Booking a ski holiday with children

We recently decided that we would book a ski holiday for the February half term week seeing as we live so close to the mountains then we thought we should take advantage of it! It wasn't an easy decision though as it can be so expensive, especially during this week and working out what to do with two young ones makes it quite a bit more complex to organise as well.

There are quite a few components that you need to think about when booking a ski holiday. Accommodation, ski lessons and child care. 

Firstly, accommodation. In previous years we've stayed in catered chalets which are really nice as all the cooking and cleaning gets done for you so it's a nice break. The downside is that they are expensive and in holiday weeks the prices double. I started searching for some places and was amazed to find nearly everything booked up. I knew people booked in early but I didn't think this early! A few more calls and I find out that all the English speaking ski schools are booked up for lessons and that all but one of the nanny agencies didn't have availability either. 

So, my key piece of advice is BOOK EARLY! A lady at a ski school told me all the enquiries started happening in September this year so I'm guessing this is a good time to book if you want your pick of the accommodation and ski schools.

A really helpful company I found was Family Friendly Ski. They have catered chalets and provide nannies at a very reasonable price, around £200 for full time care for the week which is great value. Unfortunately their catered chalet prices are more expensive so this is a trade off I guess. There are quite a few self catered apartments to choose from but again you need to get in early. On the official website for one of the ski resorts they had a link to apartments for rent in the area, about 50 or so and only 1 was available. We eventually found a self catering apartment on HomeAway that should work out well so we decided to try out this option. 

Your childcare options are either a nanny or a creche. A nanny is great in that you have lots of flexibility and they come to you rather than having to get the kids all ready and get them to the creche. Nearly all ski resorts have creches which is a good option but they only go up to a certain age, usually to 5 years old. Some of them can pick up your child from ski school and take them back to the creche for the afternoon.

In summary, when booking a ski holiday you need to book early and make sure that there is availability in all the things you want eg, childcare and lessons before confirming your accommodation. Last year we made the mistake of booking accommodation first and then realising that all the child care was fully booked and that you couldn't do group ski lessons for part weeks. But I'm glad we're all booked and looking forward to getting up into the mountains!

MP

Holiday Rental Essentials - Rubbish & Recycling

We both seem to be rather busy lately, already caught up with pre-Christmas, end of year activities and the blog posts have been rather patchy as a result. I still have two posts on Santorini and Mykonos in draft form and I will aim to get those out next week. Today, I am just briefly going to mention one other aspect of Greece you may not be familiar with and continue our series on holiday rental essentials.

If you have ever been to Greece you may recall that they don't flush toilet paper down their toilets. From hotels to restaurants to rental properties you will find a small bin next to each toilet for putting the paper in. This takes a bit of getting used to, but soon becomes second nature and really is not too much of a problem as the bins are usually emptied frequently. There are signs displayed in every bathroom explaining what the bins are for. When we rented a property a few years ago in Lefkada we were instructed to just empty the smaller bins in the property to a larger bin outside and the owner then removed this rubbish.

Rubbish can attract flies, wasps and other pests. A friend once rented out their property in Australia and had to deal with a lot of maggots when they returned after guests left. When I was younger and we rented a property in Canada we were told off by neighbours for leaving rubbish bags outside the door as it could attract bears!

So, our holiday rental essential advice for this week is to ensure that you have sufficient bins around your property and clear information about where to deposit rubbish and recycling. It could also be worth stating in the contract that disposal of rubbish is the guests' responsibility.

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48 hours in Strasbourg

A few weeks ago we took a drive to check out Strasbourg. Strasbourg sits right on the border of France / Germany and it really is a beautiful quaint little town. It's small enough that you can walk everywhere and perfect for a weekend trip. I will definitely try and come back for the Christmas markets for which it is famed for as I can imagine it would be stunning.

We stayed at the Hotel Suisse which I can not recommend enough. It was a cute hotel in an amazing location right next to the cathedral. The room was big with two double beds and enough room for a cot and was only 107 euros per night including a great breakfast.

The most obvious landmark here is the mesmerising Notre Dame. 

You can walk up to the top (330 steps!) for a great view.

The old town is based around the cathedral and I loved roaming the little alleys with their picturesque timber houses

A wander over to Petite France is a must. This little area is set along the river and looks straight out of a fairy tale.

