Category Archives: holiday

Child Safety Tips on Self-Catering Holidays

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One of the fastest growing forms of holiday accommodation is self-catering. There are many benefits to self-catering over traditional holiday accommodation and in the case of families with small children these revolve around better value for money and keeping the entire party close together. If you are considering self-catering holiday be it in the UK or anywhere else for that matter, we have put together a number of health and safety tips originating from years of hands on experience.

Plan Well – Although self-catering are in reality holiday homes, the level of spec will vary between properties. If you have special requirements such as a need for a sleeping cot, feeding high chair and other aids which are hard to carry, be sure to address your needs with the holiday home owners so these can be sourced prior to your arrival. If you intend to hire a car when you arrive, either bring a child seat with you or inform the hire company of your requirement in good time.

When You Arrive – First thing to do is to inspect the property and nearby area such as the garden. Although owners spend the time between occupancies to maintain the property it is highly recommended to familiarise yourself with the property and note down any concerns you might have. In particular pay attention to the following:

  • All the doors and windows lock
  • There are no exposes wires or pipes (at the garden)
  • There are no wet areas on the floor
  • The property is clean (for hygienic safety)

If you have little ones running around and you are at the stage of child proofing everything, bring some corner table pads, electric socket covers and other proofing items that you use at home. These are easy to carry and often lack in holiday homes.

The Pool Area – One of THE biggest attractions of holiday homes in warm countries is enjoying an onsite private pool. If your self-catering villa or cottage benefits from a private pool, be sure to follow the following suggestions:

  • Prior to its first use, note where the flotation aids are
  • Never ever allow its use without the supervision of an adult member
  • Discourage eating or drinking while using the pool
  • If the pool has shallow and deep areas, naturally ensure that children congregate in the shallow areas
  • You are strongly recommended to discourage running or jumping into the pool
  • The pool should be supervised even when not in use when children play in its surrounding area
  • If a child in missing you should first look at the pool area before any other
  • When possible and if the option is present, cover the pool area when not in use

Travel Insurance – In the absent of valid travel insurance, healthcare costs should you require them will cost a small fortune. Never travel without a valid policy for you and for your family. In the case of self-catering holiday, you should also ensure that the policy covers content insurance to cover any accidental damage to the property during the stay.

Enjoy your holiday. Come back home relaxed and in good health.

Written for onedad3girls by affair travel. UK based travel agents offering villas in Croatia with pool perfect for families with children of any age.

OD3G_Guest Post

Butlins – Part 3 The Entertainment

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As some of you may have seen in the Easter holidays our little family headed off to Butlins in Bognor Regis for a break as part of our role as Butlins Ambassador.

The review will be split down in to three separate parts, firstly accommodation, secondly food and last of all entertainment.

So here is the final part from our break at Butlins and hopefully you’ve found it really useful, this part is about the entertainment and general activities on offer at Butlins.

Angelina

When you check into your accommodation you will be given a ‘What’s On’ guide and you will see that on everyday you have so much choice it’s near impossible to fit it all in. This is where a bit of planning comes into play so you don’t miss a show. Somehow we managed to miss a couple of shows but we pretty much got to see the one’s they wanted.

A lot of the shows are performed on the SkyLine Stage which is in the middle of the SkyLine Pavilion. My tip for this is if you want a good viewing position get there early as it fills up every quickly. In front of the stage is an open floor space for the children to get up close with the acts and also sing, dance and jump about with the show and the Redcoats.

Thomas Show

Each of the shows really do interact very well it the children and not once did they get bored and would often be singing along or dancing with them. The shows with Mike The Knight and Thomas went down very well especially the Thomas show as they got to make a party lantern which focused their minds on something.

MTK

The other main stage at Butlins is called Centre Stage and that’s where you’ll see the evening music and other music and dance shows. At the Centre Stage we saw two completely different shows, the first was Elmo makes Music with all the other stars from Sesame Street which the girls loved…again get their early as it fills up quickly.

Street

The second show was erm how do I say this…Rylan from XFactor.

365 15 3

Aside from the shows you also have the amazing Fairground and Aly enjoyed the Helter Skelter and both the girls enjoyed the Merry Go Round but a few of the other rides they were just a little bit small for but they will enjoy those next time I’m sure. If you do have smaller children they have a few smaller rides in the SkyLine Pavilion which Aly spent ages on.

