Fun In The Sun

Well we did it, our first sun holiday together with our wee prince and loved EVERY minute of it.  When deciding on where to go, top of our list was flight time.  With Malaga only 2 hours 20 minutes on a flight, this was ideal for our first trip with Noah. We popped into Geraldine Martin who is a Travel Counsellor here in Letterkenny and within 45 mins we had a week in Torremolinos all booked.

I actually found travelling with an infant in an airport less stressful than when we used to travel ourselves. With priority boarding, we didn’t have to wait in long queues to board and when going through security there was a separate entrance for people with children and again no long ques here. For the flight itself we packed a bag of tricks to keep himself occupied.  This included;

  • Ipad with quite a few episodes of Justin’s House downloaded on it (Thanks Andrew)
  • Dinasour torch from M&S
  • White Buttons
  • Juice
  • Books

They seemed to do trick, he was no bother on the plane, I had visions of him not wanting to sit on either of our knees and running up and down the aisle torturing everyone, but no he was happy to sit on mammy’s knee and watch Justins House with Do do and raggy.

 

Timor Sol Appartments, Torremolinos

 

 

 

 

Parque De La Paloma.  This place was recommended by friends of ours who had recently taken their little boy here while in Benalmadena. It was nice to have somewhere different to go to other than the pool or beach.  This park is just AMAZING and even better, its free.  The chickens, baby chicks, rabbits and ducks were roaming the park freely. We brought bread with us and feed the ducks.  I’ll never forget Noah’s wee giggle as he threw the bread into the ducks and watched as they squabbled over it. There were two different play grounds within the park and little shops/cafes. Would definitely recommend a wee morning here for anyone on holidays in  Torremolinos or Benalmadena.

 

And sure no holiday is complete without that “Holiday Romance” Meet Ellie, Noah’s little lady from Dundalk.

 

Sunrise

My Top 10 Tips For Travelling To The Sun With A Toddler

  1. Plane – Pack a magic bag with an Ipad with their favorite programmes or some games downloaded on it, colouring books and most importantly food just incase you’re unexpectedly delayed like we were on the way home.
  2. Suncream –  I used Garnier Ambre Solaire Factor 50 Spray for Noah. Found it really good,easy to apply, quick to dry and best of all didn’t stain any of his clothes.
  3. Meal Times – Just like the plane trip, gadgets and toys.  I found the busier the restaurant the better. Noah is a people watcher just like his mammy.
  4. Pool- When you get there,buy a few small toys for the pool. We bought a wee fishing net with fish, Noah loved throwing the fish into the pool and then going to find them with the net.
  5. Buggy – Bring a buggy that totally reclines for nap times, with a good hood that keeps the sun out and a storage basket for the essentials.
  6. Ipad – Its definitely worth downloading episodes of their favorite programs or even games,great for the plane, meal times
  7. EHIC- If your travelling within the EU, make sure you have an EHIC card for each person.  It replaces the old E11 and means that if one of you get sick you wont have to pay. We got our forms in our local primary care centre.
  8. Hands Free – Try to keep your hands free for the flight, so pack a rug sack with everything you need. You will need all hands on deck to get baby out of the buggy, buggy down and get on the flight, same for when you reach the other side.
  9. Passport Dates –  Children’s passports have to renewed every five years,unlike adults which is every 10 years. The last thing you want is to have your holiday booked and find out your child’s passport is not valid.
  10. ENJOY….a friend said to me on Friday as I left work “make sure just to relax and enjoy” and I did, once I got through security at Dublin airport I totally relaxed and went with the flow and it was the best week ever and loved every second of making holiday memories in the sun with our Noah. If anyone is contemplating heading to the sun with their baby/toddler DO IT, lifes too short.

Joanne Xx

The Best Thing About Memories Is Making Them

There is  always one place when you were a child that brings lots of lovely memories flooding back and this place for me is “Scalp Mountain”. Its more of a hill than a mountain but when I was small, this was always the BIG mountain that my daddy used to take us on Sunny Sundays in Fahan. The ultimate was reaching the “Wishing Chair” at the top of the mountain.  I remember vividly sitting on the chair and wishing for a baby brother and guess what I GOT ONE not long after lol.

It was only a matter of time before I wanted to start making these exact memories with Noah, so on Sunday last I said to himself, “I would love to do Scalp Mountain with Noah today” and no sooner had I said it, we were up, boots on, picnic packed and on our way to https://www.babyzone.ie/, to see what kind of carrier would take Noah up the “mountain” with us. We fell in love with a Phil &Teds Metro backpack and better still got it at half price in their fabulous Summer Sale.

Phil & Teds Metro Backpack

  • Very easy to put on, you can actually do it with one person, considering the size of the carrier, its one of the easiest to put on, on your own. The kick out stand makes it very stable for loading and unloading.
  • Noah LOVED it, he was so high up on his daddy’s back and and everything around him was “Woweeeee”
  • There are loads of pockets with this carrier, where we were able to store Noah’s coat and a hat for the top incase it was breezy, which it was, you could also store nappies, food etc.
  • Comfortable to carry. I carried Noah myself in the carrier for a bit too and it was just like carrying a school bag and had great back support.

