Planning a family friendly Summer break

I mentioned earlier in the year that I wanted to book a family holiday this year. Not abroad, but a UK based one that would cater for the hubby and I and our need to chill, but also enough to do for the 9 year old and an almost 18 month old.

Despite living by the sea, I still like to go away to the seaside. Whenever we go away, we have to factor in the ferry to the UK from the Isle of Man and then how far we are willing to travel from there onwards. This year, we decided not very far, Charlie isn't a fan of the car at the best of times and I really couldn't take his intense desire to scream at the top of his voice whenever we are in the car for more than an hour or so.

There's actually something I love about UK breaks, especially in Winter. I love cosying up, next to the fire, with a glass of wine, or hopping into the hot tub when it's sub-zero. Hubby and I used to do the lodge escape breaks with Hoseasons and we always HAD to have a hot tub! Therefore, when thinking about planning our Summer break, I turned to Hoseasons, but searched for their family friendly parks. Hoseasons have a range of holiday parks, lodges and cottages to choose from, but for a change we decided to try one of their static caravan parks. When I was a child, it was seen as 'sad' to go and stay in a caravan, but my Mum and Dad bought one of their own touring caravans and it's actually a lot of fun.
So, we decided it would be a caravan park in the North West of England. The North only leaves a few coastal areas and I did NOT want to stay in Blackpool or Morecambe. They are lovely places in their own way, but I wanted something a bit more peaceful than Blackpool and a bit more modern than Morecambe. So, we chose Southport.

The Southport Riverside caravan park is listed as one of their 'Family Fun' parks and what appealed to me about the site was:

• Spa, sauna and steam room!
• Indoor swimming pool
• Adventure play area
• Shop (I have to have a shop on site! Even if it's just for some munchies for the evening)
• Close to the Victorian seaside of Southport
• On site bar (Do I need to explain??)

My parents decided, on hearing we were going in a caravan, to join us, so we decided to club together and pay extra for the Platinum range of caravans. If you're going to do it, may as well do it properly! It's got 3 bedrooms, 1 double and 2 twin (hubby and I will commandeer the double ha!) and they make your beds up for you arrival unlike the other ranges of caravan, so at least we won't need to do that when we get there. There's also a coffee lounge and amusements on site and you can hire bikes. 

We are all really looking forward to it. Hubby and I are shattered after this academic year and need a break, to recharge, chill out and spend some quality time together.  

A full review will feature in August once we've been on our holiday!