We’ve got skin in this game with Daddy’s Little Girl waiting for the OK to go back to her work at the hotel.
It doesn’t help that we pass by the very same hotel on our daily walk.
It is expected that Scottish hotels will reopen in line with national guidelines on July 15.
And when they do it will be time to reacquaint ourselves with our favourites and treat ourselves with some new ones.
Such as the Dunalastair Hotel in Perthshire https://www.dunalastairhotel.com, a lovely sweeping valley of a county.
And one I usually passed through instead of stopping when I would drive from Aberdeen to Glasgow reporting on football matches.
Except for a boys’ weekend in Dunkeld, writing poetry for our Edinburgh Fringe Show. Now what rhymes with Glenturret?
New offers include Luxury for Less (from €99 per night), to the indulgent Highland Retreat (£499 for two nights). Rooms at Dunalastair Hotel Suites are from £129 per night.
Also see Visit Scotland www.visitscotlsnd.com.
Coming out of quackdown
We’ve been missing them so much during quackdown.
But every duckie’s favourite getaway in Europe, Hastings Hotels in Northern Ireland, have reopened their doors.
You’ll know what Hastings are all about by now Belfast Chilled and their signature look of a rubber duck in your bathroom.
They’ve had Rory Quackilroy, Duck of Thrones… you get the idea.
So they were rightly interested when this little fella came on the market.
Just a thought you could market your own new duckie, Julie…. Quacks Armstrong! See https://hotrading.shop/products/helmet-duck-bicycle-horn-light and https://www.hastingshotels.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8pP5iqeQ6gIVk4eyCh3oRAlPEAAYASAAEgIydPD_BwE.
And also see www.discovernorthernireland.com
And meanwhile in the south
All our favourite hotels in Ireland are reopening.
We have already flagged up our favourite in our old stomping ground of Co. Wicklow, Powerscourt https://powerscourt.com and Flowerscourt.
And I now want to promote the splendours of Conrad Dublin, a hotel I’ve enjoyed on a function level but yet to laid down by head there.
Apart, of course, from when my head would hit the table through too much vino.
Among the goodies on offer in what they are packaging as Dream Away are the Picnic Package, the Literary Tour and Dublin City by Horsedrawn Carriage.
And seeing you’ve been locked away at home for months then why not treat the whole family to a night in the Conrad Family Room.
The interconnecting family room is €350 for the night for two adults and two children. See www.conraddublin.com.
To the lighthouse
So fine was the morning except for a streak of wind here and there that the sea and sky looked all one fabric, as if sails were struck high up in the sky, or the clouds had dropped down into the sky – Virginia Woolf
Lighthouses can be by contrast snug or solaces from people.
And Hook Lighthouse in Co. Wexford in the Republic of Ireland on June 29 is reopening its doors with the latter in mind.
Hook Lighthouse, the Lightkeepers Cafe and the outdoor dining option, the Seahorse, will all open seven days per week.
With last access to the grounds at 4pm and dining closes at 5pm.
Pre-book a free pass online at www.hookheritage.ie or take a guided tour by phoning (051) 397 055.
Also see www.failteireland.com and www.discovernorthernireland.com.
