We love this blog

Sarah, Jess and Rob outside Buckingham Palace

We love writing this blog. It's so lovely to do something together, as a family. In fact, when we started it, my daughter and I didn't realise how much fun it would be to share what we do with other people, or how keen Robert (who's 8) would be to get involved.

The children write what they really think on here and I don't go through and edit it with a fine toothcomb - although I do correct spelling mistakes (once a journalist, always a journalist). I sometimes find that the children are harsher critics than me - or that they have picked out something which I would not have emphasised. That is part of the joy of doing this together.

It's also lovely to recommend places for other people to visit, which is why we like writing about holidays abroad as well as days out at home. We like reading other travel blogs and family websites too, and are very happy that through Family Travel Times we have met (in person, I mean) such lovely people as Gretta over at Mumsdotravel, Trish at mumsgoneto , Kirsty at the Family Adventure Project and Mari at Mari's World (as well, of course, as many, many more!) We've also made many virtual contacts (and we would love to turn those into real humans one day...).

We have had such a great time over the last year. America was outstanding, but we also loved our summer holiday to Bristol and searching for Gromits. Robert really enjoyed Dr Johnson's House and I felt spoilt rotten to be lucky enough to take a trip to Jamaica with Jessica.

We write the blog because we enjoy it, and we are delighted that you are reading it too. We are also extremely happy that some kind souls have nominated us for the MAD blog awards - the awards for mum and dad bloggers (and family ones too!)

So, we hope to carry on writing and hopefully entertaining you with our adventures. Thanks for stopping by.

We love this blog (and please nominate us!)

Sarah, Jess and Rob outside Buckingham Palace

We love writing this blog. It's so lovely to do something together, as a family. In fact, when we started it, my daughter and I didn't realise how much fun it would be to share what we do with other people, or how keen Robert (who's 8) would be to get involved.

The children write what they really think on here and I don't go through and edit it with a fine toothcomb - although I do correct spelling mistakes (once a journalist, always a journalist). I sometimes find that the children are harsher critics than me - or that they have picked out something which I would not have emphasised. That is part of the joy of doing this together.

It's also lovely to recommend places for other people to visit, which is why we like writing about holidays abroad as well as days out at home. We like reading other travel blogs and family websites too, and are very happy that through Family Travel Times we have met (in person, I mean) such lovely people as Gretta over at Mumsdotravel, Trish at mumsgoneto , Kirsty at the Family Adventure Project and Mari at Mari's World (as well, of course, as many, many more!) We've also made many virtual contacts (and we would love to turn those into real humans one day...).

We have had such a great time over the last year. America was outstanding, but we also loved our summer holiday to Bristol and searching for Gromits. Robert really enjoyed Dr Johnson's House and I felt spoilt rotten to be lucky enough to take a trip to Jamaica with Jessica.

We write the blog because we enjoy it, and we are delighted that you are reading it too. We are also extremely happy that some kind souls have nominated us for the MAD blog awards - the awards for mum and dad bloggers (and family ones too!)

We would be absolutely thrilled, honoured and delighted if you would also take the time to please nominate and vote for us. We think that we fit best into the category of family travel blog and new blog, but we are very happy to be up in any category you think might suit us (so, not best pregnancy blog then....)

You can vote by clicking on the following link, travelling over to the MADs nomination page, and then following the instructions. The first page has a slot for best overall blog, so we will leave that up to you. We're crossing our fingers that you might pop us down on the next page.

Thank you so much, and we hope you don't mind us asking.

Our Experience Of The Sandals Foundation (By Jessica)

As part of our holiday to Beaches Negril in Jamaica, we were presented with an incredible opportunity - to take part in the Sandals Foundation's annual holiday toy drive!  Our destination was the Mount Airy School in Clarendon Parish, a school that was unbelievably different to mine back at home...

For the "Share The Luck" toy drive, the Sandals Foundation joins up with Hasbro the toy maker, which donates up to 8000 toys and games each year. As well as this, the Foundation matches every donation, and this means there are masses of wonderful presents to give out. Not wanting to be left out, we also brought some of our own from London.


The day started with a short, 20 minute drive to Mount Airy School, which was, quite literally, on top of a mountain! The views were beautiful, and I couldn't keep my eyes off them as we slipped out of the air-conditioned van and into the blisteringly-hot Jamaican heat. The mountain was thick with dust and covered with bugs, but I could only think about what a brilliant experience it was, and how I couldn't wait to get started. 

