29 November 2024

Louise asked me to book Disney Land Paris for her and her auntie and the kids, I couldn’t go unfortunately this time. I asked her to write a blog about it and this is what she had to say. We flew from Edinburgh with Easy Jet and arrived in Paris Charles De Gaulle after quite a short flight. I had chatted with Niall around how to get to Disney from the airport, as always, we could have got a taxi, but we decided to try the train. We got the train from Paris CDG to Marne La Vallee. It was super easy, took around 9 minutes and the kids got to experience a double decker train. When we got off the train, we had a very short walk into the parks via security. We stayed at Disney’s Sequoia Lodge, which is quite a cosy forest lodge style hotel with Bambi themed rooms. There were four of us as we had one room with 2 double beds which was totally fine. The rooms did feel a little bit dated but think it goes with the theme. The food in the hotel was nice, we didn’t do a full Disney dining plan, only breakfast, so the one time we did eat dinner at the hotel, we thought it was quite expensive. Disneyland Paris has 2 parks, Disneyland Park and Walt Disney studios park. Both were about a 15 min walk from our hotel through Disney Village which is all shops, bars and restaurants. We spent a day at the Disneyland Park and visited all five lands. We started with Main Street, where we strolled down the street inspired by the hometown of Walt Disney. We stopped by City Hall to get a birthday badge for Jack as he turned 7. It is worth pointing out that if you have a child or group member with you who has neurodivergent needs they can go here with evidence and get a pass and a time sheet so they can avoid waiting in queues. You can go and do other things and come back at your time slot. This can be done for both rides and character meetings I believe. We then went for a character breakfast. The breakfast was good, and the kids got to meet 5/6 Disney characters. We were quite disappointed that neither Mickey or Minnie were there though. We worked our way through the five lands and we all had lots of fun on the rides and seeing characters. We had another day to come back to this park however that didn’t stop us trying to cram everything in. We also enjoyed the Disney’s Splash of Colour Parade and we thought the Disney Electrical Parade at night time over the castle was phenomenal. Really magical. We also spent a day at Walt Disney Studios. Here we saw the Lilo and Stitch interactive show which was actually really funny and we also saw Mickey the Magician Show which was nice. The kids loved the Spiderman ride and Alex and Auntie Irene went on this multiple times. We need to mention Crush’s Coaster, which is based on Finding Nemo. I took a travel sickness tablet before this ride, and I majorly struggled. Alex seemed to enjoy it but the rest of us were pretty close to having to lay down in the middle of Disney. Not for the faint hearted. We chose to eat at McDonalds and in the Disney Village. If you are doing the breakfast only for Disney Dining Plan I highly recommend packing some of the breakfast in a lunch box and taking it with you as the parks are quite expensive. We worked our way through the 2 parks over a few days and really enjoyed ourselves. It is a lot of walking though so do make time for rests. Quick mention about the pool at our hotel. It was in a separate building but was really nice and peaceful. Had a flume, waterfalls for the kids that they could climb behind and a jacuzzi. All of us had been to Disney World, Florida before so I wasn’t sure what the kids would think but they did have a great time and definitely had that magic look on their faces.