Image via Wikipedia

There is good shopping here including a big Galleries Lafayette and Printemps. Food wise, a winstub is a traditional Alsation restaurant / pub. One night we tried out Chez Yvonne which served all the specialties such as sausage, ham hocks and I tried out the Coq au Riesling which was served in a delicious creamy sauce. Our last lunch was at Au Brasseur which we really enjoyed. It's a micro brewery which served food all day and has a relaxed atmosphere. This was my "salad" which was basically ham taken off the bone which was hiding a mass of fried potatoes and then a few leaves. Yum!

One morning we droved out to the city's big park called the Parc de L'Orangerie which is right next to the European Parliament. It was a great place for the kids with lots of play areas and a free mini zoo.

On the way home we took a quick detour on the Alsace wine route but we weren't very prepared for this so unfortunately I had no research on any good vineyards to visit but it was a very scenic drive and definitely warrants another trip

All in all, a very fun weekend in a great little atmospheric city!

MP

Happy Halloween!

Hope you are all having a spookily fun day! There is much excitement in our house with dress up day at school and two parties to go to over the next few days.

I offered to do some baking for the events and was trying to think of something Halloween themed to make. It has been quite last minute so I was going to attempt to make some spider infested chocolate chip cookies which is basically where you pipe legs and a head on to the chocolate chip which is used as a body. Unfortunately I couldn't find a nozzle thin enough anywhere! So this will have to do ...

 
I've used a recipe from a cooking book from my old school in New Zealand.

125 g butter
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 t vanilla essence
1 egg
1 3/4 c self raising flour, sifted
1/2 t salt
125 g chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease 2 baking trays. Cream butter, sugars and vanilla in a bowl. Add the egg, beating well. Mix in the flour and salt. Add the chocolate chips and mix well to combine. Shape teaspoonsful of the mixture into small balls and place on tray. Allow room for spreading. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes.

 
Wishing you a happy Halloween!

MP

Greece Trip Part One - Athens

We took a bit of a gamble taking our main summer holiday so late in the year, but it turned out to be one of our best holidays yet even though the pools were rather chilly. The weather in late September and early October was ideal for lounging around and sightseeing.

We flew into Athens and decided to get the train from the airport to Monastiraki station as it is a direct line, taking around 40 minutes. Unfortunately we missed a train by a matter of seconds and had to wait 30 minutes for the next one. It was a short walk from the station to our hotel and we were there soon enough, despite initially setting out in the wrong direction as both myself and my husband are hopeless with maps!

We stayed at the Fresh Hotel, which kept cropping up in the various articles I read about Athens and proved to be an excellent base. Upon arrival we were quickly shown our room and we then went on up to the roof terrace for our first view of the Acropolis and a quick meal at the hotel restaurant.

The following morning we had breakfast at the hotel (it was included) and then set off for the Acropolis. A short walk from our hotel we came across the Roman Agora and discovered that the ancient sites were going to be free for the day. We headed on up the hill towards the Acropolis. There was a place to leave buggies (for free) at the base of the climb, so we did that and then walked on up the path.

The view of the city of Athens gets better and better as you climb and follow the path that takes in the various ruins that are collectively known as the Acropolis. It was great to walk around up there and take in the scale of the structures and try to fathom their age and history.

We headed back down the hill and walked around until we found a place (School Pizza Bar) for lunch. The rest of the day was spent relaxing up on the roof terrace at the hotel. The top level of the hotel consists of an all-day bar and restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating and a small pool area with loungers. The sunset view was pretty good from up there!

That night we just headed downtown again and found somewhere (Melilotos) to go for dinner.

The next day after breakfast we sat in the sun by the pool, then I took my daughter for a walk to buy our ferry tickets and then across to the playground in the National Garden.

Later that afternoon we walked down to one of the spots that I had read did the best souvlaki in Athens. Not to be confused, with a place by the same name, we tried Kostas on Agias Irinis Square. The place is tiny and very basic, when we arrived there was a short queue out the door.

The souvlaki were delicious, in fact I am thinking of them now as I write this!

We walked back up to the hotel and marvelled at how different the surrounding area was on a Monday afternoon, as compared to Sunday night. There are huge food markets on Athinas Street and the area was bustling with hundreds of people.

