Our Pick of the Best Budget Bank Holiday Getaways: Prague, Bath and Brighton

The much anticipated April bank holiday is almost upon us, and here at Nica we’re excited to mark the occasion with a spot of travelling! From Eastern European jaunts to local luxury, join Nica as we scour the internet for the best budgetbank holiday getaways.

Prague on a Shoestring

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April is a fantastic time to visit Prague; the temperature is pleasant and it’s not quite tourist season allowing visitors to make the most of exploring this olde-worlde city by foot. Take a free walking tour to learn about the rich history of this beautiful city, marvel at the fairytale-esque nature of the old town, pop to the Jewish quarter to sample the best cakes in the Czech Republic and sip 90p alcoholic drinks from the Letna Park beer garden, where you’ll enjoy an unrivalled view of the entire city- it’s Prague’s best kept secret.

Stay at: Hostels are the way to go with European budget breaks, and you’ll be amazed by the quality of accommodation you can get for the price. The Charles Bridge Hostel is situated a stone’s throw away from the iconic Charles Bridge, and the latest Easter bank holiday deals start from just £25per room per night.

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Eat at: No trip to Prague is complete without sampling their signature dish; beef goulash. Ferdinand’s is located just off the main square and serves the best goulash for under £5.

Or Bohemia Bagel is an American run restaurant situated down a side street from old town square. Serving up delicious bagels, doorstop cakes and meaty burgers, you can get a large meal and drink for less than £6.

Stay in a Georgian Townhouse in Bath

                                                

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Beautiful architecture, quaint shops, vibrant eateries... Bath is the kind of city we’d like to marry! From the best pizza we've ever tasted at The Real Italian Pizza Company to the picturesque cobbled streets and tempting cake spots dotted right, left and centre, Bath has it all. 

 

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Take a trip to the the UK’s only natural thermal spa and make the most of the open-air rooftop pool where you can enjoy an aerial view of the city and relax in toasty, mineral-rich water.

For cheap eats head to Roscoff Deli Cafe- a charming Italian run deli in the centre of Bath. From authentic dishes such as chicken Milanese to butternut squash curry, all mains are priced under £7. And forget expensive hotels, Airbnb have a great selection of Georgian townhouses available to rent from just £50 per room per night.

 Seaside Fun in Brighton

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For bank holiday fun with friends or adventures with a partner, you can’t beat the seaside town of Brighton. Bursting with character and vitality, the town has an addictive energy which will make you never want to leave.

Enjoy seaside larks on the pier before heading into the town centre to explore the famous Brighton Lanes. Root through vintage treasure, antique homeware and outlandish art pieces to your heart’s content in the lanes before stopping off for a bite to eat at Foodilic. Taking a healthy spin on the traditional buffet, for £6.95 diners can feast on Mediterranean salads, exotic fruits, meaty stews, sweet potato wedges and fair-trade coffee to name just a few menu highlights.

Come night time let your hair down by making your way around the town’s nightlife circuit. The Bee’s Mouth bar is the place to go for live music in a stylish setting. Fairy and neon lights ignite the bar while incense and candles make the place smell like paradise!

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For a traditional seaside experience opt for a cute bed and breakfast near the pier. Strawberry Fields is a fruit themed bed and breakfast located just off Brighton seafront. Alternatively if you’re travelling in a large group then it’s always worth checking out Airbnb to see what’s available.

What’s your favourite city? Share your favourite places with us by tweeting @Nica_Handbags. And don’t forget to follow the Nica blog to stay up to date with the very latest Nica news and style updates.

How To Style the Darcia Doctors Bag with the Bumpkin Betty Blog

Have you seen our beautiful new Darcia doctor’s bag yet? Available in a black or coral raffia finish, it’s a lot easier to style than you might initially think! So, in order to demonstrate, we asked the wonderful BumpkinBetty blog to show us just that.

She kept it smart casual with a matching monochrome sweater, texture contrast jacket, a pair of jeans, and a very cool pair of silver shoes. You can read her full review over on BumpkinBetty.

What do you think of her outfit? How would you style it? You can purchase your very own Darcia doctors bag here as to try it out for yourself.

If you’re looking for more outfit inspiration, don’t forget to follow us on Pinterest and check out our Bloggers How To Style board!

Spring Cleaning: How to Organise your NICA

Rusty loose change, ink Biro leakage, receipt reels, hair ties, make-up residue, old train tickets… Are you sensing a theme here? Yes, you've guessed it, these are some of the most common handbag faux pas, and we’re all guilty of them. We bet when you first laid eyes upon your beloved handbag all shiny and pristine, you never dreamt that one day it could become a secondary dustbin. But alas, it has!

