“Where is Newick?” asked my husband when I told him this was where we were going for his birthday weekend. I could see from his facial expression that he wasn’t to impressed with my choice, and the idea of us staying at home doing chores was becoming more appealing. “Just trust me” I said and he mumbled something under his breath and walked away.
I just had this gut feeling about this place, which I found by fluke on Air bnb. I’ve never booked anything on this site, I don’t know why but it’s just not appealed to me. Anyone else feel the same?
Anyway, I typed in places near Brighton and this came up in the choices. Of course I had left booking anything till two days before bank holiday, so my choices were limited. I was getting places like ‘One bedroom available in a student house’?! Seriously? I have twins, I know I was desperate to get away but not that bad…until I clicked on Holly Lodge. It looked beautiful so I enquired, and received a response immediately. After we both expressed that we were Air b n b virgins we moved over to the phone! That’s what I need in my life…simplicity. This lovely lady called Gabrielle answered the phone, she was the lady of the house and boy did she sound like a lady. I would have placed her sounding somewhere between the Queen and Dame Judy Dench, I loved her immediately and with her soft, welcoming voice she had captured me. Especially when she told me if she wasn’t there when we arrived the lovely housekeeper would welcome and settle us in! Housekeeper…now you’re talking my language 🙂
Packing the car for a few nights away was possibly the most exhausting, stressful thing I have done in ages. It’s possible we packed everything bar the garden hose. I mean why do we do this? Do we actually need EVERYTHING? Yes, is the simple answer to that. As a parent we have to think about clothes if the weather is hot, if the weather is rainy or windy (this is England!) A thin jacket, a thick one, a million nappies, travel cot, cot bedding, bottles, food, the pram, The Kids! The HUSBAND, his pants! (I mean seriously why can’t men just sort out their own packing…sorry guys!) Not to forget our own things, you know the stuff that we ‘Need.’ Eventually, the boot slams shut (just), four doors close and off we trot to Newick!
A town that nobody knows or has really heard of, my husband has already given me the look, and I’m starting to regret the whole idea…until we drive up the drive. Seriously, I had already decided there and then that A) we were going to move here and B) well there wasn’t a B because I had already made my mind up in A! It’s not often that parents have that sense of relaxation, that feeling of Ahhh (unless the children have been dropped to grandmas for the weekend!) However at Holly Lodge we had that exact feeling. We had only booked one night but in my head I had already planned to stay two! It was trying to convince the hubby that he ‘needed’ to stay.
A weekend just us. You forget to be ‘just us’ when your children are young and everyone rallies around you. You need the rallying don’t get me wrong, but you also need your quality time and this was what we had.
When you’re away you suddenly develop tourist mode syndrome and have to see everything in that area. So off we went to the Bluebell station to see a real steam train, a national park to have tea and scones, the towns local pub to have fish and chips, Hove beach to play with the pebbles and see sea! Did the twins appreciate any of it? Not in the slightest, it was us parents that became overly excited! “Ohh look at the train Ali” “Alizé, look there is the sea!” They really didn’t care, but we did and we imagined they cared and had a fabulous few days.
I cried when leaving Holly Lodge and saying goodbye to Gabrielle just seemed heart wrenching. I’m not sure why, I suppose they made us feel so welcome and I didn’t want to get back to reality. We had some great chats whilst I warmed the twins milk up of a morning and evening, what should have taken me 4 minutes to do took me 20! I felt inspired whilst sitting at her garden table with the twins in bed and a glass of wine next to me, it was where I started this very website. My sister always jokes and says that I make friends where ever I go, but I don’t just make a friend for the sake of it, I truly feel a warmth to someone and want to somehow keep them in my life. If returning to this beautiful B&B is how I can see this family again then I will. Making memories with my family is all that I crave for, I now understand those parents who have cameras dangling from their necks. The importance of being ‘just us’ as well as adding to our list of wonderful people and places is priceless.
Until next time Holly Lodge…
Click here to take a visit – Holly Lodge
