TRAVEL: Pros and Cons of Renting a Villa for a Disney Holiday

Please note - the photos provided in this post are not my photo's, neither are they of the villa we stayed in. The owners of our villa have since sold up, so I struggled to find the exact one, however I chose photos that are almost identical to the villa that we had the pleasure of spending our time in. 

Pros

1. Space! The space that most villas provide is unbelievable. We stayed in a pretty swish 5 bed villa back in 2013 that slept 10 (there were 6 of us). Even if you don't go 'all out' with a villa, you still end up with a lot of space for your money. Having separate living and sleeping space is always nice; it helps you to feel like you can escape as opposed to being huddled up in a hotel room with 4 walls, where sleeping, eating and living all rolls into one area. Having space is particularly good if you have children. Knowing you can put them in a bedroom and then still have chill out time for yourselves in the living room/pool, as opposed to tip-toeing round a hotel room being deadly quiet as they sleep next to you! Just to give you an idea of how big these villas can be, I think there was about 3-4 different dining tables to choose from in different areas of our villa.. crazy! You could definitely 'get away' if you wanted some time to yourself!

2. If you pick wisely, you can have access to your own swimming pool. This is a massive one for me, being the body conscious person I am. Knowing that you can stroll down to the pool and have an early morning or midnight swim, and not have to worry about pool closing hours is great, not to mention the whole privacy thing, and being worried about what you look like! Most gated resorts (if not all) also offer a communal pool area and clubhouse as well.

3. Having access to a huge range of facilities such as a kitchen/cooking area, washing machine, fridge etc. Although we don't cook a lot on holiday (if at all), its nice knowing those facilities are there. We definitely made use of the kitchen in a morning for breakfast, and we washed all of our clothes before heading home or if they got dirty.. saved us a huge job upon returning to England, as if that wasn't gloomy enough!

4. Together-ness. Florida, and more specifically Disney is a family thing, and I know lots of people that go with their extended families, so staying in a villa is great to keep everyone in one place, if you like that kind of thing!

5. If there is a large group of you heading to Florida and you want to all stay together, opting for a villa is fantastic value. You can get a state of the art one for near to nothing once it has been divided amongst the party. A lot cheaper than staying in a 1 bedroom Disney hotel room!

Cons

1. You miss out on the Disney extras. The buzz and atmosphere of staying in a Disney hotel is great, with its theming and variety of amenities. Some people cannot 'do' Disney without staying in their hotels. Staying offsite also means you cannot apply for the Disney Dining Plan or Extra Magic Hours in the park, which the majority of people get a lot of use from.

2. Conflict. If you are going as a larger group with family members or people you usually don't live with, conflict can sometimes occur because obviously you are living under each others feet. The hot humid weather, the long days, the achey feet and jet lag can all lead to short tempers. People may have conflicting opinions on intineraries etc. Be aware!

3. If you are hiring a villa predominately for visiting Disney, they are situated in places that require cars. Also, the way in which villas are situated, it's designed like a big gated neighbourhood/community. Similar to a huge housing estate, at the very beginning of this is a security office and gates. Depending on where you are situated, walking from your villa to outside of your 'community' could take 20 minutes plus, that's before you've started heading anywhere, so a hire car is essential. Some people worry about driving abroad (however I've been told its easier than England!). Hiring a car could arguably be seen as both a pro and con. A car gives you so much freedom and allows you to see the 'real' Florida, however others would view it as added stress.

4. Unlike staying in a hotel, a villa does not have the luxury of a daily cleaner. I love the fact that you can leave your hotel room looking pretty messy, bed unmade etc and come back at the end of the day to pristine white ironed sheets, the floor swept and belongings tidied. You will not get that in a villa, it's your mess and you will have to tidy it.

5. You may miss that 'holiday vibe' from a hotel. There's something about coming back to a hotel at the end of the day, walking past the reception, down the corridors until you reach your room. It really makes me 'feel' like I'm on holiday. Obviously with a villa you wouldn't get that, its almost a home away from home. This may not affect/bother you but small things sometimes adds to my holiday experience.

