Latest News at the Canasta Hotel |
| Date | Item |
| Monday 7th April 2008 | St Andrews - the home of golf
In March Terry and I joined Andy and Davey in Scotland for a couple of days golf. On the Tuesday we played their course: Leven - great course!! and on the Wednesday we played.... St Andrews. It was the best golfing day of my life. The place was fantastic!!! Terry and I played really well on the front nine but couldn't handle the wind on the way home...and Andy and Davey retained the Anglo Scottish Cup by two points. So well done lads...we'll try a little harder next year!
Pictures here Video here
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| Forthcoming Events | Karaoke Competition
Lets have some fun this year....
What about a couple of cheap weekends in May - and lets throw in a Karaoke Competition with £100 cash to the winner!!
 16th / 17th May
Friday & Saturday nights - £19 pppn (standard rooms - two night minimum) Standard doubles now sold out - family rooms available from £120 for the two nights
Karaoke on both nights 8:30pm to midnight with the most ENTERTAINING singer (as judged by the whole audience) winning £100 cash.
Full Details here
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| Friday 11th Jan 2008 | More web-sites
[Just search engine plugs for some of my other sites....]
Ain't the internet great...in 1998 I became a travel agent....in 2000 I became an internet service provider in 2006 I became a florist and a gym equipment e-tailer. Now I'm working on a store called BargainSaver which will carry over 1 million products and feature a Bargain of the Day - every day - details coming soon.
www.bargainsaver.co.uk here
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| New Years Day 2008 | Phew - what a party!!
Pictures here....
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| Saturday 8th December | Big One - Pleasure Beach
Found this video of the Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Video here
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| Thursday 6th December | Well ..it's that time of year again...season's ended....back from holidays...enjoyed doing nothing for a week now...and now I'm bored, bored, bored. So may as well put another site live...and plug it here to get extra traffic. If anybody is thinking of getting fit as part of their New Years resolution then look no further than: www.gymgadgets.com
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| Friday 23rd November | Back from our holidays
We had a GREAT time in Thailand again. This year we went to Phuket for 16 nights. A WILD time was had by all !!
Kim Amess in Uptown Girl [Broadband required]
Kim...£50 and I'll delete it !!!
Here's a snippet of Terry's Phuket Golf Academy
...and another of Terry, Eddie and I smashing three balls down the fairway
All our pics here......
We know some of you like to look at these....
and
Trev & Joy's pics here...
Not forgetting Lady Daniels of Strathdon....
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| Saturday 6th October | Anna & Paul's Wedding
 Anna sent us some piccies - it looks like they had a fabulous time
Piccies here
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| Monday 24th September | Not much to report....
Regular readers are reminding me that there's nothing new on "Latest News" ..urm thats because...not much has happened out of the ordinary. Swampy's recovering at home (and out from under my feet). All her jobs are covered (that took about 3 minutes). Weekends mad busy (so nothing new there). Midweeks ....just how I like it...not too busy. Vinny's growing fast (as babies have a tendency to do...). Looks like that's the "summer" over and done with....typical Illuminations weather today. The Fireworks Championships are pretty spectacular this year....on Friday nights at about 8:30pm. I'm definitely on countdown now to our holiday....6 weeks, 2 days to go (note to self...get to Driving Range). This year we're going back to Thailand...coz we love it there!!
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| Monday 6th August | Blackpool FC Fixtures
Now that we have gone up a division into the Coca Cola Football League it's worth fishing for a few football supporters so I copied the fixture list here in the hope it will get found by a few suupporters on search engines...and maybe they'll choose to come to us. Couples and families only though please!!
Full Fixture List here
PS....Sea... Sea... Seasiders!!!!
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| Friday 3rd August | We're Grand Parents...AGAIN!!
Vinny was born tonight at 7pm (...ish) weighing in at 7lb 11ounces. Vinny is our third grandson and the first from Jamie (and Faye). So...welcome to the world little one!!
Bigger picture here
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| Friday 3rd August | Discounted Blackpool Zoo Tickets
 We've negotiated a great deal for you at Blackpool Zoo. Well....actually the deal is they give us an attractive £1 off each ticket to entice our guests PLUS they give us £1 per ticket commission but we've decided to pass that saving on to our guests so they get £2 off each ticket!! If the weather is nice it's a great day out and a nice stroll through Stanley Park will bring you back towards town centre. Offer is only open to our guests
Blackpool Zoo website here
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| Friday 6th July | Anna's Leaving Bash
 Anna has been with us for nearly 2 years and is going back to Poland to get married to Paul. She's been very popular with guests so we threw her a party...well it was more like a three day binge!!
