Hi guys!
So as you know Dylan and I spent our weekend in London, and when I posted the pictures to Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, I received an absolute ton of questions about the trip so I decided to do a Sue’s London Diary blog post!
Thursday
Last Thursday, Dylan took me by complete surprise when he presented me with VIP tickets to Ed Sheeran’s gig in London’s Wembley Arena! It was totally out of the blue and I was so thrilled because that weekend was to be my first weekend off in a long time so what better way to spend it than in London listening to Ed Sheeran – I just LOVE the guy!
We booked accommodation through Top Secret Hotels on LastMinute.ie. I HAVE to tell you a bit about this site because it’s one I love using! When a really big hotel doesn’t want to advertise that they are not fully booked out, they instead go on to Top Secret Hotels and advertise anonymously. They will give a description of the hotel, include its star rating and whether it’s style is luxury, boutique or old-school, however you don’t get to see the name of the hotel until you have booked and paid for your choice!
You also get something like 30% off by using the website so it’s a great deal too. Once you have paid for it, you are sent all the details. We have used the site a good few times when booking accommodation in London last minute and we have never been disappointed. On this occasion, we got the five star Hilton hotel on Park Lane for €430 for x2 nights, which we were really happy with!
Anyway, we were lucky we even got to see the concert because let me tell you, we had an ordeal and a half to even get to London!
Friday
We arrived at Dublin airport on Friday morning all ready for taking off in good time, but then we were told that our flight was delayed. No problem there, but after about an hour later – we were then told the flight was cancelled, people in the Q were going mad, but what can you do! We all ended up getting booked onto the later flight that evening at 5pm and it finally took off at 6.15pm, five hours after our original time. 🙁
At one point – we were telling ourselves we would just have to accept that we weren’t getting to the gig… but I was determined to even get there for an hour so I got my thinking cap on!!
I knew if we went from the airport to Park Lane to drop off our luggage and then on to Wembley, we would pretty much miss the gig, so I phoned up the luggage concierge service, AirPortr, that had contacted me previously about their venture. (Honest to God, talk about luck!) We didn’t want to drag our luggage to Wembley with us so I gave them a buzz while we were waiting on our flight, explained our situation, and when we arrived at the airport, they were there to collect our luggage and bring it to the hotel for us! How AMAZING is that – you can’t go wrong!!
Genius service!
As soon as our luggage was out of our hands, we went to get the Tube to Wembley. It was a pure nightmare. There had been a strike on the previous day, and so the queues for the tube were a mile long for some reason. It was chaos! It was already 7.45pm at this point, and as Ed Sheeran was due on stage at 8pm, I knew our only option was to get a taxi.
In the end, that’s what we did. The bill was £70! An absolute rip-off, and it still annoys me that we paid that much for a taxi, but we had no choice if we wanted to make it to the concert. Eventually, we got there, and let me tell you, the gig was 100% worth all the waiting, hassle, and delays! It was hands down the best concert we had ever been to.
Even Dylan loved it and he’s hard to please when it comes to concerts because he’s more of a festival fan!
It was just Ed and his guitar on stage but he blew everyone away, so if you’re heading to see him in Croke Park this weekend, you’re in for a treat. I honestly don’t know how just a guy with a guitar can entertain an entire stadium, but he definitely did it!
Elton John also appeared on stage as a surprise guest which was so magical! Together they sang one Elton John song and one Ed Sheeran song, and it was unbelievable to just be there to experience it because the atmosphere was absolutely electric. Wembley is such an incredible arena. I don’t think there’s anywhere else like it really.
Because of our delayed flights, we missed some of the advantages to having VIP tickets. Prior to the gig, those with VIP tickets could enjoy relaxing in the private lounge with all kinds of food and drink. It seemed like such a nice treat before the concert so we were gutted to have missed it. That and the supporting acts – but hey these things happen.
Even still, I would happily wait five hours in an airport for Ed Sheeran again! He was so worth it. Fortunately, our VIP tickets entitled us to an hour in a nightclub set up at the Wembley arena with a complimentary bar so following the gig, so we went there for a bit and had an absolute ball together.
