The Lifton Hall Hotel blog

Romance in the air

2010-02-15T00:09:00.003Z

Although Valentine's Day was a Sunday this year, which isn't always the best of days for celebrating, we managed to make sure there was plenty of love and romance going round.

We spread the luurve and had Valentine's Meals on Saturday night, Sunday lunch and evening. The highlight of the weekend wasn't the delightful raspberry and passion fruit pavlova built to share (which was devinely yummy), no this year the highlight was a marriage proposal (and acceptance) - right in the middle of the restaurant!!

Well done and many congratulations to Gavin and Kirsty - a lovely couple. Have you thought of a venue for the wedding? I know a really lovely little hotel . . .

New year - new website

2010-02-10T23:40:00.004Z

Hello and welcome to 2010. I know it's well and truly here now and that you're probably wondering what I'm going on about - it is February after all! But, this is my first blog of the year, so I'm reserving the right to wish you all Happy New Year.

I must apologise for the severe lack of postings to the blog over the last few months. My only excuse is that Christmas got in the way. That and I had flu! We had a very busy festive season, and although early on it looked as if things may have been quieter than the previous year, we managed to break all our records! We had a lot of fun too along the way, and certainly managed to enter into some of the festive spirit . . . (I'll say no more!)

This last few weeks have been spent tweaking our new website, which I hope you like as much as we do. This site has the facility for me to update regularly, so be sure to stop by every now and then to see the new stuff. Please take a few minutes to have a look around the site and let me know what you think - there's a contact us page for any comments. There are still a few things I need to add and a couple of minor changes to make, but on the whole it's ready - and raring to go!

We're also developing a Newsletter, which will go out quarterly - so you won't be bombarded with emails if you sign-up.

I remember, long ago, promising to do a series of 'Then & Now' blogs, with pictures of the hotel before and after we'd refurbished. I still intend to do these - hopefully over the next few weeks.

All that remains is to wish you all a great 2010 and hope to see you soon!

Christmas is here!

2009-11-15T00:45:00.005Z

Well, would you believe it. Christmas came a little early this year. I know it seems to get earlier every year, but early November?

Tonight, Saturday 14 November, we held our first Christmas Party. A great bunch of driving instructors, who all seemed to have a lovely evening. But, I have to say it did feel a little odd laying-up with crackers and sparkly napkins.

At the Lifton Hall Hotel we do a lovely Christmas Party. I've organised enough office parties and know what it's often like. Throughout December groups of office workers are squashed into small spaces and served, mass prepared food that has had little thought in its design. Service is usually poor and drinks are expensive. I've often advocated taking your Christmas Party in January, when all the hoards have gone and normal quality and service are resumed.

But not at The Lifton Hall Hotel. We do things differently. We never squash groups into small spaces. They are difficult to serve, if nothing else, and not conducive for a good night. We always carefully plan our menu. We also, more importantly, always carefully and elegantly prepare the food so that each dish looks stunning and tastes delightful. And to top it all off, we don't charge an arm and a leg for the privilege.

We still have some places left for Christmas Parties, so if you've yet to book yours give us a call - 01566 784863. This year we have two dinner dances and a murder mystery night if you fancy something a little different from the standard (but lovely) Christmas Meal. Further details are on our website or you can ring us.

Have a great Christmas . . .

More from Halloween

2009-11-07T11:26:00.005Z

Here are a few more photos from last week's halloween party for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Many thanks to Matt for the snaps.

TCT Halloween Party

2009-11-02T13:48:00.004Z

The Lifton Hall Hotel Halloween Party for the Teenage Cancer Trust was lots of fun. We managed to raise over £500 for the charity - so a BIG thank you to everyone who came along and helped to make the night so memorable.

Here are a few snaps of the staff before the night kicked-off. More photos to follow of the guests. Enjoy!

Three years . . . feels like ??

2009-10-25T19:10:00.006Z

Amazingly we've just passed our three year anniversary at The Lifton Hall Hotel. We arrived on a particularly wet 23 October, back in 2006. Looking back it seems so long ago, almost another time.

We've done so much and achieved so much during these three long years and it's not until we stop and really think back to how it was in the beginning that we really appreciate how far we've come.

