"Guess who`s back"...3 Return for 3 Weeks @ RPR. Parks, KSC with lots of good food and fun...A May 2023 TR

[Cara]

I 100% LOVE doing laundry. It's so satisfying to complete a job like that from start to finish! I also like to laundry on vacation. I fully admit that I am odd.

 

[schumigirl]

I 100% LOVE doing laundry. It's so satisfying to complete a job like that from start to finish! I also like to laundry on vacation. I fully admit that I am odd.

lol.....we have a little club going now!!! We can be odd together!!

I honestly don`t mind doing it on vacation either, we have plenty of time and it really doesn`t take long. I couldn`t imagine only taking a few outfits and try to make them last to avoid laundry....er, no thanks, I like my change of clothes, so yes, not an issue for me either.

I know some folks don`t get it though.....

Good to see you, hope you`re doing good.......

 

[dez1978]

lol....yes, black socks and white sports socks that are identical all the way for us!

One of my friends will only tumble dry her towels, even if it`s 100F outside......I just love that fresh feeling. I agree they aren`t as soft and fluffy, but it`s a different nice. Yes, pollen can affect that, I usually notice it if I don`t iron everything till later in the evening, the pollen just goes bananas then. But, I have to get everything put away the same day! I might just have a problem.......lol......

We wanted to be gone before everyone broke up for the summer, but I hope you all enjoy the OI meetup, I`m sure they`ll love it and you`ll have to go back again I`m positive......

You iron too??? I don't even own an iron lol. If the dryer or downy wrinkle release can't handle it, it's just gonna have to stay wrinkled

 

[schumigirl]

You iron too??? I don't even own an iron lol. If the dryer or downy wrinkle release can't handle it, it's just gonna have to stay wrinkled

lol....I do iron and I iron almost everything........although my mum......88 years old and she irons socks, underpants and just about anything else including, now don`t laugh, but she even irons dusters

She was born to be a housekeeper if I`m honest.

She`d have suited running Downton Abbey if ever there was a lady to do it

 

[christophfam]

Looking forward to reading this one! My sister and I took an impromptu trip early May and I agree the weather was glorious! It was actually cooler than the February trip I took. I am not looking forward to the hot weather coming to SC for the summer especially after being so spoiled with nice temperatures and low humidity this spring. I don’t know how people do it in the parks in the summer months. I spend July and August either in the water or the AC and it’s even warmer in FL.

 

[schumigirl]

Looking forward to reading this one! My sister and I took an impromptu trip early May and I agree the weather was glorious! It was actually cooler than the February trip I took. I am not looking forward to the hot weather coming to SC for the summer especially after being so spoiled with nice temperatures and low humidity this spring. I don’t know how people do it in the parks in the summer months. I spend July and August either in the water or the AC and it’s even warmer in FL.

Glad you had such a lovely trip with your sister, yes the weather was perfect and it just got hotter the longer the month went on.

I can`t imagine the South full time in the summer, no wonder all the Northerners come down......but living there! Different story. Many of our friends who live there regale us with how hard it is to do things like yard work in the summer. I don`t blame you for living in the water or AC!!

It`s taking forever to get my pictures uploaded as jetlag has really kicked our butt this time and I seem to turn around and I`m asleep again......lol......but finally that groggy feeling has gone, so I have no excuses for lollygagging!!

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

While laundry is my least favorite chore you bet your bottom dollar it’s one of if not the first thing I do coming back from a trip.

Case in point: came back from my cousins college graduation last night and had my laundry basket ready to go so I just walked in, dumps everything in there and went straight to the washing machine!

 

[schumigirl]

While laundry is my least favorite chore you bet your bottom dollar it’s one of if not the first thing I do coming back from a trip.

Case in point: came back from my cousins college graduation last night and had my laundry basket ready to go so I just walked in, dumps everything in there and went straight to the washing machine!

My kinda gal!!

Although I do enjoy laundry, so maybe it`s not too much of a hardship for me after all. This time I was tempted for about 5 seconds to go straight to bed......laundry won out in the end!

 

[SCDizFan]

I LOVE doing laundry! It makes my OCD so happy! I also have one of those t-shirt folding things that allow me to fold my t-shirts perfectly!

