A Merry Christmas to all our clients!

Christmas Day is approaching at a whirlwind speed and pretty soon it will be too late to worry about whether we have remembered to send out all our Christmas cards or if we have bought a big enough turkey.  It's almost a relief isn't it that whatever we have forgotten won't matter soon?

Everyone at Apley Holiday Cottages sends our warmest best wishes for Christmas to all our clients and we thank you for your custom over the past twelve months and for the lovely words of encouragement and praise you have been kind enough to leave in the visitors' books.

The fact that so many of you have told us that you will be returning next year is very gratifying.

The 'post Christmas lull' between Boxing Day and the New Year is a good time to think about next year's holidays and if you are looking to book an out of season break then please give us a ring to discuss your needs and any offers that we may have.  Alternatively, the website is continually updated and booking a holiday on line at any time of the year couldn't be easier.

Christmas Events

This year seems to have flown by and we are now approaching the headlong rush into the Christmas period, so if you feel like recharging your batteries and fortifying yourself ready for the big day, then why not take advantage of our very competitive bargain breaks?

It could be very nice just to enjoy a break away and do absolutely nothing.

Alternatively if you love Christmas and wish to extend the festivities there are plenty of events happening locally to whet your appetite and here are just a few examples:

• Why not take an atmospheric steam journey to visit Santa in his grotto at Arley?  Santa also visits each child personally on the train to hand out gifts
• The RAF Museum at Cosford is a brilliant day out in its own right, but they are also organising a Wartime Christmas special event on 11th and 12th December.  Discover what it was like to celebrate Christmas during World War 2 and enjoy some delicious wartime treats in the Refuel Restaurant.
• Experience the sights and sounds of a Victorian Christmas at the World Heritage site of Blists Hill on 11th and 12th December
• Weston Park is hosting a Christmas Fair on 11th and 12th December.  With over 30 food and craft stalls and a Christmas trail through the house.  If all the activities make you hungry there is a delicious hog roast on hand.

All these attractions are within a 10 mile radius of Apley Holiday Cottages.

Autumn at Apley

Following our very busy (and successful!!) summer, we have taken the opportunity this week to give the cottages a 'once over' to make sure that our own exacting standards are maintained.

Luckily there was very little to do but our painters have been in touching up, and everything is looking pristine once again.

The Park really is spectacular.  We read somewhere that the exceptionally mild autumn weather has led to even more colours in the leaves this year and that most certainly seems to be the case at Apley.

There is a definite suggestion this week that it is turning colder and it would be very pleasant to snuggle down in front of the wood burner in either of our cottages with a lovely bottle of wine, provided in our welcome pack.

We have chosen not to charge for additional logs this autumn and so you could stoke up the wood burner as often as you like to maintain the ambience in the evening, having returned from a bracing walk or day out exploring.

In November there are Christmas Fairs in both Church Stretton and Ludlow, and to reach either of them from Apley you would drive through beautiful, unspoilt Shropshire countryside.

Why not take advantage of our off peak offers to enjoy a stay in this beautiful part of the country at such a lovely time of year.

Book a week and pay the weekend rate!!

To celebrate our success in winning the Silver Tourism Award we are pleased to offer a special rate for week long stays at either Linley Station House or Forge Cottage outside the peak times. 

Book a week and pay the weekend rate!!

This offer is available for holidays taken in November and December 2010, excluding 18th - 31st December, and January 2011, excluding 1st - 6th.

To book just call or email us quoting the reference WWR.

Apley Park In Autumn

This time of year the Park at Apley is beautiful, with the ever changing colours of the trees providing a magnificent backdrop to the cottages, and the Severn Gorge is dramatic at any time of year.  

So why not take advantage of our off-peak prices to enjoy a few days well earned rest before the onset of the headlong rush into Christmas?

Apley Holiday Cottages wins prestigious tourism award!!

Last week we attended the Heart of England Excellence in Tourism Awards in Birmingham, having been shortlisted for the best self catering establishment in the Heart of England and we were very pleased to have come away with a SILVER award, which was marvellous considering how short a time we have been open.

It was a very glitzy affair, hosted by popular TV anchorman Bob Warman, and it was good to rub shoulders with the “great and the good” from the tourist industry!

 

We are continually striving to improve and hope to gain a GOLD at the awards next year.  The organisers were certainly complimentary about our cottages, so fingers crossed.

Hello and welcome to our first ever blog!

Our aim is to keep our guests, both old and new, informed of things which we hope you might find interesting and to this end we would very much value your input – let us know what you particularly like about the cottages and things that you don’t – that way we will continue to improve.

The last twelve months or so have certainly been hectic to say the least.  From the moment we started working on Linley Station we realised we had something special on our hands, and our guests certainly think so too.  It was vital to provide all the modern amenities which guests, quite rightly, have come to expect, but yet maintaining the feel of a country railway station from the period between the wars.  It was a balancing act which we hope we have achieved.

We think we have got it right because people have been kind enough to leave some really lovely comments in the visitors’ book and the number of repeat bookings is gratifying.