Wales. Places to go, places to stay

Last month we had the pleasure of going on a weekend trip to Wales with Stena Line.

We spent three wonderful days in the foothills of Snowdonia and incredibly for most of the time the sun was shining.

Where we went:
Our first stop was Llanberis - an old mining town in Snowdonia National Park

The highlight was a short trip on a little blue steam train

Oh and the milkshakes.

We went to the wonderful Greenwood Park

Met some lovely local chaps in the pub (but failed to get their pics)

Visited the amazing Caernaforn Castle

And had a quick pit stop here

(Imagine trying to tell the taxi driver where you live after a night out...)

Where we stayed:
Stena Line has a selection of recommended hotels that you can book into when you are planning your trip. We were lucky enough to be put up in the gorgeous Seoint Manor one of the Handpicked Hotels group.

My mind boggles as to how this is only a 3 star hotel. From the moment our car pulled up outside the main door we were taken care of brilliantly.

Dominic - who looked after us during our stay - was a gift from the hotel Gods. Nothing was too much trouble and everything was done with a professionalism and friendliness that I am yet to experience in places that charge three times the amount of Seoint Manor. If you could bottle him and sell him to every hotel in the land the tourist industry would be a very happy place.

The hotel itself was beautiful - a mix of modern rooms and antique furniture, an amazing swimming pool, and beautiful country walks just outside the door - it was hard to fault.

We had celebratory beers (at having survived the jounrney)

Fabulous food

And generally enjoyed the opulence

There may also have been some jumping on beds, but don't tell Dominic

Our beautiful family room

And best of all we actually managed to tire them out. Yesssss!

Thanks to Penny and Gemma for the wonderful suggestions of places to visit and Stena Line for giving us the opportunity to visit them. Stena Line provided all travel and accomodation costs but all creative content and views are my own.

National Ferry Fortnight - Kids Go Free!

Next month the Kate Takes 5 clan will be popping across the Irish Sea for a weekend trip to Wales to explore the wonders of Snowdonia National Park and Caernaforn Castle courtesy of Stena Line.

So why am I telling you this?

Because Stena Line are celebrating National Ferry Fortnight, which runs from 17th March 2012 - 31st March 2012, with a Kids Go Free deal. This special promotional offer means that any car bookings made during this two week period, for travel on the Irish or North Sea before the 5^th of Jan 2013, will allow kids to go free.

All you need to do is choose your route!

So if fancy jumping aboard be sure to book now to avail of the special offer.

Next month I'll be showing you some of the places that we visited and sharing advice on any hits and misses of ferry travel that we learned along the way.

In the meantime why not pop across to Stena Line's Facebook page where there is a competition celebrating National Ferry Fortnight with some great prizes on offer.

Anchors aweigh!!

*Please note a “Kid” is classified as a child under the age of 16