August 08, 2015

Bangor's Hidden Gem for Bountiful, Beautiful Breakfasts

August 08, 2015/ Claire Spence

I say Bangor, but more correctly the Cairn Bay Lodge guesthouse is slightly on round the coast in picturesque Ballyholme. I don't know about fellow Bangor West dwellers, but I often forget there's a beautiful stretch of water with rows of colourful Victorian houses and a beach walk way, just a short drive away on the other side of town.

Recently I've been slowly drip fed these gorgeous photos of kitsch interiors, smashing sea views and the odd picture of a plate of mouth-watering grub, on my Facebook timeline. The account behind these tempting photos was Cairn Bay Lodge, a guesthouse overlooking Ballyholme strand. So Michael and I decided it was time to make a trip over town and visit The Starfish Cafe ourselves!

Parking is free and plentiful on the road outside the Lodge, and the cafe spreads through two rooms, with plenty of seating. We visited at 11am-ish and it was busy, but we had a choice of seats.

The interiors were what tickled my fancy initially to prompt the visit. Absolutely splendid interior design, with taxidermy, fairy lights, prints by my very own logo designer Handdrawn Creative Neal McCullough and retro pieces which give the whole lodge a vintage feel without being tacky or gaudy in the slightest. It's kitsch done the North Down way.

The menu all looks delicious, with lots of seafood and high quality produce sourced locally. I went for French toast with mascarpone, crispy bacon and maple syrup. Michael just wanted some icecream, as he had had breakfast at home. This wasn't on the menu, but they kindly gave him a big bowl of vanilla icecream and only charged me £1. We also had coffee and fresh orange juice. The food was excellent. I was really impressed. If you are local and want a really good quality breakfast, or to impress a visiting guest, The Starfish Cafe at Cairn Bay Lodge is the hidden gem of a eaterie you're after.

For our four items I think we paid around £11.50 that's a little more than breakfast elsewhere, but the produce is very high quality. Next time I visit, probably this week coming, I want to try one of the crab dishes.

I had told the owners on their Facebook that we would be calling so we had a brief chat after eating. They are a lovely couple, who's names I didn't remember, I'm sorry! But I can imagine staying at the Lodge would be just as plesant as eating there.

Porridge option- photo from Cairn Lodge website

J H Lynch & Dallas Simpson prints, photo from Cairn Lodge Website

Menu image from www.nosebagni.com - a local foodie blog worth checking out

July 08, 2014

Our Anniversary Getaway at The Causeway Hotel, Bushmills.

July 08, 2014/ Claire Spence

Last weekend we celebrated seven years being married, and spent a wonderful night away staying at The Causeway Hotel, Bushmills.

Owned in part by The National Trust, this pleasant hotel has the prime location on the North Coast, settled right on the cliff tops, literally a stone's throw from the Giant's Causeway. From the free car park you have views of the world famous landmark, and if you look at the far right of the photo below, you'll see the entrance to the visitor attraction. You really can't stay closer, and as a guest of the hotel you and your family have free entry to the Causeway and centre automatically.

The rooms are airy, spacious, clean and tailored to take advantage of the jaw dropping views. Our room welcomed us with fruit and bubbly, as they knew we were celebrating, a lovely touch.

You may guess for such a prime location you'd pay top dollar. Well I've just checked room prices for this weekend coming and you can stay in a double as a couple for as little as £99 a night.

The best part about the room is that the doors open out onto your very own little outdoor terrace, where you can sit for the evening and chat.

Last summer we attempted a visit to The Giant's Causeway as part of the blogging trip I wrote up for Tesco Living. As soon as we jumped off the little bus the heavens had opened, so we had to scramble back onto the bus and just take in the new visitors' centre instead.

This year we couldn't have planned any better weather. We got the bus down to the stones from the centre, explored them then climbed the 160-something cliff steps to walk back to the hotel along the cliff tops.

Again, this is how close The Causeway Hotel is to the visitor centre. It's in the background, I'm standing on the roof of the centre.

After all that trekking we were pretty hungry, so we drove the ten minute journey to Portstewart and had burgers and ice cream in Morellis. There was also a new doughnut shop along the front.

The day was so beautiful we decided to stock up on snacks and just spend the evening at the hotel. Just beyond the visitor centre is a quaint little country pub called The Nook. We dandered over and had pub chips sitting at one of their outside picnic tables overlooking Port Ballintrae & Portrush beyond. It was so relaxing.

Of course I can't finish a hotel blog without sharing with you their Ulster Fry breakfast! My husband had that and I had pancakes and bacon.

It was definitely the most 'get away from it all' hotel stay I've ever had, and I'm pencilling in a stay for our 8th anniversary next year. It could become a lovely little tradition. Thanks for having us, Causeway Hotel.

