Thursday 25 May 2017

Thomas cook flight to Orlando MCO

Our check in with Thomas Cook didn't quite go as smoothly as I'd liked the food for the flight, extra clothes I'd packed for my son just in case and the book took us over the weight limit for his back pack. Despite saying the food would be eaten for breakfast the check in lady was having non of it. Asking me to remove it. I found it really distressing given the fact that on the sheet in front of her it also stated we had a disabled allowance. But it made no odds. After placing a few more items in to the suitcase and carrying the food in the carrier bag it was in we were allowed to go.
I know it's their job to ensure that the weights are correct but I think what annoyed me the most was the condescending tone. 


 During the 9 hour flight, we saw a lot of sea and beaches off of the coast of England and the US.

The food was served up around 2 hours into the flight and first round of free drinks within an hour and a half. The choices of drinks were tea, coffee, water or orange juice. There was the choice off buying an alcoholic drink which wasn't too expensive.


TJ's meal was served hot with hard bread roll, butter, a dark chocolate pudding.
I was surprised when he ate all the pasta.


After eating his pasta he then ate my sausages and mash potato. These were again served hot with the additional extras. I managed to try some of the sausages and they were very nice. Highly recommend to any flyers.
The movie choice for the basic package wasn't the best as there was a choice of 2 movies. and 4 television shows. Luckily I took my tablet with a few movies and other shows I wanted to watch on.
TJ read and colored in for an hour then re-watched the same movie he'd already watched again. Guess he must've liked Rio. 



View from the plane of Kennedy space centre was spectacular. 



The staff were lovely and couldn't help out any more with TJ then they did.
We sat the last row of the plane on the left hand side and found there was plenty of leg room. So much so TJ colored on the floor beneath the seat for a little while.
The onscreen map we found brilliant as it kept us up to date with time to land and all other flight details such as speed, temperature and distance travelled.

For the price of the flight I was extremely happy and glad I saved the extra pounds for spending on various other treats over the holiday.

The beginning of the holiday starts TODAY!!

After months of planning the holiday started and better yet the boy still doesn't know.
After finishing school and saying bye to everyone (not forgetting the dogs) for our one night away, we were off two suitcases, two backpacks and one teddy bear named Threadbear.

Two hours and 18 minutes we were pulling in the valet parking at Gatwick airport which is a breeze to find and even easier to find a place to park. 
Once parked we emptied the car of any food and bags and headed to the desk to leave the keys and sign the forms. Unknown to me until this point I could've had my car cleaned inside and out for when we returned at a small extra cost. This would've been perfect if I hadn't had it clean the day before we left Poole. 
The check in to the valet took less then five minutes with minimum paperwork to fill in as it had previously been booked.
When staying at the Bloc hotel, and booking valet parking make sure you ask as you can get 10% off the total.

The Bloc Hotel.
 After Walking across the road and the terminal building we were on a roll with two bags each to manage. Finding the hotel entrance was really easy although the signage was a little confusing to begin with as TJ read it as go straight and not up the escalator.
Once at the top of the escalator the Bloc Hotel is on your left.

 The small reception that looked like a small cosy box to two very nice staff, who were very helpful and polite. Whilst one distracted TJ I found the paperwork to check in, and was directed towards the elevators and room. The elevators will only work with the room keys when trying to access different floors which we didn't realise for a few moments. 

Along the corridor and to the end we walked and accessed our room which had a fantastic view of the runways. 

The room was lovely and clean with a double bed fitted in an alcove area, a television built in to the wall at the foot at head height. One of the ceiling lights is along the far wall of the bed which I found to be bright even though it was a purple color.

The bathroom was a wet room which I didn't realise had two different showers. The showers are controlled by the same tap and whilst investigating the taps I managed to get soaked in the process. 






The tablet that is on the wall by the bed controls the lights all around the room and the thermostat.

 

Checking out of the hotel was as easy as ABC gather your things, head down the elevator and drop your key in the box by reception. 

This was a lot less stressful then any other hotel I've stayed in the night before. Next time I go away I'm definitely booking to stay again.  

Tuesday 16 May 2017

Hotter shoes 10th Anniversary ....I whimped out !!




Standing at the bottom of the platform wearing my mint Stellar Hotter Shoes, my head started spinning and stomach started churning and this was just looking up at the 60 ft tower, so who could blame me right?




I was nervous about the zip wire but excited at the same time. Now I love roller coasters and assumed this would be very similar. So decided to try and go with the flow and realized that due to weight I couldn't ride, which was really disappointing but also a huge relief.

To all the lovely ladies that celebrated the #HotterBournemouth10thAninniversary and took the zip wire down the 820ft line to the beach my hat goes off to you.

I wore my Hotter shoes to the event which I found to be so comfortable and light. The mesh material used on the outside of the shoe allowed my feet to breathe and at the panic point during the afternoon I was glad it did!


Whilst walking on the beach and along the decking of the pier I noticed how fantastic the leather soles felt on my feet. The lightweight durable soles were able to take the strain of hard to soft textures allowing ample support for my feet and ankles.  
When waiting for each person to soar through the skies on the zip wire I also noticed how my feet did not hurt and having flat feet this felt amazing to have the support that my feet require. 

I cannot push anyone in to buying but I recommend at least going to try a pair or three on, so you can feel for yourself how wonderful they feel on your feet. 
If your an active person like me - by this I mean always on your feet then do take a look at Hotters active wear collection online.