Piccies can be viewed here
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| Monday 2nd July |
Fancied something different to the normal Italian and Chinese last night and paid a visit to Kwizeen. We've been a couple of times and always had a top notch meal but last night I was especially impressed so we'll be recommending this restaurant to our guests in the future who want something a little bit different to steak and chips. Last night I had Lytham Wood Pigeon, Birchwood Strawberries and Pepper Sauce as a starter - it was REALLY REALLY nice. The Lancashire Tea Smoked Goosnargh Duck Breast in Liquorice Sauce as a main meal was also delicious and something a little different. You can view the full menu here. We think it's a great Bistro offering something a little bit different.
www.kwizeen.co.uk
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| Tuesday 12th June | Time to get fit!!
 After 6 years of those Mighty Big Breakfasts regular guests and friends will know that they've taken their toll on my tum (Mandy: ...and your bum's a bit big too!)
So...I decided to get myself a personal trainer and start working out a bit. The upshot is I'm losing weight and feel MUCH BETTER!! Julie has helped me so much I'm building her a website - you can view its progress here
I hope I keep the training up ....the exercise really does make me feel better
Shameless plug to help search engines find the site:-
Blackpool and Fylde Personal Fitness Trainer
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| Saturday 12th May | Gail's 40th Birthday Bash
Ouch.....my head still hurts!!
Phew...what a weekend. Gail and Andy came down again to celebrate her 40th. Friends, Colin and Anne, Lee n Gill, Ces n Cath, Allan and Pauline, Mr Pastry, Maggie and the boys, Phil and Colleen, Jimmy and Dianne, Eddie & Lisa, Kim & Hils, Paul & Jeanette and many more came also to ensure it went off with a BANG!!!
Thanks everybody for making it a GREAT WEEKEND!!!
Piccies here
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| Thursday 3rd May | Get Your Blackpool Show Tickets Here
We've joined forces with Ticketmaster and can now offer tickets for all the shows at the Blackpool Opera House. There's some great shows this season including:- Roy Chubby Brown, One Night of Queen, G4, Hits Reloaded, One Night of Elvis, The Meat Loaf Trilogy, Summertime Special, Russell Brand, Blondie, Cannon and Ball's Comedy Bonanza, Chicago, Jimmy Carr and many more....
More info and links here...
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| Saturday 28th April | Fancy a Game of Bingo Online?
Blackpool Bingo - Join us at Blackpool Bingo today!
www.blackpoolbingo.co.uk
Maybe it's the ever present feeling of excitement? Or is it the world famous Illuminations and amusement park? Or how about the mind-boggling list of fun things to do whatever the time?
There's something about Blackpool which is hard to put your finger on, an infectious zest for life which keeps you wanting more.
At Blackpool Bingo you can tap into this 'buzz' from the comfort of your own home.
The first thing you notice at Blackpool Bingo is the shear range of games. Not only do we have the traditional 90 ball bingo games, we've also got chat games, scratch-cards, slots, progressive jackpot slots, video poker, arcade games and keno! Wow!
Then there is the advanced, real time chat system where you can meet lots of like minded people to make friends with. Whoever said staying at home was antisocial has obviously never played at Blackpool Bingo!
And to top it all off everything is beautifully wrapped up in one of the most stylish looking products on the internet.
You can almost smell the candyfloss! Join us at Blackpool Bingo today!
Click Here to play now at Blackpool Bingo
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| Saturday 28th April | England Smoking Ban
May we remind future guests that from Sunday 1st July in compliance with new English laws the Canasta Hotel will not allow smoking in any part of the hotel (bedrooms included). It's not our choice. As smokers we realise we are in the minority now and most folk would prefer a non smoking environment but it does peeve a bit that the government aren't giving us the choice. I think it would be much better if legislation were changed so that any hotels were forced to display "We Allow Smoking Here" and let the guests make their minds up...it's just another instance where this government are taking away freedom of choice.
But..it will be self-policing and the fines are quite heavy so we will have to enforce it.
