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I could not get into my usual hotel last night, so found myself staying at the Holiday Inn (Manchester Airport) on Altrincham Road in Wilmslow.  I arrived at around 8pm and found the check in experience painfully slow.  There was a queue of people who included business people, families with screaming kids and an odd guy with tattoos up the side of his neck and along what seemed like the front of his forehead.

It has been a while since I used a Holiday Inn, but having frequented them many times in the past all around the country I am still regarded as a Platinum priority customer.  I quickly discovered this counted for nothing.  Having got through check-in, which took around 15 minutes from arrival, I headed off to my room.  It was on the third floor, but with my heavy case and laptop, I was upset to discover the lift only went to the second.  Dragging both items up the remaining flight of stairs only darkened my mood.

On entering room 313 ( this must be the first hotel I have ever stayed at that had a room numbered 13!) I was gutted.  Too tired to drag my cases back down the flight of stairs I resigned myself to an awful night.  To say you could not swing a cat is an understatement.  My home office was bigger than this room.

Thankfully the air conditioning did seem to work and having stripped and hung my suit in the tiny wardrobe I settled myself for a quiet night ahead.  Needing to do what comes naturally, I was horrified to discover the loo contained the contents of a previous guests bowls.

I settled back on the bed, that was wedged up against the corner of my broom cupboard to check out the room service menu.  I ordered up the soup of the day, a gammon steak with fries and a rocket salad.  I’ll come back to this.

Having had a long day I wanted nothing more than to veg out in front of the TV.  This was not possible.  I could lie on the bed and look up to the near ceiling corner, where an old TV sat.  Despite the neck ache setting in within moments, I switched it on using the remote control…..  The sound did not work properly and despite all my efforts I could not actually make out what was being said on any of the channels I flicked between.

The darkened mood I mentioned earlier was quickly descending further when there was a quiet knock on the door.  A nervous chap squeezed past me to put a tray of food (I use the word loosely) on the tiny corner table.  For some reason that even know remains elusive, I tipped him as he left.  Within moments of the door closing behind him I realised as I sampled the food, that he had left no condiments.  Gammon, egg and chips simply scream for a bit of salt but it was too late, he was gone.

The gammon itself could best be described as a large slice of thin bacon.  It was awful, cheap and nasty.  The poorly fried, previously frozen chips  made the experience even worse.  The glass of wine I had also ordered up though was thankfully quite nice.  I thought it should though, be for the near £7 price charged.

Switching the lights out I settled into my corner bed for a good nights sleep.  Thankfully with the fairly efficient air conditioning and reasonably comfortable bed, I slept well.

As is usual in the morning for most people in hotels, I jumped into the shower first thing.  The shower itself was actually very good and I was starting to feel slightly better about this hotel, having had a decent sleep.  This more positive feeling was quickly extinguished when I stepped out of the shower.  There was not one towel in my room, except for a face cloth.  I was furious and I am sure my fellow guests by this point could hear my very loud swearing.  The bed sheets came in handy….

The breakfast experience was equally poor.  It started off with some dippy lad who was meant to be greeting guests telling me to go find my own table.  I managed to ask before heading off, whether I could have some coffee only to be told there was an automatic machine in the corner that would service my needs.  I hate this hotel….

Checking out was the last experience which convinced me I will never return.  The woman who was friendly enough, was clearly bothered though.  She was the only one working behind the reception desk at the most busy part of the day.  The phone was ringing, guests were queueing behind me and despite the chaos managed to keep up a friendly smile.  I mentioned the problem with the towels, only to hear her say “Oh yes, none of the rooms had any towels last night.  We had a problem with our supplier.  You should have rung down.”  I explained how, butt naked and dripping wet, this was never going to be a particularly useful solution to my earlier problem.

Pryordurkin rating. 0 stars – Avoid.

As has become the custom on occasions like this, the early morning air was filled with cries of “Do we have any safety pins?”.

It was around 9am when we left home near York for the short drive up the A59 to Harrogate where Paul was runner number 221 in the Harrogate Town Centre 10K race 2010.  We found a place to park and quickly joined the other 700 odd runners assembled on Crescent Gardens.

The race started at 10.30am and as Paul headed off on the 10k course, I turned away and made the short walk to the nearby ice cream van for a large ‘Mr Whippy’.  Over the next twenty minutes I managed to capture a few pictures around Crescent Gardens before taking my place at the half way point to capture the runners as they continued to make their way in what was now 21 degrees heat.

Towards the end of the race I managed to find a good spot near the finish line and despite the odd professional photographer (from sportsunday) getting in my way (apparently they charge £3.50 for each photograph), I captured over 600 pictures as people finished the race; mostly in style.

