Holiday Thoughts

Now I'm home and feeling rested I've been thinking about holidays, the recent one and also what I'd like to do in the future. I've been asked for some details about the HF holidays, so expect a lot of waffling!

It was my first experience of HF Holidays and on the whole was a big success. I didn't know what to expect but the organisation was highly recommended by a friend so I booked a couple of breaks - a seven night Discovery Tour and a four night Self Guided Walking Holiday, and linked them together by a three night stay in Liverpool using AirBnb. 

HF run their own 'houses' - think hotel but without a phone in the room or room service meals. Historically the organisation specialised in walking holidays but they are starting to diversify and now offer sight-seeing (discovery tours), arts and crafts, music, and dancing breaks. It was the lack of a phone in the room that I didn't like especially when I discovered that there was no mobile phone signal in the building, so there was no quick way of getting help if needed. That's really my only negative though.

They have lots of repeat business so most of the other people on both my HF breaks knew the ropes and had been holidaying with HF for years. They are full board holidays with everyone eating together for breakfast and the evening meal, both meals served by HF staff, and a picnic lunch is provided for midday. There are no set places to sit so you get to meet and chat to most of the people in the house over the course of the holiday. The social aspect at the meals and during the evening is encouraged and I loved the fact that, with one or two exceptions, people arrived on their holiday expecting to chat and to make new friends. Breakfast is chosen from a buffet (porridge, yoghurt, fruit, pastries, cereals, juices) and there is also a choice of cooked breakfasts, followed by toast, tea and coffee. There is no limit, you can have as much or as little as you want. Sandwiches for the picnic lunch are ordered the day before from a comprehensive 'build your own sandwich' list, and the rest is chosen from a picnic buffet (fresh fruit, chocolate bars, mini pies/pasties, nuts, crisps, cheese, biscuits), but you have to provide your own water bottle, they don't supply drinks for the picnic lunch. The three course evening meal is selected the day before from a list giving three or four options for each course. You can buy your own alcohol to have with the evening meal, settling your bar bill at the end of the holiday.

The House Manager and the activity leaders organise some entertainment every night. This lasts about an hour and participation is optional, but fun! The entertainment during my holidays included quizzes, ceilidh, poetry walk, drawing by committee challenge, a talk about the Peak District, the inter-house quiz, and the local food taster night (when there is a five course meal and you can choose from options on two of the courses). 

As well as participation in the evening entertainment being optional, so too was any aspect of your chosen holiday. If you didn't want to go on a walk, or in my case, to a particular village then you just told the relevant leader and made your own plans for that time. It was all very well organised but flexible. For example, on the Discovery tour there were tea shops at every location we went to and a couple of people only ever went to these shops. They didn't want to look around at anything and nobody tried to force them to - they were perfectly happy with their choices. 

I loved all the sight-seeing I did but one of the unexpected highlights was the pleasure gained from the social meals and entertainment. I eat out fairly often with friends but the reality is that most of my meals are solitary events, and of course this was also the case when I've trotted off on my previous holidays and city breaks. I suppose it's that I've come home feeling I've had a very different experience from my everyday life and for me, that's partly what a holiday should be.

So, would I go again? That's a definite yes, although next time I will leave plenty of time between holidays. I'd like to do a photography one but will learn from the experience of someone I met on the Brecon holiday who asked for and got her money refunded - it was to do with the ability of the 'professional' photographer who was running the course and she advised me to check his/her credentials before booking. There are also some special interest ones I'd be interested in going.

I realised how much I love this country and still have so much to see. At the moment I am questioning how much I really want to travel abroad and if so, whether the places I've been thinking about are really where I want to go. More thought is needed on that one before I reach a decision. It's easy to get carried away when reading the brochures but there is a certain budget for travelling which once spent is unlikely to be replaced, so I need to do some serious thinking.