Plymouth 2012 Events

March 21st, 2012

Now the Plymouth Summer Festivities officially starts on May 1st with events on the Hoe, Barbican and around Plymouth.

The main events for the Summer are:
Events 2012

14th January – 14th April From Plymouth to Pole

13th May Sky Ride Plymouth

19th May Olympic Torch Relay

19th May Lord Mayors Day

26th May Disabled Activity Day

1st – 5th June Plymouth Volksfest 2012

3rd June Plymouth Half Marathon

3rd June Two Handed Transatlantic Race

10th June Mega Ride

24th June Race for Life

30th June Armed Forces Day – National Event

16th – 20th July Music of the Night

21st – 29th July Port of Plymouth Regatta

27th – 30th July Plymouth Clasic Boat Rally

27th-29th July Barbican International Jazz & Blues Festival

14th – 15th August British Firework Championships

17th – 19th August Flavour Fest

5th November Plymouth Hoe Bonfire Night

11th November Remembrance Day Service

15th November Christmas Light Switch On

In detail – what is going on in Plymouth month by month.Go to:

Plymouth Summer Events

Posted in Entertainment, Events, General Information | Comments Off

Visit England – 4 Star Accommodation

December 9th, 2011

We had our surprise assesment this week from Visit England and pleased to say that we maintained our 4 Star status.

However, we have decided to pull out of the scheme and therefore get rid of our 4 Stars. We cannot say that Visit england supply a 4 star service that they expect from us. I guess they offer just about a 2 Star service and that’s being kind.

The report supplied is almost the same as last year, as it was the year before and so on, where we raised many issues with Visit England. I think it gets duplicated with slight alterations. Those issues were never followed up by Visit England and were outstanding when we brought them to the attention of the assesor upon her visit.

We asked how to get more than 3 out of 5 for heating lighting and ventilation in the hallway. It’s always warm enough, plenty of light and ventilation is difficult to answer, but we could open the front door!! The assesor answer was ‘Don’t worry it’s not taken in the final result of assesment!” Absolute rubbish, why have it there if it’s not part of an overall assesment. It does in fact represent part of the overall score!! Needless to say our assesor doesn’t realise this.

After drinking hot chocolate in her room she wrote that it would be nice to have hot chocolate in her room!

We have really high standards when it comes to cleanliness.  The rooms and hallways. as always are spotlessly clean. Read our reviews on Tripadvisor!! Of course this is a debatable issue – we only got 4 out of 5. Why not 5 out of 5!

The car park got 3 out of 5 because there are not enough parking spaces for the numbers rooms available. Why is that? Shall I go on.

There are many other issues, but I don’t want to bore you, therefore we think we are better off without Visit England and our money would be better spent elsewhere.

Tags: ,
Posted in Entertainment, Guest House Stories | Comments Off

Plymouth Barbican Christmas 2011

November 29th, 2011

A fund packed weekend of Christmas activities has been planned to entertain visitors to Plymouth’s historic Barbican this weekend.

Late night shopping, street entertainers, husky sled dogs, and Santa on board a tall ship will all feature on the Barbican and in Sutton Harbour from Thursday 1st to Sunday 4th December.

Kicking off the weekend of entertainment will be a one off late night shopping evening on Thursday 1 December when shops will be staying open until 9pm and 12 of the Barbican’s galleries will be offering drinks and nibbles to guests.

On Friday 2 December the Josefine will be arriving in Sutton Harbour with a very special guest on board – Father Christmas!

Santa will spend Friday preparing his grotto before opening to the public on Saturday and Sunday.  Visitors will be able to go on board between 10:30am and 1:30pm to see Santa, for a mimimum donation of £1 to the RNLI.

All children who go to see Santa will receive a special present, all of which have been kindly dontaed by the National Marine Acquarium.  He’ll also be making a brief visit to the Mayflower Steps at 10:20am, on board the RNLI lifeboat.

