1 Year Streaming Birthday! Tuesday 25th March 2025
Author: Saffron Baker
Shrek The Musical | The Belgrade Theatre | AD Gifted Experience
“Shrek The Musical,” where the movie we have all grown up with and love is adapted for the stage!
Now I have seen Shrek The Musical before, around 12 years ago in London West End when Amanda Holden was Fiona, I have to admit, the performance I experienced at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry was just as amazing!
The talented cast effortlessly immerses the audience in the fairy-tale universe, with brilliant set changes creating an atmosphere that is both visually stunning and emotionally engaging for all the family. There were so many different characters, details, and personalities to get to know, each wearing amazing thought-out costumes adding an extra layer of magic to the overall experience, making every scene engaging and spectacular.
“Shrek The Musical” has a diverse cast and an amazing mix of fairy-tale characters my little lad loved spotting the classics like Pinocchio and Peter Pan, each with their quirks and charm. Shrek, the lovable ogre with a heart of gold played by Antony Lawrence, takes centre stage alongside his hilarious companion Donkey played by the extremely talented Brandon Lee Sears, and the fierce Princess Fiona played by Strictly Come Dancing Pro Joanne Clifton. The magical interactions between these characters provide a delightful blend of humour, adventure, and heartfelt moments.
One of the standout features of “Shrek The Musical” is its incredible musical talent. Hearing new and classic songs played throughout with insane vocals! A special mention to Cherece Richards who played the dragon, she’s incredibly talented. I could listen to her voice all day. Also, Georgie Buckland who played Ginge (The gingerbread man) amongst other characters, her vocal range is insane and blew us all away with her talents. Of course, the band was on point!
The choreography and dance sequences were flawless, I loved there was a Tap number! There was energy from the start right until the curtain fell, the stage was non-stop drama, entertainment, and excitement.
“Im a Believer! “
A must-see!! if you’re looking for a night of laughter, heart-warming moments, and a dash of fairy-tale magic,
“Shrek The Musical” is one for your theatre bucket list.
Book tickets here – showing from Tuesday 30th January – Sunday 4th February
* Thank you The Belgrade & AnrPR for inviting me down to review. Gifted Experience*
Cinderella Panto | The Belgrade Theatre | AD Gifted Experience
It’s that time of year again, would it be Christmas without a trip to the Belgrade Theatre? This year we were in for a treat with Cinderella as their theme!
We took our two boys E who is 11, and L who is 8 and as you can imagine they were both so excited about going after enjoying the previous years, it’s not becoming a fun tradition.
Some of you who have followed for years will know that we have a child who is SEN and we normally attend The Belgrade’s “Relax Performances” but this year with him being 11 we thought we would try for the Press Night.
If you are a family with SEN or other disabilities please read a past blog here where we talk about what a relaxed performance is.
I have said it before and I will say it again, every year Iain manages to top the last show, it was truly brilliant from start to finish, super engaging for the children and they absolutely loved it. They have been speaking about it nonstop, singing the songs, and talking about the characters. Liam’s lucky, he gets to go again with his school soon!
Proper belly laughs!
As always there are loads of jokes for the adults, myself and husband enjoyed it just as much as the kids for our reasons.
Now, the set? Transformations were on point with such stunning vibrant backdrops, and amazing elements that were engaging and surprised us adding fun engaging aspects to the show.
This year’s special effects and magic were absolutely amazing, there were a couple of moments where I was like how did that happen? There was one point in the show where they did a tongue twister without saying too much it was… well, amazing!
So, the cast? Absolute gems. Cinderella’s journey from scruffy to fabulous was spot-on, and the wicked stepfamily? Hilarious doesn’t even cut it—these guys had us belly laughing, gasping, and looking at one another “Did they really say that”
We had two dames too which was so fun! Ian Lauchlan plays Flatula & Andy Hockley plays Aroma. We of course had Craig Hollingsworth as Buttons!
The Costumes were so well thought out and absolutely beautiful or outrageously acentric!
And the music? Oh, it was a party. With catchy tunes, and amazing dance moves the boys have been asking to play the songs they heard on repeat. The vocal talent this year was brilliant with excellent choreography!
Cinderella at the Belgrade will leave you feeling all the festive feels, if you get the chance, get tickets ASAP. Trust me; it’s a magical experience for the whole family.
