Blog

Half Price Ceases Soon! (2020 deal now expired)

Dear Trimstone Manor Friend

I do hope that you had a good summer – it’s certainly been very busy for us!  It’s amazing some of the stories about accommodation we have heard – is it really true that a large local camp site (with facilities, granted) is charging £86 a night, per person for camping and that they were full?  It really puts a different perspective on rates which other places with warmth, comfort and no rain beating-down on them were charging!  Enquiries have still been coming even when we have been full too, with desperate people either from cancelled accommodation elsewhere or having been going stir-crazy after a prolonged period of lockdown.  Some are curiously also imagining ‘last minute discounts’ whereas some agencies instead have been ratcheting prices up significantly because of the scarcity of availability!  Still try though as you never know what gaps there may be.

It’s been a major challenge with cleaning after guests have vacated too – as a deeper clean and disinfecting of course has been needed after each change, prolonging the process and deferring check-in times.  However, we are managing it with our great team and with only a few hiccoughs (which are inevitable however hard we try).  Our guests have been very good with observance of the social distancing and other rules and of course we have space to ‘spread out’ too which makes it easier.  Thank goodness it seems that there have been no or so few reports of Covid19 outbreaks despite the millions of visitors to the South West!  That’s really great news.  We’ve really enjoyed meeting people this year too – some lovely folk and I am pleased to say not a single nasty or aggressive and unreasonable one – which again is usually an inevitability!  Of course, not everything goes to plan but we try our hardest to sort any issues as soon as we can when they are raised with us, from blown light bulbs to water stopping, broken windows, leaky u-bends or whatever happens!

Incidentally, a guest has left some expensive sun-glasses behind in the Hotel – anyone claim them?  They did not seem to be in any specific room etc.  Describe them and they can be sent on their way!

We think that Helen is our ‘step queen’.  She has been great to help with the changeovers and has been using one of the fitness gadgets to measure her steps.  So for one August week, Helen banked 123,458 steps, primarily on Hotel & Cottage duties against what may be an average say 35,000 without special ‘exercise’ like a run or long walk.  Phew!  I can tell I’ll owe her big-time after this season is out!

Just how good has your holiday wifi been?  We remain one of the few establishments having paid the considerable cost for wired internet.  At point of writing, for our few cottages and Hotel rooms, we had eighty-five devices connected to the wifi at the same time – how dependable would that have been had we not had super-speedy wifi and all for free!

HALF PRICE OFFER CEASES SOON!

Well, Monday through Wednesday we have been pretty busy with half-price cream teas, breakfasts and some High Teas.  You have till the end of Monday 31 August to qualify!

INFAMY! INFAMY!  THEY ALL HAVE IT IN FOR ME!

Well, are our Cream Teas amongst the best in the West Country?  ‘South West News’ suggests it might well be true, thank you!  http://southwestnews.co.uk/local-living/ten-best-places-cream-tea-devon#comment-160125

THE FASTEST WIFI

We have the fastest holiday accommodation wifi in the whole area with fully fibre-optic, super, direct to the local Exchange.  We were slower than most but now faster than 99% in the UK!  We always believed in free wifi. Holidaymakers need good internet.  When I go away (however rare!), I must work and others do too.  For entertainment – or for their children, it is important and with no access restrictions on broadband width either!

This is not only for tourists but for business.  Wifi and mobile signals nearby are pretty poor (check before you go elsewhere!) so no frustration here.  We shall also be open for conference facilities too when we can, so imagine streaming presentations – no interruptions or slow speeds – plus reliability and delegates having great wifi.   This is encouraging more guests (even out of season for those escaping for work projects to enjoy the surroundings too).

So come, stay and see.  Average Broadband download speeds in the UK are 46.2mbps and upload speeds of 6.2mbps. Trimstone’s is 300Mbps download and 30mbps upload.  This means you can download an Ultra HD film (70gb) in 31 minutes compared to 3.24 hours on the average speed.

Looking forward to seeing you sometime!

My very best wishes and keep safe now!

 

Philip & Helen Milton