A Lovely Getaway: My Valentine's Weekend

You might have read my last blog about doing Valentine's day on the cheap. Well, my boyfriend and I did just that for our Valentine's weekend - and we had a whale of a time!

After freezing my arse off at the train station, Laurence and I exchanged our gifts to each other. He got me a really funny lovely card (usually I hate cards but he has excellent taste in cards) and some gorgeous presents. I had mentioned how I used to love those Claire's surprise/goody bags as a child so he decided to make me a grown up version! He gave me a box of my absolute favourite Booja Booja truffles, sweets, a rose, Lucky Charms, snacks, a heart shaped photo frame, a fantastic elephant cushion - elephants are my favourite animal - and a 'dud' present of some Mr Muscle bathroom wipes. Because what surprise bag is complete without a boobie prize?!

We chilled at his house Friday night and had a lovely Indian meal from a place in Claremorris called Dawat. We had a gorgeous meal of chapatis, pilau rice, bombay aloo and poppadums. I never really branched out to Indian food before meeting Laurence and now it's one of my favourite things to eat.

On Saturday it was time to head up to Claremorris, where we'd booked a night away. Before we checked in we decided to check out the town of Claremorris, the metropolis that it is. I have to say, there are some brilliant shops there, most notably the charity shops. I got a few nice bits for next to nothing! We drove around for ages and went to about 5 different places in the hopes of getting a wedge baguette (I know, romantic) and then ate it in the car. To everyone else we must seem like the world's most boring couple! ;-) 

 After doing some shopping it was time to check into our self catering accommodation at Valley Lodge Farm Accommodation. To be honest, we weren't really sure what to expect as it sounded like a glorified hostel. We arrived (after driving up the country roads in the back arse of nowhere - grass growing in the middle of the tarmac etc.) and met Eugene, one of the hostel owners, who showed us around. I have to say it was a lovely place - clean, bright, with a large lounge/dining room area and a big well stocked communal kitchen. It certainly wasn't your usual grubby hostel! We booked a private room so we got our own en-suite bathroom with a shower which was lovely. We booked through Booking.com which ended up being a pain - we thought the money had been taken already but Eugene told us it hadn't so we had to pay there and then which was a bit annoying as we thought we'd already paid. To pay by card we had to go into their family home and interrupt poor Mary's dinner she was in the middle of making! Eugene told us he'd leave some milk and bread in the kitchen for breakfast and told us we could leave food in his freezer if we needed to which was a nice touch, although in the end we forgot to buy food for breakfast the next morning. D'oh.

We had a few drinks, got a takeaway, and I was so tuckered out I fell asleep at about 11! No stamina, me.

The hostel room was nice and quiet apart from the other people who came stomping in at around 3 a.m. I will say it was a bit cold as the radiator was right under the window so all the heat was being let out. Laurence, clever man he is, had to tuck the curtains in on the windowsill to keep the heat in. It ended up being roasting in the middle of the night - I woke up drenched in sweat apparently. Sexy. The bed also wasn't the comfiest but I suppose you get what you pay for, it was only €22.50 each. Apart from that I'd go back there - it did the job!

The next day we had to check out before 11:30 a.m. which was a bit of a shame as we'd have loved a sleep in on the Sunday morning. I was hoping we'd get to see some of the many farm animals at Valley Lodge before we left but all I saw was a donkey! As it was such a beautiful sunny day we decided to head up to Castlebar for a gander. Castlebar also has some great shops such as New Look, Swamp, Peacocks and a few charity shops too.

We were both starving as we hadn't eaten breakfast so we went to check out The Olive Tree - an Eastern Mediterranean café & restaurant in Castlebar - for some food. I found the place on Happy Cow (a great website for vegan/vegetarian/dairy free eateries all around the world) and it sounded different so I had high hopes. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed. I'm not lying when I say it was one of the best lunches I've ever had!

Upon reading the menu we found lots of tasty options for vegetarians, vegans and meat eaters alike. Laurence decided on the toasted potato bread with salsa, avocado, garlic dressing, salad, olives and the most delicious sweet sauce (I wish I knew what it was!). He customized it so there was no cheese on top which was no problem with our waitress. I chose the falafel pitta with hummus, salad and garlic dressing. We also ordered a side of sweet potato fries to share. Our waitress asked if we were vegan as the dishes contained mayonnaise and we told her we were dairy free. The cherry on top of the cake was when she served us dates with our coffee instead of a biscuit as the biscuits contained dairy. Score! That's good service right there.

Our food came out really quickly and the portions were huge - such good value for money. I took a bite of mine and I swear I swooned, it was absolutely fantastic. Pittas aren't the most attractive things to eat and I was really wolfing it down. How do I have a boyfriend?!

