5 Reasons to Book a Family Activity Holiday to the Azores.

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Off to the west of mainland Portugal lies a collection of nine volcanic islands, collectively known as the Azores.  They are not as popular yet with tourists as other areas in the country but they offer a unique charm and so many exciting activities for families and the more I read about the area, the more I want to pack a suitcase and hop on a plane!

Here are 5 reasons I want to plan a family holiday to the Azores.

1) The islands have such outstanding natural beauty , each one bright green and bursting with fauna.  The natural parks including the magnificent Ribeira dos Caldeirões Natural Park look breathtaking but it is the volcanoes that can be seen in places like Furnas and the caves and tunnels of lava that would attract my children who are incredibly fascinated by these things.  You can walk through Gruta do Carvão the longest lava tunnel on the islands.  The Azores boast some beautiful tall mountains and you can visit the black sand beaches

2) Being built on volcanic land, the Azores have hot springs across the islands and their mineral rich waters are perfect for taking a dip in.  For more water filled adventures you can go lagoon snorkelling at the Vila Franca Islet which sounds incredible and you can't forget the Atlantic Waters that surround the islands and are well known for the possibilities of spotting dolphins and whales.  Seeing a dolphin in the wild is something I would love to do one day and family activity holidays to the Azores tend to include the opportunity to do this, maybe even snorkelling alongside them!  Whilst we are talking about the water based reasons to visit the islands, you can't forget Caldeira Velha waterfall in Caldeiraes national park which you can go for a swim in!  My children are drawn to water (as am I) and a holiday filled with so many possibilities would be wonderful.

Credit : Futurismo Azores Adventure

3) When we plan our travels we try to avoid places that are too busy when we can.  The children all love the opportunity to make friends and chat to other people but we don't like to be too crowded and cramped and the Azores are so much quieter as a tourist destination than the Algarve and other well known parts of Portugal.  The uniqueness of this experience is definitely a big draw for us as we love to discover new places together.

4) Nobody can get bored on an adventure holiday and the number of experiences available in this area is extraordinary.  From snorkelling with dolphins, to walking through lava tunnels and exploring the black sandy beaches of Santa Barbara, no two days would be the same and there is bound to be something amazing for each member of the family.  Other activities possible on a family activity holiday to the Azores include jeep tours, botanical gardens, viewing the oldest remaining tea plantation and factory in Europe and visiting a pineapple farm. I love the idea of really getting to explore and know an area and there are plenty of opportunities to try the local cuisine which is very important when visiting somewhere new!

Credit : Futurismo Azores Adventure

5) I love to know the history of where I am visiting and everything about the Azores is fascinating.  The geographical history of how the islands were formed is really interesting and the way the islands became home to the current inhabitants is something I want to read more about.  The islands got more popular over time and the waves of immigration mean the area is rich in culture and cuisine.  Originally they sent some sheep out to get the ground ready for people and it slowly built up over many, many years.

The Azores area is full of excitement and adventure and I think it would make a wonderful destination to visit as a family.  It is definitely going on our travel bucket list for in a few years time when the little ones are old enough to keep up with it all! The temperatures are great with little variation throughout the year and not too hot that it gets uncomfortable  and the area is full of merged cultures as people have settled on the islands at different times and from different areas.

Have you visited the Azores?

Credit : Futurismo Azores Adventure

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A Child-Free Trip to Tunisia

It is often written about how mothers these days are tired to the point of exhaustion and I totally feel that, so when I was offered the chance to get away for a few days I was pretty excited.  I was nervous about leaving the children of course, until recently I had only left Cora overnight once and Ed isn't used to doing the school runs but I knew they would all be OK and the thought of some winter sun and cocktails on a beach was too much to keep me here.

After a night in an airport Premier Inn, my mum, sister and I boarded a flight to Tunis, Tunisia and left the cold, wet UK behind.  We had booked into Les Orangers bungalows and villas, a five star all inclusive hotel but we were still amazed when we arrived at the most beautiful reception in a large gated resort.  It was luxury from the moment we stepped through the front doors to be greeted with cocktails and our rooms were huge with large balconies overlooking the gardens and sea.

We spent 4 nights in Tunisia and it was amazing.  The resort was stunning and so quiet as it was heading towards the end of season.  The staff were always there for anything we needed, the food was fresh and there was so much choice and there was always someone offering me a cocktail.  We tried out the spa, the indoor and outdoor pools and spent our evenings listening to the live music in the bars.  We explored a little around the local area and got a taxi for a day to see the capital Tunis, the historic ruins of Carthage and a lovely town called Sidi Bou Said where everything is painted white and blue.

I felt like I could really relax, I had naps, I read books and I swam.  I missed my family of course, but I loved having some time for me too and I came back feeling refreshed and with my vitamin D topped up!  I would highly recommend the resort we stayed at as a great base in Hammamet for a child-free trip. 

Tunisia was such a fascinating place to visit and I would love to go back and see more, especially the Sahara desert. It is such a culturally different and wonderfully colourful country and gave us a little taste of Africa.  I didn't take my camera but of course my phone was always with me for taking pictures!

