Last month, after our visit to Jersey we were invited to stay at the Solent Hotel & Spa in Fareham, Southampton, which is the most perfect location for stop overs, visiting the local area (including Peppa Pig World!) or simply enjoying a gorgeous family stay. Having never stayed there before we were so looking forward to it and, as we drove up the drive to the hotel I knew that it was going to be pretty impressive. And it was.

We were greeted by the friendliest member of staff who checked us in, rescheduled our dinner reservation as we had arrived later than planned, and showed us to our room.

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With the five of us travelling, we were booked into a gorgeous family suite on the ground floor. Having lugged car seats and prams up several flights of stairs at hotels in the past, it always pleases me to see that family rooms are on the ground floor. It certainly makes life easier for parents!

As a larger family it can often feel incredibly crowded when we stay in hotel rooms with the children, and yet with a king sized bed for Gaz and I, and three singles for the children, the room felt so spacious and light with ample room for all of us.

I loved that we had our own little seating area as well as a large television which had direct access to contact reception or order room service, and a mini fridge too stocked with complimentary water and milk.

The decor was lovely and modern and impeccably done, with so many thoughtful details and special touches to add to the general feel of the room.

I love that the Solent offers such luxury accommodation whilst still remaining family friendly. As a Mum of four, with three young children, it can often feel quite stressful staying at a luxury hotel incase they show us up, and yet the Solent knows what children like and need, and they are fully prepped and ready for them!

I thought it was the nicest touch to have fresh cookies waiting for the children and naturally, so did they! I also loved that each of us had a robe waiting for us with the children’s reading V.I.Little.P on the back. They were adorable!

After a long day we were looking forward to dinner at the hotel restaurant and, as we read through the menu, it was so hard choosing from such an incredible range of dishes.

In the end I chose Grilled asparagus, romesco sauce, poached egg and manchego cheese to start which was delicious and Gaz went for Lamb kofta, flatbread, hummus,pomegranate and saffron yoghurt, which looked incredible.

For our main course Gaz and I both went for sirloin steak and chips which was absolutely delicious. I am quite fussy when it comes to how my steak is cooked but it was done to perfection and is up there as one of my all time favourite meals I’ve ever had.

As for the children’s menu, I thought that it had an amazing range of dishes and offered something a little different, and healthier, than the standard chicken nuggets and chips that are usually found on a children’s menu. Eva had sausage, mash and broccoli, which obviously I needed to taste purely for review purposes (ahem..) and it was delicious!

Harry and Megan chose chicken, chips and beans which came as grilled mini fillets and given their empty plates afterwards, went down a treat!

After two courses Gaz and I were full and sadly had to pass up on the dessert menu, but the children chose donuts warm chocolate donuts and ice-cream which they devoured. Megan even declared it the best pudding she had ever tried!

We couldn’t fault the service during our evening meal and I have to say that the waitress was so friendly and helpful and really made an effort to chat to us and get to know our family. It was a fantastic meal and, as we went to bed that night, I couldn’t help but wonder if the breakfast would be equally delicious. Typical me, always thinking about food….

Having had a great nights sleep, with all three children out for the count, we woke looking forward to a hearty breakfast, and that’s exactly what we got.

With a choice of a hot or cold buffet, you could have as much or as little as you liked, and hot drinks were brought to the table throughout. Whilst Gaz and I tucked into a full English, the children were over the moon to discover that not only did they have croissants, but chocolate spread too!

After demolishing croissants, cereal and toast, I couldn’t believe it when Eva decided to eat an entire full English too. Clearly she was a fan of the breakfast!

After breakfast we had big plans to visit the hotel Spa, something which I had looked forward to for weeks! As well as the spa, the Solent has a swimming pool, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and a fully equipped gym, and whilst Harry and Gaz hit the pool, the girls and I relaxed in the spa waiting for our own treatments.

The Solent offers the most adorable Little Miss V.I.P package where young girls like Eva and Megan can indulge in their very first manicure or pedicure. Wearing their V.I.Little.P robes, they were so looking forward to being pampered.

We were greeted by the beautician with a non-alcoholic cocktail which as you can imagine, at four and five, the girls thought was the most amazing thing ever. “Is this wine?” Eva asked, as she nervously took a sip. “It’s strawberry wine!” Megan told her, and they clinked their glasses to ‘cheers’.

The beautician was so lovely with the girls, letting them choose which colour they would like (a huge choice when you’re having your first manicure!) and explaining what everything was for as the went along.

It was so lovely to see the girls have their manicures and the looks on their faces were priceless. Eva, who can be so incredibly shy, was so happy with her purple nails, telling me that she hoped they stayed that way forever.

Whilst Gaz returned to join us in the Relaxing Room to lounge with the girls, it was finally my turn for a spot of pampering and I could not wait!

As a busy Mum I can’t even remember the last time I have had a full shoulder, neck and back massage, if ever, and honestly there are no words to explain how amazing it felt afterwards! I carry so much tension in my neck and shoulders, which results in a lot of headaches, and as all of those knots were massaged away I could feel my stress levels falling. Later, when I returned to the children, I felt as though I was floating along with all of that tension lifted and, as the children went for a swim in the pool, I closed my eyes and enjoyed a final few moments of peace.

We had the most amazing stay at the Solent Hotel & Spa, from the room to the food, the service to the spa treatments, I genuinely can’t fault it. It was such a treat to enjoy a luxury stay that caters for all ages and, considering I usually leave hotels with the kids feeling a little bit frazzled, it was so refreshing to leave feeling truly rested.

The Solent Hotel & Spa are offering one lucky winner an overnight stay for their family in one of their newly refurbished family suites, inclusive of dinner and breakfast***. To enter simply head on over to instagram, like the photo, make sure you are following @Solent_Hotel on their Instagram page, tag as many friends as you like (the more you tag the more chances you have of winning!) and the winner will be announced on September 14th. Good luck!

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