Tag: Spain

A Long Weekend In Malaga

A Relaxing Weekend

I can’t believe it’s almost been a month since Damien and I went on our long weekend away to Málaga. It was a somewhat impromptu trip, having only booked it all a couple of weeks prior going, but we decided that we both felt the need for a little break and to go somewhere warm where we could simply relax.

I’m pretty much a pro when it comes to planning short trips abroad now and with nowhere specific in mind on this occasion, I decided to go with southern Spain for our best chances of warm weather and affordable flights. Málaga came up best in my search and whilst I had been before a few years ago, it had been for a shoot and so I was excited to visit again, on a non work related trip this time

We arrived in Málaga on a Thursday for the last couple of days in March and then returned home on the Sunday, which was the second day of April. It was definitely a good idea picking Málaga, as the weather over that weekend was just splendid.

I found us the perfect little AirBnb only a very short walk from the centre and right by a few little convenience stores where we were able to buy our eggs for breakfast and wine to drink whilst sat out on the roof terrace. Yes we had our own private roof terrace which was exactly what we’d wanted, a nice open space to sit out and enjoy the sun.

The Sights

Although the main focus of the short holiday was to relax, never ones to sit still for too long, Damien and I of course couldn’t help ourselves from doing just a little bit of sight seeing whilst we were there.

Málaga is actually a lot more beautiful than it’s given credit for and away from the high rise hotels that are situated further down the coast line, the city centre is full of old buildings filled with cute little restaurants and bars.

Speaking of the beauty in Málaga from the top of Mount Gibralfaro we were able to see the most wonderful views of the city. It’s quite a walk in the blazing heat but it’s certainly worth it once you get to the top and also very scenic as you walk through beautiful gardens to get there. Of course once at the top we went in the Castillo Gibralfaro and wondered around the castle ruins before heading back down.

Eating Out

One of the restaurants we visited, as recommended by our Airbnb host, was tiny little traditional Spanish restaurant called El Tapeo de Cervantes. We were told to book beforehand, which was wise as we found it was full to the brim when we arrived and still had to wait for ten minutes or so outside before we could even get in to be seated at our table. But we were glad to find that it was certainly worth the wait.

I didn’t take any pictures in the restaurant as it’s so tiny that you are pretty close to the diners either side of you and behind you, all strategically fitted in on high slim wooden tables and chairs. Although this is something that would in most circumstances irritate the heck out of me, in this instance it only added to the character and charm of the place and I rather enjoyed the atmosphere. The staff were great and I had some of the best tapas I’ve ever had. Opting for fish and vegetarian dishes, each plate we had was delicious and if you do find yourself visiting Málaga I’d definitely recommend this place.

Another evening we decided to take an hour long walk along the beach to a few of the highly recommended local fish restaurants located in El Palo. We stopped off at a bar along the way and watched the sunset before continuing on.

Once we arrived we picked one of the restaurants, Restaurante Gabi. It was no thrills dining at its finest and we took a table outside across from the outdoor fire on the beach, where they cooked the fish. Although quite a long walk to get there it was worth it in the end and the fresh fish was excellent. It certainly seemed popular with the locals and we could see why, as its reasonably priced fresh seafood made the visit worth while.

A Drink With A View

There are of course also plenty of bars to chose from in the centre of Málaga, along with a few rooftop bars. One evening before dinner we went to the roof bar La Terraza de la Alcazaba which has excellent views of the town centre and Alcazaba of Málaga. It’s quite a busy spot but fine if you don’t mind potentially standing. It has quite a young vibe and although the drinks are (expectedly) a little pricer than some of the other bars, it’s worth visiting at least for one, just to see the view before sun down.

Well I think that’s almost everything. I’ll end things here before I run the risk of waffling on too much but we really did enjoy our little trip away to Málaga. Sometimes three nights away is all you need to unwind and relax whilst also having the fun of exploring a different location. Now I can’t believe it’s only two weeks until Damien and I jet off on our next little city break, I plan to be a lot swifter with my upload of that travel post once we return, so be sure to check back soon for more travel adventures. 😀

Samio x

You can watch my Málaga vlog here:

April 26, 2017
Summer Flashback – Shooting A TV Commercial In Madrid

It’s crazy to think that this time last year I was spending part of my summer in Barcelona sharing a model house with three awesome girls and this time this year I’ve now bought a house with my boyfriend and we are spending our time getting stuck into D.I.Y whilst we renovate it from scratch!

So much can change in a year and I’m so happy with what I did both last summer and what I’m doing now. I do love to look back on old memories though and it’s a funny old thing with modelling/acting work, as often you can’t actually share pictures of what you’re doing whilst you’re doing it because sometimes it takes a while before the images are published or the film/commercial comes out. So whilst I’m reminiscing, I thought I’d share some behind the scenes of one of the jobs I was booked on last year whilst staying in Barcelona…

I was sent to Madrid for four days to shoot a commercial and videos for the Sony Xperia Z3 phones. I was put up in a hotel with two other actors who I actually met back in Barcelona at my casting and I was in the room next door to the girl who I had the same shooting schedule as, which was convenient plus we got on really well.