Get you tickets for this years panto here
I would love to know what you’re doing this year to get yourself in the festive spirit I would love to know!
Saff xo
Thank you to The Belgrade & ANR.PR for the tickets & drinks in exchange for a review
All Production photos credit to Nicola Young
Enchanted Christmas Kingdom | Hatton Country World | Gifted Experience
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Especially over at Hatton Country world where we were invited down to review there Enchanted Christmas Experience.
From the moment we stepped foot into the kingdom, we were transported to a winter wonderland that felt like something straight out of a fairy-tale. The attention to detail, with pretty twinkling fairy lights, festive decorations and Elves wondering around welcoming the children in full character. I wished we could experience this after dark, it would feel even more magical.
On arrival we were given a passport and map showing us everything they had on offer, from Reindeer food making, to a 3D glowing forest there were lots of exciting things dotted around the kingdom in which the children could collect stamps from along the way.
Everything is free roam on the day apart from your group visit with santa that time you choose when booking your tickets, and Mr Hollys Creation Station Show which runs shows throughout the day. This makes it very easy to be able to pick and choose what you want to do, plan food and drinks breaks when needed.
The park’s main features and themes include:
The Gingerbread factory – Meet Mrs Claus who guides you into the “Factory” where you each get to ice and decorate a gingerbread man. This was a great self-lead activity and a chance to sit down, the kids could either eat it there or take it away. Handy sinks close by for the messy pups like my two.
Wishing tree – Make a wish and hang it on the special Christmas tree.
Reindeer Food Making – Create your own reindeer food to sprinkle out on Christmas eve.
3D glowing forest – A little walk around where you wear special glasses that change the lights to look like a 3D image, make sure to each get a different pair as the theme on the glasses is the 3D image you will see on the lights as you go round. If you each get a different theme you can mix and match.
Mr Hollys Creation Station Show – A funny entertaining family festive magic and puppet show.
North Pole Postal Station – Deliver your letter to Santa
Secret Toy Shop – Choose a toy as a gift from Santa and his Elves.
Lastly of course the MAIN event seeing Santa, this was a lovely group experience where you go and see the big man himself. He talks to the children, and they have a chance to have their photo taken.
There are loads more things to do a see, with some little fairground rides for the children, a big Helter Skelter style slide, trampolines, mini bowling, play parks and lots of animals.
There’s a lovely farm walk you can do, tractor safari, hold guinea pigs in the guinea pig village & reptiles in scales and tales.
Let’s not forget the festive food and drink options there were lots of lovely independents scattered around Hatton selling Pizzas, Burgers, Hot Chocs even marshmallows to toast on the fire. We were kindly gifted all our food and drinks in Hatton’s onsite Restaurant Snortys which is also where the soft play is located.
We tried a selection of their food to be able to give you our thoughts, E had the 8oz cheeseburger and chips he said it was 10/10. L had the chicken cheese burger and chips; the chicken was so delish. Luke opted for something on their festive menu, the Turkey stuffing and cranberry burger which he thoroughly enjoyed and I had a Jacket potato with cheese and beans but got major food envy over L’s Chicken burger. Luke had a hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows and they boys had 2 milkshakes each and the total came to £40.00 which for a family of 4 all adult meals I think is very reasonable.
What impressed us was the seamless organization of the event baring in mind we came on opening day despite the large number of visitors, the day flowed smoothly, and the staff’s effirt to ensuring everyone had a magical time was lovely to see.
The genuine warmth and kindness of the staff added an extra layer of magic to the day.
Hatton Adventure World’s Enchanted Christmas Kingdom exceeded our expectations and provided an exciting experience which left us with all the festive feels. We highly recommend it to anyone looking to create lasting memories and experience the festive fun
I would recommend if you’re planning on visiting Hatton this festive season, please book in advance online to avoid missing out. With their new features to their experience, I know it’s going to be a sell out!
A few key things to note, lots of the activities are indoors but I would recommend wrapping up warm as it got a little chilly at times and we were blessed with great sunny weather mid-November.
Wear wellies or shoes you wouldn’t mind getting muddy as the paths were muddy as to be expected when on a farm.