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Beaches - Ocho Rios

If you follow me on social media then you may have noticed last week my pictures were dominated by blue skies, golden sands and a rather chilled out looking small person.  Finn and I were whisked off to Jamaica to see first hand how stunning the Beaches resorts are.  Our first stop was Beaches Ocho Rios and after a ten hour flight with the most calm and smiley baby I was excited to settle in.

Montego Bay is the closest airport and our flight with Virgin Atlantic was smooth.  I do think that 8 months is a really easy age to fly with, especially if they can't move yet.  Finn sat and smiled at everyone, playing quietly with his toys and the only noise anyone heard from him was laughter.  Beaches describe themselves as being luxury included and this all begins when you arrive at the airport.  Our luggage was taken to be packed in the car and we had comfort and cold drinks whilst we prepared for our transfer.  Arriving at the hotel is like being greeted by old friends and every single member of staff from that first impression onwards went out of their way to make our stay special.  

Beaches Ocho Rios is set around a private bay meaning finding your way around is quite easy.  There are seven restaurants and three pools alongside the private beach that offers watersports (included of course).  There is an onsite water park with slides for big kids and little ones and a kids club that is open from 9am to 9pm

One of the first things to tick off my bucket list was a swim up bar.  Despite having travelled reasonably well, I had never sat in the water with the sun on my back as I drank a Pina Colada and that was soon rectified.  Serving a huge variety of alcoholic and non alcoholic cocktails alongisde any other drink you could possibly want, the swim up bar was a great way to stay hydrated in the sun.  Travelling in October during the 'rainy season', I wasn't expecting the skies to be so blue but the only rain we had all week was for about half an hour when we transferred between resorts.

As well as sampling the full range of drinks available, we managed to eat at most of the restaurants and I was really impressed at the speed of service.  There was never a queue, always plenty of space and fantastic views.  The main restaurant had a buffet for each meal which was both a good thing and a bad.  Eating four plates of breakfast because you can't quite decide whether you want the fresh smoked salmon, a proper fry up, delicious pastries or an omelette cooked in front of your eyes isn't the best start when you are likely to spend the rest of the day in a bikini!  The Bayside restaurant was perfectly designed for young families like mine with plenty of high chairs available and a section for young children where they can sit on their own tables.  There is a kids buffet where they can serve themselves and I know the independence would be something my elder two would really enjoy.

Neptunes had the best view and they served Mediterranean food from an a la carte menu.  My favourite place to stop of an afternoon had to be Josephine's creperie where you could have a fresh savoury or sweet crepe made up for you.  Located around a smaller pool with fantastic sea views and open until 10:30pm I know this would be a place that my big two littlies would love as well.

Neptunes as the sun rises

Seating around the pool outside the Creperie

Finn spent most of the week with me, and he absolutely loved being in the water.  He kicked his legs around the pools and in the sea with the biggest smile on his face and tried desperately to get sand in his mouth.  When I wanted to try out a watersport or the heat got too much for him, he went to have a play in the kids' camp.  Children from 0 - 17 are accommodated in a series of different rooms and the baby room had plenty of toys suitable for his age, a ball pit and a quiet room with cots for those all important naps.  He went happily in and I could pop in and out whenever I pleased.  There were no set sessions and all the staff are accredited by the American Nanny Association.  There were some great activities laid on for the slightly older kids and I know Dylan would have enjoyed cooking with cookie monster and science experiments with Grover!

Older children can enjoy the dedicated X-box room as well as exclusive access to the Liquid night club on site during their tweens and teens evenings. 

Everything about the kids club is bright, including the entrance

Whilst Finn was being looked after in the kids' club, I made sure I made the most of my time and had a go at paddle boarding, kayaking and on the banana boat.  I was really impressed that everything was part of the package and there was plenty of equipment.  Luxury included for Beaches means added inclusions rather than added charges and children can enjoy tennis or golf coaching as well as sailing lessons and other great activities for no additional cost.  

Our room was comfortable and spacious, relying on the natural light that poured through the french doors that led onto our private balcony,  My bed was huge and always sporting a wonderful towel animal and Finn had a proper wooden cot with a mattress - miles better than the plastic travel cots we are used to on holiday.  Every room comes with a mini fridge stocked with fizzy drinks, juice, bottled water and Red Stripe and there is wine and champagne next to the microwave and kettle.  Everything gets restocked daily.  Taking a bottle fed baby on holiday was much easier with a kettle, fridge and mircrowave in our room and if we came back with the big boys then the sofa you see in the right hand side of this picture pulls out to make two single beds.  There were many rooms that could accomodate 5 people as well as adjoining rooms for when the children are a bit bigger.  Travelling as a larger than average family isn't always easy, but Beaches had plenty of rooms designed for families like ours and bigger.

Travelling to Jamaica is a much bigger commitment than staying within Europe.  The flight is long haul and the prices reflect this but it is definitely somewhere I would love to go back to with all three of my children.  The five hour time difference meant we were awake to see every sunrise, but when you realise you can throw on a bikini, grab a bottle and watch it with your feet in the sea it doesn't seem quite as bad.  In fact once I realised that we could have a swim in the sea every morning before breakfast, I started looking forward to our early starts - not something you will ever find me saying at home!

