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Le Croisic is a small town in the very south of Brittany at the mouth of the Loire. Nearest large town is La Baule and the nearest city is St Nazaire. Nantes is an hour away by train.
The town is a tourism centre due to it's five beaches, aquarium (the Ocearium) and numerous restaurants providing sea food and crepes. The harbour is home to many yachts and beyond the sheltered entrance is the Grand Traict which drys out at low tide. This inland sea is home to fruits de mer cultivation but you can also pick your own, as many local families do.
The best beach is Port Lin, 15 mins walk from town. For families, this provides an excellent mix of sand, sea, rocks and pools depending on how the tide is. There are life guards on duty in the high summer.
The town has two supermarkets and a cinema.
We spent whole week there summer 2010 having previously stayed in 2009.
You won't find amusement arcades, English pubs or night clubs, so nice and peaceful.
www.tourisme-lecroisic.fr/
Google map: tinyurl.com/37k8anf
We travelled by train using Eurostar to Paris and then TGV direct from Paris Montparnasse to Le Croisic (3h11). There are some trains from Lille should you wish to avoid the Metro.
Zirndorf is a small town near Nuremberg and home of the Playmobil Fun Land. Hotel Knorz is a 20 minute walk along paths to Playmobil, signposted by Playmobil figures.
Hotel Knorz offers bed and breakfast in a 1960's built but refurbished building on 3 floors (no lift). They have serveral family apparments, which include a fridge, two ring electric cooker, kettle and crockery. So you can bring that fussy child and eat in.
Breakfasts are a buffet of cerals, cold meat, cheese, smoked salmon and fruit, with fresh rolls and croissants and hot chocolate and chocolate spread for the kids.
The hotel is down a quiet side road, but the garden rooms have the advantage of being away from what trafic there is.
Staff were very helpful and with only one exception spoke english very well. The families staying were all german apart from us.
Zirndorf is a very attractive town with many old buildings and lots of outdoor seating at restaurants and cafes.
Volkhardtstr. 18
90513 Zirndorf
0911 / 96 06 350
knorzhotel@t-online.de
www.knorzhotel.de
Nearest station is Zirndorf, which has a 30 min service Monday to Friday, hourly at weekends. Alternatively you can get the U3 tube and then bus 70 or 72 from central Nuremberg.
It is a 10 minute walk from the rail station to the hotel.
Playmobil Fun Land is a themed activity park based on the Playmobil children's toys. It is aimed at children under 12 and is fun interactive activities. There is minimal queing and no roller coasters, just lots of things to do. We spent two whole days there. Hight season entry (August 2009) was 10 Euros per person irrespective of age, so 40 Euros for a family of four per day.
Things to note:
Much of the play involves water, so come with swimming gear to stand under the waterfalls. If soemone gets wet, use the tumble dryers provided to dry clothes.
There is a large indoor section if it's raining. Outdoors, sandpits and things are covered with awnings on hot days.
Food and drink is NOT a rip off e.g. tea for one Euro, single scoop ice cream cone 80 Cents!
The cafeteria has lots of choice eg pasta with different sauces and pizza, very much aimed at kids. A kids meal is 42 Euros.
You pay a pfand (deposit) on all crockery which is then refunded when you hand it all in, so keeping everying tidy and clean.
Most staff speak very good english.
Much of the park is wheel chair accessibile (so good for buggies too) and they have a wheel chair raft on the boating lake.
We had two super days out and the kids would love to go back.
There is an appartment hotel with family rooms for four across the road from the park. However, as the park is not loacated in a particularly interesting part of Zirndorf we stayed at the Hotel Knorz, an easy walk to/from Playmobil and the town centre.
PLAYMOBIL-FunPark
Brandstätterstraße 2-10
90513 Zirndorf
Phone 0911/96 66-1700
www.playmobil-funpark.de
funpark@playmobil.de
Nearest station is Zirndorf which has a 30 minute train service from Furth which is on the main line to Nuremberg (or use the Underground)
Alternatively, get the bus 113 from central Nuremberg. Tourist info in Nuremberg have all the details and will printout timetables for you.
20 minutes by boat from St Peter Port, Guernsey is Herm Island. No cars, so very quiet. Two absolutely stunning beaches within 20-30 mins walk of the harbour.
Costal path walk with views of Frances, Guernsey, Jersey, Sark and the Barclay twins' castle on Brechou. There are cafes at the beaches and a hotel and restaurant by the harbour.
