Holiday: Bognor 2014

Decided to take a look at holiday flats whilst on holiday in Bognor this time round.

Saturday 5th July

Arrived around 12:30pm after clear run down.  Was very windy on the sea front, so went to Hotham Park to have our picnic lunch.   Was extremely warm out of the wind !  Took a short walk after lunch, then got to cottage around 2:30pm.  Unpacked and did our tradition of washing up all the cutlery/crockery we’ll be using for the holiday to make ourselves at home.   The cottage seems roomy and tidy and is very near the beach, so hoping it will be ideal.  Apart from the kitchen cupboards and blind, seems clean enough..

  

Walked up to ‘The Martlets’ (Fayre & Square) for dinner.   Similar in style of food (and price) to Hungry Horse chain so in familiar territory.  Was pretty busy but the staff were still helpful and friendly.  Ordering at the bar was pretty disorganised and slow, but food came out very quickly and was decent enough.   Walked back and had a nice cup of tea (and some beer )

Sunday 6th July

Had decent sleep, but got up for breakfast (when on holiday, ridiculous idea !)  Ready for action at 10am so went to the West Park car show and had cup of tea before walking around looking at the cars.   Got back to the cottage for lunch, then watched British Grand Prix.   Needed a walk after the extended sitting watching TV, so walked up to Felpham and round back to town and had our Sunday Lunch in ’Hatters Inn’    Decent for a chain pub actually, so pleasantly surprised.   Had to have another walk to wear some of the food off, then back to the cottage to watch TV (Johnny English 2)

Monday 7th July

Had another decent sleep, then got ready for our first flat viewing day.   Looked at some flats, then had lunch at the cottage to reflect on what we’d seen.   Had walk up to Aldwick and had impromptu viewing when we spied an agent showing someone else a flat, we managed to get in straight after, although turned out we saw a different flat from that which we expected.   (We like to be nosey anyway, so worked out ok)    Needed a rest on West Park on the way back, so coffee and cake is called for.   Having regained some energy we ended up walking all way over to other end of town.

Feeling a bit worn out, decided to go to the pub, but was shut !   Decided to go back to cottage instead and had a cup of tea before our last viewing of the day.   As we were worn out, went to a local favourite restaurant ‘Madlows’ where we had a lovely meal.    We did have enough energy for another short walk before collapsing in a heap in front of the TV back at the cottage

Tuesday 8th July

Up and breakfast at 9:15am today !  Had hectic morning looking at flats again and it rained several times.  We did get wet, but managed to find shelter for when the rain really lashed down.   Had a quick lunch ‘on the hoof’ by taking our packed lunch with us.   Did get quite hot for half hour when the sun came out, but weather soon turned to heavy rain again but luckily we had retired to ‘The Waverly’ pub by then, so spend rest of afternoon sitting in the pub reviewing the flats we’d been looking at.   Briskly walked back as was still raining, and still needed to decide where to eat.   After a rest, decided to stay local and went to the nearest Italian Restaurant ‘Mamma Mia’ where we had another great meal.   When we came out, the sun was shining and we had a lovely walk along the promenade in the evening sun.  Shame we hadn’t had so much sun during the day !

Wednesday 9th July

Agent rang at 8:55am asking for feedback…. don’t these people know about holiday makers !  Up and breakfasted by 9:20am today, as only got three flats to look at.    Viewings didn’t quite go to plan, but the one flat we did see was nice though.   Had lunch in the cottage, but then sat on the beach as it was hot & Sunny by now !   Went back to the cottage and had cup of tea and cake, before going out on one more viewing we’d just arranged.   We are definitely a bit weary, so have a nice long rest in a pub before heading back to our local Chippy restaurant for a Chip supper.   Feeling very full, we decide to have a final short walk of the day, although somehow end up in the Waverley pub again for another rest, then it’s back to the cottage for a well deserved veg in front of TV.  All this flat hunting definitely wears you out !

Thursday 10th July

We certainly seem to be sleeping well in this cottage, must also be the walking and sea air….    We’ve got a ‘day off’ today, so with the cloudy weather forecast, we’re off to Chichester for the day, travelling there on the bus and back by train (just for the experience of it)  The bus to Chichester was the local bus, so went all round the houses, but still only took about 35 minutes.   Found a nice cafe for our coffee and cake before wondering around the shops.   Had a decent dinner (and pudding for me) at the ‘Bell Inn’ where we’d eaten before which gave us the energy to hit the shops again.   After a couple hours we needed more sustenance, so had Tea and Cake     It was hot and sunny afternoon, so had to get drink in pub before getting the train home.  It was about 25 mins on the train, then we still had to walk back from the station.  Being hot & sunny it was nice enough walk through the town to the sea front, where we had a pleasant rest watching the wind surfers in action.   Back at the cottage, had a short rest before walking out to one of the local pubs, just to try it out (managed a beer as well though)