I remember the first time we had guests in the hotel - two singles - and how timid we were about everything. We wanted to attend to their every need, when all they wanted was a meal and a bed for the night. I also remember our first Saturday night when we had a table of six booked in the restaurant - how we ran around thinking we were very busy. And now, how we moan if we do less than 40 on a Saturday!

Now that we've been at The Lifton Hall Hotel for three years I thought it was good opportunity to look back at some of the things we've changed, and hopefully improved. I thought I'd start with the outside of the hotel. Strictly speaking we didn't change the colour of the hotel, the previous owners did (thank goodness), but we have greatly improved the look by adding window boxes, new umbrellas, better signage and a lot more plants and colour.

Over the next few weeks I'll highlight some of the other areas we've improved. If I can remember I'll mention when the changes were made. And I'll always try to include some before and after photos . . .

TV crews everywhere!!

2009-10-23T16:53:00.006+01:00

It seems that we've developed a bit of a reputation. For no apparent reason we have become a favourite haunt of TV crews filming in West Devon and East Cornwall. Each crew denies passing on our details to any other, but still more and more crews come.

It all began during our first year when one of the brats that had attended Brat Camp was filmed for the programme. She came from Launceston, so Lifton was probably an obvious place for the crew to stay. The same crew returned a few months later to do a follow-up - again we were a logical place to stay.

Next we visited by a crew filming Escape To The Country - complete with the very charming Jules Hudson - who were filming around the area. They filmed inside and outside of the hotel, which was very exciting and even made it to the finished programme!

Our third film crew was for Country House Rescue, along with their presenter Ruth Watson (the hotel inspector). They've been three times now as the programme progresses. Shortly after their first visit we had a second crew from Escape To The Country - this time with the very lovely Alistair Appleton. During CHR's second visit we also had a crew filming a BBC documentary. And during their third stay we were overrun by a production crew making a new advert in Launceston for a national bank. The BBC crew also returned for a follow-up visit as well as another crew making a religious film in the area!

Phew!

Maybe we should edit a short film using all the snippits shot here at the hotel. We'd have quite a few minutes now . . . although perhaps not our 15 yet!

Halloween

2009-10-18T12:55:00.003+01:00

This year Halloween falls on a Saturday. What greater excuse did we need to throw another of our legendary parties? Some of you may remember my blog about last year's party - and tried to forget the photos!

This year we're throwing our party to raise funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust. This charity has been close to our hearts this year so we thought it would be good to give something back! All the proceeds of the ticket sales and 5% of the night's takings are going to the charity. Plus, I'm sure there will be some kind of raffle too!

We hope to raise as much as possible for the TCT and it would be great to see you there. Tickets are £5, which includes entry and dancing - and they're going quickly!! We'll be selling snack food on the night - BBQ burgers or similar - and of course our usual range over the bar, including two surprise guest ales that are suitably spooky!

If you aren't able to make it on the night, have a Happy Halloween, and watch out for the vampire nun!

Water, water everywhere . . .

2009-10-04T12:44:00.007+01:00

. . . but not a drop to drink!

We really like water. Living in Devon, with some of the best coastline in the country, and probably some of the highest rainfall, we've come to love water in all its forms. However, not everyone around the world is so lucky.

At the hotel, every time someone requests a jug of tap water we make a small charge. Then, every six weeks or so we donate this money to the charity WaterAid, who are working to bring drinking water and sanitation to some of the world's poorest countries. We hope that by asking for the donation we're helping to raise awareness of the plight for water that some people have to face. It's probably not a well known fact, but approximately 5000 children die every day from diseases caused by unsafe water - that's one every 15 seconds!!

It's really amazing what the charity are doing around the world, and amazing how much difference even a small donation can make to people's lives. Please take a look at their website for more information.

This month we've managed to donate £43.50, which rises to over fifty pounds when the lovely people at the government give back the tax. So, well done to everyone who's asked for a jug of water . . . keep on drinking!

