Norfolk with kids

A Norfolk Staycation with Kids

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It seems 2021 will be the year of staycations and so I thought it was about time I shared our wonderful trip to Norfolk last summer for those wondering where to go this year.  North Norfolk is home to miles of beautiful sandy beaches, some surrounded by woodland and sand dunes, some easily the most stunning beaches I have seen in the UK.  I found everywhere to be so family friendly – and also doggy friendly too if you have a pet you like to take along on trips! There is so much to do with kids with lots of natural outdoor places to explore and miles of untouched sandy beaches that we could have easily spent longer than a week here.  Cornwall always seems to be the most popular place to go for a UK summer staycation but Norfolk is much less crowded and seems to be a little peaceful corner of the UK that no one yet knows about.  I am even considering going back again this summer myself!

So here are all the best things to do in Norfolk with kids (there are many) along with the best places to stay in Norfolk.

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Suffolk with kids

48 Hours on the Suffolk Coast with Kids

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Our holidays this summer are a little different to usual seeing as we can’t go abroad, but going on a UK staycation and exploring more of our own country has been a really wonderful adventure.  Our roadtrip took us from Kent all the way up the coast through Suffolk and onto Norfolk.  I don’t like being stuck in the car for too long when it’s just me and Evie (there’s only so much playing eye spy and listening to the Frozen soundtrack I can handle), so Suffolk was added into our itinerary as a brief stopover on our way up to Norfolk.  But we ended up having so many fun adventures here that I hadn’t even anticipated for that I even changed some of our plans to stay in this part of the UK for a bit longer.

The coastline has some stunning child friendly beaches and traditional seaside towns as quintessentially English as can be.  There is also the countryside to explore with its many farms, wildlife, nature walks and fields of gold to frolic in, as well as plenty of entertaining attractions for the whole family.

So here are my recommendations on what to do on the Suffolk coast with kids if you only have a couple of days:

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Where to stay in Amsterdam with kids

An Epic Stay at the Lloyd Hotel, Amsterdam’s Most Unique Hotel

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I don’t tend to stay in “normal” hotels when we travel.  You know the kind I mean.  The standard chain hotels that offer a basic room with a comfy bed and a clean bathroom.  Nice, but no pezaz.  I usually go for something that’s a little more out of the ordinary.  Somewhere that is fun and quirky, with unique rooms and beautiful designs.  An independent hotel that has personality; somewhere that will make our trip a whole lot more enjoyable and that we’ll remember for a long time after our visit.  And of course it has to be child friendly.

This is exactly what we found when we stayed at the Lloyd Hotel.  Fun and quirkiness in abundance, this place bursts with character.  Our room was like nowhere I have ever stayed before and most definitely somewhere that both Evie and I will remember and would stay at again on any future trip to Amsterdam.

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Stockholm with kids

A Magical Christmas in Stockholm with Kids

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My inner child and belief in magic has never really disappeared so Christmas has always been my very favourite time of year.  But, since having Evie, it has become even more magical.  I adore watching her wake up with excitement every morning during December to see what the elves have left in her advent calendar tree; she shouts out in delight whenever she see twinkly lights; and the thought of Santa brings a huge smile to her face.

Which is why I love visiting a different European Christmas market every year – for the adventure together as well as sharing the magic of Christmas with her.

For this year’s destination we decided on Stockholm, somewhere which I had already heard was extremely family friendly, looked incredibly festive, and a country that neither Evie nor I have ever visited.  It’s no surprise that visiting a city in Sweden is going to be a fairly expensive trip so getting a Stockholm Pass, which provides entry to most of the city’s main attractions, is a fantastic way to save some money while seeing all the sights.

These are my top tips for what to do in Stockholm with kids at Christmas time and during winter. Wrap up warm and get out to explore this ridiculously pretty city!

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Vegetarian restaurants in Porto

Top 3 Vegetarian Restaurants in Porto

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Full disclosure…I haven’t been vegetarian for long.  Well okay, technically, I’m pescatarian so, not eating any red meat, my travels around Portugal this year relied very heavily on fish, seafood and plants (and cake too of course but that’s talked about in another post).

While Portuguese cuisine is quite heavy on meat and seafood, with pork and stews being popular dishes, I didn’t have any difficulties finding places to eat that catered to vegetarians.  In fact, Porto is a city that caters extremely well to all palates and has many restaurants and cafes that are solely vegetarian and vegan.