Friday 11th July

Woke relatively early at 8am, so ready by 9:15am to go out for a walk.   Didn’t get too far, as wanted to try out ‘The Coffee Corner’ which was newly opened.  Popped into town to buy some sandwiches for our lunch, which we were planning to have on the prom later on.   went for our first 2nd viewing at Selsey Avenue and both came out feeling very positive about it.   It’s started to rain though, so have to abandon our lunch out plan and dashed back to the cottage for lunch.   Despite the rain, our 2nd viewing of Royal Norfolk Mews was also very positive (making a choice will be tricky) but the last viewing wasn’t so great so at least there is only 2 flats to still think about.   As it’s still a bit rainy, we go to the local cafe for an ice cream and cup of tea (makes a change from cake)   We also decided Selsey Avenue is our favourite, so after eating walk back past ‘our flat’     End up at Bognor high street so start looking in furniture shops, but not before another cake and coffee.   Finish off the afternoon by getting lots of ideas for furnishings and furniture before going back to the cottage.     As we’re done with thinking for the  day, end up in the Brewers Fayre for our dinner.

Saturday 12th July

Up and out around 9:30am to come back home, taking about 1hour 20 mins (plus a coffee and cake stop)

It’s been a slightly odd holiday, as it felt more like a working holiday at times, but still enjoyed it and do actually feel rested and relaxed.  The hassles will likely start next week in earnest from both work and decisions about flats.

Holiday: Isle of Wight

Neither of us remembered going to Isle of Wight before, and Lynn really wanted to visit Osborne House, so booked ourselves on a week holiday to…..  yes, you guessed…. the Isle of Wight

Saturday 26th May

Left home at 10:20am, in plenty of time to arrive half hour before our 12:30pm Ferry to Fishbourne.    Unfortunately the M3 was horrendous traffic and was a slight worry to get there on time, but M27 was clear so we arrived at the expected midday time…. only to find the ferries were running half hour late anyway   Oh well, can relax now

Once on the Island, found the apartment in Ryde easily enough and was very nice.  The owners had provided tea, coffee, milk and bread but more importantly we are situated right on the sea front and had wonderful view over the sea to the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth.  The weather was wonderfully hot and sunny as well, so all looking well for a great holiday

Once unpacked, we went to Tesco and bought a load of supplies to make us feel at home, then went out for a walk along the Promenade and had our first Ice Cream

Was very hot and sunny, but quite windy.   After a quick explore of the town, ended up at the local chippy and had chips for tea, sitting on a park bench.  After another walk along the front, we were worn out already so back to the apartment to ascent the stairs to the top floor

Sunday 27th May

Up for breakfast about 8:30am, which is a little earlier than at home !

Greased up for the planned day on the beach as it’s blazing hot and sunny again, getting on beach by 10am.   Not so windy today, so very hot.  Back to apartment for welcome lunch break and watched Monaco GP as well

Back for another sunbathing session around 3pm until Ice Cream time then back to apartment for shower and change before going on quest to find our dinner.   As Lynn fancied Sunday Roast, ended up in Weatherspoon’s pub.  Needed another walk after to wear off the large portions

Monday 28th May

Up 8:30am and on Beach by 10am again, as it’s Sunny and Hot !

Lynn got a bit sun weary by lunchtime, so had to sit in shade and have nice cup of tea, before walking back for our lunch.

Did go out for another session in the afternoon, although sat on grass in the shade rather than on the beach this time.

Had another walk as its getting a bit windier towards 5pm then back to get ready for our dinner.   Went to Joe’s in Union Street.   Waitress was efficient, but kitchen wasn’t as 40min wait for food despite not many people in the restaurant !   Also the seasonal veg was a bit disappointing, which was a shame as the main meal itself was very good & fresh.

Tuesday 29th May

Woke up to another sunny day.  Had decided to go to Osborne House today.   Got there about 10:30am and went round house first, was very busy with tourists but impressive place to see.  Walked around the garden and had lunch in the gardens at the Swiss Cottage.   After a nice cup of tea in the tea room there, walked back to see the walled garden.  

Went on to East Cowes and walked round.  Not much there to see, so had Cream Tea and even I felt a bit sick after

Had to have a walk around to wear off some of the excess, then back via Tesco again, as decided to eat in tonight, needing something light to eat after all that clotted cream

Happily I still got to play in Black Belt Poker league game tonight, coming second out of 113 players so worth the effort

Wednesday 20th May

Woke up to fog horns !   Looks like will get brighter but looking out the window, can hardly see the beach across the road…

Luckily today is our “Island Attractions” day, so are planning to take in as many touristy spots as we can.

