One big highlight of this summer was our trip to Alton Towers where we stayed in the Cbeebies Land hotel. We had dithered about it for a while, because it seemed quite expensive and I wasn’t sure how good it would be.

But I was very pleasantly surprised! I didn’t think I’d be saying this, but in my opinion, it competes with Disney. It doesn’t win – but Cbeebies Land and the hotel give Disney a run for it’s money.

We arrived at lunch time and had swimming booked at the water park in the afternoon. We love going swimming and we go most holidays. The water park at Alton Towers in a fantastic facility with so much to do. Nathan and I didn’t feel we were missing out by not being able to go on the bigger slides, which we sometimes do. The staff were great and and everyone coped when a pool had to be emptied because there was sick. The only downside was the smelly changing rooms. But as the reviews online said that the changing rooms were absolutely gross, I was pleasantly surprised to find them only mildly grim.

The Cbeebies Land hotel itself is just lovely. There’s the Cbeebies yellow bug things all over the place, which the kids loved spotting, as well as big lego statues of Bluey and Bingo in celebration of the new Bluey rollercoaster in the park. In the lobby, they had two Bluey cars as well, which of course, Sophia and Aidan were all over!

Were stayed in a Bugbie room and it was immaculate, with everything you could possibly need for holidaying with young children. There is a dividing wall which separated the kids bunkbed from the double bed, which meant that we didn’t need to sit in the dark once they were asleep, but we could instantly hear if they needed us. They’d thought of everything: a bottle warmer, a sink step, a toddler toilet seat, a nappy bin, a travel cot with a sheet, blackout curtains, a busy board attached to the wall… and all the colour and characters were beautiful. Aidan woke up at about 5 on our first morning, and usually I’d be able to get him back down for an hour or so, but he just sat up, staring around him, clearly amazed at everything he could see.

We loved eating in the restaurant as well. Breakfast was help yourself with continental and a hot buffet options. The best bit was the evening meal though. The food came quickly, and the kids came first. It was at a temperature for them to eat straight away. They also had an unlimited salad bar while you waited, and we have discovered that Sophia and Aidan love fresh beetroot!

Every member of staff we spoke to, in the call center, in the park and especially in the hotel, were just lovely. People were so helpful and happy to explain things, and nothing was too much trouble. As we left, the man on reception pointed out other places nearby which we could stop off at on our way home.

One thing that we still talk about is the magic lift up to the rooms. As it moved, fairy style music played and twinkly lights flashed from the ceiling. We stood and danced each time, and every lift we’ve been in since has been rubbish in comparison! I also loved that there was an ‘off’ button in case it wasn’t what you were in the mood for, or if there had been too much sensory stuff already that day.

Our day at the park was great too. We didn’t see a huge amount of the grownup part of Alton Towers, but we did spend a lot of time in Cbeebies Land. There were lots of play areas and little nooks and crannies to explore, as well as the bigger rides like the Bluey Roller coaster. We timed this so that Sophia and I were queueing as Nathan took Aidan for his nap, which worked well. Most of the other queues were ok, and the app is helpful because it gives live updates of the wait times of all the different attractions.

Thanks to Alton Towers, we are now the proud owners of a giant stuffed capybara teddy. In a joint moment of weakness (the man said ‘deal’ to me, while Sophia gently slipped her hand into her Daddy’s), we won this huge Capybara, which Sophia has named ‘Service’. Winning Service was one thing, but fitting him underneath the pram, and then into the car for the drive home, was quite another! Service now resides in the living room, usually sat in my armchair.

Overall, we had a fantastic time and can’t wait to go back. Like I said, I was a little sceptical but it was really great, and we would definitely recommend.