Well, I’be fooling no-one if I tried to claim that 2024 has seen a grand few months since Christmas. It’s all been a bit too wet for pretty well anyone’s taste – even the local ducks have been looking fed up.
But, as I write, we’ve seen some glorious days of late, and the forecasts for the coming summer weeks are looking positive. South Devon is starting to look its best again.
Continental Plus
Of course, one person’s viewpoint isn’t the same as another’s. While the weather hasn’t been all you’d hope for, we’ve had a lovely continental-plus June. Our guests have come from Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, America as well as Blighty! (For some reason we’ve had a plethora of Yorkshire folk lately, which I particularly enjoy bantering with.) As is true in so many regards, hearing the views of people from far and wide nearly always proves both interesting and entertaining.
Great Views (Part One)
The Torquay Big Wheel is up and running! Hurrah! There was some legal huffing and puffing and an injunction from the Torbay Historic Trust but, gladly, common sense prevailed. For us, the fabulous view from the top makes it all well worth it.
Great Views (Part Two)
And after your trip on the Big Wheel it is just a walk of a 100 yards or so to Pierpoint, who have won the accolade of 2rd best fish & chip restaurant in the UK. I imagine they will have had to beat some extensive competition. Now, yes, £21.95 seems a little over priced but on the other hand you are looking out to sea as you are digging into your cod & chips, and that can’t be bad.
Planning Pays Off
Many of our guests have been on our famous steam train from Paignton to Dartmouth, then taken the river cruise up the River Dart and it is a nice thing to do.
However, with a little pre-organising you can also visit the Royal Naval College as part of your day out. Personally, I believe this is a ‘must-do’, but because as needs pre-booking a lot of people never manage it. The Naval College is steeped in history and if you like things Royal you might like to know that our late Queen Elizabeth met Prince Phillip there. We’re always happy to help with planning visits and what-have-you, just ask!
Special Requests
Talking of planning … while we are happy to help everyone with requests, the other week we really had to get everything absolutely spot-on. A marriage proposal really needs to be a flawless event. So, after one of our fabulous breakfasts we arranged a private boat safari with Torquay Watersports and they did their magic, taking them around the coast and then back here for the surprise of the bride-to-be’s life, with rose petals, champagne and red roses. We’re delighted to be able to say it all went very well. And the proposal was accepted!
Doing Things Well
OK, it’s not great to blow your own trumpet but sometimes someone has to. We are very pleased to have been awarded a Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice ‘Best of the Best’ award for 2024. We must be doing something right!
And that’s it for this update. As always, we look forward to you visiting – and whatever you’re doing, have a great summer.
Peter and Helen
