Swish 2007 - The Posh One. Feb 16th - 19th

[Cruella]

I've just booked for this (http://www.ceroc.com/swish/) with my husband. Looks like a nice way to spend some quality time together, with a little dancing thrown in.:wink:
Any one else going? Or do we have the whole hotel to ourselves :D

[David Bailey]

Posh? In Norfolk? :confused: :innocent:

Plus, "food all-in" always worries me - I like choice, I do.

And, I bet you still have to wear those wussy armbands...

(I know, Mr Whinge, what do you expect on a Monday?)

[Cruella]

And, I bet you still have to wear those wussy armbands...


They could come in handy with the 4 poster bed!

[David Bailey]

They could come in handy with the 4 poster bed!
Maybe they'll be gold-plated armbands.

[Cruella]

Posh? In Norfolk? :confused: :innocent:


Good job it's in Suffolk then! :innocent:

Maybe they'll be gold-plated armbands
As long as they are strong, i'll settle for silver.:D

[robd]

Posh. Cruella. Oxymoron?

[fletch]

I tried to book this just for me but all the single lady places had gone (well the cheep seats anyway):sick:

so I have asked OXO'S if he want's to come with me (he hasn't given me an answer yet):wink:

I think it will be more couples on this one, so it seems like a good idea to take a man at least you get some dances then:grin:

[Cruella]

Posh. Cruella. Oxymoron?
Hey, i can fake it as well as any woman!

[SilverFox]

Good job it's in Suffolk then! :innocent: Looks like you will get the hotel all to yourself, as the rest of us will be going to Norfolk.:na:

[Cruella]

Thats confusing, the address is in Norfolk! But on the titles it says Potters, Suffolk! Ok, my mistake for trusting Cerocs headlines.:rolleyes:

[robd]

Looks like you will get the hotel all to yourself, as the rest of us will be going to Norfolk.:na:

Don't worry SF. Sound travels well on those flat landscapes so county boundaries should pose no problem for the laughing Di-yena.

[Cruella]

Don't worry SF. Sound travels well on those flat landscapes so county boundaries should pose no problem for the laughing Di-yena.
Guess your hotel will be in Kent then!

[Donna]

Well this one sounds excellent! Hmmmm might consider it..... & all for the Jacuzzi with a bottle of white and dancing!!! Aaaaaaahhhhh. If I can't get a place, well, guess I'll go to the local swimming baths and dancing in my local venue after instead. Hmmm not quite the same is it? :rofl:

[stewart38]

Does look good and at £5 for a pint of tap water it would appear to keep the rif raff away :grin:

[marty_baby]

Well this one sounds excellent! Hmmmm might consider it..... & all for the Jacuzzi with a bottle of white and dancing!!! Aaaaaaahhhhh. If I can't get a place, well, guess I'll go to the local swimming baths and dancing in my local venue after instead. Hmmm not quite the same is it? :rofl:


Jacuzzis are way overrated.... bubbly water??? pah! :rofl: :wink:


....does sound a nice venue... I do like my creature comforts..... will probably think about it later this year

[Stuart]

I won't be going. It is definitely Norfolk and in February on the Norfolk coast that will mean lots of layers of clothing.

I can remember going their when I was young to visit my Grandparents who were staying there. It certainly looks as though it has changed since then.

[Donna]

I won't be going. It is definitely Norfolk and in February on the Norfolk coast that will mean lots of layers of clothing.

I can remember going their when I was young to visit my Grandparents who were staying there. It certainly looks as though it has changed since then.


Didn't think about about the freezing cold conditions we might all be facing - and right by the sea too?? :really: BRRRRRRRRRRRRR. Feel cold thinking about it! Be sure to take your thermal underwear huh? :wink:

[djtrev]

While I was dj'ing for MJ in Norwich before moving out to Portugal it was always something that I wanted to happen.A MJ weekender at a camp on the coast of Norfolk/Suffolk.My preferred choice would have been Potters.It has an excellent reputation and the facilities are superb.
I think that this could become a 'must do' on the dance calendar.
Who is running the weekend?Ceroc central or Ceroc anglia?
I am almost tempted to combine it with a trip home to see the rest of our family.

