Cupcakes and the Queen at the Rubens Hotel in London!

Jess (aged 13) writes: Over the years, our family has stayed in some beautiful places. We spent the weekend in an old prison, experienced a Disney hotel and stayed in a room where Queen Elizabeth I is said to have slept, but it was a first to go to a hotel right on the doorstep of an iconic British landmark - Buckingham Palace.

[caption id="attachment_1433" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Me and Robert outside the hotel[/caption]

The Rubens Hotel is right opposite the Royal Mews of Buckingham Palace and minutes away from Victoria station, making it a prime location for sightseeing. Robert and I were really excited to stay, as we had been told that it was a fantastic hotel for families with young children (and we couldn't wait for a delicious breakfast!)

[caption id="attachment_1434" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Everyone was kind and friendly, and made a big effort to involve the children.[/caption]

When we checked in, Robert was given a Rubens Passport and other pieces of paper to fill out. He had to write about himself and draw a picture, then get different members of staff to sign it! Robert really enjoyed this, as he enjoyed speaking to the staff. They were all exceptionally friendly, and smiled at me and Robert whenever we walked past; something that really brightened our day and does not usually happen at hotels. At the end of our stay we were given two bags of prizes containing bookmarks, jewellery, notebooks and more for completing the passport. Everything inside was lovely, and it was a nice surprise.

Our rooms were on the fourth floor, and were interconnecting. Upon entrance, we caught sight of some fresh, warm cookies which mum, dad and I devoured in seconds. There was also some delicious fruit and posh water which admittedly took longer to be finished, but were much appreciated. The rooms had large, comfy beds and massive TVs, and the bathrooms had coloured lights! There was just enough space (the rooms weren't huge), but everything was clean and appealing.

[caption id="attachment_1435" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Robert on one of the beds in our room. They were very soft and comfy![/caption]

Robert and I were both given a special kids' welcome pack, which consisted of lots of puzzle books, a map of London for kids and crayons. Although I had revision to get on with, Robert had fun completing the challenges and creating dot-to-dot pictures.

[caption id="attachment_1436" align="aligncenter" width="940"] We were given puzzle packs and maps of London to complete[/caption]

Dinner was a casual affair out of the hotel, although there was a place to eat inside of the Rubens. Soon, it was time to go to sleep, and I loved how soft our beds were.

We all had a great night's sleep, and lazily walked down to breakfast the next day. As I expected, the beautiful room was full of fruit, cereal, juice, hot food and - most importantly - pastries. I loaded my plate with blueberry and lemon muffins, pastries with custard in the middle, biscuits and fruit salad, grasped a glass of orange juice and made my way to our table; what a dream! I also enjoyed the mushrooms, hash browns and tomatoes, and was stuffed by the end of the meal. However, I know that mum was disappointed there weren't any vegetarian sausages on offer.

[caption id="attachment_1437" align="aligncenter" width="940"] I gorged on cakes, fruit and biscuits for breakfast![/caption]

As Robert is allergic to dairy, soya and eggs, it is usually difficult to find something for him to eat at hotels. However, all of the staff were really kind and friendly, by bringing him special bread, hash browns and porridge. Mum, dad and Robert really appreciated this.

Before we went back to our rooms, we decided to look out of the main window, onto Buckingham Palace. We quickly became confused, as the road was closed off and a small crowd was forming. After about five minutes of waiting, two royal carriages drove past. Someone said that one of the carriages contained Prince Phillip, but we were not sure. Mum and Robert decided to walk around to the front of the palace, where they eventually managed to see Queen Elizabeth II, Camilla and Prince Charles (I kind of regret staying inside the hotel!) Robert has written about what happened here.

[caption id="attachment_1365" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Mum and Rob saw the Queen![/caption]

We had one final thing to do before we left the hotel, and Robert and I were really excited about it. We were to take part in the Rubens Pastry Experience, which involved us putting on chef tops and hats, and going down into the kitchens below the hotel. We got to talk to the pastry chef, and found out that he had to create hundreds of pastries a day, which really surprised us. I had never considered how baking could be such a full on job before.

