Tuesday, 17 June 2025

My experience of staying at Holiday Inn Express - Hull City Centre.

Holiday Inn Express is a hotel brand, a subsidiary of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), known for offering simple, convenient and a budget friendly options for travellers. I have stayed in Holiday Inn Express in Hull quite a few times over the last couple of years and all of the stays have been so different so I thought I would write about them.

Holiday Inn Express - Hull City Centre.

The first time we stayed in the Holiday Inn Express in Hull was as a family just over a year ago when we stayed for two nights. We found it so handy with it being right near the bus station, offering a free breakfast and of course it was reasonably priced. Since then Stu and I have stayed for a night, Becky and her friends have stayed and Becky and I have had a night there too.

Checking in has always been quick and easy. Say your name and they find you on the computer and then you can pay there and then or they will take the money later from the bank card that you booked with. I always find it so strange that they don't take the money when you book especially if you chose the non-refundable option which is always cheaper. The first time I was starting to panic why the payment hadn't been taken and gave them a ring, they said it was quite normal.

The rooms have everything you would expect and we love them. They are clean, simple but big enough to have everything that you need: A decent sized bed with extra pillows and bedding, a desk, chair, flat screen TV, tea and coffee making facilities, hangers to hang clothes an en suite bathroom with power showers and fab mirrors with really good lighting and we have been lucky each time with a great view.

Hotel room

You can actually have 4 adults sleeping in one room if you were willing to share a double bed and the sofa bed. More recently Becky and I slept in a twin room and those rooms were just as good as the double rooms.

Single beds in a twin room

It took a couple of visits to get the hang of getting the heating/air conditioning just right. We went on a very hot weekend and left the air-con on and came back to the room and it was freezing and in the winter put the heating on and came back to the room and it was sweltering. We have found the best way to use it is just not touch the heating/air con at all.

The hotel offers free Wi-Fi and it is a decent speed. I have never had any issues with it or getting connected. The only thing I am not keen on is that there are no plugs or anywhere to charge your phone next to the beds. It means if I have to charge my phone during the night I never know what time it is if I wake up as the curtains are so good, the room is dark when they are closed and it is so confusing if my alarm clock goes off and it's at the other side of the room.

The idea of a free breakfast sounds amazing but in my experience it hasn't always been great. The only time we've enjoyed it is when we were there just after they started serving breakfast. 

Breakfast at Holiday inn express

Later on during the breakfast serving time the food looks past it's best. I usually make do with toast and jam. They stop serving breakfast at half past 10 on a weekend but on our last stay we got downstairs just before 10am where they had stopped refilling the food and bringing out clean cutlery and glasses so we couldn't even butter our toast or get a glass of juice. So if you do want a breakfast you need to go early. What made it worse that morning was that people were filling bags with muffins, fruit and anything they could to take away and leaving nothing for people who were wanting to eat there.

This hotel doesn't serve food during the day or on an evening but people do order in from apps like Uber Eats and the hotel does supply plastic plates and cutlery which I thought was brilliant of them.

The Holiday Inn Express in Hull has a good bar and a roof terrace and it was wonderful to sit outside on a summers evening. The drinks were not overpriced and the views are beautiful when the sun is setting.

View from the Holiday Inn Express in Hull

The staff are lovely! The same staff have been there each time I have visited and they are cheerful, helpful and go above and beyond even if they are rushed off their feet sometimes.

You would expect a hotel being so close to town you would hear a lot of noise but you really don't, the windows don't open but you can see all sorts of vehicles going past but not a sound from them. Sometimes you will hear people coming in, walking down the corridor and doors banging but it is not enough to keep you awake on an evening!

Prices do vary depending on what night you stay. I have paid as little as £48 per night for two of us and up to £100 per night. I think it really depends on the time of year and what is going on in town for the prices that they charge.

Have you stayed in a Holiday Inn before? What did you think?

Monday, 16 June 2025

Our weekly meal plan! 16th - 22nd June! #MealPlanningMonday

Our weekly meal plan

I hope you all had a good weekend? I didn't get up to much at all, I just pottered around the house. The girls and Stu had great fun with a cinema trip and playing pool in a sports bar. It was their treat to him for Father's Day! I love how they are taking control of things like that, just another sign that they are growing up.

Last weeks meal plan went OK. I can't even remember why but we ended up getting a takeaway on Monday evening. I think I was feeling lazy but I regretted it later in the week. After being really busy on Thursday I would have appreciated the takeaway more that night. We ate just about everything else apart from the quiche, I will get around to making it one day, not this week though.

I don't know what we are doing this week, it all depends on whether Ellie is expected to be in college. They are winding down for the summer and hopefully this is the week where all the teachers say she is done until September. Everything seems so up in the air at the moment. Some teachers are saying she is done and others want the students in. One thing is that she has to remember to empty her locker and bring her overalls and boots home. Last year she forgot and we had to make an extra trip to college.

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - A help yourself evening. Stu and I have plans during the day so it will probably just be sandwiches, crisps and cakes for tea.
Tuesday - Sausage, apple and potato one-pan roast. I love this meal, it is easy to make and delicious too. I am using baby potatoes instead of baking potatoes. I think they taste nicer.
Wednesday - Something out of the freezer with home made chips as requested by the girls.
Thursday - Thai-Style Pork Patties With Sweet Potato Wedges. This is a Gousto meal that we love and I will happily make without even getting a Gousto box delivered. I don't make the pickled radish and cucumber salad as my family are not keen on it, I'll make the carrot and apple coleslaw which they love. 
Saturday - Fake KFC. Fried chicken, fries, corn on the cob, onion rings, baked beans and coleslaw.
Sunday - Pies, mashed potato and veg.

