The 10 mile dash….
A strange thing happened a few days ago, something that has never happened in my 15 years of working here……
As you would expect, a number of guests were departing on Sunday morning after The Fowey Regatta week. One lady left her luggage next to another families luggage whilst she went to have breakfast, unfortunately there were a lot of suitcases that the family brought down and yep you’ve guessed it the single ladies suitcase was accidentally packed into the families car and they then merrily headed home – completely unaware that they had a bag in their car that didn’t belong to them…. On realising that the single lady couldn’t find her luggage the reception team put two and two together and realised what must have happened.
Luckily, some friends of this family were still staying at the hotel and on finding them we were then able to get a mobile phone number and call them to let them know of the ‘stow away’ suitcase. As you can imagine they were mortified, as the lady had had to leave the hotel without her suitcase in order to catch her train that morning. Thankfully, I was able to catch up with them at Bodmin Steam Railway and took possession of the piece of luggage that had caused so much trouble. I can confidently conclude that this has now made its way back to its rightful owner in London.
Following on from the Regatta week celebrations and from my last blog entry about the Red arrows, I am pleased to inform you that the hotel has been given some fabulous photos that I am planning on putting on the hotels website in the near future. Keep an eye on the website; they are definitely worth a look.
This Bank Holiday is set to be a bumper one, the hotel is fully booked for the next three nights and if the sun shines then the guests will be able to take full advantage of the Tea Garden being opened for its final few days of the season. Any locals (or holiday makers in the area) wishing to take that last Cornish Cream Tea over looking the Fowey River estuary can do so only for another week as Sunday 6th September will be the last day it will be open for the year – go on treat yourself!
How quickly can you eat a Cornish Pasty then?
Well one gentleman ate his in 53 seconds this week! It was all part of the Fowey Regatta week celebrations and the famous pasty eating competition. The record is currently held by a local man who scoffed down the entire thing in a staggering 51 seconds, and believe it or not it stayed down!!!
Despite a few over cast days, the week has been a huge success, the Red Arrows flew last Thursday at 6:30pm and still enthralled and amazed us all with their fantastic routines. This year saw the first female pilot too! This being Flight Lieutenant Kirsty Moore aged 31. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/5314144/First-woman-joins-Red-Arrows.html
There was an entertaining moment when a gaggle of Canadian Geese decided to fly (in perfect ‘arrow head style’ formation) right across the estuary during the display, but the ever professional pilots picked this up and gave them a wide birth until they flew away. Deservingly the geese also received a round of applause from the crowds. It was a shame that the rain started just as the Red Arrows began their routine, but everyone stayed despite the down pour. After about 15 minutes it must have been decided that the Red Arrows were going to end the display and disappeared, but within 2 minutes the rain stopped a magnificent rainbow appeared and they returned to fly right through the rainbow which stretched perfectly from one side of the estuary to the other. It was a fantastic moment that was made all the more special by the fact it was here in Fowey. I have luckily managed to track down a professional photographer who happened to take this photo and I am hopeful that you will be able to see it on our website in the near future – keep an eye out!!
The Fowey Hotels web cam is now officially up and running, with a great deal of activity on the water over the regatta week a number of people (who have been unable to make it to Fowey this year) have commented on how great it is to still view all that is happening on the water, especially with the races that have been taking place. The camera is currently pointing at the mouth of the estuary and gives a fantastic view, if you would like a look click on to the following link. www.thefoweyhotel.co.uk and then click the “live web cam” box at the bottom of the home page.
Finally, and ending on a comical note…. Our loyal and trusty maintenance man Ray meet with a new duty this week when he spotted a sea crab in the corner of one of the corridors. He had to ‘double take’ as he couldn’t quite believe his eyes! Interestingly the night before, our Night Porter Alex thought he was hallucinating when he saw another water loving crustacean walking side ways down the hallway. The mystery has been solved by one of our receptionists who remembers seeing a little boy and his father (who have been staying at the hotel) carrying a bucket containing four crabs that he had proudly caught in the rock pools below the hotel only the day before. Thankfully all four crabs have now been accounted for and have been released back into the estuary where they rightfully belong.
Hooray - at long last our webcam is up and running. If you want to see what the weather is doing in Fowey, which boats are coming in or out of the estuary then please tune in. Make us a favourite! The view from the hotel is fantastic. The link you need is http://92.244.185.33/view/index.shtml
Web Cam
The web cam has been installed so hopefully you will be able to tap onto our website within a few days and see the beautiful views of Fowey that we are lucky enough to see every day. Also, with next week seeing the start of the Fowey Regatta week the timing could not be better. Keep an eye on this blog site and I will let you know when and how to see the view from the new web cam.
Over the last few days I have been working closely with Candace (Deputy Manager) and Emma (Head Receptionist) on our marketing plans for the Autumn and Winter of this year. We very much need to get our ‘creative heads’ on to try and come up with a different yet appropriate break for the October, November and December months. After a lot of planning, I feel confident that we are now offering highly competitive breaks, all we need now is lots of warm/sunny days. I guess only time will tell…..
On thinking about the festive season (already! I hear you cry) the hotel is now half full for the 3 day Christmas break, which is great news as this illustrates that people are booking early and planning their festivities well ahead of time. If you are thinking of taking a break away before the madness of the season, keep an eye on our website for the special offers. There is still so much to see and do throughout the quieter time of the year, with Eden opening their ice-rink, Heligan’s Harvest celebrations with Lobb’s farm shop as well as the impressive gardens of Lanhydrock, it’s a great (and somewhat more peaceful) time of the year!
Finally, yesterday saw the first marriage ceremony carried out at the hotel, this took place in room 109 and was a very intimate and private ceremony with only 6 people being present, two of which were our very own Candace and Tristan who stood in as the witnesses. According to Candace it was all very romantic and it was a really lovely day. Lets hope that this is the first ceremony of many…..
Sun, run!!!
With a few minutes to spare I thought I would put finger to keyboard to let you know that the sun is here and it feels like a beautiful summers day in Fowey, I am hoping that I am not tempting fate by saying this but we are all grateful for the spell of settled weather that is now forecast for a lot of the area. It’s such good news for the guests as well, as they feel as though they are actually receiving a ‘quality’ holiday as appose to spending their days sat in the lounges drinking tea and reading their news papers. I know I ask for a lot at times, however I think we deserve a good August and September considering the disastrous season last year.
Regatta week is almost upon us, starting on the 16th August until the 22nd it is set to be another fantastic week. The programmes are now printed and being issued and the Sailing, Carnival, Red Arrows display, Fireworks and entertainment are all sounding top notch. Every trader and committee member are crossing their fingers and their toes to ensure its blue skies and sunshine all week.
The Restaurant carpet was fitted without any hiccups yesterday, so those guests who have visited recently will be pleased with the new purchase when you return. You will remember how ‘in need’ this room was for a good quality carpet, so I’m sure this comes as welcome news to you all. Now all I’ve got to do is make sure that it is kept clean and mark free – bets are on!
The Tea garden is open and busy today, as you would expect and with the next few days weather forecast looking positive we are hoping to have a bumper weekend. As always, scones are being baked daily and we are getting through tonnes of homemade Strawberry Jam and Clotted cream each week – well now is the time for it I guess! Enjoy the sunshine…..
