes, to Nice? The cruises start at around R25k per person which is probably what you'd pay for 4 star accommodation in those places anyway. Plus with the cruise you get free drinks and transport (obviously :P)

Visit www.cruises.co.za for more.

So- a quick 10 day trip turned into 3 weeks in Europe, starting Tuesday. Sadly, I just have not had any time to write any posts to schedule while I'm away. I need to write all of June's Sunday Independent stories in advance and that is going to occupy me most of this weekend... so this blog is shutting down until July :(

I'll miss you guys terribly, but follow me on Twitter: @hasmita and Instagram: jozilicious for the low down on what I'll be up to. And I'll be seeing some of you at the Jozilicious Reader Mixer- yay! Thanks so much for the AMAZING response I received- tickets were sold out within a few hours! I'll make sure to host the next event at a bigger venue :)

Stay warm, eat well and have fun.

Lots of love, H

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You're Invited: The Inaugural Jozilicious Reader Mixer

*update*- unfortunately all tickets are now sold out, but let me know if you'd like me to put you on the waiting list

I've always said that the best part about having a blog is being part of a community- like minded people who are passionate about the same things I am. I thought it would be a great idea to organize a Reader Mixer where I can meet you, you can meet eachother, and we can talk about the things we love all afternoon, over some delicious food.

I've arranged a discounted rate from Belle's - you'll get a full high tea for only R100, and there are TONS of prizes to be given away in the lucky draw from all the places I love (I'm talking dinner vouchers, Lindt hampers, sunglasses, vouchers and hampers from my favourite stores), plus an awesome goodie bag including a Belle's red velvet cupcake, full size artisan jam, plus more. 

So bring your boyfriends, girlfriends, wives and husbands, family and friends... and join me for an afternoon of yumminess and fun. 

 

This is going to be the first reader event of many, I hope to make them bigger and better with even more prizes going forward.

I hope to see you all there!

xx H

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3 Jozi Pop Up Spots You Need to Know About

This is just a quick post to make sure that you guys are in the know about pop up dinners which are currently all the rage in Jozi.

The first one is Secret Eats- Jozi Foodie Fix blogged about it here, but basically the (very exciting!) concept hails from Cape Town, and the idea is an underground SURPRISE dining experience. They'll get the best chefs from all over the country to cook, and you'll only find out where the venue is on the day. Tickets are quite expensive (R650 pp if my memory serves me correctly), and they're invitation only, but anyone can request an invitation (sneaky?) I can't make the one coming up next weekend but I hope to make the next one in July.

Visit www.thesecreteats.com for deets on that. 

The next one I want to tell you about is Union Bar's pop up restaurant at Melrose Arch called The Dining Room. I skipped the launch a few weeks ago- when I first started this blog I was a bit of an event whore, I went to everything, sometimes multiple events in one night - no innuendo at all there :P Now I still go to the odd event, but I try and prioritize my family (ie husband and cats).

This is their second year hosting the pop up bar, but for the first time this year there's a restaurant too- seating only 16 people and hosted by Vicky Crease, culinary goddess. I've tasted some of her food at a couple of corporate events I've been to and it's always amazing.

By the time I visit The Dining Room and then blog about it it's probably going to be too late for you to get a booking, and it's only going to be around till 13 July, so you'd better get moving. The bar offers artisan cocktails and the restaurant Michelin starred food. The menu looks particularly enticing, read here. 6 courses for R350 --> not bad! 

Lastly, check out Farm Feasts. This is an unconventional dining experience in spectacular locations, like greenhouses and strawberry patches, started by people who love food and love to cook. I'm going to the next feast on Sunday 9 June and I'm really looking forward to it, food and sunshine are my two favourite things! (ok, airplanes too). There is also a feast happening on Saturday 8 June at Sunherbs farm- R550 covers your 4/5 course meal + beers and wine. Buy tickets here or visit www.downtoearth.travel. I want to do a story on this in the Sunday Independent so you may not see a review about it for a while :( 

It feels strange to blog and not give you an update on my life... so if you don't wanna know (and just use me for my foodie knowledge :P, stop here.) 