But fear not as we're here to restore order to messy arm candy and prevent today’s pay day purchase becoming tomorrow’s dumping ground. Read the Nica guide to organising your handbag and wave goodbye to unkempt accessories!

The Daily Rummage

Whether it's car keys lost beneath a sea of coupons or debit cards wedged in-between pages of a book, hands up if you’re a serial rummager? This is where compartment bags such as the Alicia Satchel* come in handy. 

Establish a set compartment to put your purse, keys and misc. pieces of paper, and stick to it. Pens are best avoided altogether due to potential ink stains, but if you do find yourself reaching for the more risqué handbag items such as pressed powders, lotions or pens, an accessories pouch or mini make-up bag which you can pop into a large compartment will work wonders at keeping your handbag in pristine condition. 

*The Alicia Satchel comes with a built in mirror, 2 zip compartments and 2 internal compartments making organising your handbag a breeze.

Spring Cleaning

Now that we've taken care of the organisational aspect of your prized handbag, it’s time for a spot of spring cleaning. Regularly clear the debris lurking at the bottom of the bag away and shake off the rubble before wiping away any imperfections. A splash of warm water and a mild detergent works wonders at banishing any stains on a synthetic finish. If you do invest in a high end cleaning product however, always be sure to test on a small hidden patch to ensure the desired effect will be achieved. 

Bags of Personality
Life would be pretty boring if we all looked the same, and that’s why we create unique arm candy with bags of creative personality. Whether it’s a branded bicycle motif, vintage scarf, intricate detailing or floral printed handbag, our staple accessories express individuality while serving a functional purpose too. 

Keep your Nica looking desirable throughout all four seasons by following our simple tips and tricks and that special purchase won’t need to be replaced. Who said handbags are seasonal only?

Are you mad about handbags? Be sure to follow the Nica blog to stay up to date with the very latest news and style updates. What are your handbag tips? Share them with us @Nica_Handbags on Twitter.  

#NicaBakes: Discover Our Organic Cheese Cake Recipe

As you’re probably already quite aware by now, we love discovering new recipes online and getting some tips from our favourite bloggers but we never get around to sharing our own baking attempts with you. Well, as of today, that’s about to change!

Each month, we’ll be donning our oven mitts and getting our bake on just for you! And just to make ourselves feel a little bit better about all of the extra sweet treats that we’ll now be sampling, all of our recipes will have an healthy edge… But of course that doesn't mean that they'll taste any less delicious! 

We've derived recipe inspiration from various sources online, added in a few of our own ideas, and we’re kicking off our baking fest with a scrummy organic cheese cake for which you’ll need the following ingredients:

Filling:

1.5 cups raw cashews – soaked in water overnight or 4 hours +

1 lemon

1.5 cup coconut milk 

2 tbsp honey

Base:

1 cup pitted dates

1/4 cup walnuts

1/4 cup raw brazil nuts

1/4 cup raw almonds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

*Feel free to mix and match the seeds and nuts, you don't need to have a big selection – just add up the quantities.

Topping:

Blueberries (fresh or frozen)

*Other toppings can be used such as strawberries, peanut butter, or passion-fruit.

1. Add dates into the food processor and blend until they clump together into a sticky ball.

2. Empty the dates from the food processor and add the rest of the base ingredients, pulsing the food processor until the nuts and seeds form smaller crumbs, next add the dates back in and blend all together.

3. Empty the base mixture into a lightly greased tupperware container or tin and spread the mixture along the bottom evenly, set aside.

4. Drain the soaked cashews and add into the food processor along with the juice of the lemon, (watch out for pips!) and the rest of the filling ingredients, then, blend until a cream mixture forms.

5. Evenly spread the filling mixture over the base and decorate with the washed blueberries, now all is left is to pop the cheesecake into the freezer for 4+ to set.

Et Voilà! Cut the cheese cake up into slices, and enjoy with a nice cup of herbal tea! Why not test out our recipe for yourself, and share how you get along by tagging your bagging photos with #NicaBakes on Twitter or Instagram? 

And we’re always looking for some healthy baking inspiration, so, please share your own recipes with us too! 

How To Style the Sara Satchel with the LurchHoundLoves Blog

We were delighted when the lovely Lurchhound Loves blog decided to take our small Alicia satchel all the way over to the fashionable Copenhagen! Opting for a cool laid-back look, she teamed our beautiful bag with a pair of jeans, an edgy leather jacket, a pair of comfy UGG boots, and topped it all off with a rather chic furry hat. 

If you want to discover more about her style or even explore the beautiful Copenhagen that little bit more, head over to her blog. 

If you're looking to splash the cash this weekend, you could also purchase your own small Sara satchel here, and don't forget, we love to see how you're styling your own Nica Handbags, so, please share your stylish photos with us on Twitter or Instagram!