Posted in Entertainment, Events, Food, General Information | Comments Off

Plymouth Barbican Christmas 2011 – Festive Street Entertainment

November 29th, 2011

 

Saturday 3rd December

Santa’s Grotto on the Josephine @ Quay Road 10:30 – 13:30
Peter Crawford @ Citadel Ope 10:30 – 11.15 & 11:45 – 12:30
Blue Horyzon @ Citadel Ope 13:00 – 13:45
Africussion @ Quay Road 11:00 – 11:30 & 14:30 – 15:00
Mayflower Chorus @ Quay Road 11:45 – 12:15 & 12:30 – 13:00
Circus into Schools 11:30-12:15, 12:45-13:15 & 14:00-14:45
Weyekin Sled Dogs ‘Hug a Husky’ @ The Parade 10:00 – 14:30

Sunday 4th December

Santa’s Grotto on the Josephine @ Quay Road 10:30 – 13:30
Peter Crawford @ Citadel Ope 10:00-10:45
Peter Crawford @ Quay Road 11:15-12:00 & 15:00-15:45
Pilgrimaires @ Citadel Ope 11:00-12:00
Blue Horyzon @ Citadel Ope 12:00-12:45
Western Approach @ Citadel Ope 13:00-14:00
Street Factory @ Citadel Ope 14:00-15:00
Africussion @Citadel Ope 15:00-15:30
Africussion @ Quay Road 10:30-11:00
SW Lympstone Brass Band @ Quay Road 12:00-14:00
Italia Conti @ Quay Road 14:15-14:45
One Wheel Sam 10:30-11:00, 12:00-12:30 & 14:00-14:30
Circus into Schools - 11:30-12:15, 12:45-13:30 & 14:00-14:45
West Country Sled Dogs @ The Parade 10:00-15:00

Posted in Entertainment, Events, Food, General Information | Comments Off

Competition’s fine by me, says TV star Hugh

November 19th, 2011

FOOD campaigner and broadcaster Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has welcomed “healthy competition” from fellow celebrity chef Gary Rhodes as he visited his new Plymouth restaurant yesterday, writes Sarah Pitt.

Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall said there was room for two celebrity eateries in the city, as he met staff at his River Cottage Canteen in the Royal William Yard, which opened on Tuesday.

  1. ?NEW VENTURE: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall at his new River Cottage Canteen in the Royal William Yard

    NEW VENTURE: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall at his new River Cottage Canteen in the Royal William Yard

Mr Rhodes is planning to open a new restaurant in the empty Dome building on the Hoe.

“I only heard about Gary today but it is terrific news,” said Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall.

“I think there is a sense of the more the merrier, and there’s no harm in a little bit of healthy competition.”

He said he’d chosen to open his second River Cottage Canteen in Plymouth, following the success of his Axminster restaurant at the other end of Devon, after being “blown away” by the stunning views over Plymouth Sound and the Tamar from the Royal William Yard.

The restaurant occupies the Brewhouse in the Grade I listed former naval victualling yard, where all the food and drink for the Royal Navy was once produced.

“I had been interested in opening a second canteen for a while, and we didn’t want to go too far from home, and I’ve been to Plymouth a few times for book signings and always been warmly welcomed,” said Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall. “Then we came to see this site and we were absolutely blown away. It is a stunning place.

“I love the sea and I have always loved the idea of having a River Cottage restaurant by the sea. What is so exciting about this setting is that we are on the sea, we have got a beautiful view of the shoreline and I love the buzz of the harbour.”

He was visiting the restaurant, on a busy Friday lunchtime, to meet staff, and sample the menu.

“I’m absolutely blown away; I think it is terrific,” he says. “It is great to see this young team who are very locally recruited, all absolutely flying around really looking like they know what they are doing with big smiles on their faces.”

The restaurant plans to source 90 per cent of the produce it uses from within a 50-mile radius, with a particular emphasis on organic produce from small specialist farms.

Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall first made a name for himself with his River Cottage Channel 4 series, where he learned self-sufficiency and to cook what he caught and grew, in a cottage in Dorset.

Posted in Food, General Information, Water Based events | Comments Off

TripAdvisor responds with phone lines for aggrieved hotel owners

November 16th, 2011

In the last decade, it has become one of the most divisive issues in travel – the angry review posted on TripAdvisor that paints a hotel or resort in a bad light.

Web-savvy travellers have flocked to the website, seeing its forthright messages as a way of gauging a hotel’s true level of service – honest opinions from fellow travellers, stripped of the hyperbole and rose-tinted viewpoints found in holiday brochures.

Fawlty TowersThe manager bites back: Independent hoteliers are striking back against negative reviews on TripAdvisor

But hoteliers have long viewed negative reviews on TripAdvisor as little more than libel.

Many hotels argue that furious postings which lambast their standard of accommodation are, at best, the unfair views of difficult customers or – rather worse – fake reviews deliberately written by rival hotels in a bid to besmirch their reputation.

Now, TripAdvisor has responded by launching new customer support phone lines which should allow aggrieved hotels to report reviews that they feel stretch the truth.

UK-based hoteliers with a grievance can call 0800 098 8460 or 0203 318 5019.

The controversy over the authenticity of reviews on TripAdvisor has grown in recent weeks – notably with the airing of a Channel 4 documentary, Attack Of The TripAdvisors, which explored the impact of negative comments on hotels, B&Bs and restaurants.

The reviews website is also under investigation by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA).

The investigation comes in the wake of concerns raised by over two thousand hotel and restaurant owners, who have approached a company called KwikChex.com – which helps companies manage their online reputations – claiming that many TripAdvisor reviews are unfair or defamatory.

KwikChex has welcomed the arrival of the new phone service, but pointed out that only two ‘hotlines’ currently seem to be available – for hoteliers in Britain and Italy, leaving American business owners and those elsewhere in Europe out in the cold.

Tags:
Posted in Entertainment, General Information, Guest House Stories, Stay in Great B&B in Plymouth | Comments Off

So you want to run a Guest House?

August 29th, 2011

Apologies to those people staying at our Guest House this week end gone who were affected by the mindless young men who stayed here. They made a lot of noise and ruined some guests stay.

Two men had booked a room, but I found four in a room and asked them to leave. However this was not till early morning and the damage had been done. It took 2 hrs to clean the room, all bedding was stained and remains of kebab was over the floor. The mirrors were stained with grease and all the food packaing was thrown out the windows with plastic knives and forks in the gutters and food stuck on ledges and flower beds. What sort of person does this?

This is the first time in nine and a half years that I have had to ask someone to go and I am still very upset that such yobs can cause so much harm to our reputation that we have worked  so very hard to maintain. We had some very understanding guests and one in fact offered some physical support. Thanks to those of you for your help and support.

However, how do you stop these idiots! It seems the police have no answer or indeed the governments past and present as well. The parents don’t care. What is the answer?

When we have people staying here we are not in a position to vet everybody and indeed even on this occasion the two young men who presented themselves at the door were polite. But as they say, you can’t you judge a book by it’s cover.

I could go on and on, but all I want to say is sorry those of you that were affected by this weekend’s problem guests.

David

 

Posted in Guest House Stories | Comments Off

Dartmoor Zoological Park

August 1st, 2011

Jane and I went to the Zoo yesterday – (August 2011). Dartmoor Zoo is a brilliant place for the day out whether you’re 6 or 60. In our case 60! is the closest. It’s a family orientated Zoo, small with some lovely picnic areas. The animals are beautiful and very well looked after.

We strolled around for a while, had a nice milk shake each and then strolled around some more. Feeling a bit weary we went and had a doorstep sandwich and a cup of tea. As we had just eaten, a trip to see the Tigers being fed was in order. What a sight these three Tigers are, absolutely beautiful. We then watched a falconry display, which we have never experienced before – again, brilliant to see these magnificent birds performing for the spectators.

