I always have a lot of questions about accommodati I always have a lot of questions about accommodation when we stay anywhere as a family so I thought I’d share this little tour of our room at @windjammerlanding which was a pretty perfect place to stay.

It’s the ‘Ocean View Two Bedroom’ which was like a little house, with an upstairs and downstairs, built into the hillside. Both rooms had outdoor space and their own shower rooms. Such a great option for a family.
A little photo dump from our holiday in St Lucia. A little photo dump from our holiday in St Lucia. We’ve been back a few days now but still miss the heat, the food, the pool, the constant sounds of wildlife and the lovely people. It was such a great holiday and I’m sure we’ll be back one day.
And just like that, Athena is 12! What a joy it is And just like that, Athena is 12! What a joy it is watching her grow and what a wonderful young woman she is becoming. We could not be more proud. Love you Pickle, have a great birthday.
We’ve just got back from two glorious weeks in S We’ve just got back from two glorious weeks in St Lucia staying at @windjammerlanding and it was just the holiday we needed. Two weeks of sunshine and relaxation in what must be one of the most beautiful islands in the world. 

We can’t wait to go back again in the future. Here’s just a little snippet of our trip.
AD - Press Tickets | We had such a nice day at @na AD - Press Tickets | We had such a nice day at @national_motor_museum despite the rain! The children loved the Little Beaulieu play area and we loved exploring the National Motor Museum and Top Gear exhibit before having a ride on the monorail! We went on an old open topped bus, explored the Beaulieu Manor House and loved the gardens. 
Beaulieu is always a great day out - whatever the weather. This summer they have a whole ‘Summer of Fun’ planned, with activities most days - parades, bird shows and hundreds of sculptures within the grounds too. If you’re looking for a day out this summer definitely think about heading to Beaulieu.
AD - Press Tickets | Tonight we took the kids to t AD - Press Tickets | Tonight we took the kids to their first concert - but it was so much more than just a concert! @abbavoyage is incredible. With CGI ABBA and a live band, it’s like being at an ABBA concert 40 years ago but with modern lighting, effects and sound. ABBA look and sound real, it’s a mind blowing experience.
The set includes all the songs you know and love as well as a few less familiar ones.
You can’t take photos during the show which actually made a refreshing change. A whole arena focused purely on the show and soaking up the moment. It’s definitely something the four of us will always remember.
Now, I’m off to sing Dancing Queen all the way home.
AD - Press Trip | We had such a great day at @phdo AD - Press Trip | We had such a great day at @phdockyard today. They have a fantastic Ultimate Explorer ticket that lets you visit all the attractions as many times as you like for 12 months - and after a day at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard we can see that you need more than one day to really do everything!

We explored HMS Warrior, HMS Victory and the Mary Rose Exhibition - which is incredible! We also saw where ships are built and restored and spent time in Action Stations where the kids climbed and did an assault course.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is such a fun, educational day out with something for all ages - we can’t wait to go on their harbour tours next time we visit!
AD | WIN!! Would you love to win a holiday? To cel AD | WIN!! Would you love to win a holiday? To celebrate #100YearOfARoads National Highways have launched their #ARoadsToSummer competition! It's all about celebrating summer holiday moments, time together, fun in the sun, days out and more.

So why not be in it to win it? To enter, all you have to do is send @nationalhways a DM on here with a photo or video of your favourite holiday moments. You can also comment on their Facebook or Twitter #ARoadsToSummer posts with your holiday photos. I've shared a few of our favourite photos to give you some inspiration.

The best six entries will each win a £500 @nationaltrust holidays voucher! SO what are you waiting for? Dig out your favourite holiday photos or take some new ones to share!

The #ARoadsToSummer competition runs from 24 July to 10 September 2023. Winners will be announced in September 2023.

Good luck!
Oh these two! Every day I feel lucky to have them. Oh these two! Every day I feel lucky to have them. As school draws to a close at lunchtime, I’m looking forward to a whole summer with them. My favourite people.

They’ve both had a great year at school this year. Troy’s first without his sister by his side and Athena’s first at secondary school. 

They both had great reports, always did their best and have made some really lovely new friends this year. I could not be more proud of them.

Now, let’s go and enjoy the next six weeks before school starts all over again!
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Travel · February 7, 2018

A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel

Disclosure: We were invited on this break for the purpose of this review however all opinions are my own.

Dave and I don’t have time together very often, just the couple of hours between the children going to bed and our own bedtime. So it was lovely to spend last weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel, just the two of us.

A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel

What were our first impressions of Billesley Manor Hotel?

Billesley Manor Hotel is near Stratford Upon Avon and is set in the most beautiful grounds, with great views and an impressive drive leading up to the hotel. It was such a lovely sight and we knew that we were going to have the nicest weekend.

A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel
A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel

The hotel dates back to the Norman conquest and may well be the oldest building we have ever stayed in. The history of the building is really apparent in all the communal areas of the hotel with wood cladding, high ceilings and traditional brickwork on show.

We went straight to reception when we arrived and although our room wasn’t ready until check in time – 3pm – we were able to leave our bags there and make use of the facilities at Billesley Manor until then.

