Friday 9 June 2017

A Fabulous Family Break with Al Fresco Holidays - Sanguli Salou Review

If you are a regular reader to the blog then you will know that we are passionate about family travel. As I work on the blog full time (so effectively can work from anywhere there is wifi) and my husband works in a school, it gives us 12 weeks a year where we can travel and visit places to our hearts content as well as weekend breaks and day trips.

During May Half Term we had the opportunity to visit a wonderful holiday park called Sanguli in Salou, Spain with Al Fresco Holidays. We only stayed for 3 nights, but our short visit was absolutely amazing and we literally cannot wait to return in the future.

About Al Fresco Holidays

Al Fresco Holidays specialise in family mobile home holidays throughout Europe, on a selection of Europe's favourite family friendly holiday parks. They have a huge selection of destinations on their website with each park offering fantastic facilities and a wonderful location. There is a mix of large and lively parks, small and friendly, authentic and value, as well as midsize and sociable, so you can be sure of finding a holiday park that suits your requirements.

The website is really easy to use and by clicking the Destinations and Parks category on the top of the page, you can see a full list of destinations, as well as some quick links to the most popular parks. There is also a live chat facility which is really useful if you have any questions about a particular park, or need assistance with the booking process.

There is a choice of mobile homes which are all well equipped, comfortable and modern. Some of the mobile homes can sleep up to 8 people which is great for larger families, or if you would like to go on a trip with friends and share the cost. There is also ample space making them a great alternative to a hotel stay where you can all be restricted to being in one room. My particular favourites are the holiday homes which also offering decking, outdoor seating and a barbecue which means that you can make the most of the sunshine and enjoy some al fresco dining too!

Al Fresco Holidays make it easy to find a destination or park that suits you, using the search function. You can then refine your options by selecting specific requirements you have on the left hand side such as budget, being near to the beach, kids club facilities and dining choices to name just a few. You also have a choice as to how you wish to travel to the holiday park such as flying, ferry, train or Eurotunnel and Al Fresco representatives are more than happy to assist you with your travel needs.

The Booking Process

I found this to be really simple and it was a quick and efficient process. I knew the dates that we wanted to travel and had selected the type of mobile home that we required online whilst browsing through the site. I then completed the booking over the phone (as I had a couple of questions too) and within minutes I had received my booking confirmation via email along with important information about the holiday. You have the choice when booking to add additional options to your holiday such as air conditioning, linen packs, an equipment damage waiver (I would definitely recommend taking this out),  beach/bath towels, baby packs & toddler packs. Both the baby and toddler packs are a great idea and can really help cut down the amount of luggage that you need to take with you. For example the baby pack consists of a travel cot, high chair, baby bath, socket covers and a baby gate on the terrace.

We also received a further email several hours later with our itinerary, directions, a handy checklist and some useful contact telephone numbers should we need assistance before or during our holiday. All the information I was sent via email made me feel prepared for our trip and my family and I excitedly began our holiday countdown.

Getting to Sanguli

We looked at a couple of options of getting to the site, the first being that we could drive to Portsmouth, get the ferry over to Bilbao and then drive approximately 4.5 hours to the park. The second choice was to fly, which we decided was the easier option as Sanguli is ideally situated only 15 minutes from Reus Airport. Our nearest UK airport is Manchester and unfortunately flights were coming up very high at approximately £170 each and so with the help of Skyscanner we found return flights for 5 of us for less than £150 in total including allocated seats from Glasgow. This is approximately a 4 hour drive from our home, but we thought we would make the most of this and travel up a day earlier so we could have a day in Glasgow City Centre too which we really enjoyed and it worked out really well. The flight took just over two and a half hours and we received really good service on both the outbound and inbound flights.

To save money we chose to travel with hand luggage only. Our outbound flight was with Jet2.com and their allocated hand luggage sizes were slightly larger than our inbound flight back with Ryanair, so it was just a case of making sure that our luggage was within the size requirements for both airlines and we took a bag each. As this was only a 3 night stay we found that we had plenty of room for shorts, tshirts, shoes and towels and it also meant that we didn't need to queue in an airport to check our luggage in or wait at a carousel to collect it. We had declined the option to add the linen pack when we booked our holiday and simply used one of our hand luggage cases to keep all the linen in and found that there was plenty of space. We found it so much easier than pulling big suitcases around that we are considering travel hand luggage only on all future flights now where possible.

