Lapland UK is a place I’ve heard so much about and yet never really understood what was involved, especially when I looked at the eye-raising prices!

This year, Lapland UK kindly invited us to review the experience and I got the kids all Christmas-jumpered up and ready for the day out to top them all.

We teamed our visit with an amazing stay at the Macdonald Berystede Hotel in Ascot, a mere seven minute drive away from Lapland UK. We live around an hour and a half away from the attraction, so it was lovely to be invited so close by to enjoy the visit stress-free.

You can read all about our stay in the sumptuous 4-star Macdonald Berystede soon, but suffice to say, it is the perfect accompaniment to Lapland UK – what a special weekend we had.

The ideal location for attractions such as Legoland, Ascot (woop woop, love Ladies Day!) and Winsdor Castle, as well as our Christmas destination.

We stayed Saturday night/Sunday morning and enjoyed the warm hospitality of the lovely team there, relaxing as a family until checkout, then heading out for a drive around historical Windsor, before setting off to our final destination.

So, back to Lapland UK and our timeslot was for 3pm and I read that we were in for a magical 3-hour experience. Watch our vlog , give it a thumbs up if you like it, and pop back to get the low down on the important stuff like costs and value for money….

The important part in making the choice whether to invest in a day out like this – and with prices ranging from £85-£130 per person it is an investment – is a tried and tested review to see if it is true value for money. That’s where I come in!

After years of booking various trips to see Father Christmas at venues all around the UK, and seeing a mixture of happy faces, puzzled faces and disappointed faces – I can honestly say that this one is a winner!

Once you inside, all activities are included – quite rightly so. This isn’t always the case and I’m sick of paying my pounds upfront, only to be fleeced for a photo with the main man, or guilted into buying a train ride that lasts all of a minute.

Here, your activities such as ice skating, meeting gorgeous husky dogs, decorating gingerbread men and helping the elves make toys are all part of the experience.

And Father Christmas gifts each child with a beautiful husky soft toy which my boys were both over the moon with – in fact it was the one thing Harry, my animal loving eldest, had wished for. Nice one Santa!

Now we still spent a fair bit but it was all choice. We had dinner there – a lovely hot affair with scrummy Christmas themed food for us grown ups while the kids opted for fish finger sandwiches (not the Captain Bird’s Eye variety I might add) and this came to around £40. We could have gone for cheaper options or possibly brought a packed lunch but our slot was bang in the middle of dinner time and we were hungry and a little cold, therefore went for the best option.

On arrival, you are able to purchase ‘Elf Jingles’ which is basically so the kids can have their own currency to treat themselves. This is a personal choice, although once through into the Christmas Village, it is clear that these are pretty much essential.

We converted £20 – which is 20 Elf Jingles – so the kids bought some bits and bobs from the toy shop, some sweets and they also used them for reindeer food making.

We bought some hot chocolates and treats before we started the tour so that was around £20 too. And there are plenty of goodies available at Elf Jingle-friendly prices.

All in all, this wasn’t that much but if you add that to a couple of hundred pounds entry fee, I’d say, spend wisely.

The moment which, for us, made the day utterly priceless, was the moment Father Christmas astounded my boys by mentioning minute detail of their lives (supplied online by us, pre-visit!). Our eyes filled up as we watched them gasp in awe as they realised Santa and his elves really do see naughty and nice and that they are rewarded accordingly. I had such a lump in my throat as last Christmas was the final year of believing for my eldest – yeah, cheers kids at school with the older siblings, grrrr! – but thanks to Lapland UK, they have brought back the magic and made our Christmas 2016 that little bit more special.

Should my review make you keen to visit for yourself, you can book tickets for Lapland UK here. And here is a festive pin to to bear it in mind for your festivities – dont forget to pin it though!!

Have you visited Lapland UK? Are you weighing up if you should book? What did you think of our vlog – did it show you enough of the experience? I’d love to hear your thoughts!