A bunch of great stories to tell is the hallmark of a holiday well spent. After all, what’s the point in making memories if you can’t share them with your loved ones?
Well, some holiday stories are so good that we want to share them with the world!
Here, Pure Leisure, unearth some of the strangest, funniest and most bizarre staycation stories they’ve heard from holidaymakers!
Those aren’t my flip flops!
A story that’s more on the hilarious side, Pure Leisure team member, Anna, tells of the time a few relaxing drinks at a Lake District leisure park got awkward!
“I remember chatting to some lovely guests who confided in us at South Lakeland Leisure Village that they made an understandable but hilarious mistake,” says Anna. “They were unwinding with drinks in the park’s bar, having a merry time, until one of the ladies realised she needed the loo. She had a bit of a thing about using public restrooms, so she thought she’d quickly nip back to her caravan to use the toilet there.
“When she got back to her caravan, she realised she had left her phone with her friends, so instead she decided to read the back of her shower toiletries while sitting on the toilet – shampoo, conditioner, body wash, all those bits.
“She moved on from the shampoo and started looking at the conditioner, where she thought, ‘Hang on, I thought I packed coconut conditioner, not mint?’, proceeding to scan the rest of the bathroom.
“A similar thought crept into her mind when she suddenly realised, ‘Those aren’t my flip flops in the shower cubicle either!’ She quickly sprung from the toilet, flushed the chain and sprinted to the caravan next door – the caravan she owned!” Anna laughs.
“It turns out that instead of an anxious trip to the bar toilet, she accidentally let herself into her neighbour’s caravan who forgot to lock the door! One thing’s for sure, her husband will never let her live that one down!”
Oh, deer
We are almost jealous of this story – a close encounter with wildlife that won’t soon be forgotten:
“This was one of the more bizarre calls I’ve ever received while working here,” says Anna. “I was working in the main office when I answered the helpdesk phone to a rather strange request.
“To my surprise, it was a resident ringing to ask, ‘Do you have any kind of pest control you could send to our lodge please?’ This worried me at first, as we never have a problem with ‘pests’ and I was concerned about what might’ve gotten into the cabin.
“It seemed that the lady must have been a little flustered, and meant ‘animal control’ rather than ‘pest control’, as it turns out a deer was hanging its head out of their porch window!” Anna laughs.
“We were amazed when we saw it! Luckily nothing was damaged. We safely herded the deer out of the front door, which wasn’t too difficult as it was quite small. It must have been a young ’un that got separated from its group and made its way into the open lodge in confusion.
“We won’t be forgetting that incident in a hurry!”
Feline frightened
“This isn’t a story from one of our residents, but more so a personal anecdote from one of my friends this year!” Anna explains.
“One of my friends, Jamie, stayed at a bed-and-breakfast during a surfing trip to Cornwall. The owner of the B&B jokingly mentioned to Jamie’s son (who was 12 at the time) that a woman once complained that she thought the building was haunted and that she could hear wailing noises in the night.
“Jamie reassured his son that there was no such thing as ghosts, but later admitted that he also heard strange noises the following night. These noises continued the night after too, as well as other strange occurrences, such as missing shoes and knocked over glasses.
“On the third night, Jamie’s superstition got the better of him, so he got out of bed to investigate the noise. He couldn’t find one of his slippers, so he crept around the B&B for what he described as ‘at least half an hour, with a rolled-up local tour guide magazine as a weapon.’
“He traced the noise to an airing cupboard, which he cautiously opened, ready to take action. He shouldn’t have been so worried, however, as all he found was the B&B’s resident cat chewing on his missing slipper!”
The best-laid plans…
“A countryside staycation has plenty of romantic connotations, being alone in the wilderness with no one but your partner,” says Anna. “However, if you plan to camp, too much spontaneity might have the opposite effect on romance!
“One lady, despite loving her stay in Yorkshire, teased her boyfriend something rotten over his attempt at a romantic camping trip,” Anna explains. “He planned part of the trip, including the sourcing of two lovely bottles of wine, a spacious top-of-the-line tent, chocolates and even finding the perfect camping spot online.
“Unfortunately, he didn’t check the weather forecast – nor did he practise setting up the tent beforehand. He didn’t realise his mistake until a torrential downpour hit the tent at two in the morning. As the tent was inside out, the waterproof outer layer was completely useless!
“They both returned to their cabin that same night, driving in their underwear, absolutely soaked through – not a word was shared on the ride home!”
Do you have any funny staycation stories you want to share? Staycations are perfect for relaxing, but no trip is without a bit of excitement and, whatever happens, at least you’ll have some great stories to share!
- John Hannen