When we arrived in Reus Airport, we made our way outside where there was a line of taxis waiting. A gentleman with a clipboard approached us and asked where we would like to go. He spoke good English and then translated our destination to our Spanish speaking driver. We agreed on a price which was 35 euros and within half an hour of landing we arrived at the fantastic Sanguli holiday park.

Arrival at Sanguli

We arrived at the park via the new Africa entrance. A gentleman on the gate checked our name against the list and allowed the taxi entrance to drop us off. We then made our way to the main Sanguli reception which was just a very short walk away from the drop off point. There was no queue when we arrived and so we were welcomed straight away by a lovely lady on reception who asked me to sign a couple of forms and then provided us with our Sanguli wristbands which we needed to wear for the duration of our stay.



The lady provided us with a small welcome pack which gave us a timetable of activities and a user id and password so that we could use the wifi during our stay. We were also given a map of the new Africa Zone and given directions to the Al Fresco check in tent where we would be provided with the keys to our accommodation.

Our first impressions were fantastic. Sanguli have clearly put a lot of thought and effort into the design and layout of the Africa themed zone even down to the little details. The first thing the kids saw was the amazing water park and we couldn't wait to cool down in the pool and try out the water slides.



We made our way past the restaurant and then opposite the shop there were some steps which took you down to the Al Fresco tent. This is where you can check in with your representatives. You are required to leave a £50 housekeeping deposit on arrival which is then returned to you at the end of your stay providing the accommodation has been left how you found it. If you don't want this deposit to affect your available funds or spending money whilst there then I would suggest using a cheque, which is also Al Fresco's preferred method too. This way you simply hand them a cheque for £50 and they give it you back when you leave. I totally agree with this policy and personally think it is a great idea.

I signed a further form confirming that I agreed to the housekeeping deposit and we were handed our keys and given directions to our holiday home. This was located down a small gravel road and was opposite one of the camping fields. It was really easy to find and I loved the outside decking area which also had some great quality outdoor dining furniture.

Accommodation

We stayed in a Rossini Riviera Lounge which sleeps up to 6 people. There were two bedrooms, with one located either side of the main living room area. One bedroom was a double room, the second bedroom was a twin room and in the living area the sofa could pull out into a double sofa bed.


The mobile home was very modern and clean and we found that there was ample space for our family. It was very well equipped with everything you could possibly need in the kitchen and the fridge freezer was of ample size. We found that there was lots of room to store our possessions and there was a larder area just off the kitchen which had plenty of shelving to store food such as bread or cereals.


The shower room featured a shower with hot water and a sink area with shelving. There was also a plug in here which was great for me in the morning as I cannot live without my hair straighteners, so it was great to be able to have a plug by a mirror so I could get ready easily. The toilet was separate from the shower room and was in a small room (closet size) next to the twin room. I liked the fact that this was separate from the shower room as it can be very frustrating if someone is in the shower and you need the loo!


Pillows and blankets had been provided and we made up the beds on arrival so that they were ready for the remainder of our stay.

There was a dining table in the living area which came in very handy during our stay for preparing sandwiches and also eating our breakfast on the last morning of our stay when the bright sunny weather had been replaced with a showery downpour.

A couple of bin bags had been provided and there was also a broom and mop bucket, so that we could keep on top of keeping the mobile home clean and tidy.

We all had great first impressions of where we would be staying for a few nights and so once we had unpacked and the beds were made, we headed straight to the pool!



Sanguli Holiday Park

Wow! This holiday park simply has everything you can think of and more! The new Africa zone features two walk in pools, a selection of slides, water fountains and toys, animal statues, ample sun loungers, a restaurant, takeaway, shop and a bakery. All this is just in one section of the park which is just amazing! We spent all of our visit between the Africa area and the beach, but there were also numerous other pools and water slides throughout the park for guests to enjoy.



An extensive kids club programme ran by the park itself ensured that there was plenty to do for even the youngest of children and my son Riley enjoyed participating in the mini disco which was on three times a day! The kids club catered for children up to the age of 12 and there were plenty of toys and activities to keep everyone busy.



All the staff members that we came across were really helpful and friendly. They were also patient and kind when my children were taking their time to try their best to speak Spanish. One lady in the shop also made the effort to try and teach them some numbers.

I found the shop to be reasonably priced. There were some things that were a lot more expensive than at home for example 4 euros for a pack of Kelloggs Cereals (currently £1 in Asda). However some things were also a lot cheaper and so it did end up balancing out and didn't cost as much as we were expecting it to. We chose to self cater and cook for ourselves during our stay, however there were several restaurants on the site which all offered a wide range of meals that were of reasonable prices. We spent a total of 100 euros to purchase enough food for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks, wine and beer to last our full stay. I was more than happy with this and had expected to spend double that. The shop in the Africa area was well stocked and had most essentials, however a short walk away near the ampitheatre, was a larger supermarket that had a bigger choice of meats, vegetables and drinks.

