Travelling Twinkles

Cruising

A Mediterranean Cruise on Symphony of the Seas

A Mediterranean Cruise on Symphony of the Seas

We’ve always been a fan of cruising and over the last few years have been on a few with the kids. When we heard that Royal Caribbean, one of our favourite cruise lines, were building the biggest cruise ship in the world, Symphony of the Seas, we were desperate to give it a try.  As soon as we heard that the ship would be doing its inaugural season in the Mediterranean, we knew we had to go! We booked the cruise through Bolsover Cruise Club, who we’ve used quite a few times to book cruise holidays. Often they can get…

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Restaurants
Sushi Mania – Nottingham

Sushi Mania – Nottingham

Sushi Mania, in Nottingham, is a relatively new addition to Nottingham. A few weeks ago we decided to try it out with the kids. Simon and Oscar both love sushi and recently the twins have started to try it, so we thought we’d see what Sushi Mania had to offer. Here’s what we thought… When we first entered the restaurant, I was really impressed with the decor, which is as expected Japanese themed, although definitely on a more luxury level. On first impressions, I was a little worried that it might not be that child-friendly, although I really …
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Tips and advice
Luxury travel on a budget – top tips

Luxury travel on a budget – top tips

If I’m totally honest, I’m all about the luxury travel. I know that for some people, travel is all about experiencing the local culture and that a bit of luxury is an added bonus. I’m not one of them – a bit of luxury makes a holiday for me. Don’t get me wrong, I like experiencing different cultures, but if I can retreat back to the luxury of a five star hotel at the end of the day, it makes it so much more enjoyable! As a family of five, holidays can be expensive. However, this hasn’…
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Further afield
Planning our trip to Las Vegas and Los Angeles

Planning our trip to Las Vegas and Los Angeles

Next May, my niece is getting married in Las Vegas. We’ve decided to take advantage of the opportunity and also visit Los Angeles, Anaheim and some of California’s well-known beaches, whilst we’re over there. We’ve started to plan our trip, so I thought I’d share our plans with you on here with you. The flights We’ve already booked our flights with Virgin Atlantic. We got a great deal by booking through American Express. They were just under £500 each. We fly from Heathrow to Las Vegas and the return flight is from LA to Heathrow. …
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Tips and advice
Tips for dealing with fear of flying

Tips for dealing with fear of flying

It’s probably a little ironic that I’m writing about a fear of flying on a travel blog, but unfortunately I suffer from a horrible fear of flying that I’ve had to learn to manage over the years (particularly when the kids came along!) and I wanted to share some tips for dealing with a fear of flying to hopefully help others in the same position. I’ve had a massive fear of flying since I was quite young. I’m not sure exactly what caused it or even if there was a trigger at all, but I …
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Europe
Our summer holiday in Benahavis

Our summer holiday in Benahavis

Every year since we had the twins, we’ve been to Benahavis for our summer holiday. I think it’s fair to say that the place has stolen a piece of our heart and is somewhere we will always return to. Benahavis is a small village, set slightly inland, about 15 minutes drive away from Puerto Banus, Marbella. The residents are a mix of ex-pats and locals and although it’s uncommercialised and quite traditional, you don’t need to worry if you don’t speak Spanish. The village is often referred to as the gastro capital of Spain and it’…
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Days out
Splendour 2018 – a great family day

Splendour 2018 – a great family day

On Saturday we attended our very first Splendour festival and it proved to be a great family day. Splendour festival has been running for 10 years and is held at Wollaton Park in Nottingham, which is where we live. The past few years we’ve always been on holiday when it’s been held, but as the kids have broken up slightly later this year, we were around, so arranged to go with some friends who also have children. I was a little apprehensive about what it would be like. I’ve never been to a festival before and didn’t …
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Interiors
Prints, pins and pretty little things

Prints, pins and pretty little things

I really love motivational quotes and prints. I particularly like having them on display in the kids bedrooms and play rooms. A motivational print often is a nice little reminder or pick me up when you’re having ‘one of those days’. I also think it’s good for kids to be surrounded by positive messages. One company who produce some amazing prints (and stationery) is the Old English Co. I particularly love these prints of theirs: They’ve also recently launched some really cute enamel pins, which make perfect gifts. Particularly for friends who might be going through a …
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Reviews
Hello Fresh {a review}

Hello Fresh {a review}

Recently we decided to give Hello Fresh a try. I’d heard about the fresh recipe boxes about 18 months ago, but had also been wary that they would be expensive. However, when my Niece had a discount code, which meant we got our first box for free, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to give it a try. I love food, but I’m not so keen on cooking. I’ve often cooked recipes and been disappointed – my attempt never seems to look like the one in the picture! Because of this, we’d got stuck in a bit of …
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Parenting
Birthdays

Birthdays

During my blogging break, it was Oscar’s and Henry and Heidi’s birthdays. To ensure they’re not missing from the blog I’ve including some pics below. Oscar’s 8th birthday: The twin’s 5th birthday: J xx
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Lifestyle
December 2017 (better late than never!)

December 2017 (better late than never!)

Back in February I set myself a goal to blog at least once a week, since then I haven’t blogged once. I suppose I kinda kept thinking “what’s the point?!”. Recently I’ve been keen to get back to blogging and ensuring that I’m capturing our moments. My motivation for blogging seems to change on a weekly basis. One minute it’s about sharing my tips and reviews, the next it’s to get as many subscribers as possible in the bid to become a pro blogger. However, having some time away has allowed me to really …
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