I love a late flight to Europe. We flew to London a year ago today from Miami and our flight wasn't scheduled to leave until 10:10PM and we didn't push back until almost 11PM. We arrived at Heathrow at 7:30AM. It was a great flight.

 

[schumigirl]

I LOVE doing laundry! It makes my OCD so happy! I also have one of those t-shirt folding things that allow me to fold my t-shirts perfectly!

I love a late flight to Europe. We flew to London a year ago today from Miami and our flight wasn't scheduled to leave until 10:10PM and we didn't push back until almost 11PM. We arrived at Heathrow at 7:30AM. It was a great flight.

lol.....there are more of us!!!! I do not have one of those foldy things, I only saw it on Big Bang, never seen one for sale over here.........(adds to America shopping list )

I thought we`d hate that later flight, but it worked out in the end, we didn`t land till 11am UK time though, but I`m not blaming that for the extreme jet lag we suffered this trip. I do think it`s a better flight time suitable for the time difference. I think our flights in November are the same.

 

[keishashadow]

My name is Carole and I’m a laundry-a-holic!!!

LOLOLOL

welcome home

 

[schumigirl]

LOLOLOL

welcome home

Thanks......it is nice to be back home after such a lovely trip!

All Tide Pens have now been distributed to the delight of everyone.....I told them all they had to yell.....All hail Janet as I handed them over.....I got some funny looks!!!

 

[schumigirl]

​

Yes, welcome back to the May 23 Trip Report where our son joins us once more.

We`ve been home a week today and for the first time in years, jet lag whooped us into next week, not so much Kyle, but Tom and I, wow!!

Every time I sat down last week till around Thursday I just fell asleep if I didn`t move after about 10 minutes, never experienced that before, but it was worth it. We did have a wonderful trip, albeit some cold/flu incidents caused several down days for us......isn`t that just typical! But, we powered through except for a few days when Kyle just couldn`t leave the room. But, all in all.....we loved it.

It has taken longer to get the pictures uploaded this time, as I said staring at a screen for any length of time and I would be asleep!! But, we got there. So, if you`re reading this, I do hope you enjoy it and it`s always lovely to read the comments along the way!

SATURDAY APRIL 29TH​

We slept so well last night but as always we were up before the larks as excitement kicks in while we sleep I`m sure of that!

Packing we left till this morning, although Kyle had packed last night and I was impressed he was so organised, but we were up early enough to get everything done comfortably, even checking we had passports a million times and then some more! That is the one thing we cannot do without, everything else we can manage without, but no passport....no travel.

Once we had finished breakfast we gathered the suitcases and hand luggage by the door as the car service would be here soon, they are always a few minutes early, very prompt service and we are grateful for that as we are all folks that are on time and fanatical about that. I have family members that are rather lackadaisical about time and it drives us crazy.....if the table is booked for 8pm.....be there, not wander in around 8.20!!! But, basically we were ready to go and sure as apples are apples, she arrived exactly 5 minutes early which works for us.

We very rarely if ever take any pictures before we leave the house, but this morning Kyle had his phone out, so why not......

We have used this car service for several years now, we`re happy they survived the pandemic as a lot of their business is airport runs and as they are a small local firm, we like to use their company when we can and the driver is very easy to chat to and we usually end up chatting about food all the way!!

It is a lovely day for the journey up to Manchester Airport, fairly cloudy but nice, and we do get to the hotel around midday and it is very quiet from first impressions. We had stayed at the Marriott close by the airport several times pre pandemic, but this was the first since everything got back to normal, we had noticed some horrible reviews in the immediate reopening, but reviews recently had been very good, so we hoped all would be good.

I had contacted the hotel manager before our trip to ask about having our rooms close together and she was very nice and reassured us that we would enjoy our stay, but of course if anything wasn`t as it should be to contact her instantly. I was glad she took the time to reply to me and then emailed again with all the hotel info we may need.

​

We headed into the reception area where there was no line and we were checked in by a lovely young lady who said they`d be happy to store our luggage till our room was ready. We were very early, but we do like to get there and have some lunch and chill out for a while, so being able to get rid of our luggage was ideal. She explained the rooms weren`t ready but shouldn`t be too long and she noted we had asked for our rooms to be close together, turns out we were going to be next door to each other which we do like. This hotel is like a rabbit warren and very confusing to get around despite it being in a square design....sort of.....so being next door to each other was ideal.

