Spain – Lady Lavish

Barcelona hotels: The Ohla

As you know, I love a hotel, me, so was excited about the two we had booked for our stay in Barcelona.

We were only there for 6 days, but the first hotel, The Ohla, didn’t have availability for the whole week, so we took the opportunity to try two different locations while we were there.

It’s been 9 months since I had a holiday, so I was really looking forward to it. That’s way to long to leave it and I shan’t make that mistake next year! As well as a holiday this was also my Birthday present, so I was doubly excited.

We got an early flight on the Monday morning and were in Barcelona in time for lunch. Our first hotel, The Ohla was in a great location in the Bario Gothic, with lots of sidestreets full of interesting shops and restaurants, and just across the road from the Palau de la Musica. You didn’t have to walk far to eat or shop, which was perfect.

We were too early to check in but the hotel offered us drinks or lunch on the terrace and a welcome glass of cava. We opted for coffee on the roof terrace, to catch our breath and decide where to go for lunch. Our week had started!

The hotel was lovely, very modern (hidden behind a neoclassical facade) and with great service. There is a cocktail bar on the ground floor and a lovely roof terrace with a pool and bar – which is where we spent most of our time. Just the view across the Barcelona rooftops was wonderful and it was great to be able to go out for dinner and come back and have a nightcap up there. The rooms were a really good size, with lovely decor. We’d booked the ‘Design Delux’ room, which had a massive glass shower in the middle of the room. Definitely not one to book if you are shy about showering in public!

The room was overlooking Via Laietana and included free WiFi, TV, iPod dock, minibar and free bottled water, along with good quality bath products. We had breakfast included in the price, and the choice and range was great – you could get cooked food along with a great selection of continental breakfast fare.

We didn’t eat in the hotel other than than breakfast, but we did use the consierge service to book a couple of restuarants and the recommendations were very good. La Gavina on the harbour was a highlight!

All too quickly it was time for us to move on to the next location – but I would definitely go back to The Ohla if I were in Barcelona again.

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14th September 2015

Live

Bucket list

“If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. What’s their plan? Not much.”- Jim Rohn

I came across this free tool online called Bucket List recently. I haven’t signed up, but by the looks of it you can log your life goals or ‘bucket list’ items and then tick things off the list, share them with friends and get inspired by over 2 million ideas. It’s a lovely idea.

The idea of ‘things you must do before you die’ is nice, but I think it’s almost too big. It also has a sense of racing against time about it, which I’m not sure I like so much. I’m not very good at setting personal goals, in fact, I don’t think I ever really have. I’ve set loads of professional goals, knowing what I wanted out of my business and my career, and at points I’ve been very driven about those things, but in doing so I’ve neglected to think about the ‘me’ stuff. When you put so much of your time into your work it’s difficult to think about life outside of that.

Also, achieving big goals can tend to cost lots of money and take lots of time, and that can make them feel unachievable when you don’t have much of either. Trouble is, if you don’t make plans and goals, you get caught up in the day-to-day and life passes by in a flash. Not so much of a big deal when you’re younger, but heading rapidly into my mid-forties it’s starting to feel like I should have some sort of plan.

So I’ve been thinking about things I’d like to do, at home at work and at play. Not so much a bucket list but at least a set of personal goals. I’ve been inspired by my weight loss this year, although it’s only partly about the weight loss itself and actually as much about my ability to decide to do something for me and stick to it. It’s given me a confidence that I can achieve a personal goal, and importantly, not self-sabotage when I’ve been stressed or tired or fed up.

I think some of my aversion to ‘planning’ things for my personal life comes from the fact I plan things for my professional life. My whole work-life is about lists and plans and goals and stuff that needs to happen in the future. Perhaps doing that for myself feels a bit too much like work? But that said, I do enjoy ticking things off of lists, that sense of satisfaction of completion and achievement. So, I think I will have a go at compiling some goals, ones that aren’t based around work – some near and some far – and resist the urge to make it read like a to-do list!

The first things I’ve come up with are:

1. Learn Spanish (no, not buy a boat!)

There’s nothing really stopping me from doing this one, other than time and determination, but I’d love to learn Spanish! I love Spain and I would love to live there for a while, so being able to speak the language would be essential for that. Baby steps – learn the language first!

2. The Edinburgh Festival

I’d love to visit the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Not just for a weekend or a few days, but actually rent an apartment and stay for the full 3 weeks one August, and really get into it. I think the hardest thing would be deciding which shows to go to.

3. The Isle of Man TT

There is nothing quite like the Isle of Man TT Races. It’s held in May every year and is the premier motorcycle road race in the world. The 37-mile Mountain Course is totally unique and I’d love to spend the full 14 days there, soaking up the atmosphere. Ideally I’d love to go as part of a race team – I did that for the NW200 last year and it was amazing. I’m lucky enough to know someone who raced last year and this year and I’ve met a few of the riders, so even listening to it on Manx Radio makes it feel more special.

4. Get more exercise

Constantly on my list of things to do, though it might be easier now I’ve lost some weight. It’s more about finding space in my life to fit exercise in. I’ve never really enjoyed going to the gym – I used to love martial arts and team games like Netball. Maybe I need to find something I like, rather than just trying to plod on with the gym?

5. Make a money plan

Financial planning is not exactly my strong point. But I would like to buy a house in Summer 2016 so time to make busy with a financial plan! The trouble with a plan that basically involves saving more, is how to fit in the things like 2 + 3 which involve spending money… 🙂

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25th August 2014