~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
School summer holidays… As a mum of three boys, this chapter in the year can fill me with nervous anticipation and excitement – both in equal measure!
I remember thinking as a child those weeks felt like they were going to last forever. Relaxed routines, mid-week movie nights, pj days that weren’t just saved for Sundays. Special adventures with friends, long hazy days with family – all with memories that will last a forever.
As a family, my boys have grown up in Suffolk from day one. Every year, just before the holidays begin, we sit down and compile a list of all the fun we would like to have over the coming weeks, and without fail, day trips to the wonderful Suffolk coast always feature in the top five!
We feel so lucky to be just a short drive away from the sea here. Over the last few weeks, we have taken many a trip to Aldeburgh for a dip in the glistening water (always followed by fish and chips and ice-creams!). To play the hotly contested annual beach cricket family festival, we always head to the golden sandy beach at Southwold; horizon views for miles watching the sun set as we play. For our summer crabbing challenge, there is no better place to go than the sea estuary at Walberswick… a famous spot in Suffolk for this activity – we caught over 50 this year (all returned safely back to their home in the water!).
But for us, no summer is complete without a trip to Felixstowe. After a lovely recommendation from the team at Curious Retreats, I decided to hold onto these summer memories just a while longer and book a last day of fun at one of their beautiful beach huts – Cooky’s & Cream. Perfectly located on the sea front in Old Felixstowe, I just knew it would be a magical way to wile away one of these last ‘Indian’ summer days.
Some special friends joined us, and as we all opened up the doors of this eye-catching soft blue hut, we knew we were in for a special day. The owners have thought of every detail for every age; surf body-boards, a cricket set, bucket & spades – the boys were in their element from the off!
There is even a small gas stove to make that perfect cup of warming tea or coffee… and yes, they provide this too! But for us, it was a day for celebrating – a small glass of bubbles to toast a wonderful few weeks that have just past.
The phrase ‘treasure every moment’ can seem more of an aspiration than a reality during term time, when you’re in the cycle of school drop off and collections, dashing to after school clubs and dealing with homework. In the comfort of this beautifully designed hut, we stayed until the sun went down doing just that. Suffolk beachside memories made… we’ll definitely be back again next summer – thank you Curious Retreats!