Back in April we headed to Butlins Bognor Regis for our first holiday as Butlins Ambassadors. The week we stayed was one of their Just For Tots weeks which are aimed at under 5’s. It was our last holiday as a family of 3 and we couldn’t wait. One last opportunity to spoil Lamb and spend quality time together before BB arrived. I can honestly say we couldn’t have asked for a better holiday. We absolutely loved it.
Top 5 Family Attractions Near Essex
As a family we love taking Lamb for days out, and with baby number 2 on the way I’m sure we will be doing it even more when there’s 2 boys to let loose. Living in Essex I’ve discovered we have some fab attractions, and being so close to Suffolk there’s a few amazing ones there too.
I’ve decided to share with you our top 5 family attractions close to us. 4 are in Essex, one is in Suffolk, but really close to where we live.
- First on the list is, of course, Colchester Zoo. Hubby and I have gold cards which means we have unlimited entry for a year. Even if you only visit 3 times you save money so it’s well worth buying. We live extremely close to the zoo so you will find us there most weeks. They have plenty of places to sit and eat, a good number of parks/play areas and an indoor soft play. We often head to the zoo on a rainy day just to throw the kids in the ball pit as it’s completely free (because we have gold cards).
- Next up is Marsh Farm. I’ve only been here once with Lamb and my mother-in-law and I absolutely loved it. It’s bigger than I thought and has so much for the kids to do. Lamb’s favourite was driving the mini tractors. We live around an hour away so don’t have annual passes, but it’s worth thinking about if you live close by.
- Across the road from Marsh Farm is Tropical Wings. I’ve never actually visited here, but my mother-in-law has taken Lamb a few times (she babysits every Monday) and apparently he loves it. His favourite thing to do is watch the bird show. He loves owls (thanks to The Gruffalo) so loves watching them fly around. He’s so good with animals and doesn’t get scared when he’s near them. He will happily feed the goats and stroke the rabbits.
- We haven’t actually visited here, but Old Macdonalds Farm is 4th on my list. It’s somewhere we really want to take Lamb but wanted to wait until he was a little older so he can go on the rides etc. Take a look at their website, it looks so good!
- Finally is my Suffolk choice which is Jimmy’s Farm. Such a lovely day out for the whole family. Nature trails, petting zoo and butterfly sanctuary you will be sure to have a fab day out. Jimmy also puts on many event throughout the year which are well worth a visit. Although I’ve heard they can get ridiculously busy!
What are your favourite family attractions?
Ax
Share this:
Santas Grotto at Intu Lakeside
We recently had the pleasure of visiting Intu Lakeside and their brand new Christmas Grotto.
One of the first to experience the new grotto, Lamb was welcomed by Santa’s lovely elves who escorted him through the grotto offering yummy treats along the way and playing different games.
This Christmas Grotto is different to others we have visited. It’s much more like you would imagine a grotto to be like, toys and bright colours, lots of elves. Grottos at garden centres are often made to look like winter wonderlands, so this one was a nice change to what Lamb has seen before.
After playing the fun games, pressing the button to find out if he has been naughty or nice, and talking to the elves, Lamb was escorted to meet Father Christmas.
Lamb was given around 10 minutes to chat to Father Christmas, telling him what he would like him to bring on Christmas Day. He of course asked for Paw Patrol toys (as I’m sure most kids are this year!) and Father Christmas ensured he would bring some as long as he stayed on the nice list.
As we were leaving Santa gave Lamb a little present to which he replied “where’s my Paw Patrol toy?” We had to explain that this was a little gift from Father Christmas early for being good, but his main presents would of course arrive on Christmas Day. Not easy to explain to a nearly 3 year old!
We really enjoyed our evening at Santa’s Grotto. There’s something really magical about watching your child’s eyes light up as they meet Father Christmas. This is the first year Lamb truly understands and it’s so lovely to see.
As Lamb had been such good boy I let him open his present from Father Christmas. To all of our surprise he had been given a Paw Patrol sticker book! He was absolutely blown away, as was I! He got exactly what he asked for! Either that was an amazing coincidence, or we really did meet the real father Christmas!
As we left the Grotto we met up with the PR team and had a group photo with all of the other bloggers. It was really nice to go in a large group. It made the evening much more enjoyable and exciting for the kids. As you can see, Lamb ran straight to the front of the group holding his sticker book which he was so proud of.
Outside the grotto there’s lots of yummy food stalls, treats and a fun ride for the kids. All lit up with music playing, I strongly recommend visiting at night, the atmosphere is really magical.
One thing I think is great about Santa’s Grotto at intu Lakeside this year is the fact you can book online. I know from previous years the line can get quite long, so being able to book online ensures you won’t waste a journey if it gets too busy.
You can buy personalised photo products after you have seen santa. We paid £6 for a mounted photo.
If you want to find out more about the grotto you can read more on the intu Lakeside website here.
Ax
Share this:
#LondonLegend Day Out With Garfunkles
We were recently invited to spend a day out in London with the team from Garfunkles. They had a full itinerary planned and it sounded too good to be true, so of course we took them up on their offer.
Living in Essex means we are only a 1 hour drive from London, more if we are heading to central London. We usually drive to the east, park at a tube stop (which costs £3 all day FYI) and grab a tube to our destination.
After chatting with the the lovely Emma, Donna and Charlotte who were also heading to the event, I was informed that parking on a Sunday was free in a lot of areas so we decided to take the risk and drive – so glad we did! No horrible tube journeys with a toddler!