29 November 2024

We flew from Bangkok to Dubai with Emirates. The flight was good, around 7 hours. Food on the flight was good as well as great entertainment. More free gifts for the kids, polaroid pics etc. We arrived in Dubai Airport, what an airport, looks great and is so super organised. We collected our bags which didn’t take long to come through on the belt. Then we headed out the baggage hall and the kids were excited to see the driver of our transfer holding up a sign with our name on it. So, we had decided to go to Fujairah for 3 nights to begin our trip. Now this is a near 2-hour transfer from Dubai airport. Luckily the drive was OK, all be it long. We drove through lots of desert and saw flamingos and camels. We also drove past lots of little towns which were still being developed. Fujairah is located on the Gulf of Oman, part of the Indian Ocean. We stayed at the gorgeous Fujairah Rotana Resort and Spa. As you can imagine after a long flight and then a long car ride, in 37-degree heat, we were all feeling a bit tired and low. However, the staff at check in and the concierge were brilliant. We were here on an All-Inclusive Plus basis and our room wasn’t quite ready so we left our bags and headed down past the pool to Sharkey’s Beach Bar and Restaurant. This was our first proper view of the Indian ocean and the hotels amazing private beach. We were able to sit back and relax and let the welcoming sea breeze wash over us. The food at this beach bar was really good as was the children’s menu and the portion sizes were unreal. After heading to our room, we got changed into our swim wear and headed down to the pool. We took a walk again down the to the beach and decided to go for a swim in the Indian Ocean. It was warm, and clear and the sand was soft, and you could see fish swimming. The kids were in their element. I said to Louise, do you think the taxi ride was worth it and we both agreed that getting to swim in the Indian Ocean was hands down the best we had felt the whole trip. We spent a lot of time in the sea over the next couple of days. We also spent time in the pool, they had a large pool with a bar and they also had a children’s pool with a slide which of course the kids loved! Louise even went down it too. The food in the buffet area was lovely, lots of variety and was always busy. It was Halloween when we were there, and they did a trick or treating event for the kids. Well, they went all out…. All the staff were dressed up and took the kids on a massive trick or treating experience around the resort. They even provided little bags for the kids to collect their sweets in. Alex and Jack really enjoyed the kids club here, which can sometimes be a hit or a miss for them. We really enjoyed it here and have said we would love to go back for a longer trip. The transfer was long, but we think it was worth it. We got a transfer to Dubai from the hotel. The driver was really friendly and he even pointed out different places and the camels etc to the kids on the way there. On arrival into Dubai it was amazing to see all the buildings and the skyline. This was our first trip to Dubai and we really wanted to try and fit in as much as possible. We decided to stay at The Sonder Dubai in the Business Bay area. We had an apartment here; we loved it as soon as we opened our door. Me and Louise had a massive bedroom with a balcony and en suite, the kids had a massive double sofa bed in the living room with a massive balcony. We also had a kitchen, dining area and a bathroom. Our balconies overlooked the pool which again the kids used plenty. We were really close to the Burj Khalifa and also the largest shopping mall in the world, Dubai Mall. We tried to walk to the shopping mall when we arrived but we quickly learnt our lesson as it was just too hot to walk any distance. This is basically when we learnt that Uber and Careem were going to be our friends. The shopping mall was unreal, so big we prob didn’t explore even half of it. We ate there a lot though on our trip, mainly in places like TGI’s, The Cheesecake Factory and McDonalds. We went to the Aquarium and underwater Zoo, which was good. However, we wouldn’t do it again. We also enjoyed watching the Burj Khalifa Fountain Show which was actually spectacular. We watched it many times over the duration of our trip and it was the never the same twice. We also went up to the viewing deck on the Burj Khalifa and the views were excellent. You could see how much land there is still to be developed on. We took the kids to a place called The Green Planet which we had read about and in case you hadn’t picked up on this yet from our other blogs, Alex loves animals, all kinds of animals. The Green Planet is a unique indoor biodome that recreates a tropical rainforest with over 3000 plants and animals. It’s located at city walk and offers you an immersive experience in the tropics. It has four levels of interaction and the animals are literally on the loose. When we first walked in, we decided to take the lift to the fourth floor and work our way down. WOW is all I can say. Got out the lift and there were Parrots flying around and a Lemur just sitting chilling on the railing. I even got a selfie with a sloth who was awake and moving around, at a pretty decent speed btw. We went round this biodome twice. We easily spent 2-3 hours here and when we came out the kids played in a park which was shaded from the sun and had misting sprayers all around. We really loved it here and would highly recommend. We would go back. When we are away, we like to try and travel around like the locals do and so we used the metro and the tram to visit The Palm. We went to Atlantis and had some ice cream. We also got a good view of the waterpark. All things which we need to go back and do. So YES, we loved Dubai and we cannot wait to go back. We still need to do the Safari in the Desert, the water park, the marina, the Burj al Arab, the souks and so much more. We flew home from Dubai on the inaugural Emirates Edinburgh flight, which I was really excited about being an aeroplane enthusiast. We got a free gift when boarding, the flight itself was good, quite quick really and there was a pipe band on the runway after we landed. Overall we had a great time here and cannot wait to book to go back!

