Holidays, food,wine…

"Holidays, food, wine...  What more could you ask for?” laughs Ian Underwood, retired Lt. Col. in the Royal Engineers

“We love our holidays and we love good food and wine, and with HPB we get all three. We’re huge fans of seafood, especially mussels and oysters and with so many of the Bond sites on or near the sea we’re spoilt for choice, whether it’s dining out or buying it fresh and experimenting ourselves. In fact our very first Bond holiday was a food and drink ‘Theme Week’ (organised activity breaks at HPB sites) at Stigliano in Tuscany – it was amazing.”

Ian and his wife Ruth live in Rosaiston in Derbyshire but have spent much of their life abroad with the forces, experiencing different cultures and food.

“It was a good friend and neighbour who introduced us to HPB. We arranged a Private Tour at Sibton Park in Kent, liked what we saw and invested”, says Ruth. “That was over 30 years ago and we haven’t looked back. We’ve even added to our investment several times since. This has allowed us to take longer breaks, more often. But we also take advantage of the Short-notice Points-free system which allows us to book properties without using any of our Holiday Points.”

Living it up at Le Manoir

Ruth adds: “This latest break at Le Manoir du Hilguy is for four weeks and we’ve already booked another three weeks next year. Yes, you’ve guessed, we love it here! It’s not just the magnificent location and grounds, but also the people. Bondholders in general are a sociable bunch, but we find they are especially friendly here, and many are foodies like us. The onsite restaurant is exceptional, and with the new chef, it’s in a class of its own. It’s a great meeting place and although we may start off eating on our own, we always end up sharing desserts, wine and lots of stories. There’s a wonderful sense of camaraderie here.”

“Of course we’re not just here for the beer,” quips Ian. “This is a lovely area with endless places to visit. It’s steeped in history and tradition, and there always seems to be a fête or festival somewhere. The Breton countryside is spectacular, as are the beaches: perfect for working up an appetite, or walking off another delicious lunch!”

Holiday memories

“We have managed to tear ourselves away from Le Manoir and enjoyed many of the other Bond locations. Our daughter joined us at Sibton Park in Kent, Tigh Mor in the Scottish Highlands and Constant in the Dordogne, and several years ago friends joined us at Duloe Manor in Cornwall where we went on a fish cookery course at Rick Stein’s in Padstow. Oh, I nearly forgot the ‘Theme Week’ five years ago at Le Manoir where the chef showed us how to shuck oysters, then made us his own special recipe. Bliss!” concludes Ian.