My love of travel which never fades very far has been massively re-enthused by Looby remarking that she wanted to stay in hotels which have great views.  I'm historically unlucky with room requests often staying in beautiful locations but having views of the bins or the carpark outside my hotel window so when she made the above request and also said she wanted to have a night in Edinburgh I looked to see what the best view I could find was and I found this...

The view from our balcony in the Apex Grassmarket hotel Edinburgh was one of the best and most wonderful views I've ever experienced.  watching the light change over Edinburgh castle is a magical thing and it made me want to experience other great hotel room views.

Now, it's been forever since I've wanted to stay in the Hilton, Manchester Deansgate, the hotel is situated in the Beetham tower which has floor to ceiling views of Manchester, I took Abigail there to their bar on the 23rd floor once for a tiny hot chocolate and the views were insane.

We also recently struck lucky on our trip to Corfu, staying in the Potamaki Beach hotel, now I wouldn't call it a luxury hotel but it did afford us with the most amazing views over the Ionian sea, I booked a balcony room not knowing if we would get a great view so it was just case of realising how lucky we'd been.

A few years ago, I remember also going on a trip to Scotland, it was just after we'd adopted Petunia the Husky and around the time of Paul's birthday and I booked a last minute break to the Clachan Cottage hotel, right on the banks of Loch Earn in Lochearnhead.  Our family room looked directly onto the loch  and remains to be one of the most amazing views from a hotel room that I've ever experienced.

That's the thing though isn't it?  Scotland rarely disappoints with it's surrounding views from hotels because it's just such a beautiful place, I think in amongst the hotel listings you just have to be a little savvy and search for hotels with great views or hotels with balconies, after all, in the UK I would doubt that you're going to build a hotel with balconies if they're over the bins, I've also come to realise that in most cases, the higher the floor in the hotel, the better the chances you'll end up with a good view although this isn't always the case.  From now on when I book hotels I'm going to fill in the "any requests" on the booking forms and always request a room with a lovely view, now I realise that this isn't always possible but I do think that hotels do try and accommodate their patrons where possible.  Some hotels just don't have great views though, no matter how amazing, I took Looby to the five star Sheraton Grand in Edinburgh for her birthday a couple of years ago and the hotel was completely gorgeous and utterly fabulous, the view however was mostly underwhelming.

Do you think it's important for a hotel to have a great view?  I'm curious to know and if you've ever stayed in a hotel with an amazing vista please do get in touch so I can add it to my list of places I want to stay.

Hawthorns Summer Menu Launch, Crowne Plaza, Newcastle Upon Tyne

I increasingly visit a lot of hotels but Crowne Plaza remains one of my favourite hotel brands, it's the big rooms and the little touches like the It Works spray you get in every room to help you sleep at night, when you stay in hotels as often as I do, it's exactly those small touches which make you remember a brand.  Last year I stayed at the Crowne Plaza, Victoria dock when I visited London in the summer.

The Crowne Plaza, Stephenson Quarter is a fairly new arrival to Newcastle and so when I received an invitation to their Hawthorns restaurant

summer menu launch I knew it was going to be a great event.

Hawthorns restaurant is bright and airy, spacious and swish, it oozes style and quality and with a commitment to use as much locally sourced produce as possible it's somewhere I'm happy to dine.

Amazing sea food, piles of cheeses, pretty platters of petit desserts all went together to serve up a feast which satisfied the eyes as much as it did the stomach.  Oysters, Langoustines, prawns and mussels all served icy cold and fresh were as good as any seafood I'd previously eaten, the Oyster was divine, I never refuse Oysters, a good oyster makes you feel like you are swimming in the salty ocean on a calm tranquil day with the sunshine in the sky and blue all around you, to eat one is to be as close to nature as you can possibly imagine and whilst I realise they're not for everyone they are definitely for me!

As well as the platters of tasty foods there was also a BBQ serving up the freshest, tastiest meats, lamb cooked so perfectly that it simply melted in the mouth.

It wasn't just the food though, the Ouseburn coffee company were serving espresso martinis and Fentimans were also present serving fruity summer cocktails like the warm apple pie which reminded me of Saturday mornings baking with granny, only slightly more alcoholic.  Add to that some live music, a DJ, pretty summer flower borders with towering alliums and a group of my lovely blogging friends Chloe, Pixie, Nyomi, Laura, Melissa and Ashleigh  and you have yourself the perfect combination for a party you just don't want to leave.

After thoroughly sating my appetite with the tastiest morsels in the north combined with refreshments to delight even the pickiest of tastebuds I was sad to find that the time had slipped before me and all too soon it was time to go home and go for a run, yes I actually went for a run, I'm not sure how I even managed it after 4 alcoholic beverages, creme brulee, clotted cream, seafood, bbq, I can tell you though that I felt a lot more virtuous for having come home and gone for a run instead of just going home and going straight to bed!

