I have just come back from a weekend in a hotel in the Scottish Borders. For almost 20 years now we have taken the kids there for at least one weekend a year. For about 15 of those we have also included the grandparents in the trip though sadly we are down to just one set now.

The hotel is in a huge building sitting high up with magnificent views of the surrounding countryside. Each time we go we notice that it is a wee bit tattier. The upkeep of hotels like these must be enormous. But if we wanted high quality furnishings , top chefs and spot on service we have a massive choice of where to go.  Going to this hotel is like visting an old friend. It is all about the atmosphere and how the guests interact.

First off there is a fair number of elderly guests and they often sit in the large lounge just of the main lobby drinking coffee and watching what is going on. And the other obvious draw is for young families. There is plenty of  space for the littlies to run around without causing problems or coming to harm and  a good sized swimming pool and other activities for the slightly older ones .  Add to the mix families like ours that started visiting when the children were the little ones and are now young adults themselves and I realised that nowadays there are very few places where it would be comfortable and indeed natural for everyone.

There were many tiny babies – guaranteed to reduce me to mush. And boisterous young lads – one of whom entertained us when he was telling his mum how he had lost his swim shorts down the towel chute and thought he would just go back and climb in to get them. I think you can imagine her response. There was an 18th birthday party one evening and we saw a snapshot of fashion styles in November 2009 ( despite the cold ).

In general I think we are finding it harder to find ways for generations to spend meaningful time together – even in families.  Much is made of generational differences in the workplace too. But from my weekend all I can say is that where there is a chance to bring generations together it can be a rewarding experience.