Accessibility wise, we saw loads of prams being pushed around at ease, but there is a few hills to take into consideration. I would say the place isn’t manual wheel chair friendly unless you have a career to push or an electric with the mud being slippery.
There were lots of toilets around and places to wash hands after activities, but as always I advise you bring hand gel!
There were plenty of benches for you to enjoy your own picnics.
Be sure to check out the independent shops that are at Hatton, there’s lots of cute boutiques, a Christmas shop and Market stalls to explore.
See the video from our time at Hatton here
If you’re visiting Hatton please let me know your thoughts and I would love to know what other festive things you have planned this year?
Saff xo
Huge thank you to the Team at Hatton Country world for gifting us the tickets to experience there Enchanted Christmas Kingdom along with the Food and Drink in Snorty’s Restaurant. This was a gifted experience in exchange for content.
Queens Road Restaurant | Ramada Hotel | Gifted Experience
Date night, it’s been a while and my gosh don’t myself and the husband need it with the summer holidays in full swing, and have been looking forward to the time together.
We were very kindly invited down to the Queens Road Restaurant situated in the Ramada Hotel in Coventry to review their food.
Firstly, I want to just say how amazing the staff were, we feel so blessed to have had the loveliest staff looking after us and making us for so relaxed and accommodated.
The setting is lovely, I didn’t expect it to be so comfy and pretty inside. We started off with some drinks, I had a Passion Fruit Martini of course. The husband had a beer.
Starters we were spoiled for choice we tried the Hot Golden Brie, Chicken, Beef Croquette and the Jasmine Cured Salmon. We split each dish so we could both get a good taste of them all.
Starting with the Hot Golden Brie, this was absolutely delish, and was my favourit. If you’re a cheese lover you HAVE to try it paired with the tomato chutney it was bursting with flavour.
The Beef Croquette was super yummy and gave Chinese vibes, I love the prawn cracker texter noodles, they were something I’ve never seen or experienced before which was fun and unique.
The salmon was so good Luke’s favourite, and tasted so fresh, the perfect light starter.
Lastly the Chicken, this was too spicey for me, but Luke loved it and said it was the perfect amount of spice and flavour, it was a messy one, we both joked how it wouldn’t be something you would choose on a first date!
While we waiting for the mains, we were brought an Apple sorbet to help cleanse the pallet. This was so good super refreshing and was presented in a desert glass with pretty edible flowers. Just the perfect little treat before your main and it did really help cleanse the pallet.
For mains Luke choose the Lamb Rump and I went for the Sirloin both came presented beautifully, a full vine of tomatoes laid on the steak which was a lovely touch. The chunkiest chips you ever did see both meats cooked to perfection. The steak was perfect and the lamb full of flavour.
After mains we were brought a selection of mini desserts. We had a pistachio, chocolate, and lemon they were a lovely little touch while we waited for our treats to come. We were both absolutely stuffed but were persuaded to get a dessert. We choose the brownie and the Red Velvet cheese cake.
Now I would go back to the Queens Road JUST for the cheese cake it was the best cheese cake we have ever tasted; it was absolutely divine and presented so beautifully, we have spoken about it craved it ever since.
A huge thank you to the team at the Ramada and the Queens Road Staff for making date night so lovely.
We had a lovely time and recommend checking it out if you’re looking for somewhere a bit different and special for date night, or time with friends and family. Parking was super easy and convenient which always makes the experience better.
Have you been to Queens Road Restaurant before? I would love to know?
Saff xo
Huge thank you to Queens Road & The Ramada for having us for our GIFTED experaince
Benugo Bar & Kitchen | Warwick Arts Centre | Gifted Experience
We were very kindly invited down to Benugo Bar & Kitchen situated in Warwick Arts Centre in Coventry to try out their NEW menu, and we were in for a treat.
Myself, husband, dad, and two children ventured down on a Thursday evening to experience all Benugo Bar & Kitchen had to offer.
Firstly, the décor is stunning and has been done out so well. We did not feel like we were in Coventry, it gives high end vibes. The staff were incredibly kind and accommodating to us, nothing was too much. We were relaxed and they were very kind to the children.
We started the evening off with some starters, we tried the Popcorn Cauliflower, Buffalo chicken wings & the Dirty Loaded Fries.
