Breaking it up in the City.

“Girls, if you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would it be?”

“Dubai!”

“Singapore! No wait, Amsterdam…Oh I can’t choose!”

All the world’s a playground to a child’s eye and a city is a mega adventure park, where eyes are open wide and minds are on overdrive as little ones try to take it all in. The girls love the energy of a bustling city. The bright lights, the tall buildings that tower above them, the trams, trains and taxis buzzing around the streets and the humming sounds of the crowds. When we ask them to name their favourite trips, they will almost exclusively pick cities (Bali aside); Dubai, Singapore, Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur hold the top spots. 

For us, any city offers a big contrast to the quiet, slow pace of coastal life of our day to day. And that’s the big attraction, I suppose. Cities are also such a fast way to gain a vast experience of a place. With everything to offer, everything on show and nothing out of bounds, you get to soak up a huge cultural experience in just a short time. That’s the other reason we love a city break: we get an opportunity to learn quickly. With little time to stop and rest. 

And there is something for everyone. Whatever your age or your interests, a city will deliver. That’s why we think they make for a perfect family break. 

Best All Rounder: Dubai

There is more to Dubai than parties, all you can eat brunches and shopping malls. We don’t really enjoy any of these things, and in truth, we had never even considered Dubai as a place we’d like to visit. I had this idea in my mind of what Dubai was, before we went out to visit some friends there in 2016.

This trip showed us more than any before it, not to judge a book by its cover. 

Offering sunshine and warmth after sunset all year round, Dubai is a great option for a family break. It is at its best outside of the summer months, where the oppressive heat defeats the object of an fun-filled family break. A six and a half hour flight from the UK can give you a true multi-cultural experience, a beach and city break in one, and activities for every possible taste. And then there is the food. Middle Eastern cuisine is right up there in my top rated world cuisine, all made with the most simple of ingredients but with such skilled technique.

We stayed at the Ocean View Hotel, a welcoming and well equipped yet non-ostentatious city hotel, with a lovely pool, friendly atmosphere and a great location on JBR. The breakfast was absolutely splendid too. In fact, the hotel was so perfect, we actually stayed there twice. The pool, free from slides and sprinklers, is great to get some lengths in and perfect for little ones to practise their swimming with true motivation to succeed. There is also a shaded baby pool, which was perfect for our two year old. The pool terrace hosts an outdoor evening grill, which has the best selection of Arabic Mezze and meat and fish mixed grills. Sitting outside in the warm evening air, especially knowing that the UK is still shivering in the icy cold, is pure gold.

Dubai offers a multitude of distractions and we enjoyed many of them during our trips. The dizzy heights of the Burj Khalifa, including the spectacular fountain and light show at the bottom cannot fail to impress, although our little one only remembers losing her shoe, and has actually made a song about it. The sunset hour is the best, and we booked ahead with a fast pass, which was worth every penny to avoid the long queues with a toddler.

Near the Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Mall has a spectacular aquarium, which offers a valuable educational tour as well as stunning sights of the marine life. Our children were two and six at the time, and were fascinated by the jellyfish breeding stations and fish feeding sessions.

We also enjoyed exploring the Souk al Madinat and took an Abra ride of the winding waters, but we were melting during this, so pick your times wisely to avoid the worst of the heat. Legoland Dubai had not long opened when we visited, and just as the girls enjoyed the rides, we were more impressed by the Lego Miniland than we were by Dubai’s actual skyscrapers.

A lesser known activity was a trip out to Al Ain to try out the Wadi Adventure wave pool, which has plenty of entertainment for little ones (pools, Diddy cars etc.) whilst the bigger ones get their fill riding uncrowded desert waves. Nestled next to the Hajar mountain range, near the border with Oman, even the sights on the drive itself are breathtaking.

Despite never being on our list, Dubai ticked all the boxes. We enjoyed it so much, we went back only five months later. This was partly because we couldn’t resist the well-priced airfare, but also because we’d experienced the lasting benefits of a winter sun break, something we’d come to repeat many more times.

Most Beautiful: Lisbon

A stunningly beautiful city set on the wilderness of the West Coast of Portugal, we were amazed to learn that two thirds of this city was completely destroyed by a Magnitude Nine earthquake in 1755. It killed 60,00 people in Lisbon alone. The six metre high tsunami that followed, travelled as far as Martinique in the Caribbean (3,790 miles) in just ten hours. The rebuilding that took place had earthquake resistance at its design core. The whole city is now a beautiful place, nestled alongside the blue waves of the Atlantic Ocean, with stunning pops of colour everywhere you look. 

Hotels in Lisbon are pricey and hostels are a good budget option for a family. However, we chose to stay further north on the coast and make a day trip into the city. There are lots of beautiful coastal towns in close proximity, offering affordable accommodation and this is a good alternative for anyone wishing to visit as a family. So this, for us, was more of a day trip than a city break. But nonetheless, it deserves a spot in the Top 5.

