11th December, 2016

A week ago we flew to Adelaide.
We had been looking forward to this little getaway for a few weeks. Some much-needed family time and a change of scene which always does us the world of good.

Arriving into Adelaide ahead of schedule – just before 9am SA time. It was nice to gain an extra half hour on the way over too. (I didn’t realise VIC and SA had a time difference)
Only having carry on luggage with us – we loaded off the plane and headed straight to collect our rental car. First stop Rundle Mall. What a delightful time to visit the city. Oozing with Christmas spirit and cheer, it was magic.
We enjoyed some shopping and had brunch at a great little pop up cafe in the mall.

The kids were weary after the early start – but so far, no major meltdowns.
We then headed off to our accommodation – Adelaide Shores Resort. It was a good base for us. Great location and had everything we needed for 4 days away. Huge jumping pillow for the kids, pool, play park and the beach right next door.

After settling into our little unit – we took a cruise 5 minutes up the road to Henley Square.
What a magnificent spot! Loads of cafes, bars and restaurants. A generous grassy knoll for the kids to run around. We ordered some drinks and tapas from Malabo and soaked up the afternoon sunshine whilst the kids played in the square.
Friday night we headed back to Henley Beach for dinner at the Thai Orchid.
I’ve eaten a lot of Thai food in my time and this place rates high on my list! A definite recommendation.

On Saturday we ventured off to the Adelaide Zoo and what a stunning zoo it is! So luscious and green and a great play park for the kids.
The main point of this trip was to visit the Zoo. To take Lily and show her the Pandas. Dream come true.
We spent hours wandering around the grounds. The main highlight for us all was seeing Wang Wang and Fu Ni. We sat with them for a looooong time. Such beautiful animals.

Saturday night we went and watched the Adelaide 36ers Vs Perth Wildcats. There’s always such a great buzz in the air at a basketball game. A great win by the local boys.

On Sunday we took to the hills and headed for McLaren Vale. After 3 perfect days of weather – Sunday was fairly average. Drizzly, though muggy.
Our first stop was Pizzateca. WOW – what a little hidden gem this place was. Bang on trend, friendly, accommodating staff, and a super tasty menu. We could have sat there for hours sipping rosé and eating wood fired pizza, but we continued on our adventuring. Next stop Molly Dooker, only a few minutes up the road. We also visited d’Arenberg which was delightful, before finishing off at Lloyd Brothers. We were told that these guys had the best olives in town, and they weren’t wrong. We stayed until they kicked us out at 5pm and drove back towards the beach stopping at Glenelg for dinner. Glenelg is the place to be on a Sunday evening – there were people everywhere! The rain had disappeared and we enjoyed a beautiful sunset whilst the kids played along the water at the epic park. Glenelg felt a lot like Surfers Paradise, but more family friendly. We gorged ourselves on Mexican at Gringos for dinner before ice-cream at St Louis next door.
(Diet starts next week!)

In my head – I’d imagined an amazing weekend with perfectly behaved children, blissfully happy parents strolling hand in hand through the vineyards of the Barossa.
It wasn’t quite like that, we had a small handful of things go wrong (our rental car being damaged, bickering kids, smashed phones….)  but as I sit here now, a week later – I can laugh. Thankfully – or I’d cry I tell you (more wine please…!)

We flew home late Monday afternoon. Weary, but happy. It’s always good to come home isn’t it? No matter how far we venture – that familiarity when the plane lands, you get in your own car and sleep in your own bed. There’s nothing quite like it! (That and the fact I get a major case of flying anxiety…)

Have you visited Adelaide, or are you a local?
We’ve already said we’d like to head back again next year and discover some more of what the beautiful South Australia has to offer.

Big love,

Cx