Candyfloss & Dreams

Tag: travel with kids

Bophut: Travelling With Kids (AD)

This is a collaborative post.

Visiting Bophut as a Family for a beachfront holiday

I love travelling and there are so many beautiful places I want my children to see around the world. When it comes to travelling with children you feel like you sometimes have to compromise with beautiful places for family friendly however with a little digging and a bit of research I think you can find the best of both worlds. I know when it comes to travelling with my family I want to experience a bit of culture but I also want an area I can feel relaxed and safe. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a beach holiday abroad and I’m fully convinced to go self catering in a villa next time we do.

Villa Accomodation

One area I would love to visit and hadn’t thought about before was Thailand but digging a little further and finding some of the beautiful islands off the mainland you come across Koh Samui. An area I think my family would absolutely love exploring is Bophut. It looks like an ideal family friendly destination with plenty of beachfront accomodation. Villa accomodation in Bophut is very popular and an ideal way to get a bit of privacy during your holiday. There are some beautiful villas in Bophut on Koh Samui to choose from with a range of prices per night, room sizes and suitable for all sorts of family sizes. Many of these have a private or shared pool which is ideal for us as we all love to swim. There are lots of gorgeous villas in Bophut to choose from.

I think somewhere like this would be great to visit as a larger family group so that we can make the most of our stay. It’s great to see there are a range of options and most are very close to the beach. I know I’d love to have access to a pool as well as a comfortable place to sleep and of course some sort of air conditioning is a bit of a must for us. Some villas even come with staff so it’s worth having a good look and thinking about what you really need on your family friendly holiday to Bophut.

There are plenty of beautiful villas in Bophut to visit including many with a private or shared pool.

Visiting the beach in Bophut

We always love a trip to the beach and being so close is ideal for us. Bophut has so much beautiful scenery and a stunning coastline too which I think will enable those perfect holiday shots. For a bit of a change of beach there are plenty of others around the island that you can travel to aswell. One thing to note for families is that Thailand is a modest country and therefore children do need to be in swimwear when on the beach which is something worth considering. Considering the warm weather and tropical climate you will want to keep skin protected in the heat too so plenty of sun protection is a must. Bophut beach does experience a narrow coastline at high tide which is something to be wary of but makes it ideal for families with young children in Bophut to use during the day.

Bophut is situated on the beautiful island of Koh Samui close to the mainland of Thailand.

Fishermans Village

Fishermans Village in Bophut is one of the oldest parts on the island and is regarded as very well preserved and elegant. It is located in the middle part of Bophut beach and is very popular. This is an excellent place to take the kids for shopping amongst the boutiques and housing plenty of dining venues. Another must see location with children is Big Budda Temple. It’s an iconic desintation.

Dining Options

There are plenty of places to eat in Bophut including western staples for picky eaters – ideal for young children as well as plenty of options for those wanting to try some local cuisine. There are plenty of freshly picked fresh thai fruit including bananas and coconuts which is great to know and they’re favourites here in our house already. Trational thai food in Bophut is the most affordable in the local resturants and markets. If you’re self catering a good idea is to have things available for breakfast and then eat out for the rest of your meals. Alternatively there are two Tesco Lotus stores in Chaweng and Lamai for snacks and supplies should you need them.

Visiting Bophut, Koh Samui, Thailand with children and staying in a family friendly villa on a beach front location

August 26, 2019
Disneyland Paris – Travel Diary Day 4 and 5

As you know we’ve just returned from a fantastic time away in Disneyland Paris. We travelled light and spent four nights and five days over in France making sure we took in some of the sights of Paris before heading home. If you want to take a look at the whole of our trip take a look at my travel diary day one with tips on how to get to Disneyland Paris from Paris Gare du Nord. You can also check out my video of the Disney Princesses dancing when we had lunch with them and read all about days two and three which have loads of great pictures of our time. If you’re interested you can also read all about the perks of having a Golden Forest room in Sequoia Lodge.

