The Womens Room

We Love: Crystal Cove

We bought the book, Crystal Cove Cottages some years ago, and taking another look at it recently, made us think about how there are some places in the world, you just know you could live!

The Toronto Islands is another such place and like Crystal Cove in Orange County, California, sadly it's just not possible. Somehow the fact that no matter how much money you have, these little utopia's are just not for sale, makes them even more desirable. To live on the Toronto Islands, you either have to inherit a property or marry someone who owns one. 

Crystal Cove was inhabited by artist and families from the 1920's until 2001, when the area was turned into a national park. The cottages are now available to rent, so it is at least possible to have a holiday there.

 

The book explores the stories of the cottages and their interesting inhabitants and the art the area inspired. A fabulous read for those winter evenings when you want to escape to another world, or dream of a summer holiday. The Crystal Cove website has all the details on how to rent the cottages.

The Women's Room potted guide to Rye

Derek Jarman's Prospect Cottage, Dungeness.

As part of our Staycation adventures this summer we've been to a number of lovely parts of the UK, all enjoyable despite the rain and overcast skies, actually we were having so much fun climbing mountains and trying to catch fish we hardly noticed the lack of blistering sun. We absolutely loved Rye in East Sussex best of all, for its pretty architecture, history, junk shops (so THAT'S where they all went) and beaches.We recommend the following if you should go.....

Where to stay: The Place at the Beach is really a posh motel, a sort of 1970s Crossroads throwback with artfully sun bleached driftwood furniture and very nice food (great fresh fish). It's small and charming and right next to Camber Sands beach (although not actually on the beach itself) which means you can go for long morning walks along the deserted but vast stretch of sand looking for razor clamshells (for winter art projects) wishing every morning could start like this. It's three miles out of Rye (it's best visited with a car)and a double room out of season starts at £135. It's very nicely suited to families, being so close to the beach, but might be best to avoid the school hols if you've moved through this period, I wish we'd known about it when ours were smaller.

We also visited the much posher George Hotel located in Rye, owned by relatives of the Moro restaurant team in London. We didn't see the rooms but lunch was nice, and they seem to be working hard at making it the smart place to stay.

Where to eat: The restaurant at The Place at the Beach served excellent locally caught fish, and The Ship Inn was good for informal, well priced supper.

What to see: As well as Rye being very picturesque and worth a good tour around, we went out to view the beautiful bleakness of Dungeness Beach and see Derek Jarman's Nuclear Garden at Prospect Cottage. Stunning. Worth popping up the old light house too (not for those with vertigo) for amazing views of the coastline.

Great Dixter, the house and gardens of the late horticulturalist Christopher Lloyd, is a ten minute drive away at Northiam and an essential stop for keen gardeners. The garden is bold, brave and packed full of plant combinations that'll have your head buzzing, the nursery raises plants to sell so you might want to clear out the boot of the car to make space. There's a great cafe for a tea and home made cake stop too.

What to buy: fresh fish from Rye Bay Fish, which sells the fresh plaice, sea bass, lemon and dover sole, crab and lobsters caught next door by the Rye fishing fleet. Situated at the end of the fishing harbour on the road out to Camber Sands, the shop is open 7.30 - 7.00pm and provides ice for long trips back home in the car. Remember to take a cool bag. Rye Bay Fish 01797 222377.

Antiques (but not the precious type, more the distressed-with-style sort) from Strand House (The Strand, Rye, 01797 224002), where Keith and Michele Banham sell quirky but stylish furniture and decorations. We lusted after a huge amethyst glass cloche (gorgeous but probably impratical) and a cherrywood campaign table for composing our posts at. Keith has helped a number of successful retailers find their 'style' by providing the furniture and fixtures for their stores. The man tells a cracking story and has great taste.

Kitchen antiques from Jane Wicks at Kitchenalia (Country Ways, Strand Quay, Rye, 01424 713635), where we could have bought everything. From glass jelly moulds, Cornish stripe tableware in biscuit and cream stripe, sets of 50s and 60s crockery and cutlery, rolling pins and antique chopping boards to antique kilner jars in perfect condition with glass tops for our current obession with jam making, the shop is a total treasure trove and very keenly priced.  

All this and the Sussex coastline and countryside to admire. Who needs 'abroad'?