One of their restaurants is Brasserie Blanc and we had booked there for dinner tonight, but for lunch we were going to the bar where they offered a lighter menu and we always like to start our trip with a bottle of bubbly.........

​

It wasn`t too busy and we chose a table as Tom went up to the bar to order our fizz while we had a look at the menu which was decent, most folks could get something from it.

Kyle ordered a non alcoholic blackberry cocktail as we waited for our fizz to be served, it was ok but it was full of blackberry pips which none of us like, but it was fine.

​

And the fizz when it arrived was very nice, we went for Prosecco as they only had Moet & Chandon champagne, which is not our favourite by a country mile, so prosecco would do just fine.

Anything to toast the start of our trip......

The restaurant and bar area is very nice, very welcoming and somewhere you could easily spend an evening whether it be the night before a flight or if you were staying here for a few days.

There is another restaurant which is Italian based food, we did look at it, but it doesn`t particularly appeal to us. My two will eat pasta now and again, but it`s not something I usually eat.

And always nice to see a well stocked bar.......

The food is cooked in the Brasserie Blanc kitchen and is always fresh and tasty, Tom had opted for the bacon cheeseburger with fries while Kyle and I both opted for the breaded chicken sandwich and they were all lovely. I thought the chicken looked overcooked and worried the batter was hard, but it wasn`t at all, it was the seasoning. The little salad came with a balsamic and fig dressing which I wished we could have bought a bottle, but a quick google will find the recipe, it was very nice.

And just to join in, Kyle decided he would have a glass of bubbly too!!! Most of you will know Kyle doesn`t drink, through choice, he just doesn`t care for it, he has tried most things like wine, beers and so on, but alcohol is not really for him.

But, he did enjoy this glass.

We finished our lunch which was very nice and sat for a while just chatting and enjoying that wind down. Before a trip there are always worries and thoughts about the trip, worrying if we have everything we need and so on, now we were here, not much we could do about it if we were missing anything. So, this was almost a time where you can just feel any tensions disappear as our afternoon and evening lay ahead of us.


More of today coming right up........

 

[puppawuppa]

​

Yes, welcome back to the May 23 Trip Report where our son joins us once more.

We`ve been home a week today and for the first time in years, jet lag whooped us into next week, not so much Kyle, but Tom and I, wow!!

Every time I sat down last week till around Thursday I just fell asleep if I didn`t move after about 10 minutes, never experienced that before, but it was worth it. We did have a wonderful trip, albeit some cold/flu incidents caused several down days for us......isn`t that just typical! But, we powered through except for a few days when Kyle just couldn`t leave the room. But, all in all.....we loved it.

It has taken longer to get the pictures uploaded this time, as I said staring at a screen for any length of time and I would be asleep!! But, we got there. So, if you`re reading this, I do hope you enjoy it and it`s always lovely to read the comments along the way!

SATURDAY APRIL 29TH​

We slept so well last night but as always we were up before the larks as excitement kicks in while we sleep I`m sure of that!

Packing we left till this morning, although Kyle had packed last night and I was impressed he was so organised, but we were up early enough to get everything done comfortably, even checking we had passports a million times and then some more! That is the one thing we cannot do without, everything else we can manage without, but no passport....no travel.

Once we had finished breakfast we gathered the suitcases and hand luggage by the door as the car service would be here soon, they are always a few minutes early, very prompt service and we are grateful for that as we are all folks that are on time and fanatical about that. I have family members that are rather lackadaisical about time and it drives us crazy.....if the table is booked for 8pm.....be there, not wander in around 8.20!!! But, basically we were ready to go and sure as apples are apples, she arrived exactly 5 minutes early which works for us.

We very rarely if ever take any pictures before we leave the house, but this morning Kyle had his phone out, so why not......

We have used this car service for several years now, we`re happy they survived the pandemic as a lot of their business is airport runs and as they are a small local firm, we like to use their company when we can and the driver is very easy to chat to and we usually end up chatting about food all the way!!

It is a lovely day for the journey up to Manchester Airport, fairly cloudy but nice, and we do get to the hotel around midday and it is very quiet from first impressions. We had stayed at the Marriott close by the airport several times pre pandemic, but this was the first since everything got back to normal, we had noticed some horrible reviews in the immediate reopening, but reviews recently had been very good, so we hoped all would be good.

