Review - Our Clickstay villa

Last week we spent the October holidays at Villa Zenith in Portugal... our first family holiday abroad and we were super excited, especially the kids! We had won £1000 towards a villa with Clickstay in their Mummy Blogger Awards which made the holiday possible for us.

The whole process of booking the holiday was hassle free - we chose our villa on the Clickstay website, and we paid the difference easily with a secure online transaction into my Clickstay account. The correspondence from Clickstay was great and they kept us informed thoughout.

We travelled with EasyJet from Glasgow to Lisbon via London Luton and overall I'd say the journey with the kids was manageable. We had to wake the kids at 5am which wasn't ideal, but I took them to the airport in their PJs and we got dressed in London! I had planned ahead, buying a few new sticker books and blind bag toys for them to play with on the day of travel, and we managed to kill some time at Luton Airport at Frankie and Benny's having brunch. I had an amazing American brunch of fruit, pancakes, bacon, crispy potatoes and syrup!

Once we landed in Lisbon we collected our hire car (which took forever as there was a queue at the desk!). I had been dreading having to drive on the opposite side of the road and found this part of the trip rather stressful. I've never driven abroad before, so this was a first for me.

The villa is near Cascais and you definitely require a car to get you there and to get out and about - the house is in a residential area and there aren't any supermarkets or restaurants within walking distance. I was organised though and had brought some noodles, rice and brioche rolls with me in my suitcase! Despite this, we did have to go out to find a supermarket on our arrival (at around 8pm at night!) and that just added to my stress levels. Once we were back, the kids were tucked up in bed and we had unpacked the car I was able to relax a bit and enjoy the surroundings.

As you'll see from the photographs, the villa is absolutely stunning. There are the most amazing unobstructed views of the beach and the ocean and the large open plan kitchen, dining and living space is ideal for large groups. The villa can sleep up to 14 guests, and we were being joined by my sister, her partner and his two little ones the following day, making 8 of us in total.

The gorgeous open plan living space 

(with a few strategically placed sheets to protect the cream suede furniture!)

The interior design of the house is mixed... modern glass vases and candlesticks mixed with rustic wooden sculptures... concrete surfaces and lots of glass. I'm going to put together a separate inspiration post as it's given me lots of ideas for my own home.

We had a slight hiccup in that the pool heating was broken on our arrival but Clickstay liaised with the villa owner, a new system was installed successfully and we did get a couple of days use of the warm pool. The additional fee that we had paid for the pool heating has also been refunded and there was a mention of compensation too. This was one of the benefits of booking the villa through an agent, as they were able to do the running around in the background whilst we continued to enjoy the holiday.

The kids enjoyed splashing around in the pool, practicing their swimming and playing games with the floats that we had brought with us. There were also a few inflatable toys at the villa too that we used. There were plenty of options for outdoor lounging which we all enjoyed and there were also large parasols which were needed for the kids when the sun was out.

Enjoying ice lollies by the pool

We enjoyed a couple of BBQs using the outdoor kitchen, which was a great addition to the garden. The villa also had a dishwasher, washing machine and tumble drier - and I used all three!

The outdoor kitchen

Once the little ones were tucked up in bed, the grown ups were able to enjoy some down time. This is the benefit of having a villa as opposed to a hotel bedroom. We were able to relax in the living space, listen to music or watch TV without disturbing the kids.

A glass of fizz for the grown-ups 

There were a few other niggly little things that could have been improved. We were unable to get four of the five whirlpool baths to work and we could only get one of the DVD players to work (and it wasn't the one in the main living space) which wasn't ideal for trying to occupy the little ones. Some instructions as part of a welcome pack may have helped in this instance. The villa did however have wifi which was a extremely valuable as this meant we could view content on the tablet devices that we brought with us.

The website states that the villa is suitable for children, however I'm not sure that the villa is suitable for young children due to the lack of banisters or railings. There is netting to prevent falls, but in some parts this wasn't secure. I did spend a lot of the holiday on edge and keeping a watchful eye on everyone's movements! We had a few incidents of slips on the concrete floor as the kids had wet feet, and trips on the concrete stairs. My son also walked into the glass doors! He's a bit of a klutz sometimes like his mum (I trapped my hand in a door the other day at work!!).

As well as spending time at the villa, we enjoyed a few days out.... at the local beach watching the surfers and jumping the waves, the Oceanarium in Lisbon and a trip to Cascais.

The beach was just a 5 minute drive away

Rick enjoyed a spaghetti pizza!!

The oceanarium in Lisbon

Cascais

Overall the holiday was a huge success - the kids loved it and have been raving to everyone about their trip. It would be an amazing summer holiday for a group of friends or couples sans children!

Our Clickstay Holiday

Today we depart from Glasgow to Portugal... our first family holiday abroad!!! We are all super excited and literally cannot wait.

Thanks again to all of you who voted for us to win the Clickstay Mummy Blogger Awards, because without you we wouldn't be able to stay in this amazing villa... doesn't it look fantastic?!

I'll be tweeting and sharing plenty of Instagram pics during our holiday... 