Started out 10am heading for Goddards Brewery but SatNav malfunctioned and were heading down an unmade road with no confidence in where we were heading, so turned back and headed for our 2nd planned stop, the Lifeboat station at Bembridge.  Sadly, the road closures thwarted us this time so abandoned and headed for Brading instead… hoping the town hasn’t moved or closed or something (the way our luck seemed to be going!)  Happily we got there safely, depite more SatNav issues and went to the Lilliput Antique Dolls & Toys Museum.       We did have trouble finding a Tea Room, so had our coffee in one of the pubs

Having rebooted the SatNav, seems to be working OK now, so managed to get to Sandown Esplanade and had our packed lunch.  

Was spitting slightly so sat in shelter on the sea front, but was getting sunny again by the time we’d finished.  Then had walk along high street before moving onto Shanklin.  

Went along the Esplanade then worked our way along the High Street where you couldn’t move for Tea Shops, so seemed like a good time to have Tea and Cake

  

After walking along the High Street, went onto Ventnor.  This followed a familiar pattern of walking along the Esplanade, then finding the High Street…. this time having Ice Cream. 

 

Next stop was the Isle of Wight Glass studio.    Had to go down unmade road and was a bit worried about my ground clearance and tyres in several places, but made it there by 4:30pm   The glass blowing itself had stopped at 4pm and the shop was tiny and didn’t seem to have much in it, so really wasn’t worth the bother in the end

On the way back to Ryde, we did stop off in Godshill and as luck would have it, Chocolate Island was still open Now here is a place that is worth the effort to go to…. ended up spending over £25… yes, just on chocolate !!

Everything else was shut, so headed back… stopping off for Dinner at Flemming Arms pub in Binstead.   Was decent enough meal and good value.

Thursday 31st May

Woke up to cloudy but warm and bright day.   Plan is “Steam and Shop” day today

Out at 9:45am, with our first stop the Railway Heritage Museum  Spent a pleasant morning riding up and down the train line on a steam train, then had our packed lunch at the picnic tables in the station grounds.

Ended up skipping Newport shopping and instead popped into Military History Museum on way to Cowes.   Walked all round Cowes and got bit worn out!  

Stopped off for lovely meal in GastroPub “The Fishbourne” at Fishbourne (right by the Ferry Terminal)

Friday 1st June

As it’s our last day,  I wanted to have a relaxing day with no driving, so planned a “Lounging Locally” day

Woke up late, not even getting breakfast until 11am!!

Went for walk up Ryde High Street, actually for the first time with the shops open !    Had our lunch on the sea front, but as it started looking like rain, went back to the apartment for cup of tea

Put car into car wash as was filthy (mostly due to me not washing it since about last September  ) and had walk along front whilst waiting for it to be done.  

Was lovely and clean when picked it up, so went for walk along coast and had celebratory cup of tea.   Ended up at “Long John Eater” as I fancied Ham, egg & Chips (which was very nice)

Saturday 2nd June

We were meant to be out the room by 10am and on 11am Ferry, so up nice and early to breakfast, pack and go.    Got let onto the 10:30am Ferry, so nice easy journey home.

It’s always nice to get home after being away, but was a little sad as we both had a lovely time.   I think we would go back for another holiday in the future, as lots to see and do… even if it’s just laying on the beach and lazing around.

Holiday: Una Hotel–Brighton

For our Brighton holiday, decided to stay at Una Hotel

I picked the hotel as it was right by the Metropole where I was playing Poker, but was also very handy for the town centre and was literally a stones throw from the beach.  As we found during the week, the location couldn’t really have been better, being right by the (derelict) West Pier

The staff were very friendly and knowledgeable and were more than happy to help.

The facilities in the hotel are limited to the bar, but is open 24 hours (as is the reception) and the bar staff certainly knew how to mix up the cocktails!  

Breakfast was relatively basic, but was very nice and plentiful.  

As the hotel is a Georgian terrace house, all the rooms are different.   The room we picked was “Maja” which was very comfortable and just about big enough for the two of us and having the King size bed was a nice luxury.

The downsides to the hotel were firstly the tiny shower room, which was really too small to be comfortable in, but just about did the job.   There was also a lot of noise at all hours with guests coming up the stairs or lift and/or moving around their room.  I guess this is due to the nature of the house and lack on modern sound proofing.   The other issue isn’t really the hotels fault, (other than a lack of double glazing) but the seagulls were pretty noisy and seemed to have random screeching competitions at random times during the night and early hours of the morning.   I have never heard such a racket at any other coastal location!

Overall, we very much enjoyed our stay and were glad we picked the Una hotel.  Would certainly be happy to stay there again.

Holiday: Trip to Bath

Went down to Bath on Sunday 13th February… bit of an odd time of year to go, but decided we needed a nice getaway for a few days.

