A
highlight of my visit to England last month was a one-night stay at the
beautiful art deco hotel on Burgh Island on the coast of Devon.
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| The wonderful 1930s hotel on Burgh Island in Devon in the UK |
One of the
hotel’s claims to fame is that Agatha Christie was inspired by Burgh Island to
write two of her most famous novels—Evil Under the Sun and Then There
Were None (originally published with a title considered now to be offensive.)
I thrilled
to the idea of visiting this hotel, which is cut off at high tide from the
village of Bigbury-on-Sea with no way off the island. It’s where Agatha
Christie got the idea of a household of potential murderers cut off from escape
and trapped in each other’s presence. The actually hotel and island were the
setting of the “Evil Under the Sun” episode of the television series Poirot
(Christie’s famous detective). I recognized the setting straight away.
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| Art Deco splendor |
Agatha
Christie is said to be the best-selling author of all time. What fun it was for
me as a writer to stay in the place that so influenced her writing. Our little
visit was with both my bridesmaids and their husbands and it was a wonderful
(yes, expensive!) treat to celebrate us all being together. Who knows what
inspiration the stay will give me for future stories…
The hotel
was established in the 1930s with famous celebrities of the time staying there.
Apparently they welcomed the privacy and isolation. The rooms are named after famous people who stayed there over the years and are beautifully decorated in the
Art Deco style—much of it original. Having a drink in the ancient (1336 AD) Pilchard
Inn was also a memorable experience.
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| Having a drink at the ancient Pilchard Inn was quite an experience |
As you can
see from my photos, the weather wasn’t wonderful but we didn’t mind. The
rain held off for a walk around the rugged coastline and the rest of the time
we spent enjoying the luxury of our surrounding. And the excellent food. The hotel staff were
brilliant too. My only regret was that I didn’t get to ride the water tractor,
the unique mode of transport that drives through the water with the enormous
tires on the sandy bottom of the channel.
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| This eccentric vehicle is the sea tractor that transports guests to and from the island through the water |
Is it no
wonder that Burgh Island came second in the Mills & Boon Romantics awards
for most romantic destination?
Is there a
romantic destination you’d like to visit—or already have visited? A destination
that turned out to be not so romantic after all? I’d love to hear about it.
I’ve got an advance copy of my next Harlequin Romance, Gift-Wrapped
in Her Wedding Dress, to give away. Make a comment if you’d like to be in
the draw. Please include your email address.
Gift-Wrapped
in Her Wedding Dress (yes, it’s a Christmas themed novel!) will be
released next month on November 1. It’s an intensely emotional story about a
brooding billionaire Scrooge and a vivacious party planner.
The billionaire's
Christmas proposal…
Billionaire Dominic
Hunt's Christmas ball is a chance for hard-working party planner Andie Newman
to make her name. She's intent on convincing gorgeous Dominic that decking the
halls is the way to transform his brooding reputation, but he has an
alternative idea—a festive proposal!
After Dominic
unexpectedly helps Andie with her own emergency, she says yes! The engagement
is meant to be just for show, but as Dominic and Andie are surrounded by the
magic of Christmas, they find their fake feelings are becoming all too real…
Kandy Shepherd is an
award-winning author of contemporary romance and women’s fiction. She lives on
a small farm in the Blue Mountains near Sydney,
Australia, with her family and a menagerie of four-legged friends.
Visit Kandy at her website
