Family Friendly Travel Blog

Enjoying a slower pace in sunny Charente

In her final post, this week's guest blogger Claire, one of our team of tots mums, tells us about the second week of her family's recent two centre break in France, soaking up the sunshine near the pretty Charente coastline...

"After an effortlessly short journey from our first property in the Loire valley, we arrived at our second beautiful child-friendly gite cluster, L'Ancienne Ferme. We were greeted by the effusively friendly but incredible soft family dog, Koushy.

After settling into the blissful cool of our two bedroom gite, La Laiterie, we headed out (cold glass in hand) to explore the acres of gardens at the property, packed with hundreds of fruit trees bearing plums, apples, pears and peaches; the plums were the sweetest I've tasted (having tried them straight from the tree at owner Janette's suggestion!)

Thoughtfully designed, the gardens had an endless choice of quiet spots with carefully placed benches, oodles of space for ball games, a swing and slide set, boules court and table tennis; we didn't even find the lovely little hidden playhouse until mid week, such was the size of the space!

As well as the obvious charms of the gardens and surrounding fields of vines and sunflowers, owner Janette is famous for her delicious home-cooking and baking - the mouth-watering battenburg cake and biscuits that greeted us on arrival didn't last long!

Having always intended this second week to be 'chill out time', we planned very little activity; crazy golf followed by a leisurely lunch whilst the children splashed in the fountains of the beautiful town square in nearby Pons was about as energetic as it got.

The beaches at the top of the Gironde estuary, just a 20 minute drive from our gite, were a wonderful surprise. As we parked easily in the shade and strolled along the sandy woodland path that backed the beach, we were blown away as we took in the vast expanse of largely empty sand at Plage des Vergnes, just south of St. Georges de Didonne, with nothing more lively than a quiet bar at one end and a lifeguard station, rocky headland and oyster huts at the other. We spent a blissful day building sandcastles, splashing in the surf and enjoying a (slightly sandy) picnic.

One unexpected delight was the pretty coastal fortress town of Talmont sur Gironde. On a rare drive out (clouds were threatening a downpour), we headed to the small town for a quiet coffee only to find one of the most picturesque villages we've seen; quaintly cobbled streets were lined with pretty gift shops and cafés, and the impressive 1000 year old church dominated the headland skyline. To cries of 'pleeeeease can we go to the carousel now?' we grabbed a quick cool drink in a vine-shaded courtyard café, before appeasing the troupes with a ride on the merry-go-round on the edge of town, the perfect carrot to dangle for little people who have had enough of window shopping!

Driving home, the rain that had threatened arrived in style, and the children had great fun spotting forks of lightning as we drove through the downpour back to our gite, by which time it had blown over and the heat of the sun had restored order once more.

Our second week en France was as laid back as the first was active, and the combination of the two left us feeling totally refreshed. Now we just need to work out how we can buy our own piece of the Charente lifestyle so we can come back year after year!"

The lure of the Loire

This week's guest blogger Claire today shares her tips for the top spots for families in the lovely Loire Valley...

"Having opted to keep our post-ferry drive down to a manageable 3 hours this year, we headed into the beautiful Loire Valley for our first week in France.

Our child friendly gite was one of 4 in a pretty little cluster; nestled in a small woodland (the local deer obligingly made a later appearance for my husband!), we approached the property throught fields of apple orchards, wheat and corn, after a pleasant, easy drive from Caen.

The scent from the abundant lavender, quiet birdsong and sunshine that greeted us boded well; once we'd overcome the hiccup of mummy forgetting to bring the info on how to get into the property (oops), we settled in for a relaxing week of splashing in the pool, 'freestyling' a version of boules (for shorter arms), playing with the neighbouring children and reading with a glass of something ice cold; the sparkling Corail rosé from the Louis de Grenelle winery in Saumur was particularly delicious...

At the advice of our Dutch neighbours, we opted to try out the Louis de Grenelle visit - a short guided tour of the labyrinth of tunnels that house the family wine, beneath the city streets. Brought in from the family domaine nearby, the local fizz is matured here. Spotting exploded bottles, accompanied by little champagne cork figures provided by the guide, kept Charlie (5) and Emily (3) interested long enough for us to listen to the tour, and colouring sheets and grape juice kept them going whilst we enjoyed a tipple afterwards.