 

Country Ways, Jane Wicks' kitchen antique shop, Rye

We love: Madeleine Vionnet

If you are in Paris between now and the end of January take a trip to the at the Les Arts De Coratifs to see the stunning Madeleine Vionnet, puriste de la mode, exhibition. This major restrospective devotes  two floors to Madeleine Vionnet, selected from her major works between 1912 and 1939, featuring, 22 dresses, 750 dress patterns and 75 photo albums.

Marie Madeleine Valentine Vionnet was born to a modest family in Chilleurs-aux-Bois in the Loiret region of France in1876. She headed to London at the age of 20, to learn English and dressmaking, leaving behind her husband and child (who died during her absence).

Vionnet began her professional career as a 'fitter' at the house of Kate Reily and learned the ins and outs of business and worked with a rich and cultivated clientele. Back in Paris in 1901, she introduced herself to Callot Souers, one of the most important fashion houses and after working there for five years, she opened her own fashion house at 222 rue de Rivoli.

Madeleine Vionnet’s entire career was marked by her constant quest for perfection which continues to inspire couturiers such as Azzedine Alaia, Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and John Galliano today.

She famously said “Taste is a feeling that makes all the difference between what is beautiful and what is merely showy – and also what is ugly! It is transmitted from mother to daughter. But some people don’t need to be educated: they are innately tasteful. I think I am one of them.”

This amazing collection is supremely glamorous and technically stunning and will surely influence designers for many more years to come. Vionnet said she 'did not design her clothing to be fashionable, but to last a lifetime. A mantra we love here at the Womens Room.

Madeleine Vionnet: Puriste de la mode
Les Arts Décoratifs,
24 of June 2009 to 31 of January 2010.
107 rue de Rivoli
75001, Paris
Tel: +33 (0)1 44 55 57 50

We love: Lovelane caravans

When we first got a caravan, we were met with looks of horror when we mentioned it. You could almost see the images in peoples heads. Naff caravan parks, hideous interiors, jolly middle aged people in beige firing up the BBQ. 
Within half an hour of guests turning up at our caravan, their pre-concieved ideas are dispelled, as they settle into a deckchair on the deck, with a glass of Rose and gaze out to sea. The interior is actually hideous but we dont care, our visits are more about enjoying the great outdoors and getting some well earned R&R, than worrying about the state of our soft furnishings (although, I have bought the odd Welsh blanket and crochet throw, to brighten the place up a bit).

If you fancy the idea of a hassle free caravan holiday (with style) and are not quite ready to commit to buying one, Lovelane caravans is the perfect solution. They have restored a small selction of classic caravans and kept them as original as possible, individually decorating them to suit their charcater. Kitted out with everything you might need for an authetic caravanning holiday, such as bed linen, BBQ, outside seating and awning, all you need to take are your clothes and towels.

Set in Cornwall, the company have established relationships with what they consider to be the best beach side and off the beaten track campsites, but they will also set up their caravans at the venue of your choice. They describe renting one of their caravans as "a bit like having a jolly good boutique hotel room wherever you wish, and provides the fun and freedom of caravanning without the headache of packing the car and towing them around."

We think the best thing about caravaning as opposed to camping, is, if it rains at least you stay dry (if a little stir crazy!!) and it can't help but transport you back to those days of childhood caravan holidays. Think tinned meatballs, Angel Delight and Cluedo!!

The Womens Room potted guide to: Antwerp

Boulevard Leopold Guest House

If you are planning an Autumn getaway and are looking for somewhere different and easy to get to, try one of our favourite cities, Antwerp. Filled with inspiring shops, amazing buildings and regular fashion exhibitions, Antwerp is easy to navigate and you can see more or less everything over the course of a weekend.

WIth more than its fair share of inexpensive but stylish small bed and breakfasts and hotels, it can be difficult to choose where to stay. We particularly love the luxurious and stylish Boulevard Leopold guest House. Owned by fashion designer Bert Verschueren and chef Vincent Defontaines, the bed and breakfast is set in a beautifully restored 1800s townhouse and filled with flea market finds and one off antiques from their trips around the world. The guest house is often used for fashion shoots.
Breakfast includes freshly baked croissants, made by Vincent and Boulevard Leopold is located about 15 minutes walk from Antwerp city centre. Prices start at €100.

Shopping is so easy in Antwerp as everything is accessible on foot. Some of our favourite shops include A.Purr.A, a beautiful boutique selling locally made home accessories, handmade stationery and accessories.
We also love Ann Demeulemeester, situated on the corner of Leopold De Waelplaats and Verlatstraat. 
Feelings is a fabulous interiors shop which has built up an amazing collection of 50's and 60's vases and lights over the last 25 years.
No visit to Antwerp would be complete without a visit to Dries Van Noten (the Godfather of Belgian design). The beautifully restored flagship store is situated on Nationalestraat.