29 November 2024

We flew Air Asia from Phuket to Bangkok, a 1 hr 30 min flight. It was a great little flight and as you can imagine went in quite quickly. When we got there, we headed for the Airport Rail Link Sky Train which took us to the main area of the city near where we were staying. It was really easy and only a short walk from the Sky train to our hotel. We stayed at The Berkely Hotel Pratunam. It as a lovely large hotel. Our room was really really big and spacious which was great considering there was 4 of us sharing it. It had a rooftop pool which was lit up and was a lovely area to relax. The skyline was amazing. Bangkok was HOT and super busy. All the time. We tried really hard to fit lots of things in, in the short time we were there. We were there for 4 nights. During this time we went to lots of shopping malls including Icon Siam, there was so many shops, a complete mixture of shops. We visited food markets, attempted to eat with chopsticks. We went on a River boat along the Chao Phraya River, saw the grand palace. We visited Wat Arun Ratchawararam which is a buddhist temple. We went for a walk round Lumpini Park and saw massive Monitor Lizards which again the kids loved. We also went to the 78th Floor of the King Power Mahanakhon Tower which has the highest viewpoint in Bangkok and had a glass floor. The kids liked this as it looked like a Minecraft tower. We enjoyed spending our night times in the rooftop pool to cool off. There was also a sports bar area here where the kids enjoyed eating. We really enjoyed Bangkok. It was then time for us to head back to Bangkok airport, where this time we opted for a taxi as it was quite early in the morning and so the traffic was ok. Bangkok traffic is mad! Next we flew from Bangkok to Dubai with Emirates. Look out for our Dubai Blog…

29 November 2024

One of our close friends and clients chose Phuket as their wedding destination. So of course when the invitation came through we jumped at the chance to go with the kids. At the time of departure, Emirates were not yet flying from Edinburgh and so we booked to depart from Glasgow with Emirates. We were really excited about the kids flying long haul with Emirates. The staff were great, the kids received a few gifts on the flight, such as Emirate backpacks and also colouring packs for when they were needing a break from the hundreds of film/tv choices/games on the flights entertainment at their seat. We also got some polaroid photos taken on the flight which was a great little memory add on. We flew via Dubai and with no time to spare, made our connecting flight to Phuket. Once we arrived in Phuket we got a taxi pretty quickly and made our way to the Hotel. We didn’t book a private transfer in case we missed our connecting flight. As soon as we left the airport terminal the heat hit us. It was around 34 degrees and it felt HOT. The journey to the hotel was good, the kids literally shouted out everything they saw on the way, so many animals including a random elephant on the back of a truck. We arrived at the Luxury Thavorn Beach Resort and Spa. Our first impression was wow. The grounds were beautiful and it felt huge when we arrived in the reception area. When we got out of the car, our luggage was instantly taken from us. We checked in pretty quickly and were taken by the transport team to our Garden Bungalow in a little golf cart with our luggage. We had a few gecko friends around our bungalow and the kids LOVED it. Our room was lovely, very spacious and we had a separate half outdoor shower which was just awesome. Our hotel pool/lagoon is the biggest in Phuket and it looked and felt so luxurious. We spent most of our time here. There is a shop where you can buy or hire everything you need, snorkels, inflatables, paddleboards, you name it they had it. The beach was beautiful, the sea bed was a little stoney so you did have to be careful when entering the sea. However when the tide was out the rock pools were amazing and you could see so many different sea creatures including sea cucumbers and hermit crabs. The hotel also had a petting zoo which was really popular amongst both children and adults. There were different types of birds which you could feed, which would land on your shoulders or your head, or sit in your hands. There was little pigs you could give a bottle of milk too. There was a massive tortoise who was clearly well looked after and also a little tortoise, both of which you could touch and feed. The food at the hotel was amazing. We had been looking forward to trying Authentic Thai food and it didn’t disappoint. I was even eating Thai Green Curry for breakfast…. Why not? The pool/beach bar also sold food which was really great and included pizzas, burgers, fries, pastas etc and we quite enjoyed just sitting by the pool eating. When we booked we upgraded to half board as we thought it would be good with the kids. However if we were to do this again, we would just include breakfast as the half board menu didn’t have as much choice as the main menu and there was not much difference in price really. We visited the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary whilst in Phuket, this was something Louise really wanted to do and we did a lot of research on this before we went as we wanted to ensure we went somewhere ethical. We decided on the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, there is so many to choose from. It is a wildlife conservation centre and the whole team is committed to elephant welfare. It’s a not for profit organisation which aims to promote the conservation and welfare of the Asian elephant and reduce human – elephant contact. All the elephants here are rescued. We had a great time here, all be it it was so hot. The kids got to see elephants up close and we got to feed them. They also got to hear about how the elephants are looked after and how to approach the elephants in a safe way. A once in a lifetime experience for us. We attended the wedding…….. what a day. The hotel did such a great job of this and the location was stunning, on the beach, sun setting in the background. Food was amazing, music was amazing and we couldn’t fault anything. Even the kids loved it. We wanted to go to Phuket’s water park as it is meant to be really good, however we were absolutely knackered and decided a chill day was needed before we flew on to our next destination. Phuket was amazing and if we were to go back I think we would try and do some island hopping too. Look out for our next Blog on Bangkok…..

