Family friendly acommodations in Scotland

When E was about 3 months, we went to Scotland for my cousin's wedding (which took place at the top of a mountain at this beautiful monument). Although we had planned to only go for 10 days at first and go to Italy for another 10 days, we ended up saving Italy for the future (i'm still waiting) and spending the full 3 weeks for a complete road trip, north to south. Along the way we came across some great places, and some not-so-great places - the type where the people who own the b&b say "oh... you have a baby" in the same way one would say "oh... you have the measels" and then would say "well... we don't have any cribs" and then I would explain that at 3 months E would be sleeping with my husband and I anyway and then they would look at m in a funny way... but enough about them!!! Here are some of the good ones:

Islay was one of our favorite places we went to. This small island off the west coast of scotland offers amazing landscapes, great whiskey (there are 8 distilleries on this small island including Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Bowmore, Bruichladdich,  Lochindaal (owned & operated by Bruichladdich) Bunnahabhain, Coal Ila, and the microdistillery Kilchoman Distillery) and great people.

The Bruichladdich Distillery, Islay Scotland

We stayed at this great little b&b just down the road form the Bruichladdich distillery called the Anchorage B&B. More than happy to do anything she could to accommodate us Mrs. Macdonald also makes a great breakfast and will make you a packed lunch upon request. It's hard to be far from anything on Islay (pronounced eye-la), so even though the island's big town is Bowmore (home of the distillery of the same name) is not close, it's also never a far drive. The only thing is this: don't get caught without dinner reservations. I can't bold/underline this enough. There are only about 5 restaurants on the island and all get filled quick. Really quick. And there's not much else. Otherwise, it's heaven.

The Anchorage B&B, Islay Scotland

The round church in Bowmore, Islay Scotland

My cousin had his wedding at the Ben Wyvis Hotel in Strathpeffer, a former spa town where people in the Victorian era would travel to to "take the waters" of the sulphurous springs for their purported health benefits. The town still has a spa, though no longer offering the benefits of the sulphur springs, and offers some of the best of the Scottish Highlands. For total comfort, splurge on the Superior rooms as the difference is totally worth it. Brunch has everything you can ask for and did I mention the hotel had it's own movie theater (in case you have to spend time inside)?

Superior room at the Ben Wyvis Hotel in Strathpeffer, Scotland

Ben Wyvis Hotel, Strathpeffer Scotland

Me and baby E on the ferry to the Orkney Islands, Scotland

  

desperately seeking... florence? maui? palm springs? san juan... any vacation will do.

I'm itchy, my palms are sweating, I can't focus - sorry what did you say? I didn't hear you... I think I'm close to seeing things. It's been 5 months, 2 weeks and 4 days since my last vacation. I'm getting pretty desperate. Worse more,and this is maybe more than I'd like to admit, but *cringe* I have nothing in the foreseeable future... it hurts just thinking about it.

Although my vacation hours are accumulating, the credit card bill is not decreasing, so it doesn't look very likely that I'll be going anywhere soon. However, that being said, it doesn't mean that I don't have vacation ideas ready to pull out of the bag.

Here are a couple (one can always dream, right?):

Sayulita

Only 26 miles from the Puerto Vallarta airport Sayulita is not what pops to mind when one thinks of vacationing in Mexico and especially not Puerto Vallarta. In a different state, on a different bay, and in a different world, Sayulita is home to about two thousand, most from three extended families, with a beach unspoiled by large scale development.


The complex is composed of huge majestic private villas, some which are right on the beach and has 4 private pools, which is great for kids. The villas accommodate 6 to 8 people, so maybe invite another family to come along and bring the  kids. The village is charmingly rustic with many family friendly places to eat and not blow the budget. A perfect off the beaten path Mexican family vacation.

Sayulita Villa

Amazing snorkeling is available in Islas Marietas, where decades ago, Jacques Cousteau filmed his diving specials and has wildlife here which is only also found on the Galapagos Islands. There is also the San Cristobal Estuary where you can take a boat upstream and see crocodiles and hundreds of beautiful white egrets... It's enough to make me want to go and not leave. And since it's easy to find low prices to Mexico, it offers a very tempting lure.

One of the pools on the Sayulita complex

Crocs at the San Cristobal Estuary

Or, if Mexico isn't your style, how about trying the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs?