I have stayed in a variety of places in Florida so if you have any questions, please pop them in the comments below!

Review: April's Degustabox

Another month comes another box.

If you are a regular reader of mine you'll know all about these subscription boxes, if not you'll be able to find more details at the end of this post.

I felt this month's box was more on the 'snack-y' side of things, but I'm not complaining as I love snacking just as much as my main meals!

First up we have the drinks...

Drinks

L-R

Pimms Cider Cup - RRP £2.29 (per 500ml)

This is a pretty hefty bottle! I'm not a huge alcoholic drinker, in fact I very rarely drink, and when I say very rarely, I'm talking 1-2 alcoholic drinks per year. However there's something about this bottle that excites me. The fact that its Pimms reminds me of summer days at the races, and that alone is making me want to drink it! I'm definitely going to give this a shot one sunny afternoon in the garden. Drinking it at the races in a nice posh frock would be nice, but I'm ok with my garden...

Green Lady Sparkling Tea - RRP £1.99

I'll be honest, I'm no lover of green tea, no matter how many different flavours I try, it just doesn't tickle those tastebuds. This tea had Darjeeling (whatever that is!) in it, and although it was ok, it was only that. It was one of those drinks that the more I drunk, the more I became glad when it had gone. Waste not want not and all that...

Rejuvenation Water (Apple & Mint) RRP £1.99

If you read a recent blog post on a salad I made, you'll know my love for mint flavoured drinks, so this flavour excited me somewhat. However unfortunately when I grabbed it out of the fridge to drink a week after receiving this box, the drink had quite clearly gone off, which was strange considering the BBE date isn't till December. Needless to say I'll be getting in contact with the company to report this.

Savoury Snacks

Popchips (Sea Salt, Garlic & Rosemary) RRP £1.99

Degusta is on point in this months box in terms of their flavours. I love a bit of garlic, and I don't think I've ever come across garlic crisps, so I was all over these, and thankfully they didn't disappoint. The rosemary and garlic was just as prominent as each other, but it worked so well. I love the texture of these crisps too... so moreish!

Parle Rusk - RRP 89p

I felt like I had stepped back in time with this packaging with its vintage vibes. These 'crisp and crunchy toasts' state they are perfect teamed with a cup of tea, however I cant help but be reminded of Rusk baby biscuits my brother used to have as a young child. Unfortunately I wasn't keen on these. I tried the suggestion of dipping it in tea but for me it didn't work well.

Parle G Biscuits - RRP 25p

By the same brand as above, and similar packaging, I was a bit apprehensive about these (yep, purely on the packaging!) however I shouldn't have been. To look at they are very similar to 'Nice' biscuits, and in taste, they do have that 'foreign' taste to them (if you've ever stocked up on snacks in Spain, Greece etc, you'll know what I mean!). But they were still yummy and perfect dipped in tea!

Sweet Snacks

Bebeto Fruit Strings - RRP £1.99

Packaging wise, these looked like they were marketed for children, and I'm still not sure if they are. They have 7 individual packets inside, each marked with a different day of the week. Visually, they are very similar to strawberry shoelaces, but cut into smaller pieces. Taste wise, they have a natural fruit taste to them (obvs!). They are pretty tasty and juicy and definitely something a little more unique than normal, which is always good!

Smarties Sharing Block - RRP £1.29

I've seen these lying on the supermarket shelves for some time now but never purchased one, although I don't think it takes a genius to imagine what these taste like. Chocolate with smarties integrated into the mixture. If you're a chocolate lover, you can't really go wrong with this.

Milkybar 'Milk & Crunchy' - RRP £1

This pack contains 4 mini snack bars of milky bar with a slight crunch. Never seen this in the shops before so this was completely new to me. However again, if you're a white chocolate lover, you'll love these.