[caption id="attachment_1438" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Robert and I had a great time decorating cupcakes (and eating them after!)[/caption]

We got to ice chocolate cupcakes (which had been created especially so Robert could eat them) with a green frosting and to decorate them with berries, nuts and physalis - delicious! Next, we dipped strawberries in a special shiny chocolate, and left them to dry. We really enjoyed speaking to the chef and seeing what the hotel looked like from underground, and the food was obviously scrumptious. They made a really big effort with Robert's dietary needs, and he was really happy with all of the food. We also really liked the certificates they gave us, saying that we had completed the course.

Robert and I were both very disappointed to leave, as we had a fantastic time. Everyone was really friendly to us - they really take notice of kids here - and they tried to make us feel included the whole time. The food was mouth-watering and the rooms were lovely; if only we could go back for another stay...

Disclosure: We were offered a complimentary stay at the Rubens at the Palace, but all our views are very much our own.

A two night family package at The Rubens, based on two interconnecting rooms, costs from £287 per room per night, including breakfast on both mornings, the Master Chef experience, and dinner on one night in the Old Masters restaurant:

The "Kids stay eat for free" option is extended to children under 12, so for a child over 12, the breakfast and dinner are subject to a small supplement, both of which are discounted from menu price. Breakfast would be a £7.50 supplement, and the dinner which would normally be £19.50 would be £12.25.

More fabulous places to stay:

Staying in jail! The House of Correction in Folkingham

A delicious breakfast in Park Lane

Go on an amazing holiday and help a charity!

If you haven’t booked your summer holiday yet or are interested in something that bit different, then you might want to take a look at these! They may end up costing you a little more than usual, but you’d be having a terrific sounding experience – and helping a very important charity too.

[caption id="attachment_1419" align="aligncenter" width="940"] You can bid for a trip to Disneyland in California![/caption]

CharityStars is holding an auction with proceeds going to the Anthony Nolan Trust, which saves the lives of people with blood cancer and blood disorders, and conducts research into stem cell matching and transplants.

The holidays on offer include a seven night trip for up to eight people on Bali, a four night Disneyland trip for a family to California (staying in the Hyatt Regency no less - the reserve price is £2,000) and a four-night stay for up to four people in the Tribeca Loft in new York.

[caption id="attachment_1420" align="aligncenter" width="940"] The loft apartment in Tribeca is owned by an international art collector![/caption]

Mind you, I think my husband would prefer the five night Ryder Cup break for two at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota. This really does sound amazing, as it includes the chance to enjoy the pre-Ryder Cup dinner and get in some golf coaching. It takes place next September (2016) and has a reserve price of £7000.

You can find out about the other sports offers via the website. The auction is open now, so take a look and pop in your bid before it's too late!

Getting away from it all in Welcombe, Devon (by Jo)

[caption id="attachment_1400" align="aligncenter" width="940"] The family at Welcombe Bay[/caption]

We have a brilliant guest post this week, thanks to Jo, mum of three boys aged 13, 11 and 9. Could the three of them, plus one work-concerned husband and a bespoke coffeehouse-obsessed city dwelling mum manage a week in a remote cabin in Devon with no TV, no 3G and a dreadful internet connection? Surely this would be an invitation to disaster….

Over to Jo:

"Let’s start with a bit of background….

I have watched with admiration over the past few years as good friends Rach and Mike (once full-on London residents with all the partying, clubbing, drinking, intense working and culture loving that entails) made their escape from London. First they moved to Bath, where they operated their version  of the Good Life - chickens in the back garden, growing all their own veg, Rachel knitting  and a back to basics mentality.

Then they upped the stakes (and the sticks) and decided to move to Mike’s late grandpa’s “shack” in deepest darkest Devon. This had brown water running from taps, no functioning kitchen, an Aga without an instruction booklet…. and no heating! Oh and they had two gorgeous little boys in tow! Yikes.