Popcorn Cauliflower was so delish, its a dish we wouldn’t normally choose so was ace to try something new, we were all shocked and pleasantly surprised at how good it tasted, the texture everything. This was Liam’s favourite and has been asking for it ever since.
Buffalo Chicken Wings, the amount of meat on these. wings was amazing, whenever we have had wings in the past, we always feel like there’s nothing to them, these were juicy, full of flavour, and with plenty of meat.
Dirty Loaded Fries, these were my favourite’s! They were so so good, the melted cheese, and crispy bits of bacon just yummy! I am a fries lover and would be happy just to have this as my main!
For main courses, the boys decided they wanted pizzas and burgers. The staff brought out pizza bases paired with little chef hats for the boys to wear while they got to make their pizzas. This was the sweetest touch and was amazing having them interact and do something a little different, it defiantly kept them occupied and excited to eat the Pizzas they made.
The children’s menu is great, they get two courses and a drink for £8.00
Children can make their pizzas Monday – Friday in August and during the half-term holidays, such a lovely treat for them to do and feels like a novelty.
We spotted on the menu a super lovely thoughtful note that says “We have all been there, left the house in a rush and forgotten the most important things! That’s why we have a few necessities complimentary should you need them: Baby Milk, Nappies, wipes, baby food, and bibs. Just ask the waiter” I know our children are past this stage, but my gosh when they were little the stress of having everything with you is real, I’ve never seen anything like this in a restaurant before and the fact they offer and accommodate for parents like this is amazing. Something so little for the restaurant can be so massive for a stressed parent.
Myself and Dad also opted for Pizza, Dad had the Ham & mushrooms, and I went for the Meaty Warwick. Both were so delish, properly made & cooked pizzas made in their stunning Pizza oven.
Luke opted for a burger the Short Rib Marrowbone burger, which he said was spot on, full of flavour, and tasted delish it was a big portion! He was left stuffed.
Desserts, we were ready to pop, but we had to try them… We had Ice cream, Churros, Benugo Sundae, and their Ultimate ice cream Sundae.
All of them were amazing, super yummy but my fave was the Churros they were fresh, had delicious flavours, and came with a chocolate sauce.
Lastly, we need to take a moment for the Cocktails & Mocktails, I ordered the Virgin Mojito which was so delish and refreshing. The bar staff insisted we try some of their other cocktails, of course you know me I love myself a Passion fruit Martini and it was hands down one of the most delish Passion fruit martinis I have ever had, it has Passoe Foam honestly so good! I also tried another which I sadly can’t remember the name of but it was lovely!
I highly recommend you check out Benugo, the atmosphere and everything were just lovely, the boys are already asking when can we go back, and in their words “The best place we have been for food” Happy kids happy parents.
Accessibility – Benugo is situated inside the Warwick Arts Centre, you can get access to it from the main entrance of the Art Centre or round by “The kissing penguins” sculpture. Parking is easy and around a 5 min walk and cost just £1.00 Everywhere was flat and wheel chaire accessible.
Have you been to Benugos Before? I would love to know
Saff xo
Huge thank you to GHPR & Benugo for the invite and for being so generous and accommodating to us all.
Making Money From home | Money Tips | Save with Saff
Hello my loves, my gosh this post has been heavily requested… if you follow me on social media, you will know I work at home for myself, I work with clients in my marketing business, I have my own nail business, have my merch business but I also LOVE doing random extra little bits from home to make some easy extra money
I’m going to share with you what I’m currently doing using etc to make money, anyone can do this it needs no skills just a phone.
Im aware there are soo many scam websites out there that just waste your time, I can assure you none of these are I have made money. If you would like to see screen shots of what I have made please drop me a message and I can send them to you!
Please feel free to ask me any questions if you’re stuck and need me to explain in more detail.
I will be branching into more ways soon, but here is a few to get you started.
Market Research
Probably the reason you are here reading this blog, this week I did a market research for 2 hours 30min and made £120.00 This was all about Refrigerators and was paid straight to my PayPal.
I did this at home around the children and was so easy to do. I have been doing market researches since the age of 9 so as you can imagine I have done 100s for all different brands and products with a vast variety of different sceneries. The ones I’m going to introduce you to are ones you can do at home without leaving the house.
I recommend you setting up a brand-new email, this is so you can log in everyday and not miss a thing, use this purely for any money-making sites.
