MICHELLE GREENE
Mum of two and Creative Director & Co-Founder of JAGGAD Life Athletic
” I think any destination can be family friendly, it’s just a matter of selecting accommodation and activities that suit your family’s needs. People tend to avoid big cities when they have young children but I couldn’t recommend it more, especially if you plan it well.”
FEATURED ITINERARY:
PARIS > SOUTH OF FRANCE > LONDON
PARIS, FRANCE
For accommodation, we stayed right near the Champs Elysees in a small family run boutique hotel; the location was fantastic, right near a stop for the hop-on-hop-off bus. Plus the Arc de Triomphe was at the end of our street!
FAMILY ACTIVITIES
Grand Bassin duck pond
In Paris , take the children to sail vintage toy boats at the Grand Bassin duck pond in Luxembourg Gardens. They can choose boats with different flags, each unique so they can find theirs in the pond while sailing amongst the other boats. There is also a playground, pony rides and lots of things for the children to do.
Pont des Arts
The children loved visiting Pont des Arts, they were amazed at how many locks were there! We explained that Paris is known world-wide as the city of romance. Loved-up visitors from around the world have for years written their name on padlocks to symbolise their love, then tossed the key into the River Seine so that nothing could ever break the bond. I think it looks a little different now, I have read all the locks have been removed due to the weight of them all making the bridge unsafe.
Disneyland Paris
Apart from the major sites, we squeezed in a day trip to Disneyland Paris which the children absolutely loved. It is such a magical place! We went on a Monday and purchased off-peak tickets but then purchased express passes so we didn’t have to wait quiteso long in the queues!
FAVOURITE PARISIAN EATS
Cafe de Flore in Saint Germain
Le Avenue
La Société
Pre dinner drinks at Hotel Costes
Crepes at Breizch
Michelle at La Société
SOUTH OF FRANCE
After Paris, we took the train down to Antibes in the South of France and met up with the rest of my family for a week on a stunning boat on the French Riviera, finishing in Saint Tropez. It was an incredible experience, plenty of water sports for the children and French Martinis for the adults!
LONDON, ENGLAND
We highly recommend staying next to Kensington Gardens as it’s such a great, central location!
FAMILY ACTIVITIES
There are endless sights suitable for the children, from riding in the taxis, to the old fashioned red telephone booths, to Paddington station, the London Eye, Notting Hill and a visit to the Buckingham Palace of course!
Big Ben
My son Beau was obsessed with Big Ben at the time and we went nearly every day. He was insistent that we saw it at various hours in the day and it was such a highlight for him.
Wimbledon
We also took the children to Wimbledon which was an amazing experience, we were lucky enough to buy some tickets through my husband’s Grandfather who is a Wimbledon Champion himself! (Frank Sedgman).
FAVOURITE LONDON EATS
Sketch
Chiltern Firehouse
Granger & Co
The Ivy Chelsea Garden
Primrose Hill cupcakes
OUR OTHER FAVOURITE DESTINATIONS:
We love to mix it up between relaxing resort-style holidays such as Fiji, Hawaii or Vietnam, as well as larger city holidays like France and England. Hawaii is also one of my favourites for families. We have been multiple times and it’s an easy direct flight from Melbourne with Jetstar. You can play by the pool, lots of activities for the children, plus great shopping and food so it ticks all the boxes for us! For sight seeing in Hawaii, you could visit Pearl Harbour or drive to the North Shore for the famous surf beaches or look for giant sea turtles!
OUR TOP TRAVEL TIPS:
Plan ahead
- Ask friends who have travelled to your destination before.
- Use the Internet!
- Try not to do too much in one day.
- Squeeze in some out door play between queuing at sights.
- Plan each day of sightseeing.
- Book all your restaurants in advance – the early sitting so you cantake your children with you.
Be flexible
- Don’t worry too much about the routine.
- There are so many uncertainties with children; How they will cope with jet lag? Will someone get sick? Will the queue at the Eiffel Tower take half a day instead of an hour… prioritise the main things you want to do and be prepared to let some go.
- If the children are exhausted after a day of sightseeing, have room service and cancel the dinner reservation.
- Remember you are on holidays so a late night or a missed nap isn’t going to hurt anyone. You have to make the most of it and you will be creating a life time of memories!
OUR NEXT STOP:
In the Easter holidays we are all heading back to Hawaii staying in Honolulu, then to Los Angeles and Palm Springs for the Coachella Music Festival. We have pre-arranged babysitting while at Coachella, but we will treat the children to Disneyland and a NBA game afterwards!
Images credit: @michellegreene
