We generally prefer to holiday within the British Isles though it has been known for us to stray further at times, here are our personal experiences of places we have travelled to on holiday
Ardentinny, Loch Long, nr Dunoon, Scotland July 2005
The Atlantic Hotel,
Newquay, Cornwall 2004
Camos Mor Bay, Kilmuir, Isle of Skye, Scotland, October 2003
Kelso, Scottish Borders, Scotland. August 2003
Keith, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. April 2002
Beautiful setting for a family break, two young children were in our party. Self catering cottage for 6 on the shore of Loch Long, very tranquil and quiet location but plenty to do if you are prepared to travel in the area. We managed to explore many of the Scottish Islands while staying here, including Isle of Mull, Staffa, Iona, Aaron and Bute. Not much to do in the actual village where the cottage was but a friendly pub along the lane serving food. Quite a lot of flying beasties so you do need your insect repellant in the summer months, not over commercial in any sense and a great place to go to escape from it all.
The Atlantic Hotel, Newquay 2004
We went here to celebrate a family 50th birthday, in October it is much quieter in Newquay than the summer season but the surf is still good, The Atlantic Hotel has an imposing and beautiful setting at the far end of Newquay set up on the headland with far reaching views. Even when the weather is wild it is beautiful to look out over the sea. We stayed half board at the hotel and while the room we had was compact the service and particularly the food were delightful. Meals in the restaurant were relaxing and had great views from the large picture windows. The choices on the menu were varied and the wine selection had something for everyone. Despite being half term week it was very quiet so you had to make your own entertainment but as we were away with other family members this was not a problem.
Camos Mor Bay, Kilmuir, Isle of Skye
If you want to get away from it all then this is the place to visit. The Isle of Skye is absolutely beautiful.
We stayed at Dunkeld House which is owned by the Flodigarry Hotel in the North of the Island. and the facilities were fantastic. There were 8 adults, 1 child and 2 dogs in our party and the accommodation was spacious and comfortable and the setting ideal. Places we visited included Portree, Uig, Kyleakin, Talisker Distillery, Isle of Skye Brewery, Broadford serpentarium and many more. The Isle of Skye is rich in culture and history and everywhere you go there are examples of it. If you like the great outdoors and you love to escape go here. We were even treated to a wonderful display of the Northern Lights.
We stayed at Lochside Stable House about 6 miles outside of Kelso on the edge of a small village called Yetholm which is at the end of the Penninie Way. This was a place for getting away from it all, the house looked over a Loch and there were beautiful views across the surrounding countryside.
We travelled as part of a family group which included our two Scottie Dogs, the location could not have been more perfect for them as the house was ideal for dogs and their were plenty of walks on hand. The house was equally well equipped for humans having four poster beds in two of the bedrooms and games facilities, table tennis and snooker as well as an Aga for preparing our meals.
If you want to visit the local attractions you will need to drive as things are quite spread out, we enjoyed Holy Island, (Lindisfarne,) just off the Northumbrian Coast, The Royal Yacht Brittania at Leith Docks, Edinburgh and the more local towns of Kelso, Galashiels, Jedburgh and Selkirk.
Isla Bank House in Keith was the perfect location for a group of friends traveling to Scotland for a week, ten of us stayed in this superb self-catering accommodation.
Nearby there were plenty of things to do including a number of whisky distilleries. A visit to Elgin was well worth while and Johnston's Cashmere factory in particular was superb. Lossiemouth beach and the sand dunes provided hours of outdoor fun while the city of Inverness was only 45mins by car. A great place to go with a group of friends or for two families wishing to holiday together, grand piano in the lounge and full size snooker table situated in the games room gave us all the evening entertainment we needed. Good time had by all.
Paris, the perfect venue for a romantic wedding anniversary break. We stayed in a three star bed and breakfast hotel five minutes walk from the Champs Elyssees. Three days wasn't really long enough to see everything that Paris had to offer but we caught the open top bus which took us round the main sites. As you are able to get on and off at every stop along the way this turned out to be a great way to see all the main sites in a short space of time although it did seem expensive at first. The Louvre museum is an absolute must for anyone visiting the city even if you don't think of yourself as an art buff though we found the famous Mona Lisa something of an anti-climax. Paris is an expensive place to holiday like most capital cities but it is also beautiful and packed with culture and interesting things to see and do.
Me, visiting The
Eden Project
Thinking Newquay may be a little tacky we headed off for the Cornish coast. We stayed at the Edgecumbe Hotel on the seafront at the quiet end of Newquay. When we checked into the hotel we were not too impressed with our room, it was too pokey and the bathroom was tiny but the view was fantastic. Our opinion soon changed when we arrived at dinner. Five course meals to the highest standard and a great selection of wine ensured that we were never hungry. Even breakfast had three courses!
Throughout this holiday there was no shortage of things to do. Thinking I would find the newest attraction, The Eden Project, rather dull I prepared myself for a Gardeners Paradise, instead I found the most exotic plant life I had ever seen and such an insight to different cultures. The tropical dome was by far the best but the project had only recently opened and I would love to go back in ten years and see how it had developed. Throughout the area there are beautiful villages and towns steeped in history. Many of the Cornish villages and towns are fishing villages and for many the local economy depends upon the industry, as well as tourism of course. Fowey, Falmouth, Looe and Polperro are all places that should not be missed when you visit this part of the world. Go to Cornwall, you can hardly believe that it's England.