Despite being a really large busy park, it never felt overcrowded at any point. We had no issue in getting a sun lounger regardless of which time we went to the pool and all areas that we visited were spotlessly clean.

The pools were fantastic and despite having travelled all over the world, my children are adamant that the Africa pool is their favourite resort pool of anywhere else we have been to. It had no deep section and so it was also very relaxing for me knowing that they would be comfortable no matter where they were in the slide pool as the water was never higher than their waist.

There was a deeper pool adjacent to this that was suitable for swimming and seemed popular with adult guests. There were no queues for slides and these were all of various sizes so that there was something suitable for all age groups, meaning that everyone was catered for.  The numerous life guards were a welcome presence and did their jobs well. The pool isn't heated and although it does feel cold on entry, you soon warm up and I found it to be just right once I had been in there a few minutes.




As we absolutely loved the pools that were closest to our accommodation we chose to spend our days having fun here or at the beach. However, as mentioned previously there were numerous other pools throughout the campsite that all offered a great range of facilities and slides. In addition to pools there is also a football pitch, bicycle rental, and even trampolines to keep you busy.

We enjoyed taking a walk around the site in the evening pretending that we were on a safari and looking for different kinds of animals with the kids. They absolutely loved this and some of the animal statues are very lifelike too!



Dining & Drinks

There is a huge choice of restaurants, takeaways and snack bars throughout the park, so you will literally be spoilt for choice if you want to dine out for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The menu prices seemed very reasonable and I absolutely loved the decor in Restaurant Victoria which was in the new Africa resort area and named after the impressive Victoria Falls.



Bar Baobab was located closest to the Africa pool and offered a lovely range of refreshing drinks and cocktails.

We also loved the on-site bakery and the kids enjoyed purchasing a fresh croissant every morning to eat on the way to the beach.


Evening Entertainment

The onsite entertainment in the evening started a bit too late for us as Riley was fast asleep way before 9pm which was when the main evening programme would start. This would take place in a wonderful ampitheatre which had plenty of seating for the guests on site. My husband and I could hear the singing in the evening which was quite loud when sat outside, however we couldn't hear anything inside the accommodation so it didn't disturb any of the kids whilst they were asleep. We did try to convince Riley to have a siesta one day so that he would stay up late enough for us to watch a show, but he refused to leave the swimming pool and so we decided to just let him enjoy the holiday rather than try and enforce a nap.

Offsite there is also plenty to do in Salou itself and I believe that there is a fabulous fountain show in the town centre which starts at around 10pm in the evening. As we were visiting in mid season this wasn't actually on whilst we were there as was only scheduled for Friday and Saturday night, but in peak season I was told this is on every night.


Local Area

The wonderful sandy beach of Salou is located across the road from the town site entrance, which is approximately a ten minute walk from the Africa resort area. We really enjoyed the stroll through the park along its palm fringed walkways, but if you didn't fancy carrying all your beach items through the park, the site offers a fun little land train service that collects from the main Africa entrance and drops you off at the town side entrance.


It is a fabulous beach that is really clean and tidy, with plenty of sun loungers for hire, showers and bar areas to purchase a drink. My children absolutely loved coming here every morning and spent hours building sandcastles, digging holes and swimming in the sea.




The beach also offers pedalo hire, jet ski hire, paragliding and banana boat rides at various points along the shores and it was great fun watching people enjoy themselves out at sea.

For thrill-seekers there is also the amazing PortAventura Theme Park located approximately 10 minutes away by bus, where on the same site you can also find the brand new Ferrari Land and the Caribe Aquatic Park.

Other nearby attractions include go karting, an aerial adventure park and golf.


Our Opinion on the Al Fresco Experience

We found everything from the booking process through to leaving our holiday absolutely seamless. We received plenty of information before our trip commenced and I felt well prepared before we set off on our journey. The on-site representatives were really helpful and they were always on hand throughout the day in the event of needing any assistance. On our second day we decided to have a barbecue but we were missing the tongs from the barbecue set. My husband simply made one of the representatives aware of this and a new set was provided within ten minutes. On another occasion we were unsure how to control the air conditioning and a lady kindly came and showed us how to operate it correctly. There was also a handy comments pad in the Al Fresco tent so that if no one was there you could leave a message and they would get back to you on their return. This seemed a very simple but useful idea.