No Loire holiday would be complete without at least one chateau, so we spent a day on a 'castle fest' at stunning Chateau de Villandry (incredible gardens and delicious crêpes) and the magical Chateau d'Ussé (reputedly the inspiration for Perrault's Sleeping Beauty's castle - a particular favourite of Emily!)

A short drive to Holly Park made for a pleasant final family day in the Pays de la Loire. A pleasantly low-key theme park, its small scale makes it particularly suited to little people. It is a little 'home-made', set in the grounds of a small, pretty chateau, but the bouncy castles, miniature train, boat rides and dodgems were just right for our two; a couple of slightly larger roller coasters would have kept the older ones amused too.

As our first week's adventure drew to a close, the excitement of moving on to somewhere new banished any sadness at the departure of the children's new found friends.

Our potted Loire visit certainly showed us what an ideal region it is for a family friendly holiday - an easy drive from the Brittany ports (and only 50 mins from central Paris by TGV - we took in the end of the Tour de France), sunshine, castles a-plenty and the beautiful scenery and mouth-watering wines we'd hoped for too.

We'll certainly be back!"

The property in which Claire and her family stayed in the Loire Valley will soon be joining the Tots website - watch this space for more info coming soon!

Two centre holidays - double the fun!

This week's guest blogger is Claire, one of our fab team of mums; she shares with us her recent adventures in France with her young family.

 

 

 

 

Claire spent a glorious week in the Loire, followed by a second week a short drive away in the idyllic Charente region, and here tells us why her two centre break really hit the spot for her family...

"Having spent a whirlwind week at the beautiful child friendly Cognac Gites last year, we were determined to make the long car journey really worth our while this year with a 2 week family break. But unable to decide on a favourite destination, we opted to try out a two centre holiday...et voilà! The perfect family friendly holiday!

Living in Yorkshire, we always have a hefty journey ahead of us before we even reach the ferry ports, we broke it down with a restorative 'cappuccino and cake break' at a lovely little craft village on the A5, Heart of the Shires (a welcome change for motorway services - highly recommended to anyone travelling down the M1). Suitably revived, we motored on to Portsmouth for an overnight stay (and a highly excitable visit to the cinema at Port Solent marina for the opening night of Pixar's Cars 2, long awaited by Charlie, aged 5, less so by 3 year old Emily...)

Taking the early Portsmouth-Caen ferry the following morning, we arrived at our gite in the beautiful Loire Valley within just a few hours.

It became a family joke that first week just how many times we said 'I can't believe we did this for only 1 week last year...', such was our relief that we could forget about travelling any distance for a while; knowing we had a very different 'beach week' still to come, we were able to enjoy visiting the local chateaux and wineries without feeling we were overdoing the activities, and we still had plenty of time for late afternoon fun in the pool and leisurely suppers with little more than the sound of the crickets and the children laughing with their new found friends to disturb us.

At the end of our first week, with only a 3 hour journey ahead of us, we felt under no pressure to hit the road early, and the day's journey became a part of our adventure, rather than a necessary evil.

To 'hurrays' from the back seat, we arrived at our second family friendly holiday home - the wonderfully family friendly gites at L'Ancienne Ferme, near the Charente coast - in no time. Though we hadn't travelled far, the scenery had subtly shifted from orchards and cornfields to vineyards and sunflowers and the warmth of the sun had jumped a clearly discernable few degrees. We felt like we were beginning an entirely new holiday and were delighted to have a whole week to enjoy some downtime, in contrast to our slightly more active first week.

Then followed a week of lie-ins (even the children's body clocks had by now adjusted to the slower pace), games in the gardens, visits to the beach and card games before a late supper; having already done our winding down, we sank immediately into the leisurely pace of life, with just an occasional burst of energy to cycle to the nearby village for fresh baguettes and pains au chocolat.

I can't sing the praises of our two centre holiday enough - it truly did feel like two holidays in one and gave us the most genuinely relaxing family friendly holiday we've had for some time."

Here at Tots Towers, we often have families ask for our help in planning their own two centre holidays - if you like the idea of having your own double bubble break, why not drop us a line on enquiries@totstotravel.co.uk or call us on 0845 26 941 26 and we'll be happy to help you match up the most suitable properties and destinations for your family?

What we love about France (guest bloggers!)

Special guest bloggers, Barnaby (aged 9) and Maisy (aged 7), tell us their fave things about family holidays in France!