That evening we went up to the Acropolis for sunset as I wanted to get some photos of the Parthenon and the other structures with a blue sky background as it had been cloudy on our visit the previous morning.

We had a really early ferry to catch the following morning, so we decided just to eat at the hotel again that evening.

For me, our time in Athens was a perfect combination of sightseeing combined with relaxation. I didn't have a huge list of restaurants or bars that I wanted to try and found that eating at the hotel and other places that we came across worked really well. It is definitely a city I would return to as I don't think I could ever tire of looking at the majestic marble structures that are spread around the city and I am keen to explore some more on my next visit.

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Images all my own.

Toy Storage Solutions

Currently all my daughters' toys are stored in big plastic boxes in our living area which is starting to annoy me a bit! I know I'll have to keep a few of their toys out here but I'm looking into storage solutions for their room so that the bulk of the toys can go in there.

It's hard to go beyond the white cube shelving as it's so practical and I like that you can hide things away in the baskets.

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I know those 8 shelves are going to fill up pretty quickly so you could put 2 of them side by side like the image below but I think that would take up too much space in their room. And I'm not hugely keen on stacking them on top of each other as they love to climb up to reach things at the moment and I have visions of it toppling down!

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I saw this as an option from the Great Little Trading Company. I like the deep drawers, nice and big to hold lots of things.

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Also from the Great Little Trading Company are the Northcote Storage Units which can be combined to create different sized units.

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A quick search on Google didn't offer too many other solutions that I liked. Anyone out there with any ideas?!

MP

Images: 1, 2, 3 & 4

Holiday Rental Essentials - A Smooth 'Check-In' (and Welcome Drinks!)

We have recently returned from two weeks in Greece. On this trip we stayed in five different places and overall we were really impressed with the friendliness and helpfulness of everyone we encountered at the various hotels. A full trip report will be coming soon, today I just briefly wanted to talk about one aspect of our experience and how it can relate to a holiday rental.

We arrived at one hotel by taxi, laden down with luggage and groceries (as this place had a full kitchen) and went to the reception to check in. After the usual check in procedure with passports etc, the owner then pulled out a map of the island and proceeded to show us all the best beaches, things to do and tavernas to try. This took about twenty minutes and was interrupted at one point when he needed to answer a phone call. The information that we were given was really appreciated - we tried two of the recommended restaurants and had a great experience at both of them. However, it was the timing of the information that wasn't the best. I found that I was going to need to peel myself off the sofa by the end of the talk. When I arrive somewhere, I like to be shown to our room as quickly as possible. It is always nice to unload all of your luggage and freshen up before having a look around the hotel.

By contrast, at our final hotel we used their transfer service and were greeted at the port with a bottle of water and then at the hotel with a glass of Champagne. We were shown quickly to our room, given a brief tour of the room and then left to our own devices. The staff throughout the hotel were then always available throughout our stay to offer advice on sightseeing and restaurants.

So, this week's holiday rental essential is to ensure that your guests have a quick and easy 'check in'. If you are meeting them in person to hand over the keys to the property, make sure that it is fast and simple. Have all of your additional tips and information typed up for them to consult at their leisure and perhaps offer to pop back in after they have settled in if they want more information on things to do and see in the area. A welcome drink - whether it is cold water, a glass of homemade lemonade, beer, wine or a cocktail is also a very nice touch!

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Beauty Advent Calendars

There are eleven weeks until Christmas and I'm sure all the shops have already started their big push. I haven't seen much evidence here in Switzerland but that's most likely because I hardly ever go shopping here apart from the supermarket!

Anyway, Liberty had tweeted that their Beauty Advent Calendar is available for pre order and so I took a further look. And WOW! I want one ...

Nars, Diptyque, ESPA and many other luxury treats are housed in this beautiful calendar. They're on sale on line and in store from November and cost £149.

The first beauty advent calendar I noticed was a Ciate nail polish one last year and I thought that was a great idea. I've just read that when the Benefit one was launched in 2013 it sold out instantly and then were found on eBay for four times the price. There seem to be a whole array of them this year. I think the Benefit one still looks great and a bit more reasonable at £60:

Jo Malone, Ciate, Selfridges, L'Occitane, Body Shop and I'm sure there will be lots of others all have calendars available also.

