Back on the blog... At Aberdovey!

Well, it's been well over a year since I wrote on here last due to some life changing events.  I'm not just a thirty something in Wales, I'm a Thirty Something MUM in Wales now!  My little boy is due to turn 1 a week today therefore life has been busy, plus a few dramas but I won't bore you with those details! 

I've been quite lucky to have a wonderful family who've helped me bring up my little one and occasionally look after him for a couple of days at a time so that I can get some relaxation which brings me to where I am today.  Right now I'm sat at the Trefeddian Hotel overlooking the Aberdovey estuary enjoying a cup of tea and shortbread whilst waiting for my spa treatment.  I'll let you know how that goes in a later post! 

It's likely that many of you aren't aware of this little place called Aberdovey - I certainly wasn't!  Not until I did a google search for the best golf courses in Wales.  No, no, not for me... I was looking for it as a birthday present for my partner.  As many of you can imagine, the following Google search was 'Spas in Aberdovey' which has brought me to where I am today.  

It's a lovely little town... About 2 and a half hours from Swansea on the west coast of Wales, just passed Aberystwyth and on the edge of Snowdonia National Park. I would classify it as Mid Wales but I think others would say North Wales.  We took the coastal route to get here and stopped off in Newquay on the way... We live in such a beautiful country!  

Aberdovey itself seems to be a quiet and discreet place.  A few shops scattered in the town and a small selection of pubs and restaurants.  We have come here mid week and the weather has been pretty appauling... Lots of rain and wind so far but apparently it's getting nicer from tomorrow (Wednesday) which happens to be the day that we are travelling home!!!

It must be a popular place in high season and on sunny weekends as there are lots of b&bs, guest houses and hotels... And not your cheap tatty ones, all seem to be of a good/high standard.  We were lucky enough to get a deal staying at the Penhelig Arms in their Bodhelig suite (will tell you a bit about that later too).  

Right I'm off for my spa treatment now, a full 105 minutes of bliss!

Cuppa, Cake & Cracking view? NOPE just crap customer service!

If you've read my blog before you'll know that I'm quite a cheery and positive person but this blog is a little on the negative side.  So apologies for not being my usual self (and the fact this is a little dated as I've been a busy gal)

So, the story begins with being offered the chance to stay at the lovely Manorbier Bed & Breakfast just outside of Tenby on Valentines weekend (which I will point out at this stage is not the negativeness that I refer to... I'll be doing a separate blog for that one as it thoroughly deserves it - top notch)

Back to the story...left Swansea on the afternoon of Saturday 15th Feb (day after Valentines Day so still feeling a bit on the romantic side!!!) and headed down to Pembrokeshire...

Visit to the palace, wet & windy in Whitesands and Scrabble & Pool at The Farmers! (St. Davids Pembrokeshire PART 2)

View from bathroom at Cwtch Cottages

So part 2 of my visit to St. Davids Pembrokeshire is a little late but felt an urge to update you lovely folk on this beautiful part of the country.  Now many of you maybe thinking this time of the year a little 'holiday' should only be in the sun drinking sangria and San Miguels but you really do need to consider the beauty of this country.
Our little trip to St. Davids most certainly took us out of our comfort zone and made us do things we certainly wouldn't consider doing at home and not typical of a holiday abroad.

Here is what the rest of our weekend entailed:

Cwtch Cottages 'Best Home' in St. Davids, Pembrokeshire!

Well, where do I start!  A lovely weekend in St.Davids Pembrokeshire and I must say a BIG THANKYOU to Rachael of Cwtch Cottages for letting us use her beautiful cottages.  I'm probably going to have to write a few blogs to cover our weekend, the things we did and places we went to.  Considering it was a 2 night stay and the weather was a little on the wet & windy side we still managed to squeeze in lots!

So, let's start with this cottage that I've been going on about... firstly, the word cottage has always suggested 'old fashioned' to me - which, don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with old fashioned but being a 'thirty something' a girl likes a few home luxuries, like a bit of Wi-fi to feed ye olde Facebook addiction!  How would I describe Cwtch Cottages?  Traditional, with a modern twist!  

Here is how our weekend started...

Suggestions needed for things to do in St.Davids, Pembrokeshire...

Well, I'm one very lucky lady!  I'm getting the chance to visit the lovely Cwtch Cottages in St.Davids Pembrokeshire this coming weekend.  What this means is that I get to put a pin in my map further west than I've done so before!  But here is my dilemma:  whereas before it would just be me and the other half, I now have 2 boys (7yrs & 14yrs) to keep entertained.    Therefore, sourcing out the best pubs and romantic walks ain't gonna go down so well on this trip!

