Well how can I give them 7 stars. This is how it all started, it was the day before Valentines, I…read morelive over 5,000 miles away, I wanted something special. Sure I could go to interflora and pick from a menu of pictures like a cheap Chinese restaurant or I could enlist the help of a local florist with local knowledge and the design skills to build something out of this world. Knowing that the time zone difference was going to be a problem, it was going to have to be arranged by e-mail. There would be no pictures to look it, it would be a one off. Could it be done? My requirements were simple, I wanted something special, not a dozen red roses. I wanted lots of different colors, lots of different textures, an amazing aroma, and still for it to still shout "Happy Valentines, will you be mine, because no-one could adore you more" all over it. I also wanted different life expectancies on the flowers so that didn't all die at once. Geraldine e-mailed me back confirming my budget and a list of different flowers, foliage, their purpose and how they would meet my requirements. I said it sounded great and she let me know that I would need to pay before the flowers left the store and wording for a card. While in my office the afternoon of the 13th I realized that I had forgotten to pay and needed to do it over the phone before it was too late in the UK. I called, it was 11:30pm in the UK. Geraldine was still at her shop exhausted but professional. Took my payment, got me a vase I threw in as a request at the last minute, I e-mailed her the wording for the card and I waited in anticipation. Well, lets just say the results were amazing. Such a beautiful display and such attention to detail with hidden love hearts within the foliage, lots of special touches, enough roses to show but not overdo it. From what I hear everyone else was jealous and everyone who has seen them raves about them. I have seen pictures and I'm amazed, so much so that I am creating the first entry on Yelp for Geraldine as this is a talent to be used. Thinking back to Interflora, they serve a purpose but I felt that doing this was like having my own personal chef instead of ordering the number 6 meal at McDonalds. You know where all my flowers are coming from from now onwards.

I received the most amazing display of flowers that definitely said "Happy Valentines, will you be…read moremine, because no-one could adore you more". When they were delivered, the gentleman who delivered them gave me instructions on how to look after them and even how to transport them in my car as they were delivered to work. I admit I wasn't listening very attentively as I was so in awe of the display. Thankfully I remembered the bit about using the seatbelt and there were instructions with the card on where to top up the water. A week after I received them, I could still smell the aroma of the flowers when I entered the room. I felt very special receiving the flowers, the attention to detail was amazing. Thank you to my boyfriend for arranging something so special, but also a big thank you to the florist for making his requests exactly as he wished.

The best florist around! I will not go anywhere else! Outstanding quality, premium flowers, it…read moredoesn't get any better than this!! I am thrilled Vida Flora are doing our upcoming wedding flowers. Jessica has been a god send with help and ideas! Also love the gorgeous home accessories that are available in the shop, it so easy to be able to find gorgeous gifts....or to just spoil yourself!!

I hadn't been in the Welsh shop for a while, having been put off by the buckets and spades and…read moreother plastic toys and postcards outside. There are a few cheap shops selling these tourist bits and bobs in Porthcawl, and I would always avoid them. However when I went inside I was impressed with the selection of goods on offer. I wanted to get a love spoon, and was pleased with the decent size range of styles and prices. They also had other traditional Welsh items, and locally produced crafts and gifts. The staff were really slow - but very friendly, and did offer me a discount, even though I didn't ask for one. All in all this is a good shop to pop into if you are looking for a nice Welsh gift, or if you are visiting Porthcawl and fancy a memento - or just a bucket and spade for the beach.

I first became aware of Ushi's when I lived in St Hilary, a couple of miles away from Cowbridge. I…read moreused to shop at Ushi's on the High Street in Cowbridge quite regularly back then, but still had no idea that they had two other outlets in Cardiff! These days I am to be found closer to the city centre, and so have realised that Ushi's is a small homegrown chain. The brand now supports three outlets, with a concession in the ill-fated Morgan Arcade off St Mary's Street in the centre of town, and another in Roath in the pretty shopping area of Wellfield Road. Stocking things for home and garden as well as jewellery and accessories it makes an ideal place to shop for presents, or for yourself if you are feeling frivolous! They carry many products that you won't find anywhere else, as well as some you will. Prices are not the cheapest in town, but the quality of what you are buying is generally superior. We get what we pay for these days!

This boutique-style gift shop is part of a small local chain with shops in Cardiff's Albany Road…read moreand the city centre. This Cowbridge location probably suits it best, being in the midst of a wealthy town with plenty of ladies of leisure looking to treat themselves. Some of the clothes in the window are a bit frilly and frou-frou for my liking, but inside there are plenty of lovely things that catch my eye, including some homeware, jewellery, knick knacks, and items for your garden - all in a similar vein to Vinegar Hill for those who are familiar with that chain. If you're visiting Cowbridge from Cardiff, you're probably in the mood for a treat - and this shop has lots of bright and pretty things to choose from. It's not cheap, but then few gift shops in Cowbridge are, and at least all the stuff's good quality.