I would like to do something really special for dd the weekend before she starts school. Any suggestions?

[CountessDracula]

She is so excited about starting school, has been such a lovely girl lately, Dh and I really want to do something with her that SHE would adore and would make her feel special

Have considered
Centerparcs (she has just learned to swim and would love the water aspect)
Eurodisney (but don't really want to flog all the way there for one night)
Maybe some kind of safari park thing, she adores animals - can anyone recommend one?

Any other suggestions welcomed!

she will be just 5 btw

take her to see a show, like mary poppins, and then supper afterwards. big treat. she would love that I reckon.

Yes maybe
But she does go to theatre quite often (ish)
I was thinking more of something she had never done before iyswim

(also I have a feeling dh may have booked mp as xmas treat, can't remember now)

What about the Zoo and stay over at a fab hotel afterwards.

I presume money isn't an object? Don't the Savoy/Ritz or some of these places do mum and daughter packages for this age group? I am sure there was something on here before about it.

She has been to the zoo lots
I take her sometimes when dh at footie

What about safari parks?
I think the ritz thing a bit ott for 5yo, also not sure she would really notice the diff between that and a normal hotel!

What about Edinburgh? The Zoo there is fab (Naily will be able to tell you more). You could fly up.

CD my dd is about to start school too. she keeps asking 'is it time for school yet?'
the weekend before she starts we are at my in-laws in Bristol, so dh and is dad can go to a football match!! grr.
This weekend we were thinking of going to Chatsworth if the weather is OK. Next week I am only working 1 day and will probably meet various friends, but we may go to the Monkey Forest which is near Stoke on Trent. My friend recommended it - the monkeys roam in the forest and you can get quite close to them! If the weather is nice we may also go to Formby Point. (near Southport).
CenterParcs is a good idea, could you get a good last minute deal?

Longleat looks good, anyone been there?

I would rather not fly tbh, too hassley for one night and not very friendly to environment

Edinburgh Zoo

not sure where abouts you are based but monkey world is meant to be fab!!!

Legoland???

I would go for a shopping day - Hamleys? - then go for a lovely lunch

Bristol Zoo is supposed to be good, and then you can have a nice weekend in Bristol. Lots of other things for children to do there, I believe.

Have been to Monkey World (it was vile, full of people eating chips and we saw almost no monkeys)

Legoland for some reason I can't face

You can't go to CenterParcs for one night

CD wheni took dd1 (4.5) to see beetys show she ws in AWE and loved it more than i really imagined! are ther any shows near you? surely there must be...

i think she liked it because it was performed by children, some her own age, and it was a musical

or what about a petting zoo? or a city farm where she can milk cows and feed horses/lambs/goats etc

shopping!

then claridges or somewhere swish for sandwiches

Cricket St Thomas, Dorset. Have been here and is fab.

You can go to Longleat without staying at CP. Chessington was ok for a day out with that age.

Longleat is good actually CD, The safari bit is good, bit boring when all lions are in one corner and you just have to wait till the line of cars move round but not the end of the world.

Then there is the boat ride to see the seals etc, Postman POat corner, childrens zoo corner with otters and ferrets and parrots etc, the steam train, butterfly house etc. It's an entire day out.

I was there on Sunday just gone.

And you could book into Cenrtre Parcs to stay overnight maybe so get to do the swimming thing with her as well?

Then for a day out, rather than weekend away, I massivley recomment Odds farm and / or Willows farm. Not a million miles, just down the A40 mate. Won't take long to get there.

wow theres tons looooooook

Both the boys got a special weekend away with dh (their first). When we talked about it the idea was for dh to take them back to his old school and do some other stuff, but in the end he took them each back to his old university, shared a bit of his history with them (highlight for ds1 ws seeing where dh feel of his bike, leaving a scar on his knee).

But there the main part of the excitement was the fact that it was the first time that they had been away with dh and left me and their sibling at home.

I like Centerparcs - though IME never a bargain.
Whipsnade is v enjoyable, esp the adorable elephant family on parade through the zoo and out into the country. Lots of oohs and aahs at that. My two adored Fishers Farm - not that many animals but loads and loads to do.

Harrods is fab. Food hall, the mad 'Egyptian' escalators. Hours and hours in the bookshop (they don't mind how many books the kids have on the floor, the toy dept, Laduree or doughnuts and the ice cream parlour. I know Harrods isn't PC, but dsd used to love it when she was little - it was always her pre-Christmas treat, and we took the children there after going to see the Dinosaurs at the Nat His museum and they had a wonderful time.