A Week in Malta

Ed's business often takes him to Malta and this summer we got to accompany him on a week there.  We stayed in a residential area called Naxxar as it meant we could have more space than if we stayed in a busier town.  It was our first time in a villa and it won't be our last based on the week we had.

Malta is a very small country (smaller than the Isle of Wight) and heavily populated on one side, with lots of internet based companies residing there.  The weather is incredible though, with 300 days of sunshine per year and it fluctuated around 34 degree during the day on our visit, and around 28 degrees at night.  Having our own pool meant we could always cool off.

We wanted to see as much of the island as we could during our trip, so we spent time in the capital Valetta which is beautiful, the business area of Sliema, the more party area of St Julians, the ancient city of Mdina as well as Naxxar where we stayed and a trip to the blue lagoon off the coast of Comino island.  The location means there is a mix of Italian and Arabic influence in the architecture and language making it a really unique place.

I have shared more on Instagram of our trip, but I wanted to put a few of my favourite photos on here to look back at.

Our Villa

Our Villa had such a great outdoor space with a pool table, table football and table tennis as well as a pool big enough to really swim in.  It was spacious indoors too and a great location for exploring the island.

Mdina

The ancient capital of Mdina doesn't have a lot for families but is definitely worth a visit.  The small walled city is in the middle of the island and has some really interesting buildings.

Naxxar

We really liked Naxxar as a residential area.  There was a 5 a side pitch next to the kids playground which was a big hit with my boys and it was a good base for seeing more of the island.

Splash and Fun Water Park

A day at the water park is a given with five children and this one had plenty of slides, a lazy river and a huge pool with wave machine.  Unfortunately the way the water was treated didn't agree with Archie's skin.  As Malta has no natural water sources, they use salt water from the sea and treat it with something (we aren't sure what).  The rest of the gang had a great time and Archie chilled on a sun bed with ice creams and snacks.

Blue Lagoon

Whilst Ed was working I took the children on a speed boat to the Blue Lagoon.  It was very crowded and I would definitely do this on a trip next time that went to a quieter area as the ferry stop was so busy.  The water was crystal clear though and we had little fishes swimming around us, and they sold cocktails in fresh pineapples which is always a winner!

St Julians

We went to St Julians for lunch and had delicious food at Two Buoys on the river front.  In the evenings this is the party capital but during the day it is lovely (and busy) with some great places to eat and shop.

It was our first visit to Malta as a family and I feel like we got a great overview of the country.  It was sunny, chilled and beautiful with so much great Italian food, brilliant transport and lovely people.

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A Long Weekend at Blackdown Yurts

Press Trip

We first visited Devon as a family two years ago and it has been somewhere we have been looking to come back to ever since.  The beautiful countryside seems so much more green than at home, the beaches so much more dramatic, the people so friendly and we have spent months looking forward to visiting Blackdown Yurts this summer.  It was meant to be part of a bigger trip but due to the current climate, everything else got cancelled, so there was even more riding on our stay there.

Blackdown Yurts are in Cullompton, set properly in the countryside where you can feel like you have truly escaped from real life.  There are four yurts in total as well as some cottages but each one comes with so much outdoor space that it was easy to live in a little bubble of the six of us.  

The drive there took so much longer than expected thanks to traffic and by the time we arrived, the children were desperate to run and move and they couldn't contain their excitement to explore our yurt.  Many glamping sites seem to accomodate smaller families but it isn't often that we find one ideally set up for the six of us.  We stayed in Woodpecker which had one double bed and four singles so everyone had their space.  Outside our yurt we had our own compost toilet, our own table and benches, a campfire and our own camp kitchen with a tap.  Right in front of us was a huge field which we could go exploring in and if we walked past the sheep, we could go to see the two friendly ponies, Felix and Beau.  Everywhere we looked was fresh and green and there was so much space that they could run around to their hearts content.

We met Katie and Mark who showed us round and were happy to supply us with information and recommendations on the local area.  They made us feel immediately welcome and the children couldn't stop talking at them!  Everything was easy to find and understand and everything we needed was provided, from wood for the log burner inside the yurt and campfire outside, to a starter kit for our bbq.  There is also a main barn which would be lovely and cosy to spend an evening in.  At the moment it is used for necessities rather than socialising and there is a full kitchen in there as well as an individual fridge for each yurt.  There are also four flushable toilets and hot shower cubicles, one marked clearly for each yurt and hand sanitising stations all around.  As everything we used was reserved solely for our yurt it was easy to avoid any contamination or closeness with anyone else.  