The school

 
The celebration began with loads of dancing and drum playing by the children, and I was astounded by how good they were! To stand up and dance for fun is one thing, but a choreographed routine consisting of only three people is definitely something else. The children were so enthusiastic - I think if it was at my school, we would have been more self-conscious.

One of the brilliant dancers, with the drummers in the background

Amidst all the noise, mum and I volunteered to cut the cake, not realising that it had to serve FIVE HUNDRED PEOPLE! This took forever, but it was great fun to dash back and forth, trying to pick up napkins in our frosting-covered hands. It seems kind of crazy when I think about it, that one of my greatest achievements is cutting a cake...

Mum just after we'd finished cutting the cake

Next it was time for Santa and the Sesame Street characters to appear. Every time a new person came out, they were greeted with cheers. Santa handed out presents class by class and these were fantastic, ranging from board games such as Guess Who? to brilliant Nerf Guns, FurReal Friends to Cluedo. Something that particularly caught my eye was a girl looking about my age, holding a 300 piece jigsaw puzzle. I promptly walked up to her and we started talking about school, friends and weather. So far I had only seen differences, but I was amazed to find out how much I had in common with a 12 year old girl, thousands of miles away.

The kids and Elmo

 
While everyone else lined up for ice-cream, mum and I took the time to explore the school. It was small, and consisted of a ring of classrooms around a patch of wildlife and plants. There was a mural on the front, and everything seemed to be reddish-brown, from the bricks to the individual desks, the walls to the ceilings.

A classroom

The classrooms were dark, relying only on natural light coming in through the top of the building. The walls were wooden and covered with posters, and there was a blackboard right at the front of every classroom. They didn't seem to have the same kinds of resources we have at home (I didn't see any of the electronic equipment we use to learn) and the desks were individual, whereas ours are in tables, and there was a sheet marked "Top Achievers" that showed who was doing best in every subject. That would never happen at home!

Although there weren't the facilities that our school has, the topics seemed to be almost exactly the same. While walking around, I recognised subjects that I had previously covered in school. This was unbelievably cool. To think that people so far away from me were learning exactly what I had, was a pretty big thought, and one that I had never considered before.

However, there was no more time for revelations. Too soon we had to leave, and return to our resort. Of course it was wonderful to enjoy all that luxury again, but I knew I wouldn't forget the day which took me into a completely different world.

Guests staying at the resort can take part in delivering the gifts at the toy drive like we did, but have to book in advance through the PR department as it isn't a scheduled trip.
You can find out more about Beaches via their website as well as the Sandals Foundation site. It is the philanthropic arm of the Sandals Resorts and invests money in the Jamaican community, and in particular education and the environment. 

Disclosure note: this post was brought to you with assistance from Beaches, who offered us the holiday to Jamaica as part of a bloggers' trip. The opinions, photos, videos and everything else are all ours!

Read about our trip to Negril and watch our video in this post.

Our Experience Of The Sandals Foundation (By Jessica)

As part of our holiday to Beaches Negril in Jamaica, we were presented with an incredible opportunity - to take part in the Sandals Foundation's annual holiday toy drive!  Our destination was the Mount Airy School in Clarendon Parish, a school that was unbelievably different to mine back at home...

For the "Share The Luck" toy drive, the Sandals Foundation joins up with Hasbro the toy maker, which donates up to 8000 toys and games each year. As well as this, the Foundation matches every donation, and this means there are masses of wonderful presents to give out. Not wanting to be left out, we also brought some of our own from London.


The day started with a short, 20 minute drive to Mount Airy School, which was, quite literally, on top of a mountain! The views were beautiful, and I couldn't keep my eyes off them as we slipped out of the air-conditioned van and into the blisteringly-hot Jamaican heat. The mountain was thick with dust and covered with bugs, but I could only think about what a brilliant experience it was, and how I couldn't wait to get started. 

Read more »

Gorgeous Jamaica - loving Beaches Negril

I had never been to the Caribbean and not imagined that the chance would come my way. But Jamaica, beautiful, stunning Jamaica, took my breath away, and now I crave the chance to go back. Hopefully one day, I will.

[caption id="attachment_750" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Jess on the gorgeous beach[/caption]

If that sounds a bit over the top, well, it's justified. Jessica and I were only in Jamaica, in the Negril resort, for four days in mid December. However, despite the rainy British weather since our return, we can still feel the recuperative effects.

But let me take you back to the wonderful day (seriously!) when Jessica and I were invited to the Beaches Resort. The idea, of course, was that we lucky people would sample the delights of this special place and then report back. I have to admit that it wasn't the most onerous task I have ever been given.

