Bluestone

A couple of weekends ago I went to Bluestone with my mum, stepdad and Nick for my birthday. Bluestone is sort of like a mini Center Parcs and is near Tenby in West Wales.

We stayed in a gorgeous lodge and spent the weekend just generally relaxing. Instead of hiring bikes to get around the site we took the lazy option and hired a golf buggy instead! The weather was lovely so we drove round the site a couple of times looking at the fantastic views of the National Park. Look how cheeky Nick looks here as he drives off without me! We weren’t completely lazy and did spend an hour or so in the swimming pool!

The weekend we stayed was bonfire night so there was a short firework display in the main village. We also had an amazing meal in the very fancy on site restaurant!

The highlight for me was a visit to the spa with my mum. We spent an hour in the various saunas and steam rooms before going off separately for facials. I had the Bluestone customised facial which used products from Decleor. It was so relaxing and my skin felt really soft and clean at the end. Harriet, my therapist, was brilliant and showed me some products which were great for my skin – my favourite was the Phytopeel Exfoliator. I just wish I wasn’t a student and could afford some of the products now!

Sherwood Forest

My little sister’s 18^th birthday is coming up this week (which makes me feel so old!) so we spent the weekend at the Sherwood Forest Center Parcs to celebrate and had a brilliant time.  The pool is lots of fun, although it was majorly busy when we were there!  We had a tasty and very filling meal at Huck’s, ending with the biggest ice cream you’ve ever seen – even between 5 of us we couldn’t manage to finish it.  Spent a few relaxing hours in the Aqua Sana Spa as well which was amazing.  There are so many steam rooms, saunas and relaxation rooms that you don’t want to leave.  We also managed to fit in a game of bowling which I haven’t done in ages and I can’t believe how bad I was (there were no side barriers up though in my defence and it is a lot harder than it looks to throw a ball in a straight line!).  Our villa was really nice; it even had a sauna and the beds were sooooo comfy.  The only downside to our stay was when I stupidly lost the key to my bike lock and had to sit for half an hour on a fence waiting for someone to come and cut my bike free!

Allt Yr Ynys

Pulling up at the Allt Yr Ynys Country Hotel we were impressed with how beautiful the building was.  The Allt Yr Ynys is a converted 16^th century manor house set in the countryside near Abergavenney and has some stunning views of the Welsh mountains.

The main building

After checking in, we were shown to our room and even had our bags carried for us which was a bit of a luxury.  Our room (a standard room) was in one of the converted outbuildings.  The decoration of the room really didn’t appeal to either me or my boyfriend; it was very frilly and old fashioned and even had a porcelain jug and plates on the wall.

The style of the room

This was a complete contrast to the reception area with the restaurant and lounge area, which has been recently refurbished in a cosy but modern style with real log fires, slate floors and expensive looking furniture.  Decoration aside, our room was spacious, spotless and cosy and we had a lovely view of the river.

The view from our window

The bathroom looked like it had been newly fitted and was sparklingly clean with the only downside bring that the shower was really not very powerful at all.

We decided to go for a swim and relax in the sauna and Jacuzzi.  The pool area looks great, but to be honest it was far too cold to relax in!  The pool itself could only be called freezing (one couple got changed and left after just dipping in their toes) so we opted to get straight in the Jacuzzi.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a button to switch on the bubbles but at least it was slightly warmer.  The sauna really warmed us up, however I was a bit disappointed we didn’t manage to sit reading our books on the loungers at the edge of the pool as the air was just so cold!

The pool area

Dinner in the evening completely made up for the fact that the pool wasn’t what we’d hoped.  Our menus were brought to the sofa in front of a log fire, where we sat with a glass of wine until our starters were ready.  The food was amazing, very well presented, and we didn’t feel at all rushed.  The restaurant, although small, was busy so there was a good atmosphere.  We just about managed our three courses as the portions weren’t the tiny portions you sometimes get but it was definitely worth squeezing in pudding.  I had a chocolate and coffee mouse with homemade pistachio shortbread which was absolutely gorgeous.  I think I would say that this was one of the best meals I’ve ever had.

The restaurant

We had a brilliant stay at the Allt Yr Ynys but if we had to make one suggestion it would be to try and heat the pool area, as well as the pool itself, a bit better!

My 21st at Center Parcs

I spent last weekend at the Sherwood Forest Center Parcs with my family and boyfriend to celebrate my 21st birthday!

We arrived at lunch time on Friday and after dropping the bags at our amazing villa, we headed straight to the Aqua Sana. We were booked in for a few hours relaxation at the spa which I’d been looked forward to for weeks and it didn’t disappoint! The spa is really peaceful with lots of different types of saunas, steam rooms and general relaxation areas with bean bags, water beds and calming music. My mum, sisters and I even had a half hour session trying out different luxurious skin care products. We all, (even the boys!) had a brilliant afternoon and I’d recommend anyone visiting Centre Parcs to splash out for a couple of hours in the spa – it is definitely worth it!