I had contacted the hotel manager before our trip to ask about having our rooms close together and she was very nice and reassured us that we would enjoy our stay, but of course if anything wasn`t as it should be to contact her instantly. I was glad she took the time to reply to me and then emailed again with all the hotel info we may need.

​

We headed into the reception area where there was no line and we were checked in by a lovely young lady who said they`d be happy to store our luggage till our room was ready. We were very early, but we do like to get there and have some lunch and chill out for a while, so being able to get rid of our luggage was ideal. She explained the rooms weren`t ready but shouldn`t be too long and she noted we had asked for our rooms to be close together, turns out we were going to be next door to each other which we do like. This hotel is like a rabbit warren and very confusing to get around despite it being in a square design....sort of.....so being next door to each other was ideal.

One of their restaurants is Brasserie Blanc and we had booked there for dinner tonight, but for lunch we were going to the bar where they offered a lighter menu and we always like to start our trip with a bottle of bubbly.........

​

It wasn`t too busy and we chose a table as Tom went up to the bar to order our fizz while we had a look at the menu which was decent, most folks could get something from it.

Kyle ordered a non alcoholic blackberry cocktail as we waited for our fizz to be served, it was ok but it was full of blackberry pips which none of us like, but it was fine.

​

And the fizz when it arrived was very nice, we went for Prosecco as they only had Moet & Chandon champagne, which is not our favourite by a country mile, so prosecco would do just fine.

Anything to toast the start of our trip......

The restaurant and bar area is very nice, very welcoming and somewhere you could easily spend an evening whether it be the night before a flight or if you were staying here for a few days.

There is another restaurant which is Italian based food, we did look at it, but it doesn`t particularly appeal to us. My two will eat pasta now and again, but it`s not something I usually eat.

And always nice to see a well stocked bar.......

The food is cooked in the Brasserie Blanc kitchen and is always fresh and tasty, Tom had opted for the bacon cheeseburger with fries while Kyle and I both opted for the breaded chicken sandwich and they were all lovely. I thought the chicken looked overcooked and worried the batter was hard, but it wasn`t at all, it was the seasoning. The little salad came with a balsamic and fig dressing which I wished we could have bought a bottle, but a quick google will find the recipe, it was very nice.

And just to join in, Kyle decided he would have a glass of bubbly too!!! Most of you will know Kyle doesn`t drink, through choice, he just doesn`t care for it, he has tried most things like wine, beers and so on, but alcohol is not really for him.

But, he did enjoy this glass.

We finished our lunch which was very nice and sat for a while just chatting and enjoying that wind down. Before a trip there are always worries and thoughts about the trip, worrying if we have everything we need and so on, now we were here, not much we could do about it if we were missing anything. So, this was almost a time where you can just feel any tensions disappear as our afternoon and evening lay ahead of us.


More of today coming right up........

Yes! I've been waiting for this!!!

 

[schumigirl]

Tom went to the desk and asked for a room key so we could access the Executive Lounge and have a sit in there for a while till our rooms were ready.

This lounge is on the lobby level and to the side of the restaurants, very handy and it`s never been overly busy anytime we`ve been here. We do like and enjoy having these lounges when we stay in hotels, it`s an extra space to lounge around in and although we don`t take advantage of the evening food offerings, it`s nice to have tea, coffee and soft drinks on tap and from 5pm you also have beer and wine as well as some appetisers if we choose to. You do need a room key to access the Lounge and we noticed this time from 5pm when the alcohol started to be served someone came round and asked for anyone who was in there for their room number. Seems fair as I`m assuming folks had been entering when they really shouldn`t have been there.

It is a very nice lounge with plenty of seating, and although we don`t have the views of the Radisson, it feels a little nicer and more personal than that one. They used to have a fridge underneath the counter that had coke products, fresh orange and other juices as well as water, that was gone now but you could still get these things from the dispenser above as well as tea and other hot drinks.

They had added a couple of beer taps since we were last here, one was Stella and the other I forget, I`m not a beer drinker so didn`t notice, we did see a man try to pour one around 3pm, he was confused till Tom told him alcohol wasn`t served till 5pm.