What are you eating this week?

Sunday, 15 June 2025

A photo every day for a year! 8th - 14th June! Week 24 of #Project365

Happy Father's Day to all the dad's out there! We have no great plans for today, Stu is having a day off from doing anything productive and we'll be getting a takeaway later. I saw my dad on Friday, gave him his card and gifts and spent most of the day with him which was lovely. Sending love and hugs to those who's dad's are no longer with us and find today difficult.

Stu got an early Father's Day treat yesterday. Him and Ellie went to the cinema to see the newest How To Train Your Dragon movie. They love that series but this one was the live action one and then they met up with Becky and they went to play pool. They had a fab day!! I spent the day at home and spent it doing some jobs around the house, blogging and watching TV. It was quite lovely. 

Now for a photo every day!

Little flowers and Dr Who figures on a shelf
Egg fried rice and the garden wheelie bin full of weeds
A Father's Day card
My dad using a drill and my fella

159/365 - 8th June
Pretty little flowers! Apparently this is Buckwheat according to Google and my plant identifier app! Of course I read up about it. It attracts bees and other pollinators, gets rid of weeds and improves soil. That is just what my garden needs! 

160/365 - 9th June
Ellie took some time to sort out the shelves in her bedroom. I had forgotten all about all the Doctor Who figures that she has. They were up on her top shelf before, pushed to the back and me being short couldn't see them. Now she has them lower down for all to see!

161/365 - 10th June
Usually when I make a curry it's a boring Korma as Becky isn't keen on anything spicy but she has recently decided that she likes Tikka Masala so we gave that a try and it was good!! I cheated a little and used packet, microwave egg fried rice.

162/365 - 11th June
I was out in the garden weeding and after mowing the grass out of the front earlier in the week the garden wheelie bin was half full. It doesn't get emptied for a few days yet so there's a chance it might get filled even more if Stu gets around to cutting the grass in the back garden.

163/365 - 12th June
This was my dad's Father's Day card. It is a joke between us that I am his tech support and the first thing I always say have you tried switching it off and on again. That usually fixes the technical issues that he is having.

164/365 - 13th June
I spent the day with my dad on Friday. It was nice just hanging out with him while he got on with a few jobs around his workshop. He enjoyed showing me how to do things and I enjoyed learning from him.

165/365 - 14th June
Stu was sat waiting to go out for the day with the girls. First up the cinema with Ellie and then to play pool with Becky.

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Saturday, 14 June 2025

This week my Word of the Week is: Jobs! #WotW

This week my Word of the Week is:

Jobs

This week hasn't been any less chaotic than last week, in fact it has been worse! Stu worked Monday, his usual day off. Becky stayed out at a friends on Monday night, she never stays out on a Monday and Ellie has been all over the place. She even went to college on a day she didn't have to be there just to catch up with friends who were in for an exam. Even one of her teachers said she was crazy to be there when she didn't have to be. I am just embracing the chaos. Even today things are going to be out of whack with the girls taking Stu out for the day as an early treat for Father's Day. I wasn't invited as it's his treat. Hmmf. hehehe

I have got lots of little jobs done around the house this week. Just silly one's that I don't usually do like getting rid of the stains in the sink, mowing the grass out the front, pricing up some things for the garden for next year, cleaning the stair carpet, thinking about what the girls want for their birthdays, tidying and reorganising the cupboard under the stairs and moving some furniture about. Yesterday I spent the day with my dad doing some jobs with him. Lots involved being in his workshop, using tools which was fantastic fun for me and him too showing me what he was doing. It was lovely to have that time together. I've also found time to weed the back garden (it still needs mowing), keeping on top of the housework and getting Ellie to wash the dishes.

Ellie hates washing the dishes, if she can find a way to get out of it she will and sometimes flat out refuses even if it means time without the internet or not being able to go out with friends. She is so stubborn, she gets it from me. lol Anyway, now I've learned to use it to my advantage. I had spent a couple of hours out in the garden and just as I was thinking that I couldn't be bothered to wash the dishes she text to ask if she could stay out a little longer with friends so I said yes, as long as you wash the dishes when you get in. It worked like a treat, she was happy staying out with friends and I got out of washing the dishes. Win, win!

It feels like the start of summer here with Ellie winding things up at college until September so that means that Ellie has about 10 weeks of not having much to do but she has been applying for jobs. Any that she can find which sometimes I know won't work out. She applied for one 2 bus rides away and a 20 minute walk, it would take a couple of hours to get there and 2 hours back by the time she's waited for the buses and it doesn't seem worth it for 12 hours a week spread over three days. She would have been travelling the same amount of time she would be working. I am not discouraging her though, I am letting her apply for anything that she wants to and some of the jobs have surprised me. She is not a people person but has applied to shops in customer service roles, she has applied to places that she hates going and for evening work too. It is a shame that she isn't 18 yet as then she will have more options. She only has a couple of months to go but by then she will be back at college and has to be more choosy about jobs so they will fit around her time in college. I am just glad she is willing to work, she has finally realised I don't have a magic money tree growing in the back garden.

So my family are out enjoying themselves today and I have jobs to do. Washing to wash, dry and put away! I am going to change the bedding and if I feel like it give mine and Stu's bedroom a deep clean. 

How has your week been? I hope you have had a good one! I am of course linking up with Anne who blogs at Raisie Bay for her Word of the Week linky!

Word of the Week linky button