But pictures would go up on Facebook, commentary on Twitter and I would watch the beautiful and peaceful life that they seemed to be living with admiration, and a big dose of jealousy. I admired the shack, which was actually a cabin with a name  - Barton Hurdle - that nestled in the woods, close to one of the most beautiful bays in Devon. And I saw views to knock your socks off along with very happy children.

Two years later Rach and Mike had completed their shack’s modernisation and "coolerisation" ( is there such a word? There should be!)  moved to nearby Bude, and the newly emerged cabin was ready to rent out.

We were the first guests.

We arrived from London after a straightforward four hour drive. The AA route finder gave the funniest directions I’ve seen yet. Leave N2, go on North Circular, M4, M5, A38, “you have reached your destination”. Really that was it!

Thankfully Rachel gave a few more detailed instructions as to how you find Barton Hurdle. These were somewhere along the lines of “Barton Hurdle is like Hogwarts; there are many ways to get there.”

She directed us via the medieval church and the old well and the last stretch of the journey took us down a windy very narrow lane in the midst of beautiful woods, where we lost the signal for Radio Devon.

When we finally arrived, it was a beautiful sight as the sun shone on the cabin and illuminated it. We parked, jumped out and crossed a little bridge, overhung by a fantastic tree climbing willow and there was Barton Hurdle.

[caption id="attachment_1408" align="aligncenter" width="940"] The cabin[/caption]

The cabin reminded me of Sex in the City, where Carrie goes out to her place in the Hamptons. Well maybe not quite as big and without Aidan. It is small and compact and you kinda’ have to get on, but it is so cosy and inviting that it puts one in a great frame of mind.

[caption id="attachment_1412" align="aligncenter" width="765"] The kids' bedroom[/caption]

There is a lovely lounge area with a couple of sofas, and chairs and big dining room table and an Aga. The main bedroom is off the lounge area and contains a very comfy bed. The kitchen is a galley kitchen with what you need, oven, hob, washing machine and standard stuff. The kids’ bedroom had two single beds , and our third son slept on a futon mattress in there too. It mixes rustic charm with contemporary design with lovely fabric curtains and wicked light fittings.  It also has (a far cry from when they first moved) great running water, great cooking facilities and a brilliant powerful shower.

[caption id="attachment_1411" align="aligncenter" width="940"] The stream which runs through the garden[/caption]

My favourite part of Barton Hurdle was the garden. Although small , it basks in sunshine and every morning you would find me (in PJs and Uggs) with a cup of tea on the bench on the grassy knoll next to the house. I could sit there for hours with the sun on my face, surrounded by beautiful trees with silence all around me.

The kids would probably say their favourite part was the fire pit - crowding round it eating barbecued chocolate bananas  - or perhaps playing in the stream at the bottom of the garden and building a dam. Each day they would make additions to the dam, commenting on its engineering , construction and design whilst soaking each other from head to toe. Anyone with an environmental bent might like to invest in a hydro electric element - it has potential!

And so to the crux of the matter. A beautiful cabin and going back to nature comes at a cost – that of no TV, no 3G, and very tempermental Wifi. How did we fare?

Well the first afternoon was interesting. The boys were all on top of each other, reaching instinctively for a device that they could not find, and there was a fair amount of fighting. My husband was wondering about, hovering at various points of the cabin trying to see where the wifi might be improved. The evening was quite strange - I couldn’t feed my addiction to social media, and we ended up playing a combination of board games, reading and arguing (well it was a family holiday).

But once we had gone through the transition stage and adjusted to our new reality I can honestly say it was one of the happiest holidays we have had.

Highlights include taking a leisurely walk along the National Trust path alongside the stream (still running despite the efficient dam further up stream!) down to Welcombe bay.

[caption id="attachment_1399" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Sunset at Welcombe Bay[/caption]

At the end of the ten minute ramble there were three giant stepping stones (there is also a road so don’t fear) that took us across to the descent to the beach. The beach itself is rocky with amazing crabbing potential. The kids spent hours looking for various creatures and popping them into empty crisp packets (I know we were very ill equipped) to keep them safe, before releasing them back to the shore at the end. Because I had no phone reception, I simply sat back and read my book.

