It’s crazy to think that Jezz and I have been together for pretty much half our lives now. WHAT. From those young kids who met in the street on a night out in Melbourne, to now – two kids, a home, a few businesses and a few dozen stamps on the passports.

When Jezz and I first met, fourteen whole years ago, he was working as the concierge at The Swanston Melbourne Grand Mercure. So I’ve been lucky enough to stay at quite a few of the AccorHotels’ Hotels and Resorts in Melbourne and globally (their member perks are some of the best) over the years.

So when they came to me to collaborate on their “Feel Loved” campaign for Valentine’s Day, it was too perfect! As I was already in the midst of planning our anniversary 🙂 And a huge fan of their hotels!

Our hotel of choice? Hotel Lindrum Melbourne MGallery by Sofitel on Flinders Street, without a doubt the best boutique hotel in Melbourne! We stayed there for my birthday last year and were so keen to come back!

I had already planned to put together a little balloon display of photos, but of course with the hotel being a few hours away for us, it made it a little hard for me to pull it off!

The hotel was extremely accommodating and more than happy to help me bring it all together. I simply had all the balloons, photos and champagne delivered to the hotel.

I sent a few ‘inspo’ pics, but I must say – walking into the room, I was completely blown away! It looked 100 times better than I ever could have imagined. The team at the Hotel Lindrum absolutely nailed it!!

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I’ve always been the go-to for my girlfriends when it comes to relationship advice, and being the first to settle down, get married and have babies (literally none of my friends are married or have babies yet still), I thought I’d also share my top tips to a lasting relationship (in my opinion anyway) that have worked for us!

Always Say “I Love You”

We are pretty loved up in this house, kids included. Every day when Jezz leaves for work the girls come running for a “kiss and cuddle”.

No one leaves the house without giving them. And we always say “I love you” when leaving or on the phone. Sounds super corny, but I always think it should be the last thing you say to someone…

Go To Bed At The Same Time

Literally, for the last 14 years, we’ve always gone to bed at the same time. I’m not even sure it is a conscious thing but we’ve always just turned in at the same time. Whether we are watching TV or going straight to sleep.

I don’t think I could even tell you the benefit of it but I truly believe it’s a big part.

Make Time For One Another

We obviously don’t get to have as much alone time now together as parents. And our date nights often include a glass of wine in our pyjamas out the back. But every now and again, when we get the chance to plan something, we always try to do something special.

Always Ask About Their Day

Even when our day has been completely boring, predictable and non-eventful, we still always ask each other how our day was! As we do the girls 🙂

I think taking an interest in each other’s lives is a big one. It shows you care, and you’re supportive of what each other does.

It’s a Team Effort

Even before kids, we’ve never expected that any particular role is that of one person. We both cook, we both clean, we both parent and it’s just whatever needs to be done when it needs to be done!

The same goes for following our own dreams, and we are both extremely supportive of each other in what we wish to achieve in life, in business and within our family!

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I think the biggest thing for us, is that we don’t have huge expectations of one another, but we are always considerate of the other person’s feelings and don’t always need a reason or excuse to make the other feel special.

If you’re looking for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift ideas, birthday, anniversary or just wanting to plan a special something, then check out AccorHotels amazing offer!