Monday 30 November 2015

A Weekend Away in London

We just love getting away and I will never get bored of visiting London.  There is always something new to see and we revisit the same places because they are just magical, especially as Christmas draws closer.  

We drove up to London last weekend after Dylan had finished school and the bloke had finished work and found the gorgeous converted coach-house that we were going to stay in.  Having three children means hotel rooms aren't always practical and Merino Hospitality offer serviced apartments in the very heart of London.

The boys were sleepy, but excited to be somewhere new so they ran around exploring before climbing into their bed.  The bloke and I weren't far behind as we were looking forward to an entire day exploring on the Saturday.


There was a basket of food waiting for us when we woke up alongside the fruit bowl that the boys couldn't leave alone.  One of my favourite things about staying in an apartment is having breakfast at your leisure, usually in your pjs.  We had a blogger event to go to first thing to celebrate the book I had helped create with HP and we so we headed across town.


The event was brilliant with the illustrator Tom Percival reading the book for all the children and little animals for them to see and pet. They loved colouring in and the inflatable lightsabers that they discovered and we all enjoyed some lunch.



After being inside for the morning, the boys were desperate to run around and the event was only metres away from the Diana Memorial Playground.  I have been meaning to visit for so long and it didn't disappoint.  A giant pirate ship set in the biggest sand pit and surrounded by climbing frames and little areas to discover, it was a dream park for the boys.  There was a cafe serving delicious hot chocolate and indoor toilets and changing facilities which made the visit easier too.  It was so much colder than we were expecting, but the boys didn't mind at all with so much to explore.


I love Covent Garden all year round, but there is something so special about Christmas there so we walked that way.  All three boys fell asleep on the journey over - something we don't get very often now so the bloke and I decided to sit down and enjoy some cheesy fries and shakes from Shake Shack.  I can't go to Covent Garden without having their fries and I love sitting in the very centre and watching the world go by.


We let them all have a good rest as we wandered.  I don't normally let Dylan nap for long, but as we only had one full day in London, a good sleep meant we could break the routine and stay out later, enjoying the wonderful sights by night.  We had a wander around a few shops and stalls, and then decided it was time to find somewhere to eat.

What we didn't think about was the fact central London on a Saturday night is pretty busy, and getting a table for five people wouldn't be easy!  We gave in at Pizza Express and decided we would just queue and thankfully it wasn't too long.  The big boys love their pizzas and Finn had some plain pasta to munch on, as having a dairy allergy in a Pizzeria isn't easy!  They were all so well behaved and we had wonderful comments from people on the tables around us.  Dylan spent most of the meal writing sentences for us to read and Finn spent a long time studying the menu!


As the boys had been asleep the entire time we were at Covent Gardens, we went back that way to show them the giant Christmas tree.  It really is spectacular and they were in awe of its size.  They were completely captivated by the street performers and whilst we would normally walk straight past, we stopped to watch two whole shows as they sat on the floor staring up.  



We went inside to look at the giant ivy lights on the roof and to watch more of the street performances and all three were smiling away.  Although it was already past their normal bedtimes, their naps had meant they were coping well and we went window shopping at the Disney Store and the Bear Factory.  Everywhere has such colourful displays and very few shops were still open which made it easier to walk past.



 When we were all getting a bit tired, we decided to head back to the apartment and it was amazing to see it was only a 20 minute walk away.  We could easily have gotten on the tube, but with a double buggy it is often easier to walk and the twenty minutes went fast admiring all the lights along the way.

We arrived back with three tired babies who went straight to bed and we stayed downstairs for a while.  The living area had a huge TV (with Netflix) and it was lovely being away from home and still able to keep the lights on and talk at a normal level even with the boys asleep!



We woke up for another leisurely breakfast on Sunday and the big boys loved playing Lego in the 'den' upstairs. There were no doors between our bed and the den despite them being on different levels and it meant we could lay in bed for an extra hour whilst they entertained themselves up there.

It was so lovely being able to explore London from the centre and we had a tube station only one minute walk from the house as well as a shopping centre practically on our doorstep.  We have never driven into Central London before but it only took around 2 hours to get home.

We are feeling ready to get into the Christmas spirit after all the wonderful lights and sights, although I am refusing to get too festive until at least December 1st.  Thank you to Merino Hospitality for our stay and to HP Instant Ink for putting on a great event.






14 comments:

  1. This sounds like a perfect place to stay in London, always nice to have the chance to be comfortable in your PJs.
    I have never been to Diana's park either, shall put that on the list.
    I love Covent Garden at Xmas xx

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  2. It looks like you all had an amazing time. I just love London but i dont have the money to keep getting the train there, espesially with a 2 year old. How amazing is that christmas tree though? #Love2Blog

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  3. Awww we went round all the Markets in Covent Gardens last weekend, it's such a beautiful and magical place this time of year and the boys were made up with that HUGE Christmas tree in the square. Sounds like you guys had a lovely weekend hun xxx

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  4. I so love London, it's one of the best cities in the world. Covent Garden is great fun too. The apartment looks lovely, and it's a nice touch to have a basket of food waiting for you.

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  5. Wow it sounds like you had a fantastic weekend. I love London and it's all the more magical at Christmas, I really like the idea of apartments to stay in. At the moment with just the 2 boys we tend to look for premier inn's but when baby number 3 arrives this won't be an option anymore. :-)

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  6. What a brilliant weekend - we love London. I would love to see the Christmas lights there. Kaz x

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  7. What a lovely weekend. We didn't manage to go to the HP event but it looks really lovely.

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  8. It looks like you had a great weekend! The apartment looks lovely too! I'd love to visit London soon, I haven't been in years! x

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  9. What an amazing day! You packed in so much. The place you stayed looks and sounds amazing! x

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  10. You managed to do a lot on your break, the hotel room looks fab and it looks and sounds like a great time in london!

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  11. Looks like you had a great time, look a the size of that Christmas tree! It's such a great time of year to visit London I imagine =)

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  12. I love London too, although I never seem to make it there for the lights. Covent Garden looks beautiful. I'm impressed with you guys taking double buggy and 3 kids into London. I found it hard enough with just one and the buggy.

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  13. What a lovely day you have spent. I have been to London once with all the lights but that was years ago. I have never taken the kids. I would love to take them one day once they are older. It's a bit more difficult when you are traveling from Ireland.

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  14. Looks like you had a lovely day. That bed looks like a divine place to sleep.

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