Ace Hotel - Palm Springs

Swim Club, Ace Hotel - Palm Springs

Near the Joshua Tree National Park and the Salton Sea this boutique hotel has a great pool & swim club, great rooms at very reasonable prices (starting around $100/night) and an onsite spa, horse stables, golf, tennis and hiking.

Simple Suite - Ace Hotel, Palm Springs

Did I mention some rooms come equipped with turntables? My husband will love this, seeing as Palm Springs is less than a 2 hour drive to one of the best record stores in the world... And yes, by records, I mean vinyl.

10 ways to save money while on vacation

The amazing folks at Delicious Baby wrote up a list of the top 10 ways to save money while on a Vacation in Hawaii. The thing is, I pretty much think most these rules almost apply regardless of where you travel to.

A great place for online coupons is retailmenot.com which also have coupons in the UK, Canada and other international locations.

Bummis is also one of my favorite places for reusable swim diapers (they are the mecca of the reusable diaper) because, yes, one reusable swim diaper costs the same as 1 pack of disposables. I usually keep 1 pack of disposables (in case of accidents) handy but use my reusable one for E 90% of the time.

London (part 3): The best of the rest

Lastly, I thought I'd add a few more favorites that weren't really related to the London Pass or the Merlin Combi Ticket that we discovered along the way...

The Tate Modern & The Tate Britain:
I did both of these in a day with E. and it was great. First of all if you don't go to the temporary exhibits, they are both free. Both places are also very stroller friendly and I timed my first visit to be the Tate Modern to coincide with her nap. I had a lovely 2 hours to visit the museum and take it all in. Museums are pretty quiet places too, so naps last long :)
She then woke up and I finished visiting for another half hour and then we had lunch. The café at the Tate Modern offers great choices and kids eat FREE (when an accompanying parent eats). They gave E crayons and a kids placemat to colour on and the food was great. It makes such a difference when you eat with kids in a place that welcomes them.

From the Tate Modern there's a boat you can take which will go along the Thames and take you to the Tate Britain. E loved riding the Tate to Tate boat and since we had a travel card it was only 3.35 pounds (it's 5 if you have no travel card), no charge for E. The boat allows you to be on the outside deck if it's nice out and is a change from the bus & underground, was very stroller friendly and probably the most direct way to get from one place to the other.

So E. was awake for the Tate Britain and loved running around the big open spaces, stopped to appreciate and enjoy some of the art (I particularly enjoyed pieces of one of my favorite painters) and enjoyed some of the fun programs they had for kids . All in all, a great day.

Camden Market:
This was also a great day although I really do recommend a stroller because you may not want to have your child loose. E loved all the different stalls. My favorite area was Camden Lock Place where we found some great books at Black Gull Books and some adorable Owl Pillows for E which she now refers to as the "Owls from London" at The Arc.

The Arc in Camden Market

Black Gull Books in Camden Market

Last but not least, one of our favorite places which we found walking by on Regent Street on our first day in London. We then returned to the National Geographic Store two more times. The have a great café for a nice breakfast or lunch, an exhibit space with some amazing photography (we bought 2 prints including this iconic shot), a wide range of merchandise including furniture, clothing, accessories, hand-crafted items and a great, great children's section where they have demos on the weekend which E absolutely LOVED. Really, something for everyone on 3 floors. The day we were there they had a small reptiles & birds demonstration in the morning (what we saw, and inspired my idea for E's birthday party) and they had mammals &  large reptiles in the afternoon. We also bought an amazing stained glass lamp. Seriously, we could have gone back every day.

E at the National Geographic Café

We wish we could have taken part in the amazing family programs at Wigmore Hall, but they were already all booked and starting in October 2010, a fantastic exhibit featuring the work of Lauren Child of Charlie & Lola (E's absolute favorite) fame will be taking place at The Discovery Centre...

I guess we'll have to go back soon.

London: So many things to do... if you have time (part 2)

So as I mentioned before, we bought the London Pass before going to London which gives you free entry to all kinds of different places and tourist attractions. Some are worth is, some not so much, but it did get us out and about. We took the "with transport" option, which gives you free unlimited transport (bus, underground, and train) for 7 days. This was probably the best part of the card because, although cheap, bus fare does add up. The thing is, there are so manny things to do, there is realistically only so many you CAN do. Especially with a small one ;) The other thing I noticed is that although the London pass advertises some specials and reductions to London Pass card holders, they are actually offered to everyone. Which wasn't exactly the greatest surprise.  Sometimes the London Pass promotions had also expired.