August 11, 2013

Tesco Magazine Sent Us on A Great Family Road Trip

August 11, 2013/ Claire Spence

At the beginning of the summer, Tesco Magazine asked me to take my family on a Great Family Roadtrip, a campaign they are promoting all summer to encourage families to explore their surroundings, and further afield.

I already shared with you here our stay in the Bushmills Inn, but you can read my blog for Tesco Magazine on their site here.

I'll be sharing more photos from our adventures in the next few weeks, now that the blog is live over there.

You can also use their Roadtrip planner, wherever you are in the UK.

August 01, 2013

Our Stay at The Bushmills Inn, Causeway Coast, Northern Ireland

August 01, 2013/ Claire Spence

Holidaying 'at home' has become the done thing for families these days & we were lucky enough to be sent on a special mission by Tesco Magazine, to spend three days exploring Northern Ireland's North Coast.

Tesco Magazine are encouraging families all over the UK to hit the road and explore what's on their doorsteps in The Great Family Road Trip.

My tales of adventure will be on the Tesco blog very soon, but in the meantime I'd love to share with you some pictures of the hotel we called home that weekend.

The Bushmills Inn, situated a stone's throw from the world famous distillery of the same name, is a four star luxury home-from-home.

The two storey rooms offer everything you need, and more, with Nespresso Machines and complimentary Elemis toiletries. The staff even left a little Bushmills Inn teddy on my son's bed for him arriving, which pleased him no end. He carried it around all weekend.

The room was the height of luxury, with a shower room and dressing room downstairs, off the sitting area, and a separate bathroom with bath upstairs, and the double bed for us. This was super in the evenings as our tired out five year old could doze off in his bed on the ground floor, and we could sit and watch television without disturbing him, upstairs.

The hotel restaurant was outstanding, both for breakfast and our evening meal. The staff make you feel like royalty, and are knowledgable of the local area and attractions, useful as most of the other guests seemed to be those on golfing holidays. The Causeway Coast has a number of world famous golf courses, as well as world famous natural attractions such as the Giant's Causeway.

I would recommend a stay at The Bushmills Inn in a heartbeat. One of the best hotels I've ever stayed in on my travels. If you are visiting Northern Ireland from another land, make sure you look it up.

October 13, 2012

My Own London Sanctuary, Tune Hotel, London Liverpool Street.

October 13, 2012/ Claire Spence

It's taken me a week to put together my Cosmo Blog Award trip posts. I usually don't stray into the personal posts, especially now the readership of The World of Kitsch is quite large. This post however needs a touch of behind-the-scenes, so you understand how I came to spend almost 24 hours in my Tune Hotel room!

I have M.E. or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which delights me with a wealth of frustrating symptoms, the most obvious of which is being knackered very easily.

I knew travelling from Belfast in Northern Ireland to London the day before would tire me out, normal getting through a day tires me out- I do most of my blogging from bed. Add to that the actual awards event and that was more energy I'd use in a month, all spent in one day. So when I left my first hotel the next morning & took the short tube journey to Liverpool Street, I just couldn't wait to get into my Tune Hotel room and into my pyjamas again.

Tune Hotels are a bit like those Japanese capsule hotels, except you can actually function inside them and twirl a frock if needs be. Starting at £45 per room, even in Central London, the rooms are budget priced, but are the very opposite of the grotty hostel you'd be stuck in for that sort of price.

In fact Tune Liverpool Street turned out to be my own little recovery pod in the middle of bustling London. Clean, white furnishings, spotless bathroom, everything in the room is sleek & well designed. It's like the iPhone of hotel rooms.

On top of your basic room price you can add on a TV package, obviously most folks wouldn't need this as they'd be out seeing the sights, but this was very handy for me chilling out in my room with my supply of Boots' Meal Deals. Other add ons are use of a hairdryer, wifi and air conditioning. You can check out the prices pre-booking on www.TuneHotels.com but nothing is terribly expensive, probably the same price as a pint in London to get TV for 24 hours.

There are four Tunes in London, so far, and the Liverpool Street one I stayed at also had a beautiful little coffee garden which my room overlooked. There are also Internet access computers available if you don't have your own tech with you.

I can't fault my Tune Hotel stay, and would definitely book with them, if I ever recover enough energy to travel again!

Click to www.TuneHotels.com to see if there is a Tune located in your next City destination, and like their Facebook to keep update with offers http://www.facebook.com/tunehotelsUK

As for the still exhausted me, I'm off to ask them on their Twitter what brand of mattress they install in those marshmallow soft beds of theirs. Zzzzzzz.

http://www.twitter.com/tunehotels

September 03, 2012

Incredible Tree House Hotel in Sweden

September 03, 2012/ Claire Spence

www.TreeHotel.se

I would pick the UFO.