Travel
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Why A Hotel's First Impression Is So Important

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Disclosure - this is a collaborative post 
Last weekend we visited a hotel that we have never been to before. I am always wary visiting new hotels as you never know what they are gong to be like. Obviously like most people, I visit trip advisor to check out other peoples views but for me first impressions are so important. The outside of the hotel and the reception are usually the first thing you see and it sets the tone for the rest of the hotel.
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5 Tips When Booking A Holiday

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As soon as Christmas is over I usually start thinking about a Summer holiday. It always seems the best time to start researching and gathering some costs for the Summer ahead. Planning a holiday abroad takes a lot of time so I have gathered some top tips when booking a holiday.

Hotel in Majorca


Do Your Research
When we have gone abroad in the past I find it quite stressful to actually find a suitable holiday for all of us. Our first holiday with big J was when he was just 1 year old. We researched for months before we settled on a destination. It had to be suitable for families, not too hot, plenty to do, clean and with amenities for a baby. It was hard work but it's worth it because holidays cost thousands and thousands of pounds and it has to be right. 

Does It Suit ALL The Family?
When it comes to booking a holiday you have to ask yourself does it suit everyone? If you have kids a beach holiday might be just what you want but is there enough to keep the kids entertained? Having a hotel, villa or apartment with a pool is fantastic but the kids will probably get bored or tired after a few hours and will want more. A play area, kids daytime activity programme or kids club are ideal for little ones and now most resorts offer this up to the age of 16 with teen clubs to keep them busy. 

Check TripAdvisor But Don't Get Hung Up On The Negatives
Over the past few weeks we have talked ourselves out of some fantastic hotels and resorts because of TripAdvisor. I love TripAdvisor but it is very easy to focus on the negatives rather than the positives. We found an amazing hotel through Thomson and overall on TripAdvisor it scored 82% on excellent and very good, but 3% of the 3,000+ reviews were negative. We focused on the negative and decided not to go which is crazy but we couldn't focus on all the positives after that. Some negative reviews will be genuine,  but most of the time it is usually down to personal reasons for example they didn't like the food or they found the entertainment boring. Don't get hung up on the negatives.

Ask Family and Friends For Recommendations
Knowing someone has been to a hotel or resort and is happy to recommend it to you is usually a sign it's good. I wouldn't like to recommend anywhere to my family or friends unless I was 100% sure they would love it. There would be nothing worse than recommending somewhere and they hate it.

It's OK To Visit Somewhere You Have Been Before
I was determined this year to try and find somewhere that we haven't been before but as we love Cyprus and Majorca so much, I am guessing we will probably visit the same hotel we have enjoyed in the past. At first I thought if we visit the same place we are being boring and not seeing what else the world has to offer but like I said earlier holidays cost thousands of pounds so if there is a holiday, hotel or resort you love and it has everything you need, why visit somewhere else? Why risk spending all that money for it to be not as good as a place you have visited before it's not you being boring its you being sensible. 

Have you booked your holiday this year? Leave us a comment below and let us know where you are going. 

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Michelle
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Breakfast With Santa At The Alton Towers Hotel

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One of our favourite Christmas traditions is visiting Alton Towers each year for Santa’s Sleepover. This is a tradition that we have enjoyed for almost 20 years now and over those years we have seen the Alton Towers Resort change and evolve with new activities added each year. This year we enjoyed a breakfast with Santa for the first time.

Santa Breakfast at Alton Towers


Usually we visit Santa on our first day over at CBeebies land in the theme park and whilst this is still an option we were staying in an Arctic Explorer room so had the chance to have breakfast with Santa instead.

Breakfast was booked for us at 9:15am on the day of our departure. There were two sittings, one at 7:30am and one at 9:15am. I can’t say how busy the 7:30 sitting was but the later one was extremely busy in fact it was full and we did see a very disappointed family who had obviously booked but there was no room for them.

If you have enjoyed breakfast at the Alton Towers hotel before in the secret garden well the Breakfast with Santa is just next door in the Emperors Suite. We were advised to arrive at 10 minutes early and even by this time the waiting area was full.