(all spelling is authentic)

1. Sunny weather

2. Swimming in the pool

3. Canooing on the Dordogne

4. Creperies (Nutella)

5. Eating juicy melens

6. The Night Market in Beaumont (yummy, especially the duck)

7. Nectarines (lovely)

8. Picnics by the river

9. Baguettes that are lovely

10. Pan-a-shoc-a-la (pain au chocolat)

11. Geocashing

12. Croisants freshly baked

13. Reading my book under the walnut trees

14. Making dens on the hillside

15. Playing poo-sticks by the bridge

16. Stepping on the stepping stones

17. Walking on the hillside

18. Ice cream (mint choc-chip)

Life's little pleasures at La Maison Verte

For me, Summer in the Dordogne is about fun filled afternoons around the pool and lazy evenings enjoying simple pleasures.  So it’ll come as no surprise that eating scrumptious food and sipping equally delicious local wines, preferably with views over the vineyards fits the bill exactly.

Last week, we had the immense good fortune to do just this with the owners of La Maison Verte and their two boys in the heart of the Dordogne.  It’s been a few years since my last visit so it was a timely reminder of all the reasons that I love this property.

For me, this child friendly holiday home from home comes alive when there are two families and an army of children to splash in the pool.  It’s laid out in such a way that there are two separate areas of accommodation and plenty of communal space to ensure that no one is treading on anyone’s toes.  It took less than 10 minutes for the children to overcome the formalities and get to the real reason they were here...the pool and some playmates!

And that was that, 5 happy children!  “Awesome” (9 year old Barnaby’s word of the holiday) and “huge” (from 7 year old Maisy) were the only words I could draw from them, they were too busy playing.

Practically speaking, the pool is certainly big enough for older children with plenty of room to cavort on blow up toys and to race each other up and down, whilst the pool heating took the edge off the temperature for our youngest.  With a determined nearly-two-year-old in tow, I was pleased that once we had finished swimming the pool area was ‘closed’ for the day and the key put out of reach.  

We then went for a gentle early evening walk along the (largely pramable) tracks that lead to fabulous views over the Dordogne countryside and a small grass airstrip in the valley.  The trees and plants are currently laden with fruit - blackberries, sloes, apples and the vines are dripping with grapes – a reminder that the biggest delight of the year still remains, the vendange in September (the grape harvest).  

It took us grown-ups slightly longer to get to the nub of what makes a fabulous holiday – an amazing location, fabulous local food, mouthwatering wines and relaxing company – all of which are available here.  So with swimming-weary children fed and installed in front of a DVD, we turned to some grown up time and our generous hosts began with a glass of fizz, followed by a delicious, pre-dinner aperitif (a sweet pudding wine, try Monbazaillac for a fabulous local pudding wine from Bergerac) and the most lusciously sweet melon, a taste that for me has come to symbolise Summer here.

What followed was barbequed magret de canard and salad (yum!) and then a heavenly cheese board, weighed down with the most impressive selection of local goats’ cheeses that I have ever seen (double yum!).  All the while, we sat peacefully on the front terrace, with views over the vineyards as the cicadas struck up and the sun set over the valley.

We were still there many hours later…so, if a great setting in a family friendly holiday home blended with a multitude of local delights are on your holiday wishlist, then gather up some warm company, pack the kids and their ‘swimmies’ and hurtle down to La Maison Verte.  Once here, slow down the pace, savour the tastes and sounds and find that the simple pleasures are often the best...

Channel tunnel - family friendly?

There are almost too many decisions to make when planning a family friendly holiday to France – ferry (which?), plane (where from and what about car hire?), tunnel (which one and does it mean that we won’t have broken up the journey?) – decisions, decisions.

This year, we opted for the Eurotunnel and I have to say it was full of surprises.

Having turned our car into a mobile bedroom, bedecked with duvets, dummies and dreamy children (chance would be a fine thing) we commenced our drive down from the Midlands via a delicious and very convivial supper at my sister-in-laws, before rocking up to the Tunnel entrance for an early evening crossing.  

Et voilà!  The first surprise...we arrive early, whereupon the friendly computer offers us an earlier crossing!  Quelle chance!  

The second surprise is that Passport Control is a pleasing non-event, security involved a magic racquet shaped object ‘dusting’ the car all over which took just a few minutes before being herded into lanes for the very slick process of boarding.  Compare this to the hectic process of moving through UK airports, removing shoes, taking off belts, dismantling prams, displaying a plastic bag of mascara and lippy, all whilst juggling a two year old and one wonders why we bother with air transport at all?