In the tent you could also find a selection of games and beach toys that you could borrow and return which is a lovely idea and seemed popular with all guests.

The day before we checked out we received information on the check out procedure and we were asked what time we would be planning on leaving so that someone could come and check the accommodation and return our housekeeping deposit. We informed our representative that we would be ready for 8:15am the following morning and sure enough they arrived exactly on time. We had made sure we had followed all the steps in the checklist and left the mobile home immaculate and just how we found it. The cheque was then handed back to us and we gave the keys back to the Al Fresco rep.

I literally cannot fault our stay with Al Fresco Holidays at Sanguli. Despite only being there for 3 nights it is quite easily one of the best family experiences that we have had together. We would love to return for a longer period of time in the future so that we can also fit in a visit to some of the local attractions and enjoy some more time in the sunshine.

Thank you to Al Fresco Holidays for an absolutely wonderful stay!

For further information you can visit the Al Fresco Holidays website here: http://www.alfresco-holidays.com/

It is also now possible to book your 2018 holiday with Al Fresco Holidays at http://2018.alfresco-holidays.com/

Alternatively you can follow them on social media via their channels which are:

Twitter - @AlFrescoHols
Facebook - Al Fresco Holidays
Instagram - @alfresco_hols


Disclaimer: We were provided with discounted accommodation for the purpose of providing an honest and impartial review of the Al Fresco experience and Sanguli Campsite. All opinions and photographs are my own unless otherwise stated.

Thursday 8 June 2017

Beautiful Flowers & Gifts from Prestige Flowers

I have recently started looking for gifts to purchase for friends and family as I have a few upcoming special dates in our diary. Father's Day is just around the corner on the 18th June and July seems to be full of friends birthdays as well as the end of the school term. My youngest son has nearly completed his first year of nursery and I have seen his confidence grow so much throughout the year that I would like to buy his teachers something special to say thank you for all their help and guidance.

Prestige Flowers have a fantastic website, which features a whole host of flower arrangements for all occasions and to suit most budgets. The site is very user friendly and easy to navigate, with the categories clearly displayed across the top of the page. This makes it easy to find the perfect gift for your loved one or friend. The selection of bouquets available are beautiful and you are literally spoilt for choice.

In addition to their wonderful selection of flowers, the site also features a great choice of gifts that can be added on to your flower order or can also be bought on their own. The Father's Day page has some great gift ideas including flowers, sweet treats, balloons, hampers, alcohol and gift sets.

The Birthday Flowers page showcases some stunning selections and there is bound to be a beautiful bouquet to suit all tastes. The combination gift sets offer great value for money and my personal preference are the sets that come with flowers, chocolates and a balloon.

I was therefore delighted when Prestige Flowers kindly offered to send me some flowers from their luxury range to review. I had previously received a beautiful Valentine's bouquet from them back in February and so I was very excited to be able to sample another bouquet from a different range.

I received an email confirming that my order would arrive on Monday 5th June and sure enough there was a knock at the door just after lunchtime. Even the packaging that the flowers arrive in comes well presented in a beautifully decorated box. The box has useful cut out handles which makes it easy to carry and it is very simple to unpack.


On opening the box I found a flower care guide, a small box of chocolates, a card, another small box and some stunning flowers that were neatly and safely wrapped. I proceeded to open the smaller box and was pleased to find a lovely glass vase inside that was perfect for my new flowers.

The beautiful bouquet came wrapped in glossy white wrapping, with some soaked material around the base of the flowers to help keep them fresh. It featured stunning Peonies, Carnations & Roses in a mixture of dark and pale pink colours. They smelt absolutely beautiful and had a strong, but not overpowering scent.


I found the flower care guide enclosed really useful as it provided specific information on caring for the roses, as well as information on other types of flowers. The essential tips on the reverse of this guide also gave great advice and will help me to maintain the flowers for as long as possible. The guide is only little so it is very easy to store away and keep safe for future reference.

The flowers also came with a small box of chocolate truffles which were absolutely delicious. They come in a lovely little gift box and are the perfect miniature sweet treat for any chocolate fan.


To begin with I initially placed the full bouquet exactly as it came, in the vase that was provided to ensure that all the stems received plenty of water. As the week has progressed I have began to trim the stems and rearrange them to make sure they absorb lots of water. I keep them on my windowsill for a few hours a day to receive sunlight and then move them to my display stand early afternoon to ensure they are not in direct light all day. I believe that this helps to make the bouquet last longer and nearly five days later they look absolutely fantastic.


