I was sweating reading this, Andy, then suddenly glad my son’s now 26 and pretty soon he’ll have to start taking me on holiday. To pay him back for my trauma, I might puke on him as soon as we get on the plane (in the only clothes not packed in the bowels of the plane), then shit myself in the pool. I’ve that to look forward to.
Brilliant, Andy! I went to Center Parcs at Longleat a couple of times when my youngest was little. He learnt to swim there, so yay! A minus was him crashing over the handlebars of his bike (bruises, no broken limbs). We made the mistake of turning it into a three-generations holiday and my normally placid father-in-law told us at one point that we were "all going to hell in a handcart". That's how stressful it can be sharing a cabin.
On the way home, we decided to nip into Longleat Safari Park, where we risked the Monkey Drive-through and had our car windscreen wipers stripped off within seconds. Expensive detour.
Thanks, Wendy. Haha, sounds like you also have a mixed bag of memories too, then - your son learning to swim is a lovely landmark memory but yep, can imagine 3 generations in one cabin was a lot! At the Sherwood Forest one, they have enormous treehouse lodges for big groups - only issue is I think we'd have to remortgage to afford it.
Cheap European version every time!! I'm absolutely obsessed with Sun Parks, the cut price Belgian off brand version (it's owned by the same company). The chalets haven't changed since the 90s, it's half the price (even less if the school holidays don't line up ) and you can get Trappist ales in the soft play 😉 massive recommend!
Great post Andy. The sudden knowledge that you have gone "full Dad" when loading a roof rack is relatable.
My experience of Center Parcs consists of an uncomfortable few days with another couple who essentially used the stay as a prequel to their divorce. It was as fun as you can imagine.
Cheers, Nick, appreciate it. Oh God, that sounds rough… not sure the Subtropical Swimming Paradise is the best setting to try and resolve marital problems?!
Your Monday posting has been enjoyed this evening while I sip a Sprite and dream of cocktails! I did, in fact, take my kids to the Center Parcs in Nottinghamshire, I think it was/is, when they were 4 and 2 and recall the splendid rapids which flowed inside and outside the pool and had whirlpools if I remember rightly.
I’m going back twenty years and considered it an expensive weekend away then, so goodness knows what I’d think now 🙈
Love these snippets of yours and Louise’s antics with the boys. Such fun reading 🙌🏼
Thanks so much, Kate. Glad you enjoyed it (and hope the Sprite went down well!) Yes, the rapids are great fun. Although I remember going as a kid myself and a large man landing on my head at the bottom - terrifying!
Love this. The roof rack bit cracks me up, every time we go on a trip I love watching my husband grumbling away while packing up the car and roof rack. It’s really in these moments that I realized he was really and completely a dad.
Love this 🤣 Holidays with kids are just the same as holidays before kids, except with less fun and more anxiety. I can’t event think about an espresso martini without breaking out in a cold sweat.
Cheers, Sara! Yes, very much so. To be fair, now we're past the baby/toddler days, the stress levels are significantly reducing. The first time we took a baby on holiday, we considered going home within two hours.
Hahaha, love this , the espresso martinis bit cracked me up. I love centre parcs, as a single mum with no car , I have taken my kids numerous times to the Bedford one, been to the others as well. It’s so easy for me ! We were there a couple of years back during a storm and the trees had blown down all over , they actually closed centre parcs down and we had to stay an extra night ! But everything was obviously closed, they opened the supermarket for a couple of hours so we could purchase provisions!!!! Exciting but not lol
I was sweating reading this, Andy, then suddenly glad my son’s now 26 and pretty soon he’ll have to start taking me on holiday. To pay him back for my trauma, I might puke on him as soon as we get on the plane (in the only clothes not packed in the bowels of the plane), then shit myself in the pool. I’ve that to look forward to.
😂😂I think that’s reasonable. Thanks for reading, Kay!
Excellent as always, Andy. Why do we always choose to stand on a swivel chair? Chasing a low level adrenaline spike, maybe?
Thanks, mates - much appreciated. Ha, possibly?! I think subconsciously that could behind a lot of my more questionable decisions.
Brilliant, Andy! I went to Center Parcs at Longleat a couple of times when my youngest was little. He learnt to swim there, so yay! A minus was him crashing over the handlebars of his bike (bruises, no broken limbs). We made the mistake of turning it into a three-generations holiday and my normally placid father-in-law told us at one point that we were "all going to hell in a handcart". That's how stressful it can be sharing a cabin.
On the way home, we decided to nip into Longleat Safari Park, where we risked the Monkey Drive-through and had our car windscreen wipers stripped off within seconds. Expensive detour.
Thanks, Wendy. Haha, sounds like you also have a mixed bag of memories too, then - your son learning to swim is a lovely landmark memory but yep, can imagine 3 generations in one cabin was a lot! At the Sherwood Forest one, they have enormous treehouse lodges for big groups - only issue is I think we'd have to remortgage to afford it.
Yes, it is not cheap. Which is probably the reason I haven’t been back since!
Cheap European version every time!! I'm absolutely obsessed with Sun Parks, the cut price Belgian off brand version (it's owned by the same company). The chalets haven't changed since the 90s, it's half the price (even less if the school holidays don't line up ) and you can get Trappist ales in the soft play 😉 massive recommend!
Great post Andy. The sudden knowledge that you have gone "full Dad" when loading a roof rack is relatable.
My experience of Center Parcs consists of an uncomfortable few days with another couple who essentially used the stay as a prequel to their divorce. It was as fun as you can imagine.
Cheers, Nick, appreciate it. Oh God, that sounds rough… not sure the Subtropical Swimming Paradise is the best setting to try and resolve marital problems?!
Your Monday posting has been enjoyed this evening while I sip a Sprite and dream of cocktails! I did, in fact, take my kids to the Center Parcs in Nottinghamshire, I think it was/is, when they were 4 and 2 and recall the splendid rapids which flowed inside and outside the pool and had whirlpools if I remember rightly.
I’m going back twenty years and considered it an expensive weekend away then, so goodness knows what I’d think now 🙈
Love these snippets of yours and Louise’s antics with the boys. Such fun reading 🙌🏼
Thanks so much, Kate. Glad you enjoyed it (and hope the Sprite went down well!) Yes, the rapids are great fun. Although I remember going as a kid myself and a large man landing on my head at the bottom - terrifying!
Great stuff Andy. The family holiday is of course a luxury we’re lucky to have 🥹
Thanks, Margaret. Absolutely!
Love this. The roof rack bit cracks me up, every time we go on a trip I love watching my husband grumbling away while packing up the car and roof rack. It’s really in these moments that I realized he was really and completely a dad.
Thanks, Morgan! Haha, yep, there is something about roof racks, eh?
Love this 🤣 Holidays with kids are just the same as holidays before kids, except with less fun and more anxiety. I can’t event think about an espresso martini without breaking out in a cold sweat.
Cheers, Sara! Yes, very much so. To be fair, now we're past the baby/toddler days, the stress levels are significantly reducing. The first time we took a baby on holiday, we considered going home within two hours.
Hahaha, love this , the espresso martinis bit cracked me up. I love centre parcs, as a single mum with no car , I have taken my kids numerous times to the Bedford one, been to the others as well. It’s so easy for me ! We were there a couple of years back during a storm and the trees had blown down all over , they actually closed centre parcs down and we had to stay an extra night ! But everything was obviously closed, they opened the supermarket for a couple of hours so we could purchase provisions!!!! Exciting but not lol