Cherie's Place

Drifting in and out of my dream, I heard an alarm going off. As I came to I reached out for my glasses. Where were they? I couldn’t place my hand on them in the usual place. I had the same difficulty with the light switch so I sat up in order to put my slippers on just as Mr C said the fire alarm is going off. As I put my feet in my slippers I wondered why my holiday slippers were by the side of my bed. It was only then that I became awake enough to realise that I was not at home!

I tried to make sense of the fire evacuation map (it was only later that I realised the map was upside down). Normally I look at on arrival in a hotel I blame lockdown for befuddling my brain.

It was 3am in the morning and as I opened the door the alarm stopped. I noticed a box outside our door; breakfast had arrived. Much later, after another small wobble with the fire alarm, and some sleep, we opened the box to find a “cardboard” croissant and jam, a blueberry muffin (factory produced and packed rather than fresh), an Alpen bar, an apple and a carton of orange juice. This was most unsatisfactory as a breakfast experience in what is advertised as a quality hotel. Mr C abandoned the croissant (too cardboard) and I abandoned the blueberry muffin it was too sweet.

Mum, due to being almost deaf, was not disturbed in the night be the fire alarm. She awoke in the morning to find two breakfast boxes outside her door. Due to allergies she had to mix and match between the two boxes for items to eat.

Plan B came into operation we called in at a nearby motorway service station for bacon butties, freshly cooked pain au chocolate and freshly made tea. We enjoyed these tasty delights as an in-car breakfast picnic. It was a first for me, but it seemed like heaven after the hotel offering.

We visited Bath to see the Abbey and then having time to spare we visited the Circus and the Royal Crescent. Mum didn’t seem to impressed by the vistas they provided. Bath was busy and attractions needed to be pre-booked so we decided to press on. We picked up freshly made sandwiches and left the city to enjoy eating them in a quieter place where we could decide what we would do in the afternoon.

Farleigh Hungerford Castle was nearby, afternoon tickets were available so we booked in and had an enjoyable sunny afternoon exploring the grounds.

Returning to the hotel, we enjoyed tea and cake on the hotel terrace before retiring to our rooms to freshen up before dinner.

During dinner we were partly attended to by the delightful young man who had served us on the previous night. The other person attending to our needs gave us the impression that customers were a nuisance.

After a nightcap we returned to our room to find two breakfast boxes placed outside our room before we had even gone to bed!!!

Tags: Bath, Bath Abbey, Circus, Farleigh Hungerford Castle, Mini Break, Royal Cresent, Stanton Manor, Stanton Saint Quintin, There's Always One Two, Wiltshire