The resort had just been voted top hotel for families in the Caribbean in Tripadvisor's Traveller's Choice Awards as well as being put in the top 25 all-inclusive resorts in the world. We had never stayed in an all-inclusive resort and were extremely curious about what to expect. Could it really be as good as all that?

We flew from Gatwick to Montego Bay which took 10 hours, the longest flight Jessica has ever taken. But even that didn't seem to matter. I genuinely think it was worth it, and of course, even more so if you are staying for longer.

You can watch Jessica's video for details of some of the many things we did there, but please read below for more detail.

Beaches Negril is around an hour and a half from Montego Bay (transfers are included). There is something strange about flying to a different country and hardly seeing any of it - most people who come to Beaches spend their time in the resort, which has more than enough to entertain the whole family - so I was pleased that we did get out a little, to visit a school. But more of that fascinating trip in another post.

Firstly I need to tell you about the resort. It is stunning, located on the widest stretch of Negril's seven mile white sand beach. The sea is glorious, clear, blue, and warm. We even saw fish darting around our feet when we took a swim.

[caption id="attachment_752" align="aligncenter" width="940"] We had never seen a bar like this one before![/caption]

Inside the huge resort (12 acres on the Long Bay Beach front, and eight on the garden side) there are two lovely swimming pools, a lazy river (such fun) and pirate water slides, plus an incredible array of restaurants, from buffet style and Tex Mex to Italian (you can slimb out of the pool, order your pizza and garlic bread and be buzzed when they are ready) and fine dining. We particularly enjoyed Kimonos, the Japanese restaurant, where your food is cooked in front of you, and the Parisian cafe, where I had rather too many rum truffles.

We were completely overwhelmed by the fact that all of this was included, as were the drinks. You don't have to carry any money with you - you just ask whatever you want and it's given to you. On one evening there was also an amazing chocolate buffet, with fondue, chocolate martinis and more. Honestly, it's a bit like magic.

Jessica threw herself into all of this with gusto, especially when it came to the (non-alcoholic) cocktails. I have never been to a place where you finish your drink, are immediately offered another, and it seems really stupid to refuse!

[caption id="attachment_753" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Jess and I both loved the food - and the many restaurants![/caption]

Beaches is set up for families, so there is a Kids club, which operates all day, and a nursery with qualified staff. There is even a programme for teens and I have to say that everyone I saw there looked happy - I don't think you could get bored here.

Kids of all ages (um, and adults) will love the (supervised) Xbox Lounge. It's probably the first one of these I've ever seen which has enough screens for everyone. Mind you, I enjoyed the basketball game outside even more (and you can see me playing it in our video, above), and I also loved playing crazy golf (probably because I won).

The resort has a tie-up with Sesame Street, and there are activities and even parades with Sesame Street characters. This will obviously suit young children more, but even we could see that it was great fun.

[caption id="attachment_755" align="aligncenter" width="940"] The spa offers treatments for mums, dads and kids![/caption]

We had "mommy and me" facials, and I felt obliged to try out a massage, which was absolutely brilliant. Due to my always painful shoulders and neck, I have a high standard when it comes to these. I wasn't disappointed.

We loved swimming, the sun (of course there are more than enough sun loungers, as well as balls to play with in the pools) and the excursions. We saw and held starfish and sea urchins when we went on a glass bottom boat, and Jess swam in a cave when she went on a fabulous catamaran cruise.

We were also blown away by the Silver Birds steel band which entertained us one evening. The music - which included a Michael Jackson tribute among a huge range of songs - and dancing were fabulous. Who knew a steel band could be so entertaining?

[caption id="attachment_757" align="aligncenter" width="940"] The wonderful Silver Birds were the most fantastic steel band[/caption]

I feel like I'm making you jealous, and I'm not trying to. In fact, each time we mention Jamaica in our house, Robert tells us to stop (he would have loved it, and I feel awful about that), and my husband laughs. You see, it was just sensational.

The only negatives of course are nothing at all to do with the resort, or what we did (the staff couldn't have been friendlier, the place more enjoyable). But I know you will want to know how much it cost, and it's not cheap. A friend of mine asked me if I thought it was worth it, but that's an impossible question to answer. If you have this kind of money and want to spend it on a holiday where you can relax and the whole family are guaranteed to enjoy themselves, then yes it is. And blimey, I am desperate to return!

Jessica and I stayed in a Negril Honeymoon Beachfront Grande Luxe Concierge Room

Disclosure note: this post was brought to you with assistance from Beaches, who offered us this holiday as part of a bloggers' trip. The opinions, photos, videos and everything else are all ours!

