The Villa Magdala team recommend a visit to the Ilford Manor Estate if you’re visiting the South West. Ilford Arts is staging a busy programme of activities there during the coming months, including an Opera and Jazz Festival. Find out more here.

In other news this week, we just had to share this photograph of the beautiful newly decorated room at Ty Croeso, a cosy B&B in the Brecon Beacons. We just love the grey and yellow colour scheme; not only do we want to book a stay ourselves but it’s also the perfect inspiration for our own homes. Mind you, the whole place is just as beautifully decorated, thanks to the talents of its owners, Alexandra and Cory, who  have given the interior a relaxed, modern, country vibe.

Meanwhile, Pentillie Castle in Cornwall is the venue for a performance of Pride and Prejudice to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s seminal novel. On June 28, you can picnic on the lawns and enjoy The Chapterhouse Theatre’s production of this classic, which is just one of a series of performances taking place at Pentillie throughout the summer months. Also, on July 4 there’s the opportunity to enjoy a guided tour of the castle’s beautifully restored gardens, which are a visitor attraction in their own right.

Lucy and Kirsten

The Boutique and Breakfast team.

The Jane Austen Centre – This small but informative museum is located on Gay Street, just a few doors down from where Jane’s family once lived. It provides visitors with a unique opportunity to learn more about Austen, her work and what Bath was like in the days when she lived there. There’s even a selection of period-style dresses, bonnets, gloves and parasols so that visitors can dress up like the romantic heroines featured in Austen’s novels. Austen fans will jump at the opportunity to actually stay in another of the properties that the family once inhabited; take a look at  Jane Austen’s House.

The beautiful Georgian architecture – especially the iconic  Royal Crescent and The Circus, which we are reliably informed are home to a smattering of A-list celebrities.  Both were just a stone’s throw from Gravitas House, where we stayed. We’d chosen to travel to Bath by train and found that we’d have had no need for a car during our visit at all; everything was within close walking distance.

The food – Bath is blessed with a mind-boggling selection of restaurants, cafes, tea rooms and coffee shops. We particularly liked the bird’s-eye view of the city’s nightlife from the Thai Balcony on Saw Street; the hearty, wholesome lunches at Jika Jika, a cafe bar on George Street owned by England and British Lions rugby stars Lee Mears and Matt Stevens; and The Salamander, a cosy, friendly pub on John Street.

If we’ve inspired you to plan a Bath trip of your own, we have a stunning selection of accommodation for you to choose from. If you prefer self-catering and are looking for a base in the heart of the city, check out Gravitas House, Jane Austen’s Home, Queen’s Parade Penthouse and 31 The Paragon, which are all part of the Bath Boutique Stays stable of properties. Our great choice of boutique B&B and guesthouse accommodation includes Villa Magdala, Brooks Guest House and Brindleys. For those who prefer to stay in the countryside but want to be within reach of Bath’s many attractions, take a look at The Post House and The Old Bakery. They’re all fabulously unique, and there’s an option to suit all tastes and budgets.

Lucy and Kirsten The Boutique and Breakfast team.

Last week, we spent a very sunny and action-packed few days in  Bath and we loved every minute of it.

We stayed at Gravitas House, one of four stunning boutique-style, self-catering properties featured on the website that are owned by Marcus and Hana Whittington of Bath Boutique Stays. All four are located in beautiful period properties bursting with charm and character, but they’ve been given a 21^st century make-over to create a luxurious, yet relaxed, contemporary feel. Gravitas House sleeps ten and is ideal for larger groups of family or friends, including hen parties. We loved the fact that it’s a stone’s throw from so many of the city’s top attractions, including the Royal Crescent and the Assembly Room. Thank you so much for hosting us Marcus and Hana, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

We also dropped in to visit several of the gorgeous boutique B&Bs and guest houses featured on the website and they were looking as lovely as ever. To view all of our accommodation in and around Bath, click here. Also, look out for our tips on some of the best places to visit, eat, drink and shop in our forthcoming series of features on Bath.

In other news this week, huge congratulations to Andrea and Simon, who own Pebble House in Mevagissey, Cornwall. Their beautiful, newly refurbished property has been awarded a five-star gold rating for both the standard of the accommodation and the scrummy breakfast offering.

