London is bursting with an assortment of lesser known landmarks, museums and attractions so I decided to make the most of Easter by exploring some of these exclusive locations as well as a host of exciting new additions. In an effort to get the kids out and about in a City as famous for its educational places of interest as it is for its world renowned attractions I began planning a London wide Easter Egg Hunt. This would be an action packed adventure including a collection of the Capital's hidden gems together with a few of our trusted family favourites guaranteed to keep the little ones happy!
My first destination had to be Discount London. I knew all about their ever popular
Bronze,
Silver and
Gold Attraction Bundles as I used them during my last family holiday. These packages not only saved me a small fortune but also provided me with the ability to see exactly what I wanted at my own pace. I spaced out my visits over the entire week but sadly there was so much to see and do that I didn’t get the chance to go everywhere I had planned. Luckily the vouchers could be redeemed at any point over the next year and I ended up visiting the
Tower Bridge Exhibition when I was next in town.
My Easter Egg hunt demanded the inclusion of venues that we as a family hadn't been to before. With the exception of a mostly forgotten school trip to
Kensington Palace - the birth place of Queen Victoria and the official London residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - this would be a brand new experience for all of us. Bursting with a fascinating history the kids can’t help but learn a thing or two, especially with the new Time Explorers Digital Mission – an interactive adventure to meet a character from history, so challenges and win a badge, well an egg as it’s Easter! To be honest I also wanted to go to the new Princess Diana exhibition as I was intrigued by her fashion story as she was such a glamorous character.
I got an amazing deal on my
Madame Tussauds and Tower Bridge package with 37% off! This is a personal favourite of my eldest as he loves all the new waxworks at Tussauds, especially the new Star Wars exhibition as he can pretend to use his light sabre, and he is totally obsessed with The Voice and will.i.am! We’ve just heard that King Kong has made an entrance and he loves anything to do with these movies! I’m also certain that the glass walkway at Tower Bridge will give him that extra WOW factor, so he can ‘people-watch’ below him.
There are so many new attractions appearing in London that it can be hard to keep up. Luckily Discount London always seems to have all the City’s latest additions. With so much choice I decided to let everyone choose their favourite attraction with some surprising results! My son is starting to get fixated with speedboats which is why we decided to take a wet ‘n’ wild adventure on The
Captain Kidd’s Canary Wharf Voyage, from researching beforehand on TripAdvisor it was pleasing to see they were voted number 1 for 4 years running – definitely a reason to get wet for a few hours.
I was slightly worried about my husband's favoured attraction, as his choices don't always seem to be suitable for family days out! Would it be the
London Showboat as he loves a party? It turns out his suggestion surpassed even my expectations; a step back in time medieval style at the
Medieval Banquet as he loves tradition! Instead I suggested that there was an amazing deal on a luxurious afternoon tea which would be the perfect way to relax following the days activities. The children's Easter Egg Hunt was much more important…. as it was Easter Friday and a lovely sunny day.
We eventually agreed on a much better way to see all of London – an
Open Top Bus Tour, although kept the afternoon tea theme. We found that there is a seriously good deal on
afternoon tea on the Thames – a peaceful 90 minutes cruise with delicious sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam and a selection of traditional cakes – just what we needed and it keeps the kids happy, even if it gives them a temporary sugar rush. I was happy with my choice and will most definitely be doing this again, next time I like the look of
Shard and afternoon tea at Browns – a trendy restaurant in the West End (not one to take the kids!)
Although I would have no issue with sourcing all my sustenance from an assortment of afternoon teas, I know that the kids will require something a little more substantial. Discount London has a whole section dedicated to meals at a host of well-known restaurants like
Strada and
Planet Hollywood. By booking my meals online I also saved a bundle on a few of our favourite destinations. I wanted to leave the final part of the Easter Egg Hunt as a surprise so I'm not planning on booking it until the last minute. Luckily with Discount London this isn't a problem so I'll let the kids choose from their range of meal and attraction deals.
Many thanks to our guest blogger and full time mum Sally Martin
13 March 2017