Stayed in Haringtons Hotel, which was right in the centre of Bath, so great location.  The hotel itself was very clean and pleasant, with nice airy room and very quiet even though it was in the centre.   Breakfast was pretty ordinary but otherwise no problem with the hotel.

We were ready to explore by around 3pm, so went out for a reconnoitre in the drizzle and wind, which luckily we had prepared for!   Got soaked but had a good walk and a lovely cup of tea out and about.  

For evening dinner, we decided to walk literally across the road to the Raven Pub.   It seemed a “locals” pub, but the food was nice despite the tourist prices.   Everywhere we went in Bath seemed to charge a lot for food/drinks, I guess that’s the problem with holidaying in a tourist hotspot !

After dinner had another walk and ended up in the Volunteer Riflemans Arms pub for a drink.  It was about the size of a small front living room, but seemed friendly enough.  

Monday 14th Feb

Up around 8am for our designated “Shopping Day”  Didn’t need to get up so early as Breakfast is served 7:30am until 10am, but think Lynn was eager to get out and about!

In contrast to yesterday, the weather is bright and sunny, not a cloud in the sky, but there is a very chilly wind.    I bought a new compact camera then headed for the coffee house, of which there are loads to choose from so spoilt for choice.   Walked around shops, Lynn bought a watch, had pub lunch,  walked around more shops, had mid afternoon coffee, walked around some shops again and were both glad to get back to the room for a nice long rest.  

Being valentines night, decided to go out for a nice romantic meal.  Lynn fancied pizza so went to Pizza Express.    Wasn’t my choice, but happy enough as I like Pizza too

Tuesday 15th Feb

Today is our “Art & Culture day” but still up around 8am !    Back to drizzle and cold wind, but we are well wrapped up and expect to be indoor most of the time.   First went to Jane Austin Centre but wasn’t open yet… so went to No. 1 Royal Crescent… and that wasn’t open yet either… we’re obviously too keen. 

Luckily the Fashion Museum was just about to open when we got there at 10:30am so were able to get inside and see something.  also took the opportunity to have a nice cup of tea and a Bath Bun in the coffee shop there

Next stop was Bath Aqua Glass.   We paid the couple of quid to sit and watch the glass blowers at work, mainly because it was fantastic to be a nice warm environment and can sit and watch other people working for hours Also has a look round their small shop but didn’t buy anything in the end.  

Lunch soon beckoned, after which we went to the Victoria Art Gallery  The guest exhibitors were rubbish, but had some nice art work, pottery and glass to see in the upstairs gallery.  It is also one of the few free places to visit so good value for money!

Went back to the Jane Austin Centre and managed to get in this time.   It was quite fun, but didn’t really amount to that much so was quite expensive for what you got (more so than the other attractions we had been to today)   After such a hectic day, we we had our fill of culture and headed back to the room for a well earned rest.

Evening meal was at the Firehouse Rotisserie.   The food seemed quite expensive and didn’t even get veg with your main dish unless you ordered them separately (another £7 on top).  Having said that, the food was exquisite and did get good portions so I guess you just have to pay for good quality.  

Wednesday 16th Feb

Another bright and sunny day, but with less wind so a bit warmer.   Nothing specific planned for today, so just wander around aimlessly really.   went into the Abbey which was quite spectacular.

Then decided to go to the Museum of Astronomy, but once we’d walked there, Lynn decided she didn’t want to go… so went back to No.1 Royal Crescent, but found it didn’t open until Saturday so we’re having a nice walk but not getting to see everything we expected !      Popped into the Fashion Museum as we were walking by and National Trust members get in free (to use their very nice toilet facilities) then rather than going to the Building of Bath museum decided to go and get some lunch. 

After such a hectic few days, Lynn was getting a bit worn out (and me!) so just had a leisurely stroll round the shops in the afternoon and found a nice coffee shop to rest in.    Also decided to go into the local Salamander pub for dinner as it was close by, but did some decent “normal” food which went down very well.

Thursday 17th Feb

Up and on the road by 9:30am today and off to Bognor Regis.  The day starts out dull and misty, but by the time we get to Bognor just before midday, it is brilliant sunshine and pretty warm as well !

Had a quick walk on the beach, then it’s time for our Fish & Chip lunch.    Walked around town for a bit but decided not to stay the night and headed off for home.   Stopped at Caffe Verdi in Midhurst for nice coffee and cake

We had a lovely break and Bath was definitely a good place to visit for a few days.   The weather didn’t matter as there were so many places to visit undercover, although is definitely nicer walking around when it wasn’t raining.     It did seem quite expensive to eat out and get into some of the attractions (and I don’t normally notice such things) but Bath does has a lot to offer and is very compact city, so suited our requirements and have no regrets in going there.