Block party
Forget Mickey and Minnie, Florida’s best family attraction has been built brick by brick, say JOSIE CLARKE and her daughter.
ANYONE who shares a house with a child aged between two and 15 will be extremely lucky to have never suffered the extraordinary agony of stepping on a piece of Lego.
It’s a rare parent who doesn’t spend silly amounts of time helping their little darlings put them together – then asking them to tidy it all up again.
So imagine the joy my six-yearold daughter Eliza felt, when she learned she would be staying at a hotel pretty much made of the stuff and where there was no chance whatsoever that anyone – not even her mum – would be stifling her creative genius with housekeeping banalities.
Throw into the mix that this hotel is on the doorstep of Legoland in Florida – a place, we were reliably informed, that has the biggest ice-creams in the world and a water park to boot, and suddenly life’s looking rosy.
Legoland Florida has just opened its first on-site hotel on the banks of Lake Eloise at Winter Haven, an idyllic location on and around what was Cypress Gardens, the original Florida theme park established more than 75 years ago.
Merlin Entertainments has big plans for expanding Legoland Florida and is banking on the expectation that the strength of the brand and its focus on younger children will encourage families to make the 45-minute drive out of Orlando not just to visit but also stay a night or two. A Lego Friends Heartlake City section opens this summer, but Merlin has made a point of
carefully restoring some of the loveliest original features of the park, where Southern Belles once paraded in the botanical gardens.
Even the original carousel has been restored drawing a steady stream of children with its intricately decorated horses.
But first things first and we check in to the hotel, where Lego Minifigures are displayed behind the desk.
The boring wait while parents complete the formalities is enlivened considerably by an enormous pit of Lego bricks just begging to be dived into.
The only thing that could lure children from this paradise is a Lego-themed room complete with a nightly treasure hunt. This is clearly a hotel that has been designed very much for children – and, as we all know, happy children make for happy parents.
It’s barely a two-minute walk from the Legoland park entrance,rance, and so after a restorative nightight in our adventure-themed, luxuriously appointed room, followedwed by a hearty breakfast, we set et off.
Some visitors have mentioned that the park is not really ally big or thrilling enough for teenagers, and understandably so. But for those with young children, it offers a gentler and more manageable experience without any fear of tears when that exciting-looking ride is only for “children a little bit bigger than you”.
We spend a relaxing day in 30°C temperatures on rollercoasters just exciting enough to elicit shrieks, but gentle enough to ensure there’s still a smile at the end, and when it all gets a little hot, we take the World of Chima which leaves us happily drenched from the waterfalls.
There are Star Wars, Technic and Imagination zones, but after lunch we make a beeline for the three schools – boating, flying and driving – the latter
boasting separate tracks for younger and older children.
My daughter just makes the older age group and sits through the safety video that explains the importance of giving way. I fear there’s no way this experience will pass without catastrophe.
Happily, however, the children display a courtesy to their fellow drivers that probably puts most of us to shame. It’s very cute.
Legoland Florida also keeps the park’s heritage of waterskiing shows alive with a Pirates Cove-themed performance featuring swashbuckling baddies.
It’s the quirky features of this place that make it such a worthwhile destination, and one of these is the shop selling Granny’s Apple Fries – a Florida original.
You might say that only in the US could you find such an unhealthy version of fruit – the apple fries are served in a thick cinnamon batter with a large dollop of sugary cream – but they are delicious and fortify us for the 200m walk back to the hotel which, by this time of the day, feels like a Himalayan trek.
But this is where the hotel comes into its own. Merlin has installed UK bosses at its Florida sites which, of course, means a fantastic selection of beers on tap in the bar, crying out to be enjoyed by the pool.
And it’s no ordinary pool, either, but one complete with two lifeguards to watch over the children as they build rafts out of large foam Lego bricks.
Next morning, we opt for a half-day at the on-site Legoland Water Park, which features a lazy river where children can use rafts they have customised with – what else? – Lego bricks.
In the afternoon, we head back into Orlando where Merlin has opened the Orlando Eye, Sea Life Orlando and Madame Tussauds.
They offer a calm space where children can ride into the sky and try and spot where they’ve been over the last few days, or wander around the aquarium looking at everything from sharks to stingrays.
There’s just one thing left to do before we head to the airport – track down that enormous ice-cream of legend. Cue a stop-off at Ben & Jerry’s.
As first trips to the US go, it doesn’t get much better than this.