Triptease

Triptease.

Coming soon.

This is the only information that has been available over the last couple of weeks when you click on the Triptease Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest pages and there seemed to be nothing at all when you do a Google search.

So what is it that's being created, behind the mystical and oh so teasing name, Triptease.

Launched yesterday, it was definetely worth waiting to find out!

The home page of the website - providing categories to allow the user to 'have a browse' rather than searching for a particular location or venue

I'm sure I'm not the only one that finds trawling through awfully written, and for the most part unhelpful Trip Adviser or Hotel Finder reviews dull - in fact I know I'm not - and that's where Triptease steps in.

A glamorous alternative to the traditional hotel, restaurant or experience review site, the website allows people to post their own reviews but is focused on high quality images. The majority of hotels are high end and catered to the higher budget but restaurants cover a whole range of budgets and there are also reviews on countries and cities as a whole - a great first read if you fancy a spontaneous trip and don't know where! All of the reviews are extremely well written by 'normal' people and fear not the site certainly doesn't appear pretentious in it's content.

With each member of the Triptease community having their own 'Pinterest-like' board of reviews, the site is easy to navigate, and you can comment on and favourite other people's reviews. Working in the form of a social networking community but for reviews ensures the site appears personal and you can even find out a little about each reviewer by checking out profiles.

40 Winks - a boutique hotel in East London and an example of one of my reviews

I've been contributing to the site prior to its launch and reviews have focused on hotels and restaurants from Dedham in Suffolk to Udaipur in India. Its great being able to upload your own images or use those from the web and it is this feature that really sets the site apart from other review websites. The site will be launching over the next couple of weeks and it is definitely worth checking out. Follow @Triptease on Twitter to be kept up to date with the launch. You can also check out my profile by clicking the link (or searching Ali-Moss-Thomas once the website launches. I'm looking forward to it!

My Triptease board

“Travel does what good novelists also do to the life of everyday, placing it like a picture in a frame or a gem in its setting, so that the intrinsic qualities are made more clear.” - Freya Stark

West Mersea Oyster Bar

Yesterday, I had the most perfect Sunday.

One of my best friends from school has been living in Sweden for a year and I hadn't seen him for 6 months. I got a lovely surprise when I found out that he was back in Suffolk on Saturday and spent the day pottering with him.

A long walk long walk across the fields in Dedham followed by olives and Aspall cider at my favourite country side pub, The Sun Inn and we ended up spontaneously heading to the West Mersea Oyster Bar for an early supper. 

West Mersea Oyster Bar started in 2006 with Michael Dawson as an expansion to his oyster business. It soon became huge success. On April 1st 2010, Chris Avila & Sel Yuzen took over with an improved menu & much more. Located on the sea front on West Mersea Island, the Oyster Bar serves only fish, as the name suggests but it is the freshest most delicious fish and it is always such a treat to go there!

The venue is literally a shed, with strip lights and wooden tables and benches. The chefs cook in the same room as the customers eat in, standing behind a wooden bar and the best wine is the House, very cheap and very drinkable.

Despite it being a very muddy day, I had been prepared and worn wellies for the walk (at which point it was still gorgeously sunny!) so we started off sitting outside. This is the view...

I wore a silk and lace shirt, leggings, vintage scarf, my favourite cashmere socks that I miss wearing when its actual summer and wellies - country casual!

We have mirrors in the garden so thought I may as well utilise them - the plants aren't going to after all!!

The 'shed'... built on the site of original oyster purification tanks and very much in keeping with the natural landscape.

The interior after a recent re-vamp...

Whenever we visit the restaurant we always order the same: Oysters followed by Lobster. Overt luxury and totally delicious.

Taken from http://westmerseaoysterbar.co.uk/didyouknow.html and totally fascinating:

A rock oyster produces about 100 million babies a year and native about 1 million

An oyster is bisexual - female one year, male the next

Oysters have been around for 200 million years, unchanged

Oysters have two beating hearts

Native oysters can live up to 30 years

Oysters have been cultivated in the creeks of Mersea since Roman times

The mains... Lobster in garlic butter with fat chips and dressed salad - I wish I'd order a whole Lobster rather than a half!

If you're ever in Essex The West Mersea Oyster Bar is so worth a visit. You can get take out in summer and sit on the beach, or at the tables overlooking the water and mud flats outside the restaurant. Or you can take in the very local atmosphere of this increasingly popular secret by booking a table inside.

Contact the restaurant for menus, bookings and more information:

   01206 381600

   West Mersea Oyster Bar
Coast Road
West Mersea
Colchester
Essex
CO5 8LT