We spent Saturday morning lounging round the villa. We were staying in a New Style Executive Lodge which has 4 bedrooms to fit everyone, in as well as a games room with a pool table which kept the boys entertained! All of the bedrooms have en suites with brilliant power showers so there was no fighting over whose turn it was. On the Saturday we also visited the pool which was great fun – there are both indoor and outdoor pools as well as loads of slides.

On Saturday evening we all went to Forester’s Inn for my birthday meal. The food was gorgeous but the portions were so massive that I couldn’t actually finish my main course which is almost unheard of! The atmosphere and the staff were very friendly – our waiter found out that it was my 21st and brought me a birthday cocktail!

Sunday was our activity day. The boys went off to try ‘Dirt Buggies’ which, from what I can gather, is off road go-karting. At the same time, the girls went for spa treatments. My sisters both had ‘File and Paints’ but one of them managed to smudge her nails within 5 minutes of leaving the Aqua Sana. Me and my mum both had facials. This was my first facial so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I’ve got to say that I was quite surprised when the therapist started to wash my feet after I lay down on the table! After that it was more like I had imagined – my face was cleansed, toned, moisturised and I was left to ‘relax’ for 15 minutes with a face mask on. I’m pretty sure I fell asleep at this point! I felt so sleepy after my facial but I loved it and my skin was left feeling very clean and soft so I’d love to have one again.

Monday was my actual birthday but we had to be out of the villa by 10am. I had an amazing weekend and really didn’t want to leave – it was the perfect place to spend my birthday weekend.

Sérignan Plage

A few days ago I got back from 2 weeks at a campsite called Sérignan Plage near Béziers in the South of France.  We had two Eurocamp vans for 8 people which was a bit crowded but didn’t really matter as we only really used the vans to sleep in due to the amazingly hot and sunny weather.

The campsite is brilliant.  It has direct access onto a long sandy beach as well as a pool with slides and a spa for over 16s.  We spent lots of time on the beach but the spa was really enjoyable as well.  It has a pool for swimming and a pool with lots of massage jets and also has very comfy sunbeds!  Only two people from each tent/ caravan can go into the spa at once meaning it doesn’t get overcrowded and you can always find a sunbed.

The campsite has a cute little shopping area with a mini-supermarket, pâtisserie,  boucherie, poissonnerie, hairdressers and gift shops.  The buildings look like original farm buildings but could just be built to look that way, I’m not really sure.  Every day there are also a number of stalls where people sell jewellery clothes etc.

We had two hire cars so were able to go off site and look around some of the nearby towns and villages.  The closest town to the campsite is Béziers which is around a 15 minute drive.  We happened to be there during their festival so it was very busy with lots of food stalls everywhere although all of the normal shops were closed.  The old part of the town is nice and there is a massive cathedral with a fantastic view over the countryside.

Sète is a small town about an hour from the campsite.  There was also a festival on here so we went along to watch water jousting which none of us had ever heard of before.  We arrived a few hours before the jousting started but all of the seats were already taken and you couldn’t move for people!  The actual jousting ended up being a bit boring but the atmosphere before with all the stalls and music was fun.

We drove up into the mountains one day to have a wander round a few villages.  One tiny village called Roquebrun was especially lovely.  It is on a hill above the river and there’s a little beach where you can swim and look up at the whole village.




When we left France it was 36°C and we arrived back in Bristol to cloudy grey sky, pouring rain and 14° which was quite disappointing!  Never mind, at least the weather is better here today!

Canvas Holidays at Duinrell Campsite

After an exceptionally long drive from Cardiff to Wassenaar, Holland, we arrived at Duinrell Campsite.  The staff at the Canvas check-in were welcoming and took us straight to our caravan which was very nice inside and much more spacious than any other one I’ve stayed in on similar sites in Europe.  There were 6 of us in the van with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.  The kitchen was fully stocked with cutlery and crockery and had a massive American style fridge and dishwasher.

Our van was less than a 5 minute walk from the main plaza with the shop, restaurant and pub.  The Irish Pub was a bit disappointing as it was in a basement so was quite dingy and they didn’t actually sell any Irish drinks – well, none that we could see anyway.  The World Cup matches were shown there but when there was no football on, the pub was deserted.  Free WIFI is available in the plaza for those with laptops but you can also pay to use the campsite computers to access the internet for €2 per 10 minutes.

The best part of the campsite was the Tiki Waterpark which is Europe’s biggest indoor slide complex and is in the theme park right in the middle of the campsite.  The theme park and Waterpark are open to the public but Canvas guests get to go on the theme park rides for free at any time and have 2 hours free use of the Waterpark every day.  The theme park has mainly fairground type rides with just one roller coaster.  It was good fun but the park was much more popular with younger families.  The Waterpark on the other hand is brilliant fun for everyone (except those with a bad back!).  I have never been on slides that fast or steep in my life!  There is a small area for babies and toddlers as well as a wave pool, lazy river and Jacuzzis for those who don’t want to brave the slides.  Another options is to use the steam room and sauna for an extra cost of €3.