Do make sure you follow us, I'll try and not make you too jealous!

Details of how to find us are over here on the right ------>

Holiday Preparation - Swimsuit Shopping

It's not long now until we head to Portugal for our first family holiday. I literally cannot wait - it's going to be amazing!!

However I'm feeling slightly disorganised as I haven't really given much thought to the holiday packing until now. I needed a swimsuit - it's been forever since I've been on a holiday in the sun! I decided to head to House of Fraser in the hope that they would have something suitable. I struggle to get swimsuits that are long enough as I'm pretty tall (just under 6 foot!). The sales assistant recommended I try on a Biba swimsuit and I ended up buying one! It's a gorgeous black swimsuit with gold detail on the straps. The ruched material over the tummy area makes it flattering for my mum tum. 

My bathroom scales had broken and I've only just replaced them. I stepped on the scales & was so disappointed to find that I've put on nearly a stone and I'm back where I started in Nov last year. I was doing so well and was happy with my size but then I got so busy at work and stopped going to the gym classes. I've a few weeks to get back on track and try to tone up a little before the holiday!! The one area that I'm just not happy with is my thighs. Perhaps one of these wrap things that you can get done at a spa might help as a quick fix? Has anyone tried them?

Travel - Starting a Journal

It's now under a month until our first family holiday to Portugal with ClickStay. I am super excited!!

One of my tips for travelling with children was to start a travel journal. It's something I did as a child and I'm keen for my little ones to do the same. My journal was a hard-back A4 notepad, but I've seen some fab looking travel journals online.

I've have come up with the following ideas with the help of my sister. We do love stationery shopping!! Some are a bit more grown-up, but would be ideal if a family wanted to start a journal as a group. 

My Travel Journal: A Journal for 5 Family Vacations, age 5-9 years
£7.14 from Amazon.co.uk

Personalised Children's Travel Journal
£9.95 by Sukie at notonthehighstreet.com

Just in Case bear notebook
£7.00 at Paperchase

I Was Here: A Travel Journal for the Curious Minded
£8.29 from Amazon.co.uk

Travel Listography: Exploring the World in Lists

£9.80 from Amazon.co.uk

Then we of course need some stickers and other bits and pieces to help decorate our journal...

Ice Cream stickers from Bobby Tin on etsy.com

£1.26 plus shipping

Airmail Sticky Notes from Bobby Tin on etsy.com

£1.20 plus shipping

Hearts and Clouds Washi Tape

£3.00 at Paperchase

Travel - Our Yurt Experience Part 2

I thought I would share with you our itinerary of activities from our glamping trip to the West Moss-side Yurts...

Friday

After cramming all of our belongings into the car we hit the road and headed towards Stirling. Check-in at the yurts was from 3pm so we decided to spend the afternoon at Briarlands Farm which was very close to our accommodation for the evening. The weather wasn't all that great, but I was well prepared so we all climbed into our waterproof trousers and made our way round the various activities. (Rick wasn't prepared and his trainers got absolutely soaked!!). We've been to Briarlands before and had a great day out so I was keen to visit again. There have been a few changes since we were last at the farm, and my son loved the new maze. I've absolutely no idea why he was insistent on wearing his cycling helmet by the way!!

The Highland cows at Briarland Farm

Which way out of the maze??

Saturday

After breakfast at the yurt, we decided to explore the play trail at Glen Finglas. The kids loved following the map and looking out for various items as we walked round the paths. There were drumming benches, spy chambers and a secret den.

The giant seed... children are encouraged to weave grass or leaves into the wire frame.

Following the trail

The shy roe deer

Magic eye trick... line up the panels to discover a stag beetle.

It took us a few hours to navigate the trail, including snack time in the secret den! Back at the car park we decided to head to the Scottish Wool Centre for a nosey and have lunch. We met the owls and birds of prey from Perthshire Sporting Plus. This was definitely one of my highlights of our holiday - seeing the kids faces as my son held Toby the European Little Owl.

Isn't he cute!!

Afternoon tea for two at the Scottish Wool Centre

That night we had a BBQ at the yurt and the sun stayed out long enough for us to eat and enjoy a little glass of wine.

Sunday

The weather was terrible overnight so we had a lazy morning in the yurt, the kids played with their games and drew some pictures. Back in the car, and this time we headed in the opposite direction to Bridge of Allan for lunch and a wander. I had a gorgeous tuna salad at Jam Jar. The littlest had a roast dinner which looked amazing... it was a huge portion which she didn't manage to finish so I had some and it was delicious.

The sun appeared thankfully and we made our way to Blair Drummond Safari Park for the afternoon. The entry was really expensive which I hadn't anticipated (about £50 for the four of us... I would have been a little cheaper buying online), but we went in anyway. 

This was the first time I had driven round a safari park, and I must admit it was a little daunting with all the entry gates. It did feel like we were going into Jurassic Park! We drove round the animal reserves slowly, taking it all in. My favourite animals were the deer, giraffes and zebra. The monkey drive through was closed, but we did take a boat to Chimpanzee Island later in the day. The pedal boats were good fun and the kids thoroughly enjoyed the Adventure Park...we also had some ice cream cones. Our last stop was the Sea Lion Show, by which point it was 5pm and time to go home. It started to rain just as we were leaving. 