Truthfully, it's been a really rough time for me. My dad's lung cancer has worsened and has spread to the brain. I was in PE last weekend and it was my first time seeing him in hospital which was hard. I think everyone has come to terms with the situation and the fact that he isn't going to get better :( I got to spend some quality time with him and my mom but it's sad to see him so weak, he's lost alot of weight too. He's at home now, and doing relatively well. All we can do now is take things one day at a time. As you may know, I've got my European trip coming up in 12 days and I've been in 2 minds about whether or not to cancel it. I've decided to carry on as planned, and cancel or come back if I need to. It's not a decision I feel entirely comfortable with, but I hope it all works out.

In other news, my hubby writes his CFA exam on Saturday, so after that I'll FINALLY have a husband again! He's a lot less moody than I am when I'm studying so I'm grateful for that. In fact, he's been at home on study leave for the past 2 weeks and I've had a yummy meal waiting for me most days when I get home from work :) We haven't been eating out for the past month and although I've missed wining and dining terribly, I've lost 2kg because of it- without changing anything else. Well, I'm sure it's going to come back double fold because I have TONS of foodie reviews lined up now that my foodie partner and photographer's calendar is free again! And of course, when in Paris I plan to feast on Nutella crepes and cheese croissants. 

So yes, I'm pretty good at compartmentalizing and I'm carrying on with my life and my exciting plans and the things I love but the bottom of my heart is very sad. Sad for my dad and sad for my mother and sad when I think about all our family memories that we may not have a chance to replicate. 

x
H

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Highlights of a weekend in Joburg City

A few weeks ago, I joined over 70 other media in Joburg City, for a weekend of exploration and fun. I covered the event in a double spread for the Sunday Independent, which you can read here. 

To be quite honest, if I didn't work in the city, my knowledge of it would probably be limited to the markets- Market on Main and Neighbourgoods. I know that many "Northerners" wouldn't dare venture into the city. It makes me so sad, because people don't really know how different the inner city is to Northern Joburg. It's raw, authentic. It's where Jozi, this city we love, started, and there is SO much to do and see. Safety is an issue, yes, but it's just as much of an issue driving anywhere in Jozi or in SA for that matter. Safety and traffic are the only 2 negative things about Joburg. 

To compensate for that, we have the most beautiful weather in the world, the best choice of restaurants and food, a wide range of affordable, quality entertainment, and a relatively low cost of living, enabling us to live within the city at affordable prices. Cross over to London- people have to deal with grey, rainy weather 10 out of 12 months, as well as 1 hour + commutes to and from work. They also have to work ridiculous hours and financially end up pretty much the same as we do, when you consider how expensive it is to live there. 

Anyway, I'm going off on a tangent.. the point is, Jozi is awesome, and you need to explore it FULLY to call yourself a true Joburger. That means venturing further South than Parkhurst :) Our itinerary was crafted with this in mind, and although it was jam packed, I left with even a greater appreciation for this city I am lucky enough to call home. 

The media weekend was a prelude to the Joburg City Festival which is happening from 25- 31 August. All the shops and restaurants will be open till late, the public areas like Mary Fitzgerald Square will have special events on, and everyone will be in the city during this week. We just had a small taste of it, and it was incredible. 

We started off with cocktails at the Apprentice Penthouse Apartment at Corner House. This is an 800 sqm luxury apartment used for events and parties. It was uber luxurious and huge, with a stunning view over the city. 

Dining Room at the Apprentice Apartment

From there, we walked (!) to the Rand Club, one of Jozi's oldest buildings. It was a gentleman's only club until very recently, but is now used as a restaurant as well as an events venue. We were greeted with a surprise performance by the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra which we enjoyed while sipping on gluhwein. The Rand Club is seriously old school, I loved it! It's extremely opulent and is furnished with solid wood, antique pieces. My favourite room was the library... I could spend hours in there! 

