Beautiful Barafundle Bay

I could start off with an apology about the weighting of pictures to words in this post, but quite frankly, I'm not sorry.

I mean, I could look at these views all day.

By day three, I had the itch to jump in the sea and feel the sand between my toes. We jumped in the car, and within a half hour down some winding country roads, we were running around like big kids on a near deserted beach.

Barafundle Bay at Stackpole has been continuously voted as one of the best beaches in both Wales and Europe, and it's not hard to see why.

We parked the car at Stackpole Quay, and walked the half mile or so, up steps and over gently undulating cliffs to get to the bay, teasing us in the distance. It's the not easiest beach to get to, (certainly not pushchair friendly) but it's more than worth the walk.

There are no facilities at the beach, so we just enjoyed the morning splashing about in the sand, chilling on the rocks and just generally soaking up the sunshine.

A little tropical paradise, right here in sunny Wales!

Day 2: Exploring Bluestone

We woke the next morning with the sun rising over the lake and the sound of the ducks making their ungraceful crash landings. Taking our bleary eyes upstairs, we relaxed with a cup of tea before making a traditional big ol' holiday breakfast. His 'n' hers obviously, no surprises for guessing which is which!

A few more lazy cuppas ensued, watching the lake glisten as we read and doodled the morning away. Finally we decided to make the most of what was turning into a beautiful day, and pulled our wellies on for some exploring.

Stumbling upon some historical sites and then...

 Getting lost in them! You can spot a wild Sara if you look close enough.

Following the nature trail deeper down into the valley, we spotted the smoke rising in the distance. On closer inspection, it turned out to be what would quickly become our favourite spot at Bluestone.

Camp Smokey is an outdoor restaurant and bar, nestling in the woods. With a menu of smokey barbecued meats and an open air fire pit at the back for roasting marshmallows, it's an easy place to while away the time.

Although, while relaxing listening to the birds and the river, don't be too alarmed if you hear a few shrieks and screams. The zip wire flies right over your heads, and the sky trail climbs up in the air all around you. Makes for good entertainment, if you're not brave enough yourself!

However, it's all worth it to huddle around the fire with a marshmallow topped hot chocolate!

We headed back to the lodge for a little snooze before making our way over to the Well Spa for a bit of pampering. As a surprise for Mr P's birthday, I booked us in for an afternoon treat at the Spa, including treatments, nibbles and bubbles. Of all kinds!

We had such a fantastic afternoon! The staff treated us wonderfully and I had an amazing massage which completely popped all the knots in my hunched up tense shoulders! As well as the outdoor jacuzzi (worth doing the drop and run with the dressing gown for), there are numerous thermal rooms, including steam rooms, saunas and ice rooms!

The Well Spa is open for day visits too, so I'd thoroughly recommend this for a girly day out even if you're not staying on site.

All dazed, chilled and smelling lovely, we dressed up and headed over to the Knights Tafarn for dinner.

There's only one way this day could have possibly gotten any better. Enter my best friends: wine, cheese and carbs.

Mr P went for the curry special, lamb rogan josh complete with a poppadom on the side the size of my head.

Listening to the night's entertainment, we huddled up next to the log fire and toasted a perfect day in our Pembrokeshire paradise.

Welcome to Bluestone

I was lucky enough to be invited by Bluestone to stay for a few days to chill out and enjoy some of that magical spring Pembrokeshire air. Even luckier, our break coincided with Mr P's birthday! A morning of presents, tea and chocolate for breakfast followed by a road trip - is there anything better?

We piled my little car high with wellies, chunky jumpers and enough pick 'n' mix to keep a 5 year old going for a week and set off to the West. Two and a half hours later, we arrived at at the super efficient drive through check in at Bluestone!

Having stayed before, we knew what to expect, and parked our car in the long stay car park to have a wander before the gates opened at 4.30pm. Cars are only allowed on site after 4.30pm to unload, and then have to be returned back to the car park until checking out. Buggies are available for those with little ones, but for us two it was the perfect excuse to get a bit more exercise in.

Standard first stop...find the pub!

We wandered around, stretched our legs after the journey and reacquainted ourselves with the little village, before walking back to the car to bring her in to unload.

We pulled up outside our lodge and ran inside like the excitable big kids that we are, opening all the doors, poking around in all the corners and jumping on the beds.