Sign up to User interviews here
This is the company I got my £120 MR from; you will get emails to apply make sure you’re checking every day, and be quick to fill them out. My dad signed up this week and he is doing an ace one about live music something he loves. There’s a whole host of genres, money incentives and types. Keep applying and you will start to get noticed.
Cashback!
This is another great way to make money without even trying hard… I like to use two for different reasons,
Jam Doughnut app is an app you buy gift cards off to spend on your shopping, so for example if you shop at Aldi buy a gift card for Aldi on the JD app and currently you would get 2% back.
Say if your weekly shop is £100 you would save £2 a week, £8 a month that’s £96 a year free money.
You’re booking a holiday on Airbnb its costing you £300 there’s currently 5% back if you buy a gift card meaning you would make £15 back just for buying a card on JD and using it on Airbnb website. I do it for everything now even if it means I make £1
Ok so you’re shopping in Primark for your children’s clothes for the holiday you spend £150… currently there is 7% cash back with Primark meaning you would make £10.50.
So altogether your £25.50 up on the holiday already.
All this cash back sits in your Jam Doughnut account and can instantly either be paid straight to your bank or be redeemed for gift cards. No waiting around like other cash back sites.
I personally use it as a little saving pot and then cash out as and when or use it for vouchers to get gifts.
Honestly there are so so many places you could use this for over 150 apparently. All can be used either in store or online. Sports Direct, Halfords, Morrisons, TK Max, ASOS, Matalan, New look, Costa Coffee pretty much every occasion or shop… even Miller & Carter!
It’s crazy you would be silly not to!
Download the app and get £2 instantly in your account buy using my referral code PKRE
Regular cash back sites,
These are amazing if you’re shopping online its super easy to do, my personal favourite is Top Cashback. The best way to use it is to download the app and whenever you’re shopping online search the shop on the app or website and click through to register for the cash back. Top cashback is great to use and forget about as it takes a little while for money to be confirmed, it basically stops people from buying and returning something so some can take 30 days.
I have made a massive £439.32 just for shopping doing nothing else!
Games!
Lastly for today I’m sorry if you’re an iPhone user this isn’t for you yet… I don’t think the app is available yet but if you have access to a tablet or mobile phone that runs android and you like playing games you neeeeeed to download Mistplay
I have been playing games in the evening while watching telly and have earned myself £15 in amazon vouchers to spend online so far.
You play games to earn points, points you spend on vouchers I’ve chosen to spend mine on amazon and you can cash out at as little as £5.00
There are loads of fun games, all your mainstream ones. You need to make sure like top cashback you download and play the games through the app, now I’ve even got the children on this ha! If there playing games, they can be making Amazon vouchers which reminds me I need to check there little points pots!
Join through my referral to get points towards your voucher when you sign up.
I’m going to be setting up a WhatsApp group, so I can drop in reminders and links for any market research I get come through that you guys may be able to participate in. This will be on my business WhatsApp and will be the sort of group only I can post in. But I think that this will be the best way I can keep you in the loop quickly and easily… if you would like to join this group either contact me on social media or email and I can add you to the list.
I hope this all helps angels, I’m excited to introduce more of you to the world of easy money making from home.
Please let me know how you get on, and if you have any confirmed ways of making money I haven’t yet spoken about it would love to know!
Saff xo
Turtle Bay | Takeaway Alfresco | Food Review
We were very kindly gifted a voucher to order a take away from Turtle Bay Coventry through Deliveroo and of course we were over the moon.
We both love Turtle Bay especially the husband it’s his absolute fave so you can imagine this was one collaboration he was definitely up for.
With the weather being so lush we decided to take our Turtle Bay order outside to enjoy in the evening sun. We accompanied ours with a cool Beer.
Placing the order was super easy on the Deliveroo app, bonus was the evening we placed our order, there was a 20% a £20 spend. We ordered the, Crispy Chilli Squid, Kingston Fried Chicken + Spiced Fries, Curry Goat & Rice, Side of Spiced fries.
Check out the reel I created here
Mine and Luke’s go too, is normally the Shack Stack Burger with side pots of Jerk Mayo, Fiery Jerk Gravy & Mango BBQ Sauce. They have all been removed from the menu which is devastating…. but also great as it forced us to try something new.