Meanwhile, just a couple of weeks after being the subject of a feature in the EDP Norfolk magazine, West Heath Barn in the pretty village of Great Massingham appeared in the Sunday People at the weekend. Well done!

Have a great week and enjoy the sunshine.

Lucy and Kirsten

The Boutique and Breakfast team.

West Heath Barn in the pretty Norfolk village of Great Massingham is the subject of a fabulous feature in the EDP Norfolk magazine and St. Cuthbert’s House at Seahouses in Northumberland appeared in the latest edition of Coast magazine.

Coincidentally, St. Cuthbert’s House is a stroll along the beach from Bamburgh Castle, which was named the nation’s favourite lunch spot in a survey conducted by Visit England and Visit Wales. 

The Reid family, who own and run Windlestraw Lodge, a beautiful country house restaurant with rooms in the village of Walkerburn on the edge of the Tweed Valley Forest Park in Peebleshire, are well-known for their passion and flair for interiors. Windlestraw Lodge recently hosted the opening party for Maison Joelle, a new online interiors store featuring exclusive fabrics and cushions created by Joelle Reid and Hatti Patterson. Take a peak at their beautiful website by clicking here.

We love insider tips on great places to visit and Karen Price, who owns and runs The Post House and the adjoining Old Bakery, which offer a choice of boutique B&B or self-catering accommodation in the village of Chewton Mendip near Bath, recommends a visit to the Walled Garden at Mells. 

Have a great week!

Lucy and Kirsten

The Boutique and Breakfast team.

P.S. Later this week, we’re hitting the road and heading to Bath, so we’ll have lots of tips on lovely places to visit. We can’t wait!

If, like us, you love the idea of going to a festival but don’t fancy camping in a field that could quite easily turn into a mud bath and sharing grim bathroom facilities with thousands of other festival-goers, then you need to do the festival season boutique-style! We have a great choice of boutique B&Bs, guest houses, restaurants with rooms and self-catering properties scattered across the length and breadth of the country.

We’ve handpicked a selection that are located close to some of  the gorgeous place to stay featured on the website, making them ideal for those who want to retire to luxurious surroundings at the end of the day:

Festival fun for all the family

Beautiful Days in Devon (16 to 18 August) and Camp Bestival (pictured right) in Dorset (1 to 4 August) are both ideal for family audiences, as are Deer Shed in North Yorkshire (19 to 21 July) and Shambala in Northhamptonshire (25 and 26 August). If you select the relevant county on the search panel on the home page, you’ll find accommodation within easy travelling distance of each of these. In some cases, the only difficulty you’ll have will be making your selection!

Folk festivals

If folk music is your thing, then head to Lancashire for the 41st Fylde Folk Festival (30 August to 1 September). We have a great choice of properties in the seaside town of Blackpool or, if you’d prefer a rural retreat, take a look at Park House in Gisburn (pictured below). Alternatively, Shrewsbury Folk Festival (23 to 26 August) is within easy reach of the lovely Grove Farm House and WOMAD in Wiltshire (25 to 28 July) is a stone’s throw from Lorne House.

 Dance music festivals

If you’re a raver at heart, then head to Cocoon in the Park near Leeds on 13 July – many of our properties in North Yorkshire are within reach and there’s also Brook House just down the road in West Yorkshire. From 20 to 23 June, Gottwood is held on Anglesey, which is also home to The Outbuildings.

 City festivals

For an alternative take on the city break, head to Edinburgh International Festival between 9 August and 1 September, and book yourself a stay at Brooks Guesthouse Edinburgh or venture to Love Saves The Day in Bristol (25 and 26 May) and visit its sister guest house, Brooks Bristol (pictured right). 

This is just a tiny selection of the endless options open to you, but, whichever festival you fancy, the chances are we’ll have a great place to stay nearby. Make 2013 the year you do the summer festivals boutique-style!

My favourite pub: The Red Lion at Stiffkey – There’s nothing like heading back to the Red Lion for a hearty lunch after a long walk on the surrounding salt marshes. It’s dog friendly, cosy, welcoming and serves hearty, home-cooked food, including a wealth of local seafood. The crab salad is a favourite of mine. 

