In January this year I had the bright idea of booking a family holiday for Ant's 30th birthday. I spoke to our best family friends and asked if they would like to join us to make it even more special and that evening my friend snuck round while Ant was working so that we could book something. We booked four days away in the Lake District and I somehow managed to keep it a complete secret. However, then lockdown happened. There were a lot of issues around whether places would be open and then, when they announced they would be, whether we would be able to travel with another family. In the end the announcement about travelling with others was due to be made a few days after we had to pay the remainder of our holiday so we decided to cancel it. Obviously then they announced that we could travel with one other family so I frantically got onto the phone with my friend and we rebooked a holiday to Weston-upon-Trent which is only about a 20 minute drive from us. However, we didn't realise at the time that we were meant to maintain social distancing (only finding our half an hour later). Eventually I told Ant the same day and we decided we could manage it as we knew our friends had both been working from home and adhering to all the social distancing guidelines and they were happy to go too.
The day arrived and Ant's brother came over to look after the cats. Naturally Oscar decided not to nap so we were running round like crazy people trying to get ready but we got there and we arrived at the lodges at 4 pm, check-in time. When we got there we couldn't find anyone to check us in. The reception was empty and when I tried to call they just kept hanging up. I rang Hoseasons who said they may have other numbers and they would investigate for us. By this time it was 4:45 pm and as I hung up I immediately got a call from another person at Hoseasons who apologised for it being late in the day but said that the lodge we had booked had been sold during lockdown and nobody had informed them - my guess is when I kept ringing them they contact Hoseasons! They suggested they could either give us a refund or look for somewhere else nearby. Amy said there was a lovely one in Matlock and it turned out that was the only place they could put us - however they did refund us some money as, although this lodge was more expensive, it didn't have a hot tub which was one of the selling points. Eventually we arrived at Matlock just before 6 pm and there was a reception with staff wearing uniforms and everything. We ended up in a lovely lodge, much bigger and newer than the one we had originally booked and the site was MUCH nicer (we had looked at the original one and it looked really rundown with no sort of local area to explore). Turns out we got a great deal!
That night it took a little while to get both kids settled (mostly Oscar) but we had pizza, got ourselves set up and, as it was Ant's birthday, he chose the entertainment which was a card game called Starflux or something. It was a bit naff to be honest!
The next day we had already booked to go to Conkers, which we should have been staying near, so we had an early start travelling there but we had a lovely day out. Oscar got to play on the park and we walked around some great outdoor areas with ponds, bridges, a fairy tower and all sorts. On the way back I nipped to Aldi to pick up some bits and we had lasagna and garlic bread for tea followed by a film (Demonic Toys) as my choice of entertainment as it was my birthday.
Wednesday was rainy so we stayed on site but had a good explore around the woods and surrounding areas. There were SO many paths and trails with a Trim Trak, a little scavenger hunt for kids including some large wooden games, a carved drumkit and a bug hotel, wildlife, woods and cycle paths. There was also a gym and soft play centre on site but both were closed due to COVID. That evening we had steak pie and chips (oven ones) and Sam chose the entertainment so we played on the Nintendo Switch (Overcooked). I haven't laughed so hard in a LONG time.
On the Thursday we went to Matlock Bath Aquarium in the morning and then went for a little wander before spending the afternoon exploring the site a little more. The evening involved fish and chips (when in Rome and all that) and Amy's choice of game - Throw Throw Burrito (which was interesting to say the least).
On Friday we basically got up, packed up and went home. The house was a mess when we got back but that was to be expected.
That's the rundown of what we did but what made it so amazing was how much Oscar LOVED it. He's been asking to go on holiday again ever since and it was well over a month ago. We were keen to stay local as we thought he might be unsettled and struggle to adapt but he was perfect. He slept pretty well, he wasn't asleep until 8:30 most nights and 9:30 on the first night but he slept pretty well on a mattress on the floor in between our twin beds. When he woke I got in his bed with him and he slept until around 6, although the first morning was a 4:30 wake up! He didn't really eat much but that wasn't a major issue - he lost a little weight but he has put it back on now.
He loved the days out and spent most of the time in the lodge playing with water beads. He was also pretty good with baby Ezra who was 7.5 months and learning to crawl at the time. His favourite bit was taking the recycling to the bins every day - he still asks to do it now. I genuinely can't believe how well it went and we have decided that, if the IVF cycle fails, we will book another short break for October time - our friends have also said they would be up for it again so at least we have something to look forward to if it fails.
We had the best time with so much food, drink, alcoholic gummies, good company, games, walking, laughing and just a wonderful experienced for Oscar's first holiday.