All the animals are lovely, and at the entrance to the restaurant are two Meercats. These cute animals are adorable and within reach, but of course you don’t touch, however they are so hypnotic! Scores of people look at them whilst being looked back upon by the Meercats. Trully remarkable and a real feel good experience. Please go and see and enjoy Dartmoor Zoological park. Unforgetable!!

Posted in Entertainment, Events | Comments Off

Belvedere Redecoration Project

July 25th, 2011

Belvedere redecoration project set to start next week

One of Plymouth’s most loved monuments is to be refurbished and repainted in time for Plymouth Hoe to take centre stage as the setting for the America’s Cup World Series.

Work will start next week to revamp the 120-year-old Belvedere on Plymouth Hoe as part of a Waterfront improvements plan being carried out by Plymouth City Council in conjunction with Plymouth Waterfront Partnership.

The redecoration of the Belvedere was one of the key Waterfront improvement priorities for local businesses identified through consultations carried out by Plymouth Waterfront Partnership.

Plymouth City Council will manage the project and a team of volunteer sailors will assist contractors in carrying out the work after the Plymouth Waterfront Partnership approached the Royal Navy to help with the high profile scheme.

Plymouth City Council Leader, Councillor Vivien Pengelly said: “The Hoe is a jewel in Plymouth’s crown and we are continuously working to maintain the waterfront. We have some very special events this summer including of course the fabulous America’s Cup World Series and it’s important for the city’s economy that visitors leave with a good impression. We have ongoing investment plans for the waterfront so it continues to be an area everyone can enjoy throughout the year.

“This scheme and the recently announced refurbishment of the Mayflower Steps shows the commitment of the Council to work with Plymouth Waterfront Partnership and local businesses in identifying priorities for investment and working to deliver these for the benefit of everyone in Plymouth.”

Sarah O’Leary, Plymouth Waterfront Manager, said: “We have worked closely with Plymouth City Council after listening very carefully to businesses who said improving the Belvedere was a key priority, and particularly with the America’s Cup coming in September.

“It demonstrates the value of the Waterfront Partnership and how it can use its influence to achieve significant improvements in the city’s key foreshore and waterfront assets. The Partnership will continue to work with the city council and with business as it takes forward the development of a Waterfront Business Improvement District (BID).

“We are also very grateful to the Royal Navy for the support they are providing.”

Through consultation with the Plymouth Hospitality Association (PHA), the Belvedere was identified as an important project and one which the PHA challenged the Waterfront Partnership to make happen. Roy Martin, Chairman of the PHA said: “I am proud to support the Waterfront Partnership in its quest to refurbish the Belvedere. This shows the Waterfront Partnership is listening to the needs of local businesses and that the City Council is taking action.

“I look forward to seeing this important project completed in time for the hundreds of thousands of visitors we expect in September.

Work on the Belvedere is due to start w/c July 25 and will be finished in early September, ahead of the America’s Cup World Series.
ENDS
22 July 2011

Image caption L-R: Leader of Plymouth City Council Vivien Pengelly, Barbican publican Tam McPherson, Waterfront Manager Sarah O’Leary and PHA Chairman Roy Martin celebrate the announcement that the Belvedere is to be redecorated.

For media enquiries please contact:
Jenny Bishop
DCA Public Relations
01208 77900/ 07875 719217
Jenny.bishop@dca-pr.co.uk

Posted in General Information, Sport | Comments Off

A story of life

May 29th, 2011

Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Forget about the one’s that don’t. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a second chance grab it with both hands. If it changes your life let it be. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be. Friends are like balloons, once you let them go you can’t get them back. Remember that before you let go. Live life to the full. You don’t get a second go!

Posted in General Information, Stay in Great B&B in Plymouth | Comments Off

« Older Entries