Hereford Horse Racing

April 8th, 2011

This was a Christmas present for Jane’s father.  We had booked an earlier meeting at Chepstow but this was abandoned so on looking for another racecourse not too far away we stumbled upon Hereford.  Transferring our booking from Chepstow couldn’t have been easier due to the wonderful customer service offered by Hannah Rickards.  Gates opened at the course at 12.20 and as we had booked window seats in the Silks restauarnt we planned to get there nice and early.  Journey time from Cardiff was about 1hr 30 minutes because of some road works.  On arrival, the car park is well signposted as is the way to the restaurant. Read the rest of this entry »

Swindon Bowling, Dogs and Designer Outlet

March 27th, 2011

This was an excellent day where Jane & I met up with our good friends Darren, Dean and Michelle.  We started of with three games of bowling at the Megabowl  before going across to our Hotel for the night which was the Premier Inn Swindon North.  The bowling was a great fun and was followed with losing a few pence on the fruit and arcade machines!  The hotel is about 15 minutes drive away but ideal for the dog track.  The Premier Inn is the familiar style of the chain and more than adequate, especially at £59 per night + £7.50 for breakfast. Read the rest of this entry »

New Year’s Eve in Chester

January 2nd, 2011

Jane & I decided to take Lauren & Mike to Chester as a Christmas / birthday present for Lauren.  We stayed at the Premier Inn which is in a fantastic location with the train station and the city centre 5 minutes away in opposite directions.  We had been here last Christmas and really enjoyed ourselves in the snow so knew that we would have a good time again.

Jane had booked a meal at Michael Caine’s Cafe Bar at the Abode Hotel which is about a 20 minute walk from the Premier Inn or an even quicker taxi ride on a cold winter’s night!  The meal was fantastic and we all really enjoyed it!  From the restaurant we then moved to the the disco which didn’t really ever get lively possibly because most people were celebrating in town and also because the DJ wasn’t the best!  At midnight he failed to play Auld Lang Syne or put the TV on for Big Ben!

Another restaurant that we would recommend is La Fattoria which is a lively Italian restaurant with a fantastic atmosphere along with great traditional food!

Bruxelles & Bruges – July ’10

July 20th, 2010

We went Bruxelles for a friend’s 40th birthday celebrations. To start the celebrations in style we travelled from Cardiff to London in first class and then after the shirt cab ride across to St Pancras caught the first class eurostar to Bruxelles with the free wine (always a bonus!).

Test test

Easter ’10 – Market Harborough

April 9th, 2010

Easter ’10 – High Wycombe

April 8th, 2010

Stayed at the premier Inn in Loudwater on April 8th whilst visiting friends

Leominster & Ludlow 17 Feb ’10

February 17th, 2010

Probably least said the better!  Really didn’t think much of Leominster, although because of snow and cold didn’t visit the Priory and Church which were recommended.  Maybe for another day.  Ludlow we had been to before but were again disappointed.  It looks nice, but there isn’t much there.  We had a lunch at the olive branch on old street which was OK but certainly nothing special. Read the rest of this entry »

Abergavenny & Walnut Tree Inn 16 Feb ’10

February 16th, 2010

We drove the short distance from Cardiff to Abergavenny (40 mins) to the Lamb & Flag Inn on the Brecon Road (A40) just outside Abergavenny.  We chose this location for the value for money that it offered (£58.25 per night including breakfast) and because it was a short taxi ride to the Walnut Tree.  This way I didn’t have to drive so I could have a glass of vino (or two!). Read the rest of this entry »

Chester January ’10

January 6th, 2010

This was a last minute holiday to destress after Christmas.  We took the train from Cardiff to Chester (bargain £44 return for the two of us on Arriva Trains!).  This took 3 hours with a short change at Crewe.  It was great to see the Snow the further we travelled up North.  On arriving at Chester station we looked at the directions to the hotel printed from Google maps; however, they seemed to include roads that didn’t exist so we just caried on in a straight line and about 2 minutes later there was our hotel.

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Prague April ’07

April 15th, 2007

Flight: BMI Baby Cardiff to Prague / Hotel: The Golden Wheel / Transfer: Taxi from airport arranged by Hotel

Flight

We found a great price from Cardiff to Prague with BMI Baby which left in the morning and came back in the evening so was perfect for making the most of our time away. About 5 weeks before the holiday the times were changed which meant that we have to fly out earlier (not a problem) and return later (again, not a problem).
There was no explanation for this change of plans, although the email did have a fairly standard apology. The knock on for this is that we had to change the taxi time that we were being picked up at and also the car parking times that we had reserved.

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