Dear Mummy, in a galaxy far, far away there was a daddy that longed for escapism. He sought the ways of the force to calm his mind and relax. He felt that his quest for fun and enjoyment was unfulfilled, that … Continue reading
Dear Mummy, we love anything collectable so couldn’t believe our luck at being sent the hot new collectable toy for 2018 from Learning Resources called Playfoam Pals. This is the only collectable that comes with a best-selling toy – Playfoam– AND an adorable … Continue reading
Dear Mummy, I’m forever blowing bubbles! It’s one of my favourite pastimes and we never seem to get bored with them. We’re always on the look out for cool and crazy toys and as soon as we saw Gazillion Bubbles Crazy … Continue reading
Dear Mummy, over the Spring break, on the odd day we didn’t have rain, we ventured to the coast. Thankfully we didn’t have far to travel as we stayed in the New Forest and with a quick jaunt south we … Continue reading
Dear Mummy, so far 2018 has seen us push our YouTube channel but we fear we’re neglecting the blog a little. So we wanted to bring you all up to speed with what was happening on the channel that is … Continue reading
Dear Mummy, so you’re leaving me at home to go to a bloggers event are you? Pfff. Ok. Fine. Have fun and I’ll pass it over to you… Hi everyone! My name is Dawn and I’m the mastermind behind Dear Mummy … Continue reading
Dear Mummy, recently we went to a Day Out with Thomas where we met the REAL Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends. I’ve been watching Thomas since I was a baby so when Mid Hants Railway Watercress Line asked if … Continue reading
Dear Mummy, our Easter adventures this year have been cracking (excuse the pun). One of our highlights was a trip to see Disney on Ice at The SSE Arena, Wembley. We had the pleasure of attending a show called Worlds … Continue reading
Dear mummy, Disney On Ice is coming to London and we can’t wait to see the new show Worlds of Enchantment when it arrives at The SSE Arena, Wembley on the 4th April 2018. Four of our favourite Disney stories are … Continue reading
Dear Mummy, we love celebrating Easter and every year we participate in an Easter Egg Hunt. So imagine our delight at being invited to have Afternoon Tea with the REAL Easter Bunny! I couldn’t contain my excitement and was bouncing … Continue reading
Dear Mummy, the Easter holidays are nearly here! With so many fab activities and events happening for children over the Easter break we can’t wait to explore the best of them. One adventure that has really caught my eye is … Continue reading
Dear Mummy, we love chocolate but if the Easter season leaves you feeling and looking like an Easter egg then look no further than Biscuiteers! A great alternative to all the chocolate floating around in the shops this season. Biscuiteers is … Continue reading
Dear Mummy, everyone seems to love chocolate and Easter is the best time to explore new tastes through a variety of chocolate creations. My mummy has been treating herself to Hotel Chocolat for years and we’re lucky enough to have … Continue reading
Dear Mummy, there’s nothing better than seeing my imagination run wild as I play with toys. It makes you content knowing that I’m happy pottering around creating fantasy worlds in my head. I love playing with Schleich toys which are mini figurines … Continue reading
“Stop rushing. Slow down and enjoy the beauty of life.” Debasish Mridha Dear Mummy, Oi! Slow down. Isn’t it time you started enjoying breakfast as opposed to woofing it down in the mornings? Your typical day involves getting up super … Continue reading
Dear Mummy, it’s a dark and blustery day as we walk along Clarence Esplanade, Southsea in search for some respite. The wind is whistling past my ears and the sea spray is hitting the sea wall splashing us as we walk. It’s warm but walking by the sea makes it seem cooler.
We’re on a mission to find Blue Reef Aquarium and find parking at The Pyramids Center which daddy liked as it has RingGo though we did later find parking along the esplanade. Taking the short walk past the D-Day Museum next to Southsea Castle towards Clarence Pier and the arcades would bring us to the aquarium.
Portsmouth’s award-winning Blue Reef Aquarium is sandwiched in between these attractions and we were looking forward to heading inside away from the windchill. We couldn’t wait to discover the wonders of the deep and to learn more about aquatic life. Watch our vlog to see what we got up to:
It was very eye-catching in the aquarium however my attention was drawn immediately to a couple of ride on machines! The team at the desk were very welcoming and friendly which meant our experience started well. We walked around the tanks with the majority amazingly clean as we stared into the blue, however a few displays looked as though the glass needed a bit of TLC probably thanks to us excited kids. There was something so calming about watching fish swim around.
There were over 50 living displays revealing the sheer variety of life in the deep, from tropical sharks and stingrays to giant lobsters, elegant seahorses and playful otters. Unfortunately due to the poor weather we didn’t make use of the aquarium’s outdoor Blue Reef Beach Club. I bet this would be lovely on a sunny day right next to the sea.
My favourite part was seeing the nursery and looking at the baby fish, I also liked stalking the giant turtle and waving at the playful stingrays who waved back flopping against the side of their tanks. (See our video – we’ve never seen anything like it at the Bay of Rays) The otters, were sad as they’d just lost a family member so weren’t around to play. We watched their enclosure for some time, hoping they would become more playful as otters can be.
My mummy and daddy were most impressed with the Monsoon Falls, with an awesome tank and display, you could see they’d really put a lot of effort into this rainforest area and it looked great as it felt like we had been transported to another country.
We caught an informative talk about a spider crab and a starfish and I even had a go at touching one, it was very spikey. At the aquarium’s heart is the giant ocean tank where an underwater tropical tunnel offers at great view of the recreated coral reef. I even spotted a puffer fish which my mummy was very impressed with as I identify it myself doing impressions while she questioned whether I was right or not. I’ll make a marine biologist yet!
It was sadly over far too quickly as we emerged into the shop, we’d definitely recommend walking around the circuit a couple of times to get your moneys worth and making sure you don’t miss anything. It’s a shame as the Aquarium is so lovely that having got immersed in the atmosphere we all wanted it to go on longer and we really wish it had more attractions.
The gift shop is pretty epic and my folks laughed as my eyes lit up on seeing the displays of soft cuddly toys. They are my weakness! It would have been nice to see more interactive displays, push buttons and questions and answers to help kids learn on the walls, as opposed to fact sheets. I mentioned to my mummy that a pirate ship wouldn’t have gone amiss!
The cafe was next door and we enjoyed a hot chocolate and cake. They also do a selection of hot food but with more dinning areas further down towards Clarence Pier we’d definitely suggest making a day of it splitting your time between the aquarium and the pier. After our underwater adventure we enjoyed playing at the arcades and rides on the pier fun fair eating candy floss and being silly.
We chose to eat at an awesome beach restaurant called Mozzarella Joes which was welcoming and a hive of activity. We enjoyed amazing stoned baked pizza and they also do wicked desserts, though make sure you leave room as Daddy struggled!
So, what are you waiting for? A trip to Southsea can be a lot of fun for the whole family and they is lots to see and do, we’d totally recommend Blue Reef Aquarium as part of your fun-filled day out in Portsmouth!
Love Bella x
Disclosure: We were invited down to Blue Reef to review, all thoughts, pictures and candy floss are our own.
