Topic: WeenieGuernsey is off..... BUT read on

[Richard]

Not wishing to put a downer on this, but I had a firkle around the net in search of hotel type places in that area for April-ish and frankly didn't have lot of luck in seeing anywhere that could offer say 10 bedrooms. Even the 'bigger' hotels could only only offer a couple of rooms - or is that just a marketing ploy and they are holding rooms till the season

Now, to be realistic, it makes me wonder if we are going to find anywhere large enough that is willing to put aside 'n' rooms without a deposit whilst people slowly make up their minds whether to attend or not? That was the great advantage of the Guernsey arrangement in that the hotel was very accomodating (pun) and I'm not sure we are going to find it so easy in a reasonably pretty locality... dunno  That said don't let me dampen your enthusiasm, keep on looking and suggesting 

Unless, we try the only place that I know would do it, that being the dreaded Swindon motel\club place which some of us know and is, to be honest petty crappy on all fronts!

 

[Norfolk Slim]

My dad's list of possibles (ive filtered out some of the most obviously inappropriate ones)

http://www.pennyfarthinghotel.co.uk/

http://www.theburleymanorhotel.co.uk/

http://www.watersplash.co.uk/

http://www.forestparkhotel.co.uk/

http://www.swaymanor.com/

http://www.hotelclub.net/hotel.reservations/East_Close_Hotel_Bournemouth.htm

[Richard]

Thanks NS, will you also convey that to your father for his great effort as well.

I suppose the next step before I make any further enquiries is the dreaded number question and what I will certainly be asked first - so how many rooms are we likely to require I suggest to sign up on this thread if you think you are able to register a serious interest in attending? Timing is the other factor and ot looks to me as though the hotels get into the swing of thing end April begining of May so lets work on that.

If I can get an idea of numbers then I will take it further as naturally I do not want to get lumbered with putting a deposit on 'n' roooms !!! So maybe if I can approch the hotels with firm-ish number they would make a provisional room allocation and expect some prompt bookings to follow.

Naturally all suggestions etc welcome.

[Norfolk Slim]

Righto- in that neck of the woods i can say Im pretty much a certain. 

[Prof Scratchy]

And I'd be 75% certain...

[Parlor Picker]

I'll hopefully be there if I don't spend all my money on guitars...

[Marshcat]

I've already spent all my money on guitars    , but could easily be tempted - it's only a couple of hours away from me. Might be able to tempt the respective other halves of Delta Echoes/National Steel to come too...

Marshcat
www.lemonrock.com/deltaechoes
www.lemonrock.com/nationalsteel

[Prof Scratchy]

...now that would be good....!

[Richard]

Now things are looking hopeful ... any more of you who could be interested

[Norfolk Slim]

1 otherpossibly silly thought...  If numbers are fairly limited, then maybe we could consider hiring a really big holiday cottage for the weekend rather than a hotel.  If the living area was big enough it might provide a decent gathering / performance space?

[blueshome]

Good thinking Slim - there are a few such around but we may have to cast the geographical net wider than the South coast, while still bearing in mind accessibility. I'll do a few searches this weekend and report back.
Re hotels, surely some of the larger resorts will have beds etc?

[Norfolk Slim]

Places like Bournemouth will undoubtedly have stacks of beds available that time of year.  I guess its really a question of balancing location, and persuading a hotel that we have enough people to make it worth their while throwing in a function room of some kind.

A nice country cottge with a nearby pub sounds like a nice alternative though. 

[Prof Scratchy]

Another idea, to get around the notion of block booking a hotel well in advance might be to nominate a  preferred hotel (so people can commit to go there nearer the time on an individual basis), then find a friendly real ale pub nearby with function room they'd let us have for free! There must be pubs that host folk clubs or other live music events in most localities?

[Richard]

Ummm... thinks  I understand the commitment thing, but on the other hand from my forays around the hotel net it seems unlikely that somewhere with even say 6 rooms is likely to available for booking on demand. The idea of a performance room pub or something is a good possible alternative to somewhere that only has the beds only.

I have to be honest and say that I'm not that enamoured with the rented cottage idea, EBA is bad enough where you theoretically can shut it all, so just imagine there would be just no escape from the dreaded nocturnal I IV V   

[blueshome]

Richard, you should know better! Weenies don't do that thing. Cottage/house might be the only answer though.