Scalp mountain is so rugged,I love stomping through the heather and taking a little break every so often and have a look back at the most amazing views. It was so clear last Sunday, we could see all the boats over at the Rathmullan Regatta. It takes about 30 mins to climb and the views from the top are out of this world, you can see, Derry, Rathmullan, taking in Inch Wildlife Sanctuary from above and all the way over to Buncrana. We sat and had our little picnic at the top and made a few wishes on the “Wishing Chair”

Our Picnic At The Top

 

 

“The Best Thing About Memories Is Making Them”

My Top 10 Places To Visit With A Toddler This Summer in Donegal

  1. Glenveagh.

Of course this was going to be my number one place to visit.  For those of you who don’t know, Glenveagh is what I would describe  as my “heaven on earth” I visit here at least once a fortnight.  I often get asked “God are you not sick of that place” How on earth could you EVER get tired of those views.  I love how each time we go there its never the same.  The different seasons bring different colours, different plant life, different wildlife and a different adventure for us. Noah was two weeks old when we first brought him here and now at 18 months, he loves nothing more than running through gardens and grounds exploring.  Thymeout Tea Room in Glenveagh, is a must after all your exploring. I just LOVE the lemon drizzle cake here and the window displays are amazing, very seasonal appropriate.  If you don’t fancy walking in and out, you can always get the bus.

2. The Glebe House & Gallery

Located only 18k outside Letterekenny, this place is ideal for an afternoon trip out of the house. Noah is at the stage were he just doesn’t want to be in the buggy for too long and just loves the freedom of being able to run about. I don’t take the buggy with me at all when I go here. The grounds are ideal for little people to explore. The fairy doors in the gardens are just so cute, especially the clothes line with the little fairy clothes hanging out on it. The walkway leads you down to a gorgeous part of Gartan lake were we could spend hours throwing stones in and watching them splash into the water.  There is a lovely tea room located on the grounds here, where they serve your tea in a china cup….winner winner!!!!

3. Oakfield Park

We recently took a trip to Oakfield Park on a sunny Sunday in July and we were in luck, it was Steam Engine Sunday. We got a ride around the grounds in the Steam Train.As you can see from the picture below, Noah was just in awe of it all. Grounds here are fabulous and again our little man explored every inch of them and even got to see the swans in the lake.  There is a coffee shop located on site here also.

 

4. Ards Forest Park

I have to confess, 2 weeks ago was my first time EVER to take a trip to Ards Forest Park. You really have it all here, walking trails, beach, play area and the cutest little coffee shop, Ards Coffee Tree.  It costs 5 euros to park right down to the main carpark. Make sure bring change with you as the machine only accepts coins.

 

5. Inch Wildfowl Reserve Walk

Another gorgeous walk with amazing scenery. What I love about this walk is that its all flat, no hills whatsoever. Noah loves looking at all the birds and ducks throughout the walk. There are numerous look out huts too along the way. One downside is that at certain times of the year midgies can be a nightmare at certain parts of the walk. I always carry a wee bottle of insect repellent just incase.

6. Fintown Railway

My nephew’s words after our trip on this train “Its just like the Polar Express”.  The train ride itself takes approx 20 mins from start to finish. There is a picnic area and play ground on site with a huge sandpit. I would DEF recommend bringing a wee picnic with you and have it before or after your trip.

 

7. Glenevin Waterfall

I was so impressed with EVERYTHING about this waterfall in Clonmany.  The path right up to the waterfall itself is the most buggy friendly path I have EVER been on. Along the way there are numerous picnic areas and the cutest of all, on the trees along the path there are little fairies in them, very magical. There is a little seating area too when you get to the waterfall.

8. Banba’s Crown Malin Head

This place actually blew my mind away. WOW!!!!! Really did feel like we were on top of the world.  The views from here are just breathtaking.  There is a walkway and seats along the path. The walkway is very buggy friendly up to a point…lets just say the Icandy was put to the test that day and passed with flying colours lol!!!!!! There is a little mobile shop at the top selling, teas/coffees/ice cream.

9. Killybegs

Boats, boats and more boats and Noah just LOVED it here. The day that we went here we were so lucky in that a cruise ship was docking in the port for a number of hours. We had lunch in the Tara Hotel and sat watching the cruise ship docking from our table. We then took a walk around the piers and had a look at all the boats.  I was amazed at how HUGE they were never mind Noah. Of course we had to finish our trip to Killybegs with an ice cream from Hegertys.

 

10. The Beach

No summer would be complete without a few trips to the beach. My goodness that sand does get EVERYWHERE!!!!!!! Rathmullan beach is my top beach to go to with Noah.  Everything is very accessible, the beach itself from the carpark, the toilets, the play ground and most importantly the ice cream shop.