Overall, I have been really pleased with Prestige Flowers and I would gladly recommend them to others. The bouquet was stunning and I was also impressed with the packaging and speed of delivery. The website is very user friendly and I have found some absolutely gorgeous gifts in their birthday range starting at only £19.99 for flowers and chocolates.


If you would like to visit the Prestige Flowers website then this can be found here: Prestige Flowers

The birthday range can be found on this page here - Birthday Flowers

Also if you would like to keep up to date with their latest products then you can follow Prestige Flowers social media channels here:

Twitter - @prestigeflowers
Facebook - PrestigeFlowersUK
Instagram - @prestigeflowersuk

Disclaimer: I was provided with a complimentary bouquet for the purpose of providing an honest and impartial review. All opinions and photographs are my own unless otherwise stated.




Wednesday 7 June 2017

Outdoor Fun with Wicked Vision - Sonic Booma Sports Boomerang

We were recently sent the Sonic Booma Sports Boomerang by the company Wicked Vision who create fun and innovative outdoor toys for all to enjoy. My children were all very excited to see what was inside the large padded envelope and on discovering it was a Boomerang, there were immediate requests for a trip to the park.

We do have quite a large garden, however even with the best of care, you can guarantee that we lose at least one item over the fence at some point throughout the week and so I was in agreement that the best place to test this new toy out would be at the local playing field where I knew there would be lots of space.


Now we have had boomerangs before and to be honest none of them have ever lived up to the hype or actually returned, so I was somewhat sceptical as to whether this would work. However, the packaging labelled this as being "The World's Best Outdoor Boomerang" which is quite a statement to make and so I couldn't wait to find out whether this was, in fact, correct!


The Sonic Booma Sports Boomerang is made in the UK and has a flight range of 15-20 metres. It is available in three different colours which are red, yellow and blue and also has a special feature of making a loud whistling sound whilst in flight.


It took a few attempts to get the hang of throwing it properly as we had all assumed that boomerangs were thrown in a similar way to frisbees, however you need to keep the boomerang almost vertical on launch. To get the best distance and performance it is ideal to throw in light wind as this helps to carry it a little faster and also makes it easier to throw.

There is also some useful information on the back of the packaging which provides you with full instructions as to how to hold the boomerang, the direction to throw it in, the angle of the throw and how to throw! I would therefore recommend keeping the packaging until you get used to using the product as we found this advice to be very helpful.

Once you begin to get used to throwing and catching the boomerang, it is also possible to tune by bending the wings into different positions. Bending the wing down will help to create a lower flight, bending the wings upwards will create a higher hovering flight and lastly, if you twist the wing tips this creates a smaller flight circle. I was surprised to find so many options as to how to use it. My son Ben was also keen to try some of the trick catching ideas that were placed at the bottom of the packaging.

Another great idea is that the company has its own YouTube channel where you can view video tutorials that show you some tips and ideas. This was great for the kids who aren't big fans of reading instructions and would much rather view a video that shows them how to use something.

Did the boomerang return? Well actually yes it did! The first couple of attempts didn't go too well as we weren't throwing hard enough or as vertical as we should have been. But we watched the YouTube videos a couple of times and quickly got the hang of it. Before long the Sonic Booma was completing accurate return flights much to the excitement of the kids.

The product is recommended for ages 8 up, however my son Riley who is 4 always likes to be involved in everything and so I had no issue with him having a go. Although he was unable to throw it hard enough for it to do a return circuit, he was quite happy just throwing it anywhere, or to his brother and sister. Therefore although he is unable to understand how to use it properly, it still brings him some enjoyment and he feels involved.

Ben on the other hand got the hang of it quite quickly. He has recently broken his wrist and so has been unable to participate in quite a few activities lately, therefore he was pleased to be able to have fun with this as it only needed the use of one hand and I think he could have quite happily spent hours on the field playing with it.

With the product being very slimline and of a reasonable size, it fits into my handbag with ease. This means that we will definitely be taking it out with us on trips to the park, the beach and the local playing fields. It will be a great toy to take on holiday with us to keep the children entertained at the beach and won't affect our luggage allowance either due to it being very light.

Overall we had a great time with the Sonic Booma once we had got the hang of it and look forward to using it again very soon.

