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Amsterdam city living at the V Loft | Growing Spaces

I’m getting more and more particular about where we stay when we go away, so finding a family-friendly city pad in Amsterdam that also ticked the style box was a must. And the V-loft at Hotel V Frederiksplein was by far the most stylish place we’ve ever stayed. We aren’t natural hotel guests. Even before having the twins, we were always more inclined to book a self-catering option over a hotel, but the V-loft offered a great compromise. Hotel V is spread along a block of 19th century apartment and office buildings on Amsterdam’s Frederiksplein. The lofts are just around the corner from the main hotel, with their… View Post

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We haven’t done a family city break, but Amsterdam was high on our travel wish list, so when we spotted cheap flights on Skyscanner we snapped them up. The twins have only just turned seven, so we needed to plan a trip that would engage them, and that we would all enjoy as a family. As a family we have a love of all things creative, so I wanted to find things to do in Amsterdam that would feed into that. Instead of buying a guide book, I turned to the internet to find the best attractions Amsterdam has to offer for families… View Post

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We have just enjoyed a weekend in North Norfolk, staying in the most picturesque flint cottage – one of Norfolk Country Cottage’s 400 independent holiday cottages dotted across the county. We chose the gorgeous Blacksmith’s Cottage in Great Bircham as our base – it was full of character with its beamed ceilings and woodburner, and was so comfortable, immaculate and well-appointed that we wanted to move in for good! It was just a short stroll to the local pub and village shop/deli, and there was a fantastic view out over farmland at the back. Having never visited North Norfolk before,… View Post

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Our favourite beach in winter | Growing Spaces

I wanted to do something different on Saturday – I had the urge to explore, to go further afield. We had an amazing day at West Wittering around this time last year, and as the forecast was for sunshine, we decided to head back to the beach. It was grey and very cold when we got there, but it wasn’t long before the sun came out and we were treated to the same intense blue skies we enjoyed on our last visit. The wind was bitter, but actually I think I needed that blast of fresh air to clear my… View Post

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Engstligenalp in summer | Growing Spaces

Engstligenalp in summer Camping Grassi Views from the open-air swimming pool at Adelboden Pink buildings at the open-air pool at Adelboden Picnicking at Engstlipenalp From our overnight stop in Arrigny, we had a full day’s driving to the Swiss alps, heading through Basel and down to Frutigen, about 30km from Interlaken. FRANCE – SWITZERLAND: Arrigny – Frutigen, 295 miles by motorway We stayed: At Camping Grassi, Frutigen, Switzerland. A gorgeously green campsite with incredible mountain views. The pitches weren’t the most spacious we encountered (we were there on a Swiss bank holiday weekend so it was busy), but there was… View Post