My top 5 places to staycation for February half-term
With so many child friendly activities on offer why not enjoy your own city! I would recommend staying a couple of nights, seeing something in the West End, Matilda, Lion King and Mary Poppins are all favourites of my family’s and then during the day visiting Tower of London, London Dungeons, Sea Life and taking a ride on the London Eye. There are so many great family friendly restaurants to enjoy as well as hotels that do special offers including kids stay free. You don’t have to spend a fortune to stay in your own city! If you would prefer to stay West then you can visit all of the famous museums or depending what your children are interested in why not visit the Royal Palaces and gardens. Or if you prefer to see everything from up high then head to the Shard or the Sky Garden.
Dorset
Dorset’s coast is often overlooked because of neighbouring Devon but the beaches here are just stunning and lots of fun for the children to explore and search for fossils. Lyme Regis is a firm favourite of my family’s. I would also recommend heading into the Dinosaur Museum in town! There are lots of new restaurants along the seafront in Lyme Regis and the boardwalk is very family friendly. Lyme Regis also hosts some quaint artisanal outlets including a micro-brewery and jewellery makers just next to the old mill which are not to be missed. The Jurassic coastline is incredibly scenic to walk along if you’ve got tiny babes to wrap up or older ones willing to walk a bit further!
Kent
From quaint fishing villages like Whitstable to quirky seaside retro towns like Margate, Kent has so much to offer families. By staying somewhere like Margate you can enjoy the vintage arcades, the Turner contemporary for any art enthusiasts and some vintage shopping as well as a cold morning dip in the sea and oysters along the sea front. There are also the Victorian tourist attraction of the caves which are perfect for children wanting to explore.
Devon
North Devon is one of my absolute favourites in the Winter, the South west coastal path is perfect when it is not too hot and will take you all the way from the beautiful Heddon’s mouth opening onto a quiet beach down to Clovelly with its traditional architecture and steep hills. As a treat for the children after all that walking why not head to Big Sheep near Bideford, voted the best family day out in North Devon you can see the new baby lambs as well as enjoy a huge indoor soft play! One of my favourite things about North Devon is visiting the huge expanse that is Saunton Sands Beach backed by the UNESCO Braunton Burrows site. This beautiful section of the water is perfect for swimmers and surfers but in the winter the beach is just stunning to walk along, play with a football and fly a kite!
Cotswolds The Cotswolds spans such a huge area with many different hotels and homes and lots of different family friendly activities. One of my favourite things to do with children is head to the Farm Park which is run by Adam Henson of Countryfile fame. This farm specialises in looking after rare breed animals and it is a real hit with little ones. February half term coincides with the lambing season so hopefully they will be able to see some new little lambs. If you’re staying near Broadway then this is a great day out for all of the family, with beautiful independent shops along this quaint high street as well as plenty of pubs and restaurants you can spend many a day meandering the streets. There is also a gorgeous hilly walk up to Broadway tower which I recommend and if the children still need to burn some energy then there is a top playground just in Broadway village.