I Stayed In A Hotel's 'Christmas Room' With My Kids – And I’m Not Sure Who Had More Fun

It's Christmaaaassssss! Well, it is in this hotel room, anyway...We hope you love the trips we recommend! All of them were independently selected by our editors. Just so you know, HuffPost UK may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.Wizzard wished it could be Christmas every day. And now it can... If you stay at Chessington’s (World of Adventures) resort, that is.The park’s on-site hotel has a variety of themed rooms for families to enjoy – you might’ve seen pics of the Gruffalo, Oreo and Jumanji-themed sleeping quarters.But it turns out that tucked away on floor three of the resort’s hotel is a secret Christmas room. And I – a self-confessed super fan of all things festive – was invited to stay.There was only one thing I was a little apprehensive about ahead of my visit: how on Earth would it be received by our two young children?They don’t have much concept of what day or month it is at the best of times. Would they enjoy a hint of Christmas in May? Or would we leave the resort and end up on some nightmarish countdown to Christmas?I had visions of being asked “is Santa coming tomorrow?” for the next seven months. (More on that later.)Tell us about the Christmas room then...We arrived at Chessington’s hotel resort on a very summery Sunday afternoon. The weather was far from festive (we were rocking shorts and t-shirts).I hadn’t told the kids anything about the room, so when we opened the door – a big giveaway wreath plastered across the front of it – they couldn’t have been more surprised. In fact, they both ran straight for the large Christmas tree positioned in the corner.A huge garland adorned with bows and baubles circled the room, there were Christmas crackers and hot chocolate sticks on the counter, and even stockings on the kids’ bunk beds, which were topped with Christmas cushions and tartan fleece blankets.The bathroom wasn’t immune from the festive feels either, with a large wreath above the toilet (so you can pee and still feel jolly) and a bath mat with reindeer on it.Even the bathroom was decked out for Christmas.As you enter the room, Slade’s Merry Xmas Everybody belts out for all to hear – fun at first, not so ideal at 8pm when our littlest was in bed and I returned back from a water run and accidentally blasted it into the pitch-black room. By some festive miracle, she didn’t wake up. (Thank goodness for white noise machines.)When we weren’t in the room – and trying to stop our youngest from dismantling the tree, and our eldest from opening the display presents underneath – we were checking out the resort which basically has everything you could want when travelling with kids: swimming facilities, restaurants, animal encounters, arcades and of course, the theme park with all the rides – many of which I was pleasantly surprised were suitable for a young toddler, too.What made our overnight experience even more memorable were the festive-themed experiences that centred around the stay – an 8am wakeup call from Santa’s elves and a 2pm feed-the-reindeers extravaganza (which even our one-year-old was able to get involved with). At one point our stockings, empty on arrival, were magically filled up with chocolates, sweets and a tiger teddy while we went to grab some dinner.It was so much fun and I’m not sure who had a better time: me or the kids. (Who am I kidding? It was definitely me.) What’s more, it’s been almost a week since our visit and I haven’t been asked if it’s Christmas tomorrow, so I can confirm it won’t screw up your year too much if you book into the festive room... Although, don’t hold it against me if it does.Related...People Are Sharing Little-Known Travel Hacks That Make Holidays So Much EasierThis Is What 'Catches Almost Every Parent Off Guard' When Kids Become TeensI Put Mamas And Papas' Plushest Pushchair To The Toddler Test – Here's How It Fared

Comments

Breaking news

'Emotive' assisted dying bill back in the Commons

Skynews

Diddy's ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura told rapper in text messages she was 'always ready' to take part in 'Freak Offs', court hears

39 minutes ago

Dailymail

Blake Lively and Taylor Swift's 10-year friendship is 100% done, with another A-List pal cutting ties next

39 minutes ago

Dailymail

Pints are £2.60, Nigel Farage is toasted... but no 'drinking Remainer Tears': Inside Britain's first 'Reform UK pub' after it was rebranded from Conservative