We hop on and slither our way through the tunnel.  The elder two children stretch their legs, nip to the loo (which is very basic and in case you were wondering, lacks baby changing facilities) whilst we have a quick rearrangement of the car, look for lost toys, change the nursery rhyme CD, have a cuddle with Monty before beginning our mammoth journey south to the Dordogne.  There isn’t much to do on-board, - correction there isn’t anything to do - but then the journey only takes 35 minutes which is entirely manageable.  

So frankly, in terms of modes of child friendly holiday transport, the Tunnel wins all the prizes; it’s quick and immensely easy, there's no seasickness, it's cheaper than the alternatives at less than £90.00 return and frankly, there are no rip off drinks bars with massively overpriced croissants or sneaky upsells as per the budget airlines.

And the last surprise...no fuss at the other end.  Passport control involved minimal interaction, a timid ‘bonsoir’ and that was it...if only the Peripherique around Paris had been such a pleasant surprise, but that’s another story!

Top Tots Autumn Hotspots - Spain

Here's the third in our series of posts on the best spots to take your tots away this Autumn - this time looking at Spain. 

When we think of Spain, most of us conjure up images of baking hot beaches and bulls running in the streets. But Spain has a lot more to offer those who venture to travel outside of peak season, so why not take advantage of not being tied to school holidays and experience Spain in the autumn months?

Happy Jerez...

There are almost three weeks of fiestas in Jerez de la Frontera in September, kicked off with some grape stomping (great fun for the kids!), and followed by a cracking timetable of flamenco, horses, puppet shows, a medieval market, circus, sherry tasting, and a good old-fashioned street parade with accompanying brass bands – what better time to go?

• Family friendly Finca la Luci, Duchess Terrace and Cartuja Green are all nearby.

Amazing Andalucia...

Spain is also famous for its wines, so you have a great excuse to visit one of the oldest grape harvest festivals in the country on 17th - 21st September, in Huelva, Andalucia.  Combine it with an underground concert at the Nerja Caves, and a visit to the Wolf Park petting zoo, and you’ve already got an astounding itinerary.

• Picturesque child friendly villas at Casitas del Lago are in a fabulous spot - take a look at the gorgeous view from their properties in this video of the villas.

Festival madness...

There are lots of weird and wonderful festivals going on all over Spain at this time. In Baza and Guadiz in Granada, festival-goers throw paint and water at each other in the re-enactment of an ancient disagreement over a statue!  

Denia, near Valencia, is alive with the sounds of the Spanish guitar on 11th - 16th September, and if you’re lucky enough to be staying in Cadiar, in the Alpujarras mountain range in October, you can sneak a gulp or two of the wine flowing freely from the town’s fountains!

• Stay at family friendly 3 bedroom villa Casa Jalon for the events in Granada.
• Family friendly villa La Finca and Apartamento Ocho are both less than 20 minutes drive from Denia.

Canary culture...

With great weather throughout the year, and year-round attractions, it’s always a great time to visit the Canaries. See how the pros do it at the Lanzarote World Surfing Championships in late October.

Sure to be a hit with the little people, check out the International Kite Festival on 10th – 13th November, or the Autumn Fiestas in the Parque Holandés, both on the island of Fuerteventura.

• Child friendly Casa Bocayna Vista and Casa Parque del Rey on Lanzarote and Villa Irlandesa on Fuerteventura would put you in striking distance of all these events.

Marvellous Mallorca...

After all that partying, I’m sure you could do with a relaxing day or two at the beach?  Mallorca and Menorca have hundreds of fabulous beaches, balmy and beautiful at this time of year, and you can stay in a child-friendly property within reach of every single one.

• Family friendly villas Almond Grove, Casa Bella and Villa Lila are on Majorca - the latter 2 close to each other so great if you're travelling with friends.
• Casas Migjorn, located in a lovely corner of Menorca, is a cluster of 3 child friendly villas, great for families travelling together but wanting their own space - why not call up your NCT group and go together?!

To snap up your Autumn Spanish sojourn now, or for advice on the child friendly holidays that will best fit your family's needs, drop us a line on enquiries@totstotravel.co.uk or call us on 0845 26 941 26 and we'll be happy to help, as always!