The Goat curry was delish, perfect blend of spices and the meat 10/10, it was a littler on the spicy side for me but perfect for Luke who likes a little kick to his flavour.
The Kingston Fried chicken was perfect for me, great flavour… and the one to go for if your on of those who arnt a huge fan of spice. It was really yummy and paired perfectly with the Chips, which provided the perfect amount of spice for me.
All the portions were ace, we were stuffed. We couldn’t finish the Chilli Squid which for a side we were surprised about you expect a small taster, this wasnt the case.
I’m looking forward to enjoying some of our favourite meals from the comfort of home in the garden this summer.
Would love to know what you’re go to meal at Turtle Bay is?
Saff xo
Thankyou Turtle Bay
6th Wedding Anniversary Weekend | Cliff House Holiday Park Suffolk | UK Staycation Review
Our 6th Wedding Anniversary, it’s crazy how fast the time has gone we try to mark it each year with a memory or a trip away. This year we decided to explore Suffolk a new place neither of us have been before and we took the boys along with us.
We stayed in a lovely cottage with a hot tub onsite at Cliff House Holiday Park, we chose the site as it has easy excess down to a stunning beach.
Now arriving at the cottage, we did have some issues, you know I’m always transparent and honest with everything we do, so I don’t want to say it was all perfect.
The hot tub hadn’t been cleaned… and you may remember from our last wedding anniversary trip click here to read that I caught a severe throat infection from the chemicals they had used. I know I’m crazy for even booking somewhere else with a hot tub so when we arrived of course it was the first thing I checked and it was dirty… I headed over to the front desk to ask if it had been cleaned and they confirmed it had been missed of their list that morning. You guys know me, germs are one of my biggest fears and with everything with Hot tubs in the past I freaked out.
They came and sorted it straight away but the hot tub was never the right temp, was kicking out brown froth and just wasn’t ok so we didn’t really get to use it which was frustrating. But if it had of all been cleaned, I’m sure it would have been lovely.
The cottage was comfortable again a few issues but nothing that would spoil a holiday, I would recommend if booking bringing your own little hoover and some cleaning products 🙂 that sort of vibe.
The stairs to the cottage were very steep and curve round, I wouldn’t recommend for small children or anyone who struggles to climb stairs, I felt worried about the children coming down them and there 8 and 10. The cottage itself has 3 bedrooms sleeping 5 people. The toilet and shower are downstairs.
( I was tempted to send the husband here so I could star fish the bed! )
The site also had places for people to camp, mobile homes along with some static homes which would be lovely to rent out.
There were a few shower blocks on site that we could see along with toilets all close to the camp sites. If camping is your thing, I think it would be really lovely.
It’s a dog friendly site, and lots of people had their pets with them. There were also some wild rabbits hopping about which was super cute to see, we even had one run into our back garden.
They had a fantastic play area for the children, with plenty for them to do. The site had a bar and restaurant with pool tables.
I took a photo of the menu so you can see the sort of prices. I couldn’t see a child’s menu so not sure if that’s something they catered for.
On site there is a tiny shop with the bare essentials like milk and bread. The main exciting thing about the site was the access down to the beach, steep steps lead you down to a beautiful coast line. We were there in the last weekend of April and it was HOT we got so lucky with the weather;
It felt like a private beach with it being pretty empty at parts of the day which felt so lovely. I have posted a TikTok and Reel of our time check them out here and here
We noticed near buy there were a couple of lovely looking woodland walks which sadly we didn’t get time to go on, that would have been a plan if the weather had been to chilly for the beach but we were blessed with sunshine both days, to the point where the husband got a cracking tan!
Few things to note if you’re wanting to have a holiday at Cliff House Holiday Park… we did not see a shop or service station for well over half of the journey (we travelled from Coventry in the West Midlands) so pack everything you need for the weekend plus the kitchen sink… I took breakfast lunch and dinner for every day, drinks and lots of snacks which overall made the whole trip a lot cheaper but obviously meant we needed to pack more. The site itself is disability friendly from what we could see, but the beach defiantly is not, unless locally there is another access point you can drive too which is more disability friendly, but again with how low down the beach is to the cliff, I’m not sure how steep a ramp would be.