[Diane]

My friend works as one of the duty managers at Potters, it is a lovely place. Like djtrev said it is one the borders of Norfolk ansd Suffolk.

[stewart38]

Wonder what the take up for this will be , does look tempting

Id assume its going to be couples :sick:

£5 for bottle water :respect:

[Lory]

Resurrecting this thread for Jivingdan :flower:

Sorry I deleted your poll Dan but as you can see, we already have this one :nice:

[fletch]

Still like the sound of this, its a good chance to buysome posh frocks :wink:



Jiving dan PM if if you need a partner :flower:

[Cruella]

Still like the sound of this, its a good chance to buysome posh frocks :wink:



Jiving dan PM if if you need a partner :flower:

:eek: Is it safe to let my husband meet you?
In fact i'm getting worried about him meeting quite a few of you! I'm happy with the poll at present, as it looks like it's just him and I at the moment. :D

[fletch]

:eek: Is it safe to let my husband meet you?
In fact i'm getting worried about him meeting quite a few of you! I'm happy with the poll at present, as it looks like it's just him and I at the moment. :D


I will be on my best behaviour :wink:


Just you two :confused: now you know there will be some of the same old faces there, they just have'nt voted :na:






.

[CentrAlex]

Still like the sound of this, its a good chance to buysome posh frocks :wink:


as if you need anymore posh frocks fletch!!

[fletch]

as if you need anymore posh frocks fletch!!!



A girl can NEAVER have to many frocks :na:



:D






.

[WittyBird]

I'm happy with the poll at present, as it looks like it's just him and I at the moment. :D

:wink: shhhhhhhhhhhh :D

[ALexyMiss]

Would be good to know if any forumites are going to Swish weekender in Potters Bar...?

[TheTramp]

Not going to this one unfortunately. But it's only 2 more weeks after that until Storm! :D

[drathzel]

Not going to this one unfortunately. But it's only 2 more weeks after that until Storm! :D

:yeah: :clap:

looking forward to storm but sorry to miss swish please update us after you have been and i might be able to make it to the next one!

[David Bailey]

Would be good to know if any forumites are going to Swish weekender in Potters Bar...?
Slight correction - it's in "Potters", which is in Norfolk, not in Potters Bar :)

[Cruella]

There is already a thread and poll for this, see here. (http://www.cerocscotland.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9249&highlight=posh)

[ALexyMiss]

There is already a thread and poll for this, see here. (http://www.cerocscotland.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9249&highlight=posh)

Doh! I had done a search in titles for 'Swish' but that thread didn't come up :confused:

Anyway, cheers for pointing out the other thread :cheers:

[DavidY]

Doh! I had done a search in titles for 'Swish' but that thread didn't come up :confused: That'll be because the vBulletin search is lousy. :tears:

If you'd searched for "Swish-" (with a hyphen), then vBulletin would have found Cruella's thread, because it doesn't understand punctuation and thinks "Swish-" and "Swish" are totally different words. :rolleyes:

[Lory]

Sorry I deleted your poll Dan but as you can see, we already have this one :nice:

Same goes for AlexyMiss :nice:

[Trouble]

im not going.. :tears:

I'll be in London, hating you all that are going. :respect: :awe: :sick:

[WittyBird]

im not going.. :tears:

I'll be in London, hating you all that are going. :respect: :awe: :sick:

I'll be in London thinking roll on Storm thank goodness I'm not at Swish :whistle:

I'm not posh enough to be allowed in. :D

[Rachel]

So, can anyone tell us what this was like?

Rachel

[Cruella]

I'll post my review later, got to go out now. But let's say, it's going to be difficult staying at Pontins now :sick:

[Paul F]

So, can anyone tell us what this was like?

Rachel

Im not sure how many forumites are on here that went so I will post a review.

The SWISH weekender was absolutely fantastic.

Where do I start? :sick:

I suppose a few people would look at the prices for SWISH and would immediately disregard it. This would be such a shame.

The feel of the weekend was a world away from all of the other weekenders. Ok, I wasnt exactly a paying customer but nevertheless I will list what I thought of each area. I will run through the main points and then summarise so bear with me!

