👩‍🦰 For our anniversary this year, I booked us a little overnight staycation at Luxe Spa on Kensington in East Perth. This very small boutique accommodation has just 3 suites, so it feels very cosy and private. It also means that it’s very quiet and there are not likely to be any kids! I booked the King suite, which has a spa (one of my favourite things!) and a balcony that has views towards the city. The room was pretty standard but nice overall. (Images from Luxe Spa website)

Being a spa, however, I was also interested in the day spa packages that they offered. We went with a simple 60 minute massage. At almost $130 per person they were definitely on the pricey end and I wouldn’t say it was any better than a massage at any other place I’ve been for around half the price. I also didn’t like how they tried to upsell with oils etc. Still, I love a good massage, so we were feeling very relaxed afterwards, and it was nice to be able to be in the same room together for it. (Images from Luxe Spa website)

After our massages, we had dinner at Blackbird Restaurant, just 3 mins drive from Luxe Spa. We could’ve easily walked the 750m, but we were feeling far too relaxed for that haha! The venue itself wasn’t as ‘fancy’ as I expected it to be after seeing photos and reading the menu, and it was smaller than I expected too. We were sat at a table crammed in next to the wall of the kitchen. Still, it was right on the water and the menu looked great.

After ordering out first drinks, my reservations slowly began to float away - much like the smoke in Aaron’s cherry wood smoked Manhattan. The drinks were delicious, and Aaron developed a bromance with the garson, who was very knowledgeable about all things booze.

The food was AMAZE, we left there absolutely stuffed and very happy with our choices. While the presentation of my main (beef ribs) could’ve been a bit more upmarket (it looked like a pub meal, served on newspaper) the taste could not be faulted. Every single course was seriously yum, and while the bill at the end of the night was bigger than our stomachs, it was worth every cent.