39 minutes ago

Justin Bieber finally breaks silence on explosive Diddy allegations amid sex trafficking trial

Dailymail

What happened when Gen Z watched classic British films: 20-somethings give their verdict on movies with sex scenes, trans characters and body shaming that would never make it on to screens today

39 minutes ago

Dailymail

Revealed: Virgin Islands middle-aged sex therapists giving intimate massages and touch therapy to 20-something contestants include French therapist with a drag clown alter ego

39 minutes ago

Dailymail

Ncuti Gatwa pulls out of Eurovision final last minute due to 'unforeseen circumstances' - and is replaced with a VERY famous singer

39 minutes ago

Now Eurocrats are making more demands ahead of Keir Starmer's Brexit 'surrender summit'

Dailymail

Moment Keir Starmer was humiliated live on TV over his plans to send asylum seekers to the Balkans, as he is accused of being 'in full panic mode'

39 minutes ago

Dailymail

Foreign Secretary says he and his wife are victims of theft but the French taxi driver says David Lammy refused to pay... so who's taking who for a ride? GUY ADAMS investigates

39 minutes ago

Dailymail

Russia 'could attack a NATO state by 2027 if a ceasefire is agreed in Ukraine this year' as experts warn Europe 'cannot assume that they have years to prepare' for another war

39 minutes ago

Dailymail

TOM UTLEY: My 275-mile taxi ride in India ended with the driver in tears - but it was a happier ending than David Lammy's

39 minutes ago

Dailymail

Why 'blindsided' Victoria and David Beckham 'shuddered in horror' over son Brooklyn's 'new friendship' with 'ex pals' Prince Harry and Meghan

39 minutes ago

Dailymail

The damning texts where Cassie ADMITS she 'loved' freak-offs that Diddy's team exposed in court

39 minutes ago

Dailymail

Freedoms in Britain declining at a faster rate than almost anywhere in Europe as UK jumps up the rankings in 'nanny state' league... with Germany last in 29-nation table

39 minutes ago

Meet the glamorous cast of The Real Housewives Of London as the hit US show branches out to England's capital

Dailymail

James Argent 'set to return to the stage' in first public appearance since suspended jail sentence for pushing ex Nicoline Arthursson down steps in Spain

39 minutes ago

Tommy Lee, 62, and wife Brittany Furlan, 38, split amid concerns over his drinking

Dailymail

Comments

Breaking news

'Emotive' assisted dying bill back in the Commons

'Future of food security in Reeves' hands': MPs on farming committee call on govt to delay family farm tax

Smokey Robinson under criminal investigation over rape and sexual assault allegations

Charles Strouse dead: Broadway composer of Annie and Applause dies at 96

Eurovision 2025: Bookies share odds of UK winning song contest ahead of grand final

Judge removes Brazil soccer president from office days after Ancelotti hired

Woman accused in Super Bowl reporter's death gets 25 years in unrelated case

The top photos of the day by AP's photojournalists

CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews Forever Home: This property show felt like it would drag on for ever

Diddy's ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura told rapper in text messages she was 'always ready' to take part in 'Freak Offs', court hears

Blake Lively and Taylor Swift's 10-year friendship is 100% done, with another A-List pal cutting ties next

Pints are £2.60, Nigel Farage is toasted... but no 'drinking Remainer Tears': Inside Britain's first 'Reform UK pub' after it was rebranded from Conservative

Justin Bieber finally breaks silence on explosive Diddy allegations amid sex trafficking trial

Moment schoolchildren climb fence into garden and steal PUPPY from cage

Socialist billionaire is accused of forcing his California winery employees into orgies and threesomes

What happened when Gen Z watched classic British films: 20-somethings give their verdict on movies with sex scenes, trans characters and body shaming that would never make it on to screens today

Revealed: Virgin Islands middle-aged sex therapists giving intimate massages and touch therapy to 20-something contestants include French therapist with a drag clown alter ego