Seven nights staying at Beaches Negril Resort & Spa, on a Luxury Included® (all-inclusive) basis costs from £1,989 per adult and £1,075 per child. A family of four costs from £6,129. Return flights, resort transfers, tips, gourmet speciality dining, premium branded alcohol and soft drinks, and watersports are all included in the price. For further information or to make a booking, contact your local travel agent, call Beaches Resorts on 0800 597 0002 or email sales@beachesresorts.co.uk. Excursions on the island are bookable through Island Routes Caribbean Adventures (www.islandroutes.co.uk). Price is based on travel on selected dates in May/June 2014. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT BEACHES RESORTS AND PARTICULARLY BEACHES NEGRIL, PLEASE VISIT THEIR WEBSITE.

If you liked this video, please take a look at our (rather shaky) video of our trip to Paris!

We're sharing this post and its glorious memories with the Time Traveller linky over at Mari's world. Zip over to enjoy more great travelling posts.

 

Gorgeous Jamaica

I had never been to the Caribbean and not imagined that the chance would come my way. But Jamaica, beautiful, stunning Jamaica, took my breath away, and now I crave the chance to go back. Hopefully one day, I will.

If that sounds a bit over the top, well, it's justified. Jessica and I were only in Jamaica, in the Negril resort, for four days in mid December. However, despite the rainy British weather since our return, we can still feel the recuperative effects.

But let me take you back to the wonderful day (seriously!) when Jessica and I were invited to the Beaches Resort. The idea, of course, was that we lucky people would sample the delights of this special place and then report back. I have to admit that it wasn't the most onerous task I have ever been given.

The resort had just been voted top hotel for families in the Caribbean in Tripadvisor's Traveller's Choice Awards as well as being put in the top 25 all-inclusive resorts in the world. We had never stayed in an all-inclusive resort and were extremely curious about what to expect. Could it really be as good as all that?

Read more »

Travelling times: our "bests" of 2013

Welcome to
 THE FAMILY TRAVEL TIMES TRAVEL AWARDS!

We have been really lucky to visit some incredible places this year, but which ones have been particularly brilliant? Here are our top ten!

 

Best Beach

 

Jessica says: The best beach of the year, and probably the nicest one I've ever been to, was the famous seven mile beach at our holiday in Beaches Negril (post coming soon). The beautiful blue sea seemed to stretch out forever and the white sand was soft and lovely to walk on. This was combined with the wonderful weather - always hot and barely ever a cloud in the sky.

 

Best View

Robert says: My best view was in Austria (read our post here).When I looked out of my hotel room window I could see enormous grey mountains. When I looked higher I could see no grey just a big blob of bright white snow. I could also see beautiful dark green hills. I thought it was a great view because there weren't any buildings in the way.

Jessica says: My favourite view ever was looking out of the window on our flight to Jamaica. The Caribbean looked incredible from above. The sea was clear blue and there was such a variety of colours. My favourite part was looking at the change of blue in the sea and an island that looked like a giraffe with a massive foot!

 

Best Day Out

Robert says: My best day out was by far the London Bridge Experience and The London Tombs. It is fun, scary, interesting and funny. I liked both parts, the educational and the scary, but some people do find the London Tombs terrifying. Click here to see my post.
Best Day Out For The Whole Family

Jessica: My best day out for the whole family was at Universal Islands Of Adventure, Florida (read our blog post here). The rides were awesome and it was fantastic weather. Rob and I both loved everything, but the best had to be the Wizarding World of Harry Potter as it looked so real.
The atmosphere was amazing, but it was slightly cagey at the start of the day as everyone was rivals in a race to get to the Harry Potter ride first! Disney World felt kinder and more relaxed, but the rides at Universal were better suited to us.

Sarah says: I think the best day out has to be the Harry Potter studio experience in Leavesden. There is so much to see, and it's not all about the rides! It's brilliantly done and works for every age (though there is a lot of walking). Read more of what I thought in my post here.

Best Hotel

The gorgeous Hilton Grand Vacation Suites at Seaworld

Jess says: We have stayed at loads of places during 2013, but a few have really stood out. Firstly, as part of our visit to Orlando in February, we stayed at the Hilton Grand Vacation Suites. This hotel had gigantic and luxurious rooms, as well as massive pools. We were there for a week and thought that it was so convenient as it was near to just about everything and we could walk to Seaworld easily.
Mum and I also adored Beaches Negril in Jamaica, as there was so much to do, everyone was charming and friendly and the food was delicious. It was, really, a holiday in itself.
A more unique and engaging hotel was St Ermins, which is situated right in the middle of London and near all the best sightseeing spots. I have written a review of it here and we got to try out the "Budding Bonds" package, letting us become secret agents. We cracked codes and searched local landmarks for clues, eventually being rewarded for our hard work with mocktails!