The resort
I can honestly say I wont look at another weekender resort in the same way. The quality of this place is orders of magnitude above all other weekend resorts I have been on (and this is not all of them!). The place is a 5 star holiday village - and it shows.

Facilities/Services
Lets just say that the top end accommodation had 4-poster beds, jacuzzi's with large screen TVs, 3 piece suites :what: Unfortunately I wasn't staying in that :nice:
Even the lowest priced accomodation was significantly better than other resorts.
The 'fixtures and fittings' were of a very high standard. The pool (from what I was told) is beautiful, the hair salon, the magnificent restaurant, the plush rooms etc. Everything was of a very high quality.
A special mention has to go to the restaurant as this is a catered weekender. The food is brilliant. A full 3-course menu for lunch and dinner and a full breakfast menu to boot. All served efficiently and with manners in a cruise-ship like tiered restaurant. :waycool:

Staff
Previous feedback of Ceroc weekenders has seen me praise the staff highly. I have now come to expect that from a Ceroc event and SWISH just kept on raising that bar!
Another special mention though for the centre staff. I have NEVER, and I will repeat that - NEVER - come across such friendly staff. At one point we were finishing getting changed in our bungalow while the cleaning staff waited outside as we were the last one to be serviced (yes, i said serviced :grin: ). This was after we had to delay them once. Instead of tutting and faffing around they were so considerate. The same goes for our waiters and other staff members.
This may not sound much but its something like that that puts a little smile on someones face - and thats infectious. The epitomy of the axiom "the team works".

Entertainment
I have never been to butlins/pontins/haven etc on a normal break but I can bet a pound to a penny none of them have truly professional cabaret performances like those that were showcased this weekend. The singers, dancers, stage rigging and scenery would not have been out of place on the west end. All this took place in the 'Atlas Theatre'. Fabulous.
For those who dont know, there isnt the usual showcase performances by a handful of couples or teams that you get at other events. The evening entertainment here is a full on stage production with the full works of band, lights, everything. Cabaret seating allows you to just sit back and take it in. OR get up and dance too :whistle:
Coupled with that is the fact that some of the Potters pro's even took classes in their speciality fields. Respect :respect:

Rooms
Rooms maketh the event and this did not dissapoint. The main room was completely re-floored with mdf I think. It made for a lovely dance floor (and it was HUGE!). There was also the Garden Lounge - the most refined chillout room on the circuit period. Beautiful ambience. Also we had the Atlas Theatre itself. No faults there. Its all of a very high standard. No annoying lights or ill-placed sound systems here.

Floors
The floors of each room felt different as they were all made of different material but each one served its purpose down to a t. No complaints here either.

Activities
We only watched and chatted with people at the various activities due to having to run off to get ready/prepare etc. but I can say that everyone taking part looked as though they were loving it.
Its the huge amount of avtivities (non dancing) that sets it apart. Curling, badminton, table tennis, snooker, swimming, gym....the list goes on.

People
Its fair to say that, aside from the teachers, I didn’t really know too many people. However, due to the fact that everyone was so friendly this didn’t last long and I for one am so glad I was able to meet so many.
I think its fair to say that it was more of a coupley event. I even got the feeling there were a few ‘partners’ there that didn’t dance but this gave it such a unique feeling.
Of course, this brings with it a different feel as you don’t have the usual crowd that you get at many other events but, again, this just provides a different feel. Really excellent.

Space
As there is a lot less people at this event than others you had plenty of room to dance. We were even sneaky and had 30 minutes of ballroom practice in the smaller sports hall one afternoon.


DVD
I want to single out Mas who prodiced the DVD. How he managed to film everything on the Friday and Saturday and then produce professional copies for 9am Sunday is bewildering. I thanked him specially while I was there but I wanted to do it here too. Thanks Mas. (don’t think he is a forumite though)


Summary
So all in all I think I have sung the praises enough but, trust me, I wouldn’t do that if I didn’t think it. I do try to tell things as they are.
I will though, attempt to suggest at least 1 or 2 improvements as no event is perfect.

