Bournemouth 23th to 29th

Sunday 23rd

We said goodbye to everyone after breakfast although Richard and Adrian were staying with us for the second week. Some went to the railway station for a last goodbye and some relaxed in the morning, the sun shone today and we sat on the grass for our lunch. Some went for a swim in the pool. Sandra arrived today and we all went for a Sunday roast at The Toby Carvery. The meal was very nice and when we got back to the hotel, we had a drink in the bar, a good chance to relax and chat before bedtime.

Monday 24th

Today we all visited The New Forest Wildlife Park. We walked around and looked at the animals. We saw ferrets, otters, wolves, wild sheep, partridge, field mice, owls and polecats. The foxes were being fed. The lynx and the badgers were hiding! Richard said his favourite animals were the ferrets and mice. We enjoyed our picnic lunch outside and bought it from the café. Then we visited the lovely village of Brockenhurst, with its little shops and cafes. It is the first village we have seen with donkeys near the high street. Our drive home through the new forest was very scenic with lots of wild ponies on the road and grass. After returning to the hotel, we had a little rest and ordered a ‘Harry Ramsden Fish & Chips” takeaway for tea.

Tuesday 25th

This morning was a little wet and windy. Some did some shopping in the arcade. It was nice and quiet and Sandra said she had enjoyed finding a nice gift to buy. We had a drink from a café and then luckily the rain stopped and the sun came out. We all had pizza and cheesecake for lunch. Richard wanted to rest back at the hotel. The rest of the group went to Mighty Adventures an outdoor mini golf with lots of dinosaurs, they were very realistic! Sandra wanted to watch and said she had had a great time and really enjoyed it. We then had a light tea of sandwiches back at our hotel.

Wednesday 26th

We visited The Mudeford Quay where lots of families with children were crabbing. There were people walking dogs and boats to look at. It was a beautiful day and we walked by the beach and could see across to Hengistbury head. We sat at the café to enjoy and take in the view. After visiting the Christchurch Priory, we lit candles to remember our loved ones. Then we enjoyed some cake and we looked in the gift shop followed by a nice relaxing time in the gardens for a little while. Driving back along the coastal road was very scenic, passing Boscombe the ships out at sea before reaching out hotel. We ordered a Chinese takeaway meal which was delivered for our evening meal. Sandra said she had enjoyed the day and had lit a candle for her mum.

Thursday 27th

Today we went to Marwell Zoo situated near Winchester. The zoo is home to 1,208 animals. We saw lots of the animals within the zoo such as giraffes, snow leopard, cheetah, meerkats and white rhino. The tropical house was very hot and humid, the sloth was sleeping and we also saw a tortoise. There were lots of tropical birds inside. Richard said, “The tropical house was my favourite”. We came back to the hotel and ordered an Indian takeaway this time.

Friday 28th

We went to Monkey World where we saw lots of different types of monkey along with chimpanzee and orangutans. We all bought gifts from the gift shop. It was a beautiful sunny day. In the evening we went out for dinner to Key West Bar & Grill, situated on the end of the pier at Bournemouth. It was a lovely evening and we sat outside, the burgers were delicious. We then came home and decided to have a drink in the hotel bar for our last night.

Saturday 29th

After breakfast we finished our packing and said goodbye to the Laguna Hotel staff and each other. Everyone has had a good holiday and we are feeling a little sad to leave. We can’t wait for our holiday next year!