Thrills and Food

01/14/2025

Here's some photos of our recent breakfast we had at The Clubhouse during a stay at Official LEGOLAND Windsor's Woodland Village!

If anything, these photos are proof that with a good camera angle/setting/style, you can make almost anything look great! 😂

Unfortunately, this breakfast didn't hit the (ara)mark 😜

At most Merlin hotels, it's a buffet breakfast of hot/cold/pastries/unlimited drinks from a machine etc and you can get what you fancy. Here, for some bizarre reason, you are presented with a big menu sheet which consists of: pancakes/full English/kids pancakes/kids full English...not much deliberation to be had there then! The server comes over and takes your order, tells you where to get the pastries/cereal/drinks, and then some 20 mins later in our case our food came out, luke warm.

The bacon was the poorest quality, the sausages reminded us of meatless ones (no idea if they were or not!?) as they didn't taste like sausage meat...more like meat flavoured flour😅 Tried one of the pastries instead and it was raw wet pastry on the bottom. The scrambled eggs reminded us of the powdered ones you get at some USA motels for breakfast, and the filter coffee was SO, SO bad...in fact disgusting and served in the worlds tiniest cups. If you wanted a 'nicer' coffee from a machine, you had to pay £5!!

Robyn can't eat this amount of food for breakfast so is generally happy with some eggs, toast and a nice big coffee but man...even she struggled to get full / caffeinated for the day with this offering!

The kids also couldn't eat all they were given (basically half the adult portion). And we saw lots of tables left with uneaten food on them....you're essentially forced to have food you don't want because it isn't a buffet, and what you are given is poor quality, so the amount of food waste here is appalling🥹 We suspect they thought the opposite when coming up with the idea and were trying to eliminate food waste but yeah....not sure it's working! Merlin REALLY, REALLY need to do something about these outside caterers ASAP as it's the same story in the parks and the hotels across the whole estate.

The dining setting itself was quite nice (though the birdsong loop slightly irritating after the first 15 mins or so) with the feeling of being in nature, the little Lego photos on the wall were amusing, and the stage area where you could meet an exclusive character was a nice touch. There was a Lego building table and a Duplo building table in one part of the restaurant too which some kids seemed to be loving, but also slightly giving us the 'ick' thinking of all the food/sticky kids fingers going in there during a meal...

Where we were sat we could see into the kitchen area and the huge 'Remember KPI's and TRIPADVISOR' sign above the kitchen entrance was just....well....not the greatest to be in your sightline as a customer let's just say.....

Overall, this was the worst breakfast we've had in a UK theme park hotel so far, and we really don't think we have high standards! Take snacks!

01/13/2025

We recently stayed at the brand new Official LEGOLAND Windsor Woodland Village resort accommodation!

Here are some photos from our visit and our vlog is available on YouTube now!

We thought it had a lot of a potential with some work, but it was sad to see the lodges looking pretty tired already only a few months into opening! 🥹

We couldn't fathom the pointless thin curtains with the 10cm gap behind them - screamed 'cost-cutting' rather than 'poor design'. The breakfast options were limited (and the meat and coffee quality REALLY atrocious). We couldn't get the AR experience in the room, to work on the app on our phones. And, the amount of 'inside-walking-about' noise and vibration we could hear/feel from other (non-adjoining) lodges was annoying. We didn't have anyone in the room next to us so this was definitely coming from at least one other adjacent lodge....and it was really quiet on our visit so can only imagine what this would be like if all rooms in the cul-de-sac are occupied!

Might just be teething problems but for £225 that we paid for one night (with Merlin Annual Pass discount, so no inclusion of park tickets) we thought the price tag didn't reflect the quality/service we received. If you can find a deal for £100-£140 a night (the maximum we would also pay for the Woodland Lodges over at Alton Towers), it might be worth a look! 🙂

We do cover all this in the vlog, but it's worth noting that
- at this accommodation there is no pool
- you can't use the pool in the main hotel
- you don't get early entry to the park (EDIT: we have just been informed that this is to be a new perk for 2025 bookings 🫶)
- you can't use the other hotel's restaurants

On the plus side
- the gifts for the kids in the room were nice (though the clues for the lock code were bad, and interestingly we didn't get the large LEGO set that our friends at TPWW got in their vlog!)
- the LEGO models/figures were cool and the general layout of the site was aesthetically nice
- the meet and greet for the exclusive LEGO character was a nice addition
- the huge amount of parking was good, but we had a lodge at the furthest point and it was hard work lugging everything down to it, with kids, from the car park!
- the inclusion of a round of golf at the new indoor facility was welcome and saved us £25...we will cover that in another post!