There are numerous great cafes, bars and restaurants, but as Belgians are famous for chips and beer, you must pick up a portion of chips with mayonnaise at Frituur Number One on Hoogstraat and a beer in typical Belgian pub, De Pelikaan on Melkmarkt.

The Momu museum is worth a visit for their two major themed exhibitions a year. The current exhibition Paper Fashion ends on August the 16th and is a must see if you happen to be there in the next couple of weeks.
'Delvaux. 180 years of Belgian luxury' for public, opens on the 17th of September and follows the journey the luxury brand has taken over the last 180 years.

So if you fancy a mini break with your other half, or a girls shopping weekend, log on to Eurostar  and book yourself a treat.

The Women's Room potted guide to: London with teens

You may already live in London and are wondering what to do with the teens this summer holidays, or you may be planning a visit. Either way planning activities for teens is always a tricky one. They often don't like the idea of being organised and suggesting a day out with mum and dad can often be met with disdain, unless it involves shopping. So here are a few ideas, tried and tested by us and some of our readers.

Choose an area they haven't visited before, a trip to an unknown neighbourhood can be as interesting as a trip to another city. Brick Lane and Spitalfields on a Sunday is great if you live South of the river, and Greenwich is interesting if you are an Eastender. Both have great markets full of cool t shirts that will appeal to teen boys and trinkets and cheapish clothes for the girls, as well as great International food stalls.

A must see in Brick Lane, is the tiny scruffy shoe shop, Blackmans at 42-44 Cheshire Street E2, who sell the gym shoe/Ked style canvas shoes that every teen girl is wearing. They are only £5 as opposed to £20 in Office (but don't tell everyone!) 

Notting Hill is great if you have a skater boy (or girl) in the family. Bay 66, situated at the Ladbroke Grove end of Portobello Road under the Westway, is a popular skate and BMX park . You can take a stroll down Portobello Road together (be sure to remind them of the song in Mary Poppins, perhaps even sing it) and when you reach the skate park, you can slope off for a well deserved coffee.

A walk along the South Bank is another good idea, as there is lots to see for even the most cynical teen. Start at the Hayward Gallery where the brilliant interactive large scale installation, Walking in My Mind, is showing. If urban art is your teens thing, take a slight detour to Leake Street, a tunnel under Waterloo station where graffiti artists can legally display their work. The walls are ever changing and if you can stand the smell of spray paint, you can see some stunning work.

Next, head back along the river to the Tate modern which always has something for everyone, and currently features an excellent Futurist exhibition.
You can point out the Shakespeare Globe Theatre but no need to visit (lets not go mad, it is the holidays)
Then if you are ready for lunch, there are any number of teen friendly cafes and restaurants on this stretch of the South Bank, including our family favourite Wagamama.
 
Keep on going along the river past The Clink (not really worth a visit) and the Golden Hinde and onto Borough market, which is great to wander round if its Friday or Saturday. Let the kids pick their dinner (we love the fish stall) and a cup cake to keep them going and its on to the London Dungeon. It's worth booking ahead if you plan a visit here, as there are often long queues. Be warned, this is not for the faint hearted or young children, so only take teens who like horror movies!
If you still have any energy (or money) you can end up at the design museum, but that may be a step too far.

Another good idea is Kids Week, which runs from 14-24th of August. Children aged 5-16 years old can see a selection of over 28 West end theatre shows for free as long as they are accompanied by an adult paying full price. Visiting the theatre is something we always mean to do more of, but are often put off by the price, so think this is a great idea. 

If your teens simply cant bear the thought of a day out with the parents, you can always surprise them with tickets to the Underage Festival in Victoria Park in Hackney, on the 3rd of August. Strictly for 14-18 year olds, apparently there are some good bands on, not that we have heard of any of them!

So get out the Oyster cards and muster all your patience and you never know you may all have a good time. Let us know if you have any other suggestions, by the end of August we may desperate!

The Women's Room potted guide to: Venice

 

 

We travel a lot here at The Women’s Room, both with the day job and because we like it, so it seems sensible to pass on our travel tips to you. Admittedly most of our travelling revolves around fashion-y cities, but since we have spent years doing this sort of visit, we’re pretty good at it and probably share your tolerance levels over stuff like service (we walk if it’s rubbish), hygiene (it’s got to be clean, it’s a no-brainer) and value for money (we’re mums, we know how much stuff costs). We know some good places to shop (obviously), to stay and (very importantly) to eat.

