Wednesday Apologies...

Fellow Mice we can't apologise enough for leaving you all for a whole week without prior notice. How terribly naughty of us!

To explain we've been doing a little too much of this...

This...

This...

And of course...

Mini and I have been causing havoc in Vale do Lobo in Portugal and HK mouse had been in Tuscany for a wedding / holiday. It's all been go go go and in our mad rush to escape to warmer climates we failed to let you know of our whereabouts. Oops!

We pinky promise we'll be back with a vengeance from Monday raring to go and updating you all on the fun we've been having!

Until then amigos...

London's Sensational Suntraps...

It's June, it's officially summer, and from what I've read, it's set to be a scorcher. Last weekend's sunny, blue-skied days kicked the month off nicely, so we thought what better way to celebrate than a post about all our fav rooftop haunts to give you a little Summer 2014 inspo! 

Forget sitting curled up under a duvet hungover on your sofa - no, no it's all about alfresco drinking, catching some early summer rays and celebrating that London can do something other than rain and moan!

Us London Mice took advantage of the sun last weekend and whiled away our Sunday with good friends and cocktails at The Boundary in Shoreditch. It's amazing how once your settled in a big comfy chair, sunglasses on and a cocktail in hand you feel a million times happier and a world away from the non-stop bustle and stresses of London. 

As we're not all fortunate enough to be members of the fabulous Shoreditch house (not jealous at ALL!!) we've got our thinking caps on for non-member options. They may not have pools and a 'no photo' policy but cocktails and BBQs are pretty much a dead cert and who wants to go somewhere you can't brag to the world about on Instagram anyway?!!

Take a look at our short list and get planning your summer weekends crammed full of daytime boozing and sunny fun...

The Boundary - a firm favourite of all three Mice, you can't get much better than this. If you're after a chic Hamptons style escape then this is the one! A sea of oversized, comfy, white sofas, a wood burning stove centre piece, chill-out music and the best bread baskets I've ever had the joy to sample! Chic, beautiful and the perfect way to spend a sunny day or laidback evening with friends.

Queen of hoxton - a more upbeat option complete with fake grass, mismatched wrought iron tables and chairs, pitchers of pimms, seaside hut toilets and a killer BBQ. Fun, happening and always a great spot for people watching. 

Dead Dolls Club - not a roof we've ventured to as of yet but it's on our June agenda. Dead Dolls itself is a quirky, fun and totally crazy place but now with an added bonus of a rooftop...I'm not sure they're going to get rid of us! Officially members only however the application form is online here and all you have to do is bring them a present (we bought them a dog from Hong Kong - a twist on the China Dog category...) and the members card is yours - AMAZING!

Radio Rooftop - if you fancy something a little more central with great skyline views then The Radio Rooftop Bar will tick the boxes. It's got a strong nod to Vegas with a lot of white going on but it had a fun vibe, great music and delish cocktails - win win!!

Madison - with St Paul's Cathedral literally on the doorstep this gem is all about the view. Warning - there's a relatively high proportion of besuited drinkers here and the queue at the bar is a bit of a shocker, but when you step out of the lift and see the skyline all's forgiven! I haven't been at the weekend but as it's right in the centre of the City, I imagine a Thursday or Friday evening is when the atmosphere's best anyway.

Aqua - slap bang in the middle of town this is the ideal option for a post-shop refuel stop! A pricier option, but that buys you an expertly shaken cocktail, impressive decor and gives you the choice of two different terraces to recline on! 

Sushi Samba - another 3BM favourite, some may say a little touristy, but nobody can blame the visitors with a view like that! We love the orange tree terrace and fire pits for when the evening chill sets in - plus delectable sushi just a skip away from the bar = heaven! 

Kensington Roof Gardens - we recently posted about this little oasis of tropical calm and it's still firmly on our favourites list. A great option to instantly whisk you away from the city with surroundings of luscious gardens, beautiful people and of course flamingos - we're pretty much head over heels!

A few others that we're yet to try, but are filling our diaries with as we type...

Vista
Coq d'Argent Dalston Roof Park 
Frank's Cafe

This Week The Mice Have Mostly Been...

While you're reading this I'm relaxing by a pool surrounded by Tuscan countryside...it's a tough life but it's all okay because for all of you it's Friday and not only that but also a...

*well it is in England, sorry very one else....

With a super hot weekend just gone, let's keep our fingers tightly crossed for another scorcher. Yes, it may bring out the pasty, beer-bellied men who insist on walking around topless but it also means we can discard our second skin black jeans and float around in pretty dresses with a glass of Prosecco or Pimms (or both) permanently in hand!

When we haven't been secretly performing a sun dance before bed each night...

This week the Mice have mostly been...

Swishing my new summery locks back and forth but in a slightly less energetic way to that of Willow Smith!

I felt it was the perfect time to get a fresh snip and jazz up the colour with more summery hues...that sort of hair PMA may just bring the long hot summer we always dream of!

With a whole host of London options before me, I finally decided to opt for an appointment at Pimps and Pinups in Shoreditch...slightly swayed by the light bulb mirrors and of course the very positive reports from Middle Mouse! It may appear daunting from the outside with the hip tattooed staff, cool music and laid back approach but don't be scared off! They are seriously good at what they do, offer you beer and wine on arrival instead of the usual luke-warm tap water and best of all, they have every magazine imaginable!

