Travelling through HK Airport late at night (11pm)

Off again to the UK on my own with the 2 kids.  I was on the 11.45pm BA flight.  Travelling at this time means that HK airport is pretty quiet... as are the children...  There was no queue at check in (you can't check in online if you have an infant) and security usher you through the Family Channel.
I didn't take a stroller this time so carried my baby in the Ergo and my daughter was fairly happy to walk. When she started to get a bit tired you can pick up mini luggage trolleys and I stuck her in there.
I tried to find the kids zone which I had stumbled across on a previous visit.  I was too bleary eyed to actually ask anyone so armed with my coffee I plonked myself and kids on the carpeted floor of the gate nearest to Starbucks!
For future reference, here are details of where the kids zones are at HK Airport:

Children Play Areas

The colourful children's play areas provide young passengers with a feast of fun during their stay at Hong Kong International Airport.

Location	:	Between Gate 23 and 25, Departures Level, Terminal 1
Location	:	Between Gate 509 and 510, Departures Level, North Satellite Concourse

Ergo Ergo Ergo!

With my first baby I struggled through with a Baby Bjorn.  Once the second arrived I knew I needed a better baby carrier, especially as it's difficult taking a stroller on the streets of Hong Kong.
I did my research and had so many people recommend the Ergo.  It was expensive in HK so I bought it for 70 pounds on Amazon UK and had my parents bring it over.
I absolutely LOVE IT!!  You carry the weight around your hips and I can carry my 6 mth old around for a couple of hours without difficulty. There is also a useful small zip pocket on the front.  I highly recommend this product to anyone who will get lengthy use out of a baby carrier.

Ergo Baby Carrier

Flight Review: Malaysia Airlines Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi

I booked this flight with Malaysia Airlines online which was very easy and also pretty cheap.
The plane was clean and staff very friendly.  This was a one hour flight and we were served peanuts and drinks.
We had already cleared immigration at KL so our arrival into Langkawi and luggage pick up was very smooth.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport - the long walk to domestic

Not quite as bad as Bangkok Airport but be prepared for a short train ride and then a longish walk to KL's domestic terminal.  In fact I think if you are flying Air Asia and some of the budget airlines, you have to go to an altogether completely different airport.
We had about 2 hours in between landing from our Cathay flight and then catching our connecting Malaysia Airlines flight to Langkawi.  The international side of the terminal offers lots of restaurants and shops.  The domestic side is more sparse and whatever you do, don't eat in Malaysia's version of KFC!  Even the kids turned their nose up at the nuggets!

Flight Review: Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur with Cathay Pacific (3 hours)

We had an early morning flight so we checked in the day before using Hong Kong's In Town check in.  This saved us a lot of hassle on the day of travel. HK Airport was so busy our friend's who were travelling with us weren't able to check their bags all the way through to Langkawi.
I had booked the flight using Cathay Miles a while back and secured the bassinet for my 6 month old baby.
Cathay's regional fleet aren't particularly new but the service is normally good and on time.  I always forget but Cathay give you a pack with some diapers, Mustela nappy cream and nappy bag.  They also gave me 2 jars of baby food and some apple juice (shown in picture above).  Cathay also give the kids a pack with some crayons, stickers etc.
We had video on demand so my toddler sat and watched the Muppets movie.  All in all a pretty good flight.

And today's liquid rules at London Heathrow T5 are....

Every time I travel there seems to be a new set of rules at security for liquid! Sometimes I breeze through with all my baby liquids intact (thank you Hong Kong Airport) and other times I'm pulled up on it.  Here are the liquids I had in my hand luggage flying back from Heathrow T5 and what happened at security:

• 3 sterilised baby bottles, 1 containing 210ml of water
• 1 bottle of Piriton, antihistamine
• 1 carton Aptamil
• 3 Ella's Organic pouches http://www.ellaskitchen.co.uk/

I had to taste the water in the baby bottle.  He then opened my carton of Aptamil and decanted it into one of the baby bottles and made me taste it.  I then had to taste one of the Ella's organic pouches (thankfully not the revolting chicken one).

I would therefore advise if you are carrying Aptamil cartons through you make sure you have at least one empty sterilised bottle to decant it in case they open it.  

Always expect the unexpected!

I really thought I had this travel business sewn up but just when you think you're in for an easy ride, someone throws you a curve ball.  I just came back from the UK on BA with the 2 kids on my own also accompanied by my friend and her 2 kids.  We'd had a fairly easy journey through check in, security etc.  Got on the plane, kids were well behaved and low and behold we heard the words 'technical fault'.
The Captain approximated 30 minutes (try adding another 90) and it reminded me that you can never be prepared enough.  Luckily the lovely staff in World Traveller Plus furnished our kids with water and a few snacks.  I had stupidly not packed the DVD player for this trip thinking we wouldn't need it but Sally's Ipad was on hand.  So moral of the story is as we learnt in the Girl Guides - be prepared!

Hotel Review: The Andaman, Langkawi

Over the last few years we have tended to stay in villas over hotels.  I was very excited for our Langkawi adventure with another family and booked The Andaman on the strength of its Tripadvisor reviews and family facilities.  I wrote my own lengthy Tripadvisor review following my stay which I will paste below.  The long and short of it is that the hotel has amazing leisure facilities - beautiful pools, beach and activities but is sorely let down by its rooms and service.

“Amazing facilities but let down by rooms and service”

Reviewed April 10, 2012

1

 

person found this review helpful

I was looking for a 5 star hotel with great facilities for kids. The hotel bills itself as 'luxury' and I was very excited for my stay. Unfortunately as soon as I entered our room, my heart sank as I felt the room did not match up to its 5 star billing and price. If I was paying less money for this hotel then I wouldn't have minded but the fact is that the rooms are expensive and not up to scratch. Our room was dark, dusty with a musty smell. And we were in the more expensive wing. Our friends room in the slightly cheaper wing had a terrible smell, so much so we dubbed it the 'swamp wing'. We also bumped into a colleague who had found some knickers that weren't theirs under the bed and promptly checked out to the Datai.
The service was also patchy during our stay. It ranged from incredible individual staff like Rina, to staff who would just ignore you at the poolside restaurant, bring out drinks long after the food had arrived or forget simple requests.
My husband decided to complain to the GM Anne about the level of service and room quality. Whilst she made little apology for the room, she did offer us a free dinner and it also seemed like service for the following days improved dramatically around the hotel.
I would also say the food quality is good but not up to the standard of other 5 star hotels I have stayed in. If you want amazing food, head up the road for dinner at the Datai (the hotel offers a free car service)
I can't just talk about the negatives as there are lots of positives going for the Andaman. The pools are stunning and perfect for kids. The beach is beautiful and the gym is one of the best I have seen in a hotel. The free yoga classes were great and kids under 3 eat free which saved us a lot of money. They also cleaned and sterilised my baby bottles which saved me some work! The spa is also well worth a visit with breathtaking views and fabulous treatments.