After an uneventful week in school I was looking forward to heading home for the weekend to see the family and relax a bit. It was my aunts birthday so all the girls in my family were heading to Farnham Estate hotel and spa for the night and I was very excited as I have never had a proper spa experience. Although the weekend did not get off to the perfect start.

Friday here was a public holiday to commemorate Armistice  which ended the fighting on the western from in WWI. As the transport in Draguignan is not great at the best of times, throw in a public holiday and things get complicated. I will admit that it was partly my fault as I read the bus timetable wrong but it is not easy to read. So I decided to get the bus at 4 which would give me plenty of time for the train before my flight. Only on holidays the bus doesn’t go at 4. I had to wait until 5 which was a little stressing as it meant I would have little time to get to the airport. This stress wasn’t helped by the couple of drunks who decided to sit beside me at the Gare which meant I had to do a little tour and come back in about 10 mins. Eventually the bus came and I was on my way to the station to catch the train. If the transport in France was amazing and efficient I would have tonnes of time to get to my flight, but that’s just not the way it is. It felt like the train stopped at every stop as I looked at the minutes ticking away, the stress growing inside me. I was going to have to do a Usain Bolt and sprint from the station to the airport. The train finally arrived at my station after what felt like an age and I began the power walking/sprinting to the airport. I found some people with suitcases to follow as well so I found my way but I definitely worked up a sweat. I through security at 7:55pm and boarded my flight at 8:20pm which was a little to close for comfort for me. I just had time to grab a quick Starbucks and get a Christmas cup. I had the Fudge Hot Chocolate which was amazing although I didn’t have much time to enjoy it as I was thinking about my flight but I will get it again and savour the flavour. All worked out in the end and I landed safe and sound in Dublin to be greeted by my parents. On the way home we got chipper chips as I was starving and then I fell into my bed which was amazing, there is something about your own bed that is just like the best thing ever!

Saturday morning we were up bright and early to pick up my aunt and head up to Cavan to the hotel. The sun was shining and the drive was nice catching up on all the news. The drive up to the hotel is beautiful as it is surrounded by 1300 acres of land and going up the driveway all you can see is green. You also get a bus from the car park up to the hotel which I thought was very cool, made me feel very fancy. While we were waiting for our rooms to be ready we decided to have some lunch which was lovely. I had a gorgeous ham and cheese toastie with chips that filled a gap. Then it was time to don our robes and slippers and hit the spa. I was very excited as I had never really had a proper spa day and was looking forward to just relaxing. We started in the pool which was half indoors and half outdoors which was very cool. There were also jets around the pool which were perfect for relaxing and having a little massage. The we decided to hit up the different rooms, such as the steam room, sauna and laconium. I have to say I am not a lover of heat such as in the sauna but I loved the laconium which had more of a gradual heating to it and it was very relaxing. It was so nice to just walk around and relax in the poor or the other rooms not worrying about anything. There is also a little cafe in the spa that you can go to in your robe which it pretty cool. Along with this they have flavoured water with mint,lemon and cucumber so that you don’t get dehydrated which were very refreshing. I think we spent about 4 hours just relaxing in the spa. As the night began to fall the outdoor pool was lit up and as we looked up to the sky there was a full moon. It was amazing swimming outdoor under the moon, something I will never forget.

After the spa it was time to get freshened up for dinner which after an afternoon of swimming I was definitely looking forward to it. We headed to the bar to have a drink before dinner. I had a Cranberry Nojito which was amazing, I have had virgin moijtos before but never with cranberry but it was gorgeous. With our drinks we decided to get some nachos to share and honestly they were probably the best nachos I have ever had. They had all the ingredients separate, so a bowl of chips, then the sauces and a bowl of chilli which was to die for. I’m not a big fan of sour cream or guacamole so this was perfect for me and the chilli and cheese sauce were amazing, I would have eaten the chilli by itself. After our nachos I had a burger which again was amazing. It had streaky bacon and cheese on it and came with amazing chips. It also came with a tomato chilli jam, which was basically a posh tomato ketchup but tasted so amazing. Afterwards I had a steamed chocolate pudding because what else would I have chosen which again was amazing. Amazing seems to be the word of the weekend because everything really was amazing. The staff knew it was my aunts birthday as we had a little cake so they brought her out a plate with some macrons saying happy birthday which I thought was a very nice touch. I have no photos of the food because I dug in straight away but trust me it was…..amazing.

After dinner we headed to a little room off the reception for more drinks and chats until the early hours of the morning. The next day we were up for breakfast which I was very much looking forward to. It has been a while since I have had a proper hotel breakfast and this one didn’t disappoint. From fruit to a cooked fry to pastries it had everything that you could ask for and it was all delicious. Then it was time for us to pack up and say our goodbyes to head back to the real world, leaving this magical spa land. On our way home I stopped into Penny’s to buy some bits to bring back and then went to visit my nanny. After that it was home to pack again and get up bright and early to catch my flight back to France.

It was so nice to spend the weekend at home with family. It was a flying visit but it will only be 5 weeks before I board the plane to fly home for Christmas which I am very excited about. I would definitely recommend Farnham Estate for a visit, it is a beautiful hotel with a wonderful spa and is surrounded by amazing grounds perfect for long walks. The staff were all wonderful and made our stay pass with ease.

I also vlogged my weekend so look out here for that video but that’s all for now.

Until next week,

Emma

xx