We began the day meeting in the first Garfunkles for breakfast. I got to chat with some familiar faces and meet some new bloggers.
Lamb enjoyed playing with his favourite Fireman Sam truck, as did most of the other kids, and I got to have plenty of cuddles with the beautiful Charlotte (a kid from Me, The Man, and the Kids).
Breakfast was a little manic as the restaurant was surprisingly busy, but after refuelling on bacon & pancakes, eggs benedict and coffee we jumped in the taxis and headed to our first activitiy – Madamme Tussauds!
Madamme Tussauds was amazing. Lamb absolutely loved it, especially the black cab ride! Since his visit he has developed a huge obsession with The Hulk and has asked for him many times for Christmas.
If you have a superhero fan in your family, then the Marvel Superhero 4D show is really worth watching. Lamb was so impressed when he was squirted with water!
After the 4D show was the Star Wars exhibition, this is part of the premium ticket so will cost a little more. Lamb sort of knows what Star Wars is as his Uncle and cousin are seriously obsessed. He was a little scared of Darth Vader though!
I ended up paying £15 for a framed photo but how could I resist this! Look at his little face! I love how he’s gently resting his hand on Yodas arm! 🙂
After Madamme Tussauds we headed to another Garfunkles restaurant for lunch. The staff at this particular branch were super friendly and very accommodating to our sleeping toddler!
Unfortunately I completely forgot to take photos of our lunch! I was so hungry I devoured every last bit of my Spag Bol before I realised! Lunch was delicious and we were well rested for the next part of our #LondonLegend day out.
As much as I’ve been to London, I’ve never been on a bus tour. The Original Tour was really good. They took us all around London and the tour guide pointed out amazing landmarks, including things like Pudding Lane where the great fire of London started.
This was a really great activity for Lamb, which at the age of 2 1/2 is really into vehicles, so loved driving around on a big red bus.
The Original Tour are currently offering 48 hours for the price of 24, meaning you can spend 2 days seeing London, as lets face it, it’s a big place and you can’t see everything in one day!
After the bus tour we stopped off for a ride on the London Eye. I’ve been on this once before, on my babymoon before Lamb was born! It’s such a beautiful view of London from all angles and well worth going on if you like to sightsee.
We ended our fantastic day out in London with dinner at a final branch of Garfunkles. We were al a little exhausted, and to be honest quite full from all the fabulous food we had been eating, but we couldn’t resist another delicious meal.
Our evening meal was delicious. I opted for Spaghetti Carbonara and it was amazing. One of the best I’ve had. We ordered chicken goujons and fries for Lamb, but as most of you probably know, he’s an extremely fussy eater so didn’t touch his meal. I can safely say it was also delicious 😉
Our day out in London with Garfunkles was amazing. We all had so much fun, even the hubby who doesn’t really like group activities! Even though I’ve been to London many times, I’ve never eaten at a Garfunkles restaurant. We thoroughly enjoyed every course and will definitely be going back next time we are in London. If there was one local to me I’d become a regular!
I’d like to say a huge thank you to Garfunkles for providing us with this incredible day out and opportunity to review a #LondonLegend day.
Ax
Share this:
Top 5 Places I’ve Visited in the World
Sometimes I find myself day dreaming about where in the world I’d like to visit. I’ve been lucky to travel long haul a couple of times, but I’ve rarely ventured out of Europe. There are a few places still on my bucket list, but I’m going to share with you some of the best places I’ve been lucky enough to travel to. If you’re unsure of the places you might want to visit why not take a quick quiz by Karcher about monuments around the world – it might inspire you.
- First on my list is the Statue of Liberty in New York. I’ve been to Manhattan twice and I absolutely love it. It’s my favourite place I’ve visited and I would go back every year if I could. I dream of one day returning when my kids are grown up to show them the amazing sights and landmarks.
- Another from New York (sorry I couldn’t include only one landmark in this list). The Empire State Building – with a twist. We were given a tip while in NYC, don’t go up the Empire State Building, go up the Rockefeller Centre. That way you can see the whole of the Empire State Building! We did exacyly this and we went up at the perfect time – sunset. I captured some amazing photographs and saw the city light up as it got dark. Stunning.
- Thailand is the furthest I’ve travelled to. 13 hours in total to get to Phuket. I was a little nervous about visiting somewhere so far away and with such a different culture. I don’t have a varied diet so I was worried about eating the food. Turns out Thai food is my favourite and I had no problems eating every day! While in Phuket we visited the Big Buddha. A beautiful landmark of an overwhelming size.
- This may not be as famous as the other landmarks I’ve mentioned but this one holds a special place in my heart. The The Medieval Castle of Paphos in Cyprus is where my husband proposed to me! It was such a beautiful setting for a proposal. My husband wasn’t keen on doing it in public so he was lucky to find a little bench away from the tourists where he could pop the question in private.
- Finally, I can’t write a list of my favourite landmarks without including somewhere in London. A city I love. I’ve been on The London Eye twice. Once when I was on my babymoon when pregnant with Lamb, and again more recently when we went on a press trip with Garfunkles. Lamb absolutley loved it and when he sees a photos he always talks about how much he enjoyed going on it. Sometimes you don’t have to travel to the other side of the world to visit beautiful landmarks and make happy memories.
What are your favourite landmarks or places you’ve visited?
Ax
*PR Collaboration
Share this:
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- …
- 11
- Next Page »
