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The Z Hotel Covent Garden: an affordable hotel in the heart of London

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I first heard about Z hotels after bookmarking Monica from The Travel Hack’s 10 best cheap hotels in London list last summer. I live a 30 minute train ride outside of London, but I love a little overnight in the city, and it’s always really handy to know an affordable hotel in the heart of London to turn to when you need a night away. The new Z Hotel Covent Garden is located right in the centre of all the action and 30 seconds from the famous piazza, bars, shops and restaurants. It took me about three minutes to walk there from Leicester Square Tube (anyone else not keen on those Covent Garden lifts?), and I found the Z Hotel Covent Garden tucked away just off Bedford Street.

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Our Florida Family Christmas - Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort

Christmas at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort

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I’ve been promising that I’ll update you all on our Florida family Christmas, and as I’ve got so much to tell you and I don’t want to miss anything out (I’ve had so many messages from people considering Christmas holidays at Universal Orlando Resort and Walt Disney World) I thought I’d split it into a few different parts, with this first bit covering the journey and Christmas at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort. This was a big ask as a holiday: we had a pretty varied age range, from young adults to my 78 year old Mum, and a lot of different bucket list items to tick off too. I got myself into a bit of a flap planning it all and in the end Jim had to sit me down and tell me to chill out a bit, as it was starting to look like a bit of a military operation getting everyone to see and experience everything I wanted. As it turned out, we had a lovely mix of relaxing and exploring, and there were loads of wonderful memories made. I’m not going to lie to you: six adults being together 24/7 for 10 days was never going to be 100% without stress, but although it was pretty tiring (and the weather wasn’t great), it was definitely one of the best holidays we’ve ever had.

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10 brilliant things to see and do at Universal Orlando Resort this Christmas

10 brilliant things to see and do at Universal Orlando Resort this Christmas

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If, like us, you’re planning a Christmas trip to Orlando, excitement levels must be pretty close to fever pitch by now (I know they are in this house!). As with planning a Christmas trip to Walt Disney World, a little preparation will go a long way to make your festive visit an extra special one. I’ve got some insider tips and some great recommendations for things to see and do at Universal Orlando Resort this Christmas. And if you’re not lucky enough to be visiting Universal this Christmas, then here’s some festive inspiration for your next visit. Ready? Then let’s begin!

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My top tips for planning a Christmas trip to Walt Disney World, Florida

My top tips for planning a Christmas trip to Walt Disney World, Florida

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I was talking on Instagram recently about how bonkers it’s been the last couple of weeks. We’re heading to Orlando for Christmas (woohoo!) and I just want everything to be perfect, so I’ve been planning like a crazy woman. A couple of our family have never been, and I want them to see all the lovely things. Happily, I’m now armed with a ton of tips, so I hope these help if you’re counting down the days to your own Christmas visit to Walt Disney World (or planning one for next year - I’ll make sure I update this). Christmas is a brilliant time to visit Walt Disney World - the weather should still be warm and sunny, and the thundery afternoons of the summer will have passed. Planning something this lovely isn’t a chore and really adds to the excitement, plus you’ll have all sorts of amazing experiences lined up for when you get there! So grab your pen and paper and a festive hot chocolate and have a read of all my top tips for planning a Christmas trip to Walt Disney World, Florida.

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10 reasons why Universal's Aventura Hotel could be my new favourite

10 reasons why Universal’s Aventura Hotel could be my new favourite

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I’ll admit it - I’m biased. I love Loews Sapphire Falls Resort at Universal Orlando with all my heart. I adore the colourful lobby; the gorgeous pool area; the bright, tropical rooms and the fabulous food at the Strong Water Tavern, plus the fact you can hop on a river taxi and be right at the park gates in no time make it a no brainer for me. However, while we were at Halloween Horror Nights, we were lucky enough to stay at Universal’s Aventura Hotel, their beautiful, modern new hotel right next to Sapphire Falls, and I have to say, I was mightily impressed. It could even be my new favourite. Here’s why:

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Visiting Walt Disney World with toddlers