Goodbye rat tails and hello balayage blunt chop!

Three hours of ferocious backcombing later (this is how they get the natural faded look) after lots of magazine flicking and people watching, my new locks had arrived! Mr sunshine get your straw hat on because I'm officially ready...

Giggling like a typical bunch of girls and munching our way through far too much popcorn, ice-cream and sweets while watching The Other Woman. A couple of weekends ago we decided to head home and visit Daddy Mouse and in true teenage-style I gathered together Middle Mouse and my bestie Nikki to hit the cinema and watch a good girlie film!

It was the perfect fit...fun, silly and what every girl wishes they could do to their idiot ex-boyfriends! With great casting of Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann and Kate Upton, it'll have you laughing out loud and wanting to start that long overdue bikini diet immediately! They recreate those real life moments so well (especially the drunk ones) and it doesn't hurt that there's a seriously hot guy with a huge Hampton's beach house too!!

It's not going to win any awards, but it's definitely one to watch with the girls, - although with three gorgeous female leads, I don't think any boyfriends/ husbands would be complaining either.

Perfect feel good film for a rainy Sunday...although hopefully no more of those on the horizon!!!

Loving the new Ella Eyre track 'If I Go' and obsessively playing it over and over, so much so that Middle Mouse is already head over heels, and I suspect our neighbours are too!

We blogged about her amazingness a few months ago and despite playing her on repeat we still haven't tired of her super cool, upbeat tracks...our only complaint - we just want more to devour!

Well as if by magic one appears...

And that's it from us for another week, HAPPY WEEKEND!!!

x

The Mice 

Barbados UPDATED!

After countless Instagram and Twitter uploads, I think everyone has been fully aware that the London Mice have been on holiday! We apologise for all the smoasting, but it was just too good not to share with you all...every step of the way!

We're back...and consumed with holiday blues, but ready to share our 3BM finds...if a little begrudgingly!

Having been to Barbados four times before our obsession is pretty apparent, but we felt a fifth visit was in order just to make sure it's still as good as we remember and to check out any new additions! I can assure you it's still beautiful, crammed full of the most delectable food and officially still my happy place! How can you not love an island with a permanent back drop of this...

Sniff sniff...I miss it SO much!

So anyway...we've already parted with a whole heap of Barbados knowledge in our 2012 post, all still relevant but we of course have a few updates to jazz up your agenda!

Port St Charles Yacht Club is a new man made island jutting out into the azure ocean with stunning views of the west coast and naturally a glimpse into the life we all strive for...one filled with super yachts, handsome sailors and champagne served on silver trays!

We were recommended to check this place out by good friends, and I'm so happy we did. We ended up spending three of our precious days lounging all day long at this amazingly relaxing sanctuary! There are some days when even silky soft Barbados sands can drive you a little metal! (Although I would gladly roll around in it covered in honey right now if offered the chance!)

As long as you have lunch you are welcome to use the loungers and pool all day free of charge, however I say skip the pool and take a running jump off the decking into the crystal water...that's what I did...Katie not so much!

If you're after a break from the beach, reasonably priced super tasty cocktails, chilled Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and a finger licking good lunch, then I'm pretty confident I've found your true love...

You can't beat a good happy hour, but it's even better when it's at a super chic restaurant/bar (which is actually under the same group as The Ivy and Scott's) and set on a picture perfect beach! This beauty goes by the name of Daphne's.

We're yet to sample the dinner at Daphne's, however when we heard they do a happy hour every day from 5pm to 7pm, we were down there like a shot! They have the perfect setting on a cute, quiet beach perfect for a quick dip whilst you wait for your cocktails to arrive...which is exactly what we did!

I sampled a delicious Watermelon Martini and if the Zucchini Fritti are anything to go by, I'd say you're in for a treat for dinner as well!!

A huge pull to Barbados is not only the jaw dropping views surrounding you, but the unbelievable restaurants and food the island has to offer. To go all inclusive is a BIG shame, the food scene really is as good as it gets!

Now I have covered off all our favourites in my previous post...Tides, The Cliff, The Mews, Cariba...the list goes on BUT this year we thought we would check out Cin Cin By The Sea. It opened in 2011 but was a newbie to us (we haven't been back since then) and has been mentioned a fair few times to us so we thought why not check it out!

As the name the suggests it is set with views across the ocean, I definitely think it would more spectacular as a lunch spot, when it's dark it's mainly the sound of lulling water that gives it's location away rather than a view itself. However the website gallery shows what you miss with a dinner reservation...

The decor is very white and sleek - I can imagine Coleen Rooney pays a few visits on her holidays, and the food was delicious. I had the oxtail, mushroom and white truffle risotto to start, followed by seared salmon in banana butter with roasted garlic mash. I love the unusual flavour combinations that the menu encompasses, really offering something different to other restaurants on the island. The only disappointment was the lack of atmosphere, we were there mid week with a 9:30pm reservation and it already appeared that service was wrapping up.

Not quite up there with our originals, but definitely one I would go back to for lunch to really soak up that view and sample a few more of their delectable creations!

So that's our Mice updates for another year...we're all so sad it's over but boy did we have another fun Bajan adventure! Keep your eyes peeled for one last Barbados post later this week, full of all our holiday snaps to say one final farewell!!!