The lodge we stayed in was called a Ramsey Lodge, and its best feature is its quirky 'upside down' style of living. The bedrooms were downstairs, opening out onto the tranquil lake, and the living area and kitchen were on the first floor.

The lodges have all the comforts and mod cons that you could possibly need, and also include a helpful little starter pack in case you've forgotten any bits and bobs.

Just as we were walking back from dropping the car off, two glittering rainbows appeared over the lake, brightening up the grey afternoon sky. Promising that there won't be any more rain for the rest of our stay? We tried to hunt down the pot of gold, but to no avail.

A little tired and worn out after the journey and unpacking, we decided to spend our first night snuggled up on our sofa, and eating pretty much all of the nice food we'd bought!

And of course, a bottle of Chateauneuf-Du-Pape for the Birthday boy!

With full bellies and a glass of red in hand, we cwtched up on the sofa and watched the lights twinkle on the lake, dreaming of tomorrow's adventures...

Valentines Weekend at The Celtic Manor

Before we go any further, I feel like I should add a disclaimer. I think Valentines Day is great. We do say I love you everyday, I do get random flowers for no reason and I don't believe you need to splash the cash to be romantic. BUT I do like to have a specific day dedicated to being smushy. I like occasions. I'm the girl who plans birthdays months in advance.

Last weekend, I got completely spoilt by Mr P and was whisked down the M4 to one of my favourite places, The Celtic Manor.

We arrived about 3pm, and luckily we were able to check in early, so we ran to our room, threw on our swimsuits and headed to the pool. Naturally. After a quick dip and a lounge in the sauna and steam rooms, we reluctantly went back to our room to change for dinner. Helped by a few bubbles, of course.

Last time we stayed, we were facing the front of the hotel and the golf course. This time however, we were looking out of the back of the hotel, onto the motorway. Although not as obviously relaxing, there's still something calming about watching the lights flying past at night with the Manor all lit up, and the Welsh colours billowing in the wind.

Our dinner reservation was at Rafters, which is in the Twenty Ten Clubhouse. We've dined here before, and had a fantastic meal, so we knew we were going to be looked after.

There are two things that sometimes put me off dining out on Valentines night. More often than not, you get a tiny set menu, generally with the nicest item being a sharing item. There's nothing romantic about sharing. Get off my dinner.

And then there's the set dining times. Your reservation was for 7pm, and you're dawdling over a coffee at 9pm, and then you have to leave for the next couple to jump in your seats. Not particularly conducive to a relaxing evening either.

Rafters had none of this. The tables were all preset for the night, and there seemed to only be one sitting. There was no rushing about, no cheesy decor, and the only sharing item was a dessert, which I'll let them off because I didn't fancy it anyway.

Mr P and I both went for exactly the same thing, from start to finish. For starters, we had smoked Severn and Wye Salmon with asparagus, poached egg and hollandaise sauce. A very pretty dish, and the smoked salmon was beautiful, hiding under a sprinkling of samphire.

Next course was a roast fillet of Welsh beef, sat on a bed of buttered spinach and a wild mushroom ragout. A chunky slice of crispy pancetta sat atop a thyme potato fondant, it's smokiness pervading the dish.

The beef was easily the standout item of the whole night. I've never tasted beef so buttery soft, and the sweetness of the Madeira jus brought it all together. Completely melt in your mouth beautiful.

 

The night was rounded off with a dark chocolate tart, with caramelised oranges and honey and whisky ice cream. I'm not the biggest dessert fan in the world, but I do love my ice cream. And whisky of course.

Neither of us could finish it all, as the chocolate tart was very rich and decandant, but I made sure that I polished off all the velvety ice cream.

Despite the over indulgence, we were both up with the birds the next morning, and hurried down to breakfast before all the other lovebirds got up. Not only did this mean we had a chilled out breakfast and the freshest eggs, but most importantly we managed to get down to a virtually empty spa nice and early.

We stayed in the hot tub looking out at the misty morning, until our fingers turned pruney enough to leave. I dragged myself away from the spa with the promise of a walk and a game of crazy golf. My competitive side can't ignore that offer.

Safe to say, the result now stands at 2-1 to me. To be continued, no doubt.

Much rejuvinated after a weekend spent wandering about the grounds and chilling in the spa, we headed home. Thanks once again to the wonderful staff at the Celtic, with what must be one of the busiest nights of the year we still received such wonderful service, from every moment between checking in and checking out.