48 Hours in Singapore - Our Family Travel Itinerary

Due to some last minute flight cancellations, we ended up with only just over 48 hours in Singapore.  We had never planned to spend too long there as after Thailand and Vietnam we knew it would be expensive, but we had hoped for a little more time to explore.  Singapore was the last country we visited before heading home so we were all getting tired and there is so much more to see and do that we had to just pick a couple of things and be content with that. If you want to catch up on the first parts of our trip, this is our Thailand Itinerary and our Vietnam Itinerary.

We arrived in the evening and left the airport to find our hotel.  After we had settled in, we went for a walk around the local area and to find some dinner.  We stayed at five/6 Splendour Hotel in the Geylang district and were delighted to have safe flat pavements after the crazy Vietnamese streets.  The hotel was unfortunately 3x as expensive as what we were used to and nowhere near as nice, but this is what we had expected from Singapore.

For our full day in Singapore (which also happened to be my birthday), we headed over to colourful Chinatown to check out the world's cheapest Michelin Starred food at Hawker Chan.  The children were really excited to try it, although none were that enamoured by it in reality.  Definitely something to tick off the bucket list though!

After lunch, we wanted to explore Gardens by The Bay and we decided to walk there so we could take in more of Singapore.  You can really see a city when you walk through it and the buildings had incorporated trees and nature in so many amazing ways, it was fascinating to see such a built up city trying to be green.  Singapore feels like such a safe place to walk around and I wish we had more time to explore on foot.

Gardens by the Bay is a huge area of nature and art.  Much of it is free to enjoy including the children's gardens and splash zone and the Supertree Grove, but there are areas you can pay to go in as well.  We bought tickets for the flower dome and the cloud forest and both were incredible to explore.  The iconic structures are full of colour and nature in engaging and beautiful ways and we loved the man made waterfall in the centre of the cloud forest as well as the walkways high up.  The closest I can think to describe it is Singapore's version of the Eden Project. 

We spent all afternoon exploring and as the evening set in, there was a light and music show in the 

supertree grove celebrating the multicultural aspect of Singapore's history.  It was fantastic to watch and completely free with the famous Marina Bay Sands hotel in the background. To leave the gardens we actually ended up walking through MBS and we headed to a Singaporean restaurant for a birthday meal.

Our final day in Singapore was also the final day of our Asian Adventure and I wanted to get to the Haig Street Hawker Market.  Hawker markets are the cheapest way to eat in Singapore, they are like a huge food court full of individual vendors and I had watched an episode of a street food documentary on Netflix about a stall selling the traditional dessert of Putu Piring. We headed over there to get some lunch and try the dessert before heading back to the airport to check in our luggage.  We still had many hours until our flight but one thing on our holiday list that we didn't want to miss out on was the Jewel centre in Singapore's Changi Airport.

Singapore has one of the most incredible airports and we all wanted to see the waterfall in the centre.  Not only is there a climbing nets centre, a cinema and a swimming pool in the airport, there are also so many interactive exhibits and so much to see and do.  Our top priority was the Pokemon Centre where there were exclusive games to play and limited edition merchandise to buy. It did not disappoint and was one of the highlights of the children's trip.  We spent all afternoon exploring the airport, eating at the food court downstairs and watching the light show on the waterfall.  As we had already checked in our suitcases, we could enjoy the Changi airport until an hour before our 11pm flight home.

It was a very quick stop in Singapore and I found it so hard to choose what to spend our time on.  I would have loved to do the Night Safari, visit Universal Studios or the water park over on Sentosa Island, spend more time walking the colourful and quirky streets and have a Singapore Sling at Raffles hotel.  It was a great way to end our adventure and hopefully we can visit again in the future.

Read more ⇨

Paris in a Day, with Kids

We recently spent a week at Villages Nature, a Centre Parcs resort on the outskirts of Paris and decided to do a day trip into the city.  I have been to France countless times but have never made it to the centre of Paris so I was excited to see all the famous sites and nervous of how child friendly the centre would be with our five children aged 10 and under.

            

Villages Nature is a 35 minute drive to the centre of Paris, but we decided to use public transport which meant a bus ride to Disneyland (10 minutes) and then the train in from there to Chatelet Les Halles (44 minutes).  It was the children's first double decker train which they all loved.   We had already planned our first stop and so we walked slowly towards the River Seine and over the bridge to embark on a boat tour.  You can buy tickets there but we had pre-booked them online (with flexible timing) and thought it would be a great way to orientate ourselves with the city before exploring further on foot.

The river cruise was on an open top boat and we sat at the front of the top deck ready to take it all in.  The live commentary was in both English and French.  In hindsight I would have done this slightly later in the day when the children were getting tired and needed to sit down, but I loved getting to know some of the history of Paris and getting a feel for how spread out the city is. It started and ended at Pont Neuf and once we had finished we went off in search of food.

I grabbed a burger meal from Naked Vegan Burger which was delicious. I was nervous about being vegan in France but I could always eat something. After lunch I was keen to find the Louvre because I wanted to see the pyramid up close.  I hadn't taken in quite how huge this famous art museum is and with all the children in tow we decided to keep the inside for another trip.  We marvelled at the beautiful buildings and the modern pyramid in the centre of the courtyard and then found the row of souvenir shops selling model versions of the Eiffel Tower and postcards of the iconic views.

