Our journey took us to the Yorkshire Dales in a place called Asenby near Thirsk. What a wonderful site greets you in the form of a wonderful public house with a thatched roof and lots of strange and wonderful objects strategically placed on and around it. After all it was the Crab & Lobster so a crab and lobster is what we saw. It is the kind of site you see in your lifetime where you wonder if you are still deep in a dream or on some kind of medication. Needless to say we were definitely not on the latter. This beautiful little building is the start of your wonderful weekend break, holiday or maybe even wedding day. More about this pub later.
Just around the back we found the Crab Manor Hotel. As you drive into the graveled car park two large white hounds greet you in a very welcoming way. The dog statues line the way to the magnificent front door surrounded by climbing ivy which reaches right up to the rooftop. In fact as we looked around the whole grounds was a gardeners dream with trees of all colours and species, shrubs plants and flowers. If this was a taste of the opulence inside then we were in for a great treat.
Stepping into the hallway, well, what can I say it is to be seen to be believed. Decorated with beautiful artifacts and antiques, we did not know where to look first. I could see an enormous and I mean enormous yeti in the window of the staircase wearing a pinny. There was the biggest clock I have ever seen in my life on the wall. For anyone with bad eyesight worry not. To tell you everything we could see just from the area we were stood in would constitute pages and pages of description. Take my word for it unusual is the word that comes to mind.
You will be greeted by the receptionist who is also very informative as well as kind and be shown to the room of your choice, which could be the Waldorf Atoria in New York the Cipriana Palace in Venice. La Mamounia Hotel in Marrakesh and many more. We stayed at the Sharrow Bay hotel in Ullswater.
As we walked through the door a Four Poster bed looms ahead of you with drapes and cherubs and beautiful bedding. I could not wait to lie under the canopy and imagine I was royalty at least. Down a couple of steps is the sitting room with television, wonderful furniture and Crisps! Yes crisps not just any old crisps but packaged in a container I have never seen before and enough to feed an army. Biscuits, coffee and teas.
Next we walked into the bathroom and oh my goodness me what a lavish room. Maybe this is where I might stay for the whole two days. Languishing in bubbles till my skin turned into a prune. A Roll top bath stood in the centre of the room was a dream come true, for me anyway. Beautiful taps and tiled floor covering, with elaborate plaster cherubs on the walls.
Having recovered from the shock of all the decor and amenities we were shown then to the Jacuzzi outside which was the icing on the cake. Lights would twinkle in the evening to make it so romantic and create a great atmosphere for any couple.
We changed after a while and went down to the little pub just a short walk away.
Well, what met us was the most twinkly, warm inviting atmosphere I have ever been in. Hundreds and hundreds of curious antiques and "things" everywhere. You would just have to go and see for yourself for me to even touch on what we saw. Yellow tablecloths and serviettes brought out the whole room and we were just dumb struck.
We ordered lamb and our faces both showed the delight simultaneously at the succulence of the meat and the taste as we ate on and on into the night. It is renowned also as a fish restaurant but on this occasion we plumbed for the Lamb. Next time. All the staff were keen to make our evening superb and it was, we could not fault any of it. There was not one single solitary negative comment we could think of.
Our night was wonderful under my royal canopy and when morning came we descended once again down to the restaurant for Breakfast. This time it was in the conservatory. Once again I can only say you would have to go and experience the decor and what I can only say as incredible. For breakfast we did sample the fish, which was on the most enormous plate with as much toast and tea, juice and coffee as you could drink.
I did not want any of my experience at the Crab & Lobster to end it had been a fairy tale stay.
All was not over as the day before I had asked if I could look at the other rooms as well as the Log Cabins in the grounds all with various places in the world as their theme. Not only were we shown around but by the General Manager and indeed the kindest man. He took us to every room and explained the decorations behind them. He spared us lots of time and we appreciated the tour enormously.
If you can go and experience what we did then you will have the most fantastic weekend break, holiday or wedding, whatever you choose to book, you will ever have without the long journey to get there.
I wanted to pass on the whole experience to you, especially as I have not stopped taking about it since.