Paul came in at a respectable 55 minutes.  Check the pictures here.

You will recall back in May that I mentioned Everest turned up one morning to fit three new external doors.  The job had it gone to plan would have finished the overall home improvements project we had started out on earlier in the year, which saw our home undergo a complete design overhaul and the replacement of all windows and doors for more energy-efficient, secure and better looking ones.

However as that post shows it didn’t go to plan and in the end the installers left with all three of our news doors in the back of the van they arrived in.  The problem as explained then was that they wouldn’t fit and the surveyor had measured up wrong.

Well, after several months since and a return visit by the surveyor, the doors (the same doors I should add) were fitted last week.  They took the expected day to install, only this time, the installers were more optimistic and confident in the surveyors original measurements.  With that, all three doors went in as originally planned and I am now happy to say we are both very pleased with the end result.

Of course, when Everest cash the cheque Paul handed over on the day, we might not be so smug.  So it’s rice bread and water from now on   Food parcels welcome…

It all turned out well in the end at this years BBQ for friends which took place at our home  in York.  After a worrying start to the day, the weather quickly cleared up and with over 40 other people we had a wonderful time.

Although I am told I was slightly tipsy by the end of it, I can  remember hearing lots of laughter and giggles coming from around our home over the afternoon and well into the evening.  Everyone seemed to be enjoy themselves and as the sun settled down on what was a great day, the hardy amongst us remained sat around the roaring garden fire, sampling the odd drop of champagne under the star lit sky.

It therefore just remains to say a big thank you to everyone who joined us and we  sincerely hope you had nice time.  You can Check the pictures here.

Regular readers and friends will know that two weeks ago we mentioned we were starting a two week holiday (read it here).  In the first week we managed to actually spend seven days in each others company and if you read the reviews over that period will see we had a very nice time.

Unfortunately for me, not Paul who carried on with a second weeks annual leave, I had to return to work.

The good thing though, is Paul has managed while I have toyed (yes I can’t type – Lee) away in Manchester to get the garden up to tip-top shape, the fish tank refreshed and in between all of this, has caught up with his sleep and managed to get in further trim by visiting the gym every day.

So all it pretty much ready now for our entertaining many a neighbour and friend at next weekends Summer BBQ, which we hope the recent wonderful weather will hold for.

If you are joining us next weekend, we look forward to seeing you at our home in York.

Only five working days to go though ;-(

Travelling back from our stay at Seaham Hall Hotel And The Serenity Spa, where we dined each morning and evening in the Michelin starred White Room we stopped by Hartlepool to meet up with some local friends.  As regular readers will know, we like to go from one experience to the other and The Mariners Fish and Chip Restaurant in the top corner of Middleton Grange Shopping Centre, Hartlepool played its role perfectly.

With our friends we took a small Formica table for six at the back of this restaurant and waited to be served.  A very friendly lady looked after us throughout and with plated Shoppers Specials for three and a Pie and Chips for Paul, all accompanied by white sliced bread, mushy peas and a cup of tea, it was a great way to balance the food we had been eating for the last three days at Seaham Hall White Room.

The fish and chips themselves were nothing special though and we have had much better in the North East.  Our favourite restaurant still remains Hudsons in Whitby.  But at £20 all in for four people, we could not complain about the value and friendly services offered up.

In summary it was a very pleasant trip down memory lane for me, as the place has not changed a bit in the 30 years since I used to go there as a lad with my mum for the shoppers special.  Even the big broken extractor fan at the back of the restaurant which used to so fascinate me as a kid, was still there.

Pryordurkin rating 2 stars.

While staying at Seaham Hall Hotel And The Serenity Spa (read review), we dined each evening at this Michelin starred restaurant housed in this fantastic old building.  The White Room is an experience that as we discovered is not recommended two nights in a row.  The tasting menu with associated recommended wines comes in at £130 per person and is very good indeed.  However the second night it all becomes a bit too rich and while we thoroughly enjoyed the food which was very well prepared, we were ready for something a little more basic by the time we left on Saturday. What serves as the hotel restaurant, we think, should cater a little more for those people who are staying over more than one night.  Mind you, at the prices the hotel charges, we suspect this isn’t too many.

Anyway, the food as mentioned above was very good indeed.  What added to the enjoyment was the service received from the moment we took canapés in the drawing room to the moment we left at the end of the meal.  Professional throughout, but unlike some other ‘up market’ restaurants we discovered the staff as would be expected in the North East, had a good sense of humour and were actually quite grounded as well.

The atmosphere in the restaurant though was a bit strange at times.  This was not down to the staff or the ambience of the room, but the other diners who seemed to be intimidated by the experience.  An almost library like atmosphere was present at all times and the other customers seemed to believe only polite whispering was allowed.  There were of course a few stuffy customers who seemed to love this atmosphere and take pleasure from talking down to the waiting staff without a please or thank you anywhere in their vocabulary.