Busy, busy

2009-10-03T16:01:00.003+01:00

My apologies, but it's been over a month since my last post. This is partly due to the fact that we've been very busy and I've had hardly a moment to scratch my nose (not that I'm complaining), and partly due to the fact that my laptop has recently died, cutting me off from any late night blogging.

Since my last blog we finished decorating Woodstock and have been using it a lot. The room is looking lovely now and we've had some great feedback on it. I have some before and after pictures to add as soon as my laptop is repaired.

The last three months have been our busiest ever. Each month busier than the last. I'm not sure if it's that more folk have stayed in, or visited the UK this year for their holidays, or because our reputation is spreading. I like to think it's predominently the latter, but perhaps it's a bit of both. We've had some more great reviews on Trip Advisor, which I know lots of travellers look at before booking.

Blogs coming soon . . .

Water, water everywhere
TV crews R us!
Halloween charity party
The Lifton Hall Hotel has Christmas all wrapped up

Catch you again later - and I promise not to leave it a month next time!!

Woodstock

2009-08-29T10:57:00.003+01:00

Well, it's changing rooms again at the Lifton Hall Hotel. And this time the room was well overdue for a make-over . . .

We only have a few of the rooms to decorate now. Rob, Sarah and I decided to pick one each and to be responsible for the colour scheme, updating and generally project managing it all. It's Rob's turn at the moment and he chose to decorate Woodstock - on of our twin rooms. (Woodstock is one of the names we're going to change!)

As always we allow ourselves as little time as possible to get the job done. All of our rooms are booked on Wednesday next week, so we need to be finished by Monday (Tuesday at the latest) to allow the room to air properly. The room's refurb has involved moving the main room door and sound-proofing the wall that backs onto reception.

It's a little odd now that the door is in a completely new place. Going in is alright, but leaving the room I have to think twice about which direction to take!

Rob is doing a marvellous job and most of the painting is done. Just a wall to paper and then putting everything back in place. Should be finished in time . . . (fingers crossed!)

A little clue

2009-08-25T09:43:00.002+01:00

I've been trying to think of a way to give you a clue to tonight's BUSTER round. With £115 at stake I don't want to make the clue too obvious, but on the other hand I don't want to be too obtuse either. So, here goes . . .

The round this week is in the style of other BUSTER rounds in the past. And this week it's highly appropriate to people living in the area!

There we are. Good luck!

Jackpot alert

2009-08-20T09:42:00.004+01:00

It's Pub Quiz Night again this coming Tuesday. The jackpot lives on and is now a huge £115. If I remember, early next week, I will post a cryptic clue to the BUSTER round I have planned where you can scoop this amazing prize. I could give you a clue now, but that would give you too much time to think about it!

If you don't already know - quiz starts at 8pm in the bar. We charge £1 per person and encourage teams of no more than 4. You get a snack to nibble on at half-time, and we serve our full menu if you fancy something to eat before or during the fun. The winning team get a prize, as do the losers. It's lots of fun (well I enjoy myself) and not to be taken too seriously!!

See you on Tuesday - and look out for the £115 clue!

What's in a name?

2009-08-17T21:50:00.004+01:00

Those of you who've stayed at The Lifton Hall Hotel will know that our rooms all have names. They're the names we inherited when we moved in and generally people seem to like the fact that the rooms have names and not just numbers.

However, the names we have don't appear to have any relevance to anything to do with the hotel, the village, Devon, or anything (that we've been able to determin). There are theories about how the 10 rooms acquired their names, but the bottomline is that the names seem random and irrelevant.

So, we've decided to change them and after much deliberation we've plumped for famous Devonians. Which of the array of the counties celebrities we pick is still to be finalised, but there are plenty to choose from, ranging from Sir Francis Drake and Agatha Christie to Jo Pavey and Beryl Cook.

It's not quite as simple as deciding on some new names - although that's been quite a mission in itself. Each room's door has a brass name plate that has to be replaced. Each room also has a key fob (and a spare) that, again, need to be replaced. On top of that our on-line booking software uses the room names, and we have internal procedures, paperwork and years of experience of the old names to change. Nothing too difficult, but lots of different things to think about.