My hotel for the weekend was the Reef hotel. Now I was seriously skeptical about staying in a hotel in the city, you guys know how fussy I am! I was even contemplating driving home and then driving back early in the morning for breakfast. I'm pleased to report that apart from smelling a bit smokey, my room was spotless and was furnished with everything I could possibly need. 

We then went up to Top 5, Reef Hotel's restaurant. The restaurant is beautifully decorated, but apart from dessert (chocolate torte) I didn't think the food was that good, although I love the concept. The restaurant picks 5 amateur chefs who then do their apprenticeship there. 

Breakfast the next day was at Goldmine Cafe- again, beautifully decorated but disappointing food. 

The highlight of the weekend for me was really the walking tour we did with Joburg Places founder, Gerald Garner. You may be familiar with his Joburg Places book; I've seen dog eared copies in all my fav coffee shops. This man is really an encyclopedia of knowledge about Jozi. The tour was absolutely fascinating. As we walked, he took us through how Jozi started, how the city came alive with the discovery of gold, and then how it subsequently became abandoned and derelict. Despite working in the city for 3 years, and doing my share of walking within the city, I was exposed to so much- just a stone's throw away from Anglo American's offices. 

Our tour group in front of the Rand Club, with Gerald in the front 

I thought I was addicted to my phone, but I was exposed to another level of phone addiction that weekend. These guys carry their chargers around with them, and charged their phones at every available plug point throughout each of the stops on our tour. So funny! When we were in the shuttle, it was a fight over who would get the car charger :) 

We walked through Gandhi square.. 

Visited Ernest Oppenheimer Park.. a beautiful landscaped garden alongside a basketball court

Walked past Bank City and FNB's offices

Saw the very first Markham store- which still stands today!

Went to the newly renovated city libary

And finally, saw Chancellor House, where Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo had their law offices

 Next, we went to the Fashion Kapitol. I didn't even know this existed. There's a market on every Saturday, and the day we went there was a fashion show happening, showcasing young designers' work. 

After that, we went to a networking event where we got to meet various inner city tourism players. Lastly, we went to the Parktonian Hotel in Braamfontein for sundowners. There was a Mexican theme and there may be a few videos on Vine of me doing the Macarena! 

Another highlight for me was the underground dinner at Turbine Hall. It has an almost medieval feel to it, and we sat at a stunning long table. I loved the feel of the venue. It is mostly open for weddings and conferences, but they do host dinners for the public every Friday night at a cost of R330. Our starter (salted sourdough bread) was WAY too salty, but the rest of the meal was divine. Super yummy chicken curry and a table of desserts that looked seriously enticing.

I was eager to get back home and see my hubby and cats by this point. It's a catch 22 with these media events because most of them are for single occupancy only and weekends are family time for us. In any event, I also had to spend Sunday writing the article for the newspaper, so I opted to go home after the dinner and skip Sunday's activities- a morning at Market on Main. I've been there tons of times so I didn't feel like I was missing out too much. 

All in all, a fabulous weekend and I can't WAIT for the Joburg City Festival in August! 

For more deets, follow @joburgcity on Twitter. 

xx
H

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A new Jozilicious Sponsor- Michael Kors

I've been so lucky to have the support of the most amazing sponsors on this blog; people and brands who believed in Jozilicious when the blog was really in infancy stage. Until recently, my sponsors were Soho for nails, Goddessa for laser and Midori for hair- really the best of the best in the industry and those are places I'd go anyway even if they weren't my sponsors! 

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to pick out a pair of sunglasses from the showroom at Moscon Optics, who distribute a number of eyeware brands to retailers, including CK, Levi's, Diesel, Lacoste and Michael Kors. 

I was like a kid in a candy store in that showroom, and I finally decided on a pair of gorgeous Michael Kors sunnies. I didn't want anything too "out there", and initially had my heart set on a pair of aviators but when I tried them on they just weren't doing it for me. 

Michael Kors is famously quoted to have said: "I believe a woman can have it all. She can be sporty and sexy, glamorous and comfortable, powerful and feminine". I only really discovered the brand when I was in New York last year (it's huge there), when I bought the most gorgeous wallet. 