1. The chillout room music (Garden Lounge) was only slightly different for a large part of the time than the music in the main area. At one point I heard a track in the Garden Lounge in the ‘Smooth Grooves’ section, walked to the main room and heard the same one :rofl: Not a major problem but maybe a definate distinction would be better.
2. As mentioned this place had a huge amount of dancefloor space. Occasionally, due to the more intimate numbers, the rooms looked slightly bare. However, this did afford plenty of room to experiment :wink:

That’s pretty much all I can think of for improvements.

As I said above, some people would look at the cost and disregard it. Boy how they would miss out. We actually added up how much it would cost per night to stay in a normal hotel somewhere nearby. Then we added onto that the price for meals, entertainment, facilities. We suddenly decided that SWISH is very inexpensive.

Now Im not saying I wont go to the other ones (im at Storm) as these too have their plus points. I may also be guilty of comparing this weekend to the recent Southport weekender I went on which is unfair as they are totally different weekends. What I am trying (badly) to say is that each will attract people for different reasons which is great. As Cruella says above though, its going to be different going back to Pontins :wink:

Magnificent venue, superbly helpful and considerate staff (ceroc and potters), beautiful rooms, friendly teachers and slick organisation.

Big thanks and well done to the Swish crew.

[Paul F]

A whole essay and I forgot to comment on the workshops!

Of course I thought the WCS and Musicality workshops were fab :wink: :rofl: but I didnt really get to see many others due to the activities that were going on and chatting.
I did, however, see the Awesome Foursome :worthy: :D and some of the Potters-led workshops. Very good.

In all there was a wide cross section of workshop themes which is always good.

[Double Trouble]

Looks amazing. Does anyone know when the next one is?

[Cruella]

February 2008, 30% of the spaces were booked over the weekend!

Lets just say that the top end accommodation had 4-poster beds, jacuzzi's with large screen TVs, 3 piece suites Unfortunately I wasn't staying in that
I was :D It was fabulous.

1. The chillout room music (Garden Lounge) was only slightly different for a large part of the time than the music in the main area.
I spent pretty much most of my time in this beautiful room. I'm afraid I disagree that it was similar music to the huge main room, but I think it was certainly a bit more upbeat than say the Blues room at Southport. This was appropriate for the experience of the majority of dancers attending though.
I can't really add much to what Paul has said. But it was noticeable that it was a different crowd to the ones at other weekenders. A lot more couples, beginners and non dancers. If you are going as an experienced dancer looking for lots of fabulous challenging dances, you may be disappointed. On the other hand if you are going for a weekend of luxury, relaxation, entertainment, lots and lots of food and socialising you won't be disappointed!
The only thing I wasn't particularly keen on was the fixed seating at meal times. It would have been nice to have sat wherever you wanted, to sit with friends or new acquaintances.
The only pics I took were of our room.

[Lynn]

Your room looks fabulous! Good to hear the reviews.


If you are going as an experienced dancer looking for lots of fabulous challenging dances, you may be disappointed. Ah, but that is exactly what I'm looking for - challenging music and dancers. I don't really mind too much about the 'luxury' of my accomodation - I've done dance weekenders where I've stayed in a nice hotel, with a full spa and pool - never got near it, or spent much time in the hotel as I was too busy dancing!


On the other hand if you are going for a weekend of luxury, relaxation, entertainment, lots and lots of food and socialising you won't be disappointed! If you have a non dancing partner it sounds ideal and its great that there is a weekend that is suitable for this.

If Ceroc have branched out into offering something different, some luxury and something that beginners and non-dancers can go along to, then that's good - diversification in the weekender market. It doesn't sound like its what I'm looking for in a weekender personally but I'm sure it will appeal to a section of their market.

[TheTramp]

:yeah:

I think I'd prefer Camber. But I'm sure that it would appeal to other people. And it does sound nice. But not what I'm looking for in a dance weekender.

[Jamie]

:yeah:

I think I'd prefer Camber. But I'm sure that it would appeal to other people. And it does sound nice. But not what I'm looking for in a dance weekender.

:yeah: Me too...

Luxury accommodation is nice, but not what I want out of a weekender.

[Minnie M]

:yeah: Me too...

Luxury accommodation is nice, but not what I want out of a weekender.