The lovely young lady about 30 minutes later from reception came to the lounge to tell us our rooms were now ready, so we headed back to pick up our suitcases but she told us they had already been taken up, very nice of them and didn`t expect that...I was glad as mine weighed a metric tonne!!! Of course they had just guessed who had which suitcase, and mine was in Kyle`s room and vice versa, but 2 seconds sorted that.

The rooms were identical to each other and immaculately clean with fresh linen and towels in the rooms. I did check most things and there was nothing to find fault with at all which is always nice to know.

Kyle came through to our room once he had sorted his stuff out and him and Tom went for a snooze as I sat on the chair with my ipad sending some emails....they didn`t really sleep, more snoozed, I think we were all tired, but I was determined to stay awake so I would sleep tonight, so my ipad kept me amused till it was time to go to the lounge.

This wasn`t our view, we overlooked another set of windows, dullest view ever, but on the walk back to the lobby this was the view out the window, they did have a couple of lovely little courtyards dotted around the property, you could be convinced you weren`t sitting on the end of a major UK runway when you saw this.

They had already set up the food by the time we got down, we had dinner reservations for 7.30 so we didn`t want to have anything much, but we did want to sample it to see what it was like, although I ended up just having some cheese, chutney and crackers.

I did however ask one of the staff if they could turn the heating up as it was freezing in there....not just cold, there was an icy blast everywhere and it wasn`t warm outside so I`m not sure why it was as cold. He said yes, it was cold and went to change the temperature and within 5 minutes it was much warmer and I could take the hoodie off. Although later we heard someone complain it was too hot......lol......

The food service area is laid out nicely and the staff do a good job of keeping everything fresh, replenished and the countertops were clean and tidy. The wine is laid out on top with white and rose in the fridges underneath. We had a taste of both to choose one, the red wine won easily as the white was dreadful....really dreadful!!! I don`t know who is buying their wine, but they clearly don`t drink it themselves!! I would never have bought the red wine, but it was ok.

​

I had some Brie as that was the only cheese I liked there, and it was very palatable indeed, I didn`t expect much but I enjoyed a few pieces while Tom tried the hot offering and it was a beef casserole dish that didn`t appeal too much to me. He said it was ok, but lacked some seasoning.

Kyle was disappointed they didn`t have any chocolate desserts as he would have sampled them, the only ones they had we didn`t try as one was a banana flavoured thing and plain sponge with some fake cream, so we didn`t bother, I loathe banana flavoured anything. It may have been a good thing as we didn`t want to fill up as we wanted to enjoy our steaks later.

We did have a couple of glasses of wine, but not too many as it really wasn`t the nicest, but we knew we`d be ordering a very nice bottle of Malbec later and at 7.30 we headed through to the restaurant for our reservation.

We had a very nice table and sat down, ordered our bottle of wine and Kyle just had a mango/orange mixed drink and we looked at the menu although we all knew what were having and rather oddly, we were all having the same thing served the same way......

Filet, served medium rare with fries and a peppercorn sauce, Kyle asked for no tomato or salad with his, otherwise they were identical.

I spotted a lady who we remembered her taking care of us on our previous visits and she said straight away she knew us from before covid and didn`t we go to Florida a lot, I did remember her name which surprised her and it was nice to see her again. She did laugh at us all ordering identical meals.......

I suppose one picture would have done......but........

The steaks were perfect. All 3 dishes were cooked to almost rare which is just as we like it and the steaks were full of flavour. Kyle said this one was going to be hard to beat for quality. The fries were quite nice too, fries are fries, well, unless they are exceptional.

We were quite full as the steaks were a decent size, and the peppercorn sauce was rather nice too, sometimes it can be too bitter if they make it with a lot of brandy, but this one was just nice and I think we all finished the pot. Tom never has a sauce as he thinks it`s a sacrilege to coat them in sauces, but he did enjoy dipping his steak into this one.

We did have a couple sitting behind Tom and Kyle and I began giggling at their antics.....it wasn`t over the top completely, but definitely in the "get a room" category and slightly inappropriate for the middle of a restaurant. Tom had to turn round to see what we were giggling about, he turned round as they turned to look at us, which made us laugh even more....lol....I often wonder if folks are aware or if they are out to get a reaction. Not sure laughter was what they were looking for!