Ncuti Gatwa pulls out of Eurovision final last minute due to 'unforeseen circumstances' - and is replaced with a VERY famous singer

Now Eurocrats are making more demands ahead of Keir Starmer's Brexit 'surrender summit'

Charles Strouse dead at 96: Legendary Annie composer has passed away

Avicii's final words are revealed in his last diary entry - as his posthumous album Avicii forever is released

Hallow Road starring Rosamund Pike is a taut car-crash thriller... until it hits the plotholes, writes BRIAN VINER

JASON GROVES: It was 22C in Tirana, but decidedly frosty as PM's humiliation became clear

Moment Keir Starmer was humiliated live on TV over his plans to send asylum seekers to the Balkans, as he is accused of being 'in full panic mode'

Foreign Secretary says he and his wife are victims of theft but the French taxi driver says David Lammy refused to pay... so who's taking who for a ride? GUY ADAMS investigates

Russia 'could attack a NATO state by 2027 if a ceasefire is agreed in Ukraine this year' as experts warn Europe 'cannot assume that they have years to prepare' for another war

TOM UTLEY: My 275-mile taxi ride in India ended with the driver in tears - but it was a happier ending than David Lammy's

Why 'blindsided' Victoria and David Beckham 'shuddered in horror' over son Brooklyn's 'new friendship' with 'ex pals' Prince Harry and Meghan

The damning texts where Cassie ADMITS she 'loved' freak-offs that Diddy's team exposed in court

Freedoms in Britain declining at a faster rate than almost anywhere in Europe as UK jumps up the rankings in 'nanny state' league... with Germany last in 29-nation table

Meet the glamorous cast of The Real Housewives Of London as the hit US show branches out to England's capital

EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Controversial 'SAS vet' Peter Malmstrom quits as director of £330million firm

PETER HOSKIN: Welcome to a new kind of Doom, where your best weapon is not the Skullcrusher Pulverizer but…a shield

Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Why a RecipeTin Eats cookbook has been drawn into the case

PATRICK MARMION reviews The Deep Blue Sea at the Theatre Royal: Tale of romantic regret hidden by veil of primness

Inside the new UK theme park hotel room where it's Christmas all year

The UK's best destination dupes for bucket list worthy hotspots - including Rome and Mexico

Netflix hit show compared to Yellowstone gets HUGE streaming numbers while fans are already clamoring for another season

James Argent 'set to return to the stage' in first public appearance since suspended jail sentence for pushing ex Nicoline Arthursson down steps in Spain

Tommy Lee, 62, and wife Brittany Furlan, 38, split amid concerns over his drinking

Is there a genocide of white South Africans as Trump claims?

The Papers: Starmer's scramble after 'Albania snub'

MPs call for year-long delay to farm inheritance tax

One in 10 have no savings, financial regulator says

Rise in disabled people facing homelessness in England

Top Australian soldier loses appeal over war crimes defamation case

How India and Pakistan share one of the world's most dangerous borders

MPs to debate assisted dying bill again after major changes

An Afrikaner Farming Family Trades South Africa for Alabama

Marco Rubio Meets Syria’s Foreign Minister, in Another Sign of Warming Ties

Trump Says Talks on Iran’s Nuclear Program Are ‘Very Serious’

New species of dog-sized killer dinosaur that roamed Earth 220m years ago discovered – but its name isn’t too catchy

Boy, 7, ‘brandished kitchen knife’ at fellow pupil as Scots schoolkids left ‘terrified’ and cops investigating

Rightmove: Huge jump in American house-hunters looking to move to Scotland

Iconic British furniture store set for return almost 20 years after it collapsed

TGI Fridays overhauls menu in comeback attempt after closing dozens of US locations

Cassie challenged over Diddy 'freak off' allegations - as explicit messages read in court

US singer Chris Brown charged with GBH over alleged attack in London

Grim report raises concerns over Labour's vow to cut violence against women and girls

BBC Question Time audience in hysterics as Fiona Bruce skewers senior Tory MP