Day 4 – Final Day In Disneyland Park

On our fourth day we rushed into the park for the extra magic hours at 8am and headed to the first character meet and greet queue to meet Minnie Mouse! Luckily Mickey was there too so we got a picture of both of them together which was great. We then headed over to meet Goofy and Pluto who quickly became a firm favourite of my daughters as he gave her a lot of hugs and kisses.

After that Adam braved Space Mountain alone and said it was a great ride, if a little dated, but I think that’s the charm of the ride. It’s pretty old now and is due for refurbishment next year in honour of the 25th Disneyland Paris Anniversary. During that time Mini Kat and I headed around the some of the stores in Discoveryland looking at all the fantastic merchandise. You could literally spend a fortune here – stay strong!

We braved a few more rides as it was nice and sunny including It’s a Small World before heading back to our hotel as my partner was feeling a little rough and suffering with toothache. It was also really cold that morning so I took the chance to have a lovely hot bath and we spend a bit of time relaxing before heading over to the Rainforest Cafe for a late lunch. We did have to wait for about fifteen minutes to get a table but there’s so much to look at in the shop before the restaurant and the environment itself. Mini Kat loved watching the fish swimming in the pillars and over the entrance. Afterwards we spent a little time grabbing souvenirs and finishing of Mini Kat’s spending money on Lego in their fantastic lego store in the Disney Village. We then headed over to Ratatouille with our fast pass, watched the parade and went back for an early night.

We actually spend a little bit of time in the bar before heading up to our room and I got to sample a delicious Blue Glowtini which comes with a glowing ice cube that you can keep. It’s a vodka cocktail and is €14.95. Childrens versions are also available but Mini Kat wanted a rainbow slush puppy.

Day 5 – Checking Out and Wondering Around Paris

Check out is at 11am so we had a late breakfast, finished packing and were at the desk for eleven. We decided to head into Paris for a bit before our Eurostar connection rather than spend the last few hours in the park so we will definetly be going back next year for the anniversary celebrations, more rides and lots more character meet and greets. Next time we are going to look at staying at Newport Bay or Hotel New York with a Premium Meal Plan so that we can book tables again at ADC, Inventions Character Brunch and Cafe Mickey in the Disney Village. I love the character dining experiences as you can sit down whilst waiting for the characters so it means we can then queue for others we hadn’t had the chance to meet. We also want to go back when Big Thunder Mountain has reopened because I loved that ride as a child.

As we were travelling on a Tuesday we got two Mobilis tickets and one child Paris Visite as they allow you on all modes of transport in Paris. We got off at Charles de Gaulle to take a peak at the Arc de Triomphe first before walking over to the Eiffel Tower. The walk took around 40 minutes but it was a lovely sunny day and it was great to take a chance to walk around.

We then got the metro from Champs de Mars over to St Michael Notre Dame where we found a little cafe aptly named Cafe Notre Dame for lunch. I tried French Onion Soup for the first time which was really warming on a cold day. I also tried pickles and found out I quite like them, especially with ham. Mini Kat was happy with a Pain au Chocolat.

Getting home took a while but it was a fantastic holiday. There’s a few things I would do a little differently. I would consider upgrading our Eurostar seats just to make it a little more comfortable and booking a later train into Paris and an earlier train home. I will always book a club room with Disneyland Paris hotels because of the ability to get free drinks and I will book a meal plan next time so the money we save for Euros between paying off the holiday and actually going can be used on spending money for us all. I would have loved to get all the Lego sets available over there as well as a cuddly toy or two or a snowglobe. That being said, we came back with €100 so I don’t think we did too bad and we didn’t scrimp on anything.