In 2007 a day trip for 2 adults and 2 children was £27.00 (cheaper if you go on the 08.30 boat).
The Administration Office
Herm Island
Guernsey
GY1 3HR
www.herm-island.com/home.aspx
Telephone: +44 (0)1481 722377
Fax: +44 (0)1481 700334
email: directors@herm-island.com
We usually camp at Fauxquets Valley which has a pool. Note caravans are not allowed on the island, but you can hire a tent with beds (near to the loos etc, so can be noisy).
Ferries are Condor (2.5 hours from Poole on the cat or 9 hours from Portsmouth on the slow boat):
www.condorferries.com
Cheapest flights last year were with Aurugny (50 mins from Gatwick):
hwww.aurigny.com
Well worth timing a summer visit to be there when the North Show is on which includes the Battle of the Flowers and a fab firework display.
Mill Green Museum is a fully working watermill (undershot wheel) run by volunteers and housing the local museum for Hatfield, Herts. You can watch milling of organic flour every week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday, and see the waterwheel in action every day (except for Monday when the mill is closed), which my children love to see.
Lots of gears and cogs and flour leaking out. Children can try grinding corn the hard way or the easy way. In the summer there is a small cafe with outdoor seats in the sensory garden. There is also a local collection of bits of history, with things for children to find.
And it's all free.
Mill Green
Hatfield
Herts AL9 5PD
www.hertsmuseums.org.uk/millgreen/
Tel: 01707 271362
Nearest station is Hatfield (Herts) 23 mins from London Kings Cross every 30 mins (Mon-Sat), 1 fast per hour Sundays, plus two slower. Then either a 20 min walk, 5 mins on a bike National Cycle Network route 12 or bus 301 or 603 every 15 mins, 5 mins ride.
By car, follow signs from A1(M) junctions 3 or 4.
Three room B&B (single, twin and family room for up to 4) in 1906 house in quiet street 10 mins walk from centre of Verona, so ideal for the opera. Also 5 mins from superb public playground at the end of the old brigde over the river. Manuela speaks fluent English and is very happy with children running about and playing with her toy cars. Breakfast is served out in the back garden terrace and she is very keen on organic/quality food. Rooms have ceiling fans with remote control, so expect your kids to enjoy playing with it. She is also the local World Wildlife Fund rep.
Close enough to Venice to allow a long day trip so you avoid the high prices. Family room for 4 plus breakfast was 100 Euros per night in August 2006.
Il Piccolo Principe B&B
Viale del Risorgimento 10
37126 Verona
+39 045 914110
ilpiccoloprincipe@genie.it
Nearest station Verona Porta Nuova and then 10 mins by bus (just off main core bus routes so very frequent).
Immaculate set of three rented flats in quiet town centre, 20 mins walk from the lake (setting for the Elinor M Brent-Dyer Chalet School stories) and just off both the Munich - Innsbruck cycle path and a steam track railway. A week in August was £290 which was a bargin for what we had.
Surrounding area is good for hikers, mountaineers and cyclists or simply those who like mountains and fresh air.
Local buses are free to you as part of the holiday and there is an excellent weekly season on the steam trains, lake steamers and cable cars for about the same costs as a round trip on three of them.
Mr./Mrs. Alfred Baumann
Hnr. 48
6212 Maurach, Austria
Tel.: +43(5243)5729
Tel.: +43 (664)5103693
E-Mail: maurach48@aon.at
www.tiscover.at/haus-baumann
Nearest station: Jenbach (hourly fast trains to Munich, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Vienna).
Note: Free bus travel from Jenbach to Maurach - just show your web booking!
This small B&B plus apartment is in the village of La Roche Sur Foron, which is about 15 miles from Annecy.
Best thing is Marie Ammeloot, the owner, who has to be one of the nicest people we have ever stayed with. The sand pit in the garden for small children helped too.
La Roche is nice small town with an excellent swimming pool and mountain views
1 Route de la Bénite Fontaine, La Roche sur Foron;
tel/fax : 04 50 03 3116;
email : ammeloot@free.fr;
ammeloot.free.fr;
www.larochesurforon.com/index_en.htm
La Roche is 30 mins by train from Annecy and also an hour or so from Chamonix.
Send your feedback or queries to been.there@guardian.co.uk
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