2019 saw us move to the lovely Best Western Hotel Royale - a hotel within the same Oceana group that we’d used previously. It meant sacrificing the sea views but we got a swimming pool so nobody minded - and the hotel was definitely a step up from The Ocean Beach.
The Bournemouth weekend always has a lovely feel to it, a real sense of community. It may not have the adrenaline packed pace of Nudefest but you are never too far away from the next activity or entertainment. The spacious lounge bar was the central hub for the whole weekend and was always a hive of conversation. From clothes off at 3pm on Friday right the way through till Sunday there was always someone to sit with and make some new friends.
Friday was a pretty lazy afternoon with dinner early evening, Barry’s annual quiz got everyone’s minds razor sharp, followed by entertainment from an incredible soul singer Kurtis Ray White who has been on both the X-Factor and Stars In Their Eyes. Saturday started with a Full English (the food with the Oceana group is always very good - much better than you would expect from a value break like this) and then started a packed day of activities and workshops. Macrame - a crafty knotting with chord - was the mornings activity, and combined with a full-to-bursting life-drawing session and a hilarious impromptu ‘learn to dance the Argentine Tango’ session, the day flew by. As well as the organised sessions there was a ‘Secret Cinema’ hidden in the basement of the hotel with popcorn a plenty and three great films to watch. Add the pool where there was a nice combination of time to do your own thing plus Pam hosting a Water Polo session and Aquarobics. The afternoon finished with a very interesting talk by The National Trust about their conservation work at Studland and of course a game of bingo.
Saturday evening was billed as a Gala Dinner and little did the guests know what this actually meant! The advance description was rather ambiguous ‘Dinner with Entertainment’ - booked and planned for ages was the Fawlty Towers Experience... in came Basil, Sybil and Manuel - chaos ensued! With double entendres aplenty it was a riotous night of fun. The actors were superb, and it was great to do something different. The night concluded with a Disco till late and a ‘few’ drinks in the bar.
That night we had our grand raffle draw with a superb prize - a weekend in a Naturist retreat in Wales.
In the BN events office, we are trying to get better at booking events further in advance, having line-ups in place and making the booking process simpler. At Bournemouth we trialled our new way - with great success - by announcing and opening booking for 2020 on the Sunday morning. For 2020 we are pushing the boundaries even further and are moving to the Oceana Groups flagship hotel The Suncliff, and have announced a ‘Warner Break Style’ 60s weekend with original artists Edison Lighthouse and Dave Berry & The Cruisers...This new hotel has an indoor pool, squash courts and more plus splendid ocean views.
Bournemouth 2020
24th - 26th Jan
www.bnevents.co.uk/Bournemouth