February 20, 2016
Disneyland Paris – Travel Diary – Day 2 and 3

Day 2 – Saturday – A very wet and windy morning at Disneyland Paris

If you’re following on from my Day One travel diary then thank you for coming back. Day two and three fell over the weekend for us and the official start of half term for us Brits which meant on the Saturday it as absolutely heaving. If you can visit midweek then I think you’ll be able to enjoy so much more. It was also incredibly wet on the Saturday raining all day which I think caused my daughter to be quite sick that evening with a raging temperature. I would strongly advise taking painkillers, calpol, nurofen or any other medication that you may need just in case someone gets sick. It can get very busy and hectic in the park and it’s noticibly colder. There’s also nowhere on site you can buy any form of liquid painkiller for children and the nearest chemist is Val d’Europe which is around 5 minutes on the train and closed on a Sunday.

In an emergency the hotel can call a fireman over to address the situation and call paramedics if necessary or there are a few small medical centres on site which, in an emergency, will give out painkillers. We didn’t use any of these services so I can’t comment on them, however, I’ve heard that there is no charge, but my word is not gospel!

Day 2 – Disneyland Park, Extra Magic Hours & Parade

We didn’t really have a plan for getting around the park as it was our first time there but next time I think we’ll attempt a few more things and plan a little better so we see some of the shows. On the second day it rained a lot and my daughters shoes were soaked through by 9am so off we searched for wellies. We found a gorgeous pair of Minni Mouse Wellies in Disney Clothing Store on Main Street for €25.99 – expensive but necessary. I think a lot of children either already had these wellies or bought them there too because we saw these red boots everywhere we went.

The extra magic hours are great for those staying in a Disney hotel as it means you can get into the park from 8am and meet a few characters. On the first day we saw Chip and Dale who were great. They loved my homemade autograph book and made a big fuss as well as gave us some really cheeky photo’s. My daughter found them really funny! We were also able to get on to the carousel and have a good wonder around. We attempted to ride Rataouille and queued for around 30 minutes whilst waiting for the ride to be fixed only to have our fast passes returned to us and asked to come back later. It’s a fantastic ride, very innovative but very, very technical and because of this it does break down quite a lot. Still if you use a fast pass you get it again which is great as it means you can go back later and still not wait ages in the queue. This includes fast passes from the machines and the hotels.

Entrance to Ratatouille in Walt Disney Studios Park

After that we headed over to Annettes Diner for lunch which was brilliant. Food was tasty and some of the waiters were on roller skates which made it look like a really fun place to work. I admire their talent, I can’t even ride a bike let alone roller skate carrying food and seating people! Really worth a trip though and for three of us it only cost around €60 which included drinks and a three course meal for my daughter.

After heading back to the hotel we went for a swim in the Sequoia Lodge Swimming pool which was heated but felt very cool. There is a slide in the pool which my daughter loved and went on with Adam a couple of times. The pool also has a jacuzzi and steam rooms which really helped warm me up and I had the steam room all to myself. It’s probably key to note here that men don’t have to wear speedos at Disney! They can wear regular swimming shorts in the Disney hotel pools. However if staying off site and there’s a pool like Explorers hotel, you’ll need your speedos! We warmed up with some hot chocolates, tea time treats and then headed back to the park for the parade at 5.30pm.

Mickey Mouse in the Parade on Main Street

Day 3 – Disney Princess Day

Meeting Ariel at ADC Restuarant

You may have already seen my post about the Dancing Disney Princesses and the video to go with it! Take a look if you haven’t. It’s one of our biggest highlights. Before heading off for lunch my daughter had her face painted which was just under €15 next to our chosen Cinderella’s Restaurant where we had a table booked. We booked with our holiday which cost £145 for the three of us and included two drinks each, three courses and a bread basket. During lunch we met Cinderella & Prince Charming, Ariel and Snow White at Auberge de Cenderillon which was a very rich but very tasty french cuisine restaurant. The Princess interaction with my daughter was just amazing and they all gave my daughter a huge hug and lots of waves. She had a great time seeing them all. Why not take a look at our full Disney Princess lunch experience?

We then headed over to Princess Pavillion and queued for around 30 minutes to meet Sleeping Beauty and she was completely perfect. She spent so much time with my daughter and loved the book we made. We didn’t feel rushed at all which made it a very memorable experience for us.

