What did you do this Bank Holiday?

With the Belmore Court & Motel and most hotels in Enniskillen full for the Bank Holiday Weekend I decided to take the family a few places to relax and enjoy the good weather - Let's not forget it's back to school on Wednesday.

On Saturday we went to the Valley Hotel in Fivemiletown to Circus workshop and funday supported by Dungannon District Council. Lisa Williamson and committee has organised a number of events. There was a bouncy castle and inflatables outside along with people representing the Niamh Lousie Foundation and Drink Aware. There was also a disco, a Todd's Leap competition and sparkley temporary tattoos by Over the Moon. Inside the function room of the Valley Hotel there was a educational puppet show about dropping litter and the Circus workshop by BelfastCircus.org.

The older kids with us loved the workshop the most, while the youngest loved getting a sparkley tattoo and the bouncey stuff. The 2 people from the workshop were fab and communicated well with the 10 kids that were able to take part. Starting off with some team introduction games they then moved on to juggling, hat tricks, stilts and finally the unicycle. A great day was had by all.

On Sunday I brought my eldest to the National Trust's Crom Castle for the Classic Sailing event. There were vintage cars at the old ruins, steam boats, yachts and the Lough Erne Yacht Club were doing a learn to sail day - but we were too late.

It was a magnicient sight to see the flotilla back on Lough Erne for the 1st time in almost 100 years at Crom. We had many residents staying with us from the event and they all said they had a fantasic time.

Monday was back into Enniskillen for the Enniskillen Castle Fun Day. Free family entertainment for the whole family. Drum school, dance classes, tanks, magicians, punch & judy and off course the bouncey castle.

Record numbers came to the Castle museum to see what was happening.

Phew it was a busy couple of days but thankfully the weather held out for us.

Terry's Travel Tales! Part 1

We've just returned from a fabulous Summer holiday in Spain and I must say Spain is still a great county to visit. The weather was perfect, the people were great and food excellent. Although it did bring me to think about several things when you embark on holiday.
The issue of Airport Parking is still a thorny one. On this occasion we used Easi-Park just on the edge of the Belfast International Airport and we found them very reasonable and secure. We were discussing the pay for pick-up recently introduced and they were telling me that these car park shuttles have to pay around £3 each time they arrive at the collection point. This could go up to £5 before Christmas - Seems seasy money for the Airport.

We flew Jet2.com to Murcia and when we booked we reserved the inflight meal. Dubious abut such food our worries quickly evaporated when the meal arrived. For £7 you get a fresh fruit, beef dinner, bread roll, dessert, cheese and cracker, chocolate and refreshment. Not unlike the old British Airways food. Really enjoyed the meal and the chicken one on the return journey.

On arrival at Murcia Airport, Mary queued for the cases and I went to the hire car. Now hire cars are a whole different story..... There is so much choice at the time of booking - book direct, book thru agent, pay now, pay on arrival. The most confusing thing is insurance. When I collected my key after swiping my card the employee informed me that I didn't have insurance and that I would need to pay another £140 quid otherwise I'd have to pay for any damages - Now this is contary to what I though I had booked. Being is Spain I could really argue - Spanish not great. But I didn't take it. Everything seemed to go fine - no bills yet.

All in All a great holiday, but always nive to drive down Garvary Hill to see the lights of Enniskillen.

PS My 8 year old took the Photo!

Virtual Visit to the Belmore Court & Motel

Virtual Visit Northern Ireland allows you to literally Get in the Picture, stand where the photographer stood and see what they saw. Experience the visitor attractions of Northern Ireland, visit Hotels, Bars and Restaurants of Belfast and beyond.

Recently the company have been visiting Fermanagh and shot the inside of the Belmore Court & Motel for us along with a number of other attractions in the area.

• One of the landmarks along the leafy eastern approaches to Enniskillen, is a distinctive terrace of houses overlooking a long sweep of lush green lawns and garden with private car parking. This is the Belmore Court Motel.

• Enniskillen Castle, situated beside the River Erne in County Fermanagh, was built almost 600 years ago by Gaelic Maguire chieftains. The chieftain at the time, King Thomas Maguire, (Thomas the Great) ruled from Lisnaskea in the south-eastern part of the county. His younger brother, Hugh 'The Hospitable' Maguire, was deputy chieftain and he is credited with building Enniskillen Castle, locating it in a strong defensive position beside the River Erne.

• If you are looking for stately grandeur then Castle Coole is a rare treat. Surrounded by its stunning landscape park on the edge of Enniskillen, this majestic 18th century home of the Earls of Belmore, designed by James Wyatt, was created to impress.

• A warren of nooks and crannies in an old, converted forge on Enniskillen's waterfront. Francos is a vibrant, buzzing restaurant, run by the Sweeney family for over 20 years. Local organic food. Lamb and 26 day aged beef, Fresh Lobster and Crab from Donegal and Sligo, Glenarm Organic Salmon, Local Organic Salads. Not forgetting the Fresh pasta and pizzas for which Francos is justly famous!

• One of Ulster's most important 18th-century houses. Florence Court is a truly welcoming home. The house, formerly the home of the Cole family, Earls of Enniskillen, is surrounded by a large area of parkland, garden and woodland, with breathtaking views to Benaughlin and the Cuilcagh Mountains. Discover many serene and beautiful corners by exploring the Pleasure Grounds and the Walled Garden in this magnificent demesne.

• Set on the shores of scenic Lough Erne, bordered by private grounds and gardens, the Killyhevlin is a long established family run hotel, located only 1km from the historic town of Enniskillen. All 70 spacious bedrooms and suites at this four star Hotel have been individually designed and decorated to an exceptional standard, giving a classically luxurious edge.

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How do you think these places look in 360o?

Do I need an iPhone???

Over the last number of months many of my friends have been getting iPhones and telling me about how great they are. I've been a loyal Nokia fan for almost 10 years (on O2) and haven't been tempted into the iPhone just yet.
I know if looks cool, hip and trendy. My sister, sister-in-law and neice already have one but are they not just status symbols? My Nokia still allows phone calls, tells the time, surf the web and downloads email.
Let's look at the Advantages:
Brand, Apps, Coolness
What about the Disadvantages;
Large, expensive, too cool for me.

I've always been a PC person and never got into Apple and that maybe a problem I have to overcome.


Interestingly there are now large volumes of business being done on smart phones. The Belmore Court & Motel, Enniskillen has experienced a large increase in mobile visitors to our website which has resulted in a number of booking from the iPhone platform for the 1st time.

Do you have an iPhone? Would you book hotels & holidays on it? Visit our mobile site and let me know what you think.

More importantly - should I buy one?