13 August 2022

ESTIVAL EL DORADO Resort & Spa, Cambrils, Spain After having nearly no holidays during covid we decided to book a holiday abroad for May 2022. We had been to ESTIVAL El Dorado before and loved it so we were keen to go back now the kids were a little older and because we knew what was available. Estival Eldorado is located on the beachfront and is a complex that has rooms, suites, and apartments. It has everything you need for your stay. There are restaurants and bars, a Spa and Wellness center, gym and sports areas, swimming pools, and a splash/water park. We went as a family of four. Myself, my wife Louise and our two boys Alex aged 7 and Jack aged 4. We were booked into a Suite which was more than big enough. A massive room for us and the kids had two beds from the sofas in the sitting area, which was also huge. We shared an adjoining bathroom with a separate shower and we had a huge balcony overlooking the main swimming pool/bar area. The room could not be faulted. The hotel has a secure kids club with both indoor and outdoor areas which had a different theme each day for the kids. No booking in advance is needed, just drop them off during the designated times for the club. We spent most days at the main pool, which had plenty of seating areas available including cabanas. Towels are provided in your room by the hotel. There is a water park attached to the hotel so we sometimes wandered over there to let the kids and us adults play in the water park, swim around the lazy river or swim under the waterfalls. This pool is also where the daily water aerobics class is and the gym and spa are here too. We would get a snack here and the kids could get ice creams too. Again plenty of seating areas. We also went to play crazy golf one day. The course was a decent size and was free. Another day we went to Parc Sama - A PLACE TO WALK, HAVE FUN AND RELAX Parc Samà evokes the exuberance of the old colonies and is one of the best examples of romantic gardening. Wide spaces, exotic species, and modernist elements to enjoy. There are lots of little animals around and the kids loved it. So did we as it was really beautiful. We got a taxi, it was 5km from our hotel to the entrance. The kids enjoyed seeing the bird sanctuary with parrots and other little birds, there were peacocks walking around, and we fed some deer, and watched the fish, ducks, and turtles in the water. There were picnic benches to have a seat and a snack. There was also a cafe but it was closed the day we went. We had A 3-day pass for Port Aventura and Ferrari Land included when we bought our holiday and so we knew we were definitely going there. We had been before but the kids were much smaller so we were excited to do a lot more and it did not disappoint. We planned to go on one of the cooler days of our trip and went to Ferrari Land first as we knew it wasn’t too big. The kids enjoyed the Marinello grand race and other rides and we enjoyed having a go at changing the tyres on a Ferrari F1 car at a pit stop. After we finished here we cut through to Port Aventura where we spent the rest of the day. It is split into 6 different worlds, with lots of rides, shops, and food places. My wife and I love the water rides, the kids not so much but we all had a really good day. After dinner each night and before the kid's disco, we went for a walk along the promenade which had play parks scattered along the walkway. It took about 20-30 minutes to walk to the shops in Cambrils. Our kids absolutely loved the kid's disco and the kids club as the entertainment team were really great with the kids. The food in the restaurants was really good, so many options for everyone and the kids were able to do away themselves which they loved. We loved sitting at the outside terrace as there was an enclosed grass area around it which meant the kids could run and play with their friends once finished and we could sit and relax in peace. We really love this hotel, it has everything you could want for a lovely relaxing fun family holiday.