So here is the first of our potted guides, we’re starting with Venice because we’ve just been, visiting the Art Biennale, which was very inspiring and well worth the trip. If you have never been and you have time on you hands, we’d recommend it.

Where to stay: Pensione Accadamia, on the Dosoduro. We’ve been trying to get into this small but brilliantly positioned pensione for years but it’s always booked up. However, tourist numbers are down in Venice quite dramatically this year and so we got in. Simple and basic but just lovely, we stayed in room 43, which overlooks a quiet canal just off the Grand Canal (which you can see from the giant picture window) and cost us 149 euros a night..Service is charming, breakfast always includes a big variety of nice fruit (we always over eat in Venice so need healthy breakfasts) and it has a big garden (almost unheard of in Venice) for those very hot afternoons. Pensione Accademia

Where to eat :Trattoria Alla Madonna. There are so many good restaurants but our favourite was a tip from Woman’s Room reader Sue, who suggested Madonna, on Calle Della Madonna near the Rialto bridge. You can’t book, so get there before 1.00pm for lunch and eat fish, spider crab is a specialty. It’s stuffed full of locals and after two glasses of house white you will be talking Italian with a Venitian accent. Closed Wed.

Where to shop: sadly Venice shops are mostly rubbish, packed full of tourist tat that relies heavily on Murano glass, gondolas and cheesey oil paintings. Also due to the fact that the shops sell mostly to tourists everything is very expensive. If you have to buy something, search out the glove shops that offer pairs in every colour, but remember they will be pricey. Murano glass, made on the nearby island of Murano is world famous for its quality but you really have to work hard to find anything that is not stuck in a 70s time warp style wise. We bought six glasses which are gorgeous, from Giordani in Calle delle Rasse, for 20 euros each (after very hard bargaining). We have been buying a few with each visit to the city and can confidently say they are tough enough to use every day and cope with shots of espresso as well as being the perfect size for a weekday glass of white wine. Murano glass

What to do: The art Biennale is really engaging and should easily fill up two to three days. You get to go inside some beautiflul old villas and churches not normally open to the public which for us is half the fun.

Venice Biennale of Art, June 7-November 22,

Don't: go in August as it is very hot and full to the brim with visitors, although this July was quieter due to the global downturn, so maybe this August might be better than most. Personally we wouldn't be seen dead on a gondola, although the best way to approach Venice is by either water taxi (100 euros but you will remember it for ever) or waterbus (much cheaper but it takes an hour).

We love: Glamping

We love the idea of camping, but are not quite sure about communal showers and spiders in our sleeping bags. Or are we missing the point?
We still haven't quite made up our minds about what to do for a summer holiday this year. Like lots of our friends we are toying with the idea of a staycation (holidaying in the UK!) but are torn between finding a luxury boutique hotel in Cornwall and getting down and dirty on a campsite in the Lake District.
So when a friend suggested Jollydays luxury Camping, we were delighted. We had found the perfect solution, Glamping; glamorous camping. What could be better than enjoying the delights of the great outdoors, jolly singsongs round the campfire and staying in a tent, only with wooden floors, proper beds, wood burning stoves and en suite showers.

Jollydays is family owned and run by Carolyn and Christian Van Outersterp  (fashion designer and landscape architect respectively) and their four children. After creating CVO Fire, the award winning London Fireplace showroom and restaurant they retreated back to country life, two years ago.
With Jollydays they have combined a love of camping and chic hotels,and created the perfect comfortable, back to nature holiday for adults and children alike. Think Enid Blyton at Shoreditch House.

Set on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds, with the beautiful city of York and the coastal towns of Scarborough and Whitby just 45 minutes away, there is plenty to do, if you tire of the delights of the campsite.

One of the best things about the site according to our roving reporter was the catering facilities. Either cook in your tent, (you even get separate sleeping and catering tents) enjoy free tea and cake in the communal 'lobby tent' or try out the clay oven situated in the woods, if you fancy an adventure. The campsite also have guest cooks, who come and prepare an evening meal, which can include anything from cooked meats to vegan and vegetarian delights.

Despite being a bit more expensive than the average camp site, prices are still cheaper than a week in a hotel. A family of 6 can stay in a luxury tent for £850 for a week in August, or a family of 4, can rent a bell tent for £625. Obviously, other times of the year are cheaper.