:yeah: as a single person with a one track mind (dancing) :yeah:
however, when my dream man comes along SWISH is for me - sounds fab - luxury and dancing at an affordable price - great combination with someone special :innocent:

[Cruella]

Of course I thought the WCS and Musicality workshops were fab .

Especially the WCS Beginners, where 300 people waited for the forgetful teacher to count them in for what seemed like half a track. :rofl: :rofl: :whistle:

If you have a non dancing partner it sounds ideal and its great that there is a weekend that is suitable for this.
Precisely the reason I went along with my husband. I wouldn't have enjoyed it as a normal dance weekender where I want to dance, dance, dance. I booked it on the basis of spending a luxury weekend with my husband (without the kids) with dancing thrown in as a bonus.
It would never replace my dance weekenders at Southport, Camber etc. It was an extra weekend away on my calendar. There were 5 beginners (MJ) classes over the weekend which shows the sort of punter the weekend was aimed at.
The bonus was, I went away with a non dancing husband and came home with a dancer! (I'll go and pick up my husband next week :rofl: )

[Lory]

Precisely the reason I went along with my husband. ~snip~ The bonus was, I went away with a non dancing husband and came home with a dancer!
Did he enjoy it Di? :)

[Paul F]

Especially the WCS Beginners, where 300 people waited for the forgetful teacher to count them in for what seemed like half a track. :rofl: :rofl: :whistle:


I was cracking up after that :rofl:
For those that weren't there let me explain. At the end of the beginners WCS class I said "Ok, we are going to move X ladies round for the final time then twice through the routine into freestyle". I stepped off stage to put music on then inexplicably took my head mic off, had a drink of water and turned to my parter and said "Well, that went really well" only to have her turn my head, cool as you like, to see hundreds of people ready to have me count them in :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I have certainly never done that before. Its great being able to laugh at yourself on stage though.
:grin:

[Rocky]

Val and I had an absolute ball! Funniest weekender ever thanks to sharing a bungitlow with Erick and Princess Foxy.

Really friendly customers and staff and stunning facilities. Paul F said it all so I won't go over it again.

Was a completely different vibe to a main weekender but that's a good thing - I think it's great to have different weekenders for people who value different things.

As regards music - well obviously we had to play tracks that suited the majority and at times there is no question that this was faster than normal for a chillout lounge - but it's what got people up, so we really didn't have a choice.

Absolute highlight of the w/e was the end of the last night. After the music stopped at 3am we finished with Boogie Tonight with most people now handbag dancing instead of partner dancing. Such a success that we played it again followed by Sexyback and Senorita. Hilarious - the dance floor split down the middle with the guys on one side and the girls on the the other all chanting that bit at the end of the song... 'I don't know what I'm thinking 'bout....'

And of course there's Val dirty talk that was somehow left on the main DVD that had already gone out to a 100 customers before it was noticed..

[Lory]

And of course there's Val dirty talk that was somehow left on the main DVD that had already gone out to a 100 customers before it was noticed..

What did she say? :yum:

[Paul F]

And of course there's Val dirty talk that was somehow left on the main DVD that had already gone out to a 100 customers before it was noticed..

Still got to go back and watch that :rofl: I think I missed it the first time.

[Rocky]

What did she say? :yum:

'Here is our funky blues class which started with a simple step, touch foot pattern that goes like this... ' Val starts to the left David hasn't got a clue what he's doing.. Val says: 'For F*ck's sake... just shut up and do it like this!'

This is followed by the immortal words: 'That's one for the out-takes Mas....'

[WittyBird]

Paul F said it all so I won't go over it again.

Doesn't he always :whistle: War and Peace edition PF334579.V7.143.ceroc

:D :rofl:

[Paul F]

Doesn't he always :whistle: War and Peace edition PF334579.V7.143.ceroc

:D :rofl:

Well pardon me for wanting to give a complete description :rolleyes:


:grin:

[WittyBird]

Well pardon me for wanting to give a complete description :rolleyes:

Yes..... You do it soooo well matey :D It's not a decent weekender if you don't rush home just to see what you've written, it's always compelling :respect:

[Cruella]

Well pardon me for wanting to give a complete description :rolleyes:


:grin:

I was very grateful Paul. It saved me the effort and meant I had more time to practice my counting in...... 5,6,7,8. :wink:

[WittyBird]

I had more time to practice my counting in...... 5,6,7,8. :wink:

Finally you've managed it.......