Dotted around the resort you will also find a few outdoor play areas such as the one by the Shoreline hotel and one outside of The Beachcomber Inn both of which the girls spend ages in, back inside of the Pavilion you also have two soft play areas, one for children over 1m15cm (I think) and one for the smaller children and it is pretty big and the girls would easily fill and hour just playing in that.

If you have younger children take them to Billy’s Buddies which is a little area designed for small children where there is a little soft area and music playing, they also do various messy play things in there too and again it’s totally free.

One of the big draws is Splash Waterworld which as the name suggests is a swimming theme park. Like most pools it gets busy, very busy but it’s worth it. The pools have so much going on from various slides to two swimming areas plus the added bonus of a water cannon and waves which Aly and Mia loved even if it did throw them about a bit. My tip for the swimming is wear your costume underneath so you can just take your day clothes off as the changing rooms and packed.

Without any shadow of a doubt you will enjoy your time at Butlins and you will find plenty to do and if you’re children are anything like mine they will be sound asleep by 7.30.

I’m hoping I’ve covered everything and all the entertainment and activities I have mentioned are totally FREE and are included in your stay. If however you have run out of things to do you are a stones throw away from Bognor beach and unfortunately due to the weather we didn’t get a chance to walk along it but it’s something we will do next time.

This hotel stay was paid for by Butlins as part of our Butlins Ambassadors role, but all views and opinions expressed here was our own.

OD3G_Reviews

 

Holidays: The benefits of taking a staycation – Associated Post

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Since the financial crisis struck staycations have grown in popularity. Aided by increased marketing efforts by the UK’s tourism boards, families up and down the country are getting to experience what is on offer right on our doorstep.

While temperatures above 30C are unlikely, along with palm trees and golden sand beaches, there are plenty of other reasons to enjoy a staycation in the UK.

Some of the pros are related to costs – ideal if you are seeking debt advice – but others are more practical, such as the language, culture and food.

Here are the top reasons to enjoy a staycation in the UK in 2013.

Holidaying abroad is likely to be more expensive

If you take into account staying in a nice hotel, your flights and a new summer wardrobe for warmer climes, then holidaying overseas could prove to be an expensive option . Add to this the hassle of flying and changing money into travellers’ cheques or foreign currency, then the reasons to stay within the UK will become clear.

Being able to enjoy a week or two away from home and a change of scenery without breaking the bank could be one of the best things that you do this summer. It is still possible to enjoy a fantastic time in the UK by choosing your destination carefully depending on the needs of your family, rather than seeking out a far-flung destination.

Familiar language, culture and food

For many, the opportunity to try new food, experience a different culture and try to learn a new language is an exciting part of a holiday. However, this could faze many people – particularly if you have young children who might be hard to please and untrusting of the food.

Different countries to the UK have many cultural rules or laws which need to be observed – this can be anything from drinking alcohol in public to driving on the other side of the road. Enjoying a staycation will be the best option for those who are wary of being caught out.

Going back to basics could rekindle childhood memories

While not all staycations are budget affairs, you will have the opportunity to really cut costs by staying in a caravan or even camping out for a few nights. This could rekindle childhood memories of the past and activities like bike riding in the countryside, fishing on a lake, horse riding and hiking will give you a chance to enjoy the British countryside.

What’s more, if you are going away with the kids, you will be able to spend some quality time together as a family. Imagine sitting round a campfire or gathering round a table to play board games or sing songs – it certainly beats spending time glued to the TV!

Support UK tourism

As we all know the UK economy is not flying high at the moment, which is all the more reason to try and support it.

There are hundreds of places around the country which have plenty to offer staycationers, and the chances are these are destinations which you might not visit otherwise. The Scottish Highlands, Northumberland coastline, Cornwall, Norfolk Broads, Lake District and Wales are just a few which spring to mind.

Coastlines not only give you stunning scenery but will allow the kids to paddle in the sea and build sandcastles on the beach, while places such as the Norfolk Broads will give you the chance to hire a boat for a few days and tour around the famous waterways.

Staying local and avoiding stress of going abroad

Going on holiday abroad, particularly with young kids, can be a stressful experience. You have to buy a summer wardrobe, pack their suitcase, get them through the airport and entertain them if you are delayed where they are likely to become very restless.

