DOGS NEED A HOLIDAY TOO

 

How do you deal with your dog when you go away? Do you put Fido in a reputable kennels or take him with you? A pet is part of the family. I should have some idea, having owned a boarding cattery for a few years and written a book about it. Before Covid 19, I started to work as a pet sitter but only had chance to look after one lovely white doggy called Stitch, for a neighbour.

 

If you prefer to take Fido with you (do you know anyone who has a dog called Fido?) then why not stay in a dog friendly hotel? I haven’t stayed in any of these, but they sound good.

Craigellachie Hotel in Speyside. They even have a bar called Copper Dog. It isn’t cheap but has what looks like a wonderful whiskey bar and the country walks look appealing.

Overwater Hall in the Lake District. Every doggy visitor will have a homemade biscuit on arrival. Adrian has shared the recipe with owners. There is no additional charge for Fido. Dogs are welcome in one of the hotel lounges and bar, but they don’t allow dogs on seats. The hotel is set in 18 acres and has a woodland board walk. They offer breakfast and a limited dinner menu in your room if you wish to eat with your dog as they aren’t allowed in the restaurant. A dog sitting service can be arranged for rainy days.

Tyddyn Goronwy Camping Park near Snowdonia. Dogs are allowed at this site which is close to the beach. They take tents and campervans. At the moment it isn’t allowed, due to Covid 19, for people living in England to book.

The Grosvenor Arms in Shaftesbury in Dorset. Dogs are welcome in the bar with a full menu, but not in the restaurant. Boutique style bedrooms and dogs allowed in all of them.

Cholmondeley Arms in Cheshire. A very dog friendly hotel with a charge of £10 extra per room. There are water bowls at the front door as well as around the garden, dog biscuits at the bar and even doggie beer available to buy. Well behaved dogs preferred.

New Park Manor in the New Forest. Dogs are welcome in the rooms with doggy biscuits, blankets etc. They do a Paws break.

When booking accommodation it might be an idea to check if they only allow small dogs. Also how many dogs are welcome and check what restrictions apply to where the dog is allowed.

If you are travelling by car, it’s best they are in a container but with room to stand, sit down and turn around. Making regular stops for a leg stretch and toilet break for you and Fido.

 

If you decide to leave your pet at home, there are several options, a kennels, pet sitter or perhaps a relative who will look after your dog.

As I write, hotels are closed due to Covid but restrictions are being lifted.

Dog friendly beaches, all year round, Milford-on-sea, Hampshire, Troon beach in Ayrshire, Sandymouth in Cornwall, Babbacombe in Devon, Perranporth in Cornwall. Watcombe Bay on the Isle of Wight, Lulworth Cove in Dorset. Embleton Bay in Northumberland has a wide beach.

Things to do in and around Benidorm, Spain

Benidorm used to have a bad reputation as a town/city attracting drunken yobs.  Either you love it or hate it.  There is plenty to see and do during a fortnight’s holiday.  It has two long beaches, The Playa Levante (wake up beach?) and the Playa Poniente (sunset beach?) often claiming the prestigious Blue Flag for cleanliness.  Tractors clean the beach every evening and the promenades are washed down.  Cars can still drive in certain areas along the promenade next to the beach.

Just behind Benidorm lies Finestrat, a mountain village close to a shopping mall and Carrefour hypermarket.  Many new 5 star hotels are springing up in Finestrat which is a short distance from the theme park called Terra Mitica.  Terra Mitica grows each year with new rides and attractions.  The entrance is impressive starting with the Egyptian area where there are shops selling Egyptian souvenirs revolving around ancient Egyptians and  there is an Egyptian restaurant.  From this area, you can take a ship to the next area.  Once inside you'll see that this Spanish version of Disneyland has been given a Mediterranean theme with each sector of the park dedicated to a different civilization including the Egyptians, Romans, Greeks and Iberians.

A fairly recent addition is Terra Natura (a wildlife park where wild animals roam).  There is also a Water Park with a wave pool, beach, islands, spa, restaurants and generally, lots to do in the sun.

Also on the outskirts of Benidorm is Mundomar where you can swim with dolphins or sealions.  They also have parrot shows and offer the chance to be a park keeper for the day.

