Timberstone Bed and Breakfast, Ludlow

Timberstone Bed and Breakfast, Ludlow

Holidays - these are the times we remember -  the love and the laughter.

Just a few weeks ago a friend came back from a trip fuming.   She’d been onto a website to check out the travel reviews and booked the accommodation for her break in confidence.  What she’d read online indicated that it was a lovely place to stay.

She paced the floor, coffee in hand and over several minutes ranted about how clearly the people that were commenting on the site had wildly different standards than hers.  The place was dirty, the people were rude and she’d been so unhappy she packed her bags and moved on to stay elsewhere.  I gingerly pointed out that this was her opportunity to tell the truth on the review site.  Her reply was short.  She said that commenting was all very well  .. but it was her break already been ruined.

So what to do when you want to go somewhere really lovely to take a break? Some of the review sites clearly have bogus people posting great reviews about hell holes.  How do you know that the place you are choosing is lovely? How do you guarantee charm, romance, and a break that we all remember for the right reasons?

As the conversation continued and I finally managed to get a word in edgeways I was surprised to find that my friend hadn’t heard of the Alastair Sawday books.  (I thought everyone knew about them.) My parents bought his first book about 20 years ago.  They’d sat in bed one Sunday morning, reading the Sunday Times  (.. as they have done for 40 years or more and read an article about Alastair Sawday and were hooked.)  They were absolutely thrilled when the book arrived and booked the bed and have since booked the breakfasts from the books every time they’ve been away.

Twenty years on and I asked mum why she still loves using the books “it’s like having a friend personally recommend you where to stay. “ she said.  Of course I skip straight onto the Internet to look for wherever I want to go and I know that if a venue has been picked by Alastair Sawday and invited to join the guide then it will be wonderful.  It’s so reassuring.

When I was invited to stay through Sawdays a few weeks ago at Timberstone cottage near Ludlow my husband had work commitments and couldn’t come.  All the same I was thrilled to be going to stay near Ludlow.  It’s famed for being a foodies paradise.

Crisp white cotton bedding and fluffy towels 

Timberstone was everything the Sawdays guide promised it to be. The welcome was warm, the dogs wagged their tails and Alex and Tracy were the perfect hosts.  It’s not easy to take a break with three young children, especially on my own but Tracy and Alex have two boys the same age as my children and within minutes the kids were working out the best way to climb a tree and I relaxed as Alex put my bags in my room.

Oh I can’t tell you how lovely it was to just relax.  There were fluffy white towels, really crisp white cotton bedding, and jugs of fresh flowers in all the room picked from the garden.  When I was offered a home cooked meal that evening and I can honestly say I was relived not to have to going out to find somewhere to eat. The food was comparable to any you would expect from a really good restaurant and Tracy explained that her love of food and working along side a top chef meant feeding guests was one of her favorite aspects of running a B & B.  The wine was superb. Again as we chatted it turned out that Alex and Tracy met whilst they were working for a wine merchant.  We spent the evening chatting and they gave me a great run down of the local food scene, which held me in good stead for the following day. I slept like a log in one of the most comfortable beds I’ve ever slept in.

I loved that all the food was locally sourced; the sausages at breakfast were outstanding, along with Tracy’s pretty pots of home made chutneys and locally made sourdough bread from Prices the bakers on the market square.

I loved the stay so much that I’ve booked to go again in July, only this time I will be sure to take my husband.  He’ll love it.

Ludlow. Fresh sourdough from Prices the Bakers on the market square, cheese from the Mousetrap and the local market was wonderful. 

 It is with delight that I can offer a one night stay as a prize at Timberstone for a couple.

RULES

Please see competition Rules before entering. This giveaway is open to all readers over 18 with a UK mainland address.  The winner will be chosen at random by randomizer.com.  You need to leave your e-mail address in order to comment, I am the only person that can see it. Please do not include your email in the actual comment as well.

This competition on behalf of Alastair Sawdays and they will be responsible for organizing the prize with the winner. Their decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

There is one main way to enter and there are lots more chances to win .. . and you must leave a separate comment for each bonus entry otherwise they will not be counted. 

For a chance to win please comment and tell me who would you take with you if you won?

For a 2nd chance to win  please follow @sawdays on Twitter and comment below to tell me you have done so.

For a 3rd chance to win please like Sawdays on Facebook and comment to tell me you have done so

For a 4^th chance to win please Follow @Timberstone1 on Twitter and please leave a comment to say you have done so.

For a 5^th chance to win please tweet me @VanessaKimbell and tell me who you’d love to take with you if you won – please comment to say you have done so.

For more chances of winning Tweet this article and comment below to tell me you have done so. Each comment counts and an entrance and you can have a maximum of 1 entry per day to win this break  - but you MUST comment with your twitter ID telling me you have done so!

Automated Entries are not allowed.  There is no cash or product alternative.  The invitation must be used by

Closing date of this competition is 4pm 11^th July 2012 The winner will be announced on Twitter on the  July 12th^th   2012