Dessert was then offered and I said can we wait a little while, there was no rush to order so we sat back and just enjoyed chattering and looking forward to the journey ahead for us.

After half an hour or so, we did decide to order something.....

Kyle chose the chocolate fondant with chocolate ice cream, with extra chocolate ice cream....of course, I went with a mix of coconut and caramel ice cream and Tom ordered the sticky toffee pudding which he asked for it with caramel ice cream instead of vanilla.

The desserts were lovely, very, very nice and we all finished what we had, she asked if we wanted a tea, coffee or anything....we said no and she asked if we wanted hot chocolate......well, Kyle`s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree......that`s right up his street!

So, one hot chocolate ordered and it was very luxurious indeed. The pot looked small, but it was very rich and very filling as it was bigger than we thought.....not that we got to taste it at all as Kyle is like Joey and doesn`t really share food, but he thoroughly enjoyed it declaring it the best hot chocolate ever (even over mine ) glad he enjoyed it but I wondered if he`d be up all night on a sugar high!!!

We paid the check and thanked Kasia for again looking after us so well, this is a very nice place to eat and I`d recommend it to anyone looking for a good steak with excellent service.

Kyle said goodnight at our room doors and we headed in where I did make us a cup of tea in the room. We boil the kettle about four times to make sure it`s clean, thanks to a Disney hotel room thread years back, I never trust anything you can cook food in.......so washed the cups and spoons too then finally we got a mug of tea, popped the tv on and watched Midsomer Murders for an hour or so, then popped the lights off around 11, hoping we would sleep better than usual as we didn`t have to get up at 4.30 as we usually did.

Time would tell! But, we`d had the most wonderful day and evening, the ideal start to any trip.

 

[disneyseniors]

Carole, it sounds like a wonderful start to your trip.
I always worry about forgetting something important, so I know what you mean about going over and over it, LOL.
The steaks look delicious, but I like mine well done, which is a no-no for you .
The start of your trip sounds like it's going smoothly, and can't wait for more to come!

 

[schumigirl]

Yes! I've been waiting for this!!!

back puppawuppa......

It`s really good to see you post again!! And I do hope you enjoy this one, I think it`s a little more low key than previous trips, but we have our moments.......

Hope you`re doing good......

 

[schumigirl]

Carole, it sounds like a wonderful start to your trip.
I always worry about forgetting something important, so I know what you mean about going over and over it, LOL.
The steaks look delicious, but I like mine well done, which is a no-no for you .
The start of your trip sounds like it's going smoothly, and can't wait for more to come!

A well done steak....... the horror!!! lol.....

We used to go to a steak restaurant in Loch Lomond where the chefs refused to cook a steak anything over medium rare....caused quite a few issues with folks saying they were paying so they should get it how they liked. The chefs wouldn`t budge and said if you don`t like it eat somewhere else. That restaurant had such a wait list for reservations as it was so popular. I always think of that place when folks enjoy a well done steak, but you like what you like, nothing wrong with that.

Oh it is a nightmare setting off.....checking a million times if we have passports, even though we know we do!!! Habit though.

Thanks Ruth, it really was a lovely beginning to start the trip off......hope to get more done fairly quickly........

 

[Minnie17]

Your trip report was just what I needed for this lazy Sunday

 

[jump00]

​

Yes, welcome back to the May 23 Trip Report where our son joins us once more.

We`ve been home a week today and for the first time in years, jet lag whooped us into next week, not so much Kyle, but Tom and I, wow!!

Every time I sat down last week till around Thursday I just fell asleep if I didn`t move after about 10 minutes, never experienced that before, but it was worth it. We did have a wonderful trip, albeit some cold/flu incidents caused several down days for us......isn`t that just typical! But, we powered through except for a few days when Kyle just couldn`t leave the room. But, all in all.....we loved it.

It has taken longer to get the pictures uploaded this time, as I said staring at a screen for any length of time and I would be asleep!! But, we got there. So, if you`re reading this, I do hope you enjoy it and it`s always lovely to read the comments along the way!

SATURDAY APRIL 29TH​

We slept so well last night but as always we were up before the larks as excitement kicks in while we sleep I`m sure of that!

