Hotel Deloix Review - Large Groups, Small Dupes, Stray Poop

For our family holiday this year, we stayed at the Hotel Deloix Aqua Center in Benidorm. The hotel is about a mile from the beach, situated in a pleasant area that isn't noisy or busy but does benefit from a few shops and entertainment venues a short walk away. I had not intended to write a review, however, when I got home, I realised that I had quite a lot to say and an unsponsored review might be of benefit to anyone thinking of booking a break in Benidorm. This is why the photos are a bit more haphazard than I'd like, but I hope you can still get a feel of what you get for your money here. The hotel was booked as part of a package holiday, so I can't tell you the exact cost of our stay, but the hotel advertises rates of £157.49 per night for full board in June at the time of writing. 

Hillcroft, Redhill - Amazing Accommodation near Bristol Airport

When you are travelling abroad, for work or pleasure, you are going to want it to be as stress-free as possible. Smaller airports, such as Bristol, are a great option for this, as they offer a more relaxed journey, since they don't have lots of terminals and miles of travelators just waiting for you to get lost in. Another stress-reducing option for the start of your travels is to find a great, reasonably priced hotel near the airport, so that you don't have to worry about your car, or getting stuck in traffic. I have discovered the perfect location for this, perfectly set up for short overnight stops and situated just three miles from Bristol Airport. Here is a review of our stay at Hillcroft Accommodation in Redhill. 

An Evening at Aspects Leisure Park, Longwell Green, Bristol

Last week I was invited on a press trip to Aspects Leisure Park in Bristol, to experience some of the delicious food and drink on offer and let you know what else there is to do there. Like most out of town leisure complexes, there are a lot of eateries and venues in close proximity, making it an ideal place to spend an evening out. It turns out, I've led a fairly sheltered life, as I discovered lots I hadn't experienced before, including gin. I had no idea I liked gin, it really was a revelation! To find out what else I discovered, read our review of Aspects Leisure Park, Bristol. I was treated to free food and drink for the purposes of this review.

Free Activities with Children in Bristol

Bristol is an amazing, vibrant city, with lots of history and culture. It also offers a wealth of colourful entertainment options all year round. From festivals, to amazing street art, including this year's Gromit Unleashed 2 trail, there really is something for everyone. It's easy for the costs to add up though, when you suddenly have children to amuse all day. If you are wondering how you are going to entertain the kids on a budget this summer, here is a round up of all of our favourite free things to do in the city, keeping the costs down, without skimping on the fun!

Ruka: The Best Lapland Resort for Children

In March we were lucky enough to stay in Ruka Ski Resort, which is in Kuusamo, Finnish Lapland. It is a truly remarkable place and I strongly recommend that if you can, go. What this custom-made Lapland resort offers, in terms of magic and wonder, for little (and bigger) ones cannot be beaten. It has a depth and realism to it, with no plastic or gimmicks, that appeals to children of all ages. It is also really educational, you absorb so much about the culture and landscape just from being there. We found so many aspects about Ruka that made it family friendly, that we have written this guide on all the best bits for children.

Toby Carvery, Almondsbury - Review

Considering how close we are to a Toby Carvery, it's quite surprising that we've never been. I'd heard good things about it and driven past many times, so when I was asked if I'd like to review the menu and newly refurbished interior, in return for a free meal, I jumped at the chance. As always, the meal was offered as compensation for my time in writing this review and does not affect my opinions. I have actually booked a table for tomorrow that I'm paying for, because my husband wants to go, now I've told him how good it was. You will also find that this review contains lots of photos of the lovely food and decor and the camera never lies!

Halloween Spectacular at The Wild Place Project, Bristol

The Wild Place Project, near Cribbs Causeway in Bristol, is a sister park to Bristol Zoo. It opened in 2013 and we have been regular visitors ever since. It has been lovely to watch it grow and expand and it is obvious that the staff and keepers have a great affection for the place. The emphasis is very much on the welfare of the animals and their habitats and this is my favourite aspect of the park. It is very close to our house, so we visit a lot, but this time we were invited to review the new Halloween Spectacular, taking place over half term (21st-29th October) and received free admission in return for letting you know what we thought about it.

