Liked & Loved {August 2026}

This post may contain affiliate links and I may receive commission if you visit a link and buy something. Purchasing via an affiliate link doesn’t cost you any extra, and I only recommend products and services I trust.

It’s that time of the month where I write about all the things we’ve been enjoying over the last few weeks – and there has been a lot to love this month as it’s been the summer holidays! The summer is definitely one of my favourite times of the year, a solid chunk of time with my favourite people, a slower pace and no alarm clocks – bliss!

So here is everything we’ve liked and loved this month:

Chessington World of Adventures

We went to Chessington World of Adventures back in May when LP was in Berlin and so kicked off the summer holidays with a trip back there so LP could enjoy it too. We did a lot of rides, reactivated our refillable cup and saw all the animals. It was such a lovely day and a great use of our Merlin Annual Passes!

A few days in Paris

Instead of having our usual two week all inclusive holiday this summer, we decided to just have a week in France as LP has a lot of GCSE work and revision to do over the summer. So we ended up booking four nights in Paris – staying at Hotel Michelet Odeon – followed by three nights at Disneyland Paris – and drove there to make the whole holiday a little bit easier.

It was such a great break although our legs didn’t thank us for it! We decided not to use public transport and just walk everywhere and it was great, but exhausting! We ended up getting cabs back to the hotel on two evenings as just couldn’t face the walk back.

We did and saw so much – climbed to the top of the Eiffel Tower, had a family tour at the Louvre, went to Musee D’Orsay, Musée de l’Armée and Musée de l’Orangerie, visited Sacre Coeur and Notre Dame, climbed the Arc de Triomphe and had a day trip to Versailles – as well as so much more. It was such a lovely few days.

Our first Disneyland Paris experience

After Paris we spent three nights at Disneyland Paris, staying at the Newport Bay Hotel with their Compass Club service. As a first experience of Disneyland this could not have been better. We loved everything about Newport Bay and the club level – especially afternoon tea in the afternoons! It made a nice break from the parks and split up the day really well.

The Disneyland parks really exceeded our expectations. As big fans of Walt Disney World, we weren’t sure how much we’d love Disneyland Paris but we really enjoyed our time there. The rides were great, the evening shows were great, the parades were great. The only real downsides were the queues to meet characters and the food – there wasn’t much variety really.

We’ve all agreed we’d love to go back to Disneyland Paris in the future but can’t wait for our next Disney World trip next summer!

A day in London

As soon as we got back from holiday we had a day in London – to do yet more walking and sightseeing! It was lovely! We had a quick trip to The Banqueting House and then Little Man and Dave went to see the Stranger Things theatre show, which they loved. We got tickets through Kids Week, making them buy one get one free, which definitely makes trips to the theatre more affordable.

Whilst they were theatre-ing, LP and I went to the British Museum for a mooch and I let LP look at whatever she wanted – it was very much Ancient Greek exhibits and we loved it. We’ve never spent that much time in the British Museum before and it was lovely to wander around together.

Afterwards we went and met back up with the boys before having a late lunch / early dinner at Bella Italia and then wandering around the Sealife London Aquarium for an hour before it closed. The sealife centre was much bigger than I remembered and a really nice way to spend time – we’ll just not talk about the penguins and their sad living conditions.

We finished the day with a trip on the London Eye before getting the train home. The views were great and it’s something we haven’t done in a few years. A really nice way to finish the day – and another great use of our Merlin Annual Passes!

A break in Kent

We had a lovely break away in Kent this month too. We stayed at Bridgewood Manor Hotel & Spa and spent a day at Chatham Historic Dockyard and then went sea glass hunting at Warden Beach on the Isle of Sheppey before driving home.

It was such a nice couple of days with great food, fun days out, comfortable surroundings and a little swimming squeezed in too. I love a family break away.

Learning to drive trains

LP had an adventure one afternoon where she got to shadow a train driver to learn all about what it’s like to drive trains. A little bit of work experience in the summer holidays and she really enjoyed it. I doubt she’ll end up being a train driver but it’s nice for her to learn more about all the options available to her.

Dapdune Wharf

One morning I took the kids out to Dapdune Wharf, part of the Godalming Navigations and a National Trust site. Actual Dapdune Wharf isn’t very big but it’s a real hidden gem – with a great tea room, a good size play area, boat trips and a big book shed!

We mainly visited to wander along the canal and get some fresh air but it felt like a real discovery exploring Dapdune Wharf. Such a lovely place to spend time.

And that’s it for August! We do have some plans for LP’s birthday tomorrow but that will have to wait until the next Liked & Loved instalment. I hope that what ever you’ve been up to, August has been a good one. And I can’t quite believe the new school year is just around the corner!