We were keen to give the children some space to run around by this point so we headed into the Jardin les Tuileries, watched children sailing miniature boats with little sticks and then found the playground.  It wasn't huge but there was plenty of seating for parents and it gave the children some time to free play in the middle of a busy day.

             

From the park we walked up to Place de la Concorde which I was fascinated to see after the boat tour commentary.  By this point the sun was strong and we were tiring so we walked up the Rue Royale and found a restaurant with shady outdoor seating for some much needed crepes (and sorbet for me) and to play some card games.  Cora (aged 5) had a nap in the buggy as her little legs were tired, and the baby had a rest in the sling, making me very glad I had packed both!  Everywhere we visited was stroller friendly and if you have a child who still fits in a stroller then I would recommend bringing one to let you explore for longer.

When we were rested and ready to return, we walked back to Concorde Place as we had spotted the TukTuks there.  Being a family of 7, we needed two taxis, but we could fit in one TukTuk (which was roughly the price of two taxis) so we had an open air ride over to the Eiffel Tower.  We decided not to go up it on this occasion as most of us were more interested in seeing it rather than the views from the top, and there were big grass areas in front perfect for a picnic or just to sit and enjoy the views.  There were also plenty of street stalls selling keyrings of the Eiffel Tower in all colours at 5 for 1 Euro and we left with pockets full of them! If you want to go up you can choose to pre-book or queue on the day and you can go either to the 2nd floor or the top.

By the time we were finished admiring the view, everyone was tired and hungry so we decided to get a taxi over to the Arc De Triomphe as we could get the train home from here.  We walked down the Champs Elysees to find food, but the prices in restaurants were just too much for us (30-50 Euros minimum for a main course) so we ended up in McDonalds (which was still 12 Euros for a Cheeseburger meal) and I bought a vegan meal from a shop. 

We caught the train back from here and arrived home close to midnight and utterly exhausted! Paris is beautiful, dusty, expensive and definitely worth a visit.  I would love to go back and take it in slower but we managed to catch many iconic sights on our one day trip! If we didn't have the children with us then I would have walked the two taxi rides (or used the Metro) but with children this gave us a rest and a chance to see more in our one day.

Read more ⇨

Days Out in Essex // Colchester Zoo

When I booked the children and I a week away in Essex earlier this month, I had no idea about the area or what was local but after a quick Google I discovered Colchester Zoo was a 30 minute drive away from Clacton and I could only find great reviews from friends that had visited.  Because of Covid reopening, I was online at 8am the weekend before trying to get tickets and managed to get 5 for the Wednesday right in the middle of the trip.  

Colchester Zoo was easy to find and parking was free. We had a 30 minute slot for entry and there were very few people around the entrance.  My tickets were scanned through my phone and we were sent inside.  I don't know how busy the zoo usually gets to comment on, but we never felt crowded or too close to others, but when it came to wanting to eat, it was very challenging to find somewhere to sit! 

We found the zoo difficult to navigate at first and my phone didn't get enough signal to get the online map up. I did see other people with paper copies though so they must have been available at the entrance.  That being said, we had no real agenda other than seeing as much as we could and we enjoyed wandering and seeing what came up next.  

We liked how interactive the zoo was, with things that can be climbed on, information designed for children and interesting displays around the zoo.  We visited the feeding area where the children could feed some of the animals including goats.  This was a real highlight for the younger two who like to get involved where they can.

My favourite part of the zoo was the African area where giraffes, zebras, rhino and other animals that naturally coexist were in a larger area together.  You could walk most of the way around the area and there are opportunities to pay to hand feed the giraffe and elephants (£20 for a family/group of up to 5 people).

There were a few enclosures and areas that were not open to visitors, anything that was fully inside was shut due to Covid guidelines, but we spent many hours at the park and didn't feel like we missed out.  Some areas were undercover but with open sides so masks were required (alongside social distancing of course) but they were open and clearly signed. There were also no keeper talks or timed feedings to avoid crowding

The boys favourite part of the zoo experience was the 'Lost Madagascar' train which took us around an area of the park and gave us a unique view of some animals.  The train was cleaned between passengers, there were perspex screens between each group and there was a great narrative from the driver.  It was ideal after a long afternoon walking around!  We ended the day at the big playground near the exit.  Designed for school aged children it was secure, big enough to keep my elder children (8 and 9) happy and had plenty of seating.

We had a brilliant day out at Colchester Zoo and would really recommend it as a family attraction in Essex.  We spent over 6 hours in the zoo and the children have all asked to return! As we visited on a week day, my adult ticket was £21.24 and the children's tickets were £15.30 each.  There is a large store that you can visit for gifts and souvenirs on the way out, but you can avoid going inside at all and use the exit at the side.