The actual beach is a mix of the sand and stones, so the kids found it very painful to walk on it, recommend bringing crocs or sliders. We tried the water shoes but they got full of sand and stones. It as very windy down on the beach and we were pretty cold when sat still, so even though its hot and you burn the sea breeze defiantly got us, so I would recommend packing a scarf or blanket, shawl type thing to drape over you. The waves when we went were lovely and calm, which made us relax a lot more for the children splashing around. It was too cold to fully submerge yourself into the sea.
If you decide to stay in one of the Cottages, they say they provide you with basics like tea coffee etc but they don’t, we would recommend bringing spare towels which we did, all your tea coffee, salt pepper, toilet paper etc and if you plan on cooking then your oil. They do however have a dishwasher which was super handy. If your needing some help on what to pack See my list here of essential things we always take on holiday with us! The cottage says it comes with a BBQ but it doesn’t, it comes with slabs to put a BBQ on, we luckily brought a portable one from £1 with us.
It was so lovely to get away the four of us and spend some quality time together, I’m excited for our next little mini holiday weekends away in June. You guys seem to love when I share our trips away so of course I will document and tell you all about them on here.
Have you got any summer trips planned? I would love to know,
Saff xo
Our Holiday Essentials | Things you need!
Hello my darlings, you know we love our staycation weekends away in the UK, I’ve shared on stories some of the things we take away with us and have always been asked where you to can find them, so I thought I would do a post of all the holiday essentials we take every time we go away!
We have two children so some of these are great for kids but would also be perfect for your couple or solo traverlers as well.
I hope it gives you some inspiration and if you are going away, have the most amazing time be sure to let me know where you go, we always love to hear people’s recommendations.
Tripod
Ok here me out, a folding tripod is not just for us content creators, I think everyone should own one. Honestly document those memories, set it up a little way away from yourself and film you on your own, as a couple or family making these memories, capturing the moment.
Now as we know I am a creative so I have soooo many and have purchased a ridiculous number of tripods. I think I’ve finally come across the holy grail of easy to use, compact to take out but sturdy tripods. Where has it been all my life?
It’s a need! You spend all the money on the holidays and come home with little to no video memories of you ALL in it and remember you can take screen grabs of the videos and have photos! Normally someone else is behind the camera. This Tripod comes with a remote switch so you can set it up and control it from a distance. Of course, this tripod isn’t just for holidays it’s for Christmas too ha! Think setting it up Christmas morning and filming you all around the tree, priceless memories you while cherish for years to come.
Shop the best of the best here
Beach overhead towels
Now if you’re a child or adult, heading to the beach or hot tub, these are honestly amazing. We have used hooded poncho towels for years now, especially for the children. If you have ever been to a beach with a child before you may know how tricky it is sometimes to get them off the beach while carrying everyone’s shoes, clothes, towels, beach bits etc. So, we just throw these towels on over the boys put the hoods up to keep them warm… we don’t have them moaning about being cold, or the towel falling down dragging along the floor, I feel like you know the vibes.
The material of the ones linked isn’t a proper towel material, I would describe the material as a soft microfibre style… but helps you to dry off. It doesn’t absorb all the water making them heavy or hard to dry which is perfect for when your away especially in the UK as we haven’t always got the sun to help dry them off in the evening. They dry super quickly on their own meaning there ready to use again the next day.
(They fit myself at a size 20 they fit my husband who is tall and they fit both the boys who are 8 and 10 they just look like little Jedi’s until they grow a little taller)
Hot tub test kit
If you know our past experience, then you will know these are now an absolute must for me! We have had a couple of traumatic encounters with hot tubs. I don’t know why I still book places with them, but now I carry a tub of these test strips with me. So we can test the water every time making sure all the levels are right and no yucky germs.
Hanging travel bag
These style travel bags are super handy, they hold everything in from your toothbrushes, tooth paste, have a zip compartment for sanitary products and then ample space to put in shower gels, razor, shampoos etc and the best thing about it, being waterproof with a hook to just hang in the bathroom or behind the bathroom door, makes the whole packing & un packing process easier for us.
Beach Shoes
All four of us have beach shoes now and I will explain why, firstly I got them for the boys for water parks, like the one in Lego land. There perfect for them to wear around in the day and splash about without worrying about bringing a spare pair of socks and shoes. We have invested in some sturdy ones that the boys wore around Lego land twice two days in a row and didn’t complain once that their feet were sore. Even on water rides they were brilliant no soggy socks.