13 August 2022

London trip July 22 My wife was working in London Wednesday-Friday and we thought why don’t I fly down with the kids on Friday evening to spend the weekend there. I should point out that the weather was roasting and we were there on the hottest day of the year. So we flew down British Airways on Friday evening into London Heathrow Terminal 5, the staff were great and let the kids go in the cockpit and see the pilot. Louise met us at arrivals and we got the free Elizabeth Line service to terminal four where we were booked to stay in the Premier Inn. I had requested led a runway view room as I am a keen airplane photographer and I thought the kids would enjoy watching the planes. You can request a runway view room but they are not guaranteed but we were lucky. The room itself was a double bed and 2 single beds and was perfect for what we needed. Saturday morning we had breakfast at the Premier Inn which was included in our stay, a large hot and cold buffet breakfast and it was great. Set us up for the day. Before we headed into London we had just enough time to head to the infamous Myrtle Avenue and watch a few planes flying very low in front of us. We got the Elizabeth Line from the airport to Paddington and made our way to the Hamleys toy store. We easily spent more than an hour in there venturing through the many floors. There was lots to see and lots of people demonstrating the toys for the moment. The kids loved it, we even saw Blue the Raptor on the way out. We then found a restaurant called Happy London between Piccadilly and Leicester Square. The food was decent and the service was swift. After this, we made our way towards the Sealife Aquarium where we had pre-booked tickets for 3.30 pm. We thought we would be allowed in early but they were dead set against that and you weren’t allowed to join the queue until 3.30 pm. Slightly annoying as it was so hot but understandable since rules must have been put in for covid. Whilst waiting we went to Jubilee Gardens Playground and the kids had a great time. Once we got into the aquarium we were actually surprised at how big it was. The kids really liked it, lots to see and do and we got to touch a starfish. After the aquarium, we made our way back along the river bank the short walk to the London Eye. Now, this London Eye Queue was absolutely massive. No shade and went right past the Jubilee Playpark. Again we had pre-booked these tickets but like the aquarium, you could only join the queue at your time slot which for us was 5 pm. After we eventually got on and the kids had an ice cream whilst waiting we were a bit gutted that the kids weren’t really that impressed by it and couldn’t wait to get off it. We had been on it before so also probably could have done without. Definitely, something to think about there if you take young kids. By this point we were all shattered so made our way back via Sainsbury's for bottles of water due to the heat, (went through a lot of water) to the station and headed back to the hotel. We chose to eat dinner at the hotel. The food was good. The kid's meals were huge and really good value for money. Sunday morning Once ready for the day we got an Uber to take us to Feltham station to board the train to Windsor where we got off at Windsor & Eton Riverside station. We then got another Uber to take us to LegoLand where we were spending the whole day. In hindsight we should have just got an uber to take us straight to Legoland, we did an Uber on the return journey and it Cost us about £40. Legoland on one of the hottest days of the year. What can I say, was difficult. UK theme parks aren’t set up for hot weather, the queues had hardly any shade if any and the ones which did had no air conditioning. It was very hot and sweaty. We were constantly topping up our water bottles. Unfortunately, there were some technical issues due to the heat. Power surges meant that most rides were closed for long periods of time. However, we were eventually able to do most of the rides we wanted to. The splash park was a huge hit ( we took swim shorts and towels with us). Pirate Falls was great fun, we got absolutely soaked but in this heat, we didn’t mind. The kids got their driving licenses however our favorite ride was Flight of the Sky Lion. It was the kids' first simulation ride and it was really magical. We did lots more rides too which were great. We really liked Mini Land which we spent time looking at on the way back to the exit. It was nice seeing Edinburgh and other places all made out of Lego and with lots of moving parts. Once the Uber took us home, we were once again shattered and just wanted to eat dinner at the hotel and go to sleep. Monday - was the actual hottest day of the year. The underground had a speed limit of 25mph when overground which for us travelling into the centre from Heathrow was quite far. A lot of water was drunk. We got the underground to South Kensington and there was a tunnel walkway that took you to the National History Museum and the Science Museum. We went to the National History Museum. We had booked in advance (for free) but you could just turn up as tickets were not checked. We spent the morning there seeing Dippy the Diplodocus and a massive dinosaur display which the boys loved. Once we left there we really had to be careful how far we went outdoors due to the heat, it was just too hot, so we managed to find a McDonald’s and sat in for lunch. We made a quick toilet stop at Harrods before making our way back to the hotel to get our bags for our flight home. Overall it was a very tiring trip but we still enjoyed ourselves