Halfway through both our meals we swapped plates so we could try each other's food (#relationshipgoals) and Laurence's food was just as divine. It was all so flavourful and different to the usual boring sandwiches you'd usually get in a café. Clean plates all round at our table. The Olive Tree truly is a hidden gem in Castlebar - I'm definitely going back!

After our meal we went to Horkan's garden centre to look at the animals, because we are both really 70 years old. They have hedgehogs and giant ants and meerkats and everything there - it's madness! I'm not really sure why they'd keep meerkats in a pet shop, seems a bit cruel to me, but there you go. I'm also not really sure why you'd want a pet hedgehog unless you wanted to scrub your feet on it!

All in all we had a lovely weekend. It was actually my first Valentine's Day with a boyfriend - I'm so lucky I've found the one I want to spend many more with. I was so sad to be back to normality and back in college on Monday. Roll on the summer time when I have lots of free times for more adventures! I hope you all had a lovely weekend no matter what you did.

Money Can't Buy Love: Budget Valentine's Day Ideas

Ahh, Valentine's Day. The day of the year I used to snub for a 'Hallmark Day' back when I was single. Now that I actually have a real life, fully functional boyfriend, however, I'm more keen on the idea. The only part I'm not so keen on is the whole spending money part!

I'm sure I'm not the only one scratching her head over how to do Valentine's Day on a student budget. Worry not, with a bit of creativity and shopping around it is do-able! Keep reading for some gift, activity and food ideas all on the cheap.

Things to do

Hotels bump their prices up so drastically Laurence and I had to think outside the box and choose an alternative route. I ain't about paying €200 just for what is essentially a pretty bedroom for the night! We ended up browsing Booking for some alternative nights away such as glamping, and in the end we chose a self catering cottage in Claremorris. Not the most glamorous of locations, sure, but it's a change of scenery and - bonus - it was only €22.50 each! Bargain. There are lots of other options on Groupon and Booking so be sure to have a look around. Even if you end up going for the camping/glamping/self catering cottage route it means you have your own space and can cook a romantic meal (or eat beans out of a tin and wee in a bush if you go camping) without having to pay a premium.

If you're more of an adventurous type why not try out archery, paintballing, a romantic horseride along the beach or even snorkelling? Valentine's Day doesn't have to be all doves and soppiness - sometimes it's better to just have fun!

Food glorious food

Trying to get a booking at a restaurant for Valentine's Day is near impossible at this stage - not to mention ludicrously expensive. This combined with the fact Laurence is a vegetarian and I can't eat dairy makes the set menus a no-go! We haven't decided what we'll do meal-wise yet but both of us love cooking so a romantic homemade dinner with a bottle of wine may well be an option. The good thing about having your meal at home as well as it being significantly cheaper (you can use the money you saved for a nice bottle of vino) is that you can eat like a piggy and no one can judge you. Success. 

I read a really interesting idea the other day where you and your partner both set a budget - say, €10 each - and seperately go to the supermarket. You buy whatever ingredients you want with your €10 to make a meal, but your partner can't know what you're buying and vice versa. When you get home you combine everything you've bought and try and make a meal out of it all! It has the potential to be either delicious or disgustingly random - but that's the fun of it.

If you'd prefer to have a meal during the day, a picnic is a great idea providing the weather isn't too shite. Laurence and I have 'carnics' (picnics in the car) all the time if we can't afford to eat out. We bring things like soup, nice bread rolls, hummus, crisps, tasty drinks, egg mayo, potato/pasta salad etc. You could even bring some paper cups and a bottle of wine if you're feeling extra classy. Just don't get arrested for being drunk in public. ;-)

Gift ideas

It's a good idea if you're being frugal to set a budget each. Laurence and I set a budget of €15 to spend on each other, which I think is a perfectly fair budget. It's enough to buy a few small things, a voucher or a slightly bigger gift but not so much it'll break the bank.

Here's just a few present ideas for him and her - no matter how small your budget is.

Top row: Quirky t-shirt (RedBubble.com) - Beaded bracelets (Etsy) - Lush 'Two Hearts' giftset - Lush 'Cosmic' giftset - Pug socks (ASOS) - Me, You, Us book (Urban Outfitters) - Tweezerman multi-tool keychain (ASOS) - Makeup bag (ASOS) - Paw Me Another hip flask (ASOS)

Again, you can always check Groupon for unusual gift ideas such as days out, spa trips, hotel stays and meals as well as goods. My favourite shops for gift ideas are ASOS, Urban Outfitters and Etsy - you won't find the usual run of the mill presents here!

Hope this blog was helpful! If you have any more Valentine's ideas let me know - and remember, it's the thought that counts. If all else fails you can just wrap yourself up in a bow - after all, you're the best present you could give someone. ;-)