I was invited to Hawthorns and wrote this article with my own views, photos and of course my own photos and I was so impressed by the offerings that I even bought afternoon tea vouchers for my lovely friends Laura and Harriet and I can't wait to go back in the summer with them.

11 of the best dog friendly places in North East England

Holly Bobbins, my wonderful beagle best friend who loves adventures, days out, holidays, pubs and cake!

It's been a while since Holly Bobbins and I compiled our last list of dog friendly places in the north east so I thought it was time to give you all an update and to help you in your quest to find the friendliest places to take your pooches we'll be scoring places with "Barks out of 10"  Holly came up with that, not me, honest! During our visits we are either on our own, with best friend Petunia the Husky or sometimes we join other lovely doggies too! I should also add that this list is in no particular order and that it was supposed to be the top 10 but I really couldn't narrow it down past 11!

Petunia the Husky is Holly's best friend forever, they see each other nearly every day and we often go out for cake together.

1. Teasy Does It - Holly and I love Teasy Does It, we go here a lot, there's a friendly welcome, great cake and treats available for all four legged friends. It's located on Heaton Park Road. Barks out of 10 - 9
2. Heaton Perk - I'd been a regular customer for years but it was only by chance that I found out that they're dog friendly, it's a very chilled out vibe and the food is great, it can get very busy at weekends but we love it in summer when you can sit outside in the lovely backyard. It's located on Heaton Park road, pretty much opposite Teasy Does It. Barks out of 10 - 8
3. Lola Jeans - I've visited Lola Jeans a couple of times, it's in the city centre on Market Street so a great place for lunch should Holly Bobbins and I fancy ourselves a bit of an urban walkies, they do incredible platters and great tasty morsels, it's got a really chilled out vibe and big comfy sofas and if you are visiting Tynemouth you'll also find another Lola Jeans in the centre of Tynemouth Village.  Barks out of 10 - 8
4. Heaton Ingredient - A new kid on the block based on Heaton Road, it opened last year and we've never had anything but a lovely welcome, it's petit and the food is amazing, make sure you try the french toast or the Porridge on a platter with toast, perfect breakfast to set you up on a cold and frosty morning. Barks out of 10 - 9
5. Brandling Villa - Holly Bobbins and I think this the epitome of what a dog friendly place should be, I think in part to the fact that Frank the resident beagle often comes down into the bar for a wander and Holly has the hots for Frank ;) This pub goes to so much trouble that they even have their own doggy menu!  Barks out of 10 - 10
6. St Mary's Inn - Holly Bobbins and I stayed here, you can read about our dog friendly mini break to the St Mary's Inn and then if you have the woofing puppies you might just want to head there yourselves, I love that you can turn up and have the best afternoon tea, it's the same chef as Jesmond Dene House hotel, a favourite of mine although not dog friendly unfortunately.  Barks out of 10 - 10
7. The Beehive The Beehive in Earsdon is super dog friendly, you can have a doggy meal deal and you sit in a special dog friendly room, your dog can even partake in some dog beer (non alcoholic) and the rest of the menu for humans is simply fabulous. Barks out of 10 - 9
8. Surf Cafe, Tynemouth This cosy cafe gets so busy because of the amazing food that you have to be lucky to get a seat but if you can you can be sure the staff will make a fuss of your dogs and give them treats and maybe a tummy rub. Barks out of 10 - 9
9. Cafe Des Amis I love this cafe in Morpeth, I go there so often they know Holly now and her best friend Petunia, they get treats and cuddles and the staff are always delighted to see us, the dog friendly conservatory is at the back of the coffee house and it's always warm, don't forget to try the cafe coffee, the cafe sandwich and the half and half cake!  Barks out of 10 - 10!
10. Kitscheners Vintage Cafe This quirky vintage cafe in the dog friendly Land of Green Ginger and dogs are given the loveliest welcome, treats and water bowls, the food is casual dining and they have great cakes and pancakes! Barks out of 10 - 9
11. Keel Row This lovely little pub sits on the way to Seaton Deleval and has welcomed Holly Bobbins and Petunia the Husky on many occasions, the food is amazing value for money and it's all home cooked, just like granny used to make! - Barks out of 10 - 8

Frank, resident beagle of Brandling Villa

KT belongs to Laura of Sharpe Recruitment and we love her

Do you go to anywhere you would like to recommend Holly and I try, perhaps you are the owners of a dog friendly pub/cottage/restaurant or coffee house, if you are then I want to hear from you, Holly and I are actively looking for new places to stay and review so get in touch right now!