It’s now that time of year where the kids start asking to see Santa, right! We’ve visited various Grottos over the years and met some lovely Santa’s, but I am always on the hunt for that something extra special. Something that is affordable, fun and with the bonus of meeting the Big Man himself of course! This year, Resorts World Birmingham have offered just that, introducing Jingle Bells: The Santa Claus Experience.
Jingle Bells: The Santa Claus Experience is Resort Worlds exciting unique experience that opens on the 16th November 2018. Not just any regular grotto, this is a fun and interactive experience for all the family! I, along with B and W was invited along to see what the Jingle Bells experience was all about. With the knowledge that this experience was offered by Escape Live, I knew it was going to be an entertaining and enjoyable afternoon for us all.
Situated opposite the Lindt shop (perfect location by the way for any chocolate lovers out there!) we were greeted by a member of staff who guided us to wait for someone to collect us. Within a couple of minutes, a friendly bubbly Elf welcomed us to Jingle Bells: The Santa Claus Experience and told us we were going to visit an Eve’s workshop. Within this workshop, we would have a set amount of time to find all 9 of Santa’s reindeer’s bells to ensure he could deliver all his presents on Christmas Eve – the pressure was on!
We were given 20 minutes within the workshop with the support from our friend, The Elf. Now without revealing too much (as I sure don’t want to give anything away) we had the best time! We were totally enthralled in solving our clues to find the reindeer bells through various puzzle games and it was great to work together as a family. There was one puzzle that for love nor money I couldn’t get, but thankfully my 8 year old son came to the rescue and solved it within a couple of minutes (proud moment!) Being the competitive person that I am (I know, even in a situation like this!) I was very focused on the game to ensure we beat the clock! And with 3 minutes to spare, we found the key to the door that gave us entry into Santa’s Grotto…
And there he was, waiting for us just like that! Behind the huge painted red door, was the guy we all wanted to see, sitting in his armchair right by the fire. Seeing the kid’s faces was just lovely as they were totally surprised and quite star stuck – I mean it’s been a whole year since we’d seen him! Santa was accompanied by a roaring log fire and a sparkly Christmas tree with beautifully wrapped gifts underneath.
It didn’t take long for B and W to spot the huge treasure chest of presents next to Santa either! Our experience with Santa was just fabulous to put it bluntly. He had us all in fits of laughter and involved both my Mum and I in the conversations he was having with the kids. It was like a little family gathering – he was a real delight! My two got passed their gifts and we all left beaming from ear to ear!
To finish off our experience, we headed on over to the newly opened Miller and Carter. This restaurant has had such a transformation and the decor is all dark wood with shades of reds, browns and gold. The restaurant is a really good size and we were lucky enough to get seated right by the window overlooking the huge lake. The children’s menu is priced at £8.95 where they receive two courses. Both B and W went for chicken bites, fries and peas followed by ice-cream and fruit for B and chocolate brownie for W.
Mum and I both had half rack of ribs with fries and coleslaw which was delicious and a great portion size – our fries were never ending. With that sweet tooth we both possess, we did decide on a dessert but shared one so we didn’t feel so greedy! The wonderful waitress who served us kindly offered to half the dessert across two plates which was a lovely gesture!
Overall, we had a wonderful afternoon and we really did love our Jingle Bells: The Santa Claus Experience. This experience is aimed at children 3 plus and does require the support from the adults. It is open from Friday 16th November all the way to Christmas Eve (opening times do vary) and is priced at £40-45. You can pre book your experience here.
Love Resort’s World Birmingham? Check out my review of The Beauty Outlet here.
*This is a collaborative post and we were gifted a complimentary visit to Jingle Bells: The Santa Claus Experience and our meal*
Hi and welcome to The Willow Tree. I’m Michelle, also known as Shel and I am a mama to three beautiful crazy kids – I have two handsome boys and a wild and wonderful girl.
I really wanted a concrete place to share my love for travel, in particular Disney and offer my readers a chance to gain some knowledge around what we love to do as a family of 5.
I share our family adventures which include days out, travel advice and tips, holiday reviews, restaurant visits and of course, our love for Disney, including Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney World.
Life is about creating memories, and here we are sharing them with you
xoxo
Wow! This would be a brilliant experience! My cousins are in Birmingham and I’d definitely recommend this place. Thanks.
Defo recommend!!
This sounds so much fun! It is a great way to keep older kids interested in visiting Santa too – add in some competition and appeal to a different side! Brilliant!
Absolutely! It’s such a great idea to get all the family involved!
What a fun event. The food looks delicious too.
Oh yes it was!