Top tips for France this Autumn

Second in our series of posts on Autumn hotspots, which began with Portugal, is family friendly France.

When September sets in, sleepy villages start to wake up after the Summer’s slumber, and there’s plenty of wine, nibbles and outdoor fun on the agenda!

Visit for vendange... 

World famous for its wine tradition, at this time of year France really comes into its own with the grape harvest and ‘Vendange’ festivals.   Even if you’re not a wine fan it’s a magical time to visit, with the foliage slowly changing the landscape to a golden-russet glow, and the excitement of harvest time buzzing in the air. 

• La Maison Verte, a classic family friendly Dordogne villa, has wonderful views over the vines from a sun-drenched terrace. You’ll feel like you’re in a novel in this idyllic countryside location west of Bergerac, with fields and vineyards as far as the eye can see.
• 3 bedroom, child friendly, modern villa, Le Palmier, in the beautiful Languedoc, is surrounded by vineyards and peaceful country walks. The villa sleeps 11 in comfort, with good availability throughout the harvest season.
• Bastide Amandes is a cluster of six lovely family friendly gites which are just a few metres from fields of vines with great views over to the Cevennes mountains. The owners even have their own vineyard in the village, which the whole family are welcome to explore!

Browse the markets...

If you fancy some nibbles to go with your wine, it’s the ideal time to pick up some in-season walnuts, truffles and other delicacies at the local gourmet food markets all over France.

• Stay at either of the 2 four bedroom family friendly Aveyron Gites during mid-October to catch the Cider & Chestnut Festival in Sauveterre-de-Rouergue, plus visit the great local market in Villefranche every Thursday.

A different kind of Vintage...

Ever fancied yourself as Audrey Hepburn, draped over a vintage car?   

Well here’s your chance, with hundreds of beautifully restored classic models passing through the villages around Angouleme in the Charente, plus a classic car race around the city walls!

• Le Beau Chateau is nearby, and still has availability in several of its charming and child-friendly gites for mid-September when it’s all happening.

Get some sand between your toes...

The last thing you need when on a beach holiday is to stress about your little ones overheating or getting sunburt, so come in the Autumn when the weather and the water are just perfect.

• See what all the fuss is about with a stay on the Côte d’Azur at family friendly Villa Issambres, situated on a gated domain close to the stunning Gulf of St. Tropez.
• Light and airy child friendly villa Au Prés Sablés is a five minute stroll to a superb sandy beach in Brittany – enough said!

To snap up your Autumn French fancy now, or for advice on the child friendly holidays that will best fit your family's needs, drop us a line on enquiries@totstotravel.co.uk or call us on 0845 26 941 26 and we'll be happy to help, as always!

Loved by Parents Awards Win!

Just a quick post to thank everyone who voted for me in the Loved by Parents Awards.

It is an honour to have been nominated alongside so many deserving business women and I'm over the moon to have won the Fab Woman of the Year 2011 award!

The accolade celebrates women that have come up with an idea for a business, as a result of becoming a mother. 

The competition was extraordinarily tough - my fellow nominees are truly inspirational women who have set up and are managing successful businesses as well as enjoying full family lives so to actually win the award is an honour and really quite overwhelming...and in case my husband needed reminding I can actually confirm my fab status is now officially recognised (tee, hee!!)

We were delighted to receive this fab feedback from judge Laura Tenison, founder and MD of JoJo Maman Bebe, too...

“I consider Tots To Travel the easy winner of this competition.  This is the perfect business model for a juggling mum. Proactive work can be scheduled around a family’s needs and reactive work can often be delegated. Whist there are similar types of businesses, this one has an exemplary record for quality and attention to detail. It is a fabulous idea and I hope to see Wendy achieve her goals over the next few years.”

Wow! Thank you to everyone who voted for me and Tots in the awards - I'm truly touched to receive such support!

Make flying fun with these child-friendly airports

A recent survey by Skyscanner showed that nearly two thirds of travellers think aiports are not as child-friendly as they should be, with long queues and lack of entertainment for little people being the biggest bugbears.

But don’t despair!  There are a growing number of airports in Europe that are genuinely geared towards family friendly holiday travel.  Here’s our advice on which airports will make ‘getting there’ part of your happy holiday experience...

Holiday at Heathrow...

If you’re flying from Heathrow then you’ll be passing through one of the most family-friendly airports in Europe.

