Are you looking for something a bit different to give as a  present this year? We tend to think of Christmas as a sedate, chilled-out holiday where we all park ourselves on the sofa and eat until we can’t think any more before falling into a food-induced deep sleep. So how about waking that special someone up and adding a bit of adrenaline this festive season with a helicopter Thrill Flight?

If you’re anything like us, you don’t have much cause (or opportunity) for jetting about in a helicopter in your day-to-day, but with this fantastic 50% off deal we can get you up into the air for a heart-racing thrill flight. This experience is designed to demonstrate the appeal of helicopter flying; combining sight-seeing with the rush of high-speed flight.

The experience starts in the scenic English countryside before your helicopter rockets into the sky and heads towards the city. Choose from six locations and view your city from the air as your expert pilot shows you just what this aircraft can do.  In a six mile circuit, the pilot will push the speed up to 150 mph, all while pointing out the historic landmarks of your chosen area. How’s that for multi-tasking?

There’s nothing quite like getting a completely new perspective on something you thought you knew, not to mention the adrenaline rush of leaving the ground behind and speeding above the rest of the world. If you’ve never flown in a helicopter before, this is a great opportunity to get a taste for it while seeing what the city looks like from the air. We’re sure that once you’ve tried this Thrill Flight you’ll be checking out Tellallmyfriends looking for more helicopter experiences to try!

1. Dinner and Theatre Evening in London for Two

There are few evenings out better suited for couples than seeing a brilliant West End show. Choose from a wide selection of classics like The Woman in Black, Dreamboats and Petticoats, and Blood Brothers and new favourites like Legally Blonde. This is perfect for couples wanting to celebrate with a night out in London’s Theatreland!

2. Lovers Flying Lesson with Lunch and Champagne Package

Experiences are always better when they’re shared. With this fantastic experience, one half gets to take control of the plane while the other demonstrates how much they really trust their partner! Take to the skies with your special somebody and celebrate the day with some complimentary champagne.

3. Deluxe Afternoon Tea for Two at the Marriott

This is a classic, quintessentially British, couple’s experience. Experience a delightful afternoon tea with your partner at one of eight beautiful four-star Marriott locations, with sandwiches, pastries, and, of course, wonderful, wonderful tea! Escape from everyday stress with this refined treat.

4.  2 for 1 Indoor Skydiving

Get an adrenaline rush with that special someone and check out indoor skydiving. This experience lets you and your partner experience the thrill of freefall in the safety of Airkix’ 170mph wind tunnel. If either one of you’s feeling a bit nervous you can relax and enjoy the experience knowing that your other half will have to do it too!

5. Full Day Cooking Course for Two

Gift 1:  Green and Black’s Chocolate Making

OK, we use any excuse, but Christmas does mean chocolate. This year, why not give the box of Celebrations a break and treat her to the ultimate in chocolate making. Working with the finest Green and Blacks chocolate, she’ll learn how to create delicious chocolate recipes, and she’ll get to take her creations home. This experience is also available for two so you can join in the fun!

Gift 2: Bannatyne Spa Day

If she doesn’t have a sweet tooth, how about treating her to a day of relaxation at a Bannatyne spa?  Everyone deserves a day of pampering, and the massage therapists and beauty specialists at Bannatyne are the very best at what they do. The package includes a facial and a manicure, plus as a two for one offer she can bring a friend along. Or you, if you ask nicely.

Gift 3: Next Top Model Makeover and Photoshoot for TWO

Let her look and feel phenomenal with this great makeover and photoshoot package. This half-day experience includes a moisturising treatment, a professional make-up application, dry-hair styling, and finally the professional photo-shoot! She’ll get to bring along the outfits she wants to be photographed in, and take away a complimentary 5×7 print to remember the experience.

Gift 4: Tea Tasting and Blending

If you’ve seen her get bored with the same old tea bags, we suggest that you treat her to a tea tasting and blending experience with the master of the tealeaf Alex Probyn. She’ll learn about the history of tea, what goes into creating a great cuppa, and she’ll have the chance to create her very own blend, which will be packaged and delivered to her.

Gift 5: Thrill Flight

If she’s looking for something with a bit more adrenaline involved, we recommend this helicopter thrill flight. With a choice of six locations, she’ll be whisked up into the air to marvel at the stunning surrounding landscape! If she’s never been in a helicopter before this 150mph experience is the perfect introduction.

