The Gallivant Hotel ... quirky retro by the sea.

You might have read my post a few weeks ago about our friends wedding at Camber Sands. I thought, with Half Term coming up, that you might want to see where we stayed. Its a lovely little hotel called The Gallivant.

Our friends had organised their wedding around the hotel and had both the ceremony and their reception there. It has obviously, in the past, been a little seaside motel, but the current owners have styled it beautifully - very beach chic - and it is a little gem of a place.

It is located just over the road from the stunning golden sands of Camber.

Each of the rooms are clean, simple and very comfortable.

photo courtesy of The Gallivant

There is a certain retro feel to the place, with quirky touches here and there like a beach bag and a large honesty larder in the corridor, packed with everything from artisan popcorn to flasks of milk for your tea and coffee.

We stayed two nights and the breakfast was delicious! I chose pancakes with maple syrup and bacon while my husband went for the full English. Both were freshly cooked and absolutely scrumptious.

One of the things I really loved was the thoughtful extras. For example the Recovery Station at breakfast, which we obviously did not need as our bodies are our temples ...

The Recovery Station - photo courtesy of The Gallivant

I thought it was funny to offer vitamin c tablets and "make your own" Bloody or Virgin Mary kits for breakfast at a wedding venue.

I think that the only down side to this charming hotel would be the lack of experience staff wise. The staff we came across were all very young and all very lovely. Everyone, without exception treated us with a friendly smile and couldn't do enough for us. However, I heard a few of them talking amongst themselves about the lack of staff and about how ridiculous it was that they be expected to cope with the number of guests present. Breakfast seemed a particular area of difficulty.

I always think that any complaining done infront of guests is rather unprofessional.

And yet this was an understandable failing and one that did not bother us as, as I have mentioned, the staff were great. Perhaps a bit of training is needed - things like never going back to the kitchen with empty hands... taking orders on a pad rather than trying to remember them ... 

I would definitely go back to The Gallivant. Its situation was brilliant - less than 5 minutes walk to the beach and the food was really delicious. We slept well, ate well and felt really at home. If they iron out the tiny issues of inexperience they will be fabulous.

photos courtesy of The Gallivant

A Wedding on the Beach

Camber Sands

Sometimes you go for a while without writing. Sometimes there is no need to write because the real life that you lead fills your days and satisfies your whims. This has been the case for me over the summer months.

A good friend of our was married in August. He and his wife have known each other for 33 years and he has asked her many times over the years to be his wife. He has taken her to romantic dinners to ask. He took her to Juliet's balcony in Verona to ask. Every time she said no. I don't know why. To be honest it doesn't matter because they were always very happy.

Last year they went to Camber Sands - the beach pictured above and one morning they went for a walk together along the seafront. As they were walking along our friend's girlfriend pointed to a lovely shell and remarked on it. G picked it up and was delighted to see that someone had written inside the shell "Will you marry me?" How romantic, he thought as he showed it to L. "Yes!" she said "It is romantic! I wrote it!! Will you marry me?!"

And that was the start of their plans. Their plans led back to that beach this summer to the most beautiful wedding surrounded by their family and friends. We picnicked on the beach, drinking champagne and eating food from wicker baskets filled with scrumptiousness. The bride arrived on the back of a motorbike to the strains of "Born to be Wild" and the groom wept as he spoke of his love for his family and his beautiful wife.

There are times in life when you don't need to write everything down when it happens. Sometimes its nice to live in the moment and savour the moment you are in. To walk side by side with my man on the beach at Camber made me feel so happy. Being able to share G and L's special day made me feel happy. And part of me wanted to keep that experience close to my heart for a while.

As we head into the shorter days, with darker mornings and leaf swept afternoons, its rather lovely to look back at those summer moments. And it was time to share them. x