After a lazy day by the pool, which we all needed for a bit of R&R, we headed out to dinner. The restaurant is situated in the village where we are staying, and it is on the side of a hill overlooking the Med. Just a beautiful location with great views and amazing food. The mezze never stopped arriving!
Dress – Zara (on sale – similar here) // Shoes – Avarcas Pons
Dress – Riviera dress AllSaints (all sale items now and extra 20% off here!) // Shoes – TopShopI’ve been waiting and waiting – knowing that this will happen and here it is! Get an extra 20% off sale prices using code Extra20 at checkout.
My picks are some investment outerwear – I adore these and the saving is well worth it ready for Fall!
The Knox parka in ink with leather sleeves:
The Wren biker coat in khaki (also comes in black):
The Aiko Monument jacket in grey – classic AllSaints:
As usual, we have in no way eased ourselves into our vacation here. We have already climbed mountains, visited numerous beaches and walked through ruins.
On Monday we climbed to one of the three castles that sit along the mountain ridge in Northern Cyprus. We started with the highest of the three – Buffavento. It is quite a feat of engineering that they even managed to build a castle on this craggy mountain top. The drive up there alone is pretty traumatizing! The walk to the very top took us about 30 minutes of climbing step after step after step. My glutes and calves are still hating me for it. Once up there it was well and truly worth it. We were sitting above the clouds with the most amazing views. As you can see in this photo – Poppy may choose to differ…
That evening we rewarded ourselves with a fabulous dinner. I wore a simple off the shoulder dress from ASOS. It is great for throwing on when you don’t necessarily want to deal with a waistband 😉 It is pretty short – but not indecently so for vacation – at home I may think twice. It is available in 4 colors and is now on sale at just $21.50! If the length bothers you there is a very similar romper here, also on sale, that provides a little more modesty!
Dress – ASOS // Sandals – Ancient Greeks (available discounted here)On Tuesday we headed to Salamis – an amazing ruined city near Famagusta. My husband used to play here as a child so Poppy and Hugh always refer to it as ‘Daddy’s playground’. Right next to the ruins is one of the best beaches I’ve ever been to with perfectly clear, turquoise, shallow, sandy water. It is also home to one of our favorite restaurants and I indulged in grilled fresh fish. Eating clean is pretty easy here!
Yesterday we headed to Vuni – on the Western border of the North and South of the island. Vuni palace ruins are perched again on the the top of a hill – you need to be pretty ok with heights and single track roads here! These are incredible ruins and as usual we were the only people there. The great thing about Salamis and Vuni is that you can actually walk through the ruins and touch – imagining who lived here in years gone by.
For the trip I wore something cool and the Alexa Chung for AG denim dress got it’s first outing.
As for today – we are having a day of rest and we will mostly be doing this…
Bikini – J.Crew
I try so hard not to surf online stores while I am on vacation – but I have to check email and my inbox is FULL of sales emails. I really should unsubscribe from them all. Then I try to keep up with all my favorite blogs and there they are – just taunting me with all the bargains they have discovered!
I have been pretty good – while back in the UK I picked up a couple of AllSaints dresses in the sale. Trust me – with AllSaints prices the sales are always worth it and now all items are 50% off.
My sister also bought the Riviera dress here, she looks fabulous in it:
The black Hilde Vi dress also comes in stone which I love too.
I’ve been stalking TheOutnet.com for these Isabel Marant Betty sneakers. I have the Bobbys in ecru from a couple of years ago and adore them – so much so I could justify the burgundy Bettys – or can I? They are 55% off and I keep seeing sizes selling out – but keep checking for returns if your size is sold out.
Finally I was catching up on some blog reading by the pool this evening and I sort of wish I hadn’t. Eve has blogged her sales wins and one of the jackets was on my wish list at the beginning of the season and the other I hadn’t even seen before but looks amazing on her!
I’ve ordered the black frayed hem jacket that I have had in and out of my cart all season – now 50% off:
I adore the ecru jacket that Eve is still debating – I have ordered it – again 50% off!
I’m also tempted to go back for this light pink jacket in a similar shape – just perfect with a grey tee and jeans.