When the doors opened there was a stampede to get through the door and find a table however there was no need as we had all been allocated a table already.

Santa Breakfast at Alton Towers
We were given a table for four and I will say it was a squeeze. Not only was the table of four small but we were packed in between other tables and it just felt a little overcrowded. Having said that little J didn’t seem to mind and was quite happy tucking in to the pastries that were on the table already.

meeting Mrs Claus
Once everyone was seated we were welcomed by Sir Algenon who is the explorer mentioned throughout Alton Towers. He told us of a time when he met Mrs Claus and then suddenly she arrived. She had prepared a lovely breakfast for us all but before it was time to eat we had to help decorate the tree. Some of the tables had tinsel on and some had presents. We had a present and little J took the present down to the front and placed it under the tree while Mrs Claus and the elves sang a very upbeat and happy song.

Then a special visitor arrived down the chimney - Father Christmas. He was sat throughout the breakfast by the tree so you could visit him, have a photo taken and receive a gift. Mrs Claus and the elves were happy to have their photos taken too.

Once the buffet opened everyone was on their feet to get some food. It was about 9:50am by this time so I can imagine there were quite a few hungry tummies by this time.

The selection of breakfast was just as you would expect. Cereals, fruit and pastries then hot food such as sausage, egg and beans.

There was plenty of food and it stayed available throughout right until it was time to go.

When it was little J's turn to see Santa he went very shy as usual but Santa was great and chatted to him before posing for a photo and then giving little J a gift. He received a cute elephant hand puppet.

Once everyone had finished their food and had their photo with Santa it was time for him to return to the North Pole to prepare for the big day. He sang a lovely duet of ‘Its the most wonderful time of the year’ with Mrs Claus as they made their way through the tables and towards the exit.

meeting elf
Little J really enjoyed the breakfast and was entertained throughout.

What We Loved

A nice addition to the Santa’s Sleepover experience.

It was something we hadn’t experienced before so was good to try something new.

The room and tables were decorated perfectly for the festive season.

Great selection of food and drinks available throughout.

Chance to meet Santa and receive a nice gift.

What Could Improve

The number of people in the room. The room was overcrowded.

There was no professional photograph with Santa as promised. We had to take our own.

The gifts were not wrapped and were not as good as previous years of seeing Santa at the resort.

Overall it was a nice experience for little J and I think we would definitely book again if it is an option next year.

Michelle
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Half Term Travel With Virgin Trains

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I know a lot of my readers will be enjoying Half Term this week although up in the North of England a lot of schools enjoyed their autumn break last week. We had lots of plans for half term but as you may have read little J got a stomach bug so all our plans went on hold. However as we missed out on a week of adventures we are planning a weekend away and I can't wait. You may have read recently that John and I headed to London for the day to see Wicked The Musical. We got the train bright and early and we were in the capital in no time. I love sitting on the train knowing that we will be in a new city soon, it's now one of my favourite things to do. We are lucky to be able to get a Virgin Trains Pendolino train and it's so nice to sit back and relax and let someone else do the driving. For our next break we will be taking advantage of the Virgin Trains family ticket at a fixed price for up to 2 adults and 4 children.
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Theatre Review - Wicked at The Apollo Victoria, London

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A few weeks ago Daddy and I headed to London for the day. We got the 6:45am train and was in London by 9am. I had booked us tickets to see Wicked at the The Apollo Victoria. It’s not a musical I had wanted to see before but Daddy really liked the sound of it so I booked them for Father’s Day.
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Travelling To Majorca With The Kids

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Majorca was the first holiday we went to as a family of 3 way back in 2003. As we had never had to plan a holiday with a baby before we relied heavily on recommendations from our family and friends and whoever we spoke to Majorca always came up as a possible destination. If you are a parent, when it comes to booking a holiday to Majorca you want to know that it is suitable for your children and what we have found over the years is Majorca ticks every box.
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Our Top Tips For Staying Safe In The Sun

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You may have read our recent post about our favourite places to go on holiday, one of the things that we always plan very well for when going abroad is the heat.  Whether it be Florida, Majorca, or even at home in the UK, its always important to stay safe when the sun is out.  The last thing you want to happen on holiday to either yourself or your little ones is Sunburn.  You can lose a good few days from your holiday to the effects of sunburn and it can be easily avoided.  