Last week, the Tellallmyfriends team went to check out master tea blender Alex Probyn’s Tea Tasting and Blending experience. We get through a heroic quantity of the stuff here at the office. From green tea to bubble tea to good old-fashioned English tea, we love it all, so you can imagine how excited we were to learn from the master. We couldn’t wait to learn how to make tea, and we’re talking loose leaf tea here, not your everyday teabags! It was a wonderfully educational and magically delicious three hour experience as we wrapped our tastebuds around some incredibly tasty blends, discovered how to slurp properly to get the maximum amount of flavour, and learned just how rich and varied the history of tea is.

We also got the chance to create our very own blends, and ours arrived at the office today! Here’s a photo of what we’re calling “John’s Rooib-ust Peppermint Flush” It’s got 40% Rooibos tea, 45% Darjeeling tea, and 15% Peppermint tea. We’re pretty sure it’s going to be awesome! If you’re looking to buy tea online, why not take the next step and check out Alex Probyn’s Tea Tasting and Blending and he’ll help you blend your own tea to figure out which combination is best for you! It’s also available as an experience for two so you can take a friend or a special someone along to share the fun! Then you get to relive the experience when your own tea blend arrives in the post a few days later. Show your friends and family what you created. Here’s John with his fantastic creation!

We hope everyone had a great Halloween and got their best costumes out! On the 29th of October the fantastic charity Mad4Africa hosted their annual Halloween party/fundraiser. Every year, they hosts a spooky seasonal costume bash and a raffle for charity to raise money for their cause. This year, the money went to the Kiyonza Professional Training Centre in Rwanda, which Mad4Africa has put a great deal of work into renovating and better equipping to allow students to learn  skills which will help them towards a better and more sustainable future. This year, Mad4Africa raised almost £2000!  Tellallmyfriends donated a prize to their raffle, a 30 Minute Treatment plus FREE Cream Tea at Hillmotts. If you like the sound of that, check out our pampering section at the site for more fantastic spa and treatment deals. Here’s a picture of the lucky winner below!

As chocoholics know, Green & Blacks are the creators of some of the finest chocolate ever to grace the inside of a wrapper. Even if you’re not the biggest fan of chocolatey goodness, you know that you know someone who is. Here at Tellallmyfriends we’ve got a fantastic 15% discount offer on their wonderful Indulgent Chocolate Making Workshop where you can learn the tricks of the trade for yourself.

Whether you’re serious about creating a wonder of dark chocolate, or whether you’re looking to make a more playful concoction than the usual chocolate cake, there’s something for all fans of the cocoa bean who’s looking to learn how to make chocolate as well as expanding their repertoire. There’s an array of the finer things available to use as ingredients in your chocolate dessert, with everything from cardommom and chilli to marshmallows and praline laid out for use in your creation. And let’s not forget the finest Green & Blacks chocolate! You’ll learn about the fascinating history of chocolate as you create your own recipes, and at the end of the day you’ll have over twenty of your own chocolate inventions to take home.

The Green & Blacks Indulgent Chocolate Making Workshop is the perfect gift for anyone who’s got a sweet tooth and is interested in putting their culinary skills to the test to create their ultimate chocolate delicacy! Looking for a recipe for chocolate? Look no further! There’s also a Green & Blacks Chocolate Making Workshop for Two if you’d like take a special someone along. If you think that this an experience you’d like to get someone but are feeling a bit concerned about the price, don’t forget our fantastic group gifting app! With Grant My Wish you and your friends can club together to make sure that you get the gift you really want to give, rather than the gift you have to settle for.

We’re very excited here at Tellallmyfriends about this new initiative we’ve got going. It won’t be long until people start telling you “’tis the season”, and in that spirit we’re giving you the gift of group gift giving. In these hard times of economic uncertainty we’re all watching what we spend but we still want to give our friends and family something to show that we care. That’s where our group gifting comes in.

Now, you and your friends can each chip in however much you want to towards an experience day for that special someone. You can see how much your friends have already contributed to the gift. Best of all, we have a group gifting app called Grant My Wish for your iPhone or Android system so you can keep tabs on your friends’ gifts and gifting on the go. There are over 1000 gifts to choose from, so let’s give you a few examples of great group gift ideas.

PAMPERING

We all know someone who deserves to be pampered. Now with group gifting it’s so easy for you and your friends to chip in and get that special someone a day of luxurious treatment.

The 5 Star Pamper Day at London’s Bentley Waldorf Astoria is currently 25% off and offers spa treatments and massages. You’ll receive three wonderful spa treatments, starting with a mini back massage, followed by a luxurious facial treatment, before finishing with an intensive foot massage. These treatments will relieve tension and revitalise body and soul.