My favourite beach: I love the vast swathe of sand at Holkham, which is bordered by beautiful pine woods. You can walk for miles in either direction and there’s loads of space for the kids and the dogs to let off steam. Alternatively, seek out a quite spot on the sand dunes, enjoy a picnic and soak up the views.

My favourite view: The view across the salt marshes towards Blakeney Point, a spit of sand that’s home to a colony of both Common and Grey Seals. It sums up Norfolk perfectly; the bleak beauty of the salt marshes, the endless horizon where sea meets sky and the iconic blue-painted Old Lifeboat house out on Blakeney Point, which can be seen for miles around.

My favourite shop: Norfolk Living in the well-heeled market town of Burnham Market – dubbed Chelsea-on-Sea because it’s a favourite summer holiday spot among wealthy families from the capital – is a treasure trove of gorgeous gifts and goodies for the home and garden. I challenge you to leave empty-handed!

My favourite restaurant: The Victoria at Holkham is in fact a pub, but a very elegant one with a super-stylish restaurant serving delicious food made with the best locally-sourced ingredients, including venison, beef and game from the nearby Holkham Estate;  crabs from Cromer; mussels from Brancaster; and cheeses from the nearby village of Wighton. If you’re passing during the day don’t be deterred from dropping in. We’ve rocked up at lunchtime with kids  and dogs straight from a walk on the beach and enjoyed a fantastic rustic-style platter of cheeses, meats and accompaniments in the lovely garden. It’s very welcoming, despite it’s smart appearance. Even the dogs were well catered for with a bowl of fresh water.

My favourite way to spend an afternoon: This would have to be an al fresco lunch at the seafood shack on Blakeney Quay followed by a boat trip to see the seals on Blakeney Point. Kids will absolutely love this as the inquisitive seals often come close to the boats to take a closer look at you! Beans Boat Trips are a Blakeney institution, click here for details.

My favourite farm shop or delicatessen: Walsingham Farm Shop in the village of Little Walsingham is jam-packed with fantastic local produce, from smoked prawns and seafood pates made at the famous smokehouse in Cley-Next-The-Sea to local fruit, vegetables, meats and cheese. We always pick up a selection of yummy items for a a picnic and there’s a lovely little chocolate shop next door that’s well worth a visit too!

Ah, happy memories – I think I feel another trip to Norfolk coming on!

The Hardwick is an award-winning restaurant with rooms in Abergavenny. Owned and run by renowned chef Stephen Terry, it has carved out a reputation as one of the top restaurants in Wales. It also just happens to have eight super-stylish guest bedrooms, where you can enjoy a great night’s sleep after dining on Stephen’s acclaimed cuisine.

Greystones is a grand, baronial-style house in Oban boasting breathtaking views across the bay. It has recently been sensitively restored to provide uber stylish, modern guest house accommodation. Its owners, Mark and Suzanne McPhillips, won the Scottish Guesthouse of the Year title in 2008 with their first bed and breakfast venture and, after a spell abroad, they returned to Oban in 2012 to work their magic on Greystones.

We’d also like to congratulate three of our featured properties for their success in the Scottish Hotel Awards…

Craigatin House and Courtyard in Pitlochry, Highland Perthshire, bagged not one, but two, gongs – ‘Website of the Year’ and ‘Best Quality & Style Guesthouse’.

Alt na Craig House won the ‘Welcome and Hospitality’ award, as well as a Gold service award for its lovely owners, Sandy and Ina.

Have a great weekend!

Kirsten and Lucy

The Boutique and Breakfast team.

My favourite farm shop or delicatessen: Drewton’s Farm Shop on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds near the village of South Cave sources food, drink, gifts and crafts from more than 250 Yorkshire-based farmers, growers and suppliers. Bursting with lovely things to buy, it’s the kind of shop that you’ll struggle to leave empty-handed. When you’ve finished browsing, enjoy a hearty home-cooked lunch or a traditional Yorkshire afternoon tea in the cafe area.