That being said, here's a round up of what we did with the London Pass:

The London Zoo:
The London Zoo was a great day out. Despite the fact that for some reason E. cried non-stop the entire way there, she stopped as soon (although not soon enough) as she saw the animals. It started raining about half-way through the day when we were there (it is London after all... rain is to be expected) so we didn't make it a full day, but it definitely can.

Giraffes at the London Zoo

Otters at the London Zoo

E at the London Zoo Aquarium

The other great thing about the London Zoo is that they also have an aquarium and the admission is included in the entrance fee. So if you're trying to save a little, the aquarium at the Zoo and the London Aquarium are quite similar, so you don't really need to go to both (we did... e's kind of nuts about aquariums). The whole thing makes for a really nice day outside and will ensure that the small ones will be tired at the end of the day, and might just give you a chance to go for a quiet coffee or tea after.

Windsor Castle

This is also a great opportunity for a great day out (provided it isn't raining...). The London Pass includes travel by train from London to Windsor and entrance to Windsor Castle with a guided tour. E loved the train.

E loving the train

We also took a hop on-hop off bus tour of Windsor and they gave us 10% off for having the pass. The bus tour is a great way to get around in Windsor and Eton seeing as your coming in by train and have no car. The London Pass also offers free entry to an Eton College tour, which the tour bus takes you right to, but we didn't since it's only at specific times.

Also make sure that if you go to Windsor, that the Queen isn't there, as the castle won't be open to visit. They will tell you on the website if they're in residence at Buckingham or Windsor. The changing of the guards also offers some fun, but because we missed our train, we missed it. Oh well. If you do, you'll still see plenty of guards marching around the castle.

Windsor Castle

Guards marching at Windsor Castle

We also went to the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge Museum which were kind cool but not so amazing for E, and they're both not so stroller friendly. There was also free entry to the London Bridge Experience but this wasn't really geared at small children and they don't let children under 12 in one of the parts, so in the ned we nixed it.

Old Operating Theater Museum

The Old Operating Theater Museum was really cool, but it should be one of many things to plan on a day as it really doesn't take very long to visit. We also went to the nearby Globe Theater Tour which personally was a little disappointing. The tour only takes you to the theater and a guide tells you about the Shakespeare plays they put on there... Not exactly worth it if you're paying for the entrance.

A great thing to do if you're in the area (only try not to make it a weekend as it can get kind of crazy) is Borough Market. A Huge amazing public food market, you will find all kinds of fresh produce, meat, cheese, sweets and everything and anything else you can imagine. We picked up all kinds of stuff for some great  dinners while we were in London. Right next to the market is the replica of the Golden Hind ship which is fun whether or not you decide to visit it.

E playing with operating set in the small kids play section

The London Pass also offers some great promotions other than tourist attractions. We had a great 2for1 meal at Wagamama which although they didn't have a kid's menu, they offered great child friendly options and possibly one of my greatest kid-discoveries ever... Snacksticks!

Snacksticks!!! Perfect chopsticks for little hands.

This clever invention, which I have still not found in North America, offers little ones the ability to manage chop sticks by having the 2 pieces interlock and create a cross between tongs and chopsticks. Perfect for little hands!

The London Pass really does offer the possibility to get free entry and discounts to many places, you just have to ask yourself how many it's possible to do in the duration of the pass.

London: so many things to do... if you have time :) (part 1)

We went to London last March with E, to visit my cousin and his family, who live in Stoke Newington, only a bus ride away from downtown. Stoke Newington is a great area with many young families and everything seemed walking distance away: the shops, the cafés, the groceries (and the italian grocer we loved), and the great weekend farmer's market in the neighbourhood school yard. With such a lovely neighbourhood, it was easy to want to stay around town but, this being LONDON, there was also much awaiting us in the big city.

I've mentioned it before, but the Time Out London for Children  was bar none, the absolute best guide we had (i'm kind of a guide junkie, so I also had this one, this one and this one...). We also bought two passes before going to London: the London Pass and the Merlin Entertainment Combi Ticket.

Personally, I don't think the London Pass was worth it. We took the option with travel, which was convenient because it allowed us unlimited travel for 7 days (bus, underground & train) which was probably the best part of it, but overall, there are so many free things to do around London that I would think twice about getting it. However, it did get us out touring to try to make the most of it (in the end, I don't think we did). On the other hand, the Merlin Entertainment Combi Ticket, I would recommend, as all of the places we went to with it, were a good half day each, even with a toddler (as opposed to some of the museums we visited with the London Pass which we went through in 10 minutes).