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Favourite Holiday Destinations

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Disclosure - This is a collaborative post

Summer is almost upon us and for most people that means they will be heading off on their Summer holidays. Whether it's in the UK, Europe or further afield, getting away is something we all love to do. It's nice to know that we can 'switch off' for a week or two and forget about the real world and just float about in our holiday bubble. When it comes to choosing where to go we all have different ideas of the perfect holiday. Whether it's somewhere you've visited before, a recommendation from a friend or through browsing sites online.

city skyline

We tend to visit places we have already been to before. We like the familiarity and also the no stress worrying whether it is okay, as we've been before. I recently asked a few blogger friends what their favourite holiday destination is and why? The results are fab and it has actually given me a few new places to take a look at.

Long Haul Destinations

We have been over to America twice now, first we went to New York and earlier this year we went to Walt Disney World. They are 2 of our favourite destinations and I'm glad to see that others think so too.

Carrie from Flying With a Baby loves Cape Town. " outdoor fun, stunning beaches, amazing food, penguins, sharks, whales all in the wild. There is just so much to see and do. It's (only 12 hours away - I say only as we are used to 24 hours as hubby is Australian) hardly any time difference and perfect for Winter sun too "

Angela from The Life Of Spicers chose Walt Disney World. " there is something for everyone. Our once in a lifetime trip three years ago sees us revisiting for the third time this year. It's truly magical "

Ann from Rainbows Are Too Beautiful also chose Florida. " especially in the Spring . . because it's good weather and has the best Disney park "

I have to agree with Laura from Mama Eden & Me about New York.  " It's magical. The energy, the people, the theatres. I love the place. Hopefully going back next year "

Lynne from New Mummy Blog loves holidaying in the UK however . . . " my favourite holidays (other than honeymoon) were always the American road trips hubby and I did pre-kids, we can't wait for the little ones to be a bit older so we can go back and do more, including Disneyland " 

Michelle from Mummy2Monkeys loves America. " Everything is just so big and better. We went to see our first ever basketball game and I absolutely loved it seeing all the cheerleaders doing their half time dance routines in their cheerleading uniform."

the canaries

The Canaries

I have visited Lanzarote and Gran Canaria and both are stunning. The weather is always lovely, people are friendly and they are real family friendly resorts.

Suzy from Our Bucket List Lives also loved her holiday this year to Gran Canaria.  " The weather was lovely in January/February. There's lots to do there as a family and we loved the hotels that we stayed in. We'd not been there before and we would love to go back "

Becky from Mummy Est 2014 has visited Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands  " It was amazing. We took our little man when he was 20 months and he loved the beach, the pool, and the lights and fun of the evening entertainment. I loved the fact it was hot, all inclusive (so nice not to have to worry about food and drink) and family friendly. Travel time was only about 4 hours which wasn't as horrendous as I thought it would be "

Africa

Not a place I have visited yet but somewhere I would love to try. 

Naomi from Not A Perfect Parent tells us why she loves Tunisia. " There are so many amazing places I've been to including Florida, Lanzarote and other places but Tunisia has totally stolen my heart "

" I've been twice and the culture and history is so interesting. Both times I was given tours of the markets and that was a whole new experience. It is so rich in history and culture that many people don't know about and I loved learning all about it! We were taken around Mosques and a Mausoleum and the Tunisian People showed us so much respect for being interested in it all "

 " Tunisia has such a bad reputation and is a country that many either love or hate "

" Added bonus is that it's only about a 3 hour flight but it's North Africa so amazing temperatures "

harbour

The Balearics

I have to agree with both Laura and Kerry on their choices. Both beautiful and lots to see and do. We have stayed in Alcudia, C'an Picafort and Sa Coma in Majorca. Sa Coma is by far our favourite and hopefully we will visit again next year.

