The following is a guest blog from our resident Berry family, Ben (Dad), Katie (Mum) and their two children Flo and Bertie. Written by Ben, it covers their day trip to Blackpool using Lancaster House Hotel as their base.
A day trip to Blackpool
Lancaster House Hotel is one of our favourite places to stay and has become one of our most visited venues. It’s a child friendly hotel and a convenient base for a day trip to Blackpool, with easy motorway access to and from the coast.
We love it for the pool, the food and the spacious rooms. But this time we wanted to visit to make use of the hotel’s proximity to Blackpool and get there to enjoy its many attractions.
A day trip to Blackpool from our favourite hotel
Whilst our room was already prepared, we wanted to get right to lunch in Sandemans Bar. One thing Katie always mentions is how good the children’s menu is at Lancaster House. It gives plenty of choice and is not a ‘nuggets and chips’ offer.
Called The Sam’s Club menu, it is not only a great selection of food but it doubles as a colouring in sheet. Flo always goes for the ‘Pawfect Penny’ pasta, Bertie didn’t get much choice (since he can’t talk) with us choosing a veggie bits and dips for him.
As a vegetarian, I was pleased to see there was plenty of choice. I opted for the veg fajitas and Katie went for the Teriyaki salmon supreme. For starters, we went for pigs in blankets with English mustard dip and marinated olives.
I thought the olives were just for me, but Flo couldn’t help but eat as many as she could. Whilst Katie inhaled the pigs in blankets, I raced Flo through the olives.
Flo was quite demanding for pink ice cream but we got her to the room promising the fish we would see later at Sea Life Centre. We opted to upgrade to one of Lancaster House’s Luxury Studio Suites.
Booking into our hotel room before visiting Blackpool
These rooms are fantastic, with lots of space and great for a family. We used the sofa bed for Flo and then a cot for Bertie. The bathroom is huge and the complimentary toiletries worked great as a bubble bath for the kids to splash about and play.
The City and Seaside offer arranged by the hotel for a day trip to Blackpool included popcorn, cookies and juice for the kids (as well as a hot chocolate voucher). We tried to open just one bag but had to open both in the end to stop arguments. The cookies we kept for later.
One of the great features of the room is that it has two TVs and a dividing door. It means Flo can watch the TV in her bit and we can watch something else in the main bedroom area - very well designed indeed. Of course that didn’t stop Flo jumping on our bed…
Katie’s top tip: upgrade to a Luxury Studio Suite, it’s worth every penny!
Parking for a day trip to Blackpool
Lancaster House is so well positioned to get into the Lake District, but today's fun would be in Blackpool. Google Maps quoted us 36 minutes from Lancaster House car park to Blackpool Central car park. Of course it took us a little longer as despite Flo telling us she was fine when we left, the moment we joined the M6 there was a “me think me need a wee wee” from the back. Thankfully Lancaster (Forton) Services are literally a mile down the road. Central Car Park was full and so we parked at the Houndshill Shopping Centre, which is equally well placed to get to our Attractions.
What to do in Blackpool - Sea Life Centre and Madame Tussauds
We had pre-booked timeslot access to the Sea Life Centre and Madame Tussauds. The kids absolutely loved all the fish and they weren’t at all bored in Madame Tussauds. It’s easy to assume Madame Tussauds is just looking at statues but there is plenty of interaction, sounds and lights to keep everyone having fun.
Using a pram in Madame Tussauds, we felt like royalty as we got to use a lift with a gentleman who would tell us a little more than everyone else seemed to get. Flo particularly liked the Sharks in Sea Life and seeing daddy lift the Taxi like the Hulk in Madame Tussauds.
Whilst we decided not to visit the Pleasure Beach whilst the kids are still so young, it is renowned for the number and variety of its rollercoasters. From the traditional old wooden rides like the Grand National and the Big Dipper, to the modern hair-raising rides Infusion and Icon, the park is a must for the thrill seeker.
The view up and down the miles of beach along the Blackpool Promenade from the top of its most famous rollercoaster, the Big One, is spectacular. So too the sudden drop that follows it!
Katie’s top tip: Pre-book the attractions online, they do bundle deals to help bring the price down. Under 3s are free!
Where to eat in Blackpool
For dinner I had tried to book Stefani’s Pizzeria, one of the best rated restaurants in the area. Unfortunately they and two other places I tried were fully booked. With Blackpool being a popular destination, especially on a Saturday night, not even five days’ notice could get us a table reservation at a local hotspot.
I figured we would go to a walk up location like Buccaneers in the Coral Casino or, since we were at the sea side, get fish and chips from any of the many locations along the prom.
But on the drive down Katie booked a most surprising option, Mr Basrai’s World Cuisines. A short walk along the prom and up past the Winter Gardens, Mr Basrai’s was as busy as everywhere else, we were very glad we booked.
After paying on arrival, we got down to sampling everything on offer. I personally see buffets as a challenge to get best value! With a small charge for the kids there was extra pressure for me to perform too. Whilst somewhat hectic, the food was fantastic, fresh and with great service
I would liken it to one of the smaller Las Vegas strip buffets or a good cruise buffet. It features an eclectic mix of foods with a few chef stations cooking things to order. I’ll be back with friends!
Katie’s top tip: book a dinner reservation, queues were long for almost everywhere!
After dinner, we walked back along the prom to enjoy the lights. Although with two tired kids it was almost as if Flo’s ‘pretty lights’ were an afterthought given all the fun we had with everything else we had managed to do in Blackpool.
Which part of Blackpool is best to stay?
After a long day, we drove back to Lancaster House Hotel, put the kids to bed and made full use of the special offer of 20% off all our food and drink during our stay. So it was a Gin and Tonic and well deserved Peroni delivered for consumption bedside.
In the morning we opted for breakfast in bed, with a breakfast tray delivered to the room. We made quite the mess as just after posing for a picture Katie knocked an orange juice all over the bed… (sorry housekeeping!)
But the main plan was to get in and enjoy the pool. Pre-booking a slot is essential but it does mean that the pool is pretty quiet, which is good when the kids are as loud as ours. It is well set up for families with a small kid’s pool, as well as adult only areas. Indeed I managed to sneak off into the outdoor hot-tub which was pure bliss.
Whilst we were tempted by the excellent looking Sunday lunch offering, we needed to get going home. No doubt we’ll be back soon as it proved the perfect hotel for a day trip to Blackpool.