The Merlin Entertainment Pass gave us entry to the London Eye, the Sea Life Aquarium, Madame Tussaud's Museum and the London Dungeon. We did the London Eye and the Aquarium on the same day since they are right next to each other.

The London Eye is great on a clear day, and the combi ticket allows you to go when ever you want, only MAKE SURE YOU GET THERE EARLY. I cannot stress this enough. E really did love it, and we got some great pics and great views of the city.

E with London in the background

The London Eye

The aquarium was nice although there's one which is just as good (and included in the admission price) at the Zoo. E is nuts about aquariums, so she did love both, but from an adult point of view, neither was as good as Vancouver's. If you're in the area and you have older children, check out the London Film Museum we unfortunately didn't get a chance to go, but it really looks like a great place. The only low point of the area has to be the food selection. London overall is great for (great & healthy) kid-friendly food on the go but this area was just the pits. Only a sandwich and hotdog stand which was expensive, and flat out not worth it, so maybe pack a lunch. There was, on the other hand a great place  for ice cream for a mid afternoon snack.

Madame Tussaud's was really fun as well and E did get quite a kick out of it. It was quite busy though and E pretty much ran through the whole place. If you do have young children, you might want to note that there is a "scary" part that they don't allow children under 12 in (even if they're asleep in a stroller) so you have to wait out that part with your small one and take turn going through.

E "carrying" the olympic torch at Madame Tussaud's

Samuel Jackson at Madame Tussaud's

The London Dungeon was pretty cool and although at first I thought it was going to be a really cheesy "haunted" experience type ride, it turned out to be really cool. E was asleep in her stroller for half of it, and I wouldn't really recommend it for very young children, but they were very accommodating with the stroller, and for the half that E was awake for (second half) she only got scared at a gunshot noise at the very, very end, so it was enjoyed by all.

Montreal or activities to do with the small set if, like me, you live here...

One of the best guide books I  ever found was this one which not only gave us all the touristy things to do around London, but also things you would do with your kids if you lived in London (although, according to some people who live there, nobody who lives in London has any money to do anything in London...). Anyway, this post isn't about London (soon, soon, i promise) but rather about different activities to do with the little ones if you're in Montreal (or if you live in Montreal) and you don't want something so touristy (maybe a topic of a future post).

The Snowdon Theatre opened its doors in 1937 and showed everything ranging from X-rated movies to Charlie Chaplin films and unfortunately closed its doors in 1982. Although its days as a film house are a little before my time, I've always marveled at the Art-Deco style of the building and learned that it's now home to a gymnastics school called Flex-Art who offer recreational and competitive gymnastics program for kids 4 to 18. I'm thinking of maybe singning E up when she's old enough seeing her fascination with swinging upside-down. They also host birthday parties for kids 4 and up.

If you're not in Montreal long enough to sign up for one of their programs, CEPSUM (the sports facilities of the University of Montreal) also have great sports and swimming programs for kids as old as 2 1/2 and up and you can sign up for a course or go to one of their drop-in times (birthday parties are also done here). You could also go take a look at the home of the 1967 Summer Olympic games and take advantage of their great pool and other facilities. Downtown, there's a great little recreation centre which has an open gym for parents and kids form 10am to noon on Saturday mornings. They also organize swimming classes at a nearby indoor pool where I take E which also has lots of free swim time.

If sports are not really your thing, or your child's, The Redpath Museum at McGill University organizes Sunday Tours an Discovery workshops for kids and families. Topics range from mermaids to mummies, dinosaurs to seahorses, to volcanoes and everything else you can imagine. You can sign up for all of the workshops (they alternate form week to week between english and french) or only 1 for $7.00 (no fee for accompanying parents). It's seems like a great way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon this fall. I'm thinking of taking E to a few myself.

Artistically, there's the KOSA academy where kids 4 and up can learn more about all kinds of drumming techniques, there's the Place des Arts which has its Junior programs consisting of theater, puppet shows, music and ballet all geared to little ones and there are the concerts given by Jeunesses Musicales Canada. Also, every last wednesday of the month, the McCord Museum hosts free activities for parents and tots and themes vary according to the exhibits.

If you do plan on visiting, it's a great city with lots to offer to families with kids, or if you  live here, make sure to take a look at I SPY Montreal and Montreal Families which are both real treasure chests of ideas for families.