Finally I grabbed a couple of these tanks in ecru and black ready to reveal my sun kissed shoulders once I am back. A steal at this price…
Thanks a bunch Eve 😉 I better get eBaying too 😉 xx
I adore my Ancient Greek Sandals and I have several pairs. I have bought them all on vacation with me and wore a pair last night. They are fabulous statement shoes and stand out from the crowd – does anyone else really want the TopShop Fig this season??! They will last for years if treated well and they always bring me so much joy when I wear them.
They are fabulous quality and they are all handmade in Greece – so you can even help their economy too – all be it minimally 😉
I have these 2 pairs too:
Well now they have arrived on TheOutnet.com – my favorite discount designer site. There are many styles with several sizes still available! Get them now – they won’t last long!
If you’ve been reading for a while you’ll already know how much we all love it here in Northern Cyprus. We were here in 2013 and my husband and I came here for our honeymoon in 1998. It’s a place that is very special for him as he lived here as a child with his family in Famagusta in the early 70’s. In fact he was evacuated when the Turks invaded in 1974. The North-South divide still elicits much controversy, and Turkey and Greece are still trying to negotiate a some kind of settlement. Often it is the Greek Cypriot story that gets the most press and sympathy, but the Turkish Cypriots suffered greatly too, and I would love to see the island reunited one day, in some form or other.
For now, however, we consider ourselves fortunate that entry into the Northern territory is more relaxed, and we get the opportunity to enjoy the history, culture and food that it has to offer.
So food! Yes the food here is amazing – if of course you avoid the Anglophile restaurants in Kyrenia serving fish and chips…Last night we returned to one of our serendipitous finds from 2013 – the Besparmak Buffavento restaurant. It is nestled in the mountains at the foot of the road that takes you to Buffavento Castle – a climb we are planning to endure tomorrow morning!
For dinner I wore my new J.Crew shorts and the H&M blouse (similar here) I bought in Manchester. I love this outfit – I felt completely appropriate for the evening. J.Crew, of course, currently have a massive sale on for the 4th July weekend – use LONGWEEKEND to get 30% off the shorts and up to 40-60% off lots of other items too!
Sandals – Ancient Greek Sandals (similar here) // Shorts – J.Crew // Blouse – H&MThe boys made an effort too.
Fortunately the restaurant had not changed a bit and we had an amazing evening.
Poppy wanted to share a little with you all too:
Hi! I am so happy to be here – I remember it from the last time. The weather is great and very hot! The house we are staying in is big and I have my own room, and there is a big swimming pool for us all to play in. Last night we went to a restaurant that I remember from our last visit, and I had an Adana kebab with mezze. I love the food here. I wore my new romper from Zara (now on sale here) which is perfect for vacations.
Finally here is one of me stealing my Mom’s aviators. She wouldn’t let me keep them though…My top is old from H&M and the shorts are from Zara (also on sale here).
Wow my feet have barely touched the ground till now – we arrived today in Northern Cyprus….and breathe…Istanbul was incredible but it is nice to switch gears now. Istanbul has everything – it is beautiful, exciting, historic, friendly, crazy and breathtaking. We did so much and saw so much and I feel 3 nights is the perfect length of time. We shopped, visited ancient mosques, took boat trips over to Asia and ate incredible food.
Of course the Grand Bazaar was my favorite – I am so shallow – shopping for me any day over historic places of worship. Poppy and I really got in to the swing of our bartering, though no doubt we still paid well over the odds, but we felt better about it!
I struck the jackpot with a beautiful silk scarf and two rough cut stone rings.
We visited the Hagia Sophia which is just breathtaking in it’s size and beauty. Of course Mom and Dad still managed to embarrass the kids.
Our hotel was fabulous – a boutique Turkish hotel with a roof terrace and spa. The kids loved having access to a basement pool and I loved having access to the evening sunset.
One evening we skipped the kebab house and went straight for the baklava for dinner – just divine!
As for what I have been wearing my clothes have mainly been dictated by comfort. Istanbul is hot during the day but, being right on the Bosphorous, it can be cool and breezy in the evening.