We love them for little country walks with streams, beaches with stones like Brighton beach, and a lot of beaches have horrid weever fish, if you don’t know what they are a quick google will explain how vile a sting is from them. So, they help to protect your feet in the sea from sharp things too!
Power pack
An absolute must, especially if you are traveling with children. You never know when your sat nav could fail and you need to use your phone, we always carry a power pack on us. There’s a couple we have for different reasons.
Power pack 1 – we have a couple of these there perfect to plug into your phone, the Nintendo switches or tablets and have about a full charge on them. These are light and easy to through in backpacks. No charging wire is needed.
Power pack 2 – Is the big one! Its slim and a little heavy but has a very good battery life, it can charge multiple things at multiple times, it’s got every sort of port you can think of so you can plug your charging wire into it to charge any device. It’s a must for a backup. Especially if you’re staying somewhere far away that you want to be safe for battery life or to a place that is limited on plug sockets like a hotel.
Plugs & Extensions
Talking of plug sockets, we always bring one of these where ever we go,
Plug number 1 – Its perfect to take with us to be able to charge things using a usb wire but also has the option for a plug as well, its small and light.
Plug number 2 – this is perfect for the hotel stays, or even if you’re camping and have access to electricity or in a mobile home. It’s an extension with multiple places to charge you usb cables and plugs with a good length to be able to stretch it to where it needs to.
Head phones and dividers
Children and their technology on car journeys just arnt the one! We always make sure they have the airphones as well as a ear phone splitter so they can both listen to there own thing or share a screen. These have come super in handy when we have shared hotels together and can’t have own space. In the mornings it means they can entertain themselves while we get a little more zZzzZZz
Box with all meds first aid
I do this every trip, the husband thinks it’s to much but I think it’s a necessity and the fact I pack It means we don’t need it, if I didn’t pack it best believe we would need it. It helps me know we have every base covered. Some may say its un necessary I would say organised ha!
I have linked any bits you can get online, click on the name to shop.
- Digital Thermometer – Just in case
- Swiss Army Knife – You never know when you will need something sharp or some scissors, bottle opener etc
- Lighter & Matches – Handy for BBQs
- Citronella Tea lights or Candle – these are amazing if you camp our spend time outside, they help keep those annoying insects away!
- First Aid kit – you know your girls clumsy
- Travel Sew kit – handy to have
- Hand Sani – can never have to much
- Tweezers – Great for splinters
Then of course your, Calpol, pain killers, cold and flu tablets, ibuprofen, anti-sickness bands, Piriton etc
Speaker
Our Bluetooth speaker comes absolutely everywhere with us, it has amazing battery life great sound quality and is super durable. Always handy to have to either take to beach, use by the hot tub etc
Kindle
Very recently we brought the boys their 1st Kindles and it’s been so amazing to see them read more. They read with the kindle so so much more than they did with their books. We got them the style where it’s JUST books nothing else so no distraction. What I love about the kindle is there perfect to take away as the battery life is LONG you can adjust the light settings so they can be read in the dark or on the beach when the sun is glaring down. Perfect way to relax and unwind and for the children to also disconnect from the real world.
Our boys have these kindles here
Amazon duffle bag
Never thought I would be raving about a bag! These are blumming amazing and we have two of them, they fit absolutely everything in, we could fit all 4 of our clothes and some for a weekend away. Highly recommend for holidays in the UK where your packing bits in your car.
Clip on sun tan
Sun tan lotion is a must we all know this, but I absolutely love the clip-on versions we make ourselves at home. It makes things a lot easier when you’re out for the day, to clip it onto your bag for easy reaching. Leave the chunky bottles at home. You can buy clip on bottles that are ready to be filled with your suntan lotion, if you need labels making give me a shout and we can do some for you. They’re also great for kids school bag.
Small salt pepper, ketchup and mayo
If your condiment monsters like us then this one is for you. A lot of holidays we go on we either cook for ourselves or we will maybe order in a chippy for example, 9/10 the place we are staying doesn’t have sauces and, I mean there a must! So we have mini virions we take with us!
Shop the handy travel condiments here
I would love to know what your holiday essentials are?
Saff xo
Itssaffb 