Sunday, June 20, 2010

Hotel welcomes.





A less than auspicious start to our stay in the fancy hotel. The svelte young lady receptionist in the black cocktail dress eyed me up and down disinterestedly all the while carrying on a telephone conversation with her friend Monique in Paris. Having caught up on all the latest gossip and fashion tips she finally replaced the receiver, slowly reshuffled the papers in front of her, theatrically stapled two invoices together and then turned to me with that most charming of welcomes : "Yes?". You'd think that if you were going to charge an arm and a leg to stay in a hotel the management might at least teach their staff to smile rather than greet guests as if they're carriers of the plague bacillus. Cheap and cheerful, fancy and frosty.

Thankfully, things improved after that. We were rather alarmed that they had given us a room with white chairs, white sofa, and low slung white bed. Not the most practical of lodgings for a wet, shaggy sheepdog - in short a disaster waiting to happen. However, the same young lady who had shown such polished froideur a few moments before was all smiles when Wilf introduced himself. Cynics might feel that it's rather difficult to maintain an air of studied aloofness when you have a sheepdog sitting on your right foot. She reassured us that we shouldn't worry about a thing - ' just treat it like your own home and let him do what he wants'. It's good to know that behind that charm free exterior lurked a flamboyant sense of humour. Of one thing you could be certain - Wilf would not be allowed to do whatever he wanted inside that room !

There was no doubting that Wilf was pleased to be back at the rickety old farmhouse. He bounded out of the back of the car oblivious to the torrential rain and hurtled around the garden at high speed. His victory lap of the lawn was only interrupted by the occasional comfort stop to reacquaint himself with a favoured tree or shrub. His attitude shouted out 'forget duck and rice feasts in fancy hotels there is nowhere, but nowhere better than home'.

19 comments:

  1. Oh, the white hotel room! Yes, that sounds familiar. We once stayed at a charmingly expensive inn up in the mountains. Very "dress for dinner" type of place. Whilst dogs were not allowed in the main building, there were cottages where they were welcomed and so it was in one of these that we were booked. Imagine our surprise when we unlocked the door and walked into a fashionably all white room. Pure white goose down linen white white white. Everywhere! Floors, walls, beds, chairs. We looked down at Edward and Apple and sighed. Yes, extra sheets came in handy.

    We also took them for a long hike in the woods during which they actually saw a donkey for the first time which excited them both so much that they returned to the room completely exhausted and slept like babies till dawn.

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  2. Aww bless him. He's defo a 'home dog' that one! Sue x

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  3. Lovely, but Wilf's right - there's no place like home. Happy Father's Day Angus.
    Yankee Gal

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  4. I didn't have time yesterday but I loved the vision of Wilf getting a fancy dinner delivered to him in the room! I kept thinking that I belonged in France (and my dogs).

    It's amazing how meeting a nice dog can change the frostiest of personalities. I chuckled over you comment that Wilf should *never* be allowed to do whatever he wants in a room. Ditto for my dogs... which is why I'm laughing!

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  5. Wilf is right. Adventures and trips are wonderful for broadening one's horizons, but there is nothing like one's own territory.

    wags, Lola

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  6. How well we know that "let me finish my important conversation with my friends before I turn to you, oh foolish guests, or grocery customers, or, you name it! The amazing exception has been the Hyatt hotels -- both in Vancouver and in Sarasota -- where not a second went by before someone asked if they could help!

    Were you and the font also happy to be home? Looking forward to the next appearances of the cast of characters with whom you share the stage?

    Happy Father's Day, M. Ongoos!!

    xx Joan

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  7. Wilf sure looks like he's getting used to the good life there in those photos! Isn't it funny how dogs always seem to get past people's hang ups. No doubt Vilfee has another adoring fan now! I can't imagine why he wasn't allowed to do whatever he wanted!

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  8. HOME is always the best adventure -

    Happy Father's Day!

    XXoooXXooXXOOXooo

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  9. Oh my what a posh place you, Wilf and the Font endured! I enjoyed the description of you and Wilf at the bar and his meal.... Lovely! So much fun to travel with a dog! Ginger and I did an epic road trip in my Mercedes in 2006 from Anchorage to New Jersey, where we toured Canada and the USA in grand style. Along the way one of our most FAVORITE stops was the Fairmont Hotel in Banff. Pet friendly and super plush..... Happy Father's Day! xoxoxo

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  10. Well I can't believe you wanted her to interrupt her phone call to help you! You would think that she was there to work or something! :)

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  11. Hello! Came by via Pamela at The House of Edward, and fell in love with Wilf - that second photo! He has a lovely mischevious grin. But oh a white room! Still, I hope you all enjoyed the fancy time and being now back home.

    I just read your profile too and am so sorry to hear about the housejacking, that sounds terrifying. I hope your new adventures are treating you very well indeed.

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  12. I always thought of Wilf as a smaller dog but seeing him sitting next to the bed makes me think he's probably a little bit bigger than what I had initially thought.

    I'm not surprised Wilf was able to melt the ice queen! He's a real cutie and I'll bet he has the personality to match!

    Yes, nothing better than home sweet home! It's nice to get away for awhile but the best part is coming home.

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  13. We think the interruption of private life, to work, must be a modern phenomenon. Must be a new course in hospitality. It is world wide.

    XXXOOO Daisy, Kendra & Bella

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  14. There is no place like home...right Wilf? :)

    Woofs and Licks,
    Maggie Mae

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  15. what alovely hotel..... I wish we havd that sort of hotels in the uk

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  16. wilf looks so happy in the second picture. i love his expression!
    i'm with wilf -- there's no place like home!!

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  17. I flew my greyhound across the USA for an agility competition once and we stayed in a really expensive hotel. It was also very white, but we were being charged an extra $125 cleaning fee so I didn't worry about him sleeping on the bed and between the sheets.

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  18. As much as we're enjoying our (very long) holiday, we know of what you speak. There is no place like home ... and we'll be doing zoomies for hours once we return there. If Moma remembers, we'll try to get some videos. It'll be crazy. We know you understand.

    Your Colorado pals
    Jake and Fergi

    (Thanks for sticking with us through our hiatus. We've missed you ... and plan to try hard to keep up.)

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