We were back in the hotel by midnight, which was pretty early by London standards! I was starving, so as soon as I was in my room, I ordered myself a roast chicken sandwich and a massive cup of tea! Typical Irish girl right there ehh!! Haha.. It was YUM and I don’t care how unhealthy it was 🙂
Saturday
On Saturday, we got up early, got showered and dressed and headed down to Oxford Street for a look around the shops. While we were on our way there, I spotted a Toni & Guy salon so I booked a hair appointment for that evening because I had forgotten my hair-dryer and the one in the hotel was crap! (Why aren’t they ever any good?)
We had a great look around the shops, and I bought some nice pieces in Aqua/Aqua. I got a beautiful jumpsuit which I wore that Saturday night and I also picked up a fitted bodycon dress too. There was also a 20% sale on that day too so I certainly wasn’t complaining!
What I Wore: Jeans: buy here // Top: similar here // Shoes: Buy here //
Belt: Buy here // Glasses: Buy here
I was also thrilled to meet a number of SoSueMe fans! I couldn’t believe when I was approached by a few girls on Oxford Street. I didn’t think anyone there would know me!
When we finished shopping, we went to a gorgeous Italian restaurant. We go there every time we’re in London. It’s called Bella Italia and it’s just off Oxford Street. They make the most amazing pizzas and Spaghetti Bolognese.. and oh the wine is good too!
As luck would have it, Dylan’s best friend Brook was also in London that evening too. He was over training with a personal trainer for a fitness competition he’s involved in so we met up with him that evening.
Following my hair appointment, we went back to the hotel and started to get ready for dinner. We had booked Piccolino Restaurant on Hadden Street in Soho as it had been recommended to me by the girl who did my hair in Toni & Guy, she said it is stylish and affordable – so I knew it must be good!
Anyway, we were sitting there chatting when two Irish girls came over to our table. They were over to see Ed Sheeran as well and they told me they had seen on my social media that I was in Soho so they searched a few places to see if I was there! It was the sweetest thing ever, and I was absolutely thrilled to have met such lovely Irish readers.
They had some pictures taken with us, and I think the other diners and staff near our table were wondering ‘who’s yer one?’ because the owner then came out and asked me who I was haha – SCARLET! I explained to him I was an Irish blogger and we ended up having a great chat with him. He even reserved us a table in a club which was unbelievably nice of him because it is incredibly difficult to reserve a table in London unless you know someone working there. He also threw in a few sneaky drinks and a discount on our bill at the end which was so nice and not expected at all. The staff were so good to us all night and the food was WOW.
SO if you are in London next, check out this place – the grilled chicken and mushroom cream sauce dish was sooo good and instead of chips they served me a healthier option which is sliced courgette dipped in a light batter. The actually taste and look like chips but much healthier and super tasty! SO try them. Ohh the spiced asparagus is gorgeous too… I had that as the starter.
From there, myself, Dylan and Brook went on to the club Café de Paris and we had the most amazing night dancing to really good music and just having a laugh in general! I can honestly say it was one of the best nights out I have had in a long time. We had such a ball!! I seriously LOVE London!
What I Wore: Jumpsuit: Buy here
Sunday
We were lucky that our flight home on Sunday was an evening one so we had the day to do as we pleased. We went for nice bite to eat in an Italian near Park Lane (sensing a pattern here? We love our Italian food! Haha!) Then we went to Westfield, the biggest shopping centre in London as Dylan and Brook wanted to check out the huge Nike store there. I was wrecked tired from the night before, so while the boys went off shopping, I sat down in a coffee shop and had a chocolate muffin and a cup of tea! Perfect recovery food. Afterwards we headed back to the hotel to pick up our luggage and get on the road back to the airport.
On the way home, I curled up (as best as I could on a plane seat!) with a really good book. When we were delayed on Friday, I bought two books in Easons, the novel ‘If You Were Me’, and the book on Christian Greys version of the story. I haven’t started Grey yet, but ‘If You Were Me’ is absolutely un-put-down able! If you are heading off travelling, it’s a good one to pick up. I’m not a massive reader so a book has to be seriously good to keep me turning the pages!
So that was my weekend guys! Hope you had an enjoyable one too and if you are heading to Ed Sheeran this weekend, I can promise you that you are in for the time of your life! I will be back later today with a full outfit post/makeup and tan details. I had a tonne of questions so I will keep all the beauty related stuff for the next blog post! 🙂
Have a lovely day!
Love,
