Enjoy Homemade Food, Cosy Accommodation’s and the lovely Lancashire Countryside at The Pendle Inn pub #Review

Enjoy Homemade Food, Cosy Accommodation’s and the lovely Lancashire Countryside at The Pendle Inn pub #Gifted

Picturesque Pendle, located within The Forest of Bowland, in beautiful Barley, just 5 miles from the neighbouring towns of Burnley and Clitheroe, has something to offer everyone year-round.

Get those hiking boots on and explore the home of the Pendle Witches, take a walk-up Pendle Hill at over 557 metres above sea level to see 360-degree views, then have fun at the superb Sculpture trail a fun activity for all the family.

Make your Pendle visit next level, by immersing yourself within authentic village life, with a stay at The iconic Pendle Inn pub owned by the experienced brewery brand Daniel Thwaites.   

The Pendle Inn pub have four fabulous ensuite holiday cottages which are set in an annex just metres from the pub with private parking and a private entrance.

These cute two-level accommodations have a private bathroom, open plan lounge with mini kitchen and then a kind bed on the first floor, ideal for families with children, couples, and friends.

Now, once you have settled in, you have yet to experience the best, The Pendle Inn Pub itself, an absolute gem! Serving fabulous food, with ingredients sourced from the local dairies and farm, including hand cut steaks, homemade pies, and a whole menu of Lancashire loveliness you are really spoilt for choice.

Thwaites have been brewers since 1807, so its a must do to partake in one of their beautiful beer flights that provides an opportunity to sample a range of delightful drafts, as you peruse the menu.

The Pendle Inn have somewhat of an elite reputation for putting together superb Sunday Lunches, even heading over from the cottage I was salivating, thinking of the roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, veggies, homemade gravy, lunch could not come quick enough!

Scrummy starters included the beautiful bon bons and the delicious mozzarella salad. This got us all ready and raring to go to the marvellous mains, the beautiful beef Sunday lunch and the nut roast topped with goats cheese served with all the trimmings including lashings of gravy.

Even better, pipping hot food all served by one of the Pendle Inn pub traditional log fires, pure bliss! The bliss continued with perfect puddings, that included, Lemon and ginger sponge with custard and sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce.

The Chef and team, at The Pendle Inn, turn food into happiness which quite simply makes me smile giving a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Talking of warm, don’t end your evening just yet why not sit by the log fire, enjoy the friendly atmosphere and lovely Lancashire locals’ banter, as you enjoy a drink or two, as impressively the pub serves 6 real ales.

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A Lovely Liverpool City Break with Novotel Liverpool Centre #Review

A Lovely Liverpool City Break with Novotel Liverpool Centre #Gifted

Liverpool, the home of the Beatles and the ideal city for a fun, interactive and entertaining city break.  The fabulous 4-star Novotel Liverpool Centre, located right in the centre of all the action, is the ideal hotel for both business and leisure stays.

The reception team provided a lovely Liverpool welcome and even went all out to check us in early which was much appreciated.  Highly recommend booking a two night stay to give you time to explore Liverpool’s exciting offerings.

Our Executive room with King Bed is the perfect accommodations for combining relaxation and focus providing complimentary Wi-Fi, robes and slippers for use during your stay, a Nespresso coffee machine, and for our anniversary the team also provided us with 2 bottles of water and a fabulous fizzy Prosecco welcome which we loved!  

Our shower room had a rainfall shower, with handheld mini spray, sunken sink and some excellent extra bathroom amenities.

Now after good night’s sleep why not enjoy the onsite buffet breakfast, as they have a full range of hotel options including eggs, bacon, sausages, beans, hash browns, veggie sausages all washed down with tea and barista style coffee.

Fancy continental well no problem, as this is also included, you can choose from an extensive range of fresh fruit, cheese, pastries, breads, muffins, yogurt, orange and apple juice, so you are spoilt for choice.

Impressively, the hotel has a fully equipped gym and pool onsite, so make sure to book in, so you can dip your toe in the water and enjoy some wonderful water time.

The basement level pool, provided guests a relaxing and tranquil atmosphere to chill out, relax and unwind.  Sit back on the lounger and enjoy some much needed me time after a busy day exploring.

An Amazing Anniversary Hotel Stay at Novotel Manchester Centre #Review

An Amazing Anniversary Hotel Stay at Novotel Manchester Centre #Gifted

The 4-star Novotel Manchester Centre is located, within the heart of Manchester city centre, near to all the main transport hubs such as Manchester Piccadilly & Oxford Road train stations is perfect for business or leisure.

Make your way through the revolving doors, into the bright airy reception area, and prepare to check in for a sensational stay.

