“IT’S better than I ever imagined!” yelled my excited nine-year-old, Jess, running into the middle of our family room.
We were at the CBeebies Land Hotel in Alton Towers, staying in the brand new Bluey Suite, themed entirely around the animated blue dog seen on little ones’ screens.
The new accommodation is one of 13 rooms and suites designed especially for kids — which also include telly favourites Postman Pat, Bing and Octonauts.
But this isn’t the place for those looking for a chilled stay with calm kids . . . as Jess said, the room is just too exciting.
We knew exactly what we were in for the moment we opened the door of the large room — which can sleep up to seven — as the Bluey theme song blasted out from speakers.
This led to roughly 15 renditions of the Bluey-themed musical statues (yes, mum and dad got involved too).
The hotel has done a great job.
The kids slept in Bluey and Bingo’s room, complete with bunk beds, the recognisable watermelon rug and the cartoon dogs’ pretty Himalayan rock salt night light — a nice touch for little ones.
There’s also a sofa bed which sleeps two, and a trundle at the bottom of the bunks.
The only thing which excited all four kids more than the triple bunk was realising we were the first family to stay in the room.
Murals of the Heeler family cover the walls, with fairy lights and books dotted about.
The bathroom had pictures of Bluey and her sister plastered across the walls.
My partner Dan and I were in Bandit and Chilli’s room, which had a king size bed, TV and lots of pictures of Bluey and Bingo as puppies, much to the delight of our kids.
The suite and other Bluey room (which sleeps five) tie in with the launch of Bluey Live at CBeebies Land.
The excitable blue pooch and her whole family are part of the fun, with kids able to meet the characters and even have their photo taken with them.
It’s all part of CBeebies Land’s tenth anniversary celebrations, which run from this weekend to September 1 — a great option for frazzled parents during the school holidays.
As well as shows and food and drinks stalls, the kids can make giant bubbles, show off their musical side by making their own instruments and play dress-up, plus there are plenty of opportunities to meet favourite characters.
And all that fun took place before we’d even had a chance to give the rides a go.
The Postman Pat vans were a highlight, especially when Eva and Isabelle realised the horn worked.
We also enjoyed the In The Night Garden boat ride — a top tip for any parents nearing the end of their tether, it’ll give you at least five minutes of quiet time.
After all that dancing as we opened and shut the bedroom door the night before, a little bit of peace was just what we needed.
Bluey Rooms start from £82pp, based on a family stay in November 2024, including a buffet breakfast, entertainment, free parking and a round of 9-hole Extraordinary Golf. altontowers.com.
