First, we had the “stay-cation”. This came about during Covid times. For many reasons people were looking to stay more local when they went on holiday. Perhaps there were restrictions about which areas were in which tier, and foreign travel was still not allowed. Some people just wanted a change of scene, but didn’t want to have to get on a train or plane, and some people didn’t want to go so far that they needed to stop off at motorway service stations with all the other people there that they were trying to avoid contact with.
The 25 fitted this market well, though initially we had a lot of restrictions placed upon us. Torquay is in easy reach of a huge area within say a two or three hour drive. Many people favoured Devon over Cornwall as it’s closer, and better connected by major roads and motorways. We have lots of open spaces here, beautiful beaches, plenty of walks like the South West Coast Path and Dartmoor National Park on our doorstep too. People could feel spaced out, safe and of course The 25 was scrupulously clean.
The “stay-cation” gave way to the “work-cation”. Many people had been forced online during the pandemic, and the likes of Zoom spread quickly so that you could continue to work but from home even when all the offices were shut. This inadvertently led to a whole host of people who realised that they didn’t need to be a slave to the daily commute anymore. They could work from home perfectly well, in fact, they could work from anywhere!
This meant they no longer needed to stay in one place. Why could they not work whilst on holiday too? And so the “work-cation” became popular. Again, The 25 is the perfect host for you in this situation – we have excellent wifi with a good signal in all bedrooms. There’s a mobile signal and there’s a desk in every room. We have double glazing and black out curtains, and good lighting, so you could set up a green screen and be absolutely anywhere. Take a photo of your spare bedroom at home and add that as your background and they’ll never know!
And now to the latest craze – the “nothing-cation”!
A recent online survey found that 96% of people going on holiday want to spend at least a portion of their trip doing nothing at all. This is something I’ve been saying for a long time (see my blog from 2019 when I highlighted that The 25 is ideal for guests who like to be “busy doing nothing” as I termed it).
For many of our guests, their primary reason for coming on holiday is to relax. They often have stressful lives, and spending a few days away and quality time with their loved one is all they want. Therefore they have very little planned for their time with us and will just go with the flow. They'll see where they end up and not aim to do anything or go anywhere in particular.
Sometimes it's just nice to leave your car on our car park, your mobile phone in your room and see where the day takes you.
There's certainly plenty not to do! Those of you who have already visited will know what a lovely walk it is into town - through Torre Abbey and along the Victorian promenade or via Rock Walk (Royal Terrace Gardens) to the harbour. There are plenty of benches on route so taking a seat and enjoying being on holiday is easy to do. There's also a plethora of bars, restaurants and cafés along the seafront, and, as this is the English Riviera, all of them have outdoor seating too so you can sit and people watch. Whether it's a nice cup of tea, a mid-morning flat-white or a spot of lunch, even an ice cream in the sun, it's all a reason to stop and do nothing.
The harbour area in Torquay is lovely and if you've ventured that far, you're now in the town centre. As with any town, we have a high street and plenty of shops to wander round. Our main high street is bigger than most, and there's every kind of shop you can imagine from independent clothes shops to high street brands, departments stores to owner-run coffee shops and cafés, charity shops to gift shops. Holiday makers seem to love a few hours wandering round the shops. I think it's something about being able to take your time. If you were at home, you'd have a reason to go to the shops like you need a new shirt, so you make a dash to the shops, buy the first one in your size and go home again. On holiday it's a completely different experience. You have no-where particular you need to be so you can amble round the shops, browzing and trying on clothes, buying presents and having a general mooch in your own time. This must be why so many of our guests come back with arms full of carrier bags. If you feel you've done Torquay, another day you could hop on a ferry to nearby towns Paignton or Brixham or a train and go further afield (there’s Torre train station an eight minute walk away at the top of the road).
A good suggestion for a long lunch on your nothing-cation would be The Elephant Restaurant (our local Michelin star restaurant). They were recently voted in the top ten most affordable Michelin star places to eat in the country. Afternoon tea is another relaxing experience to while away a few hours.
Don't forget how easy it is to be #busydoingnothing at The 25 Boutique B&B too!
After a nice lie in, we serve breakfast until 9:30am so as long as you're in just before, you can take as long as you like until you return back to your comfy bedroom. It's easy to spend time relaxing in your bedroom watching a film on Netflix or catching up on your favourite show. The survey said that those wanting a “nothing-cation” also wanted easy access to streaming services and a fast wi-fi connection – both of which we have in every bedroom.
I'm sure Alexa would give you an easy listening play list if you ask her. You could help yourselves to a drink and a snack from the honesty bar in the drawing room and read a book on the sofas or go and enjoy the sun on our terrace. We have a selection of games and cards available in the drawing room too.
However you spend your “nothing-cation” in Torquay being "busy doing nothing" then we hope you'll consider staying with us at The 25.