Packing we left till this morning, although Kyle had packed last night and I was impressed he was so organised, but we were up early enough to get everything done comfortably, even checking we had passports a million times and then some more! That is the one thing we cannot do without, everything else we can manage without, but no passport....no travel.

Once we had finished breakfast we gathered the suitcases and hand luggage by the door as the car service would be here soon, they are always a few minutes early, very prompt service and we are grateful for that as we are all folks that are on time and fanatical about that. I have family members that are rather lackadaisical about time and it drives us crazy.....if the table is booked for 8pm.....be there, not wander in around 8.20!!! But, basically we were ready to go and sure as apples are apples, she arrived exactly 5 minutes early which works for us.

We very rarely if ever take any pictures before we leave the house, but this morning Kyle had his phone out, so why not......

We have used this car service for several years now, we`re happy they survived the pandemic as a lot of their business is airport runs and as they are a small local firm, we like to use their company when we can and the driver is very easy to chat to and we usually end up chatting about food all the way!!

It is a lovely day for the journey up to Manchester Airport, fairly cloudy but nice, and we do get to the hotel around midday and it is very quiet from first impressions. We had stayed at the Marriott close by the airport several times pre pandemic, but this was the first since everything got back to normal, we had noticed some horrible reviews in the immediate reopening, but reviews recently had been very good, so we hoped all would be good.

I had contacted the hotel manager before our trip to ask about having our rooms close together and she was very nice and reassured us that we would enjoy our stay, but of course if anything wasn`t as it should be to contact her instantly. I was glad she took the time to reply to me and then emailed again with all the hotel info we may need.

​

We headed into the reception area where there was no line and we were checked in by a lovely young lady who said they`d be happy to store our luggage till our room was ready. We were very early, but we do like to get there and have some lunch and chill out for a while, so being able to get rid of our luggage was ideal. She explained the rooms weren`t ready but shouldn`t be too long and she noted we had asked for our rooms to be close together, turns out we were going to be next door to each other which we do like. This hotel is like a rabbit warren and very confusing to get around despite it being in a square design....sort of.....so being next door to each other was ideal.

One of their restaurants is Brasserie Blanc and we had booked there for dinner tonight, but for lunch we were going to the bar where they offered a lighter menu and we always like to start our trip with a bottle of bubbly.........

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It wasn`t too busy and we chose a table as Tom went up to the bar to order our fizz while we had a look at the menu which was decent, most folks could get something from it.

Kyle ordered a non alcoholic blackberry cocktail as we waited for our fizz to be served, it was ok but it was full of blackberry pips which none of us like, but it was fine.

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And the fizz when it arrived was very nice, we went for Prosecco as they only had Moet & Chandon champagne, which is not our favourite by a country mile, so prosecco would do just fine.

Anything to toast the start of our trip......

The restaurant and bar area is very nice, very welcoming and somewhere you could easily spend an evening whether it be the night before a flight or if you were staying here for a few days.

There is another restaurant which is Italian based food, we did look at it, but it doesn`t particularly appeal to us. My two will eat pasta now and again, but it`s not something I usually eat.

And always nice to see a well stocked bar.......

The food is cooked in the Brasserie Blanc kitchen and is always fresh and tasty, Tom had opted for the bacon cheeseburger with fries while Kyle and I both opted for the breaded chicken sandwich and they were all lovely. I thought the chicken looked overcooked and worried the batter was hard, but it wasn`t at all, it was the seasoning. The little salad came with a balsamic and fig dressing which I wished we could have bought a bottle, but a quick google will find the recipe, it was very nice.

And just to join in, Kyle decided he would have a glass of bubbly too!!! Most of you will know Kyle doesn`t drink, through choice, he just doesn`t care for it, he has tried most things like wine, beers and so on, but alcohol is not really for him.

But, he did enjoy this glass.

We finished our lunch which was very nice and sat for a while just chatting and enjoying that wind down. Before a trip there are always worries and thoughts about the trip, worrying if we have everything we need and so on, now we were here, not much we could do about it if we were missing anything. So, this was almost a time where you can just feel any tensions disappear as our afternoon and evening lay ahead of us.


More of today coming right up........

Hello Carole!
Wow! As always……an amazing start to your trip report! Love the pictures. You always start off your trip “ right“ and its so nice to see Kyle again! Can‘t wait to read more…..
Brenda