Hotel Hop

As petrol prices soar (£1.329 or £6.03 yesterday, the first time unleaded has broken the £6 barrier), the Manor House restaurant with rooms has joined two other so-called boutique hotels in offering a 140-miles circuit of the best North Wales has to offer. That'll cost over £20 for an average Ford Focus. Put like that, it doesn’t seem so bad, especially since there's likely to be at least two in the car. The same trip in 2009, though, would've cost £15.

I'm told that this launched yesterday. It's called HotelHop.co.uk, an innovative way of booking six nights in North Wales, spread over three locations, including Rhuthun/Ruthin. This innovation is particularly welcome as it gives the often-overlooked Vale of Clwyd an opportunity to benefit directly from accommodation that might otherwise head directly west, to Snowdonia, bypassing us.

It seems that car based "leisure tours" are all the thing at the moment. Flintshire has a local one as I believe does Wrecsam. Here, potentially, we have the private sector coming up with its own, regional idea. How much more does this area and Snowdonia have to offer than out east?

In addition to the Manor House, the two other locations are in Caernarfon and Dolgellau.

As an aside, we’ve seen since the 1970s a change of spelling for both Dolgelley and Caernarvon. Rhuthun on the other hand continues to be known for what we assume is its English rather than Welsh spelling. This in spite of several minor campaigns over the years.

HotelHop.co.uk