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Bournemouth

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'Bournemouth'
5 out of 5 based on 1 user review(s).

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"Brilliant beaches and fantastic attractions"

Bournemouth is an upmarket British seaside resort on the south coast with so much to offer families. We were very excited to be picked to test this fun-packed weekend.

The Norfolk Royale Hotel:-
We stayed at the luxurious 4 star Norfolk Royale Hotel. The entrance was bright and spacious and the receptionist welcoming and helpful. The hotel has its own underground car-park and also a handy luggage unloading area at the front of the hotel. A porter carried our luggage up to our suite. This had an entrance hall, bathroom and 2 bedrooms which was ideal. The décor of the hotel is very smart. The bathroom had smart black and white tiles and Molten Brown toiletries. There was a bath with power shower. The towels were warmed on a lovely heated towel radiator and we were given bathrobes for our use during our stay. Dinner was delicious and very well presented. The waiter William was very friendly to the children and made us feel very welcome. There was a highchair for Juliana and a children’s menu for Jamie. We were the only family with children there. The other guests were mainly older couples. The hotel is centrally located on Richmond Hill, right by the shops. The only downside is that we got woken up in the night by noisy people leaving the bars. We enjoyed using the hotel swimming pool and Jacuzzi. It was lovely in a glazed building attached to the hotel overlooking the garden.

Lower Gardens:-
From the hotel we took a walk in the Lower Gardens near the seafront where the Bournemouth Balloon is tethered. The gardens are beautiful with a stream running through. We discovered there was an aviary in the lower gardens with lots of beautiful birds in. Juliana enjoyed watching the birds flying around and Jamie enjoyed pointing out his favourite ones.

We had a walk to the beach and enjoyed walking along the pier.

The Bournemouth Balloon:-
On Saturday morning we went on the balloon which is located in the lower gardens, so not far to walk from our hotel at all. The balloon is tethered to the ground and operates if it’s not too windy. It goes about 150 metres high and the views are fantastic. There is interesting commentary with all the major sites given a mention. Jamie was very excited about going in it. I would recommend going in it on a sunny day. It was a bit cold and rainy when we went but the great thing is we had the balloon virtually to ourselves.

The Oceanarium:-
Next we walked to the Oceanarium on the sea front. It has all sorts of sea creatures from sharks to turtles. It was well laid out with themed rooms for different countries with ambient music. There were plenty of benches to sit and rest. The dive cage was impressive. It takes you on a virtual underwater adventure. Jamie found it a lot of fun and particularly enjoyed being in the tunnel where we saw sharks and other interesting fish swimming above us. Juliana found the oceanarium fascinating. It’s buggy friendly with a lift. It’s well worth a visit. We had a great time.

Bike Hire:-
We hired bicycles from Front Bike Hire just to the east of Bournemouth pier. The guys were friendly and lent us bicycles and a trailer for the children. We were able to leave our buggy with them whilst we were on the bike ride. It was a good flat ride along the promenade. We got to Boscombe pier and then came back as it started to rain. The children loved it and were very cosy in the trailer which protected from the wind and rain. It was fun and I would have loved it if the sun had been shining.

Aruba Restaurant:-
We had a tasty lunch at Aruba and were privileged to have a table right by the window with sea view. This restaurant is on the sea front at the foot of the pier. It is a large, trendy and popular restaurant with a parrot to welcome you at the entrance. The waitresses were friendly and brought a high chair for Juliana and colouring pencils for Jamie. The children’s menu was good. This restaurant is upstairs and there is no lift so if you have a buggy you will need to carry it up the steps.

We took the land train along the promenade and through the interesting Chine gardens to Boscombe pier. This is an excellent way to get to Boscombe and saves a long walk.

Boscombe Surf Pod:-
There are lots of traditional beach huts along the beach at Bournemouth and they have recently built the modern surf pods. They are in a complex with showers, toilets and a chic restaurant/bar called Urban Reef. We spent some time in a surf pod. These are equipped with a kettle, microwave, sandwich toaster, plates and mugs, along with deck chairs. You will need to take your own tea-bags, milk and other food supplies. There are double doors leading onto a balcony where you can sit and enjoy the fantastic sea views and watch the world go by. It wasn’t very cosy there on a cold wet day but I imagine it would be very pleasant on a sunny day.

Urban Reef Restaurant:-
We drove back to Boscombe and went to the popular Urban Reef restaurant on the sea front. It was an airy and contemporary restaurant with elegant arum lilies in vases. It was quick and friendly service. We were given a highchair for Juliana and colouring pencils for Jamie. There is a children’s menu. They also offer half price of any dish from the adult main menu. The food was very tasty and well presented. Again, this restaurant is upstairs with a bar downstairs. There isn’t a lift. This wasn’t a problem as we just carried the buggy upstairs.

I would highly recommend Bournemouth for your UK holiday or for a short break. There is a lot to do for young families even when the weather is cold and wet. There are plenty of facilities along the sea-front with showers, toilets and baby-change.

Member review by Katrina - Mother of 2 - review date 19th May 2010

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