Family break – that won’t break the bank

These short breaks packages make budgeting easy, because the price you pay up front not only includes your hotel and breakfast for one night, but also entrance to three separate attractions.

And you don’t even have to decide which attractions to visit beforehand, you can decide when you arrive.

Stay Play Explore breaks are available across Leicestershire, Warwickshire and Yorkshire. Every break includes admission to three attractions or experiences of your choice, and a family friendly hotel.

From castles to theme parks, zoos to water parks, and outdoor experiences to museums and historic sites there really is something to suit everyone.

With an energetic four year old and an animal loving seven year old in tow we decided to venture to nearby Leicestershire for our adventure, to try two of the area’s top attractions Twin Lakes and Twycross Zoo.

We found availability at the four star Jury’s Inn Hinckley Island which was about 40 minutes from Twin Lakes and 20 minutes from Twycross.

On the first day we headed from home straight to Twin Lakes and if you’ve never been it’s like a farm, water park and theme park all in one. There was plenty to do for both our children from rollercoaster rides and bumper boats, a large indoor soft play and a pretty big water park to splash around in when the temperature rises.

After a fun-filled day on a particularly hot Saturday we headed back to our hotel which also had an indoor pool, jacuzzi, sauna and steam room. Great to unwind after a fun day exploring.

After a great night’s sleep on the lovely cosy beds in our family room, we refuelled at breakfast where at the buffet style dining room we could have had as much fruit, cereals, pastries, toast and ‘Full English’ as we could manage.

The children loved being able to pick and choose themselves, and once everyone was satisfied we packed up our bags and headed off for our second adventure.

Only 20 minutes down the road, just outside Atherstone, the zoo boasts more than 125 different animal species including giraffes, penguins, meerkats, flamingos, chimpanzees, and even butterflies.

From the moment we arrived there was something to enthrall. The children loved watching the mummy orangutans teach their babies to climb and feeding time with the penguins was fun.

We could have cut either of our visits short and visited another attraction but when we were having so much fun we decided not to bother.

Definitely a great way to spend a family weekend, and with breaks starting at £149 in total it’s a great way to visit some great attractions without spending a fortune.

For details go to www.stayplayexplore.co.uk