Beaches  work closely with Sesame Street meaning you don't have to walk far before you see one of the characters from your childhood strutting towards you (and yes Jamaican characters definitely strut).  As well as designated activities, parades, shows and sessions, the characters walked around the resort.  We went along to a Sesame Street breakfast (extra cost) and had a chance to take our photos will all the characters as well as taking away a party bag with a cup and toy in.  Finn watched in awe as they came over and stroked their furry hands against his little face and both children and adults enjoyed the party.  As the characters danced around the room, Ernie doing a head wobble and Elmo showing off some real moves, you see a very different side of them to the show I remember.

Beaches Ocho Rios was an amazing resort with so much for families like mine.  Everything was easily accessible with a buggy, suitable for even the youngest of guests and nothing was too much for the staff.  I travelled with an eight month old and still felt like I had had a real holiday - not something I usually say when I go away with the children. 

If you want to see Beaches from a different perspective then check out the other bloggers on this trip, Sally and Trish

We were guests of Beaches for the purpose of this review.

Seven nights staying at Beaches Ocho Rios – A Spa, Golf & Waterpark Resort costs from £1,775 per adult and £899 per child. Price includes Luxury Included® (all-inclusive) accommodation in a Caribbean Deluxe Family Sized Room, return economy flights from London and resort transfers. Valid for travel dates 2^nd May – 24^th June 2016.

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Just the Two of us

Every now and again an email lands in my inbox that I just can't say no to, and when I got offered a place on a blogger trip with Beaches to see their two Jamaican resorts, you can guess my answer.  The catch was that I could only take one child with me - something that isn't easy when you have three under fives.  After much thought and discussion, we decided that Finn and I should go - after a tough year together I was looking forward to spending some special time with him.

This is how I found myself doing a ten hour long haul flight alone with an eight month old - an experience not nearly as terrifying as I had imagined thank goodness, and made easier by the fact Finn has not mastered the art of crawling just yet.  

On a bright Sunday morning Finn and I boarded a Virgin Atlantic plane at Gatwick airport heading to Montego Bay.  He was an absolute angel all the way there and as we disembarked I had plenty of lovely comments from fellow passengers about how quiet and smiley my little buddy had been.

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A Day out with Kids on the Isle of Wight

Isle of Wight, Blackgang Chine, Dinosaur Isle, Travelling with toddlers
We managed to fit in a couple of day trips on our recent trip to the Isle of Wight with Park Resorts and both the places we chose were just perfect for young families like ours.  Finding somewhere suitable for a baby, entertaning for a 2 and 4 year old and enjoyable for adults isn't always easy, but we did some research (spoke to my cousin) and found the perfect destinations.

Blackgang Chine is a fun park on the south coast of the Isle of wight and with so many different sections there was something for a budding pirate or little princess.  Our first stop was 'restricted area 5', which is full of huge model dinosaurs and rather amusing signs.  It took Dylan a while to warm up as the dinosaurs were prone to kicking up their tails and roaring but as soon as the boys found the models designated for climbing on them they were in their element.

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Visiting Copenhagen with AirBnB

Airbnb, Copenhagen, denmark, travel with children, travel with toddlers

When we were looking for places to stay on our recent Denmark trip, one of the options that stood out was AirBnb.  Since having children we have found it easier to stay a little outside the city centre on holidays, as for the same price you can get more space, which helps make it a holiday for all of us.

Whilst hotels have many benefits, we love being able to put the boys to bed and stay up having some time as a couple.  In a shared room we end up playing cards by phone-torch light, but we chose a spacious house in the outskirts of the city which had a bedroom for the boys, one for us and plenty of communal space.

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Copenhagen as a Child Friendly City

Denmark, Copenhagen, Copenhagen with children, toddler travel, travel Denmark with children

Copenhagen is a wonderful city and it is perfectly designed for exploring with kids.   From parks, to attractions to the attitude of the locals, we had an amazing experience, even with three little ones in tow.

Denmark is child friendly, and I saw far more children around than you would in London at this time of year.  Everywhere we went was pushchair friendly, and there were always lifts or ramps making it accessible.  As their schools start much later than ours a child is generally considered to be over the age of six, meaning our three were free to enter all the attractions we visited.

Staying outside the city centre had some definite advantages for travelling with young children, one of them being there was a beach only a short walk from our house.  Whilst we didn't spend much time there, and it wasn't really the weather for sandcastles and swimming, it was lovely to balance out a bustling city with a peaceful seafront.  The boys had the freedom to run and explore and it was the ideal place to go after a couple of hours cooped up on a plane.  

At the tourist office, you can purchase a Copenhagen card, which is valid for a period of time (24,48 or 72 hours) and gives you unlimited free travel and entry into a number of the city's main attractions.  There is a handy calculator on the website that helps you work out whether it is worth it, and we found it definitely was as it covered most of the places we wanted to visit and we could use whichever transport we chose (it even includes transport to and from the airport)

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