Visiting Walt Disney World with toddlers

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A lovely friend of mine emailed me a while ago and said that some friends of his were going to be visiting Walt Disney World with toddlers in tow, and did I have any tips I could share. I compiled a big list of all sorts of bits and bobs of advice and recommendations for him and have used it several times since when people have asked me similar questions. I thought it would be helpful to compile everything into one big blog post and then I can keep adding to it as new attractions and activities arrive in the parks, or as other people give me their top tips. So here, for now, is everything that I can think of that would be remotely useful to know if you’re visiting Walt Disney World with toddlers.
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Marvel Summer of Super Heroes at Disneyland Paris

Marvel Summer of Super Heroes at Disneyland Paris

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This weekend, Mr E and I were lucky enough to be invited to the launch event for the brand new Marvel Summer of Super Heroes at Disneyland Paris (you might remember reading about me forgetting my passport when I was invited to the special exhibition in Paris to showcase the plans for the new Marvel event. What a wally. Anyway, this time I panicked incessantly and checked my passport every five minutes and yes, got to Paris in one piece in time to experience this brilliant new summer of Marvel-based attractions available to everyone visiting the park this summer. Read on to find out more about it!

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Staying overnight at the airport: BLOC Hotel Gatwick

Staying overnight at the airport, BLOC Hotel Gatwick

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There are loads of reasons for staying overnight at the airport before a flight. Maybe you’re not sure of your exact arrival time (my drive to Gatwick can take anything from an hour and a half to three or four depending on traffic), and don’t want to miss a flight, or maybe your departure time is really early in the morning and you don’t fancy getting up at 2am… Sometimes it’s even a cheap way to get airport parking: a lot of the hotels do an overnight stay/parking deal. Every time I walk past the very stylish entrance to the BLOC Hotel at Gatwick South Terminal, it reminds me of how much I want to stay there. Finally, before a very early flight to Palma last week, I got to experience it for myself when the lovely people at BLOC very kindly put me up for the night. If you’re considering staying overnight at the airport, BLOC Hotel Gatwick is my new favourite. Here’s what to expect.

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All the news from Universal Orlando Resort, Florida

All the news from Universal Orlando Resort, Florida

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Hola! Well isn’t this weather nice? I was actually in Athens this weekend, working for Cruise International, and the weather here in the UK was actually hotter when I landed. Crazy. Anyhoo, I’ve been storing up all the news from Universal Orlando Resort for a while now, so whether you’re interested in breathtaking new rides (in which case, may I direct you to my Fast & Furious - Supercharged post here), beautiful new accommodation options or big fat gorgeous doughnuts, you’ve come to the right place. Grab a cuppa and settle down to read my exciting roundup of everything new at Universal Orlando Resort, Florida.

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The free Disney dining offer is back for 2019 holiday bookings!

The free Disney dining offer is back for 2019 holiday bookings!

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I honestly don’t think there’s a bad time to visit Walt Disney World resort in Florida (incidentally, for a heads up on the best times to go and loads of other info, visit my My Walt Disney World top tips post here), but the free Disney dining offer makes a family holiday at Walt Disney World considerably better value. I always recommend you stay at a Disney resort hotel if you’re visiting Walt Disney World (I think all the perks like Extra Magic Hours and free Disney’s Magical Express airport transfers add significant value), but now it’s even better value. If you’re a bit confused about what free Disney dining would mean to your family holiday booking in 2019, read on. I’ve got all the info on how the offer works, plus some top tips on the best places to book, too.

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My Saturday Night Takeaway adventure and how you can holiday like you got a place on the plane!

My Saturday Night Takeaway adventure (and how you can holiday like you got a place on the plane!)

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What an exciting week it’s been! In my head, I’m still at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida in the audience at the live finale of Saturday Night Takeaway, laughing at Dec, Scarlett and Stephen’s rowing race at Volcano Bay, boogying to Craig David, learning dance moves with Jason Derulo and singing the Friends theme with The Rembrandts. If you don’t follow me on social media (and if not, why not?!) you might have missed the exciting news that last week I was lucky enough to fly out to Orlando for a behind the scenes sneaky peek at the Saturday Night Takeaway live finale. My Saturday Night Takeaway adventure began when I joined the lucky place on the plane ticket winners and boarded a specially chartered Virgin Atlantic flight to Orlando. As you can imagine, the atmosphere on board was pretty electric, Stephen Mulhern and Scarlett Moffatt were milling around, chatting to the winners and the gorgeous, glam Virgin cabin crew were on hand to make sure we were all safe and looked after.