If you would like to purchase your own Sonic Booma Sports Boomerang, then they can be found online here for a cost of £10.00.
Sonic Booma Sports Boomerang

You can also browse all of their other products here: www.wickedvision.co.uk

You can also find more information on Wicked Vision by following them on social media:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wickedvisiontoys
Twitter - @WickedVision
Instagram - @wicked_vision
YouTube - Wicked Vision TV

Disclaimer: We were provided with the Sonic Booma Sports Boomerang free of charge for the purpose of providing an honest and impartial review. All opinions and photographs are my own unless otherwise stated.


Tuesday 6 June 2017

A Fun & Educational Experience at Glasgow Science Centre - A Review

Last week we were very excited to have the opportunity to visit the Glasgow Science Centre. If you are a regular reader to the blog, you may remember my post a few weeks ago regarding the company Letterbox Lab who send fun science subscription boxes through the post. The kit that my children received seemed to ignite a keen interest in the subject and a desire to learn that I had never seen happen with a single product before. Therefore when I found out that we were going to be in the Glasgow area for a couple of days, there was no doubt in my mind as to which attraction we should visit.

The Glasgow Science Centre is located on Pacific Quay in a wonderful building alongside the River Clyde. Their aims are to increase the awareness of science, as well as engaging, challenging and inspiring visitors. The website states that it is one of Scotland's must-see visitor attractions and so we couldn't wait to find out more and see exactly what it had to offer.

We had arrived by train into Glasgow Central at around 1pm and made our way to the Village Hotel which was located a short distance from the Glasgow Science Centre. The walk from the station took us approximately half an hour, but the area seemed very well served by trains, buses and taxis that could have made our trip much shorter. Once we had checked in at the hotel we made our way over to the attraction which was very easy to find and we also took a nice short walk along the River Clyde on the way.


On arrival we were greeted by Susanne who gave us a fantastic welcome and provided us with a map. Her enthusiasm and passion for the centre came across really well and I found her so friendly and happy that it actually made my day. Susanne made me interested in what she was telling us as if it was something she loved. We were told about specific areas on certain floors that the kids would enjoy and it was explained to us about how interactive the attraction is and that we could all get stuck in with learning, not just the kids! I couldn't wait to explore inside and we made our way up to the top floor.

Floor 3 is named Bodyworks, which is a huge hands on exhibit covering all aspects of the body, its functions and how everything works. There is so much to get involved with and my children began by making impressions of their bodies on the giant Pin Art board. They loved this, especially the boys and it helped them to compare their sizes in a fun and unique way.


The first area within the Bodyworks zone that we explored was all related to the cardio vascular and respiratory functions of your body. Each individual exhibit was fantastic and my children were fascinated to find out just exactly how your body looks inside. There were loads of experiments for us to try out including viewing our veins, monitoring our heart rate and watching how your lungs assist with breathing.


After this we learnt about how science can assist people with disabilities, or help to provide a new lease of life to people who have suffered an injury or amputation. Some of the mechanics behind these were amazing and my son spent some time trying to pick up a ball using a robotic hand as pictured in the exhibit below.


My son Ben found this area really interesting and it made us all think about how skilled scientists and surgeons are.


My daughter really enjoyed the competitive exhibits where you could test your body and then also compare it to other peoples scores. Everyone's bodies react at different speeds and we all have different strengths and skills, so it was great to be able to compare these and think about what makes us all different. In this game below you needed to watch for the buttons to light up and then press them as quickly as you could. My daughter had several attempts at this to try and beat her score each time.

There were plenty of exhibits to try that assessed both your physical and physcological ability and it was great to be able to test ourselves against one another. My youngest son Riley absolutely loved the sprint track and kept improving his time each attempt he made, much to his excitement.

My husband also enjoyed the grip test and took great delight in the fact that none of us could get even close to his score.


Emma spent some time on a really funny exhibit that shows you how your bones work when moving in a certain way. She began cycling on the bike and was then shocked when a skeleton appeared next to her that showed her exactly how her bones were working whilst pedalling.


The giant hamster wheel was also very popular with all guests and after a short wait my son and daughter both had a go at using their movement to create energy that would make the hamster wheel spin. Around this area we were also able to learn about our digestive system and find our more about DNA and what genetics are.

We absolutely loved Bodyworks and the fact that all the educational information was displayed and presented in such fun and interactive ways meant that my children enjoyed learning. They kept talking about what they had learnt and how they couldn't wait to tell their friends and teachers once they returned to school after the holidays.


Once we had finished in the Bodyworks area, we made our way down the stairs and headed to the Powering the Future floor where we learnt all about how energy is generated and what it can do. There were exhibits to teach us about the storing of energy and how it is transmitted, again using hands on experiments to help make the learning fun.