I’d recommend that you should visit the beach in the evening as the sun is setting as that is really stunning.

Other major events in our week-long visit included multiple visits to the local pub. You need to walk for about fifteen minutes (uphill on the way there) through the woody roads to the Old Smithy Inn - a 13th Century pub serving great food, with a good selection for veggies, a very big garden and once again, great views of sunset. Next to the pub is a little pottery which is a real find. A husband and wife team display their wares of beautiful mugs, plates, bowls and glass.

There was loads to do around in the area, although we caught the chilling vibe and didn’t do a great deal. We did go to Bude  - a great seaside town about ten minutes away in the car – and the boys body boarded and then hung out in the sea pool.

We also visited Boscastle, a place I had only heard of via the news and due to the terrible floods back in 2004. I had no expectations, but it is now one of the most gorgeous places I have visited in Cornwall - almost picture perfect, with a slightly terrifying walk to the precipice over the bay, with violent waves crashing below and coffee shops below to calm your nerves. Then there’s the Witches Museum which is extremely bizarre & eccentric, and with an enormous collection of all things Witches or just simply ancient misogynistic, but still worth a visit if just for its madness. We also made it to Clovelly, an ancient fishing village on the steepest hill imaginable. At this point I bowed out whilst the testosterone pack went out with a local fisherman. They came back green, lighter but very happy with the rocky experience.

I would definitely recommend a visit to Welcombe and to Barton Hurdle. It’s cheaper than a rehab centre for internet addicts, and certainly more fun! However, I should probably put my cards on the table: we did bring a mini DVD player with, but I only managed to grab one DVD from home and that was Life on Earth…. I was a very popular mum that holiday!"

Jo and her family visited Barton Hurdle in May half-term. It costs £80 a night or £500 a week and is listed on Airbnb. You can find out more and see more pictures if you click the Airnb link in the line above!

We're linking up with Country Kids, so head over there for more adventures!


 

More on Family Travel Times:

Read about our trip to Devon and Woolacombe Bay

Amazon World Zoo Park on the Isle of Wight (by Finn)

[caption id="attachment_1390" align="aligncenter" width="940"] A gorgeous tamarind monkey[/caption]

We're delighted to have a guest post this week by Finn, who's 11. A few months ago he told us about his trip to the Dr Who Experience in Cardiff. Now he's been to the Isle of Wight and a brilliant-sounding animal park.

This Saturday I went to see the animals at the Amazon World Zoo Park on the Isle of Wight and I loved it. My favourite animal was the tapir, but other animals at the park included snakes, toucans and capybaras. After we finished our walk through the place, my brother Callum and I went to a Jurassic Park playground just outside.

The first room we entered had birds flying around above us and some small glass rooms where sloths, monkeys and crocodiles lived. The second room was called "Secret Animals", but there weren’t actually any "secret animals" there! However, there was a scarlet macaw screeching hello and lots of exotic birds hiding in the greenery.  After that there was a dark area with armadillos snuggled up in balls, looking like melons. One was running up and down and one was digging a hole.

The next area we went to was outside and it had some really interesting animals, such as ring tailed and red ruffed lemurs, meerkats, tapirs, anteaters and the extremely rare red panda.

As soon as we entered the area we spotted the long bodied anteater stalking its territory.  Further in was the wallaby enclosure, which had gates so we could go inside and walk right up to them. All of us were scared by the albino one which hopped right up to us.

[caption id="attachment_1393" align="aligncenter" width="940"] The albino wallaby was a bit scary[/caption]

We spent some time watching the meerkats who looked like they were doing parkour.  Then we went to the lemur enclosure. We were lucky to get there as they were about to be fed, so we were able to go right inside. The man said that they might jump on us, but luckily they didn’t.



