Our little staycation at Burrendale Hotel in Newcastle, County Down. Friday 17th March to Sunday 19th March 2023
After giving birth to Isaac on 3rd October 2022, the thought of going away for a weekend or even a night was just a dream. We talked about it regularly but it felt like it would never happen. Going away when having a young baby felt like more hassle than it was worth.
We decided to try and go away for our 2nd wedding anniversary in March as Simon's Mum had kindly offered to look after Isaac for us. We then had the task of finding somewhere to go that would be easy to get too from Simon's Mum's house as she lives outside of Belfast. We decided that Newcastle in County Down would be a good option. I hadn't been to Newcastle since 2010 when I visited with my old primary school when I worked there. That was only for one night though, and we stayed at an outdoor pursuits place up in the Mourne Mountains.
We ended up booking the Burrendale Hotel for two nights. A women Simon works with gave us a good recommendation for it over the Slieve Donard Hotel which is the really fancy one on the sea front. I was very nervous about going away and anxious. I was planning everything in my head as always. Not only did I have to figure out packing for me and Simon but for our tiny human too. Why does a baby need so much stuff for two nights? I had a bag full of his clothes; an outfit for each day plus extra, sleepsuits, vests and socks. Then I had a bag of food and essentials and then his toys. He would need his pram, cot and we were wanting to take his walker but it didn't fit in the car. We had to take his Finding Nemo playmat instead.
Friday 17th March 2023
Simon had been off on holiday all week which was nice as when he was last off at Christmas, he had Covid. On the Friday morning, Simon went out early to get his hair cut while I ran around getting last minute things done. I was running around like a headless chicken. I got Isaac washed and dressed in a cute outfit. Moments after he was dressed, he decided to poop all over his nice new jeans. I could have cried. We got everything packed into Simon's car (just about) then left for Simon's Mum's house. It took us about an hour to get there and I was stuck in the back with Isaac to keep him company. I do not do well travelling in the backseat of a car, especially over all the country roads Simon insists on taking us on. Isaac cried his eyes out when we got there and my heart shattered, worried he wouldn't settle at all. At Simon's Mums, we had a cup of tea and some of the freshly baked bread she had just made. We stayed for a while to get Isaac settled in.
Then it was on our way. We made a stop off at Burger King in Ards to get something to eat. I hadn't eaten a Burger King in ages. It had gotten very expensive. The journey to Newcastle took nearly an hour. We stopped off at a service station to use the bathroom, get drinks and some snacks. Then it was on the road again. I was not liking the winding country roads at all. I've been struggling quite badly with car sickness in the past few years. I was very glad when the hotel sign finally came into view. The car park was very busy but we managed to find a space. We grabbed all our luggage and walked into the very busy hotel lobby. There must have been a Irish dancing event on for St Patrick's Day. Check in was very quick, though we had to pay our money up front which was strange. Our room was number 25 and on the ground floor. It was massive and very nice. Apparently, our room was the best room in the whole hotel. We had a lovely little living room area with an electric fire. We also had doors that opened out into our own little yard. Sadly, our Mourne Mountain's view wasn't good due to the horrible grey clouds. Our bathroom was huge and it even had a TV in it.
I collapsed onto the huge bed which felt very comfortable. I could have fallen asleep there and then. I was absolute shattered. Simon made both of us a cup of tea while I unpacked. We chilled for a few hours and had a panic that we hadn't any hot water. Thankfully after running the water for ages, we got some hot water. I had a bath, then jumped into the shower to wash my hair. It was a mad rush to get ready though as we had lost track of time. I rushed my hair and make up. That evening, we ate in a place called Villa Vinci in Newcastle that had been recommended to me. The menu looked very good, so I was excited to try it out. I had the deep fried brie for starters which was very tasty. For my main I had the venezia pizza. It was delicious but got sickening very quick. I had a passion fruit cocktail which was very refreshing. Once we finished our meal, we went back to our hotel with the intention of going for a drink in the bar but it was so busy, we ordered tea for two from reception. It was brought to our room. I got changed into my pyjamas and enjoyed the tea with some of our snacks in bed. We did try and find something good on television but there was nothing good on. Then it was time for bed. It felt so strange going to bed without having to put Isaac to bed first. It was eerily quiet.
Simon had been off on holiday all week which was nice as when he was last off at Christmas, he had Covid. On the Friday morning, Simon went out early to get his hair cut while I ran around getting last minute things done. I was running around like a headless chicken. I got Isaac washed and dressed in a cute outfit. Moments after he was dressed, he decided to poop all over his nice new jeans. I could have cried. We got everything packed into Simon's car (just about) then left for Simon's Mum's house. It took us about an hour to get there and I was stuck in the back with Isaac to keep him company. I do not do well travelling in the backseat of a car, especially over all the country roads Simon insists on taking us on. Isaac cried his eyes out when we got there and my heart shattered, worried he wouldn't settle at all. At Simon's Mums, we had a cup of tea and some of the freshly baked bread she had just made. We stayed for a while to get Isaac settled in.