We were able to learn about how things are made, how things move and how energy that we often take for granted can be generated. We often switch lights on or plug things in without a second thought and so it was great to actually learn more about what happens when you plug something in and how that power is then created.

My youngest son Riley and I had a great time on the huge energy dance floor, where using our own bodies we had to generate enough energy to light up an on screen battery. My husband and eldest son Ben also had a wonderful time playing with the Scalextric track where they used hand cranks to power electric racing cars.




The lower floor was my kids favourite as it featured a large educational play area, scientific favourites such as pendulums and plasma balls, as well as a whole host of different optical illusions. My son Riley could have played in the water zone for hours and he loved watching how the water moved around. He could see where the water was generated and how different valves could change the flow or direction of the water. He also just quite simply enjoyed playing with the boats and moving them from one side to the other.


The crooked room also brought lots of laughter and confusion. This optical illusion made me feel really dizzy as my mind was telling me that the room was straight, but my feet were telling me that it definitely wasn't as I kept walking into the wall. My kids found this hilarious and also came up with fun ways to stand on the floor. If you look at the picture below it appears that the floor is straight and flat, however it is actually a steep slope. Very clever!


Another favourite was the optical illusion below, which made your body disappear using some very cleverly placed mirrors. We had so much fun trying all of these out and watching each other on the nearby television screens.


Overall we had an absolutely fantastic time and it will definitely be a place that we return to in the future. My kids haven't stopped talking about this attraction since we left and I am so pleased that they are so keen to learn at the moment. My husband and I also found out new things during our visit and so it was great as an adult to also be able to enjoy the experiments and interactive exhibits on offer. We found the attraction to be very accessible by car, foot and on public transport and full information on routes can be found here: Transport

There are also some additional attractions here that unfortunately we did not have time to visit which were the Planetarium and the Imax Cinema. For added convenience there is even cafe on site should you wish to have a bite to eat or grab a drink during your visit.

If you are planning on visiting Glasgow anytime soon then I would definitely recommend a visit to the Glasgow Science Centre! Fantastic!

Attraction Details

Address: Glasgow Science Centre, 50 Pacific Quay, Glasgow, G51 1EA.

Opening hours: During the summer months the Science Mall will be open 10am til 5pm each day. Please check the website if visiting during other seasons.

Ticket Prices:
Science Mall Adult £11.00
Science Mall Child £9.00
Planetarium Add On £3.00
IMAX Documentary Add On £2.50
Glasgow Tower Add On £3.50
Glasgow Tower Only £6.50
Planetarium Only £5.50 (Applies to last show of the day only. Suitable for guests aged 7+)
Science Passport  Adult £27.00 (Valid for 12 months entry to the Science Mall)
Science Passport Child £21.00 (Valid for 12 months entry to the Science Mall)

All prices quoted include Gift Aid donation and VAT.

Children under 3 years of age are admitted free of charge.

Car Parking Charge for GSC Visitors: £3.00

For the most up to date information on ticket prices, events and opening hours then please visit their website here: Glasgow Science Centre

Disclaimer: I was provided with complimentary tickets for the purpose of providing an honest review of our experience. All opinions and photographs are my own unless otherwise stated.

Sunday 4 June 2017

Personalised Father's Day Gifts with Snapfish - A Review

Father's Day is almost here, on the 18th June to be precise and to be honest, I often find myself purchasing the same kind of gift each year for both my dad and my husband. It's not that I can't think of new ideas, but instead I often resort to the firm favourites that I know they will love. For the last few years I have , I mean my kids have, bought their dad Wales Rally GB tickets. My husband goes every year and with the base now being just down the road it is always a welcome gift. However I could easily buy these at any time of the year for him, especially when he has to wait until October to use them and they aren't really something that is 'personal' to him from the children. With regards to my own dad, I often buy him wine or a new shirt to add to his 'Grandad Shirt' collection as my kids call them.

I was therefore delighted to have the opportunity to try something new this year after I was made aware of the company Snapfish. Their website allows you to create fun personalised gifts and cards, which you can design yourself using your favourite and most cherished photographs. This allows you to display your family moments and memories in a wonderful unique way.


Choosing Your Product

Choosing which product I wanted to purchase was probably the hardest part out of the whole process due to there being so much choice. I wanted to pick something that my dad would use, but also something that I could add numerous images to. The website was really easy to navigate and after selecting the Father's Day section from the contents, I was taken to a page full of gift ideas. The products ranged from mugs to cushions, keyrings to mousemats and phone cases to calendars to name a few. After a good browse through the choices, I decided to purchase a mug for both my dad and my husband, as well as a Personalised Table-Top Panel for my husband that I knew would take pride of place on his desk in work.


