Painting holidays: guests' comments

"I just wanted to say 'thank you' for a wonderful week; for the good food and plentiful wine that oiled the wheels of companionship;, for Kerstin's able management; and for the good weather."

"What a week we all had! Quite fantastic! I congratulate you on creating, certainly for an artist, a paradise. The course was so well organised: David [Taylor] was exceptional; Kerstin and the staff worked tirelessly on our behalf; the food and wine were mouth watering; and the trips out to delightful venues so well organised. Bill, whom we met on the Friday, was the perfect host and made us feel like one of the family. I am sure I am expressing the sentiments of the whole course. Thank you so much."

"One of the best painting holidays I have been on. The Watermill itself is just what I had hoped it would be.  We had our every need catered for; the staff were friendly; and Kerstin went out of her way to make the whole holiday run smoothly. Our picnic lunch in Fivizzano couldn't have been better and the view we had whilst eating it was superb. A great crowd, lots of laughs, and a good tutor (David Taylor): what more could we have?"

"Many thanks to Lois and Bill for a wonderful Workshop with David Taylor.  David was amazing, as usual, and showed us how it should be done!  How lucky we were to have such a great group of people who became friends so quickly....Our Kerstin was superb, too, as were rest of the staff - thank you all so much!....Hoping to meet again at the Watermill and do it all again."

"My trip to the Watermill was wonderful -- thank you so much. Kerstin is an angel and looked after us all so well. I shall return I am sure. All the best to you both for your continued and well earned success."

"It was just "wow" to say the least!  What a memorable time we had... I am going to start saving up for a future Watermill holiday."

"Our special group of 10 Danish ladies spent a beautiful week in your lovely house. We want to say thank you for everything: good food and a nice drink before dinner, good coffee with a little Limoncello, snacks and cookies.

"Thank you for the kind people in the kitchen, they were all so sweet, and  Kerstin - we love her very much. All that you have arranged for us was excellent. We enjoyed the trip to Lucca, where we had the chance to buy some nice things (while Annelise was painting! ). Lucca is a wonderful town and some of us climbed up the tower with trees on the top.

"And at the restaurant where we ate fantastic food, Al Vecchio Tino, on the top of the hill near the mill ... there were cute donkeys outside.

"It was a wonderful week and we will recommend you to all we meet. Annelise is a superb teacher and we are very fond of her, too.

"We were very happy with the week we spent with all of you and a big thank you from us all."

"The Watermill at Posara...a magnificent place to attend Watercolour painting courses. I was there and loved it! Fabio Cembranelli was my tutor.  I had an excellent experience in this workshop. The Watermill really takes good care of everyone. Good food, beautiful field trips, fine restaurants . you do have to come and see for yourself."

"Just to say a big thank you to you all for such a wonderful time at the watermill. I feel I have learnt a lot from Fabio's patient guidance and you will be greatly admired amongst my painting friends in Bury St Edmunds!"

"My husband and I loved staying in Watermill. About the course:  I think it was very good, with good use of our time and with interesting explanations about watercolour techniques.

"the Watermill provided us with unparalleled beauty and the wonderful scenery decisively influenced our choice of colours for our painting. It’s difficult to explain exactly how, though, because I had never painted outdoors before!

"Thank you, Lois, for your patience and for taking care of all booking procedures.  And thank you, Bill, for your attention with us (specially with my English) and congratulations for the services your provided, all well managed by Kerstin."

"I enjoyed so much my stay at Posara. It was very nice. Send a big kiss to all your staff:  they are as great as the food! "

"Thank you for one of the best times of my life.  Everything – the location, accommodation, activities, meals, the tutor Liz Seward and staff at the Watermill were all above and beyond my expectations.  I have wonderful memories, and you may be sure that I am telling all my painting friends about it.  I even managed to sell one of the paintings I started at the Watermill, so this will be the start of my savings for the next trip."

"A huge thank you for an amazing holiday at the Watermill.The accommodation, food and service was excellent.  Also, the idea of the survival pack for non-participants was much appreciated as was Bill and Kerstin's invaluable assistance with the train and transport systems. Liz [Seward] was patient and encouraging and I loved her relaxed style working with plenty of water on the paper."

"I'll aways remember the lovely meals I enjoyed at the  Watermill and the simple yet peaceful accommodation.  I adored my simple room due to the fact that there wasn't anything electrical in the air to make noise, hum or whatever!  Because the Watermill is in a clean and lovely village by a river, it's so healthy for the mind, body and soul.  I want to thank you and your husband from the bottom of my heart for giving me the opportunity to experience something that I never dreamed could happen."

"I had a wonderful time at the mill, and enjoyed meeting all the other painters as well as Bill and your excellent staff. I found John Christian's teaching to be most beneficial. He really gets you to loosen up!!"

"Just wanted to say many thanks for the Season's Greetings card from The Watermill which I received yesterday. I am still so very excited for next year's painting holiday."

"We've been on many painting holidays, but this was the best ever."

"A wonderful setting for inspirational teaching,"

"From the moment I stepped into my apartment and saw and heard the river, I realised it was going to be very special."

"The accommodation is excellent, with lovely thoughtful touches, and we felt at home right away. Meals provided on location were delightful, and inventively varied, then we had our outings to restaurants in the evening....fascinating."

"An enchanting place - I really loved it, endless delightful subjects to paint."

"We had a wonderful stay. The painting was awesome."

"I can't think of a single thing that could have been done to have made our visit better, and all in our group seemed to feel the same way. The watermill was beautiful (I could have spent the entire time THERE painting), the food was excellent, and we all appreciated the abundance of wine. Thank you for this delightful experience from start to finish."

"The other painters were so congenial - we had a lot of fun. I thought the organisation was absolutely wonderful and we were so well looked after."

"Our hosts were kindness and efficiency personified."

"Tranquil surroundings, restful garden, good company."

"My painting improved enormously."

"My painting technique has improved out of all recognition."

"As I am a complete novice, the teaching gave me confidence."

"The Watermill is such a beautiful place; everywhere we went inspired me."

"I thought the organisation was absolutely wonderful and we were so well looked after."

"We were spoilt rotten from start to finish."

"My Posara experience was all that I could have hoped for, and more."

"From start to finish the whole week was very well organised in every way."

"I especially liked the "laid-back - no rush" atmosphere. My last experience of a workshop in Italy was 'rush-rush' and that wasn't as enjoyable."

"What an absolutely wonderful time we both had at the Mill. The location was superb and weather couldn't have been better. The whole week was managed so well and Kerstin looked after our every need. Also meals were wonderful both at the Mill and the little local restaurants."

"What an excellent holiday at the watermill. Everything was first-class, the venue, the group, the tutor, the food, the environment and of course, the wonderful Kerstin, who looked after all our needs. Thank you so much.

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