Living La Vida La Rosa - Part 1

Living La Vida La Rosa - Part 1

Given the title of this blog I could forgive you for thinking that the lack of blog posts recently was because I have run off with Ricky Martin - I can strongly assure you that is not the case at all - I've just been on holiday!

I've had a lovely time with the Other Half touring round Yorkshire, visiting many new places and re-visiting some old favourites! If you would like to know more of the nitty gritty details, every little bit of our tour can be found on the Yorkshire Made blog!

But what I wanted to share exclusively with my made by lolly x blog readers is the review and the pictures from the two and a half days we spent at La Rosa first at the Campsite Extraordinaire then at their Whitby Hotel There is so much to tell you and I have so many pictures to share that I think I will have to make this a two-part post! I shall start with La Rosa - Campsite Extraordinaire...

The introduction on the website hopes that we find the camp "a fantasy land full of nostalgia, romance and all things kitsch, camp and bohemian" before going on to say that camping on this site is by no means 'glamping' And I totally have to agree with them! It is an absolutely amazing place, but if your idea of retro camping is buying a picnic set from the nearest Cath Kidston shop then this campsite is definitely not for you. Sitting comfortably at the shabby end of 'shabby chic' this experience is all about an entirely different pace of life - albeit a kitsch and colourful one complete with showers in the cow shed, a bath under the stars and a composting toilet in a gypsy caravan. A kind of psychedelic retreat!

On Tuesday afternoon, following a turn onto an unmarked road that led to a dramatic descent down a incredibly narrow, steep and stony farm track we arrived at the camp and were given a tour of the facilities. Although basic, the site has everything you need for day-to-day camping, including a fridge, water station, and cooking area - complete with camping stoves, gas, pots, pans and cutlery. We were then introduced to our choice of caravans. In the end we chose to go for the upgrade to 'Elvis' instead of the 'Beach Hut' we had originally booked. And boy what a caravan!

Decked out in full 'Elvis in Vegas' style our 'Bucaneer' van was done out in shades of white, red and black - as well as plenty of fake fur, sequins and mirrors. Because, or maybe despite of all this glitz, the van was incredibly homely and comfortable - it even came with it's own wood burner for those cooler evenings! However we didn't make use of this facility, preferring to sit outside by the open fire-pit till late into the night chatting with our fellow happy campers. It didn't take us long to get to know one another - or to be invited into the other vans for a sneak peek. In our field we had 'Mary' (religious kitsch complete with a lenticular Jesus) 'La Rosa' (romantic pink and silver swan princess) and 'Tinker' (homely converted truck and the van I will request if ever we return!)

There is something magical about sitting in front of a roaring fire swapping stories and secrets with people you have only just met and I had one of the most relaxing and enjoyable evenings I have ever known. This led onto a peaceful nights sleep and a luxuriously long lie-in before one final cuppa made on the gas stove.

All too soon our stay was over.

With the scent of woodsmoke in all our belongings we gritted our teeth, crossed our fingers and put the car in first gear and hoped to goodness we'd make it back up the incredibly narrow, steep and stony farm track so we could press onwards to Whitby and La Rosa Hotel...

The view of Whitby from La Rosa hotel