Aqualandia is another water park where you can try the Big Bang, Vertigo, Kamikaze water rides or if that is too much, then you could always laze around under a cool manmade waterfall.   The food on offer is anything from paella, burgers, to a barbeque.  There is the ubiquitous souvenir shop.

The lovely old village of Finestrat, 40 km. north of Alicante,  and a short drive from Benidorm, is a little unusual because it is an inland mountain village with its own touristy beach called Cala Finestrat. The picturesque village, which hugs the mountain side of Puig Campana, has beautiful views from the mountains down to the sea; the architecture has a distinct Moorish influence and many of the houses are colourfully painted.

A little further south of Benidorm lies Villajoyosa (meaning joyful town), a typical Spanish village, with a sandy beach and fishing port.  Villajoyosa celebrates the "Fiesta de Moros y Cristianos" from the 24th to the 31st of July every year and the central act is orientated around the Moros unship.

It is sheltered by the Sierra Aitana mountain meaning it has relatively mild winters.   There is a daily fish market, a street market on Thursdays, as well as a Sunday flea market.  The houses are painted in bright colours.

Wisebuys, Narbeth High Street, Pembrokeshire, Wales - “An Aladdin's Cave for Foodies”

http://www.wisebuys-wales.co.uk/

Whilst staying at the nearby Bluestone Resort during really bad weather, we just wanted some nice food to cook in the Lodge and hide from Gale Barney. We grabbed the umbrellas and drove to Narberth High Street where we discovered a lovely butcher, tapas restaurant and the exceptional foodstore, Wisebuys. We bought beautiful baby potatoes to go with the lamb chops we bought from A J Rees and Sons.
http://www.andrewreesbutchers.co.uk/

Then we stocked up with a few treats to take home to London, such as Sakis Greek Baklava, pistachio soft nougat from Italy, the essential Welsh cakes, and a pecan and maple cake from Cottage Delight. The vegetables were very fresh looking with unusual mushrooms and other delights. Lots of ideas for gifts such as a pack of curry ingredients etc. or a choice of hampers.

They have an online shop and deliver around the UK.

The Spa at Bluestone in Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK

“Beautiful lighting and aroma”

We went to Bluestone with a romance package which included 2 hours in the spa with a massage, as I understood it. No mention was made of the massage and I wasn't in the mood to complain. Was just happy to chill out having recently lost my mum. We arrived during Gale Barney, so the weather was windy and non-stop rain. After 3 days struggling to do anything with the heavy rain, we decided to visit the spa taking our umbrellas.

We got into our dressing gowns which were provided. I found the changing room to be well equipped with hairdryers and towels but the room was cold. We did the rounds of the 2 different types of sauna, 5 minutes in each room was enough with our high blood pressure (under control with medication), the salt room which I loved but my husband couldn't see the point of it, then 2 steam rooms, one herbal. All rooms had pretty sparkly lights in the ceiling and crystals everywhere, smellie candles, power showers with 6 jets, and the ice room....I was scared of the ice room but it was lovely after the sauna.....so after 30 minutes we'd had enough and went to the coffee shop and saw people outside in the jacuzzi under the rain. We decided to join them and walked along the non slip mat in the rain and got in just as the bubbles started. How invigorating it was. 35c. It's a shame they don't have an indoor jacuzzi.

We had a hot shower and capuccino after that and were done for the day.

We had a two storey lodge with the lounge upstairs.  This was the view of the bungalow opposite us.

TROPICAL FRUIT ANYONE?

Do you know what to do with it?

My significant other was working for some VIPs last week and when they left their hotel suite, they gave him two bags of tropical fruit.  Not being very keen on fruit in general, except for citrus fruit, it seems a shame to waste it all.

The problem is what to do with it.  I googled various fruits to see if the pips were edible and got busy with a sharp knife, making a fruit salad.  The star fruit were a little complicated to peel (no idea if they should be peeled) and after taking out the pips, I sliced them into, guess what, star shapes.  It took over an hour to peel and chop a large bowl of fruit, but I am sure the vitamin content will be well worth it.