Enjoying the pedal boat

Monday

On Monday morning we got all packed up and said goodbye to the yurts. We were back to Glasgow pretty quickly as Rick had to get to work. 

We had a fantastic weekend though and I will most certainly be visiting this part of Scotland again soon.

Sarah x

Thank You!

I wanted to say a huge...

...to all my family, friends and followers who took the time to vote for Glasgow Mummy in the Clickstay Mummy Blogger Awards.

I'm aware that I bombarded your Twitter feeds, Facebook timelines and inboxes with requests for votes and retweets - apologies for that. It was all worth though it as I found out today that we won!!! It was a really close competition; all the other posts that had advice for travelling with children had great tips and suggestions. You can read them all here.

 We are going to receive £1000 towards a villa in Portugal and I'm super excited about taking the little ones on our first family holiday abroad.

The kids are away with their dad just now for the week so I'm yet to tell them our amazing news, but I know they will be delighted. My son in particular was telling anyone and everyone about the competition and had even drawn up some posters... 

'Vot Wor Gago Mumi' which translates to 'Vote for Glasgow Mummy'!!

Thank you again... words don't express just how happy I am right now.

Travel - Our Yurt Experience

At the weekend the kids, Rick & I jumped in the car and headed North for a long weekend. I had booked accommodation through Canopy & Stars; basically the website is a selection of inspected quirky places to go glamping. The site is not only for the UK - there are locations throughout Europe too. I was initially keen to stay at a treehouse near Edinburgh but discovered these were fully booked. The staff at Canopy & Stars helped me select a lovely alternative - the Stuc a'Chroin Trossachs yurt near Stirling.

The Canopy & Stars website

I was drawn in by the beautiful photographs of the yurt on the website and couldn't wait to stay there myself!

Photograph from Canopy & Stars website

The farm was very easy to find thanks to the directions provided by the owner Kate. She was a fantastic hostess and met us on arrival. We had a tour of the site and were given some instructions about the facilities and finally were accompanied to the yurt. It was just beautiful. 

After unpacking the car, Kate invited us to watch her feed her 6 day old calf Query (all the calves at the farm had been named alphabetically, and she struggled to think of a name beginning with Q! Query is a twin and her mum was unable to feed both the calves, so Kate was bottle feeding one). The littlest in particular was very keen to ask questions and observe the goings on; as was I. 

Inside the yurt there were lots of interesting touches, from the candle holders, the dream catcher and a selection of wall hangings. It really was a cosy space and I particularly loved the wood burning stove. Kate had provided some home baking for our arrival and I have to admit I demolished the lot myself with a cup of tea... I had told the kids it was full of nuts and was for grown-ups only!!

We managed some grown-up time and enjoyed a glass of wine!

Our home for the weekend

There was a communal kitchen area across from the yurts, and with just three yurts on the farm it didn't feel crowded. We stored our food in the fridge here and used the kettle for my much needed cups of tea! There's no electricity in the yurts, but in the kitchen area there are sockets that can be used to charge phones or cameras etc. 

In the yurt there were two gas rings and a grill so we were able to prepare scrambled egg and bacon for breakfast. We also had a BBQ which we used for dinner on the Saturday night. We bought burgers from Kate that were made using beef from the cattle that graze at the farm. They were delicious!

In terms of the bathroom facilities, there are two toilets both with showers. After spotting a huge spider in one of the toilets on the first night, this loo was not an option for the kiddos as they were too scared to go back in!

Query in her pen

We had hoped to get some grown-up time sitting outside with a bottle of wine, however the weather wasn't as good as I had hoped so we ended up whispering in the yurt whilst the kids tried to get to sleep. It wasn't ideal and I hadn't really thought this through. Plus the kids were sharing a sofa bed and although they had sleeping bags there were still a few arguments about them crossing the line into the other sibling's side of the bed! 

The other thing I hadn't considered was how bright the yurt would be - obviously there is no black out lining! So when it was 7.30pm and I was trying to convince the kids it was night-time they had a hard time believing me. At my house we go into lock-down at 7pm - all the black-out blinds get closed, the lights are all dimmed and it's as good as night-time. This wasn't an option at the yurt! If I had thought ahead I would have brought eye masks for them to wear. 

Next time I think we'll visit the yurt without the children. As ideal the surroundings are for children, it is also a very romantic place and I would love to spend a few days with Rick just relaxing, enjoying the countryside and his company. We really did feel like we were far from home when in reality the yurts are just an hour's drive from Glasgow. Very easy to get to for a few nights rest & relaxation in the countryside.

I'm going to write a separate post on all the activities that we did during our stay at the yurt and I've also got some video footage to put into a short vlog... watch this space.

Have you ever gone glamping and where would you recommend to stay? Or perhaps I have inspired you to give glamping a try?