I always have a lot of questions about accommodati I always have a lot of questions about accommodation when we stay anywhere as a family so I thought I’d share this little tour of our room at @windjammerlanding which was a pretty perfect place to stay.

It’s the ‘Ocean View Two Bedroom’ which was like a little house, with an upstairs and downstairs, built into the hillside. Both rooms had outdoor space and their own shower rooms. Such a great option for a family.
A little photo dump from our holiday in St Lucia. A little photo dump from our holiday in St Lucia. We’ve been back a few days now but still miss the heat, the food, the pool, the constant sounds of wildlife and the lovely people. It was such a great holiday and I’m sure we’ll be back one day.
And just like that, Athena is 12! What a joy it is And just like that, Athena is 12! What a joy it is watching her grow and what a wonderful young woman she is becoming. We could not be more proud. Love you Pickle, have a great birthday.
We’ve just got back from two glorious weeks in S We’ve just got back from two glorious weeks in St Lucia staying at @windjammerlanding and it was just the holiday we needed. Two weeks of sunshine and relaxation in what must be one of the most beautiful islands in the world. 

We can’t wait to go back again in the future. Here’s just a little snippet of our trip.
AD - Press Tickets | We had such a nice day at @na AD - Press Tickets | We had such a nice day at @national_motor_museum despite the rain! The children loved the Little Beaulieu play area and we loved exploring the National Motor Museum and Top Gear exhibit before having a ride on the monorail! We went on an old open topped bus, explored the Beaulieu Manor House and loved the gardens. 
Beaulieu is always a great day out - whatever the weather. This summer they have a whole ‘Summer of Fun’ planned, with activities most days - parades, bird shows and hundreds of sculptures within the grounds too. If you’re looking for a day out this summer definitely think about heading to Beaulieu.
AD - Press Tickets | Tonight we took the kids to t AD - Press Tickets | Tonight we took the kids to their first concert - but it was so much more than just a concert! @abbavoyage is incredible. With CGI ABBA and a live band, it’s like being at an ABBA concert 40 years ago but with modern lighting, effects and sound. ABBA look and sound real, it’s a mind blowing experience.
The set includes all the songs you know and love as well as a few less familiar ones.
You can’t take photos during the show which actually made a refreshing change. A whole arena focused purely on the show and soaking up the moment. It’s definitely something the four of us will always remember.
Now, I’m off to sing Dancing Queen all the way home.
AD - Press Trip | We had such a great day at @phdo AD - Press Trip | We had such a great day at @phdockyard today. They have a fantastic Ultimate Explorer ticket that lets you visit all the attractions as many times as you like for 12 months - and after a day at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard we can see that you need more than one day to really do everything!

We explored HMS Warrior, HMS Victory and the Mary Rose Exhibition - which is incredible! We also saw where ships are built and restored and spent time in Action Stations where the kids climbed and did an assault course.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is such a fun, educational day out with something for all ages - we can’t wait to go on their harbour tours next time we visit!
AD | WIN!! Would you love to win a holiday? To cel AD | WIN!! Would you love to win a holiday? To celebrate #100YearOfARoads National Highways have launched their #ARoadsToSummer competition! It's all about celebrating summer holiday moments, time together, fun in the sun, days out and more.

So why not be in it to win it? To enter, all you have to do is send @nationalhways a DM on here with a photo or video of your favourite holiday moments. You can also comment on their Facebook or Twitter #ARoadsToSummer posts with your holiday photos. I've shared a few of our favourite photos to give you some inspiration.

The best six entries will each win a £500 @nationaltrust holidays voucher! SO what are you waiting for? Dig out your favourite holiday photos or take some new ones to share!

The #ARoadsToSummer competition runs from 24 July to 10 September 2023. Winners will be announced in September 2023.

Good luck!
Oh these two! Every day I feel lucky to have them. Oh these two! Every day I feel lucky to have them. As school draws to a close at lunchtime, I’m looking forward to a whole summer with them. My favourite people.

They’ve both had a great year at school this year. Troy’s first without his sister by his side and Athena’s first at secondary school. 

They both had great reports, always did their best and have made some really lovely new friends this year. I could not be more proud of them.

Now, let’s go and enjoy the next six weeks before school starts all over again!
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Holidays & Accomodation, Reviews, Travel · August 12, 2017

Park and Fly Gatwick at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel

Disclosure: We were invited on this break for the purpose of this review however all opinions are my own.

We love exploring the UK as a family and also travelling further afield. When we booked our summer holiday we were looking at parking options at Gatwick but with an early flight and two young children there had to be an easier option. We ended up making use of a Park and Fly Gatwick package at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel, based in Crawley, just fifteen minutes from the airport.

Park and Fly at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel

What were our first impressions of the Arora Gatwick International Hotel?