So, I've consulted with Cwtch Cottage owner Rachael who has provided me with the following fab suggestions, however I'd still love to hear from those with recommendations for things to do within about 30 mins drive from St. Davids - remembering how much of a fan I am of CAKE ;-):

#NatsPhotoChallenge Days 8-15, intro to Flipagram & photo editing apps

It has to be said that I'm really quite enjoying this photo challenge as it's really prompting me to think about my social media activity every day, explore some photo editing apps and making think a little deeper about life too... very thankful for many things which I've captured in my summary for days 8-15 in this little Flipagram video (part 2)...

Tenby in the winter - absolute bliss! #Pembrokeshire

View from bedroom at Giltar Hotel, Tenby

 I really have to start this blog saying that I truly have the best job in the world!  I get to visit the most loveliest of places and feel truly blessed!  This week I've been lucky enough to spend a couple of days in South Pembrokeshire, and in particular Tenby!

Now most people would assume the Tenby is a summer town.  Don't get me wrong, the place is absolutely stunning when the warm sun is out but there is something beautiful about this place in the Winter.

We were lucky enough to stay in the well known Giltar Hotel overlooking South Beach!  The premier room we had was lush and the view was amazing - not to mention the standard of the rooms.  Absolutely love this place!   So here is why I think you should visit Tenby in the Winter....

#NatsPhotoChallenge Days 1-7

Well, that was easier than I thought!  Managed to get through the first week of my photo challenge without too much trouble... although it's always a bad sign when you struggle with the 'Something fun' theme!  Note to self:  Must work on doing more fun stuff!

So here is my Flipagram video with the first 7 days and introductions to the other gals taking part... pop back in a week for the next 7 days!  ENJOY!

#NatsPhotoChallenge please join me?

Well it's 2014 already and I'm sat here tutting to myself knowing that I've visited some fantastic places over the past 12 months and failed to blog on it.... :-( With the best intentions I took photos ready to blog but time simply got the better of me (and the fact that I found out that I'm expecting a baby and somehow ended up spending most of my time with a 7 year old from August onwards meant I visited more child friendly places - although I have a feeling my blog posts may change (watch this space for further info)!

Sooooo, I'm setting myself a challenge to get back into my blogging and would love you to join in too!  I'm going to do a 30 day Photo Challenge... here is how it will work and a lil confession as to why I'm doing too.....................

Cake, Cake & More Cake - Food Festivals in Wales!

OK, so I've not been on here for a little while and feel a little guilty for neglecting my posts but fret not... I come with some upcoming events!  Now I;m starting to think that I possibly should rename my blog to reflect some sort of cake obsession as this seems to now becoming a trend!

Before I tell you about the recent Neath Food & Drink festival, here are a couple of similar events coming up this weekend for you fellow food & drink lovers...

I'm a tourist on my own doorstep! #VisitWales #VisitMumbles

Looking over to Mumbles
from Blackpill

2013 has been a busy year and lacking on the travels unfortunately!  HOWEVER, when I sat back and thought about it, it dawned on me that I regularly switch to 'tourist' mode armed with my camera and shopping bag tovisit the beautiful village of Mumbles, just 6 miles from where I live.  I'm so lucky to have this on my doorstep!

It got me thinking, many welsh businesses focus on bringing in tourists to the country from across the water to boost the local economy, but there are tourists just a few miles down the road on their doorstep.  One area I think that does really well at bringing in visitors to the area has to be Mumbles.  And here is why...

They've only gone and done it again!!!

I generally don't tend to use my blog to share special offers but if you've been reading my blog over the past couple of weeks you would've seen that I'm an avid fan of Bluestone, Pembrokeshire.  

A little birdy mentioned that another offer was on it's way and it has arrived! 

So here it is..... £9 pppn (per person per night) starting from 22nd Feb to 20th May.  
(See TIP FOR BOOKING at the end)

We'll be back, it's written in (blue) stone!

What a truly brilliant week at Bluestone, Pembrokeshire!   Even though this has been my third visit in 3 years this was definitely the best so far!  As you might have seen in my post earlier in the week I was astonished by the bargain I'd managed to bag myself as a result of a Facebook post.  And I'll be honest, I really couldn't understand how they could offer so much for so little.... I now do!  I've had a taste of what a Bluestone Inclusive package is like, I'm hooked and we'll def be wanted to do that next time.  There will most definitely be a next time as it's written in blue stone (credit to my partner for coming up with that one - yep, he made me write that bit!)