My favourite visitor attraction: Maybe it’s cheating to pick a city jam-packed with attractions, rather than one individual attraction, but you simply can’t beat a day in York for history, culture, family fun and shopping. I was lucky enough to work there for a few years and loved wandering around the historic streets in my lunch break; I was always spotting little ‘snickleways’, hidden courtyards and fascinating features on buildings that I’d not noticed before. There’s so much to explore, from the architectural feat that is York Minster to the opportunity to experience York in days gone by at the Viking Jorvik Centre or The Castle Museum. Stroll around the city walls or enjoy a bird’s-eye view from the Yorkshire Wheel. The only problem you’ll have is cramming it all in! To find out more about what’s on offer, take a look at the Visit York website by clicking here.

My favourite pub: The Star @ Sancton in East Yorkshire specialises in serving local, seasonal produce and did so long before this approach came fashionable. Following a major refurbishment in 2010, it now has the spacious and stylish, yet cosy, facilities to match its fabulous food and drink. Despite its growing reputation as one of Yorkshire’s leading fine dining establishments, The Star is still a friendly and relaxed village pub first and foremost. It’s in the village of Sancton on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds, which are perhaps best known as the haunt of the celebrated artist David Hockney.

My favourite walk: I love the stretch of coast north of Whitby, with its quaint little villages and proximity to the rugged beauty of the North Yorkshire Moors. One of my favourite walks follows a cliff-top path from Runswick Bay to the isolated cove of Port Mulgrave. Known as ”The Dinosaur Coast’, this area is one of the most popular in the UK for fossil-hunting and kids will love the fact that almost every stone they pick up on the beach at Port Mulgrave contains a fossil. Be warned, it’s a steep walk down to the beach, but well worth it.

My favourite way to spend an afternoon: This a tough one; there’s so much to do and see. I love walking with my family and dogs in Sneaton Forest near Whitby and then enjoying afternoon tea in the Falling Foss Tea Garden, which overlooks a stunning waterfall in the heart of the forest.  We also visit Castle Howard regularly, which, according to The Lonely Planet guides, is one of the world’s ‘top ten greatest mansions and grand houses’. We especially love the stunning Aboretum, which is the perfect spot for a stroll and a picnic. 

My favourite shop: Harvey Nichols in Leeds. We can do fashion just as well ‘ooop North’ as they can down South.

My favourite view: The view from the beer garden in front of The White Horse Farm Inn in the North Yorkshire Moors village of Rosedale, which is best enjoyed with a chilled glass of sauvignon blanc in your hand! The pub sits on the hillside overlooking the village in the valley below and the surrounding moorland. It’s a stunning scene and one that always reminds me what a green and pleasant land England is.

My favourite beach: I like Cayton Bay near Scarborough because it’s dog-friendly all year round and never too busy. There’s not much there, just a shack selling drinks and ice cream, but that’s what so nice about it. It’s just a big sweep of sand with great views of Scarborough and can only be reached by a steep path from a cliff-top car park. It’s the perfect place for my dogs to let off steam and I especially like it on a bright winter’s day, when I’m wrapped up warm.

We were also thrilled to welcome a brand spanking new B&B to the site; Pebble House in Mevagissey, Cornwall.  Pebble House was built in 1933 and was then called Southcliffe. It ran as a busy B&B for many years until the owners retired.  Simon and Andrea Copper took it on and began an 18 month, painstaking renovation, striving to create an innovative, luxurious and stylish, boutique Guest House.  They have achieved this in spades.  Pebble House has been re-designed to take full advantage of the most amazing and ever changing 180 degree seaviews, with a marine style frontage.  Welcome to Boutique and Breakfast Andrea and Simon, and well done for all of your hard work over the last couple of years – it’s certainly paid off.

We’d like to wish Craigatin House and Courtyard and Craigmhor Lodge, both of Pitlochry, the very best of luck in the 2013 Scottish Hotel Awards, which should be taking place as I write!  Craigatin have been nominated for Guesthouse of the Year, Service Excellence, Best Breakfast, Hospitality, Business Performance and Best Design, and Craigmhor are up for Best Guesthouse, Best Guesthouse Breakfast, and Hospitality and Design. Well done guys – our fingers are firmly crossed for you!

And finally, if you’re thinking of booking a spring/summer break, why not take advantage of the number of special offers we have on the site at the moment?  There’s plenty to choose from, so we’re sure you’ll find something that takes your fancy!  Take a look here.

Kirsten and Lucy
The Boutique and Breakfast Team