Squidge and I are just back from a weekend in Skegness, where we spent 48 crazy, toddler-led hours at Butlins. We were accompanied by my sister-in-law, and Squidge’s cousin, Bear.
It’s been ages since I did anything just for Squidge. Home Education means the boys are with me almost all of the time, and their various classes and gatherings take precedence over toddler based activities. This weekend was dedicated just to us; to me and my baby, and it was glorious.
Accommodation
Our accommodation was a ‘Fairground Apartment’ and had a lovely, colourful theme throughout. The fairground apartments sit very close to the car park which was really very handy, considering the am on t of stuff toddlers bring with them (giant plastic excavator, anyone?).
I would have taken photos of the rooms but we created chaos so quickly it just wouldn’t have been fair to Butlins. I was more than happy with our apartment though, and so we’re the boys – especially the funny mirror in the lounge!
Friday evening
We arrived at around 5pm and checked in via the drive through checking in service. The process was quick, easy and welcoming. We were handed our wristbands, key cards and paperwork and off we went.
Once we’d dumped our bags, we headed over to the ‘Tots Disco’ which was running between 7pm and twenty past. The boys hated it! It was too busy and too loud for them both. Undeterred, we moved into the arcade area where they spent our life savings in 2p pieces instead. The evening was saved and the toddlers were happy. Job done.
At 7.30pm there was a show called ‘Animal Antics’ where various creatures were brought out on stage. Great for older children but of no real interest to a 2 and 3 year old. They were pretty much ready for bed anyway though by 8pm so we went back to the apartment and planned out our Saturday.
Saturday
The boys were up bright and early on Saturday morning and so we joined in with the ‘Get Up and Go’ show. Billy Bear and friends led the crowd in a warm up exercise to get everyone ready for the day. Squidge didn’t join in but enjoyed the music very much.
After our warm up, Bear requested a visit to the beach and I realised I’d forgotten to pack my coat! So rather than access the beach directly from the Butlins resort, we drove into Skegness, bought a new coat and visited the beach there.
We spent a good hour and a half on the beach, and the boys had a brilliant time. They crept towards the sea but we all decided that the water was really cold so gave it a miss! That didn’t stop us having lots of digging fun on the sand though, and we took two tired boys back for some lunch.
Our afternoon was no less busy than our morning as we went first to soft play and then to swimming. There are two areas of soft play available according to the height of the child, so little ones have a place to play safely away from older wildlings like mine!
Swimming was great. Splash Waterworld has a separate pool area for youngsters, where my 1 metre tall boy can easily stand. There were fountains and mini slides, and both Squidge and Bear and the best time.
The boys had a little ride on one of the coin operated rides on the way back to the room too. This fire engine ride was £1.00 per go, so no more expensive than a regular shopping centre ride.
Back at the apartment, the boys had lots of fun with their new bubble guns. These were from the on-site toy shop and were £8.00 each. Each dinosaur bubble gun comes with two lots of bubbles which are easily refillable, and they make a seriously irritating roaring noise too. The boys adore them!
Once they were all bubbled out, Squidge and Bear decorated some gingerbread men and had a little picnic in a den we made at the apartment. The weekend really was entirely child-led! I’ve got some brilliant little lights to review on the blog called Handy Lux by JML, and they were perfect for lighting up the boys little den. Could these boys be any cuter?!
As evening approached we decided the boys were just too worn out to attempt the disco again, so it was PJs and bed for the toddlers, and for us not log afterwards!
Sunday
Sunday started more slowly than the previous day for Squidge and me. We waved Bear and his mummy off as they went to a family fitness class, and we slowly got ourselves ready for the day. First on the agenda for us was the Mr. Men show. Squidge hasn’t encountered the Mr. Men and Little Miss characters much yet, so he just kept shouting ‘Hiya!’ in the general direction of the stage. He was happy, so it was good enough for me.
Next up was messy play. We love messy play at home and I knew Squidge would enjoy this. What I wasn’t banking on was him being completely engrossed in scooping rice into a tub over and over – I must set that up for him at home soon because he thoroughly enjoyed it! He also did a spot of painting, colouring, played with dough, and enjoyed the role play area in the next room too.
After messy play we made our way to the beach again briefly, and found the Butlins photo props. The huge deckchair you see so many photos of, giant sandcastles, enormous doughnuts and more all make for brilliant props. Of course we had to let the boys do a little excavation work while they were there…
Our penultimate activity was to visit the fairground. There are two parts to this at Skegness. One is for the little ones, so that’s where we hung out, and then there are other rides and activities for older children and adults. The fairground rides are included in the price of your stay so the boys could go on as many times as they liked. They tried everything once and had a blast!
The main attraction for Squidge in the fairground area though was a hill with tunnels in it. I just couldn’t tear him away! Isn’t it funny how they just love the simplest of things sometimes. It made for a super cute photo, too.
As we went back into the main area of the resort we had an ice-cream treat and the toddlers (and their mums) decided that everyone was completely funned out, and it was probably a good idea to head home. We packed the boys into the car and left finished our break a little early, but we had the best time and the boys were asleep within 10 minutes of leaving.
Cost
We paid £261.00 for a 3 night, term time weekend for 2 adults and 2 toddlers. We stayed in a Fairground Apartment on a self-catering basis and paid £15 extra to guarantee a ground floor apartment.
Have you taken the family to Butlin’s? Did you love it as much as us?
Looks fabulous. I visited Butlins in Skegness as a child but it looks like it’s changed an awful lot since then
I should think so – I went as a child but I have no recollection of it. These apartments were modern and comfortable, and we’ll maintained too.
Oh wow – I have to admit I didn’t really know what Butlins accommodation was like, but it looks really impressive! I love that there are so many forms of entertainment onsite too 🙂
I wasn’t sure what to expect either, but it was all kept to a good standard and we had housekeeping every day.
We’ve never been but it does look and sound fantastic for toddlers.
It is. Far more so than I imagined, actually.
I’m desperate to take Erin to Butlins next year before she starts school. It is so much cheaper in term time!
It definitely is cheaper. The following weekend, this coming weekend, was almost double if I recall correctly because some schools have the Easter holidays now x
Oh brilliant time! We’ve never done butlins before and I do wish we had when mine were a little younger, think they would have loved all the shows and rides
I’ve never been to Butlins before. It sounds like a great place to visit. I love that the fairground rides are included in your price of staying, my boys always beg for ‘just one more ride’ and it usually ends up costing a fortune.
I can’t tell you how pleased I was that the fairground rides were included! I hate taking my three to the fair, it’s always ridiculously expensive.
This sounds amazing and so toddler friendly! We’ve never done a butlins holiday before but I’ve read lots of reviews and they always make it sound so fun xxx
We have never been to Butlins but there looks like there is so much to do with the kids. My daughter would love the Mr Men show!
We still haven’t been even though I’ve heard loads of good stuff. I’m hoping that we might be able to get a short break in over the summer holidays x
It looks like you really made the most of those 3 days! You packed loads in. I didn’t realise Butlins offered so much, but I hope you had a good break too though!! Gorgeous photos of Squidge, he’s a star 🙂
Love the new header by the way! 🙂
So much fun! I used to love going to places like this when I was child and have such good memories from all my trips!