28 October 2020

Family Trip to Florida Summer 2019 We decided to take a Family Trip to Florida. It was me, my wife Louise and our 2 boys Alex (4) and Jack (20 months). We were taking advantage of our youngest being under 2 so we didn’t need to pay for a seat on the plane and he was free in all the theme parks. So, we settled for a 10-night trip was in June 2019. We flew with British Airways from London. The service was excellent, and we landed early which was a bonus. On the flight home we got a bassinet baby seat for Jack, giving us a chance to sit without him on our knees the whole time. We hired the car through Avis and Louise found it a very easy drive once she got used to it being an automatic. The car seats provided were excellent and were fitted by the Avis Team for us. We stayed at the Floridays Resort on International Drive and it was excellent. It’s a condo style hotel and the Beds were huge and very comfy. The en-suite bathroom even had a jacuzzi bath. The Condo had everything we needed from fitted kitchen to washer and drier. It was also located perfectly for everything we wanted to do. Just 2 miles to SeaWorld, 6 miles to Disney, 6 miles to Universal Studios and only 11 miles from the airport. They also had a good room service menu which turned out to be a well-used godsend. The weather at that time of the year was Hot and Wet. It was regularly over 30 degrees and it rained almost every afternoon like clockwork but just a short thunderstorm before clearing up for the evenings. Magic Kingdom was the obvious choice for our first park. Seeing Alex’s face when he saw the castle for the first time pretty much made the whole trip worthwhile. Thankfully Alex was tall for his age so despite being only 4, he could go on Splash Mountain and Thunder mountain Railroad. But despite not being quite 2 there was plenty for Jack too and rides we could all go on. Next up was Epcot Centre. This park has more to offer than you’d think, and the Aquarium section was a godsend for when the heavens opened. Both the boys love fish and we spent ages at this part of the park. We also did our first official character meet, although the boys were a bit unsure. They warmed to the characters as the trip went on. Animal Kingdom was the park Alex was waiting for the most as he loves Dinosaurs. It was our first visit too. The big attraction is Pandora and its rides. With Alex not tall enough for Flight of Passage, we didn’t need to follow the crowds to this part of the park. Alex loved Dinoland and he even braved DINOSAUR and loved it – not bad for a 4-year-old. Hollywood Studios was next, and we were unlucky with the weather and I think the boys needed more of a rest, so we only spent half a day. We did go to Toy Story Land which has plenty of rides for young ones and another couple of character visits. But the best bit and one of the trip highlights was the Disney Junior Dance Party. This is a must for young kids, very interactive and, also indoors good for rainy or hot days. Universal Studios and Island of Adventures – We spent a couple of days at these parks, again my son excited for Dinosaur themed rides including Jurassic Park Ride and Pteranodon flyers. But the real reason to visit was for Harry Potter World. New since our last visit and with Louise being a big Harry Potter fan, we were very excited to go. It’s so well designed from the Hogwarts Express to Diagon Alley. You really get the feel of the films. SeaWorld – For us this was more about the seal life than the rides due to boys’ ages. We caught the Shamu show which was incredible and saw all the sea life on show. We did do the Empire of the Penguin ride which had a great ending of seeing penguins in their own climate, despite being in Florida. Must not forget Disney Springs home of our favourite eating places. TREX restaurant the obvious favourite and an absolute must for kids whether they like dinosaurs or not. Its such a great dining experience and provides plenty distraction for young kids. Also, Gluten Free Options were available, and the chef even came to the table to check exact requirements which was very attentive. Also Blaze Pizza, a bit more relaxed but amazing pizzas including Gluten Free options. The trip was amazing, and we left regretting we hadn’t gone for the full 2 weeks. Because of this, we have rebooked again for 2021 and we are all very excited about going again. With Jack being 3 when we go, he will hopefully get on more rides and Alex will be 6 and will be able to do almost all the rides at the Disney Parks now.