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February 19, 2016
Disneyland Paris – Travel Diary Day One

Our 4 nights and five days in Disneyland Paris have been amazing and I wanted to share a run down of our time there and some of our favourite pictures. We left our home to travel up to London on Thursday evening as we had a hotel booked so we could catch our early morning Eurostar train at 5.40 am. We had minor lows throughout the whole time but other than that it’s been a great holiday and I’m already planning when we can go again!

Mini Me was determined to carry her suitcase. It’s the first time she’s ever insisted on carrying anything anywhere.

Day 1 – London to Disneyland Paris, Checking In & First Impressions

Checking in at St Pancras International – make sure you’re there 30-45 minutes before your scheduled department time. It gets busy, you’ll need to have passports checked, scan in your tickets and go through security. It’s a pretty quick process but worth getting there nice and early. Boarding happens around 10-20 minutes before you depart and there’s plenty of space in the departure lounge, cafe for breakfast and hot drinks, toilets and a bureau de change which was handy for us as we needed change for the RER ticket machines in Paris. The Eurostar journey took around 3 hours to get into Paris Gare du Nord.

Travelling via Eurostar is really simple

How to get to Disneyland Paris from Gare du Nord, Paris

Getting to Disneyland from Paris – It’s such an easy journey! We followed the signs to the RER trains which are down two escalators. Very well signposted. Plenty of ticket machines down there so if there are queues for the first ones you see chances are if you pop around the corner you will find some more. You need to have change for the machines, or pay by card as they don’t accept notes. Toilets can also be found down here and are 70 cents per person.

To get to Disneyland Paris from Gare du Nord you’ll need the Ile de France tickets. They’re around €8.30 per adult each way as you can’t buy a return and around €3.60 for a child – (price at the time of paying, February 2016). You then simply walk your way round to the RER B train and you’ll want to get to the next stop which is Chatelet des Halles in the direction of Robinson/Remy. It’s very simple. Changing at Chatelet des Halles is really easy, a quick walk to the other side of the platform gets you on the right side for RER A train to Marne la Vallee-Chessy which is where you’ll find Disneyland. To make sure you’re getting on the right train look up at the boards and if the station of your destination is lit up then you can get on this train and you’ll get to where you need to be.

Our hotel room had a great view

Be aware that there are people on the trains that will walk around asking for money. Keep safe, keep your children close by and do not hold any valuables in areas of clothing that are easily pickpocketed. My phone stayed in my bra for most of our travel time in Paris.

If you’re staying on site like us, you can grab a free shuttle bus service from the train station to your hotel which was incredibly handy. We jumped on with our bags and were checking in at the Golden Forest Club Room desk within 20 minutes of arriving. Check in was effortless and as we arrived around 11am we were given our park tickets and asked to return after 3pm to collect our room keys. We were all feeling a bit hungry so headed over to Earl of Sandwich in the Disney Village which is about half way between Sequoia Lodge hotel and the parks for a quick bite to eat.

Disneyland Paris hot chocolate is amazing and free from 12noon-10.30pm for all those staying in Golden Forest Rooms at Sequoia Lodge Hotel

Walking around to the parks takes around 15 minutes so it’s not too far however the free shuttle bus runs all day, every day until pretty late making it nice and easy for those with little legs! We didn’t do much on our first day other than the teacups and the Dumbo ride which my daughter loved. We took a little walk around Frontierland to see get our bearings a bit before walking back to the hotel in time for afternoon treats and to collect our room key. Having free drinks in the Golden Forest lounge was a perfect way to warm up after a very early start and a very wet arrival in Disneyland Paris! After getting into our room and deciding we didn’t really feel that hungry thanks to the complimentary tea time treats we decided to snack on what we had in our bags, watch a film on Disney Channel – one of the only English channels available and get an early night. You can find out how we spent the rest of our trip on Day 2.

Golden Forest Club Room with Lake View on 7th Floor

February 18, 2016