MICHAEL Michael Kors Saffiano Carryall Wallet (see more zip bags)

And the inside + back...

He's famously dressed everyone from Michelle Obama to Blake Lively, and the brand promises effortlessly chic, wearable products. 

So here is my choice... 

Love! The full range that Moscon distributes is available at Mellins in Fourways, who I incidentally blogged about before. 

Happy Monday :)

xx

H

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Jozi's coziest coffee shop: Daleah's in Braamfontein

Some time ago, I was researching a story for the Sunday Independent called "A walk through Braamfontein". It's actually just been published on IOL so you can read it here. There's always a bit of a lag with these posts cos I have to wait for them to be published in the newspaper before I can feature content on the blog :( 

My friend came with me, and we walked through Neighbourgoods and had lunch. We then wanted dessert, but because it was quite late most of the stalls were close to being sold out. We ambled around for a while, and stumbled across Daleah's. It's on De Beer Street, basically within the Juta street hub, and it just has the nicest feeling to it. The owner, Daleah, dreamt about starting an eatery for her whole life, and so, Daleah's was born. 

When I went, they had literally been open for 4 days so the place wasn't very busy. I've heard that they're getting alot busier now so you may struggle to find a table. The menu is mostly light meals- burgers, salads, sandwiches. There's free wifi and something about the place just works. Know when you walk into a restaurant/ coffee shop and you just know you like the atmosphere? If I worked from home, I could sit there for hours on my laptop and not feel like I was overstaying my welcome. I love that there's been utmost thought given to the details- like the monogrammed coasters and the art on the walls. It just feels special. 

That's Daleah behind the till

They also have a private outdoor dining area- how cute?!

The yummiest coconut and marshmallow cupcake - SO GOOD

A chalkboard menu that actually changes 

My friend took some snaps of me, one of which I've used as my Twitter avatar. 

Drop by and let me know what you think?

Daleah's is on 6 De Beer Street, Braamfontein. They're only open during the day.

xx
H

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My first facial peel with SkinCeuticals*

Some time ago, I attended the launch of SkinCeuticals- advanced professional skincare backed by science. 

Luckily, I don't have very problematic skin. Thank goodness for that because my weight is an endless struggle; if I had to worry about my skin too, I would be miserable! That said, I do want to start investing in a premium skincare brand, more for later than for now. I am starting to get lines under my eyes and I want to use a good product for preventative reasons. I've been using Olay for years, and I'm stuck when it comes to choosing which product to upgrade to. 

There are the usual department store brands, like Clinique, Dermalogica, Clarins and Estee Lauder, and then there are more advanced brands which are only available at medical salons, like QMS and now, SkinCeuticals. I'm inclined to think that the latter two are probably better, albeit more expensive than the former, just because of the amount of research and science that goes into the formulations. I think brands like Clinique, Clarins etc spend so much on marketing and "prettying" up the packaging, that realistically at least 30% of what you're paying for the product goes towards that. 

SkinCeuticals is made in the USA, and is recommended by dermatologists and plastic surgeons. They believe that there are 3 fundamental steps to prevent and correct signs of aging caused by the environment.
1) antioxidant serums: these reinforce the skin's natural antioxidant defences against environmental attacks, like UV rays, pollution, stress and smoke
2) suncreens: act as a barrier against UV rays
3) corrective treatments specific to your skin

At the launch, we were each given an antioxidant which I've been using on my face since. It is supposed to assist with skin tone and blotchiness. Will keep you posted on the developments (it can take 4-8 weeks to get results) but given my relatively good starting point I'm not sure I'll see much improvement. 

