Beach Weekend

So we had planned to do a long weekend in Spain a few weeks ago to celebrate our 5th anniversary, but the plane was cancelled at the last minute. (We had actually gotten all the way to the airport, through security and everything before they told us -- which was awesome). So we decided to schedule another beach getaway, this time just at a local British beach instead.  After some quick googling of local beaches, we found Bournemouth, which has a huge sandy beach, and is only a 2 hour train from London.

The beach turned out to be pretty great. It was really massive, so even with quite a few other people there, it didn't feel crowded. Even with jetties, you could walk a long distance in either direction. It also had a great soft sand - a welcome change from the rocky beaches we've seen recently. The only downside was that it was way too cold to get in the water - though that doesn't seem to stop the locals. We spent a few hours each day digging and flopping around.

We picked the hotel because it had an outdoor pool, as well as a balcony with an ocean view. For the kiddo - it had a foldout couch, which worked but wasn't ideal. He was very excited about the pool - even though it was only slightly warmer than the ocean- so we took turns taking him for a swim and then warming up in the sun. 

view from the balcony

We also briefly explored the town - which turned out to be rather charming. There was a massive park, which was really packed with people and lots of lovely flowers. We found a few not-bad food options around the park, as well as some great snacks on the promenade near the beach.

checking out all the flowers

nutella sandwich for breakfast

yes - both ice cream and a chocolate crepe

All in all - a nice weekend getaway. Definitely not Spain - but certainly a lot easier than dealing with the airports and all that travel fuss. Would've been nice to have some Spanish food and warmer weather - but still nice to know that British beaches are an option for a quick weekend break.