Every year as a child I visited Tenby, a little seaside town in West Wales with my parents. It's a lovely little place and very peaceful out of high season. Here are some of my photos on my recent visit. The photos speak for themselves.
Showing posts with label West Wales. Show all posts
Beautiful Tenby In Photographs
Wednesday, 9 March 2016
Every year as a child I visited Tenby, a little seaside town in West Wales with my parents. It's a lovely little place and very peaceful out of high season. Here are some of my photos on my recent visit. The photos speak for themselves.
Bluestone Wales Thermal Spa Break
Monday, 22 February 2016
Awarded with a five star rating from Visit Wales, a stay at Bluestone can be as energetic, relaxing or as fun as you make it. With a variety of family friendly activities, you know the kids will love this place and with the gorgeous countryside on your doorstep, Bluestone appeals to both families and couples alike that love the outdoor life.
Accommodation
We stayed in a Ramsey lodge, which had two bedrooms downstairs, and ensuite bathrooms to both rooms. Upstairs is the lounge/dining room with an open plan kitchen. The lodge is deliberately set out for 'upside down living', so you get views over the beautiful valley.
As you can see from the photos everything was of a high standard and the lodge was very well equipped. The kitchen includes a fridge, full cooker, dishwasher, and microwave. It is easy to cook for yourself and your family if you need to with the fully equipped kitchen. I cooked a meal one night and had everything i needed. The lounge has large leather sofas, a table and tv with Freeview and a dvd player.
The dining area has a spacious wooden table and chairs - big enough for 4 people.
Insider Tip: You only get very basic washing up items, so if you are planning to cook bring washing up liquid, as well as extra toilet rolls (you get one per bathroom). You can buy provisions in the small Newton grocery shop but prices vary a lot.
The countryside in which Bluestone is set, is really gorgeous. The lake is in the centre of the resort and many lodges over look this area. There are walking trails around the lake and you are encouraged to watch and study the wildlife, we saw a bug lodge on our walk.
Activities
There are a huge amount of activities on offer at Bluestone and when you check in you are given an itinerary for the week. Some are free and some you have to pay for. The Blue Lagoon, the large all weather water park is free to all guests and has a large flume ride, indoor wave machine and much more for all the family and little ones too. There is a large indoor play area for children as well as an outdoor play area too in 'The Village'.
'The Village' is where all the shops and restaurants are based and also the booking centre where you can book paid for activities. There are lots of activities for children and paid for activities for adults and teenagers include archery, rock climbing, laser clay shooting, cross bow, kayaking in the summer month and for the very adventurous (and those not scared of heights!) the high wire experience. You can also hire bikes and golf carts to get around the resort - but be sure to bring your driving licence for the latter.
Bluestone Wales is very hilly and if you have little ones or you have difficultly with mobility then a golf cart is recommended.
Insider Tip - As soon as you have your booking reference you can book and pay for activities in advance online. Especially useful to do this for peak season. you can also order groceries in advance to be delivered to your lodge.
Our focus this time was on an adult relaxing thermal spa break break so we had admission to the Well Spa for a thermal spa experience included.
The 2 hour thermal spa experience allows you access to the 6 pod rooms including an Ice room and Salt Room, herbal steam room and marine steam room, two saunas and the small heated outdoor hydrotherapy pool. The pool especially was very relaxing as it was warm and had a variety of jets and whirl pools. Sitting in the warm water, being massaged by the jets with the rain coming down gently, was a lovely experience.
We stopped for food in Y Mor cafe, in the spa and I had a lovely chicken, bacon and tomato sandwich. Then it was time for my pedicure.
The young therapist Caryn was very chatty and personable and after a consultation gave me a pedicure and painted my nails. She is an asset to the resort and I would give the treatment 9 out of 10, more attention to the rough skin on my feet would have made it a 10.
Spa packages are available for an indulgent treat or you can book treatments separately. Access to the spa is available from £35 for a 2 hour session. My pedicure was £70 but that included admission to and use of facilities at the spa.
The dining area has a spacious wooden table and chairs - big enough for 4 people.
Insider Tip: You only get very basic washing up items, so if you are planning to cook bring washing up liquid, as well as extra toilet rolls (you get one per bathroom). You can buy provisions in the small Newton grocery shop but prices vary a lot.
The countryside in which Bluestone is set, is really gorgeous. The lake is in the centre of the resort and many lodges over look this area. There are walking trails around the lake and you are encouraged to watch and study the wildlife, we saw a bug lodge on our walk.
There are a huge amount of activities on offer at Bluestone and when you check in you are given an itinerary for the week. Some are free and some you have to pay for. The Blue Lagoon, the large all weather water park is free to all guests and has a large flume ride, indoor wave machine and much more for all the family and little ones too. There is a large indoor play area for children as well as an outdoor play area too in 'The Village'.
'The Village' is where all the shops and restaurants are based and also the booking centre where you can book paid for activities. There are lots of activities for children and paid for activities for adults and teenagers include archery, rock climbing, laser clay shooting, cross bow, kayaking in the summer month and for the very adventurous (and those not scared of heights!) the high wire experience. You can also hire bikes and golf carts to get around the resort - but be sure to bring your driving licence for the latter.
Bluestone Wales is very hilly and if you have little ones or you have difficultly with mobility then a golf cart is recommended.
Insider Tip - As soon as you have your booking reference you can book and pay for activities in advance online. Especially useful to do this for peak season. you can also order groceries in advance to be delivered to your lodge.
Our focus this time was on an adult relaxing thermal spa break break so we had admission to the Well Spa for a thermal spa experience included.
