http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RATmkF9zXy4&feature=sub

This is the link that will give you a sneak preview into UNESCO’s first Urban Global Geopark and you can see it in all its glory when you come to Torquay, heart of the English Riviera.  The more you get to know, the more fascinating the history of our island becomes.  See firsthand that the English Riviera is more than just a pretty face!!

Right now there is good entertainment available in the hotel. Every Friday and second Saturday you can chill out in the Compass Bar and Lounge to the sounds of Howard Jones – an excellent singer who will have you up and dancing before you know it! Complementing Howard on alternate Saturdays is Talitha another singer guaranteed to get the feet going. (Even the manager has been spotted on the dance floor!). On Wednesdays and Sunday lunchtimes, Paul Vincent, a pianist who has accompanied the likes of Morecambe and Wise and Norman Wisdom amongst others during an illustrious career, will tinkle the ivories and of course, Sunday evenings, Tuesdays and Thursdays feature our resident pianist Neil Reid.

The atmosphere is great, the staff hospitable and there is always something to watch so it’s no surprise that the word of a friendly welcome is travelling fast – even in the animal kingdom!

By midmorning I was beseiged by a number of irate guests, choking on the one sided, poorly written article in the colour magazine supplement, by a man whose name sounds like a poor man’s pizza.  Peppered with cheap shots, this piece of journalistic trash refers to my lovely hotel as a “large ugly building presumptuously called The Grand”, which he merely viewed from a distance – persumably too lazy to visit and enjoyed charming hospitality and arguably one of the best views in the UK.  I wonder, does he know ugly from beauty? 

I was saddened that his pathetic drivel denigrated Laurence Murrell who is one of Torquay’s most enduring and hardworking hoteliers.  I know that negativity and sensationalism sells newspapers but sadly, jaundiced claptrap, from someone who can quite obviously influence an audience, can have a huge impact on how a resorts like those English Riviera are perceived.  It does continue to provide great holidays that cater for all tourists who are sensible enough to visit glorious Devon – especially when the country needs the support of its own.  The more visitors, the faster one is able to work to get better!  So pizza man, next time constructive assistance please not demolition!

Have you ever noticed that when you meet new people in a group, next time you come across them you think either they all look the same or you draw a blank when trying to remember anybody’s name?  Now multiply that tenfold and you have my dilemma – how to remember the names of over 130 staff – thank heavens for name badges!

Having surmounted this problem, my next test was to learn to find my way around the “Grand” maze.  Not only are there 4 floors of bedrooms, 5 function rooms, restaurant, bar and kitchen but also offices, cellars and a million store cupboards.  I seemed to get lost on a daily basis my first 2 weeks and at one point debated whether to get a sat nav device to guide me round.

I won’t bore you with details of all my introductions, training, induction and the paper work that goes with my new job other than to say that I used to think paper work was an excuse for managers to sit in the office all day drinking tea.  Fool me!  It hasn’t been the local steam engine smoking around here – it’s been my head!

If I have come to fear anything during my short time in the job, it’s my pager.  Firstly it makes me jump out my skin when it goes off (a lot), and secondly I get enveloped in this aura of intrepidation as I never know what Reception is going to say when I resp0nd.  Sometimes I get off lightly as it is just a car needing to be parked, a phone call to deal with or a department needing change or something.  Then every now and again it is a matter requiring a little more ingenuity of thought.  How do you deal with a beautiful day and a busy swimming pool that is filled not only with guests of all ages, shapes and sizes, but also feathered ones?  Yes, we have 2 resident ducks who return each winter/spring to do what animals do in the spring – create offspring.  Each year we call in the experts to move the parents and their new offspring to the local pond and that’s the end of it for another year.  This year it is different as our 2 ducks have reared and bid farewell to their offspring and returned to the Grand, having decided that it’s their favourite home. They seem quite happy to swim around with guests and fortunately our guests are quite taken with them.  They (the ducks) have also been known to hop upstairs to the door of the lounge to say hello!  I wonder if they would be so bold if they knew how often duck features on our menus!

Don’t miss your chance to see this stunning installation at Torre Abbey in 2009. Free to enter, this exhibition runs from 27th June to 23rd August 2009 and will be the centrepiece of a year of contemporary art in the ancient setting of Torre Abbey. Built in 1196 by the ‘White Canons’ the Abbey is Torquay’s oldest building and its recent restoration will provide an unusual backdrop for Gormley’s thought-provoking installation.

Perhaps most famous for his giant sculpture, Angel of the North, Gormley’s Turner-prize-winning Field series is a startling and arresting sight: thousands of unglazed, fired, small clay figures, standing closely together, all staring towards the viewer. The Field for the British Isles’ comprising 40,000 clay figures will fill much of the Abbey’s huge Spanish Barn. 

The Spanish Barn, venue for Field, is a mediaeval Tithe Barn originally built to store taxes paid to the Abbey in the form of grain, hay and other farm produce. The barn’s unexpected name, and its place in the history books, was firmly established at the time of the Spanish Armada, when 397 prisoners were captured and held in the barn for a fortnight.

The exhibition will be open daily from 27th June to 23rd August 2009 in the Spanish Barn.  Entry to the exhibition is free of charge – donations are invited.  The Torre Abbey Contemporary Open exhibition will run concurrently in the Abbey (normal Abbey admissions prices apply).