I've been wanting to get a picture like this for 3 years now!

Here are my recommendations for visiting Bluestone for us Thirty Somethings:

Star Jumps to express my enjoyment of Pembrokeshire (pics attached!)

After an amazingly relaxing day at the Bluestone Well Spa and The Yard Takeway (whilst the world was being hammered by the rain & wind) I was pleasantly surprised to wake up the following day to blue skies in lovely Pembrokeshire - OK, it was quite windy but a whole lot better than it had been the couple of days previously! 

View of the beautiful blue skies from the back of the lodge - Prescelly valley

Armed with my waterproof jacket and walking boots, we headed to the car to go on a little adventure around South Pembrokeshire.  (One of the things I do like about Bluestone is that it is a car free zone - just lots of golf buggies!!!) See the end of the blog for a summary of places I reckon are a good shout for us 'thirty somethings in Wales' to visit!!!

Bluestone, boobies & takeaways! Day 2

It's now approaching the end of my stay at Bluestone but still feel the need to update you folk with the rest of my stay which continued to offer lots of little surprises.  Bit of a disclaimer here, for those of you that know me you'll know I get excited about the most basic of things, so for those newbies, if you're expecting fireworks then I suggest you leave now!!! ;-) ( Mind you, I do mention 'Boobies' 6 times hence the reason I've included it in my blog title - although it does sound more like a Carry On film with Barbara Windsor)

The Well Spa

So, after one of the best sleeps at the lodge I was very much looking forward to my trip to the spa for a relaxing day!  Something which, on my previous 2 occasions didn't go so well.  From those experiences, my main advice is to book in advance to avoid disappointment - luckily I booked well in advance for a nice leisurely 90 minute massage! (Whilst I've hopefully still got everyone's attention, I must add that after visiting numerous spas around Wales this really is my favourite as there are plenty of choices at the spa - treatments, areas & menu! - skip to the end for my top tips)

What a corker of a deal - Day 1 at Bluestone Resort, Wales

I couldn't believe my eyes back in December when I woke up to a Facebook post from Bluestone - the £99 Inclusive deal...  I read with what can only be described as astonishment as to what they were offering:

• 4 night stay in their 5* accommodation
• PLUS breakfast for 2 for the full stay
• PLUS dinner for 2 for the full stay
• PLUS half a bottle of wine each for the full stay
• PLUS free entry into the thermal rooms for the full duration

I honestly thought it was too good to be true as I've stayed at Bluestone twice before and would have easily paid £99 for just the accommodation.  I booked anyway and had confirmation of this amazing deal.  And to clarify, it was £99 for the BOTH of us and not a 'per person' price!!! Bargain!

Having my hair pulled & face slapped by a 6ft Spaniard has inspired me to start blogging again!

Firstly, welcome back to those of you who are already subscribed to my blog - it's been a while since I wrote here but as the title suggests I've been inspired.  

Secondly, welcome to all of my visitors.  I'm sure you're expecting something pretty normal from me?  I'll explain. But before I do...apologies to those of you who've seen the title of my blog on one of my social networks and clicked through to discover that my blog is somewhat different to what you may be thinking!!! (Got your attention though didn't it!)

Trip Advisor has worked for me...

I've been working with Tourism businesses for a little while now (in relation to their online presence) and one key theme has been how much they DON'T like Trip Advisor - negative reviews, fake reviews from competitors and pretty much a bad taste in most businesses mouths. 

So I decided to put it to the test. 

What a great way to spend "Welsh Week"

(Blog entry written back at the beginning of March - must have fallen asleep before I hit the publish button!!!)

It's been Welsh week this week and it has certainly seen some great weather. I've been lucky enough to have visited some beautiful places - all for business this week but that is why I love my job so much!

In one week I've added a new place to one of my favourite places, paid a visit to the home of Premier League's only Welsh team and ticked off one of my 'places to go' which I wasn't too wowed about. :-(

B is for Bluestone, Pembrokeshire March 2012

Bluestone, Pembrokeshire, a set on Flickr.

Paid a visit to Bluestone Resort in March 2012 after discovering a cracking deal on their Facebook page!

Highly recommended! And would certainly subscribe to their Facebook page too!