After your flight you might well be faced with along coach journey to your hotel, making the whole process of getting to your destination a major hassle – not forgetting that you will have to do it all again to return home.

By staying local you will take away most of these stresses and strains. Jumping in the car and travelling within the UK you will be able to break your journey down in to bite-sized chunks. Games can be bought for the kids to keep them entertained, and it is likely that you can reach your destination in the space of a couple of hours.

Plan your own holiday agenda

By taking a staycation you will be in charge of your own holiday. You can choose what you want to do, when you want to do it – giving you a fantastic amount of freedom. Pets can come with you with great ease, while you might also be able to meet up with friends or other family members if you choose to holiday in their area of the country.

Associated Post

#CountryKids – Coombe Mill Style

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So those of you that don’t follow me on Twitter (@OneDad3Girls) or Instgram (OneDad3Girls) we have been at Coombe Mill.

This was our first visit to Coombe Mill and it won’t be our last (we’ve booked up for next year already)

We have all enjoyed the week so much It’s difficult to put it into words so this may end up being quite picture heavy.

One of the great things about Coombe Mill is the morning Feed Run which involves all the children gathering at 9am every morning and greeting one of the farmers (this week we had Farm Ted and Farmer Kym) and all loading onto the tractor and trailer. Feed Run

They then make their way around the farm and stopping off at each an every animal and getting in amongst the animals and giving them their food.

FeedingThe first day the girls weren’t 100% sure and stayed a little to the back but by the end of the week they were straight in there and looked forward to it everyday. Now these girls are usually scared of the smallest animal but Mia was wanting to get in there with the pigs and didn’t mind the goats trying to jump up at her. Aly also came out of her shell and by the end of the week they looked like totally different children.  Girls FeedingThis experience was helped so much by the farmers especially Farmer Ted who was such a loving character and there seemed like nothing he didn’t know whether that be about the animals or what to do in and around Coombe.  Farmer TedDuring the day we would also have a little walk around and Aly always enjoyed feeding the goats and they all loved the rabbits, it wouldn’t surprise me if I found one of the rabbits in the suitcase.

My favourites were without doubt the deer and I couldn’t believe how tame they were and how close they’d get to us.

Deer sml

This has been our best week as a family ever and we can’t wait to do it all over again.

Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

The Only Boy in the Club

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Most of you may be aware but on Friday Butlins announced their new Ambassador’s for the next year and I’m very proud to say that I was picked.

I must confess we’ve never been to Butlins so we will be going into this with a blank canvas and we can’t wait for this brilliant experience and I can thank Butlins enough.

The scary thing is 39 other bloggers were chosen but I am the ONLY boy!!!!

I know a lot of work will be involved in this and in sure people will think its just a freebie but I can assure them it’s not like that.

You will notice that on the sidebar there is a Butlins Badge which will take you straight to Butlins.com so you can book you’re very own family holiday.

I can’t wait to meet the other Butlins Ambassador’s in the coming months and hopefully everyone will enjoy reading about our experiences.

Driven to distraction: equipping your car for kids

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Driven to distraction: equipping your car for kids

Travelling by car with a family can be torture.

The endless requests and questions, the negotiation, the seemingly immediate surrender of the children to unbearable, terminal boredom, the inexplicable accidents, and the growing sense of fury and desperation.

The everyday problem rapidly becomes insurmountable, and you vow not to do it again but that’s just not possible. On the road, cracks can appear in even the most solidly welded of family units.

Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be like this. Here are a few ideas that may help you to equip your car to cope with kids, and you to cope with the journey.

 

  1. Attack is the best form of defence. Be prepared. Make sure you don’t feed your kids shortly before the journey and that they have all visited the bathroom.
  2. Ensure that they are seated in a way that will help to prevent car sickness, with the most susceptible child in the centre of the car.
  3. Plan frequent stops, and don’t drive against the clock.
  4. As for the car itself, the most important task is to make it safe. Check out this site for child safety in general, and Halfords for appropriate car seats.
  5. Do you have adequate storage space for the enormous quantities of kit that children require? You’ll find a surprisingly large range of storage solutions here.


So, you’ve got a safe set-up and plenty of room for all your equipment. But the big question remains. What do you take?