The Arora hotel was such a welcome sight the night before our holiday. With all the stress of packing and organising a summer holiday for our family it was so lovely to arrive at our hotel, park and know that everything else would be taken care of – and that our holiday had already begun.

Park and Fly at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel

Why choose the Arora Hotel for a Park and Fly Gatwick Airport package?

The great things about Park and Fly is that the Arora Gatwick – and their Manchester hotel – has a range of parking packages to suit you and your holiday. From just a few days to 15 days parking in a secure car park you can be safe in the knowledge that your car will be in the exact same position when you come back – and we loved that we could keep our keys whilst we were away too. This made this a fantastic option for a park and fly Gatwick airport package.

What was the Arora Hotel family room like?

Our package included a stay in a family room for the night which was perfect for our needs. It included two double beds as well as a sofa bed, giving so much room for all four of us.

Park and Fly at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel
Park and Fly at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel

The room was really well equipped for both personal or business travel – with tea and coffee making facilities, a trouser press and iron as well as a nice bathroom with separate shower and complimentary toiletries. There were even fluffy robes and slippers!

Park and Fly at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel
Park and Fly at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel
Park and Fly at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel

What was the food like at the Arora Gatwick Hotel?

We had dinner in The Grill restaurant and in all honesty we didn’t have high expectations – hotels at or near airports usually have food to serve a purpose rather than to be something memorable and impressive but I have to say that we were absolutely blown away by The Grill – the food and the service.

Park and Fly at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel
Park and Fly at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel

The Grill is the kind of restaurant that you could visit without even staying at the hotel – it would be worth visiting the hotel purely for a meal there. The restaurant had a really upmarket and classic feel to it but the staff were all so happy to accommodate a family and there was a dedicated children’s menu too. Whilst we looked at the menu we were given a selection of breads to try which were so lovely and soft and full of flavour – the bacon bread was a firm favourite.

Park and Fly at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel

The children both had fruit to start, burger and chips for their mains and ice cream to finish. The chef was happy to make one burger a cheeseburger and one plain – to suit the children’s tastes – and the three courses were so beautifully presented and the perfect size for LP and Little Man.

Park and Fly at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel
Park and Fly at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel
Park and Fly at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel

For starters Dave and I had scallops and a chicken liver parfait. Both were presented beautifully and the accompanying flavours worked perfectly. They were a good size for a starter and we both really enjoyed them.

Park and Fly at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel
Park and Fly at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel

For our mains Dave chose the curried lamb which wasn’t like a curry, served with rice and instead was really lovely and tender and looked more like a Sunday lunch dish than anything traditionally ‘curried’. My main was the pork belly which would be another great alternative to a Sunday lunch and I ordered some green beans on the side which were so good – cooked with bacon, adding another level of pork to my main!

Park and Fly at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel
Park and Fly at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel

Lastly, we had the lemon tart and a salted caramel chocolate dessert with was so rich and full of flavour. The lemon tart was light and juicy. It was such a lovely dessert and a great end to our meal.

Park and Fly at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel
Park and Fly at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel

We were impressed that the three courses cost £25 a head as they seemed like the sort of dishes you would have in a really expensive fine dining restaurant yet, The Grill has made fine dining affordable and perfect for business or a family meal. It really was the perfect start to our holiday.

Park and Fly at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel

And what about breakfast?

We slept so well and in the morning we woke early to pack and have breakfast – where there was a great choice of cooked and continental options available. There were so many vegetarian options, eggs cooked however you want them and even things like porridge. It was the perfect start to a long day.

Park and Fly at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel

How did the Park and Fly Gatwick Airport service work?

The Arora Gatwick International Hotel offer airport transfers as part of their Park and Fly packages. This is a transfer on an eight seat minibus driven by Roland – a really lovely and memorable member of Arora staff. The transfer takes just fifteen minutes and then we were dropped at departures, ready for our holiday.

When we arrived back in the UK after our holiday we just rang the Arora hotel when we landed, before going to collect our baggage, and they organised a return transfer for us which was waiting once we’d collected our cases. The return trip took just another fifteen minutes and it was completely seamless.

Making use of the Arora Park and Fly Gatwick airport package took so much stress out of our holiday planning and made life so much easier when we got back to the airport too. With two young children we wanted our holiday to be as simple and stress free as possible and the Arora hotel gave us the perfect start to our holiday and took so much of the thought away too – it couldn’t have been a better experience.

Park and Fly at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel
Park and Fly at the Arora Gatwick International Hotel

In: Holidays & Accomodation, Reviews, Travel

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Comments

  1. Laura - Dear Bear and Beany says

    August 12, 2017 at 9:39 pm

    This is definitely the way to start a holiday, especially with kids. All the pain taken away and getting a good nights sleep before you fly. This looks like a lovely hotel and perfect for holidays. x

    Reply

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