The Hotel Continental

The Hotel Continental Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from The Hotel Continental, Hotel, 28-29 Marine Parade, Dovercourt, Harwich.

The colourful, art-filled, inspirational Hotel Continental closed its doors in late December 2016 but you can learn more about it and still view it's rooms on the hotel website www.hotelcontinental-harwich.com.

05/01/2026

Soliloquy

Asking, as an unimportant,
how important
is it to control the unimportant?

And as giving importance
to the unimportant,
without the unimportant
are you of no importance at all
just another slippery fish in the shoal
like me?

Perhaps it’s not important
that unless you give importance
to the unimportant
you’re of no importance?

Gordon Hoyles © 29.12.2025

21/12/2025

Peace !

“Give me some peace,” Blossom said
from curled up alone, quiet and still,
as seeking escape from winter’s chill
I joined her under the duvet into bed.

Peace? I’m blowed if I know what it is
that always needs to carry a gun
somehow insisting it has to be won
to prove that yours is better than his.

Is it Ice Cream with Strawberry Jam
after you’ve paid the energy bill?
or is is the knowledge you’ve made a will
and chosen bespoke funeral plan?

Perhaps it is of the numinous kind
and peace is a beautiful state of mind.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

Gordon and Blossom xx

15/06/2025

The Holiday Brochure

Rivers of soup and money trees,
succulent fruit and perfumed breeze

sweet dulcet soothings please the ear
and all that’s desired is near

as tireless energy thrills each hour
and everything’s perfect as a flower.

All this awaits you.

What a salesman!!!

Gordon Hoyles © 12.06.2025

28/04/2025

Snookered,

Navigate the crisis as presented
to bring the balls to kiss.
As a chance too good to miss
there is good magic in this.

Gordon Hoyles © 28/04/2025

02/03/2025

Primavera

There’s overall an urge to grow
and so the randy Blackbird flutes
to goad the grass roots down below
to take the air with new green shoots.

And so the randy Blackbird flutes
awakening the sleeping there,
to take the air with new green shoots
is maybe signalling beware;

awakening the sleeping there
to lightly sautéed pasta stew
is maybe signalling beware
and will imbue some parts of you

to lightly sautéed pasta stew
that may convey a moments chill
and will imbue some parts of you
to spring to working with a will

that may convey a moments chill
to goad the grass roots down below
to spring to working with a will.
There’s overall an urge to grow.

Gordon Hoyles © 21/02/2025

27/10/2024

Shameless as nature
so the poor are frozen out
even in Summer

Gordon Hoyles© 25/10/24

20/10/2024

We’re riding the sledge

You know you can’t stop when riding a sledge
you go where it takes you on down the slope
as slips of tongue take you over the edge.

Holding your tongue’s a thin end of the wedge
of getting you known as lovable dope.
You know you can’t stop when riding a sledge

and hiding behind your own private hedge
can put you into the deepest no hope
as slips of tongue take you over the edge.

and the bridge you are on feels like a ledge
you must understand this life’s a tight rope.
You know you can’t stop when riding a sledge.

Young birds raise their voices before the fledge
as blindly demanding a life they grope.
As slips of the tongue take you over the edge

the future requires our solemn pledge
to freedom of speech and its endless scope.
You know you can’t stop when riding a sledge
as slips of tongue take you over the edge.

Gordon Hoyles © 26/9/2024

06/10/2024

The villanelle

The magical dance of the villanelle
can tangle the feet in a verbal tease
with rhythmic repeating’s hypnotic spell

in the likes of which the soldiers excel
when Guards execute with elegant ease
the magical dance of the villanelle.

And metronomes wave at stories they tell
of wonder and wisdom aiming to please
with rhythmic repeating’s hypnotic spell

that aid the memory’s echo as well
as playing the words in puzzlement wheeze.
The magical dance of the villanelle

in catatonias concentrate dwell
and confront, amuse, amaze, or appease
with rhythmic repeating’s hypnotic spell.

The whole thing is likely a bagatelle
and the steady bump beat may stop and freeze
the magical dance of the villanelle
with rhythmic repeating’s hypnotic spell.

Gordon Hoyles © 30/9/2024

29/09/2024

The ship of state is sailing
with trouble in the rigging
and the moral compass broken
as the truth remains unspoken.

Reference:
‘The wreck of the Madusa’
all at sea with Géricault.

Gordon Hoyles © 29/9/2024

23/09/2024

‘Peace in our time’

In years and years of total war’s pounding and gore,
pounding and gore total war

some thought the death of the chief of the foe would
end the war, the pounding and gore total war and stop the ideas
of bonehead the foe the cause of the war

but how when he lived in a bomb proof home whereabouts unknown

with his bodyguards paid in virgins and gems and hearts
content luxury lifestyle items and safely away from the pounding
and gore the pounding and gore total war

and look-alikes with surgical sculpture ensured you couldn’t
be sure it was him seen out and about even on tour

the chief of the friends was sore at the pounding and gore
the pounding and gore of total war and hearing of Sohrab and rustum
from Matthew Arnold 1853 conceived an audatious invincible scheme
to be rid of the chief of the foe and his pounding and gore total war

and invited the chief of the foe to summit n argument
summit to sign a treaty to give to the chief of the foe all
that he wanted and more much more and thus bring an
end to the pounding and gore total war pounding and gore

and it came to pass in the garden of eden the perfect setting
to end it all the two of them chatting like friends agreed
and signed the treaty

it was then the alarm on a phone elsewhere far away elsewhere loosed
the missile from the drone that sped through the air and whizz bang wallop
killed them both the pair of them chatting together there in the garden of eden

the chief of the foe should have known the deal on the table too
good to be true and to do

the chief of the friends got the V C purple heart and bar and glory and peace award
posthumously to thank him for selfless supreme self sacrifice service

glory be glory be

Gordon Hoyles © 19/9/2024

Bruff Bar, Newgate Street, Walton on the Naze.
18/09/2024

Bruff Bar, Newgate Street, Walton on the Naze.

Address

28-29 Marine Parade, Dovercourt
Harwich
CO123RG

Telephone

+441255852928

Website

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