Laura from Mum On A Mission favourite holiday is Mallorca. " Anywhere on the island. Many reasons but primarily because it is beautiful. It's also only 2 hours away and there are plenty of cheap flights. I lived there for 5 years and it still feels like my second home. I'd recommend it to anyone "

Kerry from Kerry Shaw Mummy Of Four loves Ibiza " One of the most beautiful Islands I have ever been to, especially when you fly in just after the sunrise, on a really quick and very cheap flight "

Europe

Proving to be quite popular for the perfect holiday destination.

mickey, minnie, donald and goofy

France

Beth from Twinderelmo and Jade from Mummies Waiting both agree that Disneyland Paris is the perfect getaway. 

Beth " not too far to travel and pure magic from start to end "

Jade I love to get away, but completely away from everything with so many distractions to take in. It makes our whole family so happy and the experiences always bring a tear to my eye"

Italy

Kate from Five Little Stars likes to get away to Lake Garda (specifically Desenzano and up around the west of the lake). " It's beautiful, so easy with children, and the food is immense. We have been several times, pre and post babies, and always have a lovely time. And we are off to Corsica in September and I have high hopes that it will be a top holiday location contender for us too "

Louise from Pink Pear Bear also is a fan of Northern Italy " Amazing food, stunning scenery, lush weather, some of the most breathtaking art and architecture on the planet, less then 2 hours flight AND super duper child friendly! We love it "

Joy from The Sensory Seeker is also a fan of Italy " We loved our trip to Italy - Gelato and culture what's not to love. It was a place where the whole family loved with our various ages and the public transport system is fantastic "

Denmark

Nadia from Scandi Mummy loves Copenhagen " especially in the summer months. There is so much to do whether you are going for a childfree romantic getaway or for a family trip. Some of the best restaurants in the world, fantastic attractions and it's close to the sea and great beaches "

beach

UK

We love visiting different parts of the UK. It is a beautiful country and if you get the right weather it is definitely a perfect holiday destination. 

Katy from Katy Kicker enjoys a visit to CenterParcs " One hour from home, lots of activities and lovely facilities "

Hollie from Thrifty Mum chose The Isle of Scilly " Amazing. Only off the coast of Cornwall by small plane or ferry, they're beautiful islands, some are free of traffic and that low in crime no-one locks their doors. Perfect for an Enid Blyton friendly childhood. They have the best weather in the British Isles so you're guaranteed a nice tan too "

Emma from Me and B Make Tea would have to say good old Blighty. " Specifically Devon. We holidayed abroad with the little one but i've found I had a better time at Center Parcs and places like Ladram Bay and Cofton Holiday Park. We love Haven too. They are so geared for kids and there is so much to do even in rainy weather. Often when we go abroad the pools are freezing even though the heat is 30. So the UK - don't underestimate what you have on your doorstep "

*****

I have absolutely loved reading everyones 'perfect holiday' destinations and it doesn't seem to matter whether its a long haul trip to America, a villa in the Canaries, or a weekend in the UK we all love to get away and we all have our own favourite destination. 

Michelle


*collaborative post - all images thanks to Clickstay*

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What Would You Choose? #ImpossibleExperiences

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If you could do anything or go anywhere in the world what would you choose? For me it would be a family holiday to Disney World in Florida. I've dreamt about going there all my life but what if I could do something even better. What if I could create #ImpossibleExperiences. Have you ever thought "I wish I could do that?' or "If I won the lottery I would...". We have all had those thoughts at some point but what would your impossible experience be?
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Our New Years Eve

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This is a little late, but better late than never I suppose. We ended 2016 with a visit to the Liverpool Ice Festival. It's something we did a few years ago and we thought it would be nice to do it again. Both Daddy and I aren't keen on New Years Eve so a nice day out was perfect.
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Planning Our Next Holiday To Cyprus