 

    • Firstly, take a change of clothes, some sick bags and wipes in case your preventative measures prove futile.
    • Next, pack plenty of food and drink. That way you avoid stopping too often. Perhaps more importantly it gives you leverage with which to haggle for acquiescence and, ultimately, peace and quiet.
    • As for entertainment, you could check out these ideas for hi-tech audio-visual and gaming fun.
    • But if you want to avoid the more technical option, you could always try these more traditional games and activities. ‘I Spy’, the ‘Alphabet Game’ and ‘Spotting’ are the perennial favourites. But you can also buy accessories and games that are made especially to fit the car, and suit the journey.
    • If you’re feeling really virtuous you could build a learning experience for the whole family around your journey. Look online and on your map for the geographical and historical features you’ll pass, and prepare some reading material about them. That way you can have a quiz afterwards and whoever can remember, ‘Oxbow Lake’, ‘Iron Age Fort’ or ‘Dr Beeching’ will win a prize. Here’s a site that can help you build a trip like this.

Lastly, remember that real peace of mind comes from knowing that your family is protected by the appropriate Sainsbury’s Bank car insurance while on the road.

Author Bio:
Joel Dowling is a guest blogger for the Sainsbury’s Bank Money Matters Blog and writes on topics such as car insurance and tourism. He has a young family and likes nothing better than looking in the rear view mirror and seeing them wearing headphones and silently nodding along to music.  

The Paragon Hotel Birmingham – Review

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This weekend me and Laura had a night away booked to go to Cadbury’s World in Birmingham and after looking around for a hotel we were recommended The Paragon Hotel in Birmingham by a hotel company that I have used before and they have recommended London hotels and have been brilliant.

When we arrived at this hotel the free hotel carpark was just opposite in what can only be described as a disused warehouse. The signs around said security in operation 24 hours a day, well the car park attendant looked as secure as Adam Ant.

The front of the hotel looked beautiful and so did the main entrance. At first they could seem to find our booking but in the end the manager booked us in. So far still seemed ok. Then as you go up in the lift you notice that the corridors are very long and very narrow (single file). Then when you get to the room its like a prison cell, barely enough room for a desk and double bed and the bathroom was tiny. We had one desk lamp and two side lamps and two small windows. It really did seem like prison.

As we has arrived late we decided to have dinner in the hotel restaurant, we went to the restaurant but there was a wedding on so I went to the main desk and they said it was in such and such room. I found the ‘restaurant’ in a conference room which was only big enough for 5 tables. When we walked into the room we was greeted by a waitress playing on her phone. The room was painted a horrible green.

I didn’t hold up much hope for this meal especially as the menu was printed on a single sheet of plain A4 paper but on the bottom it did say 3 courses for £19.95 so I guess if its crap at least it didn’t cost a lot.

The meal was amazing, a total shock. We both has herb crusted salmon with potato salad and it was that good you would have paid £20 for that alone. So bonus marks for the meal.

We then headed back to the room as it had been a long day and went to bed. Now we’ve stayed in some noisy places but this took the mick. Every time someone’s door shut it banged all around our room, even shutting a draw shook the room. It was just so noisy and we hardly got any sleep. We were glad when it got to the morning.

Time to freshen up. In I walked to the cell and was greeted by this.

Ummm beautiful, but hey ho I needed a shower. The great thing about this shower was its unique feature.

This beautiful crack on the shower head meant water pissed out the top and went everywhere and brilliant feature.

And so we headed to breakfast which was free and they once again saved themselves. The food was good. I have a full cooked breakfast, but if we had of got there much later it would have been cold because they didn’t look like replacing any of it.

We then checked out and headed to the erm car park and was pleased when we saw it was still there and with all its wheels.

In summary if you want to know what it would be like to stay in jail then this is perfect if not avoid like the plague.

Stay here again? I’d rather chew my arm off.

Our 1st Holiday – Part 3 (Safari)

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After a quiet day on the beach on Tuesday we decided to head off to a place called Selwo Adventure which we were told was a great day out for everyone at a safari park.

We looked it up and it looked pretty good so we thought we’d have a day out there.

As we pulled up to the park it looked lovely but there was very few cars in the car park but as it was quite early we guessed that was normal. To get into the park for 4 adults, one 4 year old and a 16 month old was 115Euros!!!! but we’d come this far so ahead we went.

As soon as we had got it we had a group photo taken which every place seems to do. We had a look around and then got told the first safari ride was going to start so we headed off to the truck. We went around and saw some lovely animals and then got dropped off at the first point and told to look around.