The ring tailed lemurs were a family.  The youngest was only 12 weeks old and it hung on to its mum’s back as she jumped around.  At one point they all bundled on top of each other. There were many other animals and insects too. There was even a chameleon.

At the playground outside there were tall rocks, probably made out of plastic, with plastic dinosaurs (life size) on top. On top of another there was a land rover with the paint scheme for a Jurassic Park car; it seemed to be a real one.  When it was time to go back to house we were staying in Callum and I had gone on all the obstacles.

To conclude, my opinion of Amazon World Zoo Park is that it was really fun and some of the animals were quite cute especially the red panda, the anteater and the sloth. However, I also thought that some such as the albino wallaby, scarlet macaw and the axolotl were scary. The family ticket allows you to return free as many times as you like in the next seven days and it cost less than a one day child’s ticket to LEGOLAND! It was just as good as London Zoo even though it was much smaller.

The Amazon Zoo World Park is open every day and all through the year. It costs £9.95 for adults and £7.95 for children aged 3-14. A family ticket for two adults and two children costs £32

 More animals on the blog!

Blair Drummond Safari Park in Scotland

The trip of a life-time, South Africa by Lila D

Backstage at the National Theatre (by Robert)

Many people have been to the National Theatre in London to see some shows or plays but not many people have seen what happens behind the three theatres, the Olivier, Lyttelton and Dorfmon where the sets are made, the costumes created and the actors rest in their dressing rooms.

The National Theatre is the original host of War Horse, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Treasure Island and more, and it hosted Mum and me for a backstage tour with a lovely Welsh Magician called Christopher.

We started in the Lyttelton Theatre which is not the biggest and not the smallest. It holds 890 seats and has 600 lights. We had a chat about the theatre and these are some of my favourite facts about the shows that have been performed in it:

• The show Way Up Stream used a big tank full of water as part of the set. Unfortunately this burst once in rehearsals, wetting the whole of the stage and the front row!


• In the show Light Shining in Buckinghamshire one scene involves the actors eating oysters. These oysters are actually fake and were filled with mashed potato. This meant the actors had to eat four portions of mashed potato every night.


• Also in Light Shining in Buckinghamshire, the cast have a food fight with real food including turkey, chocolate and vegetables.

[caption id="attachment_1382" align="aligncenter" width="768"] You can see that no dressing room is numbered 13![/caption]

Next we went backstage and looked at the dressing rooms. There are four blocks of the rooms on each floor with 13 in a block. All the dressing rooms are numbered but being superstitious about unlucky 13 they made the numbering 0-12 instead of 1-13. So one actor rests in room 0.

One funny thing I learnt was that, as the National Theatre is so big, Julie Walters got lost before going onto the stage. The crew had to put black tape on the floor going from Julie’s dressing room to the stage. This distance takes two minutes to walk.

My favourite bit was going backstage for real with the set and the props.

The first thing I saw when I walked down the stairs was a giant lift that could bring ten tonnes of lighting, sound, set, costumes and people up 25m to the stage in just 40-45 seconds. I also learnt about the other two theatres, the Olivier, which has 1100 seats and 900 lights, and the smallest theatre the Dorfman, with 454 seats and 300 lights. Then I got to handle props.

[caption id="attachment_1383" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Robert loved trying out the props![/caption]

They had everything from fake hands to flamingos, the Cat in the Hat’s hat to a pan full of spaghetti. I loved looking, holding and even wearing the props. One thing Christopher told me was that it cost too much to make 17 big expensive polar bears for one show, so the audience had to imagine half of the costume.

I saw a set being made with saws and hammers and then I got to a board. Under where it said “name” there were various actors’ names and then there was a section where it said something silly that they had to do on stage to make it funny for the audience. If they did that they got a point. An example was “tell rubbish jokes until another actor laughs”, or “sing a song until someone compliments you”. Some were really strange like pretend to cry in the corner until an actor tries to comfort you. What a great system. It’s currently in use in the play Rules for Living.