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You may already know that we visited Cyprus in August for the 2nd time and it was amazing. Cyprus was never on my destination list until I won a holiday back in 2014. There was a huge list of places we could choose from and after months of deliberating we chose Cyprus - best decision ever. We stayed at the Malama Beach Holiday Village and it is perfect.
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Premier Inn - Hemel Hempstead Central Review

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As you may already know we recently visited London for the weekend. When booking our trip we decided to stay at the Premier Inn Hemel Hempstead. Although it's not actually in London it's quite close and we have stayed there before and never had any problems.
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Holiday Extra's - Holiday Inn Express, Manchester Airport Review

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For our recent trip to Paris we were offered the chance to stay over at Holiday Inn Express - Manchester Airport before our early morning flight, thanks to Holiday Extras. 

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What To Pack In A Teenager's Suitcase

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Big J has just arrived home from his third trip abroad without us. Its so weird to think he has experienced parts of the world without us. He has been to Rue in France for 5 days, Skiing for a whole week and last week he went to Spain for 5 days.

When it came to packing his suitcase he really wasn't interested at all. I think thats a boy thing because Daddy doesn't like packing either. They both are just happy to watch me do it. I did make a list of things he needed to make it easier for him but I still ended up doing it.


First I packed his hand luggage. He didn't have much in it as the school already had his Passport, EHIC and Euros. His hand luggage just had his phone, earphones, wallet containing some english money for the airport and plane and a book.

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10 Reasons Why I Love June

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I am so excited that June has finally arrived and here is why.

1. Daddy and I had our first ever date in June. It was the 21st June which is the longest day. This year the 21st falls on Fathers Day too so it's twice as special.

Looking Back - June 2010 Central Park, New York City

2. Daddy and I were married in June. This year we will be celebrating 15 years together and 5 years married. We were married in New York City and it was the best day of my life. It was so amazing and very personal as I had always wanted to get married in New York and Daddy made my dreams come true.
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Going On Holiday - How Do You Choose?

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I was watching the boys in the garden last week and they were playing in the water. It was bright, warm and sunny and it got me thinking about our Summer holiday.

Sa Coma - June 2003 
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In The Night Garden Party At Alton Towers

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A few weeks ago little J got his first ever birthday party invite. It was so exciting as it was to celebrate the first anniversary of the In The Night Garden Boat Ride in CBeebies Land at Alton Towers.

Iggle Piggle, Upsy Daisy and Little J blowing kisses
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Holiday Inn - Leamington Spa

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When planning our recent trip to Warwick Castle we decided to book a stay the night before at a hotel. Usually we head straight to Premier Inn or Travelodge as we have never had a bad stay at either. They are always cheap and perfect for us. Anyway while we were browsing hotels near Warwick the Holiday Inn - Leamington Spa popped up so we had a look at the details.
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A Day Out In York

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We've had a few hospital appointments over the last few weeks which can be stressful and worrying so it was nice to relax at the a few weekends ago and enjoy a day out in York. We have been to York before little J was born and it was a lovely place so I was excited to get back there and enjoy the sights.
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Project 365 Days 33-39

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Hi all. Another week and another seven photographs capturing what we have been up to this week.

The sun has been shining this week but it is very very cold. It was -1 during the week on the way to school.

33/365 - Little J spent the morning in nursery today and was so tired he fell asleep for almost 4 hours. 

34/365 - The Meat and Greet details were available online for the forthcoming McBusted Tour. Too expensive for me. Gutted.

35/365 - It was nice to have some time with Big J tonight and we played some board games. We received Disney Hedbanz for christmas and its so much fun. Its very similar to Guess Who but with disney characters.

36/365 - Daddy had a little go on a tombola in Tesco today for charity and won two little prizes. Well done Daddy.

37/365 - Enjoying a pre valentines meal at Prezzo. Keep an eye out for our review this week.

38/365 - In the early hours of Friday Morning Daddy and I became an aunty and uncle for the first time. Big J has a new cousin, baby A. He is absolutely adorable and we couldn't wait for cuddles.

39/365 - Big J and little J rolling down the hill at Clifford Tower, York. We had a lovely day taking in the sights in York.





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