The girls loved watching the iconic yellow trams whirr past and felt at ease in the midst of tourists and locals, making friends in the playground near Commerce Square. We visited Time Out Market, an ingenious and innovative concept, where the very best local restaurants, bars and even shops are selected by Time Out Magazine for a prestigious stall in the market, where they can promote their product.

“If it’s good, it goes in the magazine. If it’s great, it goes in the market.”

This means you can take your pick of the best the city has to offer – all under one roof. That roof being the historic Mercado da Ribeira, dating back to 1100. A myriad of food options under one bustling roof, you really are spoilt for choice, and the burgers we had at Ground Burger were superb. An absolute must. 

We spent a few hours strolling through the city, climbing through the colourful cobbled streets of the Alfama area and to the top of the hill to the Castelo de Sao Jorge, whilst snakcing on Patéis de Nata. We found the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, an impressive facade and we were even more impressed to learn that the church pre-dates the 1755 earthquake. After soaking in the fresh Portuguese air and getting our fill of the city centre, we headed to the beach in Estoril, watched some beach volleyball whilst eating ice cream and then headed back north, stopping to see the Estoril Casino, Ian Flemming’s inspiration for James Bond’s Casino Royale, on our way back to Ericeira.

Whilst only a short visit, it was impressive enough to make the Top 5. And we would definitely go back, given the opportunity. Once again, it was the incredibly well-priced Easyjet flights that made us choose this as a trip one Easter, and despite the inconsistent weather and showers, we really had a great time. In fact, it was the unreliable weather that drove us out from the beach, into the city and as far north as Nazaré for some seriously good exploring.

There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. 

Biggest Surprise: Kuala Lumpur

Having fallen in love with South East Asia, and going to Singapore three times before, we decided to make Kuala Lumpur a stop on the way home from our trip to Bali in 2018. And rather than a one nighter in an airport hotel, we thought we’d make a four night city break out of it. One major factor in this decision was, again, the flights, as we were upgrading our tickets using compensatory miles from the fire on the plane hiccup in 2017, but more on upgrading flights in a later blog. 

After booking the trip, a few people smiled awkwardly as they told us KL was nothing like Singapore. That is was dirty and everything was a bit rough around the edges, but the food was incredible. We therefore had no great expectations…and I think this really was the key to a great trip. 

We stayed in the Parkroyal Hotel, KL, directly on the Bukit Bintang, and our family room had two double beds and panoramic window views of the monorail towering over the bustling city below. It was pretty much perfect for us, as the older the children get, the harder it is to squeeze them into a family room. The hotel was friendly and surprisingly quiet, and the swimming pool was perfect for all of us, with hardly another soul in sight. What made it even better, was its cost at £70/night for the four of us, including breakfast. Sometimes, you just get lucky with this sort of thing. 

We had no key sights to tick off, other than trying as much Malaysian food as possible and so we sort of went where the wind took us. We visited the KL Eco Forest Park (Bukit Nanas) and walked the canopy layer of the only part of the KL rainforest that has been protected from development, having previously occupied the whole of the area. The stark contrast of the rainforest proudly standing tall against the sprawling city sky scrapers, was a sobering reminder of the effects of urbanisation. Learning about Malaysia’s incredible biodiversity in Bukit Nanas was one the best experiences of our trip.

The Petronas Towers, which sparkle proudly in the sunlight, afforded us spectacular views over the city and KLCC park below it. The park had a huge children’s playground and waterpark where the girls played on Malaysian Independence Day and a guard blew her whistle to tell me to get off the swing….little ones only, it seems! We were fascinated by a chance sighting of monitor lizards in Tittiwangsa Park, which gives fabulous views of the city from across the lake.

Just opposite our hotel, we explored the sprawling megastructure that is Berjaya Times Square and were bewildered by the screams coming from its indoor theme park, full of thrill-seeking rollercoaster riders. And of course, there can be no trip to KL without a wander through Petaling Street (Chinatown), with the craziness of the shouts and colours of all the market stalls selling souvenirs, clothing, fake designer bags, phone cases and chicken’s feet!

But the best of our days were spent hunting and eating the plethora of food that KL has to offer. Our hotel was situated within walking distance of Jalan Alor (Food Street) and so there was no excuse not to try every dish under the beating sun. Satay, curry, seafood, crispy frog…! The best was a small Chinese restaurant, where the waiter was the twin of our old Drama teacher and an open drain ran under our table.

But the salt and chilli prawns were superb. And the smiles of the staff were priceless.

The frequent thunderstorms and heavy downpours of rain only added to the magic of KL. One minute you are walking the streets in the sweltering humidity, and the next you are in the middle of a downpour, soaked through and trying to navigate your way through the steamy sidewalks.

