Last weekend we headed to Bournemouth in search of #HiddenGems and we couldn’t wait. We’ve spent a lot of time in Bournemouth and its one of our favourite places to go. There is always lots to do and is probably best known for its beach. This time we were going in search of new things to do and find places, that you may not know were in Bournemouth.
Bournemouth has changed a lot in recent years, with plenty to do and there are lots of great hotels in Bournemouth too, if you want to stay over.
First on our list of #HiddenGems was the Upside Down House and I can’t tell you how excited my girls were to go and see it. It’s at the top of the town, in the triangle and you can’t miss it.
It costs £5 per person to go in and they make sure that only a limited amount of people go in at one time to make sure you can get the right photo opportunities. We were lucky and no one else was in there when we went. Plus the lady working there was on hand to take photos for us.
In case you’re wondering why a rainbow monster is in all our photos, its Holly’s class bear and it was her weekend to have him home with us!
Downstairs is a babies bedroom and I just love this photo of us.
There was also a desk area downstairs too. There is a spiral staircase to go upstairs and you can feel a bit dizzy as you do this. In fact they do warn you that you may feel dizzy when in the house, but we didn’t.
Upstairs is a lounge area, a child’s bedroom, a toilet, a kitchen and the front door area. All make great photo opportunities.
This photo of Andy in the toilet is my favourite. He looks like he is diving straight in!!
Here I am, just causally opening the front door!
We had so much fun in the Upside Down House, creating all the different photos. The girls just loved it and have literally told everyone they’ve seen all about it. It’s definitely worth a trip!
Next we headed down the town to the newer area, called BH2, which is full of restaurants and a cinema. I thought this is all it had in there, but tucked at the back is another #HiddenGem and that is Mulligans Crazy Golf. We love a game of crazy golf and until now have only ever done the one that is outdoors in the gardens. This was perfect for a cloudy day, where you didn’t want to be outside for too long.
There is a choice of 3 different course and the girls choose the Cosmic course. We paid £20 for us all to play one game, which was 9 holes. We seemed to arrive at the right time, as there was no queue for the course and we could go straight on. You can prebook if you wish too.
We all choose a putter and ball and off we went.
The course was full of lots of bright colours and all the holes were different and unusual to anything we had seen before.
What I love about crazy golf, is its something we can all enjoy as a family.
Holly even got a hole in one!!
Holly did struggle with the concept that the lower you got the ball in, the better it was. She kept saying I got 10 Mummy, because she wanted to win!
The last hole of this course was set up like table football. You putted the golf ball into the table and then you used the handles to guide your ball to the other end and then it landed on the last part for you to putt the ball into the hole. It was brilliant and like nothing we had seen before!
We had a great time at Mulligans and we will definitely be going back, as the girls are desperate to try the other courses.
It was then time for lunch and when you have a fussy eater (looking at you Holly!), I’m afraid we tend to stick to places that we know she will eat and so this isn’t a hidden gem. We headed to Pizza Express which was in the BH2 with Mulligans and there is literally every restaurant you can think of in there.
With our tummies full, we were ready for the next part of our adventure. No trip to Bournemouth is complete without going on the beach. But instead of walking down to Bournemouth beach, which everyone knows and loves. We jumped in our car and drove 10 minutes down the road to a little #hiddengem called Hengistbury Head and it was definitely worth it.
We parked the car, which you have to pay for and then started on the walk to the beach. During peak season they do have a little train that can take you down, or you could bring bikes too. My girls are quite used to walking, well Alice is anyway and Holly likes to catch a lift on daddy’s shoulders.
The views were really beautiful as we walked along and the girls found lots of trees, that were great for climbing.
When we arrived at the beach it was lined with the cutest beach huts. It is my dream to own a beach hut one day!
It was lovely sat on the rocks, watching the girls climb all over them and take in the beautiful views.
We then carried on walking the full loop to take us back to the car park.
Alice and I were walking together hand in hand, chatting about anything and everything and its moment like this that I just love. We passed the coastal building and Alice asked what it was and talked about lifeboats and lifeguards and what they do.
When we arrived back, we all had a well deserved sit down and ice cream. Plus the toilet too!!!
We had such a lovely afternoon at Hengistbury Head and we will definitely be coming back, hopefully when the train is running to save our legs. Some sunny weather would be nice too!
It was great fun discovering #Hiddengems in Bournemouth, a place that we know well, but with lots of places still to discover. I know the girls are going to talking about the Upside Down house for a long time!
Disclosure: This is paid partnership with Hotels.com All views, opinions and photos are my own.