Warmly welcomed by the reception team, who checked us straight in and provided lots of useful information about the hotel, including the use of their complimentary Wi-Fi while onsite, and instantly made us feel at home.

The Executive Rooms provide guests with a huge Queen bed, 55-inch LCD TV, sofa area, work/vanity desk, providing a modern and contemporary space to relax and unwind. 

Shower room was wonderful, with complimentary upgraded toiletries, and a refreshing rain shower with a unit that has a silent privacy screen, if you want to see into the bedroom while showering. There is also a separate toilet area, a spacious sink area with fully illuminated mirror and plenty of mirrors to beautify yourself.

For our Anniversary, the team’s attention to detail went above and beyond, creating a fabulous floral rose petal display for us as well as including some lovely extras such as complimentary peanuts, crisps, bottled water and two bottles of wine – all of which were really appreciated.

As standard, within the Executive rooms there are fluffy robes and slippers for use during your stay, a complimentary tea tray, Nespresso coffee machine, hair dryer, iron and a safe.

Now as if that is not enough to make sure that you have a memorable stay, why not head down to the onsite Exchange Bar & Restaurant for a few glasses of wine, some yummy food and the perfect place to sit, chat and enjoy the good vibes.

Dan, Gaskey and all the food & beverage are a dream team, real diamonds that make sure they always go the extra mile, so guests leave happy.

The Exchange Bar & Restaurant has an extensive drinks offering including plenty of gins, spirits, beers, lagers, Ipas, wines and of course cocktails.

Double Up the Pampering at the Rena Spa at the Midland Hotel Manchester #Review

Double Up the Pampering at the Rena Spa at the Midland Hotel Manchester #Gifted

After experiencing all what Manchester city centre has to offer, I guarantee you will deserve some much needed you time, so head down to the Rena Spa at the Midland, so you can sit back relax and watch the world go by and let the super spa team spoil you from head to toe.

The warm welcome by Cassey instantly makes you feel at home explaining that every Rena Spa Day package comes with towels, robes and slippers for use while in the spa.  Full use of the thermal suite, poolside area, relaxation room and the onsite gym if you are feeling all active.

Fancy doubling up your rest and relaxation time, well why not opt for one of the Rena Spa exclusive experiences, their divine ‘Double Up’ package, that includes a 30-minute Rasul treatment for two, 50-minute spa treatment, a glass of bubbly, a light lunch or an Afternoon Tea and a £10 voucher to spend on spa products, is pure bliss.

My lovely beauty therapist Hannah, who provided me with a marvellous manicure with polish of my choosing and if that wasn’t enough a beautiful balancing and detoxifying treatment wrap.

A Fabulous Festive Christmas Stay at the Hotel Indigo York #Review

A Fabulous Festive Christmas Stay at the Hotel Indigo York #Gifted

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and no sooner than you know the Christmas season will be back in no time at all with all that festive tinsel, glitz, and sparkle.

York, is a pretty perfect destination to enjoy some seasonal cheer with plenty to do, the city has an amazing atmosphere and the Christmas markets are awesome!

The hotel Indigo York, located in the historical medieval neighbourhood of Walmgate Bar is an ideal location to soak up all that York has to offer.

Warmly welcomed by the team, this beautiful boutique hotel provides a snug and cosy home away from home whereby the end of your stay you do not want to check out!

The Christmas tree by reception cleverly had all the hotel staff photos attached, made you fee right at home, part of the family. The hotel felt festive, as they had hung out all the decks to make it feel super special for all their guests to enjoy.

Before checking in we explored the city including the Christmas markets, The cobbled shambles and had a few glasses of mulled wine along the way.

Then our afternoon got more fun, fabulous, and festive with an amazing Afternoon Tea with the hotel No 88 Walmgate restaurant.

A perfect way to escape the Christmas Craziness outside, sit back relax and sip a few glasses of prosecco while enjoying fantastic finger sandwiches, scrummy scones with jam and clotted cream along with some super sweet treats including this cute little gingerbread person.

Our stay started next level, as we had been allocated a luxurious Superior Premium room, that is fully air conditioned, a big cosy bed with fine 100% Egyptian cotton bed linen and a lovely personalised welcome message scribed onto the vanity area mirror – just such a lovely touch!

It’s all in the details and I love how Hotel Indigo York have incorporated York’s historical past by including an eclectic display of historic pictures showing how life used to be.

Our Superior Premium room came with a fully stocked tea tray with biscuits and coffee pods with a quirky themed Yorkshire message that made us giggle.  The lovely team has also put a few extra Yorkshire treats for our celebrations which we really appreciated.

Once you are all settled in, you can freshen up in the wonderful walk-in open plan spa inspired, bathroom with a deep sunken bath, a walk in double rainfall shower area along with complimentary toiletries – just divine.