Breakfast for the hotel is also served up in the White Room and while we still prefer the full English breakfast from Betty’s Cafe in York, this one was a very closed second place. The same overbearing quietness still prevailed though and along with full table service, it made for a formalised breakfast on both mornings, broken only by the friendly Geordie staff.

Pryordurkin rating 3 stars.  Great food, stilted atmosphere for us.

We took ourselves off to Seaham Hall And The Serenity Spa on Lord Byron’s Walk in Seaham this week.  Setting out on Thursday we spent three days in this restful oasis away from the trials and tribulations life normally throws our way. Seaham Hall is a luxury hotel and spa on the cliff top on the seafront and is just 20 minutes away from Newcastle, a stones throw away from Sunderland and 15 minutes away from Durham. Seaham Hall has won a number of Spa awards and with its Michelin restaurant on site (The White Room – we will do a separate review) it is the leading luxury hotel and spa destination resort in Northern England.

After arriving a little after 1pm on Thursday we first check into the Serenity Spa itself where we had booked ourselves a couple of treatments to get us into the relaxed spirit that permeates this place.  Arriving at reception, the lady who took down our particulars looked momentarily thrown when ‘Dr Pryor and Mrs Pryor’ arrived at her desk, but her composure and professionalism was restored within seconds with a smile on her face.  The two hot stone treatments booked (normally for the women) must have been what tipped it!

Four hours later and wrapped in fluffy bathrobe sat around the Spa pool, we were relaxed and looking forward to what lay ahead over the next two days.

Getting dressed, we set off to to the hotel itself which you can access via an underground walkway, to check into our room.  We were given Suite 4 and opening the front door, we knew it was of standard that we would approve.  The room had its own hallway, living room, bedroom and a huge bathroom with roll top bath stood squarely in the centre.  With his and his sinks and mirrors, we felt we would be adequately catered for.  All that lay ahead now was dinner in the Michelin starred restaurant (The White Room) and two days of further pampering….

…. Checking out on Saturday, we both agreed that despite the cost, we had thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  We both nearly fell asleep during our Indian head messages but were quickly awakened during our deep tissue massage (part of the Brows of Men treatments).  They were by far the best massages we have ever had.  Promising to return we paid the bill and bade a ‘see you soon’ to the reception staff.

Pryordurkin 4 stars.

When I was a kid visiting relatives, I often remember elderly aunts and uncles saying they could never sleep in and would often be out of bed at the crack of dawn.  As a kid this just never made sense to me as I was quite capable of remaining in my pit until well after lunch.

Unfortunately as I turn %$ years of age (it’s rude to ask, so don’t) I find myself following in their footsteps.  Once again even though I am on holiday and it’s my birthday, I am wide awake, out of bed and sitting having my morning coffee at 6.30am, while my better half remains in the land of the lost.

The consolation prize for not having coffee and cornflakes in bed this birthday morning though (I could never wait that long!), is that we are off to Betty’s Cafe Restaurant in York where we will take breakfast in opulent splendour.

Have a good day yourselves and if we are out should you come by,  just leave the gifts under the porch

You might recall (read it here) that we both decided to buy ourselves iPhones back in late February and like many others was taken aback by the variety of apps that could be downloaded and used on this little machine from Apple.  In the beginning though, I was annoyed by the fact that a basic business function of synchronising Microsoft Exchange tasks did not work on the iPhone but I let it go, because the apps themselves seemed to be so useful.

However three and a bit months later, I have sold my iPhone 3GS on Ebay having decided it was next to useless for business use.

The battery for a start was hopeless and there was no way it would even survive a morning with the amount of telephone calls I take and receive.  It had to be permanently hooked up for recharging.  Then there was the phone signal.  Appallingly bad, it was difficult to maintain a signal even in the middle of city centres.  I know this because my second phone on the same network maintained its strength.

For me, these issues were the last two nails in the coffin for the iPhone.  You couldn’t make phone calls easily and when you could the battery would run out.  A slight flaw in anyone’s book.  Finally it is worth mentioning that the excitement I had for the apps soon ran out as well.  In the end, they were gimmicks and I found I used them less and less as the days went on.  Maybe I’m just an old curmudgeon but I suspect the hype will soon fade  around the iPhone and its apps especially with the launch of the new iPad – a bigger heavier version of the iPhone.   If you want a phone buy a proper phone and if you want a Netpad buy an iPad, but don’t mix the two is my advice.

I have returned to Nokia and the E71 for my business phone which so far is proving much more reliable.