A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel

What were the facilities like at Billesley Manor Hotel?

We went straight to the pool to have a swim and relax. The pool had a really lovely reception area where you could sit and relax and help yourself to hot drinks. The changing rooms were a little tired but clean and had everything we needed – we were even given a pound coin to use in the locker and fresh towels.

The Billesley Manor pool is a really good size, with steps leading into the water at one end and plenty of loungers to relax on around the edges. There was a water cooler to keep you hydrated and a steam room and sauna as well as a fitness studio. I liked how quiet the whole pool area was – it was the perfect place to relax although a jacuzzi or hot tub would be a great addition. Billesley Manor also offer a whole menu of spa treatments that really compliment any hotel stay.

A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel

What was our room like at Billesley Manor Hotel?

After our stint in the pool we went to collect the keys to our room and realised how vast the hotel was. It seemed like there were stairs and corridors everywhere but whilst exploring the hotel, and making our way to our room, we got to see so many more period features of Billesley Manor and I am sure that no two rooms are quite the same.

A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel
A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel

Our room was beautiful. It overlooked the formal gardens and had the biggest bed I have ever seen as well as a desk and seating area. The bathroom was huge for a hotel with a curtained spa bath and shower cubicle as well as complimentary toiletries, so many towels and even robes and slippers.

A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel

The room was so lovely to just spend time in – with a great view, tea and coffee making facilities and just so comfortable too. Dave and I spent a few hours just relaxing, getting ready for dinner and enjoying not doing much at all for a change.

A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel

What was dining like at Billesley Manor Hotel?

A table had been booked for 6:45pm for dinner as they were quite busy on the evening we stayed. The restaurant was a really lovely wood panelled room with original fireplaces, leading off from the Great Hall – probably the most iconic room at Billesley Manor.

A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel
A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel

With a dinner inclusive package at the hotel you have £25 each towards dinner which would easily cover three courses. But, if you want things like steak or a cheese board there’s a small supplement to pay – which is pretty standard on hotel packages.

The menu was nice and concise with about five options for each course. This is perfect for us as we like to eat different things, don’t like a huge amount of choice and like to be able to choose swiftly. Each course contained vegetarian, fish and meat options and we couldn’t wait to order.

A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel

For our starters Dave chose the butternut squash soup and I went for the duck terrine. Dave doesn’t usually have soup as a starter but really enjoyed it – it was full of flavour and the perfect way to start his meal. My terrine was lovely and came served with bread and relish although there was a lot of terrine compared to the accompaniments. It would have been the perfect size dish with half the amount of terrine.

A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel
A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel

Dave chose the steak for his main with peppercorn sauce which was cooked to perfection. It was served with chips, mushrooms and tomatoes and was a really filling meal. I chose the pork belly which was so full of different flavours and served with mash. It didn’t look like a big portion but was really filling and the perfect size meal for me.

A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel
A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel

For our desserts I went for the cheese board where I was able to pick three different cheese from a selection. This was served with crackers, chutney, grapes and celery and was the perfect way to finish the meal. Dave went for the orange cake which was lovely and light, full of flavour and different from typical restaurant desserts.

A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel
A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel

Our meal was lovely and the staff were great throughout. The ambience was nice too with soft music playing and each course arrived swiftly. We actually enjoyed our whole meal, with a bottle of wine, in just over an hour which shows how speedy the service was.

A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel

Billesley Manor Hotel also has a lovely bar to relax in where we enjoyed a nice cup of tea and a gin and tonic earlier in the day and plenty of places dotted around to sit and relax. There are lots of places to sit outside in the grounds too, on the patio and in the gardens when the weather is nicer. I think Billesley Manor would be beautiful all year round.

A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel

After dinner we relaxed in our room and had a really good night’s sleep. The room was absolutely pitch black thanks to the amazing thick curtains and so we didn’t have an early wake up call thanks to the sun shining through. There were creaks and things every so often with people moving around in other rooms but with a hotel this age you expect there to be some noise in the building and it didn’t disturb us at all.

A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel

The following morning we had a really lovely buffet breakfast in the hotel restaurant. It had a great cooked selection of bacon, sausages, fried eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms and beans as well as a good choice of cereals, fruit and pastries. Dave did comment how he would have liked scrambled egg instead of fried or a potato option to go with his breakfast like hash browns but I think most people would be more than satisfied with the choices available.

Tea and coffee were brought to our table during breakfast and were replenished if we wanted more and there were fruit juices available with the buffet too. I love a hotel breakfast and the one at Billesley Manor was a great way to start the day.

A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel
A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel

Billesley Manor really is such a lovely hotel with so many original features from years gone by, so much history, lovely staff and beautiful surroundings. I would love to visit again in the future.

A Wonderful Child-Free Weekend at Billesley Manor Hotel

In: Travel

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Comments

  1. Nell (Pigeon Pair and Me) says

    February 7, 2018 at 2:10 pm

    This place looks gorgeous! All that heavy velvet, and wooden panelling. Lush!

    Reply

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