Alternatively there’s the Marriott Pamper Day, which we’re currently offering as a 2 for 1 deal. You and your friend will each be able to choose a treatment: a smart mini-manicure, a refreshing facial, or a back, neck, and shoulder massage. You’ll also be given access to the wonderful facilities for the day, as well as a 10% discount on any of the products. With 17 locations, everyone can enjoy this relaxing and restoring treat.

Or, there’s the Bannatyne Spa Day which currently is on a fantastic 2 for 1 offer! You’ll get a range of fantastic beauty treatments at this day spa for two experience that’s available in 29 locations, and includes an Elemis Pick Me Up Facial and a Leighton Denny On the Move Manicure. This experience is perfect for those who are looking to open a little window of luxury time in their busy schedule.

Whoever you’re looking to get a treat for, there’s plenty of great pampering experiences to choose from!

Makeovers and Photoshoots
Have you ever wanted to feel what it’s like to get made-up and photographed like a professional model? Fulfilling that wish is just a click away – Tellallmyfriends has dozens of makeover photo shoot packages to choose from for you, for him, even for baby! Maybe you’d like to send your man for a once-over and a stylish photo shoot, or treat your mum to a surprise glamour photo shoot – these packages will make you look and feel fabulous, and at an incredible price.

Makeovers and Photo Shoots for Her

Girls, if you want to look fantastic for a special night out, or you want to treat yourself and some friends to an afternoon of getting pampered and dressing up, check out over twenty different photo shoot and makeover packages ranging from £15 to £250. If you want to bring a friend along, try out the Next Top Model Makeover and Photo Shoot for Two. You’ll spend the morning getting pampered and having your hair and makeup done by professional artists. You bring along up to four changes of outfits and let the photographers do the rest! You’ll come out of it looking fabulous, and with a complimentary 5×7 print, as well as your digital images.

If that doesn’t quite do it for you, then why not go for the Ultimate Diva Makeover and Photo Shoot? This is the ultimate styling and pampering session. You’ll start out with a consultation with a professional artist who will work with you to decide what kind of look you want to achieve. Then you’ll be handed over to professional makeup artists, stylists and photographers to have your hair cut and makeup done in the style you’ve chosen. After this you’ll be photographed in a professional photo shoot, and come away with five stunning prints from the day.

Makeovers and Photo Shoots for Him

Makeovers aren’t just for the girls! Sometimes guys need a bit of pampering too, and Tellallmyfriends has just the thing for it. These exclusive men’s makeover and photo shoot packages are designed to bring out a man’s best features, and show him how he can look his best. The days typically start out with a consultation from a professional stylist, who will then hand you over to professional beauticians and hair stylists and a makeup artist who will apply subtle makeup for the photo shoot.
You’ll be given loads of tips on how to always look your best, and how to tame that hair. The session ends with a viewing of the photo shoot and a complimentary A4 print.

Family Photo Shoots

If what you really want is a collection of stylish, professionally done photos of you, your newborn baby or your loved ones then there are loads of Dad and Baby photo shoots, photo shoots for mum and family makeover and photo shoot deals. Keep a look out for special offers!

Everybody needs a little love and attention… and what better way to spoil someone special than with a personalised spa package? Lie back and relax as the experts work their magic and you’ll soon feel completely rejuvenated and revitalised!

Check out this video to see more:

There’s no better pamper treat than a personalised package that’s just up your street! Perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, and those guys and gals who aren’t a part of the world cup madness!

Welcome back to meeee! I’ve been away enjoying the sun, the sand and the sea in sunny Cardiff, thank you all for your lovely messages while I was away! I’m very pleased to be back though, and I’m full of fantastic ideas for you to enjoy!

Today’s ideal gift experience is for everyone who needs a holiday from being back at work: the perfect Aromatherapy Massage package! Tantalise your senses with a sensational aromatherapy indulgence and relieve all your work-related stresses (it does seem awful just after a holiday, doesn’t it?) and feel completely rejuvenated and revitalised with a ’second wind’! Aromatherapy has a very long (and successful!) history and offers fantastic, effective solutions to modern-day ailments. Lavender soothes the soal, orange and bergamot renews your energy, and tea tree invigorates your skin with renewed refreshment… And what better way to take advantage of these age-old remedies than with a stunning two-hour massage? Mmmmm! And best of all, these natural remedies are all organic!

Enjoy! x Stacey