Meals/Sides

Veetee Basmati Rice - RRP £1.29 Wholegrain Brown Rice & Quinoa - RRP - £1.49

Rice is rice to me, as long as its cooked properly I'm not overly bothered on the brand.  The quinoa one excites me though, I think I may cook the recommended dish that Degusta has provided (Teriyaki salmon rice bowl, it looks delish!).

Levi Roots Jerk Coat 'n Cook Sauce - RRP £1

We never seem to be short of a chicken marinade in our cupboards for some reason, however its not often that I try Levi Roots food items out, so I will make sure this is next on our list to try!

Misc

Canderel Sugarly - RRP £3

I've been trying to be more mindful with what I eat, and have started to make slow and gradual adaptions to my daily diet (like, really gradual!). I may slowly introduce this into my cups of teas and use as a sugar replacement to cut down on calories. Although I really do think cups of teas never taste as good as they do with 2 sugars!

To find out more about Degustabox, visit their website here.

To subscribe to DB and get a whopping £6 discount on your first box, type the code SIGIDN at checkout.

April Round Up - Luxury Food & Lush!

Its that time again... another month into what still feels like a 'new year'.

In terms of busy-ness, compared to my fortnightly weekends away that have seen me through since January, this month has been fairly quiet.

I started the month with a day trip to Lincoln, and although it was for work, it was a really chilled out day, and although I couldn't go completely mad in the shops (because of being at work!) I did manage to pick up a few Lush bits... I was lucky because my client is also Lush obsessed so I didn't feel too bad browsing those wonderous pretties! We also had some lunch in Pizza Express which is always a winner!

A few days later I treat my cousin to her first ever afternoon tea for her 30th birthday. We went to a local French themed restaurant and had, would you believe it, French inspired afternoon tea. Definitely one of the better afternoon tea's I've experienced in my area!

Towards the end of the month I met up with a friend who I hadn't seen in a few months. We caught up over some nice food in a restaurant that I had never visited before, always a winner for me!

Browsing over my Instagram photos from the last month, I feel April has been full of food and Lush baths, and not a lot else! (So if you like the sound of those two, come follow me on @kateld85).

Next month is birthday month, so obviously more travel is on the cards,

stay tuned!

Afternoon Tea at Petit Delight, Lincolnshire

I'd visited here once before for afternoon tea and remembering it was one of the best I'd had in the area. Fast forward almost 1 year and I was back, this time with my cousin in tow, treating her for her 30th birthday.

Although the setting isn't as grand and peaceful as most afternoon tea environments, the quality of food overrides this aspect and you learn to filter out the background noise in this fairly loud French inspired restaurant.

The staff were attentive and helpful, and gave us 2 options for afternoon tea; a traditional one that consisted of sandwiches and pastries, the other that was more antipasti based, including cold meats, garlic bread, olives etc. Neither of us are fans of olives, so we didn't hesitate in deciding on traditional.

Crockery at Petit Delight is very plain and basic. You will not see any mis-matched floral vintage here, which in my opinion was a little disappointing. The teapots and cups were standard white, and there were no fancy tea strainers or sugar cubes to ask '1 lump or 2?'

Food on the other hand was pretty much top notch. We were given a selection of 3 different sandwich fillings - Tuna & Mayonnaise, Prawn, or Chicken & Bacon. We both opted for the latter and glad we did because the filling was on point with both quantity and quality. Also on the savoury tier was a miniature cheese and ham toastie, which was gorgeous. Something so basic but tasted so good. I've never experienced a warm toastie with afternoon tea before so this made a refreshing change!

There was also a thin slither of quiche which is rare on afternoon tea's, but welcome nonetheless! I know this had leek in but any other ingredients are beyond me! Either way, it was tasty.
The sun dried tomato and brie croissant was nice, it was slightly warm and almost buttery, yum! 

Onto the top tier, the desserts! Unfortunately not knowing the names of the majority of these puddings, I can only describe! It consisted of a chocolate brownie, a bakewell tart style finger, a white chocolate and chocolate orange meringue dessert. Last but not least, a crème brulee (this one neither of us entertained). The desserts tier consisted of a good selection of cakes, tastes and textures, and nothing was too over-powering, instead complimenting one another very well.