I’ve included a variety of different styles of restaurants, all serving up healthy seasonal delicious fusions of food, so whether you’re after a casual lunch with friends, a date night or a delicious weekend brunch, I’ve got you covered.

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Brunch in Porto

The Best Brunches in Porto

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Brunch is always a good idea.  Especially when you’re travelling.  And especially when you’re travelling somewhere that has such exceptional cuisine.  It’s been a while since my taste buds were as satisfied as they have been in Portugal, particularly in Porto, which has an abundance of cool restaurants and quirky cafes that serve an expert brunch.

Clearly the best meal of the day, brunch gives you a totally valid excuse to have a lazy morning and then enjoy excessive amounts of both savoury and sweet in one go, with a fun social atmosphere, all while sipping on booze before midday. I may have had a dessert overload, as you would have read in my last drool-worthy post on Porto’s most indulgent desserts, but I also brunched hard, so here are some of the best places for brunch in Porto.

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Desserts in Porto

Porto’s Most Indulgent Desserts (and Where to Find Them)

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On my recent visits to Porto I have been lucky enough to have eaten at some of the most fantastic restaurants, all recommended by locals, from great brunch spots to the most divine vegetarian restaurants.  I now have so many recommendations to share that there are far too many to include in one post, so I’ve split it up into sections.  The first…desserts!  Obviously.  Because cake is the most important food group especially when the Portuguese seem to do them so well.

The streets of Porto (which you can wander afterwards to burn off all those sugar-filled calories) are full of cafés and sweet pastry shops.  The Portuguese coffee culture gives you an excuse to enjoy something sweet alongside your morning, afternoon and/or evening espresso.

So here is my list of the best places for dessert in Porto.  Warning…there are several photos of me enjoying said desserts because apparently I eat so many and enjoy them so much that it just has to be caught on camera.

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Where to eat in Lisbon

10 of the Best Foodie Spots in Lisbon

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Scoping out the best restaurants and local delicacies used to be one of the highest priorities on my list when travelling.  But due to the exciteable toddler who now accompanies me on all my adventures, I don’t often get the luxury of eating out at nice places as much anymore.  My main criteria now seems to be restaurants that cater to small children, where no one would blink an eye at a bit of noise or a toddler going for a wander around the tables or crayons being thrown all over the floor.  And bonus points if the restaurant has a play area!  Ah the joys of travelling with children.

It wasn’t until we returned home from Lisbon that I realised just how many amazing places we’d eaten at in the few days we were there.  So many in fact that the food needed a whole post of its own!  All of these places come highly recommended by a local (which was the only reason we ate so well because I did absolutely no research myself), some of which are family favourites.  So they have been tried and tested by both locals and tourists (aka me) too.  None of these are specifically child friendly but they all catered very well to children, so whether you’re travelling with kids or without, these are some of the best places to eat in Lisbon.

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Lisbon with kids

Exploring Lisbon with Kids

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If you read my previous post on falling for Lisbon you will know that our first experience of this city was a very brief one.  This time around we had several days to explore at a more leisurely pace as well as a local to guide us around, showing us all the best attractions and local spots, which gave us the chance to fully appreciate this beautiful city.

Many parts of Lisbon are made up of a maze of steep hills and narrow cobblestone streets – particularly the old district of Alfama with its historic colourful houses and superb viewpoints.  Pretty to look at but not so ideal to visit with a baby in a pram!  I found this out the hard way on our first visit (I’m surprised the wheels didn’t fall off), so I would recommend taking a baby carrier for these areas to save yourself the workout of pushing a pram uphill that you most definitely did not sign up for on a city break.  Other easy ways of getting around are Uber or tram.  Most of the Uber drivers we used had a baby seat in the back and the tram is always fun for little ones to take a ride on.

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Family friendly accommodation Lisbon

Falling For Lisbon at The Explorer’s Home

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My first trip to Lisbon two years ago was not a great one.  We only had a day in the city on a cruise and during our brief visit my grandad almost had his wallet stolen and I found it extremely difficult to get around all the hills and cobblestone streets with a baby in a pram.  I was so disappointed that we came away with a negative view of this city that so many people, especially family travellers, talk so highly of.

But I knew we had not been able to experience the city fully in just our one short day so I wrote it off as a bad experience that could have happened anywhere and kept it on my very long travel wish list to visit again at some point in the future.

So when we were invited back by Duarte, the host of The Explorer’s Home Airbnb, after he saw a comment about our bad experience on Instagram (ah the powers of social media), with a promise to show us a better side to Lisbon and change our views on the city, I couldn’t resist giving it another chance.

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