Congham Hall Spa - A Very Special Offer Autumn Retreat for Frazzled Parents in Norfolk

Please Note - this is a sponsored post.

A glorious English summer has come to an end and the onset of Autumn ushers in a new season. At Congham Hall in the heart of beautiful Norfolk the leaves are falling, and turning from a crisp green to lush shades of copper, bronze and crimson.

If you are looking for an Autumn break, somewhere to get away from it all, to truly relax and unwind, then you'd be hard-pressed to find somewhere more peaceful than Congham Hall Spa Hotel

Winner of the Best UK Small Hotel at the International Hotel Awards this Georgian country house is home to a hotel, restaurant, bar, spa and renowned herb garden, and set in 30 acres of gardens, lawns, parkland and orchards.

The beautiful Congham Hall Spa Hotel

The 26 unique bedrooms are individually decorated, 15 are in the main house and 11 between the house and Spa each with its own private terrace overlooking the glorious gardens.

The gardens play an important role in the life of Congham Hall, providing homegrown produce for the restaurant tables. The hotel's restaurant aims to locally source the majority of its ingredients from within a 20-mile radius with the kitchen garden providing a variety vegetables as well as herbs.

Enjoy a drink in a relaxed, informal atmosphere at the hotel bar, library, lounge or outside on the terrace before or after sampling the new menu in the restaurant.

While staying at Congham Hall dip into the Secret Garden Spa and enjoy a swim in its stunning 12 metre swimming pool. The tranquil atmosphere is the ideal place for 1-2-1 swimming lessons. Lessons are available for complete beginners, stroke technique improvement or to improve fitness through swimming and water based exercise.

The Secret Garden Spa Pool at Congham Hall

The pool area is also home to two experience showers, a Finnish style sauna, a bio-sauna, and a steam room. There are also foot baths, an outdoor hot tub and, within the pool itself, various massaging jets.

Still need to relax? Then book one of the fabulous treatments from the Spa team who have incorporated some of the seasonal herbs and fresh blossoming flowers to create a unique treatment  menu. Congham Hall Signature treatments, include an elemental herbal facial and a rosemary muscle melt massage  to replenish and restore your body and mind.

A spa room at Congham Hall

Additional facilities at Congham include the newly refurbished tennis court (tennis rackets and balls are available to borrow and coaching can be organised in advance at £20 per hour) a trampoline, putting green and croquet lawn. The hotel will also provide you with DVDs, books and games, not to mention Dubarry boots should you wish to go on one of the many circular walks available from the grounds or explore further afield: the splendid sandy beaches of the North Norfolk coast, bustling market towns, nature reserves and the Queen’s beloved Sandringham Estate (open till the end of October), are all within easy reach.

Congham Hall is conveniently close to the Sandringham Estate.

The fabulous Houghton Revisited exhibition http://www.houghtonrevisited.com/ has been extended, by popular demand to the 24 November.

So what are you waiting for! Book now for a Congham Hall Autumn break. Their 'mid week TWO night Autumn Break available Sunday to Thursday till 19th December 2013 is a great deal!

Better and Best Main House Rooms including breakfast are available at £399 including dinner on both nights (with a £35 per person allowance for dinner).

All Garden Rooms including breakfast are available at £499 including dinner on both nights (with a £35 per person allowance for dinner).

Congham Hall still has a handful of rooms available over Christmas and New Year and plenty of special events planned including; mulled wine and mince pies in front of the log fire; carols round the Christmas tree; champagne cocktails and 7 course tasting menus. (include link) http://www.conghamhallhotel.co.uk/christmas-at-congham-hall-2013/

Please Note - this is a sponsored post.

A Coeliac in Spain - Gluten Free at Cambrils Park, Salou & PortAventura

We spent this August at the fantastic Cambrils Park resort. Before we left I spent hours on the internet researching gluten free food options and didn't find much. I asked Cambrils Park themselves via their Facebook site if we would be able to eat anything and whilst they replied "you will be able to find gluten free food here" I was more than a little concerned due to my lack of google findings.

After a disappointing experience flying with British Airways (BA) to Barcelona airport (where there were no gluten free food options available on board) and a long bus journey we finally arrived at Cambrils Park just before 8pm, exhausted and starving. After checking in we headed straight to the onsite supermarket, with 10 minutes left until closing time.