Often with camping and glamping, I love the experience but look forward to getting home for a hot shower and a proper meal after but Blackdown Yurts is ideal for a longer stay as the equipment means you can sleep close to nature, step out each morning to see the rolling green hills of Devon, but also still have those home comforts like a warm wool duvet and a hot private shower.

I don't know if it was the beautiful surroundings or the knowledge that this long weekend was our whole summer holiday away, but there was something really special about our time there.  The children slept in every morning, we loved exploring the nature all around us and in the evenings after we had toasted marshmallows around the campfire, we lay on blankets and watched the stars in the night sky, amazed at how many were clear when you move away from all the street lights.  The children thrived with the freedom to run around and be wild, they needed the screen time detox which is so much harder to do at home and they all want to come back to Blackdown Yurts again.  It was ideal for us as a young family but during the same weekend there was also a group of six friends in their early twenties and a family with older children and a dog (The site is dog friendly but they must be in leads) so it caters to so many different groups.

If you are looking to experience glamping, or are a seasoned camper looking for some luxury then we can't recommend Blackdown Yurts enough.  If you want to book for the end of this season (Some of the yurts are open until the October Half Term and there are lots of midweek breaks before then too) then use the code MUMMY10 for a discount!

Thank you to Katie and Mark for hosting us, we will definitely be back!

The Yurt

Each bed came with a wool pillow and duvet and the beds were properly protected so everything could be washed well between visitors.  There was space to store things in the chest of drawers and a torch and tea lights provided.  We loved the fairy lights around the inside of the yurt too.

The Barn

I think this would be an amazing area to utilise if you visit as a bigger group as there is plenty of space for everyone to eat together.  At the moment the barn is just used for access to the fridges but one morning we entered to find some freshly grown vegetables available to be taken and they tasted delicious!

The Facilities

We had our own table and benches, fire pit with chairs, bbqq, kitchen and toilet so there was no need to share facilities. Everything was incredibly clean and we loved having a kitchen to make coffee and breakfast in each morning.

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Red Letter Days // Glamping with Finn

Red Letter Days provided me with a voucher to cover our glamping experience

After so long under one roof, I have been keen to find ways to spend quality time with each child individually before school restarts and thanks to Red Letter Days, Finn and I escaped for an overnight glamping experience close to home.

I have been trying to spend special time with each child but it isn't always easy.  I managed to get away camping for a couple of nights with the bigger two, but Finn missed out and I wanted to do something special with him.  Red Letter Days offered me a voucher for a glamping pod experience and I found a site less than half an hour from home which gave us the ideal balance of being somewhere new and feeling like we had gotten away, but being close enough that it was easy to get there and back for just an overnight stay.

We picked Hawk Place Camping which is set alongside a stables, surrounded by countryside in three directions and the coast in the fourth.  We stayed in one of two pods and it was ideal for the two of us.  With electricity, a kettle and a proper bed, the pod felt comfortable and a home from home but being in such beautiful surroundings kept us feeling close to nature.  We were surrounded by horses in fields and there was plenty of places to explore.

In the other direction was a footpath that led straight down to the sea.  From there we could walk about 10 minutes to Minnis Bay which is a sandy beach with safe swimming, fish and chips and a restaurant and there were cycle trails/walking paths going in both directions as it is a lovely stretch of coastline to explore.  We walked down along the sand to Minnis Bay and got chips to eat by the sea before exploring the area further.  The sun sets over the sea on this corner of the county and it is the best place to watch the sunsets.  The sky was beautiful as we walked back to our pod.

The campsite was clean and easy to navigate with Covid measures in place like contactless check in.  Our pod was clean as were all communal areas and it was easy to stay away from others at all times.  Camping and glamping feels like one of the safest ways to get away at the moment and it was lovely to explore more of Kent and the UK.  It has been one of my favourite things about this summer as we are usually away for most of the six weeks.  I have discovered so many local gems and I think Hawk Place will be somewhere we come glamping again, especially with Red Letter Days as it was easy to book with my voucher.

Finn loved getting some quality time with me, setting the pace and it really helped me feel closer to my special boy.  This is definitely something we will both remember for a long time. 

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