Now you just gotta practice the 9,10,11,12 etc

We will get you to count to 100 eventually :whistle:

[Cruella]

Now you just gotta practice the 9,10,11,12 etc


etc, is that the number after 12? I thought it was short for 'essential tit coverage' but then you wouldn't know about that, would you Witty. :wink:

[WittyBird]

I thought it was short for 'essential tit coverage' but then you wouldn't know about that, would you Witty. :wink:

Of course I do, If anyone asks where you are I tell them you've gone in the opposite direction, now if that aint ETC I don't know :worthy:

[Cruella]

, now if that aint ETC I don't know
I already said you don't know. :confused:

[Yliander]

The only pics I took were of our room. the room is nice - but your dress is beautiful

[CJ]

the room is nice - but your dress is beautiful

dress?!?!? I thought that was the drapings!!!:confused:

[djtrev]

I assumed Cruella was about to get into bed.

Seriously though I have always thought that Potters would be a brilliant place to have a MJ weekender.
If this becomes an annual affair I think it will develope into a similar style to all the other weekenders.All the extra activities will be an added bonus.

[StokeBloke]

Im not sure how many forumites are on here that went so I will post a review.

The SWISH weekender was absolutely fantastic.

Where do I start? :sick:
{SNIP}
Thanks for a thorough review. Sounds like you guys had a blast. You did seem to miss out a couple of points that would be deciding factors for some people (me) to book up next time though. Could you tell us....

What was the dancing like (room temp, floor sizes, refreshments in the rooms, seating, lighting, etc)?
What was the quality of the music that was played like?
What time did the dancing go on to?
What was the gender balance like?

The rooms do look amazing, but if you're dancing until sunrise how much use did they get :D :D

[Paul F]

Thanks for a thorough review. Sounds like you guys had a blast. You did seem to miss out a couple of points that would be deciding factors for some people (me) to book up next time though. Could you tell us....

What was the dancing like (room temp, floor sizes, refreshments in the rooms, seating, lighting, etc)?
What was the quality of the music that was played like?
What time did the dancing go on to?
What was the gender balance like?

The rooms do look amazing, but if you're dancing until sunrise how much use did they get :D :D

Never one to shirk from a request.....here goes :nice:

Floor sizes
Huge. This is a smaller (in dancer numbers) event than the other big ones which menat the large floor space was more then adequate. The main room was similar in size to Southport and Storm (without the extensions). The Garden Lounge is difficult to compare to something due to the shape. I would say its just about right for a blues room but i realise thats a vague answer.
The Atlas Theatre had floor space that could accommodate, say, 60 MJ'ers comfortably.
All this space did mean that, occassionally, the main room looked a little sparce but at peak times it was fine.

Room Temp
Due to the fact that it was never sardine like the temperature was perfect really. Remember that this is a high quality venue and, as such, has very good air flow systems anyway.

Refreshments
The main room had a well stocked bar as did the Atlas Theatre AND the Garden Lounge! :what: In fact, thinking about it I am pretty amazed how they ran 3 full bars. I cant comment on free water or not as I never looked.

Seating and Lighting
Main room had 3 sided perimeter seating with an extra raised area near the bar at the opposite end to the stage. GL had big comfy sofas and big chairs while the Atlas theatre had cabaret style seating surrounding a slightly sunken dancefloor (nice and fast floor too!)

Music
As has been mentioned this weekender had a fair few newer people (and even non dancers) attending. As a result the music was not as you would find at S'port or Storm etc. For this comparison I am looking squarely at the blues room. It was much more mainstream 'smooth' music although there were some more challenging ones.
The main room and Atlas Theatre had pretty much the same as you would get elsewhere - a broad mix of Ceroc mainstream, latin, swing etc.


Time
The dancing finished, in the main rooms, at 1am and then in the Garden Lounge at around 3am. This, however, is quite good as it meant many people were up for breakfast and the other activites that were put on (as there were many).