Hatherley Manor Hotel & Spa Gloucestershire #Review

Hatherley Manor Hotel & Spa Gloucestershire #Gifted

Gorgeous Gloucestershire is the stunning countryside location of the attractive 17^th Century Hatherley Manor Hotel & Spa set in a 37-acre parkland Estate surrounded by stunning gardens and an orchard.

Immediately upon arrival you know that your stay at Hatherley Manor Hotel & Spa is going to be exquisite just by the warm welcome alone!

Steeped in history and charm, the beautiful building of Hatherley Manor dates back to 1022 and at the general survey of 1086 Domesday it was found that Edmar a thane had held the estate of Hatherley during the reign of Edward the Confessor.

A portion of the Hatherley Estate was even once owned by Sir Matthew Wood who has been Lord Mayor of London twice! The three-time Mayor of Gloucester Anthony Gilbert Jones also had past possession.

The hotel has sympathetically designed the property to mix both the old and new without causing disjoint.  This is reflected within the accommodations offered, as for the ultimate in luxury the double deluxe bedrooms have both traditional and contemporary styled rooms, so the choice is all yours.

Our delightful Double Deluxe 240 Bedroom is a lovely large luxurious room offering with neutral relaxing décor with a large lcd television, underfloor heating, huge wardrobe, desk, with café du Monde tea and coffee facilities, mini fridge and the all-important complimentary Wi-Fi which I tired out and it was spot on.

The beautiful bathroom with a massive walk-in wet room style shower room, a sunken tub bath, his and her basins, bidet and complimentary spa toiletries for the duration of your stay.

The room boasts a balcony with floor to ceiling patio style slide doors, so pop on one of the in room snug robes, sit back relax, enjoy the tranquillity and views of the walled garden.  

The balcony is also the place to indulge your foodie side, as the room service menu really is well worth trying, as the starters, mains and desserts we tried were all amazing, as you can see from the photos.

Now it’s time to enjoy some much deserved you time, but before heading down to the spa, the double deluxe 240 bedrooms have an extra perk, as there is a sun-soaked balcony terrace where you can simply chill and enjoying the rolling countryside views that is Holiday vibes right there.

The stunning spa at Hatherley is the perfect place to unwind, the team are a really lovely bunch and have built a relaxing environment for guests to enjoy their spa experience.

The vitality pool is really high tech and has a water massage jet to each seat, neck massage cannons and volcano pads making sure you are well looked after.

The spa swimming pool is super spacious and there are also plenty of luxury loungers so you can chill out pool side in comfort. The complimentary branded flip flops are also a nice touch…

Things to do in Lovely Llandudno with the St George’s Hotel #Review

Things to do in Lovely Llandudno with the St George’s Hotel #Gifted

Wonderful Wales a stunning scenic setting for the perfect breakaway.  Lovely Llandudno Bay located in Conwy North Wales provides people of all ages the opportunity to enjoy a taster of what Wales has to offer.

With friendly folk, stunning scenery with their beautiful beaches, marvellous mountains and coastlines, amazing activities, fabulous food and awesome accommodations what’s not to like.

Where to Stay

The St George’s Hotel Llandudno sits in a prominent position on the promenade and is proudly Llandudno’s first luxury seafront hotel with the red carpet rolled out ready for your arrival along with a warm welcome from the wonderful St George’s team.

Literally just a hop, step and a jump away from the beach, the St George’s hotel has hosted many conferences and seven British Prime Ministers including Churchill!

Get ready to enjoy some you time and indulgence yourself in opulence and luxury for a stay you will never forget.

The St George’s Hotel offers a whole range of accommodation types, but why not take things up a notch, go next level and Raise the Roof by staying in one of the St George’s most plush room types; The Rooftop delightful Deluxe Sea-View Rooms with balcony.

Where to Dine 

No matter the time-of-day St George’s have you covered, and you can dine in style, sophistication, but yet still providing a relaxed atmosphere.

Breakfast, Lunch and dinner can be enjoyed in their onsite restaurant which provides an expansive food and drinks menu with something to suit everyone.

Fancy chilling well why not opt for some room service and if you did Raise the Roof by staying in the St George’s next level Rooftop Accommodations you can take advantage of your private balcony to enjoy an exclusive private dining experience.

Both the food and service to the private roof top was wonderful, professional and all the food tasted amazing! Raise a glass on the rooftop and sip some of the fizzy stuff while you take in the lovely Llandudno Bay views.

The mouth-watering menu at the St George’s hotel has something to suit everyone, the soup of the day is always a fabulous fresh option and the super starter platter and salads are scrummy.

