How lucky were we to be invited back to Cala Gran at Fleetwood for another review weekend? The kids love this place already, so it was interesting to see what changes and improvements had been made which was going to keep them interested this year.
The first thing that struck us was the "Little Cubs" slots in the Daytime Activities, a daily slot aimed specifically for young children, new born to 4 years old. Tom was not interested... he's 4 in a couple of weeks and did not want to be classed as a "Little Cub" and instead wanted to be off doing what his older brother Jack was doing - which was fine because he was off doing activities for kids aged 3+. George, however, LOVED the "Little Cubs" sessions. We went to two sessions while we were there: Ned's Tots and Tunes, and Anxious' Sensory Morning. There was a good mix of children from a wide age range - older siblings were welcome to take part and join in, and parents actively encouraged to take part too. .
George got right in with the music making in Ned's Tots and Tunes, singing along, playing with the instruments, and marching to the Grand Old Duke of York all round the Show Bar! Each segment was just long enough to entertain the little children without giving them chance to get fed up and wonder off. It was tailored beautifully to the age range.
He loved Anxious' Sensory Morning too and found his way to the basket of baby friendly light up toys in no time at all, learning how to make things work, light up, make noise, sharing with other children and taking part in group play. The bubble machine won his heart though and I think he would have been perfectly happy to play with that - chasing and catching bubbles with the other children - all day!
It's all very well put together. At the end of each session the kids are given a "wind down" period where they are encouraged to lie down and relax while the Funstar running the session sings a soft song, in this case "I Can Sing a Rainbow", which stops them from being mental as they leave the session (very important to parents!) and then they can get a photo with the Character associated with that session. It's also a lovely chance for the younger children to make friends with other kids their age, and for the parents to get to know each other too. Highly recommended!
This holiday hasn't all been about entertaining Georgie though. Jack & Tom have had a ton of stuff to do as well. They took part in the Mini Archery and Fencing again which they had loved so much last year, and Jack even had a go at the adult (6+) archery too - we're still hearing about how he did better than Daddy! They've also played mini golf, been bowling and been swimming, spent some pocket money in the arcade, watched a proper Punch & Judy show in the Show Bar and been on a treasure hunt as part of Ned's Non-Starty Party.
We grown up's have had a nice time too. A lovely break from the cooking with a meal at The Mash & Barrel on Friday night, and pizza delivery from the on-site Pappa Johns on Saturday, with the added bonus of nice accommodation in our Prestige level caravan. The staff have all been lovely and helpful, more than happy to answer any questions and quick to respond to any issues, for example we had a problem with the flush in the 2nd toilet. By the time I had wondered back from reporting it to the ladies on reception there were already two guys at the caravan fixing the problem and apologising for any inconvenience. You can't ask for fairer than that!
In the end, the only complaint that any of us have had is "two nights wasn't long enough!" but with school, nursery and work all lined up for Monday morning we had no choice but to go. The lads really want to go back - there were tears from two of them as we drove away and I was reminded that I had promised them a trip to Blackpool on the Tram which we didn't find time to do....
We are planning another trip, once baby is here and we're adjusted to life as a family of 6. A week long trip. Weekends are GREAT, a week would be EVEN BETTER!
Disclaimer:
All views and opinions in this review are my own and that of my family. I have not been paid to make this review, but I was given 2 nights in a caravan and passes to activities for free.
Facebook has changed it’s policy for posts to Facebook pages like mine. They are only showing posts to a few likers unless I pay to boost the views. Since I don't earn money from my blog (or at least not much, not even enough to buy one posh a coffee a week) I wont be doing that. The best way to make sure you will see my blog posts is to subscribe by email up there on the right. I usually only email once a week and include an invitation to my blog hop so you can share your posts too.
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The first thing that struck us was the "Little Cubs" slots in the Daytime Activities, a daily slot aimed specifically for young children, new born to 4 years old. Tom was not interested... he's 4 in a couple of weeks and did not want to be classed as a "Little Cub" and instead wanted to be off doing what his older brother Jack was doing - which was fine because he was off doing activities for kids aged 3+. George, however, LOVED the "Little Cubs" sessions. We went to two sessions while we were there: Ned's Tots and Tunes, and Anxious' Sensory Morning. There was a good mix of children from a wide age range - older siblings were welcome to take part and join in, and parents actively encouraged to take part too. .
George got right in with the music making in Ned's Tots and Tunes, singing along, playing with the instruments, and marching to the Grand Old Duke of York all round the Show Bar! Each segment was just long enough to entertain the little children without giving them chance to get fed up and wonder off. It was tailored beautifully to the age range.
He loved Anxious' Sensory Morning too and found his way to the basket of baby friendly light up toys in no time at all, learning how to make things work, light up, make noise, sharing with other children and taking part in group play. The bubble machine won his heart though and I think he would have been perfectly happy to play with that - chasing and catching bubbles with the other children - all day!
It's all very well put together. At the end of each session the kids are given a "wind down" period where they are encouraged to lie down and relax while the Funstar running the session sings a soft song, in this case "I Can Sing a Rainbow", which stops them from being mental as they leave the session (very important to parents!) and then they can get a photo with the Character associated with that session. It's also a lovely chance for the younger children to make friends with other kids their age, and for the parents to get to know each other too. Highly recommended!
This holiday hasn't all been about entertaining Georgie though. Jack & Tom have had a ton of stuff to do as well. They took part in the Mini Archery and Fencing again which they had loved so much last year, and Jack even had a go at the adult (6+) archery too - we're still hearing about how he did better than Daddy! They've also played mini golf, been bowling and been swimming, spent some pocket money in the arcade, watched a proper Punch & Judy show in the Show Bar and been on a treasure hunt as part of Ned's Non-Starty Party.
In the end, the only complaint that any of us have had is "two nights wasn't long enough!" but with school, nursery and work all lined up for Monday morning we had no choice but to go. The lads really want to go back - there were tears from two of them as we drove away and I was reminded that I had promised them a trip to Blackpool on the Tram which we didn't find time to do....
We are planning another trip, once baby is here and we're adjusted to life as a family of 6. A week long trip. Weekends are GREAT, a week would be EVEN BETTER!
So... What is the official Family Walker rating?
- Kids Activities: 5/5, there was something for everyone
- Toddler Activities: 5/5, our 2 yo was delighted by the sessions he went to
- Staff Rating: 5/5, friendly, helpful, and fun!
- Accommodation Rating: 4/5, bit of a problem with the loo, but they fixed it super fast!
- Price Rating: 5/5, if we had bought this holiday and stayed for the full 3 nights (May 2014, not a Bank Holiday Weekend) we had been offered - we could only stay two because of school & work - it would have cost £369.85. I took £100 spending money for the 5 of us and came back with over £10 change. That's pretty good value for money in my opinion!
Disclaimer:
All views and opinions in this review are my own and that of my family. I have not been paid to make this review, but I was given 2 nights in a caravan and passes to activities for free.
Facebook has changed it’s policy for posts to Facebook pages like mine. They are only showing posts to a few likers unless I pay to boost the views. Since I don't earn money from my blog (or at least not much, not even enough to buy one posh a coffee a week) I wont be doing that. The best way to make sure you will see my blog posts is to subscribe by email up there on the right. I usually only email once a week and include an invitation to my blog hop so you can share your posts too.
You can also go to my page, hover over the “liked” button and select get notifications. Then you will see my posts and status updates in your notifications. Mumma Walker on Facebook
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