Keeper of Art, Amelia Marriette: “The exhibiting of Antony Gormley’s Field for the British Isles is the start of a new era for Torre Abbey as a major centre for contemporary arts in the region. I guarantee that Field will create a very strong impression on all that come to see it and experience it’s silent message. Gormley is one of Britain’s best known living artists and we know that visitors will travel far and wide to see his work. With Blank Canvas running alongside we can also make this event a fantastic opportunity for artists in the South West to showcase their work. It really is the beginning of something much bigger for Torre Abbey and for Torbay.”
Click here to download leaflet PDF 

Plan your visit
The Spanish Barn at Torre Abbey is 5 minutes walk from Torquay Train station.  It is also 5 minutes walk from the Seafront which has regular bus services from Torquay, Paignton and Brixham.  Bus routes are any of the 12 routes, X46 and 32. There are several pay and display car parks that can be used to reach the Spanish Barn atTorre Abbey:
- Main car park at the Riviera Centre follow signs through car park
- Torre Valley, Walnut Road
- Abbey Park, Belgrave Road
- Shedden Hill
Coaches can off-load in the Torre Abbey entrance area (through main gates).  Parking is then at the Lymington Road Coach Station.
Please note that there are no public toilets at the Spanish Barn.  Nearest public facilities are at Abbey Meadows and at the Torquay Seafront (by Torre Abbey Sands).

Getting in to the mindset of a child, idea’s start flying around the office, ‘singing and dancing, bouncy castle, egg painting…’  Now we have all of these idea’s it’s up to me to find people to put things into action!  Google becomes a very close friend of mine at this point!!

Far too quickly Easter Monday is here and I arrive to find the calm before the storm.  Slowly all of the stalls start to arrive but 10 minutes before the start I am still missing the bouncy castle and face painter.  Just as I begin to worry they both stroll through the door.

11:30am and the queue for the face painter is huge, the egg painting is going well and the animals from Pets at Home are a real hit!  The first singer is announced – she is the junior singing star winner from Torbay’s Acting Factory.  As she takes to the stage the whole room turns to watch and I suddenly realise just how many people are here!

The BBQ is up and running now and the Grand Produce stall, selling all of our homemade goodies, is going down a treat.  I look around and am pleased to see how much everyone is enjoying themselves.  Children are exploring the hotel searching for the clues of our Treasure Hunt and wondering around are characters such as Cavog from Kent’s Cavern, Mac the Penguin from Living Coasts and the Crealy Bear.

Tuesday and back to my desk to get back to some ‘grown up work’ when I realise… in no time at all it will be time to do it all over again for our August Family Fun Day!!

An exclusive restaurant for wild ducks is to open in Torquay, it was announced today.

Torbay City Council leader Russ Newton Abbott said: ‘For too long the ducks here have been fed cheap own brand bread, and out-of-date stale rolls, we felt it was time to make sure they eat properly.’

The new restaurant will have 24 little pools with floating paper plates, where ducks can dine, and there will be special duck toilets, and a crèche for ducklings that are brought along. The menu, prepared by Grand Executive Head Chef Richard Hunt, will include organic freshly-mown grass, specially selected pond weeds, free trade slugs and snails, and of course  the Grand Bakery’s own fresh bread.

There will be 12 varieties of bread, thrown to them by trained waiting staff, including cracked whole grain, freshly-baked Halal rye, Kosher crusty white, and French baguettes. The restaurant, called Quacking Mad, is to be funded in association with Torbay council, and is expected to open as soon as the grouse shooting season starts.

One duck, Donald Mallard, said: ‘Well, let’s hope the service is a bit better than that place in Brixham. We had to fly out of the toilet window without paying the bill, it was so bad there.’

But his wife Jemima said: ‘The crèche there was good, I thought. The little ones were kept entertained during our meal with videos of fox hunting, which they thought were very funny. A fox got my Auntie Ida you know!.’

Two weeks of Guest Questionnaires sit on my desk with Jason’s replies. I told many people on board the boat that they should complete their questionnaires and explained that, as General Manager, Jason reads and replied to every questionnaire that is handed in. Today its great to see that most of the comments are positive and its obvious our new Head Chef, Richard Hunt, is making his mark and people are again enjoying our food offerings. The continuous training programmes are also paying off. Oh no – here’s one where a guest is complaining that “the toast is bland”! Well, if that’s all they can find fault with we’re doing well.

Before I know it its off to the morning meeting where we do over the previous day and highlight any problems and special requirements for the forthcoming days. Back to the office, collecting the day’s post on the way (and a pot of tea for everyone), and type up and circulate the Minutes from the meeting.

I grab a quick bite for lunch and then I need to check that all the Christmas ordering is done – Christmas cards – check, Christmas gifts – check, crackers, nats, poppers, streamers, balloons – check. Decorations were chosen in May and will be put up at the beginning of December. I know exactly how many weeks to Christmas as my first grandchild is due on Christmas Day!

More letters land on my desk, a charity request, a lovely thank you letter from a couple who spent their 40th Wedding Anniversary with us recently, an invite to a local tourism event. I get the letters typed and ready for Jason’s signature and, before I know it, its 5.30pm and time to go home.