Read more ⇨

5 Tips to Make the Most of Your Glamping Stay at Blackdown Yurts

I have already written about our (press trip) long weekend at Blackdown Yurts but it turns out I always have too much to say and I always take too many photos so I wanted to do a second post with my top tips for making the most of your family stay.  We have glamped many time before and lots of these apply to any glamping trip but these are some of the things that made our stay smoother and easier as well as more fun for everyone!

1) Embrace the wildlife. 

The beauty of glamping or camping is that you are surrounded by nature. The sounds, sights and smells and Cora especially loved discovering the wildlife around her.  In the fields in front of us were sheep that we could walk through to see the ponies.  The nearby farmer's cat loved to come and join us as we sat around the campfire and we crept down to the barn at night to see the owl that lives above it.  We found a little frog in the showers and the chickens roamed free.  For young wildlife lovers it was a fantastic place to get close to them naturally.  Katie offers guided bat walks in the evenings too which we didn't manage to fit in - maybe next time!

2) Do a shop on the way

Blackdown Yurts is around a 15 minute drive from the nearest shop so the best thing to do is either bring food with you or do a big shop on the way.  Each yurt has its own fridge in the barn as well as storage space in the camp kitchens so we could stock up on everything we needed for a bbq, different meals and all the breakfast milks (we drink three different milk varieties between us!).  It was so easy to be able to keep everything fresh and cool and to avoid the shops for a few days once we were settled in.

3) Bring some good games

We were sent Shake Off from Smyths before we left and it was a perfect campsite game.  Each player has a counter attached either to their wrist, ankle or waistband and they earn more points the more they move.  It was great for getting out any lingering energy before putting them to bed and didn't require any fiddly parts (do remember to put batteries in the timer before you leave though!).  This is definitely a game we will be taking on all family trips.  We also played lots of card games both with the kids and once they were in bed.

4) Watch the Stars

Being so far from the street lights and cities means on a clear night you can see everything.  Part of the joy of glamping is to get away from every day stress and nothing is more relaxing or humbling that spreading a blanket on the ground, grabbing a warm blanket and watching the sky.  We saw thousands of stars including a couple of shooting stars and the kids were all amazed at how clear the night sky was.  It is one of those activities that just completely relaxes you and I would recommend doing it whenever you can.

5) Check out Katie and Mark's recommendations.

I made a big list before we arrived full of local attractions and ideas based purely on the list of recommendations and we loved every places we explored.  Katie and Mark know the area well and they have reviewed lots of local places on the Blackdown Yurts website.  They were also more than happy to offer any more recommendations whilst at the site.  I will be writing up everything we did so come back to see a post on Haldon Forest, The Bear Trail and Canonteign Falls!  If you have already booked a stay then check out the website for local restaurants, attractions and landmarks.  

Some of the Yurts are open until October and you can grab a discount with the code MUMMY10

Read more ⇨

Days Out in Devon // The Bear Trail

As a child, I don't think there is anything more irresistible than a muddy puddle to jump in, and when we visited The Bear Trail in Cullompton, Devon there were enough muddy puddles for everyone and no parents telling you not to splash it up your trousers!

We were invited along and given our tickets in exchange for sharing our day on Instagram but we had such an amazing experience, I wanted to write it on here so I can look back whenever I want to.  We arrived dressed in our oldest and most stained clothes (including an old school tshirt for Archie that was so grubby it wasn't going to be worn again) and old shoes, with a bag full of clean things ready for afterwards.  The course was self explanatory and we understood we should stay apart from others not in our household when queuing for the busier sections.  The course was big with plenty for everyone though and once we realised the queues were due to everyone wanting to start in the same place, it became easier to stay away and not worry about them.

The children all started to get muddy slowly, first the feet which made them squeal, and then a little splash onto their trousers and within half an hour Dylan was lying in a mud pit pretending to swim.  All four of them took on the huge slide which you accessed by climbing up a netted hill and all disappeared behind the mud as they came hurtling down.  There were all the obstacles you would expect from balance beams to zip-lines to climbing walls and it was easy to avoid anything you didn't fancy attempting.  At just turned 4 and petite for her age, Cora had no problem getting involved and loved the obstacles, but I would say Dylan and Archie at 7 and 9 years old were the most engaged with it all and had to be dragged away after our allotted 3 hours were up.  Most families had given up before than and headed to the outdoor showers and the pizza cafe but our children were determined to keep going until the very end!

It was an experience we won't forget in a hurry, I tried every single obstacle myself and towards the end it was a lot of parents giving it a go whilst the exhausted children rested! The boys have tried to convince me it is worth an 8 hour round trip to go again and we will definitely visit next time we are in the area.

When you have finished there are outdoor showers to hose off and indoor changing rooms and I was pleased that I had remembered the bin bags to put all our filthy wet clothes in! The organised parents had buckets - definitely a good tip for next time!  The cafe serves food and we were hoping to get a pizza but after queuing for half an hour they told us at the counter that the people in front of us were the last to be served hot food so if you want to eat you need to order early or eat elsewhere.  There was a pub directly opposite which served a lovely lunch though so we didn't have to go far!

The Bear Trail site is all outdoors and there was information about staying Covid safe.  It was easy to stay distanced from others and we were impressed with how it was all handled.

Read more ⇨