Although the experience isn't on top form, the quality of food on the other hand is almost perfect.

Cost - £15pp

Easter Themed Afternoon Tea at Cuthberts Bakehouse, Liverpool

Visiting another city only means one thing; another afternoon tea! And Liverpool was no exception.

I always do research in advance when knowing I'm due to have afternoon tea. I always think life is too short to waste time, money and opportunity on a poor eating experience! After scouring a few websites, I finally settled on Cuthberts Bakehouse, a family run business just a short walk from the city centre. As I devour more and more afternoon teas, I tend to find myself leaning more towards family run businesses or smaller independent tea rooms as opposed to grand 5* hotels as they are a lot more unique and more importantly, better tasting! The interior of this tea room caught my eye, with its cute shabby chic furniture and pastel bunting, it was right up my street.

Arriving on Good Friday afternoon, the place was bustling, which always suggests only good things.

We were seated in the corner, which, if it was just Mike and I, that would have been fine, however we had his parents in tow so things were a little squashed, to say the least. I felt this had an impact on our overall experience, which was a shame because it was his mum and dad's first time experiencing afternoon tea, so we wanted it to be perfect, however the space issue was a slight problem.

Issues aside, we ordered our drinks. Both Mike and I opted for our usual loose leaf Earl Grey, whilst Mike's parents chose an Americano each (I believe this was extra). These came in quirky teapots to match the mis-matched vintage floral teacups and saucers. Floral mis-matched crockery is always a tick in my book when it comes to afternoon tea.

Shortly after, out came the food. Wow, just wow. The amount of food and variety was unbelievable. I've had many afternoon teas in my time but I don't think I've ever received that much food in one sitting!

When previously booking, we had opted to have another filling in place of salmon because none of us are keen raw fish eaters. We were given free range egg mayonnaise and also roast turkey and cranberry sauce. Each filling was perfect in both quantity and quality. The bread was fresh and there were other savoury items that were sat alongside the sandwiches such as chicken Caesar salad and honey roast ham salad canapes on crunchy bruschetta style bread. There was even a handmade sausage roll thrown in there which was absolutely divine.

The selection of cakes were on point - there was the perfect mix of both fruit and chocolate desserts, and nothing was too overpowering and sickly. The chocolate fondant brownie I thought was going to be extremely sickly but it was the perfect amount of chocolate-ness! The 'vanilla infused tart' tasted identical to a custard tart, which wouldn't be my first pick of dessert, but the flavours balanced the other food out very well. The macchiato mousse cake was infused with coffee (obviously!), and although I'm not a huge coffee lover, it was subtle enough to still be enjoyable. The quirky extras that aren't often found in afternoon teas, such as the elderflower mint jelly made a lovely change from your standard choices, and complimented the palette well after all those other treats! The macaroon's seem to be a popular choice for most afternoon teas now, but I personally think this dessert is very pretentious and over-rated (but that's a story for a different day!).

Of course afternoon tea wouldn't be complete without traditional scones, jam and clotted cream, although by this point I was bursting at the seams so I could only manage a few mouthfuls, but these were just as good as everything else. If you look close enough, you will see the scones have the cross on, similar to hot cross buns. Unfortunately this was the only hint that reflected this 'Easter themed' afternoon tea which was a bit disappointing. Also, I'm not sure what ingredients are used to make the cross on hot cross buns, but I didn't feel that the texture of the cross on these scones complimented the scone itself. It almost felt like I wasn't meant to be putting it in my mouth.
The chocolate covered strawberries were well received, although by the time I had reached this tier, I unfortunately had to peel a lot of the white chocolate off as I think sugar overloaded had kicked in by then!

