SRPRS is a company that is based around booking a surprise trip, with very minimal filters so you end up wth absolutely no idea where you're going until you get to the airport. You can chose from a 3,4,5 or 7 day break in Europe, which London airport to fly from, whether you'd like a slightly more comfortable room and then of course, the dates you'd like to travel... and then the rest is left up to SRPRS.
1 month before the trip you'll find out what time you need to be at the airport (and which airport you're off to). 1 week before the trip you can log in online and check on the weather forecast so you know whether you need your cossie - cossie, lol, no you're secretly a 90 year old inside - or your 10 layers of fleece, coat. A few days before you receive your pack including a scratch card which you'll use at the airport to unlock a code that you then enter into your app. Included in the pack is also your boarding passes in a little black envelope so that once you find out where you're off to, you don't need to worry about checking in.
And then you're ready to go *insert all of the party popper/sassy lady in red/airplane emojis here*
So after arriving at the airport with my partner in crime, Al, we scratched off our scratch card, entered the code and honestly jumped with pure shock and delight when we realised we were going to.......
GOD DAMN MOTHERF**KIN VIENNA!!!
So yeah, blimmin Vienna. It's funny because when we received the forecast (2 degrees fyi, no you are cold just thinking about it) we looked at all the places it might be, made completely uneducated guesses and not once did we even consider Vienna. It just never crossed our minds.
A plane and mildly terrifying taxi journey later and we arrived at the Ruby Sofie Hotel in Vienna and I have to say, it was pretty much love at first sight. The bar area and lounge spaces are laid back and cool - think The Hoxton meets Clerkenwell Grind (if you're not a Londoner/a blogger this might be ridiculously unhelpful for you) - and whilst I hate the word "trendy"... it was really bloody trendy. Our room however was an entirely different vibe... possibly the largest I've stayed in (that wasn't a suite), our room was white and airy and incredibly spacious. We had a bed that could fit 5 people - Oi, get your head out of the gutter, you - and a beautiful shower/lounge space.
I think I forgot to mention that the breakfast buffet, i.e my life forte, was absolutely incredible, with endless tea options, almond/oat/rice/god knows what else milk and basically every option known to man... I challenge you to not demolish at least 4 plates.
And if you don't then we can't be friends.
I mean, we can, but you'll just have to up your total pig eating game ;)
Vienna as a place was the Meghan Markle of cities. Beautiful, elegant but also a lot of fun (I mean, I don't know Megs personally but I bet she's secretly a right ball). Think clean and light and very easy going. The food was bloody amazing and the general vibe of the city was somewhere I could see myself spending a lot more time.
Now, as we were only there for a few days and spent most of our time chilling and soaking up Vienna rather than seeing every tourist site there is to see, this won't be a "guide" as such... but here's a few highlights I'd recommend;
Schonbrunn Palace - A beautiful and historical monument for the city, Schonbrunn is absolutely worth a wander to as it really is stunning.
Swing Kitchen - OH MY GOD SWING KITCHEN!!! Ally found this place as it has Vegan burgers and Nuggets and all sorts of wonderful, amazing things and a lot of the food here also happened to be gluten free. If it's wrong to love Nuggets and chips then lock me up and throw away the key pals because this place was incredible.
Stefel Rooftop - After a day of wandering Al and I took it upon ourselves to live our best Sex and the city lives and headed up to the rooftop bar at the top of Stefel department store. An aperol spritz and 30483084 belly laughs and cry tears later and I think I could safely say that it was a very good decision!
Hundertwasser House - Nestled quietly off of a side street in Vienna, you'll find Hundertwasser house. An apartment house built after the idea and concept of Austrian artist Friedensreich, it's an expressionist landmark which to be honest, is just pretty damn cool. There's nothing to do there but it makes for a fun photo and there's a red telephone box there so, you know, if you fancy a taste of London in Austria, this place is your guy!
St Stephen's Cathedral - We absolutely just stumbled upon St Stephen's cathedral and my god, am I glad that we did. It's pretty much an architectural dream (not that I have a single f**king clue about architecture). Stunning inside and out, whether you are religious or generally have no interest in cathedrals, get your butt down there and marvel at the beauty, I promise you won't regret it.
And I think that's it for my little Vienna adventure. As I've already fangirled 304830943 times, SRPRS really is such an incredible idea and one that I can not only not recommend highly enough but will also be rebooking asap.
I hope you enjoyed a little glimpse of Vienna too, it's one of those places that's pretty much perfect for a weekend break. Enough to do and take in but also chilled enough to just enjoy it.
Just the way I like it!
Lol, that 100% sounded like some kind of cheesy slogan at the end of an American toothpaste ad. Soz about that!
xx
A huge thank you to SRPRS for organising the most dreamy trip for me and Ally. We'll never forget it!
