Sleep Well At Ibis? Oh Yes!

As the husband had gone on his little trip abroad that I won and where I couldn't go with him, and the children were each going on their own little holiday, I happily accepted and looked forward to a one night break away at an Ibis hotel to try out their new Sweet Bed system. As someone who lacks sleep due to many reasons I had to attend this sleep related event as I desperately wanted to learn lots of new tips and tricks for getting a good nights kip. I was also very excited to hear there would be a talk from leading physiotherapist and sleep expert Sammy Margo who really knows her stuff. I was invited along with 9 other bloggers to the newly opened Hotel Ibis Shepherds Bush This particular Ibis has 128 rooms all featuring the new and revolutionary bedding concept that Accor unveiled, and with an in-house committee comprising sleep experts and outside researchers worked together for several months to develop. This bedding system has been designed to deliver the perfect nights sleep so my expectations were already very high. 

The new Sweet Bed system has been incorporated throughout all Hotel Ibis's and more than 66,000 beds are already in place. This short video details all the components to the Sweet bed....

* Support- provided by the bed frame and mattress

* Comfort- provided by the mattress and topper

Oh I couldn't way to try it out. On arrival at the newly opened Ibis in Shepherd's Bush you could really feel a fresh contemporary vibe and everywhere was so clean and tidy....

The open plan ground floor incorporates the reception, bar and restaurant and has a modern décor with very stylish touches and creative lighting which I really liked as well as the business corner....

 Then it was up to the my room to drop my bags off and it really was lovely, being a very calm, uncluttered and well designed room and which I looked forward to spending the night in. Of course I couldn't resist trying out the new bed system, with it's hollow-fibre pillows, smart foam and spring mattress and uniquely designed 'S' duvet ;) I almost climbed in and fell asleep right there and then.

 However after a quick brush of the hair etc off I went back downstairs for the event sessions which I was looking forward to, along with a lovely cup of peppermint tea....

First up was a tour of the hotel with the general manager, who was helpful and friendly in answering our many questions about the hotel. I really liked that here our towels help plant trees....

And the pod style en suite bathrooms were great....

After our tour is was time for lunch....

And being a very enthusiastic cake lover I was delighted to see this plate of delicious offerings....

Next up after lunch it was time for Sammy's 'The Art Of A Good Night's Sleep' talk, and which I have to say was fantastic and a real eye opener. As I am someone who finds it hard getting to sleep I shall now be taking a banana to bed with me everynight ;) For sleep inducing purposes of course as they contain melatonin and serotonin as well as the muscle relaxant magnesium. We learnt why sleep is important for a healthy lifestyle and even that separate bedrooms from partners can be a real worthwhile decision, also how pillows can break and here is Sammy doing the shoe test....

Then it was time for Sammy to climb on board her pretend bed to share some tips on sleeping positions....

Apparently green is the perfect colour choice for a bedroom due to its calming influence, I however pointed out I couldn't think of a worse colour as green reminds me of hospitals and that certainly wouldn't have a calming influence on me ;) Bedtime routines can be very important, there should be no electrical gadgets near by, sleeping positions are very important and further on in this post you can see Sammy and I in our practical session to find my perfect sleeping position. A milky drink really does help before sleep as does trying to empty ones mind of all those worrisome thoughts, something that effects me being a natural worrier. After a short break it was indeed time for the practical session on one of the Ibis hotel's Sweet Bed's. I was asked if I didn't mind our session being recorded. At this point I did wonder what sort of event I had indeed come to ;)

It was a very valuable experience. Being a front sleeper, I now know why I often wake up with neck pain and my sleeping position has been improved since coming home. I am occasionally finding that I keep rolling over on to my front during sleep so a little more practice at my new sleeping position is probably needed. 

So, after we had all had our one to one practical, it was time for some Q&A's which again I found very useful. I really learnt lots at the event and I couldn't wait to do my very own shoe test to see if any of our pillows at home are indeed broken. After a lovely dinner which was a short walk away from the hotel it was time to head back to my room and get into my bed....

Oh it was lovely, perfect for me and that 7cm topper a delight to sleep on. so I did indeed wake up refreshed after a good nights sleep and was all ready for breakfast before heading home. I made a fond farewell to my sweet bed....