At Terminal 3 you’ll find the Jetterz Kids Club, a fully supervised crèche for kids aged 5 to 14, although at £15 for the first two hours you should build it into your holiday budget in advance.  While the kids are safely occupied, why not pamper yourself with a pedicure, massage or snazzy haircut at the No.1 Lounge spa?

If your flight leaves from Terminal 4, treat the family to a VIP stay at the KLM Holideck Family Lounge, with games, toys, TV and the must-see, top floor flight deck with a spectacular view of the action. At the new Terminal 5, there is free soft play too.

Little Miss Sunshine is making guest appearances, guaranteed to brighten your kids’ day!

Hungry little monsters? No problem - kids eat free at some food outlets and you can even reserve shopping online for pickup at the terminal, so you don’t have to worry about getting baby food and milk through security (which, by the way, has lanes reserved just for families)!

 

The Gatwick pledge...

London Gatwick is so far the only airport to undertake the ‘Family Friendly Pledge’ in the UK.  They were the first to create separate security lanes for families with young children, which means more sympathetic staff and less pressure from frustrated passengers behind you.

The ‘No.1’ lounge in the North Terminal is particularly useful, with a separate kids zone for under 6’s, a games area and a cinema room dedicated to youngsters.  If you’re on a tight budget then you still have options, as there’s also a free soft-play area, and interactive console tables scattered around the airport.

If you find you’re juggling baggage and babies, a pre-booked Porter may be just the ticket.  They can help you check in or reclaim your bags on arrival and help you to your onward transport.

If you’re flying with British Airways, be sure to choose your seats the day before you leave with the special family check-in, and while you’re at it you can order special on-board meals for the kids!  On the day, remember to grab a free Paddington Bear Skyflyer pack as extra entertainment ammunition.

 

Glasgow gift...

Some of the smaller airports also cater for tots. 

They’ll love the free soft play area at Gate 50 in Glasgow, and dotted around the airport you’ll find puzzle tables, Lego and Fingabox consoles to keep the smiles coming!

 

 

Dutch masters...

You may be dreading a journey with connecting flights, but at Amsterdam Schiphol you might even want to lengthen your layover period! 

The kids can channel some of that pent-up energy into clambering around the forest-themed play area, or try out the less physical pursuits such as Lego, computer games and kiddy TV channels - all free!

Does your baby need a quiet place to feed or sleep? 

Then escape to the Babycare Lounge, where you can have your own serene and private space to feed and bathe them, and even dim the lights and let them have a snooze in one of the seven bed cabins, while you have a relaxing sit down yourself.

Toddlers and older kids will love the Panorama Terrace, which offers a fantastic view of the aeroplanes, and an exciting Astrojet flight simulator. 

And the pièce de résistance: a full-size show plane, where the whole family can inspect the cockpit, listen to reports from traffic control, and check out the baggage hold – an experience the little ones will be talking about the whole holiday!

 

Loving Lisbon...

Lisbon airport has recently gone through a major expansion and refurbishment programme, with family-friendly facilities such as childrens play areas, modern baby-changing rooms, buggy loan and even an airport tour for kids now on offer. 

Plus look out for features such as fold-down child seats in toilet cubicles – it’s these little details that will make your journey so much easier!

More good news: pretty much every queue in Portugal can be skipped if you have a toddler in tow. Lisbon airport security queues are no exception, where you will be ushered to a dedicated lane for no-pressure bag scanning.  Remember you can skip the passport queue on arrival too!

 

Fun in France...

At Paris Charles de Gaulle you’ll be spoilt for choice, with multiple conventional play areas, plus several extra-special ones at Terminal 2 with ball pits, toboggans, mazes and more! 

The international boarding area at Terminal 3 is a god-send, with original features such as distorting mirrors, interactive world maps, mini-tunnels, hopscotch and TV rooms clad with comfy beanbag chairs.

 

Spot-on in Spain...

If you’re heading through central Spain this year, then you’re in luck!  Madrid’s Barajas airport has one of the best free play areas in Europe, with a brilliant soft-play structure which includes an impressive tube slide and jungle gym. 

At this kiddie heaven there are also tricycles, a ball-pit and some quieter creative activities to wind the little monkeys down before the flight. 

Plus for very little people (and for you to grab a well-earned rest) there’s a supervised crèche complete with changing areas, baby baths and comfy cots to catch up on any missed nap time. 

Stress-free flying all round!