At this point we looked around and saw the elephants, lions and giraffes. We also got our hands on a crepe but noticed the gift shop was closed and asked a guy there and he said just the main shop was open.

After looking around we went on the final safari ride and went into the hills and saw the bears and tigers and looked right over to Gibraltar. The guide told us there was a restaurant but everyone on the truck said we’d go to the main restaurant at the beginning.

Once we’d finished the safari we walked down to the main entrance to look at the gift shop and also there was meant to be a play ground for Aly which she had been looking forward to all morning.

When we got to the front we was greeted by a closed restaurant so we once again asked a member of staff and they said the only restaurant open was the one at the top. To say we weren’t happy was an understatement as it was now 1.30pm and the girls hadn’t eaten. When we was at the top the guide never once said this was the only place open. We then looked for the gift shop which was totally unmanned not a single member of staff in the shop and no where to see the entrance photos.

Instead of spending another 45mins getting back up to the top we said we’d get something on the way back but first we’d play in the park to please Aly. Well we found it but it was so bad and nothing there Aly burst into tears and said this was rubbish.

We left very quickly after that. And to think we paid 115Euros for that.

If you’re thinking of visiting the Selwo Adventure Park I wouldn’t bother.

To read Part One – Flights & Villa

To read Part Two – Zoo

Our 1st holiday – Part 2 (Zoo)

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Monday morning meant a trip to Fuengirola Zoo which is just south of Malaga and was about a 40 minute drive from La Duquesa.

Both the girls and Laura were very excited at the thought of visiting the zoo.

The zoo itself is kind of located in the middle of a town and not where you would expect it. When you walk into the zoo you first get your picture taken and told you can see them at the end.

Walking around its clear the animals are well looked after and all seem pretty happy. The girls are loving seeing some animals that they wouldn’t normally get to see such a lions, tigers and gorillas. Mia is so happy making friends with the gorilla and talking to all the birds, at one point she even wants her lunch with a tiger.

I am also enjoying myself by talking looks of photos.

They have a great range of animals and adventure parks to keep the children happy when they get bored. They also have a great restaurant which was fairly reasonable for us all.

Just before we left we remembered the photos and they showed us 6 different photos and we decided to buy them for 16euros which for 6 8×6 is a pretty good price.

All the girls had a great day and it was lots of fun and the girls behaved very well.

A few more photos from our day at the zoo.

Please take a look at Part One – Flights & villa

Our 1st Holiday – Part 1 (Flight & Villa)

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Well it finally came around, our first holiday abroad. We was luckily enough to be given the chance to stay in an amazing villa in La Duquesa which is about 20 minutes north of Gibraltar.

This was the first time either Aly (who’s 4) and Mia (who’s 16months) had been on a plane. Leading up to the flight Aly was so excited she kept going on about it for weeks before hand.

As the day approached we had a vision of them both being complete monkeys but they we’re both so good and made it a complete pleasure. Mia sat on Laura’s lap during the whole flight and both coming and going slept for about an hour and a half of the two and a half hour flight. Aly was very very good and was happy when the food cart came along and was happy enough to watch videos on the iPad with my headphones on for pretty much the whole flight.

Once we arrived in Spain and had got the hire people carrier which Aly had named OmiVan (I wouldn’t ask) we was on our way to the villa to stay. We had warned Aly that the Villa was upside down so the bedrooms were downstairs and the living area upstairs. She loved exploring the whole place and took Mia off to show her the rooms.

Mia also seemed to enjoy exploring but was more interested in finding something to eat.

As it had been a long day we decided to just get some fish n chips for dinner which the girls didn’t seem to mind as they ate a whole jumbo sausage and chips between them.

And so the 1st day of our holiday had come to an end without too much hassle.

Day two began with us eating breakfast outside which amazed the girls and they loved it. As it was a Sunday we knew most things would be closed but found a little market that was open just around the corner.

We didn’t buy much apart from two wooden vases which cost just 6euro. The girls also bought some massive grapes. On the way back from the market we went to a little park that allowed the girls to run around and enjoy the sunshine .

Sunday afternoon just involved us walking around Puerto de la Duquesa and grabbing a bit to eat.

Sunday was a lovely relaxing day and gave us a chance to recharge our batteries before the week a head which would involve a Zoo, Safari and Gibraltar.

This is a few views from the rear balcony of the villa.