Three Towns Forum
Members' Lounge => Travel => Topic started by: hollins on August 14, 2011, 01:29:00 pm
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Has anyone stayed in any unusual accomodation or in an unusual location?
One place I stayed in was quite unsual. It was The Old Club House on the Isle of Wight now owned and let as a holiday cottage by the National Trust.
It was formerly the clubhouse for the Royal Isle of Wight Golf Links.
It overlooks the Duver, a stretch of sand and shingle also owned by the National Trust.
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http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/book-and-buy/holiday-cottages/kirby-hall/peacock-cottage (http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/book-and-buy/holiday-cottages/kirby-hall/peacock-cottage)
This was an unusual place to stay. I took my mum there last year. It is a cottage in the grounds
of Kirby Hall and is owned by English Heritage.
The first photo is of the gates which need to be negotiated every time you go down the drive to the cottage.
You have the place to yourselves in the evening when the visitors have gone.
The hall is part ruin and the peacocks would roost on the top of it at night.
There are some gorgeous villages nearby.
We liked the very traditional lunch at the George in Stamford which still does a huge roast joint from a carving trolley and has a desert trolley!
Oakham is a nice place with some good shops. On the outskirts is the Lands End factory shop where there are some real bargains to be had.
There are lovely walks around Rutland water and good pubs.
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My recent experience with accommodation in Norfolk (see Room with a view (http://threetownsforum.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,628.75.html) - not sure if that's the best way to post links within the Forum) reminded me of an amusing accommodation incident which I shared with some colleagues (well, everyone found it amusing in retrospect).
This happened several years ago when we were having a residential meeting with some clients, who booked accommodation for us at a holiday chalet complex near their offices in Norfolk. There were four of us: two female, H and me; two male, J and The Boss. H arrived first and so was "in residence" when the rest of us arrived. She told me that she'd chosen the twin room for the two of us - and then started giggling. She gave us tour of the rest of the chalet which comprised an open plan entrance / lounge / kitchenette, a wet room and a double room. At the latter she said to the chaps "This is your room!" and collapsed laughing. I could see the funny side of it, J looked rather bemused and The Boss said "Ha, ha, very funny, now where's the other room?" When H managed to compose herself enough to persuade The Boss that there really wasn't another bed he suffered what he later described as a "serious sense of humour failure" and stormed off to rant to the clients.
In the meantime, we'd discovered that there was very little toilet paper left on the roll, so one of us went off to see the woman in charge and ask for some more. She replied that guests were expected to bring their own! On being told that we don't normally expect to take our own toilet paper when going away for business meetings, she rather grudgingly gave us the end of another roll.
The Boss returned somewhat mollified as the clients had agreed to book a chalet for him and J that night, though as The Boss was staying only one night J would have to come back and share with us for the second night (and we gave him strict instructions to bring all the toilet paper with him). Poor old J would have been better off staying with us, as theirs was a family chalet. The Boss immediately "bagged" the double room, leaving J (who's quite a "well-built" chap) the children's room with the choice of a cot, bunk beds or a 2'6" bed. J spent an uncomfortable time in the narrow bed and realised in the middle of the night that, to add insult to injury, the bed even had a plastic cover on the mattress!
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O’h dear!
Your tale brought back memories for me of some accommodation disasters when going away for business.
The worst place for us was Frankfurt. We used to have to go there every January to set up a trade stand at a huge textile fair and then man it for a week.
We did have some good laughs but we stayed in some of the worst dives you could imagine.
The prices would double when the show was on and the company I worked for wouldn’t splash out on fancy hotels so we ended up staying in the red light district several times but the funniest was the boats. They used to be sailed in and used as hotels due to the lack of accommodation.
I always had my own room thankfully because all my colleagues were men but on the boats it felt like I was sharing with my colleague next door. I could hear him singing in the shower and worse!
The funniest thing was when one of them was using a hairdryer when it packed up. He just opened the window and threw it into the river!
