Europe 2014- The Sands Resort and Spa

Traveling with kids? Looking for the perfect family-friendly hotel in Cornwall? I've got it for you.

During our Europe vacation in 2013, we stayed at the Sands Resort Hotel and Spa in Newquay, Cornwall. It was so wonderful, that we decided to return in the summer of 2014. Normally, I wouldn't review a place twice, but I thought that this warranted a second look, since we upgraded from a two bedroom, to a two bedroom ocean view apartment suite. Hopefully this review will help anyone who is trying to figure out the best accommodations for their family.

The apartment suite can be entered through the master bedroom or the kids room. We decided to keep the kids room locked and only use the door through our room. The kids are too young to have their own key, however with older teens or adults using the second room, this double entry could be a nice feature. The master was spacious with a private bathroom, a king sized bed and a smaller, bonus bed.

Our arrival was auspicious by evidence of the view outside of our window.

Sandwiched between the kids room and the master bedroom, we had our living room. The living room had a television with an X-Box console and a refrigerator. The best part of having this room was the extra space that it gave the kids to play. It's nice to be able to keep the toys in one spot and not trip over them in the middle of the night. When you're staying in hotels, space is a luxury.

The kids had their own room with twin beds and a bathroom. However, they preferred to sleep in our room on the little bed. Their room was just used to store their clothes and to get ready in the bathroom. In the end, we didn't really need the extra room, but it was still nice to sprawl out and have that space. I'm a product whore, so counter space in our bathroom was very limited.

It was another wonderful stay at The Sands Resort. This year, the kids tried the evening children program and absolutely loved it. The played games, watched movies and even had a disco night. The last few days of our trip, Felix kept wanting to rush our daytime activities, because he was so excited to get back to the kids club. They had a great time and we had a few hours to enjoy a relaxing dinner. A win-win for the entire family.

We also discovered a new part of the playground, it's more for little kids and was nearly always empty. The pirate ship was a huge hit.

I hope that our future travels bring us back to The Sands Resort in Newquay. I cannot recommend it enough, especially if you have young children. In addition to the children's programs, it's walking distance to the beach and just a short drive to a whole variety of outings. It's ideal.

Europe 2014-Thorpe Park

To me, nothing quite says vacation like a trip to a theme park. I was really excited when we managed to squeeze in a visit to Thorpe Park in Chertsey during our last trip to England. We joined a million other tourists and visited on a hot weekend day in mid-August.

We arrived just before park opening and saved time/money by purchasing our tickets online.

When I worked for Universal Studios Hollywood, I always thought it was funny that their tagline was "The Entertainment Capital of LA". It's bit lackluster. I mean Disneyland claims to be "The Happiest Place on Earth". Disney's competition should try to aim higher in its lofty claims. Thorpe Park had a slightly upgraded version of Universal's claim.

I've seen several signs warning about "anti-social behavior" all over England. I know this is serious, but being American, I've never heard it phrased like that. When I think of the term anti-social, it seems more mild... like I prefer my cats to most people and I like staying at home to parties.

We entered the park and walked over an enormous bridge with signs advertising the coasters. Getting amped up for the day!

We spotted a very cool, shark shaped hotel that looked like it was made from corrugated metal.

The shark theme continues with a section of the park called Amity Cove. I thought that Thorpe Park might have some connection to Universal Studios, but I couldn't find any actual evidence. It was suspiciously similar to Amity Island and all of the Jaws stuff at Universal.

Dan and Zoe went on the first ride of the day, a rapids ride called Storm Surge. I didn't want to get wet and Felix was scared, so we watched them go on the ride.

One of the best themed areas in the park is the Angry Birds Land. The signature attraction is a 4-D movie experience. Although well conceived, it was a bit intense for younger children. We all liked the Angry Birds bumper cars attraction.

The kids were too short for the big coasters, so we spent a majority of the day around the smaller rides and carnival games. The kids really liked the Rumba Rapids, a gentle rapids ride with a tropical theme and Mr. Monkey's Banana Ride. There was a Tetley Tea themed spinning cups ride and a carousel with unusual creatures.

We may have not ridden any coasters, but we certainly took pictures of them. Here are some shots from around the park.

One problem that plague the theme parks in Europe are wasps. Tip = Reminding the kids that wasps are attracted to sweets and soda, is a good way to get them to make better food choices!

Several times we crossed paths with a group of teenagers dressed in superhero costumes.

Thorpe Park even had a mini-water park area stuck in the middle of all of the rides. It seemed out of place, but plenty of people had their swim-suits on.

If I could have ridden on one coaster, it would have been Saw. I'm a huge fan of the LionsGate horror franchise. Thorpe Park has a whole themed section dedicated to Saw, which includes a coaster and a permanent walk-through maze with live actors. The maze is open during their Halloween events and as it's a permanent structure, I think that it is likely open during other peak times or as requested.

I split from Dan and the kids to get some pictures of the Saw area. I'm too chicken to go through the maze, but hopefully we can do the coaster on a future trip. I also thought that there might be a Universal Studios connection as many of the mazes advertised for the Halloween event have the same themes.

We had a fun day out at Thorpe Park and headed home in the late afternoon, when the crowds started to become overwhelming. I'm looking forward to future visits and hopefully a ride on Saw. As a consolation prize, Dan surprised me with a Saw The Ride mug. It's enormous and painted to look like it's covered in splattered blood, perfect for my morning cup of coffee.

Europe 2014-Winston Churchill's Grave

I don't generally take much interest in visiting cemeteries or celebrity burial sites. However, when we were visiting Blenheim Palace, we learned that Sir Winston Churchill's grave was located in a nearby town. After seeing the faux-burial site at Westminster Abbey, we wanted to see where he was really buried. Honestly, the trickery at Westerminster stung a bit.

A staff member at Blenheim Palace gave us loose ( turn when you reach the pub) directions to St. Martin's Church in the village of Blandon.

Not realizing that the church was tucked out of sight on a small hill, we drove right past it the first time. St. Martin's Church is buffered by narrow streets and is not exactly an easy place for tourists to visit. It would be impossible for the motor coaches that we saw at the palace to journey here. We found a parking spot and walked to the church gates.

In contrast to his memorial at Westminster Abbey, Churchill's grave in St. Martin's Church is modest. It would be easy to overlook his grave if you didn't realize that he was buried here.

Buried behind Churchill and his beloved wife, Clementine, is Consuelo Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt married the 9th Duke of Marlborough. Vanderbilt was an American heiress to the Vanderbilt Railroad money. The marriage was very unhappy and was seen as an arranged marriage to increase the wealth and social standing of both parties. They raised two sons, but divorced in the early 1920's, both going on to remarry. During their marriage, they put their efforts towards restoring Blenheim Palace, which had fallen into disrepair.

Also buried nearby is Churchill's younger brother, John Strange and Strange's son, Henry and his daughter-in-law, Yvonne.

We did not see the graves, but Churchill's parents are also buried at St. Martin's Church.

I recommend visiting the church in addition to touring Blenheim Palace. They are located in very close proximity. Make sure to obtain clear directions prior to heading out. Our cell reception was spotty, so we couldn't rely on GPS and the church is not in a obvious location.