Treat yourself!

MP

All images via Cosmopolitan UK website.

Simple Dinners

On Friday we invited some neighbours around last minute for dinner. I was going to try a pulled pork recipe anyway for just 2 of us so I thought I may as well invite some friends over. This recipe is great for feeding crowds and requires minimal effort! A friend and I have been talking for a few weeks about different recipes for slow cooked pork, she's from Texas and makes a lot of Mexican recipes which require this like Pork Carnitas. Yum. Anyway, so I finally decided on this super simple recipe from chow.com. Basically, you chop up 2 onions and 4 cloves of garlic and lay this on the bottom of your slow cooker. Add a cup of chicken stock. Pat a shoulder of pork dry with a paper towel and rub in a spice mixture of salt, cumin, cinnamon, chilli powder (I also added smoked paprika which isn't in the recipe). So it looks like this pre cooking:

 
Turn on your slow cooker for 8 hours and you have this. Beautiful tender melt in your mouth pork. I added a little bit of the cooking liquid back in and then served with buns, coleslaw and bbq sauce.

 
For dessert, I didn't have time to prepare anything complicated as I had only a few hours notice. So I went for Jamie Oliver's Brownies which come out perfect every time. I left out the cherries and walnuts this time but served it with the orange infused creme fraiche which goes really well with them. The brownies are nice and crunchy along the top and dense, dark and fudgey in the middle.

MP

Holiday Rental Essentials - A Proper Shower

 
We are currently in Greece and have been staying in a few different hotels. On our arrival in Santorini we had just one night in a hotel in Fira. I got up in the morning and took a look at the 'shower' and thought to myself, I don't know if I can be bothered with that! I forgot to take a photo, but I am sure you may have come across a similar set-up before. It was a tiny cubicle, with two half doors (i.e. a large open section!). There was a hand held shower that could not be attached to the wall. My husband decided to skip on showering, in the hope that out next hotel had something better. I gave it a go, only because I usually need a shower to help me wake up in the mornings. I was pretty careful and was only in there a few minutes, but I still managed to get a fair amount of water over the bathroom wall and I made no attempt to wash my hair. I've stayed in places before where we have only had a solar shower or outdoor shower, other places with just cold showers. One place where you had to push the tap every 10 seconds to get a burst of water and other places that only have a bath. When I was younger and went to Florence for a couple of months to try and learn Italian I stayed in an apartment where the shower was attached to the wall but had no curtain or wall or even separate floor area to the rest of the bathroom, so after every shower you would need to wipe down the basin and toilet and mop the floor! It's possibly a sign that I am getting old, but I consider a decent shower to be a holiday rental essential these days. Unless I happen to be camping, I would hope to find a shower that is attached to the wall at a decent (or adjustable) height. The shower should have a clean curtain, or doors, or a design that prevents water from getting all over the rest of the bathroom. And you should be able to easily adjust the temperature and hopefully be closer to the rainfall vs. trickle end of the spectrum. What are your thoughts on showers? Are you happy to make do on holiday, or do you prefer something more like what you have at home?

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Ikea for Holiday Houses

One thing I'll definitely miss when we move back home to New Zealand is Ikea. Every time I go in there I see so many things that would be perfect for a holiday house. I recently received the autumn catalog and here are a few things that caught my eye.

These chairs would look great with a tropical print pillow:

 
Having a spare stack of stools is handy for extra guests, side tables etc.

 
Pretty lamp:

 
And some striped linen:

 
I'm not sure what the equivalent shop is in New Zealand but I know for sure there will be many times where I think "I wish there was an Ikea!"

MP

Images: 1, 2, 3, 4

Afghans

It's been a busy few weeks so I haven't posted for a while. Sorry! There never seems to be enough time in the day to do everything you want. Today for example I had to make something for my daughter's International Day at school. "Bring in a dish to share from your home country". My husband said to take Spotted Dick, to which I replied "no way!". I can think of many classic baking treats from New Zealand such as Anzac Biscuits, Lamingtons, Pavlova, Louise Slice, Ginger Crunch but I went for Afghan Biscuits. A few years ago I was given Ladies, A Plate which focuses on New Zealand baking recipes. This is the first thing I've tried from the book although there are definitely more I would like to make.

