bhowells

This south coast resort is my all time favourite uk holiday destination, my wife and I go there at least three times a year.

In common with many other places its changed over the years, but it still has considerable charm.

There's nothing I like better than sitting in the bar of the Marriott Highcliffe and looking out to sea.

The town has two very good venues in the Pavilion Theatre and the B.I.C.,however I am sure that the people of Bournemouth are still mourning the loss of the Winter Gardens.

Bournemouth has a fine array of hotel, thoug, I wouldnt, recommend the famous., Royal Bath. Havent stayed there but I have had a drink in the lounge bar and is very grotty and smelly, very little in the way of ambience.

Steve Crook

Go west young man
Some of my favourite places are on the Cardigan / Pembroke coast on Cardigan bay. Newport (Trefdraeth), Pembs is a charming place and there's a wonderful cafe/restaurant right on the front which has an open deck area so you can have a great meal or just sup a long drink and look out over the breakwater and the beach.

Or if you want isolation, try Mwnt, just north of Cardigan. The road to the village and the beach is only a single lane track with high hedges on either side and it does a right angled left turn shortly followed by a right angled right turn - so coaches can't get down there. But it's worth a bit of a struggle to get to such an idyllic spot

Steve

penfold

And all just a seven hour drive from London.......

Bournemouth is a lovely resort, very underrated. The Hampshire Tories never forgave Ted Heath for hiving it off to Dorset..

Bit of a Bay Window, what??

wadsy

Never been there myself, but one of my aussie mates went there for a

business trip a few years ago. He loved it & was waxing lyrical about the

place for ages!!

donna

never been to Bournemouth but all the UK places are too much of a gamble for weather, nothing worse than being at the coast and its freezing or windy, prefer our lovely scenery up North but wouldnt mind seeing a bit of Dorset area, sounds lovely.

wadsy

You should come down here Donna , get yourself a sun tan!!

donna

you in oz wadsy , noooooooooooooooooo terrifed of snakes

donna

going to Creece in two weeks and my eyes will be peeled all the time, Im really obessed by the ugly creepy things, would rather go to Ireland.

Steve Crook

Or about 30 minutes from my Mum's

Steve

donna

I love to get away from it all more in the countryside or lonely beaches just to take in the views, I hate packed places ie. Benedorn type holidays, havent tried it and shouldnt knock it, but you know what you like, Im hoping to go to Ireland soon for a driving holiday, to take in as much of the lovely countryside as possible.

Mark O

The mid-Wales Coastline looks absolutely beautiful Steve, I'm only familiar with the Rhondda Valley and Conwy/Llandudno areas of Wales.......but I can see I've been missing something, better start looking at Cottage lets for next year!

As for Bournemouth I've only been the once for a Week, the sand and sea are the clearest I've ever seen around England, didn't think much of the Hotel I stayed at 'The Durley dean' I think it was, the food was okay but the Hotel seemed to be obsessed with keeping all the Windows closed all the time, there was a sign on the bedroom wall 'do not leave your window open' , they wouldn't even open the window in the Bar to help clear it of Cigarrette smoke (then) and the Bed was just a cheap lumpy Mattress on a Wooden Box........never again!

Mark

donna

This is the chance you take isnt it, two years ago our plane to Greece was diverted twice , we circled Corfu until the fuel was running out , so eventually they allowed us to get off the plane at Athens , we were put up in a big hotel which from the outside looked lovely, but the room was stinking of heavy nicotine and smoke, I had to wash down the furniture with wipes but the curtains and bedclothes were stinking, what an experience, we were glad it was only a few hours in that room . It is a bit of a gamble letting rooms, Id love to stay somewhere in the Trossachs for a week but this worries me too.

Mark O

It is Donna!........if there's one smell I can't abide it's Tobacco, though my late Mother lost her sense of Smell in Childhood and would have dearly loved to been able to smell anything, Sis and I always told her that she wasn't really missing much, another place I would never go again is a Butlin's Holiday Camp, went for a few years running to Skegness and Bogner, but the last experience we had at Bogner was terrible, thick congealed dust behind the radiators, grime in the Sink and Shower, and the final thing that made me resolve never to go to Butlin's again was when I looked under the Bed (which I don't make a habit of!) and amongst the unswept filth was a false Finger-nail.......the sight of that made me want to vomit!!

Mark

donna

jeez oh mark, know what you mean, we went to a holiday camp in Isle of Man way back in the early 60s and it was horrible, couldnt wait to get home, this shouldnt ever be allowed, Im not a stickler or fussy person but I do like clean, doesnt have to be fancy, as you know when you go away on budget trips you dont expect the Ritz but clean YES. no wonder you felt boaky.

Mark O

Absolutely Donna!.......I don't mind too much how 'basic' accomodation is, but as long as it's clean, that's all I ask

In recent years Sis and I have been having Cottage holidays in Britain, everythings been great, and as they're family run as opposed to corporation run they've standards to keep!

Mark