The Rena Spa’s Indulgence Spa Day at the Midland Hotel Manchester #Review

The Rena Spa’s Indulgence Spa Day at the Midland Hotel Manchester #Gifted

Ready for some rest, relaxation, and zen vibes well you are in the right place, as the Rena Spa located within the iconic Midland Hotel in the heart of Manchester City centre has all you need for some much deserved you time.

Offering a range of packages, The Rena spa has something to suit everyone.  We opted for the Indulgence Spa Day which included a 50-minute treatment, Afternoon Tea, a glass of bubbly, Robes and Slippers for use while in the spa.

The thermal areas are the perfect place to enjoy a dip in the pool, some jacuzzi time, sauna, steam room or why not enjoy some time under the swan neck water feature.  This may not be the fountain of youth, but it can certainly relax tension within those shoulders.

Treatments are a luxurious and divine offering at the Rena and there are a vast range of options such as the Vinosource Hydrating and Nourishing Facial, Divine Body Massage, Fleur De Vigne Candle Massage Calming Hand, Foot & Scalp Therapy Rose & Honey Harmony Facial, and my personal favourite the Caudalie City Living Contouring and Invigorating Body Wrap.

My lovely beauty therapist, who provided an amazing balancing and detoxifying treatment wrap, which involved gentle exfoliation with their crushed cabernet scrub, followed by an application of their contouring concentrate, designed to help boost the metabolism and ease away tension it also speeds up the elimination of toxins.

This is followed by an application of their vine body butter massaged onto the skin and then wrapped to cocoon the skin with hydrating. The experience also included a full scalp treatment for total relaxation.

After your treatment, while in a full relaxation mode, why not enjoy some post-treatment time chilling within the Rena zen area, a beautiful room with stylish seating, private chamber rooms and the free-standing pod units.

Now if that was not indulgent enough prepare to enjoy a delicious decadent Afternoon tea within the iconic Midland tearoom of course with plenty of beautiful bubbles. 

Christopher our server welcomed us with open arms and was a wonderfully friendly chap who made our day extra lovely.

DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate Majestic Hotel & Spa #Review

DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate Majestic Hotel & Spa Review: November 2020 #Gifted

Built in 1889, the DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate Majestic Hotel & Spa is located in an enviable postcode in the heart of Harrogate.

The hotel sits on eight acres of lovely landscaped gardens and is near to all that Harrogate has to offer.

The warm welcome was much needed and the stay got off to a flying start when handed some of the DoubleTree signature warm chocolate chip cookies to take up to our room.

The room had the Hilton Clean Stay guarantee, a breakable seal to show that no one has entered the room since cleaning which was great reassurance and along with the room view across Harrogate we knew our stay was going to be fabulous.

The super stylish Junior Suite with a cosy King bed with 250 thread count sheets, LCD TV, Seating area with sofa, vanity area/workstation, blackout curtains and a Nespresso machine is the perfect way to stay and play.

The bathroom with full standing power shower, complimentary toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner, body wash, razor, toothbrush, mouthwash made our stay even more relaxed and easy.

The beautiful bath was the ideal place to simply sit back, soak and unwind after a busy day in Harrogate.

Even with Covid-19 and some facilities such as the steam room and sauna not on, the onsite spa is absolutely next level and has a huge indoor poor to enjoy some swim time.

Importantly, the spa has been traffic controlled extremely efficiently and effective by the team, so there is never a ‘busy’ period.

Poolside is the perfect place to relax kick back and enjoy a book while enjoy some liquid refreshments.

Treatment rooms have different themes such as the amazing Aqua Marine and Jess who delivered me a full body and head massage could not have been more graceful delivering a gorgeous treatment.

A UK Staycation with The Principal Hotel York #Review

A UK Staycation with The Principal Hotel York Review: September 2020 #Gifted

The Principal Hotel steeped in history and old school charm and character.

The gorgeous and glowing golden building emits the feeling of warmth and the welcome from Christopher was even warmer.

A lovely Scottish chap who clearly had a natural flare and passion for customer service and the buildings historical heritage.

Check in with the concierge with their cute royal red-letter box in pride of place.

Pass the rather lovely lounge, a perfect place to read the daily news, people watch and enjoy a refreshment once you have checked in.

Make your way up the iconic stunning sweeping staircase with mirrored details and neutral colouring.

The Principal York provide a range of accommodations from standard rooms to suites, we visited on two separate weekends to check out what both room types had to offer.

The Royal Suite

The Royal suite located on the first floor is a fabulous experience from the moment you walk through the door.

The spacious Suite has beautiful period detail and a tasty tuck box filled with a range of complimentary yummy treats.

This is the perfect time to enjoy some you time have a break have a kit kat along with a good Yorkshire cuppa.

Things get even more marvellous with the magnificent Minister view, a perfect viewing point, as you kick back and relax in the lovely lounge area.