Changing the names of the rooms will allow us to have more ownership. It will also allow us to 'theme' the rooms, very slightly, around each of their namesakes. I'm really excited about this new development and will keep you posted. Perhaps I should create a poll to pick the top ten Devonians . . .

Drinking locally

2009-08-15T10:07:00.004+01:00

We always try to stock locally produced drinks in our bar. Currently this includes beers, lagers, ciders, water and a range of soft drinks. Sadly, we don't yet have any locally produced wines.

Two new editions to our range this week are Luscombe's Organic St. Clements and Old Moors Cider with Blackberry, both which come from Devon.

We've been selling a few of the Luscombe drinks since we first arrived in Lifton (nearly 3 years ago now). We really like them and they've all proven to be popular alternatives to some of the more commercially known juice-style drinks. Their St Clements is a welcome addition to our range of Hot Ginger Beer, Strawberry Lemonade, Raspberry Lemmonade (my favourite with a shot of gin!), and Apple and Pear Juice, which won a Great Taste Gold Award in 2007.

We've only recently started stocking Old Moors from The Devon Cider Company. They make a range of different ciders and the one flavoured with Blackberry is really lovely. We already sell their Pear Cider, which I have to say is far nicer than another well known Irish brand.

If you have any suggestions for other locally produced drinks (or foods for that matter), please let us know.

Tree-surfing

2009-08-09T09:43:00.007+01:00

In our mission to find new and exciting things to tell you about, that you might like to do, in the area of the hotel Rob and I went tree-surfing this week. What's tree-surfing you might ask? Basically, it's climbing high into the tree canopy, swinging on ropes, crossing walkways and descending zip-wires.

Tree-surfers has been open for only a few months and already proving to be very popular. They describe the attraction as an

"incredible treetop eco-trail [that] transports you to the truly awesome
canopy of one of Britain's prized woodlands."

"Test your limits, and get a natural high. A complex of ladders, rope bridges, zip wires and walkways gives you the freedom to explore our astounding native broadleaf trees from the top down... and all in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Don't just get close to nature. Be part of it."

Rob's not great with heights, but you soon forget how high up you are. We both felt totally safe all the way round the course, that took us about 2 and a half hours to complete. It's fairly strenuous but lots of fun - as our pictures show.

Summertime

2009-08-03T23:59:00.003+01:00

Summer's here! And to celebrate, our Tuesday Night Food Club this week is a BBQ. Yes, I know the weather forecast isn't good, but the good old British spirit will see us through!

We're not insisting on everyone sitting outside. No, only Rob (the chef) will need to go out if the weather is inclement. But, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the sun will make an appearance - even if it's a brief one!

The BBQ is fully booked, but if you fancy coming along to any of our other food nights, drop us an email (relax@liftonhall.co.uk) or call 01566 784863 for more info.

White lines

2009-08-02T12:16:00.003+01:00

I'm very happy. After months of searching for the right person for the job we've finally had the white lines repainted on our car park. I know, I'm very sad to be so excited about this.

Our car park isn't huge - I think we can fit in about 18 cars - but it works best when everyone parks considerately. Unfortunately, without prescriptive white lines, this wasn't happening. Well, now it will . . .

As well as the standard parking lines we've added a disabled space and the words 'WELCOME' and 'GOOD BYE'. It all looks great and has lifted the look of the car park, which had begun to look a little shabby!!

Warning

2009-07-31T10:35:00.005+01:00

I've received the following in a a couple of emails and thought you might find it amusing.

Do you suffer from shyness? Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?
If you answered yes, ask your GP about a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. It can help ease you out of your shyness and let you tell th eworld you're ready and willing to do anything. Side effects may include dizziness, nausea, delusions of grandeur, table dancing, headache and a desire to sing karaoke.

Warning

The consumption of Sauvignon Blanc may make you believe you are whispering when you are not.

It may cause you to tell your friends over and over again how much you love them.

It may create the illusion that you are better-looking and smarter than others.

Of course, we sell a lovely Sauvignon Blanc . . .

Quick quiz update

2009-07-29T14:48:00.003+01:00

It was the pub quiz last night. A new team won the overall quiz - Grandma's Guess - so well done to them. The booby prize went to one of our regular teams, but I won't embarrass them by naming them! Although they came last, they do get to have the Joker at the next quiz, which entitles them to double points in a round of their choice.

