Beach Tomato-The Only Website You Will Need This Summer (besides One Girls Wanderlust, of course)

According to John Fitzgerald Kennedy, "all of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean and therefore we have salt in our blood, in our sweat and in our tears. We are tied to the ocean and when we go back to the sea-whether it is to sail or to watch it-we are going back from whence we came." so it is no surprise that so many of us dream of holidays on hot sandy beaches and that each year the main summer holiday consists of a trip to the beach no matter where you are in the world.

But how do you know where the best beaches are? Or even what are the latest must have items for the beach holiday this season? Former GQ, British Vogue and Company Fashion Editor and now Founder/Editor of Beach Tomato, Kirsty Hathaway has all the answers for you along with her boyfriend and Co-Founder of Beach Tomato, Tom Marchant, on the fun, interesting, unique and even a little quirky website Beach Tomato.

Beach Tomato was launched last month and has enjoyed huge success since, being deemed by Vogue as "a great new website that will add a new dimension to your summery imaginings", it is now a popular haunt for for anyone wanting to bring a little of the beach to their desk. The websites layout is enough to draw anyone to take a closer look as it emanates that boho/hippy cool vibe that is so addictive and inviting. All the articles and features are displayed on a backdrop of torn watercolour paper, which is quite fitting seeing as Beach Tomato brings a shot of colour to the waterfront worldwide.

The website prides itself on being able to plan your whole beach holiday from where you will be going, what you will be wearing to even what you will be listening to and it doesn't disappoint. The content is out of this world, it is so informative and engaging whilst being original at the same time. The mixture of information on the hottest beach locations along with extensive style guides such as the 48 hour suitcase and advice on making key trends beach friendly is just breathtaking, and I find myself thinking: "How can anyone be so on the ball-this website has absolutely everything you could possible need?!!"  My favourite feature is the "My Life As A Beach" feature which runs with a new person every time detailing their interesting and sometimes funny connections to the beach, however, it is so hard to pick a favourite as you keep discovering new features on every click of the mouse.

Overall, I would whole heartily recommend this website, it is amazing for planning your holidays and perfect for satisfying that sense of wanderlust that haunts so many of us who live too far from the beach. It is a fantastic and faultless website, please please check it out by clicking the link here.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife...The Hidden Gem of Tenerife

I have been to Santa Cruz many times this year and I just cannot get enough of it. The first time I went to Tenerife, I was a little dubious to what I would discover there. The image that came to mind was cheap package holiday with sunburned Brits on the beaches and chips with everything meals. My experience of Tenerife was far from what I was expecting and I loved every minute of it!!


Situated in the north of the island, Santa Cruz tends to be forgotten by many tourists as there is no direct flight to that part of the island. We flew from London Heathrow stopping over in Madrid then travelling to Tenerife North airport just 15 minutes from Santa Cruz. This took a whole day out of the holiday as the flight itself is five and a half hours long then you have to stop over time. Despite the long journey, it is like you have landed in heaven once you have arrived.


The city itself has undergone a huge renovation and is now the perfect place to go for a weekend break or even longer as there is just so much to do there. The newest addition to the list of activities is TEA (Tenerife Espacio de Artes) a big modern art gallery in the centre of the city. Stepping inside the art gallery is like stepping into the future. The gallery was designed by Herzog and de Meuron, the architects best known for the Tate Modern gallery in London. Everything is very minimalist and Sci Fi and the exhibits are amazing and very thought provoking. Just a short walk from the gallery is the Calle Castillo one of the main shopping areas in the city. All over the Canary Islands there is a low rat of VAT which makes shopping a lot cheaper for clothes as well as alcohol.


During the evening, the best place to go is La Calle de La Noria, a neighbourhood of colonial houses that once were threatened by demolition but have found new life as bars and restaurants. Every night this road is buzzing with people of all ages and on Friday and Saturday nights people don't return home till the early hours of the morning. Some of the best places to go are: Museum, Mojos y Mojitos and Marques where last time I was there they were advertising Vespas and offering people the chance to have their photo taken on a Vespa. There was also a drag show on at Jet Lag Café one night whilst I was there last which was very funny entertainment.


As well as great shopping and nightlife, the north of Tenerife boasts some of the best beaches where you will not hear any other language than Spanish spoken on them. Playa de Las Teresitas is the only white sand beach in the north and the sand along with the palm trees has been imported from the Eastern Sahara.


Everything is so easy to get to on the island due to the great bus and tram service that runs 24 hours a day. If you go for a week it is highly recommended to buy a Bono card that you just swipe on the buses and trams.


I could go on and on about how beautiful and wonderful Santa Cruz is but I will leave some things for you to discover for yourself....

Some Photos of Santa Cruz de Tenerife

DIY Kaftan

It is essential,if you ever visit St Tropez,that you wear white. This is why I have added a fashion DIY so that you can make your own white kaftan to wear to the beach or to one of the fashionable beach clubs such as Le Club 55.Also as you have designed it yourself, you will not have to worry about anyone else wearing the same piece of clothing as you.

To make this kaftan, you will need:
50cm Fusible Interfacing
2m White lightweight cotton
Sharp fabric scissors
any decoration you may want e.g: beads,mirror beads, sequins
white thread
tailors chalk
pins
Butterick B4684 Pattern (this design is design E)