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In the past we have spent many holidays in various areas of France and the remote areas of Northern Spain.One in particular in the Picos de Europa was somewhat of a nightmare, as unleaded petrol han't reached there. Accommodation was always clean, but I think the modern word is quirky ! One place was an old Monastery and the wardrobes were confessionals.
Somewhere in the Loire valley, on another occasion we had a bidet on wheels which trundled across the room upon being sat on and in Normandy a hip bath which caused great hilarity.
If we were short of loo roll I was always the one who went to reception, so when in Tunisia and we had no bath plug I dispatched my OH to get one from the little Arab gent. behind the reception desk. He came back with a 13amp ! That was in Tozeur, where the clean bedding was trundled around in a non too salubrious looking wheelbarrow and also where the butcher's stalls advertised which animal they were selling by hanging the head of said beast over the stall. better still in Siddi Bou Said we were given lunch, which came from the kitchens via the gents toilet. We found out later that one of our companions was a Health Inspector. Poor bloke, he must have been cringing.
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Sounds horrific :o We never go abroad, I always thought it would be very odd! In the past I've been to Holland for a long weekend and had an argument with a Dutch bloke about the lack of vinegar for chips! The second and last time was a week in Majorca (March 88) was ok as we could find plain food to eat (egg & chips) I didn't like all the airport fussing about (or the flying either!) Looking at the tv now it seems even worse in airports! I'll stick to this country and my own bed! D) We enjoy days out in the classic cars, much better ^*^0
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In the past I've been to Holland for a long weekend and had an argument with a Dutch bloke about the lack of vinegar for chips!
In Holland the done thing is to eat chips with mayonnaise. That is made with vinegar and other stuff so you would still have got your "fix".
I'm a believer in eating what the locals eat, and in Holland especially the herrings! Lubbly jubbly!! The Dutch mussels are also superb and knock Conwy's into a cocked hat! Z**
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Chips must have salt and vinegar, anything else is surely illegal? ;D
I've never eaten any shellfish, the mere thought of it makes my stomach feel odd! :(
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Sounds horrific :o We never go abroad, I always thought it would be very odd! In the past I've been to Holland for a long weekend and had an argument with a Dutch bloke about the lack of vinegar for chips! The second and last time was a week in Majorca (March 88) was ok as we could find plain food to eat (egg & chips) I didn't like all the airport fussing about (or the flying either!) Looking at the tv now it seems even worse in airports! I'll stick to this country and my own bed! D) We enjoy days out in the classic cars, much better ^*^0
I agree with you about Classic Car Days out, but egg and chips ?with vinegar?in Majorca? Oh Dear !
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I've never eaten any shellfish, the mere thought of it makes my stomach feel odd! :(
I love oysters, lobster, crab, cockles, mussels, whelks, clams, prawns, shrimps, langoustine, crayfish, and any other shell fish or crustacean you care to offer me.
You are now obviously feeling extremely nauseous so I'm sending over a pack of Alka Seltzer. _))*
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Cheers, I'll need them after seeing that list! :o
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Please let me have your mobile number I think I can help with your issue of accommodation
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In the past I've been to Holland for a long weekend and had an argument with a Dutch bloke about the lack of vinegar for chips!
In Holland the done thing is to eat chips with mayonnaise. That is made with vinegar and other stuff so you would still have got your "fix".
I'm a believer in eating what the locals eat, and in Holland especially the herrings! Lubbly jubbly!! The Dutch mussels are also superb and knock Conwy's into a cocked hat! Z**
I shared a large bowl of chips with some Dutch friends in the Bryn Tyrch after I had taken them for a walk up Snowdon. The friends had mayonnaise on their side and I had vinegar and tomato sauce on mine but we all enjoyed the chips. When I go abroad though I'll try what the locals eat because how else will you know whether you like the food or not without tasting it first.