What I really wanted to write about in this post, is the facial peel I experienced. We were all given a voucher for peel, at plastic surgeon Dr Mark Steinmann's rooms in Rosebank. I was slightly terrified beforehand, because I've heard horror stories about peels and I had to go straight back to the office afterwards and also had plans the entire weekend so I didn't want to be all red and blotchy. Obviously I took advantage of the fact that I was at a plastic surgeon's office and asked about liposuction, apparently it starts from R25k :/ 

The peel costs R1100 and is recommended once a month. It promises to: 
- stimulate collagen production to reduce signs of fine lines and wrinkles
- soften and smooth the skin's surface and reduce dullness
- decrease the frequency of acne 

The whole experience literally took 20 minutes. We started by cleansing and disinfecting the skin, and then the actual peel was applied for only 3 minutes. During these 3 minutes, it stung and burnt a bit but it was nothing I couldn't handle. Afterwards, we followed SkinCeuticals' 3 steps: antioxidant, sunscreen and moisturize. 

Afterwards, my skin was literally glowing. Now at a cost of R1100 I'm not sure if it is something I'd budget for monthly, but for special occasions like weddings (not that I'm planning to have one of those again) or important events, I think I would consider it. I'm not sure there's a facial out there that can achieve such quick and effective results. 

My therapist also talked me into buying a sunscreen. It was R440 (20% discount because I had a peel), and this is something I think is absolutely necessary. Everyone knows most of the damage to skin is because of the sun. Olay only has SPF15 which isn't nearly enough when walking around in the sun, which I will be doing soon on my European holiday (*squeal*). This one is SPF50. I definitely don't want to use that horrible white runny supermarket sunscreen on my face so I think this is a good investment. You only need a pea sized amount so I'm sure it will last a while; I don't plan on using it on the days I'm just in the office. 

If you're keen to know more about SkinCeuticals, visit their website: www.skinceuticals.com. You can also pop into Tusc in Sandton City (opposite Soho Nail Salon). They stock the full range of products and will be able to give you a complete run down. For a facial peel, call Dr Steinmann's offices on 011 447 5171. 

Here's to beautiful skin!
x
H

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Piza e Vino: 2 can dine with pizza and wine for R99*

Piza e Vino is one of those trusty, reliable restaurants where you can always be assured of a great meal. To be honest, I actually don't visit these types of restaurants often because I always want to try something new, and I hate getting stuck in a routine where I visit the same places over and over again. I also avoid reviewing franchise spots on the blog, I try and keep my reviews to unique spots you may not have heard of. I'm making an exception this time, because their current special is too good not to share. 

Now that Piza e Vino has opened 5 minutes away from home, at the Wedge in Morningside, I think I might be visiting it more often on the nights I'm too lazy to cook. In the Rivonia/ Sunninghill area, there are precious zero restaurants that I'd actually recommend or frequent (Yamada sushi for takeaways probably doesn't count), but this one is actually really pretty. They've set up a gorgeous patio area with a bit of a view, which is probably even nicer in the Summer.The inside has warm, wooden finishes with the retro feel that Piza e Vino has become known for, but this branch in particular just has such a nice feel about it. It feels like one of those welcoming restaurants you can feel at home in. 

I think their current promotion is awesome. On Mondays and Tuesdays, you can order 2 medium pizzas and 2 glasses of house wine for R99. I don't think you can even get a meal for 2 at Nando's for R99. The pizzas aren't your usual ones either, you can expect delicious combinations like the Melrose Arch: grilled free range chicken, avo, feta, honey, cherry tomatoes and fresh coriander or La Spagnola: balsamic infused caramelized onion, chorizo and goats cheese topped with rocket. 

The pizzas taste as good as they sound too. The only complaint I had was the dessert. The dessert menu sounded like it would be great, but when it arrived it appeared to be frozen dessert that was made in advance :( Taste wasn't great either. 

Nutella tiramisu

Basil and mango panacotta

So skip dessert (probably friendlier on your waistline too), and go try out their pizza special, well worth it I think. If you go a night other than Monday or Tuesday and want to sample the rest of the menu, their chicken salad is one of my favourite restaurant salads ever- it is DELICIOUS. 

Piza e Vino has branches at Melrose Arch and the Zone at Rosebank, as well as a few branches in PTA. The one I reviewed is situated at The Wedge, Rivonia Road, Morningside. Call them on 011 783 2135. 

xx
H

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