The Design Process

I was initially a little worried that it would take ages for me to design the products. As I am often short on time, I was concerned that I may be getting into a long drawn out process of selecting and uploading photographs one at a time and then having to rearrange them in a way that I wanted. However, I needn't have been worried as uploading the photographs was very quick and simple and I was able to select multiple photographs at a time to upload into my Father's Day Album. The majority of the photographs I used were original digital images, however some of the photos I wanted to use on my dad's mug were old photographs that I only had original prints of. As I don't have a working scanner at present, I just took photos of them using my camera phone in order to convert them into a digital image. I was unsure how good the quality would be, but they turned out absolutely fine and I had no issues in applying them to my design.

When I selected the mug option, I was then presented with a layout template, which also had a variety of other options displayed along the left hand side of the page. This included a layouts option which allowed you to amend the formation, a designs option which gave you some pre-designed ideas, a backgrounds option which gave you numerous different patterns, textures and colours to choose from and an embellishments option where you could add text designs or images on top of your photographs. The possibilities seemed literally endless!

Once I had completed my first mug design, I moved on to the second one for my husband. The kids joined in with this as I wanted them to have input with it being a gift from them. They chose some of their favourite photographs and also added a couple of embellishments. My daughter Emma who is 10 took control of the design process and working together with her two brothers they completed the mug design in less than ten minutes. We also wanted to purchase something for my husband's desk in work and so the kids then also completed the Personalised Table Top Panel which they thought he would really like. I made sure I was on hand in case my daughter had any difficulties but the process was simple enough for her and so she simply shouted me over as soon as they were ready for us to complete our purchase.

Purchase & Delivery

I registered our account so that our photos would be stored for future use and so that we could also monitor the progress of our items. The total bill for 2 x mugs and 1 x table-top panel came to £25.97 excluding delivery which I feel is excellent value for personalised gifts.

I placed the order on Sunday 21st May and immediately received an order confirmation via email. Only three days later on the Wednesday 24th May, I received a further email confirming that the items had been dispatched. This was far quicker than I was expecting and the following day I received the first of my items. I had expected the products to all be delivered together, however they did all arrive separately.

The first to arrive was the Personalised Table-Top Panel which was quickly followed the next day by the delivery of both of my mugs. I was very pleased with the prompt delivery and everything arrived perfect and undamaged.

The Products

I was absolutely delighted with all the products we had ordered. I wasn't expecting the quality to be as great as it was, so this was a wonderful surprise. All the images were perfectly clear and not blurry at all.

For my dad's mug I had chosen some of his favourite photos from the past including his wedding day and I feel that the design I had created was just perfect. The mugs are 11oz and suitable for tea, coffee and other hot drinks. They are dishwasher and microwave safe, and Snapfish recommend using a mild detergent in order to keep the photographs bright.

This product can be found here: Personalised Father's Day Gifts - White Coffee Mug 11oz




My husband's mug featured a selection of my children's favourite images and again we were really impressed with the outcome. The mugs can be customised with photo's, embellishments and even text, so you can get really creative with your design. My kids really enjoyed being able to do this together and didn't have any problems at all. However I noticed that there was a large help section should we have ran into any difficulty.

This product can be found here: Personalised Father's Day Gifts - White Coffee Mug 11oz




The Table-Top Panel had a high gloss finish and also featured a UV-resistant, scratch free coating and measured 7 x 5 inches. I noticed it was also available in larger sizes should you require your gift to be larger. The photo's were printed directly onto the wood and it had a great easel back feature which means it is easy to display on a shelf, table-top or desk in either portrait or landscape.

This product can be found here: Personalised Father's Day Gifts - 7x5 Wooden Table-Top Panel





Overall

Overall we really enjoyed using the Snapfish website. The whole process from designing the item to actually receiving the products was really simple and it is definitely a service that we will continue to use going forwards.

There are so many possibilities with the products and it is also really fun being able to be involved with designing your own gift.

If you would like to view the full range of Father's Day Gift's, then these can be found here:

Personalised Father's Day Gifts

I will also update this blog post after Father's Day to let you know exactly what the gift recipients thought!

Disclaimer: We were provided with a voucher code of £25 credit for the purpose of reviewing the website and it's products and providing an honest review of the service. All opinions are my own unless otherwise stated.