I can't tell you the relief we felt when we turned down the second aisle and came face to face with an impressive gluten free selection - everything from bread to cakes, pasta, biscuits, flour and even frozen gluten free pizzas and baguettes!

On the off-chance we wandered over to the poolside bar restaurant and asked if they had any gluten free items. At first the waiter was confused as his English was not so good (but far better than my Spanish!), then he had a lightbulb moment and said "ahhh menu celiaco, I bring menu celiaco", I could have cried when he returned with a whole menu just for coeliacs! It wasn't very huge, but had enough to keep us happy. We ordered a ham and cheese pizza and whilst it was very small it was delicious. We also ate the rotisserie chicken a couple of times which was gorgeous and gluten free (though the chips were not) So a big thumbs up to Cambrils Park for their gluten free offerings, my only complaint is that I was disappointed not to be able to eat their paella.

I hadn't read good things about Port Aventura's gluten free catering and having been to Universal in Florida (they are owned by the same company) and experiencing their shockingly awful gluten free catering (which is pretty much non-existant) I wasn't holding out much hope. When it came to lunch time we decided to try the Mexican restaurant (Restaurant La Hacienda) as we figured we may be able to eat the nachos if nothing else. I thought it was worth a short asking if they had a "menu coeliaco" - instantly the waitress said "Si, si" and appeared a minute later with a dedicated gluten free menu. We opted for a pizza (again! 11 year old boys aren't so adventurous!) with a side of gluten free fries from a dedicated fryer, though the menu did have a lot more choice.

I had heard a rumour that McDonalds in Spain serves gluten free buns so whilst waiting for our flight home from Barcelona El Prat airport we popped into the airside McDonalds. Thankfully they had automated ordering machines with English translations so we didn't have to try to explain what we wanted and lo and behold - gluten free bun options! I have to confess they weren't the nicest buns, typically dry and powdery, but it really was a treat to be able to get a burger in a bun!

So - in summary, if you're heading to Cambrils, Salou, Barcelona or Port Aventura as a Coeliac, don't panic, there will be plenty of options available.

Happy Holidays!

Review - The Smurfs 2 and Jakks Pacific Toys

Summer holiday fatigue has just begun to set in, so it came as very welcome relief to be invited to a special Smurfs 2 screening with Jakks Pacific toys last weekend.

The children loved the first Smurfs film and had been badgering me to see the second one. On Sunday we set off early to the Covent Garden Odeon and were greeted by an array of Smurf characters who welcomed us into the cinema. After selecting drinks and a bag of toffee popcorn each we settled down to watch the film, which was actually pretty good! I'm really not a fan of kids' movies and have had to watch my fair share lately, but even my hardened adult heart softened at this one. I was also surprised at Katy Perry's Smurfette which was actually pretty convincingly good! 

The film centres around Smurfette who has been captured by the evil Gargomel in a devious plan to extract Smurf essence to enact world domination. As you would expect the day is saved, by a very old looking Dougie Howser MD (am I *really* that old too?!) and Emma from Glee, along with Papa Smurf and crew. Lots of laughs and even a few tears ensued and everyone left happy and uplifted. 

After the film it was time for some crazy entertainment Smurf style (that even my 'too cool' 11 year old enjoyed - though of course, he'd never actually tell you that!) and a look at the new Jakks Smurf toy range which are available from most large UK toy retailers now. The children were all given a little character to take away which they absolutely loved and have taken pride of place in their bedrooms.

My 6 year old daughter fell in love with the Smurfette fashion doll which is quite reasonably priced at £14.99. The official description for the toy reads: "Measuring 3 apples high, Smurfette has been transformed into a 7.5” Fashion Doll  complete with fabulous mix and match outfits to brighten any blue day! Simply snap on one of her Smurfy dress combinations, add a stylish accessory, pop on shoes and Smurfette is ready for anything! With flowing stylable hair and a unique Smurf Berry scent, this glamorous jet set Smurf has everything she needs to help her stay up to date with the latest Smurf trends!" 

All in all we had a great day, so a big thank you to Norton and Co. for inviting us! 

Disclaimer: I was not paid to write this post though we did receive free tickets for the movie.