Best Ride

Robert says: Jess and I have three best rides. I will tell you about two of them and Jess will do one. The Simpsons ride is at Universal Studios. Our family was laughing before the ride had begun because when you were waiting Krusty would tell you funny jokes. In the ride, you are on a rollercoaster that has been sabotaged by Sideshow Bob. Bob seeks revenge so there are a lot of surprises throughout the ride. The ride is a simulator. The Spiderman ride was also at Universal, but in the Islands of Adventure section. It was an action simulator and a lot of fun. This ride was in 3D.You could feel the car bump when Spiderman landed on your car. You get to see all the baddies use their powers on you. There was real fire.

Jessica says: Harry Potter: A Forbidden Journey, also at Universal Islands Of Adventure is a mixture of a ride and motion simulator. It uses state-of-the-art graphics and motion technology to make you feel like you are actually flying through a quidditch match with Harry, Ron and Hermione!

Most Educational Day Out

Jess says: We had a really brilliant time in Bristol, where I learnt loads without ever getting bored. We went on a City Sightseeing Bus Tour which was fascinating, but the best part was At-Bristol, a fabulous interactive science museum that I enjoyed more than the one in London! As well as this, we visited Bristol Zoo, which I also enjoyed more than the ones at London. The best bit was feeding the Lorikeets - tiny, colourful birds.

Sarah says: We also had a lovely day out in Bath, which was full of things to see and do. The Roman Baths are a must, but we also did a bus top tour, which gave us some historical background, ate at Sally Lunn's (you can read about that here) and simply walked around taking in the sights.

Most Comfortable Bed

Sarah says: We stayed in a lot of lovely places this year and slept in a lot of beds, from the Premier Inn in Bristol, to the gorgeous Meridien Etoile in Paris. But we had our best night's sleep in Thornbury in Bristol. The fabulous double bed at the magnificent Thornbury Castle (Read here for more on our stay at Thornbury) was just so comfortable, I would have liked to have taken it home with me. I even found out what the mattresses were, and they are Vi-Spring mattresses. Fab.

Best Way To Travel

Sarah says: I'm not a huge fan of flying, although I know that it's the only way to get to far off places. That's why my favourite way of travelling this year was via the Eurostar to Paris. I couldn't believe how convenient it was. The security procedures didn't take hours and hours (unlike airports) and there was space to get up and move around. I had been told that it was an extremely boring journey, mostly through a tunnel, so was pleasantly surprised by how much of it was outside, where you could watch the countryside whizz by. Even better, we were in the centre of Paris in just a few hours without being exhausted from an early start or much hanging around. Brilliant.

Coolest Room

Jessica says: I loved our very atmospheric room at Thornbury Castle, which made me feel like I was in medieval or Tudor times! There was a stone staircase leading up to the room and a massive tapestry, and very posh toilet roll. There was loads of space, and it was like no hotel room I had - or imagine ever will again - experience in my life...

Travelling times: our "bests" of 2013

Welcome to
 THE FAMILY TRAVEL TIMES TRAVEL AWARDS!

We have been really lucky to visit some incredible places this year, but which ones have been particularly brilliant? Here are our top ten!

Best Beach

Jessica says: The best beach of the year, and probably the nicest one I've ever been to, was the famous seven mile beach at our holiday in Beaches Negril (post coming soon). The beautiful blue sea seemed to stretch out forever and the white sand was soft and lovely to walk on. This was combined with the wonderful weather - always hot and barely ever a cloud in the sky.

Best View

Robert says: My best view was in Austria (read our post here).When I looked out of my hotel room window I could see enormous grey mountains. When I looked higher I could see no grey just a big blob of bright white snow. I could also see beautiful dark green hills. I thought it was a great view because there weren't any buildings in the way.

Jessica says: My favourite view ever was looking out of the window on our flight to Jamaica. The Caribbean looked incredible from above. The sea was clear blue and there was such a variety of colours. My favourite part was looking at the change of blue in the sea and an island that looked like a giraffe with a massive foot!

Best Day Out

Robert says: My best day out was by far the London Bridge Experience and The London Tombs. It is fun, scary, interesting and funny. I liked both parts, the educational and the scary, but some people do find the London Tombs terrifying. Click here to see my post.

Read more »