All in all, a good quality selection of treats, and definitely up there with some of my favourites. However unfortunately the cramped environment gets a thumbs down from me. Sometimes I feel that businesses attempt to cram as many people in a room as possible and forget about customer experience, but just see pound signs instead. I would visit again, but next time ensure I'm visiting when it's quiet for a less chaotic and cramped atmosphere.

Cost - £20pp

24 Hours in Liverpool

A day before Easter bank holiday, Mike and I, along with his parents, jumped in the car and took the 2.5hr drive to Liverpool. I was lucky enough to win a competition a few months prior on twitter. It included lots of nice treats and was for 4 people. It was Mike's mums birthday coming up, so we tied it altogether and treat her to a quick weekend away.

We arrived at The Holiday Inn on Albert Dock (our first freebie!), checked in and had a quick freshen up before heading back out to a nearby coffee shop for drinks and cake (our second freebie!). After filling a hole in our bellies, we headed to another one of the prizes; a tour of The Beatles Story Museum. Both Mike and I had visited here 8 years ago, so I could still remember bits of it. I'm not a big Beatles fan, but both Mike and his dad are so it made sense to do it again. We spent a few hours in there, then took the short walk back to the hotel.

We showered then headed back out again for yet another freebie - a 730 table booking at PanAm restaurant, which was also very close to the hotel. We were led upstairs and given a window seat which had fantastic views over the Albert Dock all lit up at night. I'm a sucker for good table views so I really appreciated this! The food was gorgeous, top quality meat and presentation was on point.

We left the restaurant and headed back to our rooms. I was shattered (long car journeys aren't good for me!) so I resorted to my bed and had an early night (old before my time, me!)

The next day we headed to the breakfast buffet within our hotel, chaotic but nice, we filled our tummies up, but leaving room for the afternoon tea we had booked for later!
We checked out of our hotel, had a quick mooch around the shops on the docks then made our way to the Liverpool wheel (fifth and final freebie!) whilst Mike's dad was bag watcher (that's what you get when you have a phobia of heights!). We spent 20 minutes on the wheel, seeing the sights of Liverpool, obviously not as scenic as The London Eye views, but still nice nonetheless.

We took a slow stroll into the centre which was only a short walk away. I may or may not have stocked up on a few Lush goodies! We then made our way to our Easter themed afternoon tea booking, which was about a 10 minute walk out of the centre (a review on this is to come!).

After this, we popped into The Cavern, more for Mikes parents to say they'd 'done it', before heading back to our car before our journey home.

A whirlwind tour of Liverpool but a lovely way to start the bank holiday weekend.

Did you get up to anything exciting?

March Round-Up - Amsterdam, Liverpool & Afternoon Tea!

March has been yet another jam-packed month full of exciting happenings!

I managed to travel to Amsterdam with my mum over her birthday and spend a whopping 5 hours in this canal-filled city (here's what I got up to). We took a canal tour, learnt about the history of Amsterdam, and spent time chatting over tea in a quirky café watching the world go by (or as I like to call it, people watching).

I also baked my very first cheesecake - filled with nutella and Ferrero rocher, baking it myself made me realise just how many calories go into cheesecakes, but I don't want to think about that right now! Either way, it was a success, Mike said it was 'the best cheesecake' he's ever had (and that's bloody good coming from him!)

At the end of the month, Mike and I, along with his parents, drove to Liverpool for a nights stay on Albert Dock. This trip was packed full of lots of things - a trip to The Beatles Story Museum, a meal in the PanAm restaurant, a ride on the Liverpool wheel alongside treats in a coffee shop. Best of all, it was all free! I won a twitter competition a few months back so finally took my prize. We also had afternoon tea which was gorgeous, but more on that in a different post!

We then finished the month off with a lovely long bank holiday weekend. I looked after my niece and did an easter egg treasure hunt for her, she loved it!

March has whizzed by in the blink of an eye. April will be a much quieter month in terms of plans, with nothing in the pipeline! I've been away every fortnight for the past 2-3 months, so it'll actually be nice to spend time at home and catch up on those errands that always gets put on the back burner...

Till next month!