Vicki Frennessen
Text By Vicki Frennessen

After much anticipation the day had finally arrived. We set off from Camberley on the 14th July and headed towards West Looe. It was a beautiful sunny day and I was praying the weather would set the tone for the holiday weekend ahead. After some last minute checks with the hotel I was satisfied we were ready for action! All our guests arrived the following day, some in sunshine and some in the rain. The weather was typically changeable. Everyone got settled in and went off to explore as there is much to see in East and West Looe.

We all got into a ritual of meeting in the bar for pre dinner drinks to share stories of our day. After this we made our way to the spectacular headland restaurant and enjoyed a lovely welcome meal. We decided to take our time as we all felt happy to be there. It would be fair to say dancing was taken at a leisurely pace on our first evening. After a couple of hours of spinning around the dance floor some headed off for bed others stayed up and got to know each other a little better! You know who you are. I just have to say it was great fun :-)

Saturday morning arrived and with it a lovely breakfast fit for a king if you wanted it. Throughout the holiday some of our guests took private lessons during the morning and early afternoon whilst others preferred to explore the local sights.

There was a buzz in the air throughout the day as there was much to look forward to. Firstly Carl was to debut his dance circuits class in the afternoon, nearly all attended this fantastic event. By the end we were thoroughly worn out, feeling very fit and quite pleased with ourselves. I hope Carl saw it the same way! We all knew we were in for a treat that night, it was to be our DanceRite hoe down. We all started to arrive in the bar looking very cowboy and cowgirl like! Once we got over our giggles and managed to get used to the new attire we settled down to a night of fabulous fun. Starting with portraits in our outdoor barn area we followed with a sumptuous al fresco BBQ and an evening of line dancing hosted by the lovely Eddie. We finished the night off with some ballroom and latin and then for the real late nighters went into a disco set which lasted well into the wee small hours

As you can imagine Sunday started rather sedately which is why I had planned a gentle tea dance during the afternoon for this day. Everyone seemed to spring into action the moment the music came on. There was a great atmosphere throughout with everyone mixing dancing and chatting; it was lovely to see. We stopped half way for a traditional afternoon tea which really hit the spot and finished off with some fun dances to end the session on a real high. Everyone seemed to want to stay and enjoy each other’s company. There was a great atmosphere that remained long after the actual tea dance had finished. Sunday night came and we decided a traditional roast would be a great choice for the evening. With all the fun of the afternoon this was taken at a leisurely pace. After dinner we all met up in the ballroom for a great night of music and dance. Eddie was on hand to perform some lovely standards mid way through the night. This was topped off by more fabulous music and fun and once again we managed to bring out the disco divas in some! This was another late night but so worth it.

Our final day came and we could hardly believe how quickly time had passed us by. There was much speculation around this evening, who would be attending the Lookie Likie Ball? I was very excited and arrived early so I could see each and everyone arrive into the bar. The best bit was all the faces as they peeped around the corner to see if anyone else had arrived ahead of them, I will never forget the expressions. The whole evening was so much fun and I have to thank each and everyone of you as without your efforts the evening could have been very different. We did get some odd looks from some of the other people in the bar. One funny moment for me was when I heard some ladies say oh look it's Arthur Daly. Poor Mike he was a dead ringer for Del Boy well I guess she was close! We were called to the dining room for our Gala dinner and it was truly delicious. I'm not sure how the kitchen managed it but the chef seemed to surpass himself as the food got better and better. After dinner we were invited to the conservatory bar to take coffee and drinks. This was followed by a grand entrance into the ballroom via the red carpet, then into a portrait area so we could capture the special occasion. We then had our parade of stars with the winners being the Adams family, also known to you as Ron Sheila and Georgie. There were so many of you who could have won you truly were all winners. Anticipation was growing as everyone knew Eddie might be back one more time. He didn't disappoint, firstly as Elton John and then as Elvis. Maureen even managed to get a part in his set and seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. Our last night of dancing commenced and passed all too quickly. We didn't want to go to bed and so most stayed up and chatted well into the night.

The bon voyage breakfast is always a strange mix of happy memories but tinged with a little sadness that it's all over for this time. The loveliest thing about the holiday is we arrive as dance associates who we may only know by passing by whilst taking lessons. We leave as friends as we truly do find the time to get know one another. Once again the hotel staff went above and beyond to make our stay a memorable one. I for one can't wait for next year and have already sneakily started choosing my themes. Thank you all for being part of such a special holiday.

Report written with love from Vicki

Xxxx