Bristol Zoo Events for Children

It's been over a year since our last Bristol Zoo Review and this post is a bit different to the last one. This time, I really want to focus on the additional events that are provided on a seasonal basis, as part of your ticket price  Bristol Zoo puts a lot of effort into making the venue even more entertaining for children in the school holidays and so we're going to be reviewing the recent events we attended, as well as those that are coming up in the near future. Most importantly, the next activity in the Zoo's calendar; the Halloween Festival. Obviously, we can't actually review it, as it hadn't happened at the time of writing, but we can tell you all about it. 

Camping Must-Haves and What You CAN Leave Home Without!

Camping can be ideal as a low-cost family holiday option when money is a bit tight. However, on your first camping trip, it can be very easy to get bogged down with the different products available to buy, until you end up spending the cost of a week in the Algarve. As we've got better at camping, we have found some products that have been invaluable, and some that haven't. This is our guide to your camping essentials and how to keep the costs down by avoiding what you really don't need. This post contains items we've bought, and some we were sent to try and really liked. I have marked the review items, with an asterisk * for clarity.

Forest Glade Holiday Park: Family Campsite Review

Regular readers will know that sometimes I review things I've been sent to try and sometimes I review things I have purchased myself, but I am always honest in my reviews and upfront about where they come from. This time, though, it's a bit more complicated, because I bought and paid for this holiday, but the lovely owner gave me a refund when I said I would be happy to review it. The park is just stunning and there is so much I want to tell you about it, along with millions of photos I've taken for you, which I've tried to whittle down a bit. I hope you enjoy my unbiased review of the beautiful Forest Glade Holiday Park, situated in the Blackdown Hills between Cullompton and Honiton in East Devon. 

SS Great Britain Summer Events Programme

School is finally out for us and the last few weeks have been crazy busy. Along with school plays, leavers' celebrations and other events, we somehow managed to squeeze in a visit to one of our favourite Bristol tourist attractions to find out what's on over the summer. The SS Great Britain is somewhere we have always been fond of, as it has a way of growing with children. Each time we go, we discover something different that we hadn't appreciated before. During the summer break, you can get even more for your ticket price with the addition of some amazing extras that will amuse your brood, whatever their age.

Swansea Beach Review and General Thoughts

I decided to review Swansea seafront after visiting over the weekend. It was different in many ways to other beaches we've visited, for good and bad reasons, so I really felt it would be useful to note down a few points for anyone who is considering going. Swansea is the second largest city in Wales, with over 260 shops, and 25 car parks, so it's easy to forget that it is also home to a pretty impressive stretch of coastline. However, if you are thinking of making a visit to the beach, there are a few things you might need to know, particularly if you have little ones, or anyone elderly or infirm in your travelling party. We've been to Swansea, and here's what we learned.

Mason's Arms Stonehouse Pizza and Carvery Review

About three miles north of the Almondsbury interchange, on the A38 in Rudgeway, stands a little pub. The Mason's Arms has been there for as long as I can remember, but recently it's had a pretty spectacular makeover. Stonehouse Pizza and Carvery own 77 outlets across the country and The Mason's is one of their most recent acquisitions. As a regular visitor before it changed hands, I was amazed at the transformation. Gone were the dated, split level sections and in their place; clean lines, bright colours and fresh paint. We were invited to dine for free, in return for our honest review, so we were keen to find out if it lived up to our new-found expectations!

Beautiful Bowood House and Gardens - Review

Bowood is somewhere that I remember going as a child and I have wanted to visit again ever since. I remember it being very beautiful and having lovely gardens, as well as a stunning lake. There is also an imposing stately home too, which I knew Phil would love, as he is a massive history buff. It's situated in Calne, in Wiltshire and is famous for its rhodedendrons, which are available to view at an additional cost. There is also a private walled garden that you can pay extra to visit. So, we set off in the middle of half term through the country lanes of Wiltshire to Bowood House and Gardens. This is our review of what we found there and if it lived up to my wonderful memories!