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A foodie day in San Diego with Virgin Holidays Experiences

A foodie day in San Diego with Virgin Holidays Experiences

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So I’ve been telling you about my magical trip to Los Angeles with Virgin Holidays. After our fantastic foodie tour of East LA and a stop off to explore Temecula wine country, we headed to our final destination, San Diego. We arrived quite late in the afternoon from Temecula and went straight to our hotel, the gorgeously colourful Kona Kai Resort & Spa, before quickly popping to our rooms to freshen up before going straight out to dinner. We only had a very limited time in San Diego and were determined to make the most of it, so our foodie day in San Diego strictly started the night before with a visit to Liberty Station, before returning to properly explore the next day.

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New Virgin Holidays Experiences and a foodie tour of east LA

New Virgin Holidays Experiences and a foodie tour of East LA

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So you’ve booked your dream holiday: you’ve chosen a great hotel, maybe scoped out a couple of decent restaurants (you know how important this is to me) but what’s the best way to really get under the skin of your destination? Well, Virgin Holidays has come up with the brilliant idea of Virgin Holidays Experiences: a breathtaking range of over 300 experiences for everyone from foodies and shopaholics to the thrill-seekers and outdoorsy types, and even those in search of the perfect Instagram shot. These fab new experiences will enable all of us to create a bespoke holiday experience that truly reflects our interests and obsessions. So whether you’ve always dreamed of shopping with your own personal stylist in New York, fancy taking surf lessons in San Diego, a seaplane trip over Horseshoe Bay in Vancouver or discovering Chinatown in San Francisco, the world really is your oyster! I was lucky enough to travel to LA and San Diego with Virgin Holidays earlier this month to try out a few of the amazing new Virgin Holidays Experiences. First up, an incredible foodie tour of East LA.

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My guide to dining at Universal Orlando Resort, Florida

My guide to dining at Universal Orlando Resort, Florida

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If you’re anything like us, one of the biggest considerations when you’re planning a holiday (along with: ‘will there be enough to do?’ and ‘what’s the pool like?’) is ‘are there loads of great places to eat?’. Food is a huge part of our family holiday budget - it’s a big part of our family life at home, so that naturally carries through when we go away together - we want to enjoy gorgeous food in beautiful places. I’ve been thinking for a while now that I really should create a little (well, quite large, actually) guide to dining at Universal Orlando Resort, so if you’re considering a Universal family holiday, you can do a little advanced planning (plus, you know I like taking photos of my food). This is by no means an exhaustive list, but I’ve tried to include everywhere I’d dined in and enjoyed as well as a couple on my still to do list.

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My top ten tips for visiting Halloween Horror Nights

My top ten tips for visiting Halloween Horror Nights

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So you already know that we’re all Halloween crazy, and last week - a dream come true - I got to take Mr E and Sam to Universal Orlando Resort, Florida to experience the amazing Halloween Horror Nights 27. I don’t want to be one of those people who give all the good bits away before you even get there, so I’m not going to go into huge detail about everything you’ll find at HHN27, just in case you’re due to visit. If you’re tempted to attend next year, though - and you really, really should - here are my top ten tips for visiting Halloween Horror Nights, plus a couple of my awful blurry pictures - you’re welcome!

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New Disney hotel, ticket and dining packages from Attraction Tickets Direct

New AttractionTickets.com Disney hotel, ticket and dining packages

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You’ll probably already know that I’m a huge fan of AttractionTickets.com: they’re one of the world’s largest attraction ticket brokers, and we’ve been everywhere from the West End of London, to Disneyland Paris, and even Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando with them. Last week I headed to the gorgeous Sea Containers in London to celebrate their 15th birthday with them, and to hear some really fabulous news about new Attraction Tickets Direct Disney hotel, ticket and dining packages!

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