The village of Wassenaar is a two minute walk from the campsite.  It is not very big but has a nice high street with cafes, restaurants, a very tasty ice cream parlour and some shops as well as an Aldi supermarket which is much cheaper than the campsite shop.  Also nearby is Leiden which is a slightly livelier town with lots of windmills, canals and a market making it a lovely place to go for a wander.  We did find it very hard to park in Leiden though as the signs for the car parks were terrible and pointed all over the place!  The most well know place nearby would have to be Amsterdam which has lots to see and do from Anne Frank’s House to diamond factories.  The Canvas reception at the campsite gave us information on where to park in Amsterdam and recommended that we use the park and ride service which was a good idea as it was so cheap and easy.

One afternoon we went to the beach nearest to the campsite – 4.5km away.  The beach is a massive 8km long and has been awarded the Blue Flag due to the clean sea.  Unfortunately, there was an awful lot of litter left lying on the sand itself even though there were more bins on the beach than on any other beach I’ve been to.  If it wasn’t for the rubbish, it would have been a beautiful beach.

Duinrell is a fantastic campsite with so much to do that there is no need to leave the site if you don’t want to.  It doesn’t matter what the weather is like as there are plenty of indoor and outdoor activities.  All in all we had an excellent holiday and would love to go back.

Butlins Minehead

A few weeks ago I had my first trip to Butlins.  It was a lot of fun with loads of stuff to do on site (brilliant swimming pool, mini golf, funfair rides to name a few) as well as the beach literally across the road and the town of Minehead just a 5 minute walk.  The site is perfect for families with young children as there is so much to keep them entertained as well as child friendly restaurant opening times.  There is plenty of entertainment to choose from in the evenings – karaoke, bingo, singers, illusionists….The staff were wonderful – friendly, and always around to help – and the public areas were kept clean and tidy.

To read my full review of Butlins, click here.

Center Parcs and the Swimathon

On Saturday I spend the day at Center Parcs, Longleat with my family for a birthday celebration.  We had a brilliant day – the Subtropical Paradise is such good fun especially the Rapids (even though I did get a few bruises) and the jacuzzi!  We all had a go at  archery which I have never done before but I surprised myself at how good I was.  The instructors were very helpful and friendly.  While we were there I persuaded my Dad and his partner to join out team for the Swimathon.  This means that we will be aiming to swim at least 20k between us all.  I am going to need a lot of practise if I am going to be able to swim that far so I really am glad that I have the Kia Soul as it means I don’t have to walk home from the swimming pool with wet hair!

http://www.centerparcs.co.uk/

The Penthouse, Falmouth

The Penthouse - living room

The Penthouse Apartment is a luxury home away from home.  It is easy to find, right at the top of the main street in Falmouth.  Walking into the Penthouse, you see the long, airy yet cosy living room with a fantastic view of the harbour out of the patio doors at the far end of the room.  Little additions such as books, playing cards and radio/ iPod dock give the Penthouse a homely feel.

The Penthouse - balcony

Lighthouse Lamp

The apartment has 3 individually decorated bedrooms with amazing lighthouse lamps in the twin bedrooms.  There is a small kitchen but there are lots of pubs and restaurant nearby so there is no need to cook if you don’t want to!

Falmouth has plenty of things to do.  There are lots of cute shops on the main street, the Maritime Museum and beaches within walking distance and Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station and the Eden project are less than an hour away by car.  (The apartment has 2 secure underground parking spaces for you to use as well.)

The Penthouse is the perfect relaxing getaway for families, couples or groups of friends – nobody will be disappointed!

http://cornwallpenthouseholidays.com/penthousepacket.cfm

Cumbria Center Parcs

Bright and early on Friday morning I set off for Center Parcs in the Lake District (near Penrith) with my parents and sisters.  We were driving from Cardiff and needed to be there by 3 o clock as we were booked in for a spa session in the Aqua Sana.  Fortunately there were no delays and we made it with plenty of time to pick up our bikes before heading to the spa.

We spent a relaxing afternoon in the spa trying out all the different saunas, steam rooms, relaxation areas and pools.  I’ve been to the Aqua Sana in both Longleat and Elvedon and this one was just as good as the others.

When we were all finished, we headed to our villa to unpack.  We were staying in a 3 bed executive lodge which even had its own sauna!

On the Saturday morning we had lots of activities booked.  My mum and I had the Bliss Dual Treatment which is a Hawaiian wave massage followed by Champagne, chocolate and strawberries.  Neither of us had had a massage before so didn’t really know what to expect.  I don’t think I was relaxed enough though as I found it very tickly especially when they massaged our ears!  The Champagne at the end was a nice way to end the experience.  My sister had a facial which she said was really good and ended up getting some great deals on the skincare products they recommended for her.  My step dad was booked in for the golf simulator at the same time as our treatments by unfortunately they had double booked so he had to go later on in the day.

That afternoon, we tried out the Subtropical Swimming Paradise which was fun although not quite as good as the other two Center Parcs pools I have been to.  There were no rapids in this one which has been the highlight of the other pools!

In the evening we went to an Indian restaurant Rajinda Pradesh.  Even though we had far too much food it was all delicious and the staff were all very friendly.

All in all we had a lovely relaxing weekend break.  We could have been much more active if we wanted to – there are loads of activities and something for everyone of every age.

http://www.centerparcs.co.uk/