Let us know your thoughts on the new accommodation at Legoland Windsor in the comments!

01/12/2025

Join us as we stay at the new Woodland Village accommodation at Official LEGOLAND Windsor for the first time!

We take you on a tour of the grounds, the room and breakfast, and share our thoughts about our stay!

Have you stayed here yet? Let us know your thoughts/experience in the comments!

01/12/2025

Rules to live by -

⭕️ always be kind to yourself as you are with others

⭕️always believe in yourself, trust the process, and know if you're having a bad time, things will be better

⭕️be humble and remember where you came from, and be appreciative of everything that comes your way, celebrate other peoples success as much as your own.

⭕️don't hold grudges. Life is too short and will only consume you. every time you feel anger or negativity, instead say something positive, it will change how you perceive things.

⭕️ be grateful for what you have, never wish for more, but be thankful if more arrives

⭕️let go of what you can't control, if its not in your circle of influence, then it's not worth being concerned with.

Finally, remember you are not alone. We will always be an open inbox!

Never forget to let the positivity in and ride it out 🫶

01/11/2025

When in Blackpool the must-visit place everytime is ✨️

They are absolutely amazing and never fail to amaze us!

Have you tried the amazing ice cream here yet?

01/10/2025

Needing a bit of a giggle to ward off misery from the January blues, sickness bugs, theme parks being closed and having no money?

Then look no further as we share our annual bloopers and outtakes from the 2024 vlogs!

Putting this together is a labour of love (it's mainly for our own memories and laughs), but you can guarantee that the outtakes reel each year is full of clangers where we are concerned....we're not exactly pro's behind or in front of the camera haha! 😅

01/10/2025

Any suggestions for a new name for their Hoisin Duck fries from our followers? Comment on their post!!

Christmas and New Years are now over! And we are looking forward to re opening our doors (shutter!) for you all the come and visit us!!

We have a few things up our sleeves, new menu items, sides and drinks for you to try! But we won’t let you know what they are right away!…………you’ll have to wait a little longer for that!!

After listening to our thousands of customers we can reveal that we will be bringing our Hoisin Duck permanently on to the menu!!

As a celebration we want to open up a little competition! We would like someone to choose a quirky name, something a little more exciting to add to our screens for everyone to see and enjoy!!

Drop your suggestions in to the comments, like share and tag your friends! Let them join in too!!

We will pick the top three and then set those to a public vote! The winner will be the one with the most votes at the end and we will add that to our official menu!! We will drop you a voucher to spend with us too!!

We can’t wait to see your suggestions!! Come on get thinking 🤔

01/10/2025

So it appears I need to get across to primark 😍

01/09/2025

It appears from the plans and the markings outside of the ride that the Postman Pat ride will be making way for the new junior coaster planned for 2026.

It origianlly opened in 1995 as Old Macdonalds Tractors, before having the Cbeebies make over for 2015.

Postman Pat Parcel Post is 1 of only 4 rides that does not have a height restriction at the park, making it a perfect first ride for many babies and children to enjoy with their wider family, grandparents etc.

It is fantastic that Alton Towers are investing in the future, and also seemingly putting a new ride in for those in-between height guests. However it is immensely sad that a non height restricted ride is being removed to make way potentially for a ride with a height restriction. This will potentially mean guests with children under 0.9m will only have opportunity to ride 3 rides at the entire park, which is the second lowest behind Thorpe Park, in the country. And 0.9m is a height in which a lot of kids are no longer interested in Cbeebies, or have been on way bigger rides at other parks and wouldn't be interested in a baby coaster....

We are excited to see changes as always, and wait with baited breath to see what emerges - we will reserve full judgement until we know more 😀

What do you think about this news? Is this a good move, or would you have chosen to replace a different ride? What would you like to see from the park in 2025?