The BUSTER round, with the jackpot, wasn't won. As a result the jackpot increases to £110 for the next quiz, which is on Tuesday 11 August.

If you fancy coming along and joining in the fun and games, please do. We start the quiz at about 8pm in the bar - although it's advisable to arrive earlier than this to get a table!

What do you think?

2009-07-27T16:34:00.003+01:00

If you read this blog did you know that you can leave comments? There are different ways to add your comments, depending on where it is you read the blog.

If you're looking at the blog on the main hotel website you can add your comment about my latest rambling, by clicking any of the titles. This will take you to the main blogging site, where you can add a new comment by clicking 'Post a comment' under the number of comments that have been left.

If you follow the blog via the blogger site simply click where it says how many comments there are (just under the particular blog text) and follow the instructions.

You don't have to be a member, or even to leave your name - you could use a nickname. It would be great to get some feedback and to make the blog (and our website) more interactive.

If you visit the blogger site you'll see there's a question running, that has a few days left to go. I'm trying to get a feel about who's reading the blog - so if you've got a spare minute please "place your vote"!

Cheers!

Bonus ball

2009-07-20T16:22:00.006+01:00

One of the things we do in the pub of the hotel is a weekly bonus ball game. It's not an original idea - I've certainly seen it done in a few pubs near us. But it is a bit of fun and we also use it to raise some cash for charity.

For those who possibly don't know what its all about - the game is based around the Saturday Night Lotto draw. Each week pub regulars, guests and staff alike, buy a number between 1 and 49 for £1. If their chosen number matches the bonus ball from the Lotto draw they win the prize fund. The fund is made up of all the £1s minus £5, which we give to charity every week. If no one has picked the number then the fund rolls over to the following week.

The charities we're supporting are:

The Cystic Fibrosis Trust

Devon Air Ambulance

Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Thank you to everyone who continues to play and to support these great charities.

It's raining, it's pouring

2009-07-18T00:50:00.002+01:00

If you've ever wondered why Devon is so green and luscious, it's because it rains so much! The last few days have been testament to this - BIG TIME!

I don't want to give the wrong impression, because it doesn't rain all the time - probably no more than lots of other places in the UK. It is slightly warmer, however, which may account for the extra, greenness!

Despite all the rain in the last few days, Devon remains a beautiful place to live in and to visit. I've lived here nearly 3 years now and the rolling hills and wild landscapes never cease to amaze me. I may be driving a road I've often gone down, and turn a corner that I've travelled time and again, but every time it's different in some way - more spectacular, more beautiful. It's not often that we stop and appreciate our surroundings, but living in Devon I try to do just this - every chance I get.

The jackpot lives on

2009-07-16T09:57:00.002+01:00

At the quiz this week the Buster Round was all about books of the old testament. I gave the names of 12 books and the teams had to say if they were old testament or not. One team got 11 right and were so close to winning the £100 jackpot they could almost taste it!

For the next quiz, in two weeks time, the jackpot rises by another £5.

I'm sure everyone things I try to make it hard so no one ever wins. Thing is, I can't make it too easy as lots of teams will win. So I try to pick a subject that only one team will win - which is really difficult to do. I really thought one team would know their Bible!

No one understands the pressure I'm under . . .

100 and not out (yet)!

2009-07-13T19:32:00.005+01:00

Back in May I wrote about the jackpot in our pub quiz, which had reached the princely sum of £85. The rollover jackpot lives on and tomorrow's quiz sees the prize swollen to an amazing £100! A ton! A century.

As always, to win the jackpot teams have to answer all 12 questions correctly. And, also as usual, the Buster Round (as I call it) is never easy.

The last quiz occured while I was away, so to make sure that no one won the jackpot (then £95), I set a real stinker of a Buster. I compiled a list of 12 different hormones and teams had to guess which part of the body they came from! I'm sure there must of been a few groans when that one was announced!!

As to this week's Buster. Any clues? All I'll say is it's about a lot of old books - most of which I haven't read!