The 2 hour thermal spa experience allows you access to the 6 pod rooms including an Ice room and Salt Room, herbal steam room and marine steam room, two saunas and the small heated outdoor hydrotherapy pool. The pool especially was very relaxing as it was warm and had a variety of jets and whirl pools. Sitting in the warm water, being massaged by the jets with the rain coming down gently, was a lovely experience.
The young therapist Caryn was very chatty and personable and after a consultation gave me a pedicure and painted my nails. She is an asset to the resort and I would give the treatment 9 out of 10, more attention to the rough skin on my feet would have made it a 10.
Spa packages are available for an indulgent treat or you can book treatments separately. Access to the spa is available from £35 for a 2 hour session. My pedicure was £70 but that included admission to and use of facilities at the spa.
Restaurants
There are a variety of places to eat at Bluestone. The Oak Tree restaurant uses local Welsh produce with an Italian slant and is the 'posh' restaurant. We ate there one night and enjoyed the food. I had Italian meatballs in a ricotta sauce. The meatballs were well seasoned and the dish was tasty. My husband had a pizza and it wasn't quite as nice, the base was thick and we felt it should be thin and not doughy.
There is a pub called the Knight's Tavern and a Farmhouse Grill restaurant as well as a number of cafes. Camp Smokey looked great for the Summer months, an outdoor barbecue area. Millers Bakery is the perfect spot for a coffee and muffin and I was pleased that they serve soya milk too. We ate at the Knight's Tavern one night and the food was ok, nothing special, my chicken was tough and overcooked although my husband's meal was better - good chips!
There are a variety of places to eat at Bluestone. The Oak Tree restaurant uses local Welsh produce with an Italian slant and is the 'posh' restaurant. We ate there one night and enjoyed the food. I had Italian meatballs in a ricotta sauce. The meatballs were well seasoned and the dish was tasty. My husband had a pizza and it wasn't quite as nice, the base was thick and we felt it should be thin and not doughy.
There is a pub called the Knight's Tavern and a Farmhouse Grill restaurant as well as a number of cafes. Camp Smokey looked great for the Summer months, an outdoor barbecue area. Millers Bakery is the perfect spot for a coffee and muffin and I was pleased that they serve soya milk too. We ate at the Knight's Tavern one night and the food was ok, nothing special, my chicken was tough and overcooked although my husband's meal was better - good chips!
Insider Tip - Talking about chips, The Chippy is a a takeaway cart where you can get a quick meal such as fish, sausage, pie and chips to take back to your lodge. Every Thursday there is a quiz in the Knight's Tavern where you can win prizes.
Conclusion
This is the third time we have visited Bluestone National Park. There are a few small points that could be improved - the wi-fi is very spotty but you can upgrade at a price, and the food can be a little expensive both in the shop and the restaurants. The meals we had in the restaurant and the pub weren't consistent although some were very good. It's a little bit of a shame that there are no other restaurants outside of the park within walking distance.
All the staff we came across were helpful and trained well and the beauty therapist, was lovely. The lodges are very comfortable and well equipped, the activities available are many and varied and the country setting is beautiful. If you want a relaxing break with the countryside on your doorstep, Bluestone is definitely a place to visit. With lots of children's activities, you may think that it's just for families with children, but this is not the case. On this occasion we visited without my son and we had a lovely time. We will be back to Bluestone one day, I hope it's sooner rather than later.
* I was given a complimentary stay in exchange for an honest review
Bluestone Wales In Photographs
Friday, 19 February 2016
Camping- It's Like Marmite
Wednesday, 5 February 2014
Tenby, West Wales
So I asked some of my lovely friends why they like camping and these were their answers.
"It's relatively cheap and these days most sites have decent shower blocks"
"I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Food tastes better - get up early and NO BLOODY TECH!!!!"
"We always BBQ. Go around local shops getting fab produce and meat. Keeping things simple."
"I love it because it encourages a love of the outdoors in kids and makes them realise just what the true necessities are in life. Fresh air, food, a bed and family. Oh and good weather helps! "
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| English: Modern 'dome' tent (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
"It's great as we can take the dogs."
"Fresh air everyone speaks, not many TVs etc but usually swings, beaches etc where kids have fun, cheap, everyone helps everyone else. Loads BBQs were people u don't know happy to pull up a chair & have a beer around the warm. Its just fun."
"I like camping but only when the weather is good (not something you can really count on though!) It's a cheap holiday. And it's good fun in a group, with a barbecue and some beers."
and
"The only time I've ever camped was at Brecon Jazz festival and I hated it so much that I ended up sleeping in the car. Simon wants to take the boys camping and I've told him that it's a father and son thing. Not a hope in hell of me going! "
"If God had intended us to go camping, he wouldn't have invented hotels. Even prehistoric man had a cave."
I think if you go camping you have to have the proper equipment as it makes camping more comfortable. The right mattresses, stoves and camping tables, so you don't feel you are 'slumming it' all help. With a little preparation and skill, you can cook a proper meal and wake up not feeling shattered if you have a decent quality mattress. I remember waking up on the floor one day as the mattress had a puncture but these days they are so much better. I always enjoyed cooking on a camping holiday, making a one pot meal was great fun, even a challenge.
Camping has also come back into fashion with the festival culture. They say if you haven't been to Glastonbury you haven't lived! I've never stayed on a campsite at a festival although I have been to Donington. The festival culture looks so much fun but you certainly need good weather.
So tell me do you love camping? Have you been glamping? If you love it why do you love it so much - persuade me to go again?!
*This is a sponsored post
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