The Afghans were easy to make however my only advice was that I made them twice the size the recipe said ie. a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon so ended up with half the amount (that sounds obvious doesn't it!) For the recipe, click here.

Hope you all have a great weekend! 

MP

Champagne Brunches

Brunch and Champagne happen to be two of my most favourite things and it is even better when they are combined.

I first came across a Champagne brunch at The Savoy Hotel in London a few years ago (pre-refurbishment). On Sundays you could have a leisurely brunch with accompanying piano music and the waiters would circulate and top up your glass from magnums of Laurent Perrier. Unfortunately, I think they no longer do these brunches. It is hard to find a similar one in London. Please let us know if you have tried any!

The Champagne brunches in Singapore and Hong Kong are legendary. I like to try and get a Monday flight if I have a weekend stopover in Singapore, with the sole purpose of being able to make it to a Sunday brunch. So far, I have made it to a brunch at the Grand Hyatt and one at the Mandarin Oriental (that was actually on a Saturday). There is a long list of ones that I would still like to try as well.

Last weekend myself and MP met up with our good friend in Frankfurt, Germany. We all live in different countries and only usually get together once a year. On this occasion, we had just one full day to catch up, so we got up first thing on Saturday and went to a Champagne brunch at the Grandhotel Hessischer Hof (as seen in both pictures above).

This was a brunch on a much smaller scale than those that you find in Singapore - it was really more of a breakfast and most of the diners were guests of the hotel. However, it was a really lovely way to start the day and catch up on the past year over a few glasses of Champagne, coffee, some salmon gravlax and an omelette. The room was very traditional and formal, and the service was relaxed and friendly. We stayed for nearly three hours then headed out to have a look around the city. At €29 per person, we thought this was excellent value. I was trying to push for us to return the following morning before we left for the airport!

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Holiday Rental Essentials - The Extra Details

When I used to search for holiday rentals you could only go by the owner's description and photographs. These days more and more sites now feature ratings and reviews from previous guests. To me, these ratings of actual guests are invaluable. I like to read other people's opinions of how suitable a property is for children, or how easy it is to get to the nearest beaches, shops and restaurants. An unfortunate side effect of this is that the places with the highest ratings and rave reviews seem to book out far in advance.

Around three years ago I had a few nights in Florence with my husband. We stayed at Hotel Davanzati, which at the time was Tripadvisor's top rated hotel in Florence (currently it's at number five). One of the key things that guests raved about at this hotel was the aperitivo hour that they have every evening. Between 6.30 and 7.30pm guests gather to have complimentary Prosecco, wine and nibbles.

We came across a similar 'happy hour' when we stayed at the Orbit In in Palm Springs (pictured above). The Orbit In is currently the top rated B&B/inn in Palm Springs. At this boutique hotel they served their own signature cocktail along with wine, beer and popcorn.

These little touches are what makes one hotel stand out from another and make guests more likely to leave a (positive) review.

We are heading to Greece in a couple of weeks and I have been interested by two emails that I have received from a couple of the hotels we have booked.

Our hotel in Mykonos sent us a form to complete to create a 'bespoke experience'. Basically this means that we can select a room fragrance and the scent of our shower gels and shampoo and conditioner. We can also select from a 'pillow menu' and request exercise equipment to be left in our room. These selections are all free, but there is a wide range of add on items that you can select as well - from candles, to personalised beach bags, to the contents of the mini bar.

One of the places we are staying at on Santorini, also sent me an email following the booking I made via Expedia, thanking me for the booking and asking if we wished to order breakfast supplies for our room. Again, this is something that we would pay for, but the cost seems quite reasonable and it is a good service to offer.

I'll be sure to report back on both of these experiences when we return from our trip in October.

We posted very early on in this series on holiday rental essentials about how nice it would be to offer a welcome pack to guests. On other forums, I have read that home owners will leave dog beds and bones if guests have dogs, or toys and treats if young children are staying.

These little thoughtful touches are what makes a holiday memorable. In my experience, everybody likes to receive something extra for 'free' (even if the cost is factored into your fees). This could be a bottle of the local olive oil, a bottle of wine, or even just a couple of bottles of water.

For this week's holiday rental essential, I guess I am not really suggesting you do something specific, but rather have a think about what you might be able to do that could make your rental property stand out from the rest. We would love to hear what you have in mind. Please leave comments below.