Dress – Splendid (now on sale here and I am wearing a large) // Shoes – Havaianas
Top – ASOS // Jeans – J.Crew // Shoes – Havaianas
Dress – Mango (now 50% off in sale) // Shoes – TopShop
Top – Mango (similar here) // Jeans – J.Crew // Scarf – Grand Bazaar // Shoes – HavaianasWe arrived in Northern Cyprus this morning, after a quick flight from Istanbul, picked up the rental car, and arrived at our amazing house by noon. We have struck gold again…and relax…
We arrived late last night and Poppy, Hugh and I were thrilled to be reunited with their Daddy! He had arrived a day earlier to indulge in a little Byzantine culture – our first trip here 24 years ago was to aid his PhD in Ancient History – but we happened to fall in love too. Istanbul is a very special place for us and I am quite surprised it’s taken us so long to get back here!
We were super excited at Manchester airport – Turkish Airlines are one of the best, if not the best airline I have ever flown on!
Poppy’s Hat – Accessorize // My hat – AccessorizeShoes – Ancient Greek // Shorts – J.Crew (now on sale reduced from $75 to $44.99) // Top – MangoThis morning we began the day with a trip to the Grand Bazaar where Poppy became the only person I know to get something for free instead of having to barter! She is in her element here – people are SO friendly and she is chatting everyone up a storm with her pidgin Turkish!
With her gifted scarf – just for being cute!
Thank goodness Mango announced their 50% off everything today! I was so close to hitting the order button last night but decided to sleep on it! Sometimes taking a breath pays off!
So what was I after? Well I have long ago told you about my obsession with sunglasses. I wear them everyday – summer through winter. Jack Nicholson once famously said “With my sunglasses on, I’m Jack Nicholson. Without them, I’m fat and 60.” I guess I have a similar philosophy!
Each year I treat myself to an expensive pair of sunglasses – I am fortunate that, touch wood, I haven’t lost or broken any yet. This year I spent more than $300 on my Oliver Peoples Ria glasses that I adore. However, I also love fun and funky sunglasses. For these ‘trendier’ pieces I prefer not to pay so much. I was desperately looking for some fab cat eye sunglasses – a shape that I rarely wear – normally I go for large rounder glasses – like the Ria or traditional aviators. I had seen a few in TopShop and H&M but to be fair you really get what you pay for which is not much – cheap plastic frames with lenses that are marked and smeared form the numerous people trying them in store. Unfortunately I was less than impressed with them in real life. Then whilst in Mango I spotted these beauties. (UK here and US here).
They are acetate frames and so comfortable – I also love the fact that they are black but with tortoiseshell arms – I never know which to buy normally! Now everything at Mango is 50% off as of today and I have been scanning their online selection to maybe add more to my collection. Here are my picks!
I absolutely love this classic tortoiseshell cat eye – so feminine. (UK here and US here).
I love the frames on this slightly heavier pair – the color and pattern is perfect for a brunette or blonde. (UK here and US here).
I fell in love with the Prada 06rs round glasses but really didn’t want to spend $300 on another pair of sunglasses this year – these fit the bill nicely (UK here and US here).
This red pair are super fun – just LOVE them. So fab for on the beach on vacation. Here in the UK and here in the US.
Another great fun pair for vacation – classy but with a little eccentric twist.
These remind me of my Warby Parker Banks only for a 1/5 of the price. (UK here and US here).
These are possibly my favorite and they are very Prada-esque – a classic black cat eye. (UK here and US here).
As are these – another great tribute to the Prada 06rs.
Here’s another twist on the cat eye with metal detailing – again I can only find these on the UK site here.
So which are your favorites? At 50% off they are all great for $20 or less! Especially given they are acetate and so comfortable – they really look like they are a much higher price point. My only gripe is that mine didn’t come with a glasses case – why not? How can you care for glasses without a case? Looks like I’ll have to buy a few soft cases off Etsy.com!
Yesterday I headed into Manchester to meet my gorgeous friends Sue (SusieSoSo.blogspot.co.uk), Becky (Restyle-blog.blogspot.co.uk) and Helen (fashion40ish.blogspot.co.uk). We had the most brilliant time catching up and having a good natter over lunch in Selfridges. I really wish I was around more often to see them – it is good for the soul. When I started blogging I would never have believed that I would make new lifelong friends.
I was quite cunning too and arrived a little early so that I could meander around the Arndale Centre first. I may have bought the shoes I was lusting after the other day.
Shoes – TopShop // Jeans – J.Crew // Top – AllSaintsOff now to enjoy the rare sunshine!
Poppy's Style 