Visiting Lower Slaughter, in The Cotswolds, with kids

On our last morning in the Cotswolds we wanted to find a little village we could meander through with our kids, one that was slow paced, quaint, beautiful and easy strolling.

Lower Slaughter fit that bill!

Located just minutes away from our Airbnb in Bourton-on-the-Water, Lower Slaughter is as about as adorable as they come. There's the beautiful St. Mary's country church, lanes of stunning little chocolate box cottages, a sweet little river that flows through town, an old mill shop that will have you stuffing your bag with souvenirs. With hardly any busy streets it provided ample space for the kids to run around and enjoy the beautiful ambiance without having to worry about cars.

Top 5 favorite Cotswold villages with Kids

 

Our family loves the Cotswolds so much we are headed back for a 3rd time this October! But in the meantime, I wanted to round up my top 5 favorite Cotswolds villages with kids.

Now granted, I've never been to every Cotswold village so if you have some better contenders, let me know! I'd love to hear from you! These are just the favorites we've visited that I really enjoyed! Let's begin....

Visiting Lyme Park with kids (The 1995 "Pemberly" from Pride & Prejudice)

You may already know that I'm a HUGE Jane Austen fan....so it surprised exactly NO ONE when I told my family I wanted to visit both locations of "Pemberly" from the 1995 and 2005 Pride & Prejudice filming locations. 

We visited Chatsworth House here (the house that doubles as Pemberly in the 2005 Kiera Knightly film), and it truly took my breath away! 

A few days later, we decided to visit Lyme Park and its famous lake where Colin Firth jumped in as Mr. Darcy! And it was equally as dreamy...

High Tea with kids at Armathwaite Hall, The Lake District, England

I've always had a fascination with the British and their tea traditions. Years ago I learned about a thing called "high tea" where you go to a fancy (or not fancy) place and are served tea with a whole basket of goodies! 

So of course, I've tried to adopt this practice for myself in California by having high tea at as many places as I can find! And I've also roped my 6 year old daughter in to the fun. 

As I was planning for our England trip, I asked my British friend Kate if she could find a lovely place to have high tea. And she did not disappoint! She booked us a high tea reservation at the absolutely stunning Armathwaite Hall in the Lake District! 

Beatrix Potter's Home, Hilltop Farm with Kids (The Lake District, England)

My kids LOVE Beatrix Potter's books, along with so many children for the past hundred years. What a gift her writing was to the children's literary world. In planning our England trip, I knew visiting her home, Hilltop Farm, was at the top of my list. 

Driving to the Lake District is an incredible experience...the slow crescendo of hills and mountains, the beauty of the shimmering lake water lingering around each corner, and a kind of fog that seemed to mysteriously hover over the little towns as if on cue.

Visiting Chatsworth House with kids (Pemberly from the 2005 Pride & Prejudice)

 It's no secret I absolutely adore Jane Austen. I've read all her books, I've watched all the movies, I've visited the Jane Austen museum in Bath...and now I'm working on hitting up all the filming sites for her movies haha! 

So when we planned to take our kids to England to visit friends this past summer, I knew Chatsworth House would be on the itinerary. We actually went to Chatsworth House in 2018, but it was in the middle of winter and literally the coldest day of our entire trip! I had big dreams for a "re-do" with visions of a summer picnic on the sumptuous grounds...but alas...even England in August was rainy! 

But...it still was a beautiful day because...come on...how can anyone not be totally and completely bewitched by this gorgeous house that doubled as Pemberly in the 2005 Pride & Prejudice with Kiera Knightley? A few of my favorite things from the day....

Where to stay in Tulum with Kids

When Kevin and I decided to take our kids to Tulum, Mexico, I did a lot of research on where to stay. My main goals on our trip were to spend lots of time on a beautiful beach AND spend time exploring the city of Tulum and the surrounding area. We also had a budget, so needed to stay on point financially. 

And now that we are back from our trip...I'm here to say...we did just that! 

Tulum's beaches are some of my favorite in the world, so I knew we wanted to stay smack dab on the beach for a few days. There's no easy way around the fact that beach resorts are EXPENSIVE. So...in light of our budget, we decided to stay 3 night in a beach resort, and stay the other 3 nights in an Airbnb in town. Here are the two places we picked, which couldn't have been more perfect....

Best Restaurants in Tulum with kids

Tulum is a mecca when it comes to food, especially when you have food allergies like yours truly! I am allergic to gluten and dairy, and while I have been able to make it work in all my travels, eating in Tulum is a special treat because so many restaurants offer g/d -free items that are scrumptious!

Wether you have food allergies or not, Tulum is your place for a fun culinary experience! From cheap 30 cent tacos, to fancy gourmet meals, and everything in between, Tulum offers something for everyone! We had 3 children when we visited Tulum (now we have 4) and these restaurants were all super kid friendly!

Here is a round-up of some of my favorite places:

Tulum Mexico with Kids

There are very few places in my travels where I stop and Tell Kevin "I could live here"...(especially since we've had 4 kids!)

But, Tulum, Mexico was one of these magical places (along with Hoi An, Vietnam and Delft, Holland). 

What makes it the right combination for me? 

Gorgeous natural beauty

Tasteful and trendy eco development 

Incredible food options (specifically in light of my food allergies)

Friendly vibe

So so so much to do!! 

Truly, it is a destination worth considering for people of all ages and stages of life! Here are all the activities we did, places we stayed, and delicious things we ate....