Gender
Very difficult for me to judge being a guy. The first class that I taught had 30 women over but this happens even at gender balanced events. I cant really comment.


Hope this answers some more questions.

I DO sound like a marketing tool for Swish but I promise Im not. Contrary to what it says under my ID I am not a Ceroc teacher. I tell things as I see them so if there were any glaring errors I wouldnt hesitate to say so. Lord knows I have posted some, shall we say, 'opinionated' reviews before :grin:

[ALexyMiss]

Thought I'd throw in my twopence thoughts of Swish, although clearly Paul F has done a pretty comprehensive and accurate review :respect:

All in all, I had a fantastic weekend, albeit a VERY different feel from other weekenders I have done (Ceroc Camber, Jivetime Camber, Southport).

Best bits: :clap:
- Getting to know a few people much better, due to spending time eating, watching shows together & generally more intimate feel of weekender
- Having amazing dances with most of the teachers (Alex F, Dave R, Paul F, Mike, Howard, Tim), as well as some fantastic tango with Ian, some smooth tracks with SilverFox, some funky dances with Adam and with Dave, and loads of dances with my newly found comp partner Steve :D
- JACUZZI in the swimming complex, perfect for aching muscles!
- The Potters evening performances - truly outstanding, very professional :worthy:
- The puddings, all delicious, often difficult to choose! :rolleyes:

Areas for improvement: :whistle:
- Arranging/allowing us to sit at a different table each meal would have been great for getting to know even more people :cheers:
- They misjudged the relative popularity of some of the classes so there wasn't enough space in some of them :o
- Shutting the main big room at 1am was a bit too early IMO and meant the 'Blues' Garden lounge was a bit overcrowded for 30-45 mins. Also, peronsally I'd have liked the Garden Lounge to have stayed open an hour or so longer



Floor sizes
The Garden Lounge is difficult to compare to something due to the shape. I would say its just about right for a blues room but i realise thats a vague answer.
The Blues Garden Lounge had a similar feel to the Winning Post Utopia venue I felt, although the dancefloor was perhaps 2/3 the size.



Refreshments
I cant comment on free water or not as I never looked..
I can :nice: Free. Pints of iced tap water provided with a smile :nice: Also, found the wine very drinkable :wink:



Gender
Very difficult for me to judge being a guy. The first class that I taught had 30 women over but this happens even at gender balanced events. I cant really comment...
There were quite a few women over at most of the classes I went to, but I've found that's often the case at weekenders, even when gender-balanced booking. :rofl:

So, in summary, I think Potters makes a really exellent dance weekender venue. :worthy: The main thing lacking last weekend was a few more experienced dancers, but as I've said, the upside of that was that I got to know the ones that were there pretty well, and its an issue that can easily be rectified if a few more forumites come along to the next one! :flower:

[Paul F]

Thought I'd throw in my twopence thoughts of Swish, although clearly Paul F has done a pretty comprehensive and accurate review :respect:


Thanks :hug: but Im starting to feel bad now. I didnt realise that my posting War and Peace would stop other people from reviewing it too. :sad:

Maybe I should keep my posts a little more concise in future.

The only reason I went OTT on this one is because I genuinely felt like giving credit where credit was due.

[Lory]

Thanks :hug: but Im starting to feel bad now. I didnt realise that my posting War and Peace would stop other people from reviewing it too. :sad:

Maybe I should keep my posts a little more concise in future.


Please don't feel bad, personally I love reading 'everyone's' reviews, even if things are repeated, it just goes to show people share the same feelings.

Its one of the things I like most about the forum! :nice:

[Cruella]

Thanks :hug: but Im starting to feel bad now. I didnt realise that my posting War and Peace would stop other people from reviewing it too. :sad:

Maybe I should keep my posts a little more concise in future.

The only reason I went OTT on this one is because I genuinely felt like giving credit where credit was due.

Much as i like the thought of you feeling bad. :devil: As i said before i'm grateful for your review, as it saved me having to type it all out, as we tended to agree on most of the points mentioned. :flower:

[Paul F]

.....as we tended to agree on most of the points mentioned. :flower:

:what: This is indeed a special day!

:wink:

In order to rectify my enthusiasm though I will condense my review:



I thought the event was...................good.