the tontine in record
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7/30/2019 The Tontine in Record
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Page 34 Daily Record Saturday, May
travel
somewhere that has attractstellar cast, the anticipationthe cost of a bevvy and a mbe astronomical not so.
In a restaurant called La Mjust off the narrow, windingstreet the Corso Umberto, yhave a pizza for less than 10and a glass of potent wine f
The view from the table obalcony where we were basin the sun after leaving Sibeconditions in Scotland was
The miracle is that while through the shopping heavemy dearest the place is crwith boutiques, art galleriejewellery shops, everythingbookies and an off-licence spontaneously combust.
In June, the main square iTaormina hosts a film festivin the past has been attendAudrey Hepburn, Gregory PRobert De Niro and Colin Fi
OK, enough of the name-d
Late deals Flying from Glasgow, August 17, seven nights on theCosta Del Sol, at the three-star La Fonda Apartments.Self-catering from 385 per person.Flying from Glasgow, June 22, 14 nights in Majorca, at thethree-star Europa Apts. S/C from 1399 for family of three.
Flying from Glasgow, June 8, 14 nights in Benidat the three-star Mont Park. Half-board from499 per person. For these and other deals, visitwww.barrheadtravel.co.uk or call 0141 222 2223.
The historicresort of
Taormina inSicily hasplenty of
star qualityand is the
perfect placeto unwind
THE most famous son of S icily,Don Vito Corleone wasdescribed in The Godfatherby his consigliere, Tom Hagan,as a man who demands to
hear bad news immediately.The good news is there is no badnews to report from the island, whichlies south-west of the boot of Italy.
My wife Caroline and I celebratedour 20th wedding anniversary in theVilla Angela Hotel owned by SimpleMinds frontman Jim Kerr which islocated high above the Ionian Sea inthe idyllic resort of Taormina.
Don Vito Corleone, Jim Kerr if youthink the name-dropping has gone farenough, you aint heard nothing yet.
For instance, in the Piazza IXAprile we enjoyed a drink in theWunderbar, where in 1968 duringone of their more spectacular spatsRichard Burton and Liz Taylorchucked plates at each other.
Former patrons of the same venueinclude Greta Garbo and ErnestHemingway. When you are describing
By Billy Paterson
CELEBRATIONJ Caroline andBilly enjoy a romantic break
TOWNn Everything a touristcould possible desire
at the Tontine, the staff couldnt havebeen more helpful. Anything we neededfor Grace wasnt a problem for them.
When we suggested having dinner inthe laid-back bistro restaurant, asopposed to the more elegant AdamRoom just in case the wee one got a bitover-zealous with her macaroni cheese they said no, we were welcome whereverwe wanted to eat.
Graces high-chair was already set upat the dinner table and the waitressesquickly took to her, even giving hersome toys to play with while she waitedfor her food.
Our room on the first floor wasspacious, with a huge double bed, acot for Grace, flat-screen TV and b igbathroom with shower.
If youve never visited Peebles, youshould have a day out there.
Even the blizzard conditionscouldnt spoil it for us and there wasplenty to fill our day.
The Busy Bees soft-play was ideal forGraces age group and she was able tohave fun while Debbie and I enjoyed arare moment of solitude and some tea.
The Tontine is right in t he middle ofthe High Street in Peebles so everythingis within walking distance, includingthe swimming baths, where we tookGrace on our second day and she lovedevery minute of it.
Overall, wed made the perfect choicefor Graces first wee holiday.
GETAWAYn Peebles was the perfectdestination for young family
Factfle:
HOTELn Child-friendlyand relaxing atmosphere
ITS a scenario every young family mustface that first trip away with yourtoddler in tow.
As a couple, hotel breaks are a treat.A romantic couple of days, away from
the hustle and bustle of work a chanceto pamper yourself a bit. Throw a16-month-old baby into the equationand its a whole different ball game.
My wife Debbie and I decided to takethe plunge with our daughter Gracerecently as we headed for the Bordersand The Tontine Hotel in Peebles.
As much as we were excited about achange of scenery, there was a bit ofapprehension as well.
It was Graces first holiday and a loadof questions swirled around our heads.
Will she sleep in the hotel travel cot?How will she be eating in the hotelrestaurant? What do we do at nightafter getting her to sleep? Those werethe main concerns.
Thankfully, Grace is really wellbehaved and her bubbly nature is a joyto behold. Shes barely been a problemsince the day she was born.
But you just never know how childrenwill react in new surroundings. Also,you question how accommodating thehotel will be.
And how will the other guests react tohaving a wee girl running about theplace? Well, Im delighted to say weneednt have worried about the Tontine.
On its website, it boasts of being oneof the most child-friendly hotels inScotland. Now, thats not to say it hasa crche or a soft-play on site. Far fromit. Its a classy, traditionally Scottish,old-fashioned hotel.
But, as any parent will tell you, its not
about that. Far more important thanthat is an understanding of the needsyou have. From the moment we arrived
By Scott McDermott
Borders break is
just childs play
Scott and family stayed courtesyof The Tontine Hotel, the fourthlargest hotel in the Borders, andyou can visit their website atwww.tontinehotel.com