So despite the fact we have been promised a beautiful summer, if the idea of rainy British weather in a tent puts you off, don't despair. Carolyn and Christian think there there is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate facilities.

Jollydays
Village Farm,
Scrayingham,
North Yorkshire,
YO41 1JD
01759 371776

We Love: holidays in the UK

Photograph by Martin Parr

Several years ago we predicted a return the old fashioned UK based holidays of our childhood (we didn’t write the Womens Room then, so you'll have to trust us on this one!) In fact we felt so strongly about it that we went ahead and bought a caravan by the sea. Put aside your preconceived ideas of row upon row of souless metal boxes on wheels and naff evening entertainment. We are talking two bedroomed mobile home with a deck overlooking the sea, steps to the beach and a private garden featuring its very own tree house. Ok the decor is hideous and the beds were a little uncomfortable, but nothing a few crochet throws and a new mattress didn’t sort out. We have enjoyed five years of blissful summers doing all the things we can't do in London. Walking in the woods, cycling for miles, BBQing on the beach, skinny dipping (the kids not me) and simply doing not very much at all.

We love holidays in the UK and it seems other people do too. Despite the recession, the holiday camp operator Pontins seem to be flourishing. They announced this week that bookings this year are up by 30% and that key periods such as Easer and Summer are nearly sold out. They also said that they have plans to create 2,000 new jobs, as it seems many people are not planning to travel abroad because of the weakening pound.

Having once spent a weekend at a children’s chess competition at Pontins, Middleagedad described it as a cross between Prisoner Cell Block H and Carry on Camping, so we are not sure it's for us. But if you have fond memories of 1970's holiday camps in the UK, take a look at photographer John Hindes book Our True Intent Is All for Your Delight: It features pictures taken during his time as staff photographer at a Butlins holiday camp during the seventies. It's a wonderful mix of kitsch ballrooms and bars and heart-warming nostalgic images of the Great British public on holiday.

We will be spending a lot of time at 'the van' this year and will also be looking out for any great UK camp sites, caravan parks and cheaper hotels we think you might like. Let us know if you have any favourites. Or maybe we could arrange some Womens Room house swaps! Anyone up for two weeks in a eclectic terraced house in North London?

 Our True Intent Is All For Your Delight

Something to look forward to; i-escape

 

In the dreary months of January and February, we like nothing better to dream about where we might like to go on holiday this year. Despite the doom and gloom of the weather and the economy, we are determined to plan something to lift our spirits in the months ahead. Whether its a weekend break without the kids or a full on family holiday in August, take a look at one of our favourite websites, i-escape.  Their growing collection of stylish small hotels, guesthouses, retreats, eco-lodges and private rental properties in some of the worlds most beautiful locations, have all been personally visited by the team and honestly viewed in detail. The site is easy to navigate, has useful destination guides, a wide variety of prices ranges and types of accomodation and most of all, the booking process is simple and easy. Most UK and European locations are covered as well as some more unusual places such as Cambodia, Tanzania and Zanzibar.

We are dreaming about the wonderfully rustic thatched cabins in the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica. Mmm Coata Rica or North London, we can't quite decide!

Trend Watch: Rough Luxe

Are you fed up with the sterile perfection of designer hotels. Do you yearn for " A little bit of rough in a luxurious London, or a little bit of luxury in a rough part of London."

Look no further than Rough Luxe, the new hotel set in the not so luxurious Kings Cross area. The Grade II listed building was transformed by designer Rabih Hage and combines old and new furniture and art, luxury fabrics and cheap materials and eclectic colour combinations. With only nine rooms and breakfast served by our very favourite deli, Ottolenghi, it feels like staying in someones rather grand if slighly shabby home.

Rough Luxe isn't just a hotel, it's also a new way of re-defining luxury. The team have plans to develop the concept for more hotels, restaurants, bookshops and food and drink retail destinations.   "Rough Luxe is a new way of looking at luxury as part of time and not only part of of an object of consumption. The Rough Luxe definition of luxury is: Time for reflection, personal encounters with people, nature, architecture and environment as well as food and social and cultural experiences linked to geographical locations."   Rough luxe is a term we could become very familiar with in 2009.
Rough Luxe 1 Birkenhead Street London WC1H 8BA Tel: +44 (0)207 837 5338 Fax: +44 (0)207 837 1615   Rough Luxe