  

And a lovely big hello to breakfast....

I can't resist a bit of Nutella in the mornings and the breakfast on offer for a small charge at Ibis was super, I couldn't resist going back for more and more....

So, a thoroughly enjoyable event and I would like to thank, Ibis Shepherds Bush (who also kindly forwarded on my iphone charger that I left behind in my room) Kelly for her super organisational and friendly pr approach, Ellie for the heads up on the event, and lastly but by no means least Jeremy for bringing everyone together and being the main man on this.

As for now, I'm off to catch some more Zzzzzz's. I just wish it was on one of the Sweet Bed's ;) 

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Disclosure: I was provided with a one night stay at Hotel Ibis, including lunch, dinner and breakfast for the purposes of this blog post.   

A Winner, & Christmas Thoughts

Well we have a winner for the lovely Tassimo Coffee machine...

Thanks so much to everyone for joining in, I really did enjoy reading all your comments and would dearly loved you all to have won!

So comment 15 was drawn randomly and the winner is....

Sonia at This Mummy Loves Well done Sonia, your shiny new coffee machine shall be on your way to you asap. Enjoy and a lovely early Christmas present for you :)
I couldn't help but think of Christmas these past couple of days as I spied my little Master P doing his stuff for The Little White Company I just love this Christmas inspired photograph of him....

And not long after I saw this, my lovely friend over at Strawberry Lemonade Boutique was walking past a White Company store in Winchester due to be opened next week and sent me this photograph of the window display....

Awww. So seeing these is helping to get me in the Christmas mood and it shall soon (ish) be time to dec the halls....

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Tassimo Coffee Machine Giveaway!

I don't know about you but I love the lingering aroma of coffee in my kitchen and am delighted to offer you the opportunity to win a fantastic Tassimo Coffee machine so you can experience that wonderful aroma for yourselves. I love visiting Costa, who have a super and popular Facebook Page and I have to say Costa Coffee is one of my favorite meet up places with girlfriends for a good chinwag over a delicious Latte. What is extra exciting about this machine, the T40 is that you can now enjoy the great taste of Costa coffee in your own home and at the touch of a button....

Gennaro Pelliccia, master of coffee at Costa, has worked with the developers from Tassimo to provide customers with a quality cup of Costa coffee that can be enjoyed at home. This has resulted in Tassimo Costa TDISC's, which used together with the Tassimo coffee machine, creates the perfect cup of coffee. The Costa TDisc range comes in three of the most popular drink options, Cappuccino, Latte and Americano. The TDISC's are to be used with the Tassimo coffee machine and the Costa at home Roast and Ground range with cafetieres and filter machines. I love that I can now drink Costa coffee at home. The coffee machine is so easy to set up and after a little run of the water that is kept in the tank at the back of the machine we were ready to go.... 

  

That is Master Poppins' little hand, he just had to press the shiny button. As the water comes out very hot he was supervised by me at all times. I love the sleek design, and as coffee machines go, the T40 really is a good looking one....   

 Now we just had to choose our Costa TDISC's....

  And then choose our mugs....

I think it was obvious which DR. Who fan picked this one....

And there we have it, a lovely cup of Costa Coffee. I did make it extra milky for Master P's cappuccino and he loved it, it felt like a real treat. The coffee itself is delicious and I can't wait to try out some of the other TDISC's. It really is so nice to be able to drink Costa coffee at home and I can't wait to hunt out some pretty new coffee mugs ;) If you would like to try out some Costa Coffee at home yourselves, then all you have to do to be entered for this giveaway to win a fantastic Tassimo T40 coffee machine along with a selection of your very own Costa TDISC's to try out, is to leave a comment telling me why you would like this super coffee machine in your life? A winner shall be picked at random in one weeks time. 

I shall get in contact with the winner, who must have a valid email address, ask for your delivery details and then your shiny new Tassimo coffee machine along with Costa TDISC's shall be sent directly to a very lucky you.

Giveaway T&C's: This giveaway closes at midnight 25/10/12 and a winner shall be announced shortly after the closing date. On this occasion the giveaway is open to UK residents only. 

Good luck

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Thank you for entering, this is now closed, a winner has now been selected at random.