Kids love a puddle, and in KL, we loved them too!

Most Fun: Amsterdam

Like Lisbon, Amsterdam was a short stopover for us. But it left a lasting impression. The girls picked it out as one of their favourites and often ask if we can go back. The bikes, the architecture, the canals, the food, the warmth of the summer sun, the welcoming and inclusive hospitality, what is not to like? Perhaps the price tag.

I think this was one of those trips where everything just easily fell into place, without too much effort. We were only there a short time, and our main reason for going in the first place was to fly in the most incredible plane cabin, the Qatar Q-Suite (more on that to follow…). So anything we got to see or do in our 30 hours in Amsterdam was a bonus. 

We stayed for one night in Renaissance Hotel, Schiphol, which was beautiful and conveniently close to the airport, whilst having a semi rural setting and welcome views of the canal and fields of cows. The room was light and airy and the hotel’s friendly staff came with trendy decor and a fabulous breakfast to boot. The hotel even provides bikes to explore the area and a shuttle bus airport service.

We spent the day and evening in Leidesplein, which satisfied our every need. Located in the south of the city, it was closer to our Schiphol Airport hotel, so saving us on commuting time and Uber fare. Leidesplein was spot on – it allowed us to soak up the energy and atmosphere of the city whilst ticking off most of Amsterdam’s stereotypes. The square provides many cafes and restaurants, where we stopped for a bite to eat and to take in the atmosphere with a pint of Heineken. There are cobbled streets full of shops and boutiques, canals lined with beautiful, colourful houses and sweet treats galore! Stroopwaffles, street performers and Vondelpark all provide for an entertainment extravaganza and make the perfect spot for a bit of people watching. 

You can learn a lot about a place by your gut feeling when you arrive.

And in Amsterdam we felt instantly relaxed and amazed at the same time. I’d read about Amsterdam before we went and I felt like I knew what we’d be getting, but I was still struck by the masses of bikes whizzing by on their evening commute, the beauty of the sparkling canals, bridges and cobbled streets, and the exciting energy of a truly special city.

All Time Favourite: Singapore

Singapore is the ultimate city break and a perfect place to start if you’re new to travelling in Asia or new to travelling long haul with children. It really is super efficient for any traveller, even those with young ones in tow – public transport is a dream, including Changi airport (you may understand my love affair with Changi from this experience) and the girls loved navigating the stops, maps and ticket machines of the MRT. 

We have been to Singapore three times and have stayed at three different hotels. They are all worth a mention. Miramar Singapore, Ibis on Bencoolen, and Destination Hotel, on Beach Road. All three are in different, but equally great locations, with the Ibis being the budget option of the three. Destination Hotel is perfectly situated for dining at the Golden Mile Food Centre, and if you don’t think that’s your usual sort of thing, give it a try before you dismiss it. You can read more about hawker centres in our full Singapore story here.

SIngaporean cuisine is excellent, and despite the multitude of high end restaurants and bars, in our view, the best food you can find are the budget options at Hawker Centres. These are, in themselves a cultural experience and can easily be classed as a day’s educational activity. Hainanese Chicken Rice and Claypot Chicken Rice are our favourites, but any seafood options will also be a winner here. And don’t forget your ice-cream sandwich!

There is every possible distraction for every type of traveller. Here is a snapshot of what we did: Gardens by the Bay, a stunning, entertaining and educational experience for big ones and little ones alike with its two huge biomes, outdoor gardens, children’s area, skywalk and evening light show.

The observation deck of Marina Bay Sands, or ‘the ship’  as it is also known, with its spectacular views over the city and overpriced slushies. Sentosa Island’s Adventure Cove water park was a fun day and welcome relief from the heat but more special was the the cable car ride out to Sentosa with its magnificent views. An evening of satay at Boon Tat Street….And of course, the vibrant colours and sights of the markets of Chinatown and Little India as well as the allure of the water and evening dining at Clarke Quay. 

Singapore is safe and clean, service is welcoming, people are friendly, the food is incredible, and the humidity and heat all make for a perfect taste of Asia. 

I have a fond connection with Singapore, for many reasons, which you can read about here. And I have only ever travelled to Singapore with a baby or with two children. It is the most traveller friendly place I have been and you simply cannot fail to have a good time. 

A large number of the cities we’ve visited have been by chance. We plan our travels largely around taking the best flights and this often means incidental city breaks en route. Perhaps this element of chance is what has actually led to us having the fondest memories of the city breaks we’ve taken. Sometimes things do go wrong, you can read about that here, but I’ve come to realise that the greatest pleasure comes from being able to enjoy the moment, free from the worry of orchestrating a perfectly planned trip.

Life is full of wonderful surprises.