01/09/2025

We simply can't wait to get back on the horse when reopens. What ride are you excited to get back on?

01/08/2025

Big shout out to our newest top fans! 💎
Thanks for following our adventures 😀
We would love to know your home theme parks! Let us know in the comments 🤩

Freyja Margaret Measic, Phyllis White, Mairene Fuentes, Malcolm White, Sarah Shahbazian, Bethany Ramos, Justine Minet, Sandy Hank, Amanda Nault, Tammy Stiver, Sony Sun, Bruce Eady, Sarah Lawrence, Nina Hofmann, Michael Gronwalt, Mark Williams, Jennifer Roberson, Becky Mechelle, Jéssica Cristina Souza, Zach Kudrna, Jlb Jan-b, Michelle Köhler, Todd Perez, Pamela Sidebottom Gilges, Mathilde Picard, Jake Lamey, Laura Acquati, Kevin Stull, J.J. Greenman, Pete Quigley, Eva Jean Ehlenberger, Jonathan O Brien, Lori Seligman, Barney Fife, Hope Merchant, John Searle, Jennifer Perry, Keith Black, Kelly Talias, Tiff Hinkh, Yolandi Laas, Erwin Firmansyah, Kellie Jaques, Patrizia Purzu, Tyrone Poders

01/08/2025

Pleasure Beach Resort in Blackpool has been honoured on a prestigious list of the best family-owned theme parks in the world at Blooloop – and is the only UK attraction to make the cut 🤩🥰🤩

What makes pleasure beach so special to you?

01/08/2025

2013 Scarefest Alton Towers was an absolute peak event!

There was entertainment all over, great theming and audio.

The mazes included The Sanctuary - my favourite ever UK maze - and my only hope is one day it can be brought back to life.

There was the Carnival of Screams (this was in a similar area to where the invitation was) which was a great maze and really jumpy....not great if you had claustrophobia though 😬

Altonville (yes it it has been going that long!) was a motel attraction, and Terror of The Towers was phenomenal and I still miss it every year.

I love looking back on previous trips and events - what was your favourite year for scarefest?

01/08/2025

Who remembers the Wallace and gromit car that sat outside the ride?

01/06/2025

Hello to all of our wonderful new and Happy Monday everyone! 🤩

We hope you're all having a great day....even if it's likely your first day back at work after the Christmas/New Year Break! Always a tough one!

Did you know, we also have accounts across other socials too? We would love to see you all there!

📱Into short videos? Follow us on TikTok! https://www.tiktok.com/

📸 A theme park or rollercoaster enthusiast? Check out our photos over on Instagram
http://www.instagram.com/thrills_and_food

🎥 Looking for something to sit and watch with a coffee? Check out our YouTube channel!
https://www.youtube.com/c/ThrillsandFood

Let the positivity in and ride it out 🫶

01/05/2025

100,000 followers on Facebook! 🤯

Thank you so much 🙏 whilst we never set goals or have targets for our socials, it is very very difficult to ignore how huge this is....we are immensely grateful for each opportunity, for each follow and everyone we have come across since starting thrills_and_food 3 and half years ago!

We do this because we love it, and if you find something you love, you will always thrive!

Thank you for all your love and support, we will keep hitting these milestones, and we will keep celebrating them!

Let the positivity in and ride it out 🫶

01/05/2025

Happy Sunday everyone, here is to all the adventures we have planned this year 💫

Where are you going this year?

01/04/2025

Did you know Paultons Park aren't just about amazing rides, beautiful gardens and fabulous customer service? They're also home to some award winning theme park eateries too! 😋

Check out our photos from Route 83 Diner, which is located within the super-immersive Tornado Springs area of the park. This spot won Best Theme Park Food at the 2023 UK Theme Park Awards, only surpassed in 2024 by another of their restaurants - Grande Central.

At Route 83, you can find hot dogs, burgers, chicken tenders, milkshakes, and more - and all set in a well themed rustic diner with indoor and outdoor seating and self-serve ordering kiosks 🤩

What's your favourite place to eat at Paulton's Park?