We've made the decision to extend the ban to all bedrooms. If we allowed guests to smoke in their rooms this WOULD cause excessive pollution which would be VERY DIFFICULT to clean. Any Guests causing us suspicion of smoking in their rooms will be asked to leave and the booking will be cancelled with all charges due plus a room cleaning/loss of revenue charge of up to 2 nights room rate (a room that smells of smoke may not be able to be re-let until the smell is cleared). If you smoke in the room and we do not identify it until you have checked out, your card details will be charged with the additional nights charges as detailed above.
Sorry - we don't agree with it - but we have to enforce it - at the end of the day it's our Residential Licence that may be revoked if we continued to allow guests to smoke. Thanks for your understanding.
For more information about the ban and help in quitting please click here
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| Friday 27th April | Golf Gadgets
Another domain I've been sat on for 4 years and done nothing with... goes live today. www.GolfGadgets.co.uk.
So for all your online golf clubs shopping please visit my golf shop
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| Friday 27th April | Who Switches Lights On
I must be psychic - ages ago I made a page "who switched the lights on". Well it's quite aptly named this year as David Tennant aka Dr Who switches the lights on Friday 31st August.
Advance bookings are phenomenal this year (which is strange as the early part of the season is REALLY quiet...) ....so BOOK EARLY for high season!!!
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| Tuesday 3rd April 2007 | Directions for Extra Terrestrials
Sat twiddling my thumbs...waiting for Easter when it all starts to get busy for the season I thought I'd put together a page for our Extra Terrestrial guests.
If you are from another planet (and occasionally we get guests who we think are!!) then please click here for directions
I know...I'm sad...but I'm running out of ideas for extra pages...
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| Saturday 31st March 2007 | My Birthday
Thanks for all the pressies guys!!!
Loved the wine - thanks Terry and Lesley and Trev and Joy and Eddie and Lisa!!
and look at the one Andy and Gail got me!!!!
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| Tuesday 28th March 2007 | Anglo Scottish Trophy
Just back from a great two days with Andy, Terry and Davey in Burntisland. On the Tuesday we played GLENEAGLES Centenary Course.....it was awesome!!!!!!!!  Well ...we had to test it out prior to the Ryder Cup being played there in 2014. Terry pointed out to the greenkeeper that "the Par 3's would need toughening up a bit but apart from that it was a good test" (urm..without actually hitting a green)
Andy won the new trophy - he played the round of his life - I was so envious!!! So...well done Big Yin!! It was nice to meet Davey and hope he can make it for Gails Bash in May.
Pictures and video here...
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| Tuesday 20th March 2007 |
I'm frequently asked what's the weather like in Blackpool today. Well..you can check yourself now and get hourly reports...automatically...
Click here for Blackpool weather
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| Friday 16th March 2007 |
 We have a few rooms left (at time of writing this) for Easter. We thought we'd try something a bit different this year so on the Saturday we have a Magic and Illusion act booked at 11pm. karaoke is always popular on the Friday and we got Tim Mills booked for Easter Sunday night.
Check Easter Availability here
- 3 night minimum requirement
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| Wednesday 14th March 2007 |
Another one
coming soon www.AutoTraders.co.uk Yep - I'm now a car dealer - no Arthur Daly jokes please. We're busy working on the back end at the moment but should be ready by the end of the week. Search for a car dealer near you, buy insurance, get finance - great logo. Thanks Pinky!!
www.autotraders.co.uk
Click here for a list of sites I'm working on in my spare time
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| Tuesday 13th March 2007 |
Well it's been a typically quiet early March so I've been tinkering with a few web projects recently. Here's one I put together because I keep losing my telephone book (or rather Swampy takes it and never puts it back !!). "Urm....typical bloke never admitting you lose things!!" Now all I need do is click the link on my desktop and....VOILA...all my contact details are a click away. I wouldn't advise storing anything confidential in there....but feel free to create your own account and make use of it if you think it could be handy. The great thing about it is you can access it anywhere on the planet as long as you got an internet connection.
I'll be fine tuning it over the next week.....if you want to give me some feedback or suggestions for additional features please email me here
New domain: www.WheresThatNumber.com
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| Monday 12th March 2007 |
Another domain I've been sat on and not done anything with...and you know I like gadgets so enjoyed putting this together.
Get your gadgets at www.gadgetshops.com
Good logo eh!! Thanks to my little helper in Russia for that!
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| Thursday 8th March 2007 |
 Ain't the internet great!! I was sat twiddling my thumbs with a great domain - bunch.co.uk and decided to join forces with bunches.co.uk and became a florist overnight!! Hmm...not sure I'd like to be called a florist...so Swamps can have this one.
