Rob B.

Review of Riviere Sands Holiday Park

24 May 08, 16:53

Not a bad stay, bit of a basic caravan though

As we couldn't afford a family holiday abroad we decided to give the Riviere Sands Haven Holiday Park in Hayle, Cornwall a go. We stayed for 4 nights, so prices below are for a 4 night stay (it's a little extra for 7 nights).

First of all it was a bit of a struggle to find (the AA directions using the postcode on their web site took is to the wrong place!). Once we found the holiday park we found we weren't able to check-in before 4pm. We were able to park up on the site temporarily to pick up a check-in pass (which gives free parking in the local car park).

We stayed in a standard 2 bedroom caravan. It was a reasonable size with combined kitchen/lounge area and two small bedrooms (one with a double bed, the other with two single beds).

In a standard caravan you don't get much. Bed linen is an extra £10, a microwave is not included (that's an extra £5). There is a TV in the caravan although you don't get anything other than the basic 5 channels (this isn't really too bad if you're out most of the time). We were able to hire some bed rails for our 2 yr old daughter although there was an option to hire a travel cot (again both of these are about an extra £5). We also had an issue with ants in the caravan which despite us complaining about, it didn't seem like anything was done about it (it wasn't a big problem, just annoying).

Facilities on site included a laundrette (£4 per wash, and about £1.50 for dryers), fish & chip shop (we didn't try this), local convenience shop selling the essentials (it's a little pricey, Lidl's and Co-Op supermarkets are probably your best bet in Hayle, or Tesco in Redruth). There was a play area for the kids, vast sandy beaches (with great views), two swimming pools (one in door, one outdoor) and also an arcade and clubhouse with offering entertainments during the day and evening and a bar in the evening.

I'd certainly recommend the holiday park if you can find a good deal. The staff were friendly enough (Leighton deserves a special mention) and the kids loved the entertainment. If you stay in a standard caravan make sure you bring extra blankets if you're staying in the spring, and maybe a DVD player to keep the kids amused if you don't want to go to the clubhouse. It's also a good idea if you arrive early to do a bit of shopping for essentials (food, toilet rolls, tea-towel, washing up liquid) before you check in.

We've booked for next year although this time we're going to stay in a 'Superior Plus' caravan which while more expensive is a big bigger and includes a few more things such as microwave, heaters in the bedrooms and TV with video (or DVD if you're lucky).

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Review of The Cornish Cyder Farm

24 May 08, 16:34

Not bad for an hours visit

We visited The Cornish Cyder Farm mainly because it was a free attraction which was fairly close to Hayle where we were staying on holiday.

The farm site itself was small but they provided a tractor tour of the vast orchards and also a tour of the farm site itself.

It was interesting having a look around the site. You are able to actually see where they prepare the and brew the cider, have a look to see how they make many varieties of local jams, chutneys and mustards including testing all the varieties they have for sale (there must have been about 30 odd varieties of jam, some with hints of brandy, lots of different chutneys and also Cider Apple Sauce - yum!).

In the farm shop you are able to try a wide range of tipples including their cider, apple juice (for those who are driving, teetotal or just too young for the cider) and also a few different wines and spirits.

Once you've tried the actual produce itself you're able to buy some of the produce to take home, plus a variety of other nicknacks including fridge magnets, stickers and even little cider glasses.

It was worth a visit, although we only managed to last an hour there, it was free to get in (the tour and tractor rides were a couple of quid per person) and we were able to sample and buy some authentic Cornish cider.

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Review of National Seal Sanctuary

24 May 08, 16:16

Lots of cute Seals & Sealions

We visited the National Seal Sanctuary mainly because of the pictures of cute seals on their brochure.

The sanctuary has quite a few Seals including resident Seals who live there permanently and also Seals which they rescue from across the country and nurse back to health before releasing them back into the wild.

The visit was mainly educational. We learnt lots about the Seals themselves including what the differences are between a Seal and Sea Lion. The park itself was rather hilly (a free bus service was provided) and didn't have too much to see (the seals were in about 5 or 6 tanks) although it was enough to keep us busy for about 3 hours.

It's quite expensive to get in so if you can, try and get one of the 50% off vouchers (we picked one up from the holiday park we were staying in). It's worth a visit if you're stuck for something to do for the day, but as it's all outdoors it might not be the best place to go if the weather is bad.

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Review of Old Orleans

02 May 08, 12:26

Nice food, service could be a little better

I decided to give Old Orleans a try as I was stuck in Cardiff and wasn't sure where the best place was to go for something to eat.

The prices were fairly standard (just over a tenner for a steak) and the portions were huge. I guess they live up to the slogan "You'll never leave hungry!".

Although the food was good, I found the service to be a little bit lacking. It seemed to take ages for the food to arrive and overall I didn't think the service was enough to warrant a tip, especially considering it wasn't a busy Friday or Saturday night.

I'd say if you're going out for a night of entertainment (drinks, eat out then cinema) then it's certainly worth a try.

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Review of Travel Lodge

02 May 08, 12:22

Cheap and cheerful

I stayed over night at the M4 Cardiff Travel Lodge due to it's cheap cost (£29 when booked in advance for a double room!) and because it was a close drive to Cardiff centre.

The room was small and basic, but it did the job. There was a small bathroom with bath, sink and toilet with the shower over the bath. A couple of clean towels were also provided (I did like their suggestion of trying to save the world by not having the towels washed every day!). There was also a TV in the room (LCD TV with a few basic freeview channels, although the receiption was poor!), a kettle and tea bags/milk/coffee.

It was nice and quiet in the room without any outside noise from the M4.

It was a bit cold on the night I stayed, although I didn't realise until the next morning that there was a heater in the room. I did think this could have been pointed out better!

My only grumble about the room was the breakfast the next day. I paid £4 for the takeaway breakfast. It included a cup of PG tips, small plastic cereal bowl with milk and cereal in it, flap jack (which was very tasty) and a napkin. This was all good apart from the fact that they didn't supply any hot water for the tea!!!

I'd certainly stay there again if I could get a room again for £29. It's cheap, although not the best hotel ever it certainly beats sleeping in the car!

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Review of Dinkys

14 Apr 08, 21:34

Have a quiet(ish) cup of coffee while the kids play

If you have young kids then you're probably used to them getting bored when you go to a cafe for a coffee.

Dinky's have the solution for this. They're the first (at least in Teignmouth) cafe that have a dedicated kids play area.

They have toys, climbing equipment and a ball pool to keep your youngsters quiet while you enjoy a relaxing coffee, tea or even a snack.

The only issue I had with the place was that the owner's son was a bit boystrous and tended to bully my two daughters.

My kids have been back a few times though since and not had any problems.

Dinky's also offer birthday parties and some pretty good offers especially in school holidays so if you're stuck for somewhere to take the kids to keep them quiet why not give them a try?

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Review of Crown & Cushion

10 Apr 08, 20:07

Nice friendly pub close to the rail station

The Crown & Cushion is a nice friendly pub close to the city centre and the railway station.

Although not the fanciest pub in Derby they do reasonably good food and their prices are pretty good too.

Not a bad place to go for a quick drink before heading home, especially if you commute to work in Derby.

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