SS Great Britain - Step Aboard and Back in Time

The SS Great Britain has always been one of our favourite Bristol attractions. What I love about it, is that it is perfect for all weathers. The deck is gorgeous in the summer sun, but if it rains, there is plenty to see undercover. We haven't been for a while now, though and I had wondered if it would still appeal to L now that he is older. We took Phil along this time, too, and he hadn't been since he was at school. What I noticed was that, we all got something different out of it and there was something for everyone. We were lucky with the weather this time, it was really warm and sunny, although it did make the Dry Dock a bit humid, it was like the tropical house at the zoo! I suppose all that glass will do that...

Newnham on Severn - Gloucestershire Picnic Site with Great Disabled Access

Days out are always a bit of a struggle when you have problems getting around. There are lots of potential pitfalls and choosing where to go is something to consider very carefully. Accessibility and appropriate facilities are a must for a stress-free visit and if you want to just go for a nice drive and find a picnic spot, it's not always easy to find out what's there in advance. So, when we recently discovered a beautiful picnic spot on the edge of the River Severn, in the Forest of Dean, I thought it would be a good idea to share it here, as it's got great disabled access and has the best views and offers an excellent viewing point for the Severn Bore. 

Holiday Inn Cardiff, A Short (and Curly) Stay

I don't stay in hotels very often, but when I do, my needs are few. It's usually because we are travelling somewhere via the Megabus and need somewhere to stay for the night, because it's too far to go there and back in a day, so a bed is the main requirement. This week, it was just L and I travelling to Cardiff for the DanTDM Live Tour at St David's Hall. We ended up staying at The Holiday Inn, which was a new hotel chain for us and we were interested to see how it compared to some of the other chain hotels we had stayed in previously, such as The Travelodge. When we first arrived, we found a large and welcoming foyer. There were comfortable chairs to sit in and even computers where you could take advantage of the free wifi that was available for guests throughout the hotel.

What Happened on The DanTDM Live Tour

YouTube baffles me. I use it when I want to find a clip I remember that was once on the telly, or, most often, to listen to music. It's like a reference library for the 21st century. Except it isn't. For many people, particularly the younger ones, it's almost like a TV. They have their favourite shows, which they look forward to each day, and, most importantly, they have their favourite Youtubers. Who knew there was such a thing as celebrity Youtubers? With one or two exceptions, I had no idea this was even a thing. So I was amazed to find, when I went to book a stage show for L's favourite Youtuber, that it sold out pretty quickly. Yes, there are stage shows now and this one was actually pretty good. Two things I learned from this event, DanTDM knows his audience and there is a good reason why children love him. 

Afternoon Tea at The Grange Hotel, Winterbourne, Bristol

We bought our Afternoon Tea experience using Virgin Experience Days vouchers and were really looking forward to it. I wasn't sure if it represented the best value, as I paid £39 for what turned out to be about an hour, whereas I spent the rest of the £100 voucher on a spa day for two, with a manicure and pedicure thrown in, but we are all big fans of tea parties in general and it's even better when you don't have to make it yourself! The voucher was originally for two, but I phoned and asked if I could bring L along as well, and if it would be possible for them to include some plain cheese sandwiches for him, as he can be a little suspicious of unknown sarnies, and I wanted there to be at least one he would eat. Otherwise he would soon be full of nothing but cake and I felt this could be a recipe for disaster in a confined space and polite company!

A Voyage on The Matthew - Review

This is the last week of the school holidays for us, so we thought it would be nice to have a couple of last days out, before we have to start being all sensible and going to bed on time. We were lucky enough to be able to review Bristol Zoo Gardens this week and we were also invited to attend a cruise of Bristol Harbour on board The Matthew. We have sailed on The Matthew once before, but it was a very short trip, due to bad weather, so we were really excited to find it was a beautiful day, when we were due on board. We've been so lucky this summer with the weather, I can't remember ever having so many consecutive sunny days and it has really meant we could make the most of the holidays.