Then it was on our way. We made a stop off at Burger King in Ards to get something to eat. I hadn't eaten a Burger King in ages. It had gotten very expensive. The journey to Newcastle took nearly an hour. We stopped off at a service station to use the bathroom, get drinks and some snacks. Then it was on the road again. I was not liking the winding country roads at all. I've been struggling quite badly with car sickness in the past few years. I was very glad when the hotel sign finally came into view. The car park was very busy but we managed to find a space. We grabbed all our luggage and walked into the very busy hotel lobby. There must have been a Irish dancing event on for St Patrick's Day. Check in was very quick, though we had to pay our money up front which was strange. Our room was number 25 and on the ground floor. It was massive and very nice. Apparently, our room was the best room in the whole hotel. We had a lovely little living room area with an electric fire. We also had doors that opened out into our own little yard. Sadly, our Mourne Mountain's view wasn't good due to the horrible grey clouds. Our bathroom was huge and it even had a TV in it.
Saturday 18th March
Today was our 2nd wedding anniversary. I had managed a decent night's sleep. I found it strange wakening up and not having Isaac in a cot beside us. We got up, dressed and went to get breakfast. I love a good hotel breakfast but sadly, our hotel breakfast was a disappointment. It was a buffet which I usually don't mind. The food was average. I could have got the same at the service station down the road. The pancake making machine was kinda cool. We then showered and got ourself ready for the day. Then it was off to Banbridge. I had never been to The Boulevard outlets at Banbridge before. It took us about 40 minutes to get there and it was lashing down with rain. We parked up then hit the shops. We started off with M&S. Junction one in Antrim used to have a M&S outlet but it closed. We went a little crazy with Simon treating himself and me getting Isaac some bits. We then stopped off for coffee and shared a chocolate muffin. It was one of the nicest muffins I've ever had. Once fueled up, we did some more shopping. We both got a few bits in Crewe Clothing and some toys in the toy shop. The Next store was a bit of a disappointment though. Some of the shops didn't interest us at all. I couldn't see anything for myself but I enjoyed walking around the various shops we don't have at home. After, we called into the M&S food hall to get some lunch and then into Tescos. Then it was back to Newcastle to our hotel. Once there, we got ourselves ready for the spa. I was very impressed with the ladies changing rooms. The spa was not as impressive. The pool was small and cool with only a small hot tub, sauna and steam room. There were no sun loungers to chill on. I did laugh at the 2 girls sitting in the hot tub with their phones, posing for photos left and right. It was only when I returned to the hotel room that I realised my legs were blue due to the dye from my jeans. It did make me laugh. I did think I looked good in my pink dotty bikini. I had a bubble bath with a full bottle of bubble bath, making sure to scrub the blue dye from my legs then showered to wash my hair. We never did get the TV in the bathroom working. We then chilled for a bit before getting ready for dinner in our hotel. The menu was different to the one online. I had potato and leek soup for starters. It was a horrhble shade of green and tasted weird. I went for turkey dinner for main. It wasn't great. Just your typical turkey dinner you'd get in any hotel around Christmas time. I was very disappointed. My dessert was nice though. Again, we thought of staying in the bar but decided against it. I wasn't feeling great. I got ready for bed and enjoyed a cup of tea while Simon tried to find something good on the TV. When did TV get so rubbish? I fell asleep easily but Simon stayed up for a while.
Sunday 19th March
This was my first Mother's day though Isaac was still at Simons Mums. We woke up and went for breakfast early. I didn't eat much as I had some nausea. We got ourselves ready and packed up our cases. Simon somehow managed to get all our shopping into our cases. We checked out of our hotel then called into the Spar down the road to get fuel and some coffee. We headed into Newcastle and parked up at the seafront to go a walk. I hadn't been to Newcastle since 2010. It was a lovely morning. We walked along the sea front drinking our coffees. We crossed over and called into an arcade where I tried to win Isaac a winnie the pooh teddy. I didn't win anything. We continued down the very quiet street until we got to a little sweetie shop that I had visited back in 2010. I got us a pick and mix. We returned to the car to head back to Dundonald. My doctor rang me with my blood test results which were all clear but my iron was a little low. We then headed off to Simons mums house. We stopped off again at a service station to get something for lunch. I got some sandwiches. I felt a bit groggy once we go to Simons mums. I was happy to be reunited with my bubba. We didn't stay long at Simons mums. We packed up the car and headed home. I was never as glad to arrive home after a long morning of travelling.
It was lovely to get away for the weekend. I did think I'd be riddled with mum guilt for leaving Isaac but thankfully I wasn't. The Burrendale wasn't as nice as we had hoped. Our room was lovely with a comfortable bed but everything else wasn't great. I was very disappointed in the food in the hotel and Simon informed hotel reception at check out. I enjoyed shopping in Banbridge. I didn't, however enjoy the travelling.
Comments
Post a Comment