One of the delights we have of running a guest house is helping people to celebrate their special occasions. Three years ago, we received a phone call from a guy who wanted to take his girlfriend away and propose to her, but was a little late with his booking strategy. Both he and his girlfriend were doctors and had been very busy; and he had not been able to find time to arrange their trip secretly.
Well, late one night, he rang Blenheim Lodge to ask if we had availability for a 3-night stay. We had a standard double room available and he duly booked it. We then helped him to arrange an exclusive dinner sail on board a yacht, where he was to propose to his girlfriend. As this was a special celebration, we included flowers, chocolates and champagne with the package.
The young couple booked The Blue Room, which they absolutely loved. It is not one of our large rooms, but is comfortable, restful, and has all the usual facilities that a 4-star guesthouse bedroom would have, including a shower en-suite. It also has lovely views of Lake Windermere. Came the day of the sail, and our twosome, who had arrived as singles, left the yacht as an affianced couple. She had such a pretty ring too!
I remember another couple who booked to stay at Blenheim Lodge last year. This couple were slightly older, and booked The Fairfield room. Again, we had arranged for them to enjoy an exclusive dinner service on board a luxury yacht, and also laid out flowers, champagne and chocolates in their room for their arrival.
There were a lot of fun shenanigans with this couple. On arrival, I was given a beautiful ring to hide away by the would be groom in order to prevent his girlfriend from discovering it by accident. Then, I was to hand the ring over to the skipper of the yacht in a supermarket plastic bag when he came to collect the couple from our B&B for the sail, so that the skipper could secrete it onto the yacht. When the time came for the proposal, the skipper made himself scarce in the cabin and left the guy to propose under a starlit sky. How romantic is that!
Blenheim Lodge itself has seen its fair share of proposals. We have had men proposing in their rooms – The Attic, a romantic nest of a room in the eaves, springs to mind. Other proposals take place where you would not expect them to take place: one man asked his girlfriend to marry him while standing at the bus stop by Lake Windermere. Yet others who love the great outdoors propose on the fells behind our guest house.
Not all romantic breaks are proposals of course. Recently, we had a lovely couple where the husband asked us to organise an iced chocolate fudge cake with a message wishing his wife a happy 3rd anniversary and a single rose. They had a lovely stay in our standard 4-poster room, The Coniston.
Other couples come here for their honeymoons. One such was a lovely young Christian couple who stayed with us for 2 weeks. They had booked rather last minute, and ended up staying in 3 different rooms over the 2 weeks they were here: The Dalesway, The Fairfield, and The Attic. We left handmade chocolate truffles in their room for their arrival as a little wedding gift.
I remember well another honeymoon couple, a Japanese lady and her Greek husband. By the time they had rung us up to book, all we had left was Belle Isle for a night, before being able to offer them a standard double room, Claife Heights, for the next 2 nights. Belle Isle does have a slightly larger than normal single bed, though it is usually let for single occupancy only. However, our newlyweds took both rooms and had a cosy stay with us over 3 nights.
Blenheim Lodge is lovely for a romantic getaway, so if you are planning one, do get in touch with us. Book ahead and nab one of our most popular rooms, The Langdale, with its large antique 4-poster and panoramic Lake views. Take a longer 7-night B&B break and save £50-£120 per person depending on the room chosen. This offer is available year-round but does exclude public holiday and Valentine’s weekends and dates.
If you still haven’t planned anything for this Easter, do call or email us to check availability and book. We have some excellent deals, including a night at half-price, when staying 3 or more nights in a row. If you decide to book online, you will also find some prices there which are as good as our 2002 rates. These 2 discounts in particular have been drawn up to celebrate our 10th anniversary at Blenheim Lodge in 2012, and are the first of their kind we have ever created.
Well, I hope that you will be tempted to visit the Lakes and to stay with us. I am sure that you will have a wonderful time in this magnificent part of God’s world.
‘Blenheim Lodge . . . panoramic Lake views, peace and tranquillity, nestled against acres of beautiful fields and woodlands, in the heart of the English Lake District National Park.’
Visit our website: www.blenheim-lodge.com
Email: enquiries@blenheim-lodge.com
Telephone: 00 44 (0)15394 43440