I learnt some more things backstage like:

• There are five rooms just for props


• All fake facial and body hair is made from the chest hair of a Yak. Eurgh.


• And when the crew or actors had a break they would play the Simpsons Board Game or watch the Lion King.

[caption id="attachment_1384" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Robert gripping a fake hand![/caption]

Finally for the last part of the tour we went into the Dorfman theatre. There I learnt that the seats could fold into the floor and the stage could be on the opposite side of the room. I also found out that nearly all the set for the show on at the moment (the Hard Problem) was bought from IKEA.

It was a fantastic day and I loved every moment of the tour.

The National Theatre runs regular backstage tours for individuals and groups, at a cost of £9 per person. They also run special tailored backstage tours for families in half-terms and holidays. Tickets cost £8.50 per adult, with up to three children going free. Tours last around an hour (although ours was probably nearer an hour and a half!)

More by us on London

The Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London

A chocolate walking tour in London

 

 

Learning about Summerdown Camp, Eastbourne

[caption id="attachment_1371" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Robert as a Summerdown Blue boy[/caption]

Sometimes you randomly fall upon little gems which you enjoy and are so glad to have added to your life. This may happen when you're walking down the street on holiday (we fell in love with the Bewdley Museum while away in Shropshire) at home (it was such fun to see Cleopatra's Needle with the children when we walked along the Thames a few weeks back) or even at a wedding!

We spent the weekend in Eastbourne where we were delighted to watch some friends get hitched. The following day we had a bracing walk by the sea, although it was so windy, we were scared we might actually be blown off the pier.

The seafront is lovely to walk along, but we decided to stop when we came upon the Pavilion and saw that it was not only offering the possibility of cakes and hot drinks, but also a free exhibition. We were intrigued.

The exhibition was about Summerdown Camp, which was the first purpose-built convalescent camp for the wounded soldiers of World War I. It opened in April 1915 and was ahead of its time in the way it dealt with its patients, including the use of pioneering treatments such as massage.

The camp could hold 3,500 men at any one time and became hugely important in Eastbourne during the war. In fact, over 150,000 men were treated there.

Summerdown was clearly a place which wanted to help these men, who had seen such dreadful things happening in front of their eyes. Some were treated for physical wounds, but others for shell-shock and psychological conditions.

[caption id="attachment_1373" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Did basket making lead to the phrase "basket case"?[/caption]

The men were encouraged to take up practical skills like gardening and basket-weaving and we were fascinated to see an example of the baskets that they made - and find out that this may, in fact, have been where the phrase "basket case" came from. Of course, it means someone who is emotionally unstable, like many of the men at the camp.

[caption id="attachment_1374" align="aligncenter" width="940"] One soldier's story[/caption]

The exhibition is small, but leaves its mark. It includes postcards from soldiers (there's a beautiful example of an embroidered one which one man sent to his wife), keepsakes, examples of the kinds of things the men made while they were there, and also some personal stories which are very moving. Some are really tragic, including letters sent to his family by one soldier who clearly found it very hard to live with the sights he had seen in France.

There are worksheets for children, with stamps to fill in, some uniforms and caps to try on and a fiendish puzzle to try and solve. There's also a lot to be learnt (do you know what it meant if it was "the king's birthday?". Well, it means pay day was here!)

The soldiers at the camp were known as "Blueboys" because of the uniform they had to wear. They must have been a common sight around the town and a constant reminder of the war which was raging in Europe. They also formed their own band and put on performances.

[caption id="attachment_1376" align="aligncenter" width="768"] Delighted to complete the puzzle[/caption]

The exhibition is open every day and is a beautifully done, very accessible way to learn about one aspect of the war and open up conversations about others. It closed in 1920, but it must have done vital work. Even if, sadly, its ultimate aim was to get the injured inmates well enough to go back to the front-line. Eighty per cent of the inmates recovered sufficiently enough to return to battle.

The Summerdown Camp exhibition is on at the Pavilion in Eastbourne until November. Entry is free. And yes, it is also home to a cafe which serves some delicious cakes!