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Please let me have your mobile number I think I can help with your issue of accommodation
Rosie, no such request has been made... and you sent me a private message saying the same, for some strange reason.
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On topic...
I have to intervene here, as I cannot allow this level of negativity regarding travel and the food of other nations to pass uncorrected.
You see, I have travelled to approx 25 countries across several continents. The experience has been overwhelmingly positive.
Of course there were some hassles involving flight delays or suchlike, but overall it has been entirely worth it, EVERY TIME!
I have had some scary moments on business, often found myself out of my depth... but its all part of life's rich tapestry.
Much of this came about because when I travelled on business, I was lucky enough to always travel business class, with 5 Star hotels (or 4 star as a reluctant minimum).
When travelling for pleasure, I cant afford business class these days, but I won't stay in a hotel which is LESS than 4 stars.
If I ever encountered an issue with accommodation or food, then raising it with the right level of management has always quickly resolved it.
In terms of food, the hotels I have stayed in have proved a wide range of choices... very easy to get bland British fayre.
But, I have always gone out of my way to sample the local delicacies.
Mezo Soup in Japan, odd looking shellfish in Hong Kong, spurious cooked meats in Italy and surprisingly bland curries in India have all enriched my life more than I can possibly say.
Admittedly I did fall ill in Bangladesh, but it was entirely my fault.... after all if you pester a hotel chef to rustle up an omelette with prawns in it ...whilst 1000 miles inland and 90 degree heat... you deserve all you get. Although it could have been the hangover from the night before??
So come on, broaden your horizons, you only live once..... see the world!
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So come on, broaden your horizons, you only live once..... see the world!
Having read all of that, I've been abroad twice and I'm not keen to go again, I also dislike travelling on public transport (apart from trips on preserved steam railways) There is still so much to see in the uk, no need to go abroad. Anyway I don't want to be apart from my birds D)
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Please let me have your mobile number I think I can help with your issue of accommodation
Rosie, no such request has been made... and you sent me a private message saying the same, for some strange reason.
Perhaps Rosie is a bot collecting mobile numbers?
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Please let me have your mobile number I think I can help with your issue of accommodation
Rosie, no such request has been made... and you sent me a private message saying the same, for some strange reason.
Perhaps Rosie is a bot collecting mobile numbers?
No, Roise is a genuine member. Perhaps she's got the wrong end of the stick and thought somebody was after accommodation locally.
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Like Fester I have also had a lifetime of travel - not quite as many countries but nevertheless very similar experiences. I always eat the local food where possible but draw the line at monkeys brains, sheep's eyes and dogs!!!! I'm not quite so fussy about my hotels now. For our many holidays in Portugal, we have found that some of the smaller hotels are just as comfortable and one is not paying extra for the glitz and glamour. The atmosphere in the smaller places is also more friendly, the prices cheaper and every bit as comfortable. We do use 5* in the Winter as their prices are then on a par with the smaller hotels.
Our cruises are the usual overall standard but again as long as we have an outside cabin we don't care what deck it is on. We still enjoy the ship, the food, the excursions and entertainment exactly the same as those who pay for the most expensive suites. We certainly don't go on a cruise to stay in our own bedroom, for that's what a cabin is!
ZXZ
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Fair enough! Apologies to Rosie!
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Yorkie, perhaps it would have been more accurate if I had pointed out that in quite a few countries, I have never really 'seen' them.
By that, I mean that I have flown in, had a meeting.... been driven to a hotel, and dropped off again at the airport less than half a day later.
Countries I have visited, but never seen, include Singapore, Dubai (I know its not a country) and Luxembourg.
I spent an entire 3 hours of my life in Belgium.... over 2 hours of that was in a project meeting.
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Try this website for quirky places to stay, I intend to try one or two of them out when I have the money and the time!
http://underthethatch.co.uk/ (http://underthethatch.co.uk/)
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I once spent a very "interesting" night in a hurricane shelter in Barbados. Does that count as "quirky"?