We recently had a fabulous time at the Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island where we stayed in an interconnecting family room. This basically meant two rooms that mirrored each other with a connecting door – which is absolutely perfect for families.  One of the rooms was 3201, on the third floor – perfectly positioned.  They were close to the elevators but with no noise from them at all.  Also, they were on the side of the hotel that has the Turquoise Buffet, so were really very convenient. Don’t miss our review of the rest of the hotel here. Each room was exactly the same so I will d ..read more

We visited Dubai last year and loved it, so were very happy to get the chance to return to the UAE to review the Rixos Marina in Abu Dhabi. It is a new hotel and was opened less than two years ago in late 2022. It is a wonderfully glamorous hotel and a lot of thought has gone into its beautiful design. You get a taste of this as you first approach the hotel, the design with the huge arch is simply stunning.  We had a Premium Room with a balcony on the 9th floor.  You can see that review here. The same week, we stayed at the Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island – full review here. Our flig ..read more

The Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island is a beautiful beach resort and an absolutely perfect place for a relaxing holiday. We have also reviewed the interconnecting family room here.  The hotel is all-inclusive and really everything you could ever want is here.  The same week we visited, we also visited the Rixos Marina in Abu Dhabi. The resort itself is low rise, and so beautifully decorated both inside and out.  The below photo is of the lobby area, where there is lots of plush seating and you can relax with a drink and a book. This staircase leads to the lower floor but is worthy ..read more

We recently returned from a fabulous stay at the Rixos Marina in Abu Dhabi.  We have reviewed the hotel itself here. The room we stayed in was number 918, a Premium Room with a balcony on the 9th floor. It was located to the side of the front of the hotel and had some amazing nighttime views (see the above photo!), but for the best daytime views, I would recommend the back of the hotel overlooking the pools and looking out to sea. I would also say (unless you are not keen on heights!) go as high as possible for the sheer exhilaration of it! As I was staying with my teenage son, we h ..read more

We recently travelled to Abu Dhabi on a Boeing 787, and tried out their twin seat.  I am going to discuss the seat and I also took photographs of the meal we were served in case you might be interested in that too. The general configuration on the 787 is 3 – 3 – 3 in economy (World Traveller class), but, at the very back of the plane, there is a single row of 2 – 3 – 2 seats. These seats are perfect if you are travelling as a couple or parent and child and don’t want to sit next to anyone else. You can stay in your own little bubble. The seats are aligned with the aisle and middle seats ..read more

This review of Potters Resort is very long, but I can sum the experience up in a nutshell, quite frankly, it is brilliant! There really is something for everyone, whether you like to keep constantly busy, like taking it easy or are somewhere in between. You can make Potters your own. We have visited Potters at Hopton twice in the past with the kids and we loved it there (you can see those reviews here).  When we were invited, I jumped at the chance to visit the new Potters Resort in Essex – Five Lakes. It’s adults only, so when I found out my friend Vikki was returning from New Zealand it ..read more

Don’t forget that it is Fathers’ Day on the 16th of June?  If you want to get your dad something a little different this year, have a look at this great list we have compiled.  We get sent lots of interesting, exciting and sometimes downright bizarre things for Fathers’ Day and I have put them all together in a list for you! VonHaus Hammock With Stand Hanging around never felt as good as it does in the VonHaus 1 Person Garden Hammock With Frame.  The 100% striped cotton canvas creates the perfect place to lay in the sunshine – or the shade – and enjoy the fresh outdoor air.  ..read more

We were recently invited to test out a range of Air fryer ready meals from MJ’s Diner. You can buy the meals in various shops, such as Farmfoods and Poundland. It’s a huge range, with favourites such as Katsu Chicken Curry and Shortcrust Steak Pie with Chunky Chips.  In fact, here is the entire list: · Chicken Nuggets and Fries (Made with 100% Breast) · Fish Fillet and Straight Cut Chips · Mixed Starter: 2 Potato Skins, 6 Garlic Mushrooms & 4 Hot & Spicy wings · All Day Breakfast – 2 Sausage, 2 Hash Browns, 3 Gammon Grill / Steak, 2 Black Pudding · Katsu Chicken & Crinkle Cut ..read more

As well as lots of fantastic water activities, (such as the aqua park, paddle boarding, wakeboarding, kayaking and more!) North Yorkshire Water Park have recently introduced more land activities.  I think they already had a (simply huge) zipline over their lake as well as puzzle rooms, but they have now added axe throwing, archery, a low ropes course and bushcraft to their catalogue of adventures! I don’t know why, but we have never been before, but would definitely like to visit over the summer to try out all the watersports too.   Archery We started off with an archery session.&n ..read more

The Caves of Diros at Pyrgos Dirou in the Peloponnese, Greece – The Peloponnese region of Greece is truly stunning, with many historic and beautiful places to visit. If you are in the area and fancy something different, then do consider the Caves of Diros (also known as Pyrgos Dirou) for a great family day out with the kids. It’s quite a long way South on the Mani peninsula, about 10km West of Gythio. As you drive South you will see the landscape changing from muted green olives groves to a drier more rugged landscape. Driving Through the Peloponnese There are some lovely villages on the way ..read more