Anyway...if you want to order some flowers to impress your loved one for your forthcoming stay with us - be sure to use www.BUNCH.co.uk
...or you could always BOOKMARK IT for later on!
Swampy: "You really have got too much time on your hands....here...get hold of this paint brush!" |
| Friday 2nd March 2007 | Jazz Song Cafe
Just had a visit from a rep for a new venture that's opening in Blackpool - The Jazz Song Cafe.
"Enjoy an Hour of Live Vocal Jazz with Every Meal"
Hmm...sounds right up my street....tell me more!!
"What better way to relax than enjoying a gourmet meal and selection of fine wines in our tastefully decorated dining area, sit side by side and enjoy the soothing tones of a vocal jazz set between courses."
Sounds just what Blackpool needs right now...we'll go and sample their delights on the preview nights and let you know what it's like!!
More info here:-
www.jazzsongcafe.com
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| Thursday 1st March 2007 | Chairman of the Board
Accountant suggested I make all three business' limited companies....so I am now a director of
Canasta Hotel Ltd
Best Hotel Ltd
and YNH Ltd
....whoo hoo
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| Wednesday 21st February 2007 | Tim Mills - Blackpool's King of Swing
It's a little quiet so I'm helping Tim out and building him a website. Tim appeared for us at New Year and Valentines week. He's a GREAT singer and I'm REALLY enjoying building the web-site. I passed the overall design stage on to my staff at www.bestdesigns.co.uk (well they are particularly good) and I'm still doing the video and music section.
It'll be evolving over time.
Watch it grow here:- Blackpool Singer www.TimMills.org
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| Sunday 18th February 2007 | YABADABADOO !!!!!!
Cheers for that Ses !!!!
The kid is back !!!
I'm off to the docs now to get my own.....
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| Friday 26th Jan 2007 | Special Dates This Year
Well...it's always quiet in January (and too be honest we like it like that...easing back into things nice and gently) so it gets me thinking about putting bums on beds for later in the year.
Coming Up we have:-
Valentines Breaks - this year Valentines Day falls on the Wednesday so we'll probably be full both weekends either side of it. We got Blackpool's Mr Rat Pack - Tim Mills booked and will be doing karaoke also. Also we'll run a Happy Hour at the bar (half prices) for an hour. More info here
Easter Weekend - For the weekend we have a requirement of a minimum of 3 night stay, arriving on Friday April 6th. It's usually a GREAT WEEKEND. All the theatres are usually open and, of course, the Pleasure Beach is a great family attraction. At night we'll be running the KARAOKE on the Friday night from 8:30pm to Midnight. On Saturday again we'll run the KARAOKE from 8:30pm to 11pm and then we'll have an artiste on (to be announced). On Easter Sunday Blackpool's Mr Rat Pack - Tim Mills appears at 11pm for an hour (so that gives you chance to see a show and come back early if you want to).
More info about Easter Weekend here
Book Early !!
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| Saturday 26th Jan | Hotel Reception Desk Software
Viewers can ignore this insert - it's just to assist SEO for a program I am involved in authoring for Hotel Reception Software. [The link here helps it get higher ranking in search engines]
Of course, if you're a rival hotelier....download the free demo - you'll wonder how you managed without it !!!!
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| Saturday 19th Jan | Vilamoura 2007
Just back from our Annual Golfing Trip to Vilamoura in Portugal where we play for the PIG and Canasta Cups
For those half interested here is the link for the new site
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| Monday 1st January 2007 | New Years Party 2006
Oh What a Night!!!
Thanks to everybody for making it a special two day party. We all enjoyed ourselves so much and judging by the comments so did you!!! Thanks to Terry and Leslie for all their hard work, Kay for coming in real early to clear up, Dan, Anna and Martha for keeping things going, Big John and Little John for their excellent cooking.
[Pictures Here] [Movies Here]
Special thanks and mentions must be made to Gail and Andy for helping us get through Xmas, Ses for "Running Bare", Colin for taking us out of 2006 and bringing us into 2007 with such style, Nicky for singing my favourite songs, Trish, Ian and the Snowys for singing some great songs, the Wigan crew for being a great laugh and everybody else for just being such good fun to be with. Oh....last and by no means least Swampy for being so gorgeous in that Fancy Dress. Thanks everybody - and have a GREAT NEW YEAR - see you next time!
[Pictures Here] [Movies Here]
PS - here's a direct link to the funniest video!! |
