Stay, Play and Explore Leicestershire

'Stay, Play and Explore' is such a good tagline for a weekend away, isn't it? Visit Leicestershire have really nailed it with these short family breaks away - so much so that we've taken these trips most years now since the kiddos were really little! 

How it works is that for a set price (currently £149) you get a hotel stay for a family of four, including breakfast, as well as family entry into three out of a list of local attractions. Family entry to some of these attractions can come in at over £50 anyway, so this definitely works out as excellent value! On this trip we visited Stonehurst Family Farm for the first time and Twycross Zoo (not for the first time). We've kept the third ticket safe to use later, as we wanted full days at our chosen attractions and we have 'til the end of the year to get all our visiting done.

(You don't have to pre-book either, jut turn up with your ticket - which means you can tailor your choice to the weather!) 

The Hilton Leicester had come highly recommended to me for our hotel choice but it was all booked up for our chosen weekend so we opted for Sketchley Grange Hotel instead.

I wish I'd been a bit more prepared for my stay - I'd completely forgotten that there was a pool and spa until I was reminded when checking in, and not packed swimming stuff for any of us which was a real shame. Still, without really taking advantage of all that the hotel has to offer, it was a great stay for our needs. Nice big cosy beds (kids were sharing, not a problem for them but maybe something to bare in mind?), clean bathroom with bath and separate shower, stocked with cute mini-toiletries, and of course the all important drink-making facilities (always even better when biscuits are included!) 

We didn't eat our evening meal at the hotel, opting instead for a cosy looking family-friendly pub we passed on our way there - so we were really looking forward to tucking into a hearty hotel breakfast. My son was the only one of us that dived into the hot food, but he loved his Full English. There was more than enough tea, juice and pastries to keep me happy!

We are looking forward to getting back down to our third attraction visit soon, but for next year I'm eyeing up the Shakespeare-themed Warwickshire breaks as a nice change!