The days were long (as with most commercials) but I had such a laugh working with the five other main guys in the ad. They were even nice enough to speak in English in front of me a lot of the time (as unfortunately I can’t speak Spanish). Shoots/filming days are always 10x better when you get on and can have a laugh with the people you’re working with. It also a bonus when you’re working in a fabulous location too and on this particular job there were a few…

I loved the architecture in Madrid. There are so many grand/fabulous buildings, it was fun being able to see some of the city whilst we weren’t filming.

One of the days filming was spent at this beautiful location (I forget the exact name) by a fresh water river.

We had this stunning rooftop view of Madrid on another day. The views of Madrid were amazing but by the afternoon it sure did get hot – we went through a lot of ice lollies and bottled water that day.

I had a fun four days of filming with these guys

Finally it was time to head back to Barcelona – Madrid Atocha railway station was pretty cool as it had a mini forest/jungle in the middle of it.

Here’s one of the Sony Xperia videos I featured in here:

And you can check out the full commercial here:

Samio x

July 17, 2015
My Month in Barcelona

I don’t even know where to start with this blog post. So much happened in a month, it’s hard to detail it all down. So without the elegance of a detailed account I’ll be concise to cut a long story short… I went to Barcelona to model at the end of June; intentionally I went for two weeks but ended up staying a month. This was my fourth time in Barcelona but my first time I’d gone there to work. I booked a couple of really fun commercials whilst I was out there, one which took me to Madrid to film for 4 days, where I worked with some really cool people and had so much fun.

Whilst staying in Barcelona I shared a flat in my agency with four other models; Maria from Spain (who was also my roomie), Natalia from Slovakia and Tara from L.A. The four of us all became really close and formed the type of friendship you don’t find everyday. Collectively we named ourselves the Cheeky Chicas (as you do) and stayed up most nights chatting into the early hours about anything and everything and giggling like school girls… We also had some pretty amazing nights out too not to mention our many adventures between castings and work during the day.

I also got to see lots of one of my oldest best friends, Lydia, who lives in Barcelona, with whom I did lots of catching up, eating and wine drinking. All in all my month in Barcelona was amazing, I met some really cool people, went to some really fun parties, worked some awesome jobs and made some amazing new friends.

Samio x

August 10, 2014
Work and Play

I thought I’d catch up with my sporadic blogging with an update post of what I’ve been upto…

Last week I arrived home after a busy 10 days away, shooting in Spain for Fruit Of The Loom. There were a crew of 13 of us in total, including four models, all of whom were lovely to work with. We stayed in Sotogrande for the first part of the shoot and then in Marbella for the second, each day shooting in a different location. Although it was early starts and long days, it was so nice to be shooting in warm weather in so many beautiful locations. It was fun working with such a great team and we had so many laughs together.

-Gorgeous hotel room in Sotogrande.

-Shooting on the beach.
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June 12, 2013
Barcelona

This weekend I went to Barcelona. One of my best friends, Lydia, who I have known most of my life, recently moved over there. It was her birthday on Friday and so I thought what better excuse to take a trip there for the weekend.

Although I’ve visited Spain many times it was my first time in Barcelona and I couldn’t wait to get out there and see the sights and enjoy some great food and wine with a dear friend.

For the trip I had to pack strategically, as I was only taking hand luggage (I know how brave am I). Something, which many will know, is a hard task for me as I’m the girl who takes a suitcase to stop somewhere for one night. Luckily enough though, I managed to fit everything I needed in my small black case and to below the hand luggage max weight of 10 kgs… Most of the stuff I had in there was black, as the colour seems to have invaded my wardrobe as of late, something which I am in the process of changing! Having mostly black clothing in my case helped though, because I knew with little room, at least everything I was taking should work together as outfits. It gave me the opportunity to mix and match if need be. I managed to limit myself to three pairs of footwear (An arduous task for myself); I packed a pair of plane black wedge shoes for the evenings, my funky zebra print vans for the day and I wore my Underground wedges to travel in.

Although I was only there for two nights we managed to fit a lot in and Lydia was every so kind enough to make an itinerary of the weekends events. She sent it to me before I went so I was able to pack appropriately.

On the Friday I was up at 4am and in a taxi to the airport by 5am. I wanted to be comfy and warm for my journey so I travelled over in my black Underground wedges, black leggings, baggy long sleeved skull top, a black hoodie (previously my boyfriend’s, now mine!) and my leather bomber jacket. The day before I had also made a new black clutch bag for my travels, from my brand Pearls & Lipstick (Website is opening soon). I put an extra pocket in this design, which perfectly fits my passport. I also wanted something that I could use throughout my trip, as I needed to travel light. The size and design of the bag meant I was able to use it throughout the weekend and with it being black it also went with everything. I made it to fit my mini Ipad, coin purse, travel documents, passport and also a book and any other small bits if need be. This is the first bag I’ve made in this particular design, and as I’m happy with the result I shall be making more to sell ready for when the site is open.

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January 29, 2013