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ferm LIVING

The visit to Maison et Objet was such a fantastic experience. It was great to be able to attend and see how it all works. I wished I'd been able to shop for my own house! There were so many beautiful things and one stand that I really liked was ferm LIVING. I'm a bit behind on product trends (AD is the expert on all this!) and had only discovered them after I saw the round shelf in this photo:

 
This was how the stand looked at the show. I loved the gold on the aqua green wall.

 
Ferm is a Danish brand and was started by a graphic designer, Trine Andersen. She couldn't find a wallpaper she liked for her new house so she designed a range of 10  and started selling them at a fair. Living in Switzerland, I don't get to many shops so it was so nice seeing things in person! These were the things that caught my eye (all images via ferm LIVING)

Wall Wonder Clock in Rose:

Wire Baskets:

And strangely, a lovely looking toilet roll holder!

Hopefully one day Bamboo & Blue will stock a few of these pieces.

More pictures from Maison et Objet in another post!

MP

Images: 1, 5

To queue or not to queue...

Around three years ago I had a few days in San Francisco, waiting for my husband to join me from Burning Man. I spent quite alot of time there standing in queues. When you have only limited time on a city break, you may need to assess how much of your time you are willing to do this.

I recall standing for over an hour in a queue at Tartine Bakery on a Saturday morning - kind of ridiculous when I was only buying one of their famous Morning Buns and a coffee (but the bun was delicious). Another time, I simply joined the back of a queue as I was walking past a place called Dottie's, presuming that the breakfasts must be good if there were that many people in line. As I was on my own, I really didn't mind these queues and often got to jump ahead in line as I was dining alone.

There are numerous places in London that don't take reservations and you need to queue if you don't happen to turn up just before they open. Some of these queues move quickly, others can take a couple of hours. I find that I am not really prepared to queue in London unless it happens to be somewhere like Barrafina, that serve drinks to you while you are waiting, as there are so many other places to try.

As a rule I don't really like to stand in a queue for more than thirty minutes - whether this is to get into a bar, restaurant, art gallery, museum, or a sample sale. I may at times wait for up to an hour, I guess you have to factor in how much you want to try/see the thing or place you are queueing for and then also consider the time it would take you to find and go to an alternative place. As much as I love tennis, I don't think I could ever face the legendary queueing that takes place every year for tickets to Wimbledon.

If you are going to be visiting a city and hope to take in some of the major sights, it is worth doing some research on how to avoid long queues. For example, you can check to see if a gallery has extended opening hours in the evenings in summer. Once I attempted to go see Michelangelo's David at the Accademia Gallery in Florence only to find that the queue extended for a few hundred metres in the hot midday sun. I found out that the gallery stayed open until 10pm on Tuesdays so ended up going in to a near empty gallery after dining out that evening.

You can also look out to see if places have alternate entrances like at  The Louvre, or if  they have an entrance that families can use like at the Musee d'Orsay.*

 
Last weekend in Paris we had a dinner reservation on the Friday night, but on Saturday we decided to join the back of the queue at Le Relais de l'Entrecote. Just as MP asked me how long I would be willing to queue for, a lady came down the line and told us that for a table for two it would take approximately 10 minutes. Sure enough, we were seated not long after that at a cute table outside.

 
The waitress simply asked us how we would like our steak cooked and what we would like to drink. Everyone at the restaurant is served salad and bread followed by fries and steak with their famous secret sauce. There is a menu if you would like to order dessert. It is all pretty efficient, yet the food was yummy and the waitress was quick without making us feel like we were being rushed. It's a touristy spot - but somewhere that we would recommend.

 
On Sunday we headed to L'As du Fallafel. The queues here are also often extremely long - luckily we arrived just after they opened and were able to grab a table inside.

What are your thoughts on queueing? I think I have rarely been disappointed on the occasions that I have decided to queue for something, but long queues are something I would definitely avoid if I was with my husband and/or daughter.

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Images: 1, 2, 3

*I read that tip in this trip report from the littlest.

Paris!

So excited to be seeing AD again and also to be travelling to Paris for the weekend for Maison & Objet. We're hoping that we'll find the perfect pieces for Bamboo & Blue! 

Here are some snaps from our trip to the City of Lights in April.