Finding Father Christmas at Moonfleet Manor
Last weekend we headed to Moonfleet Manor, on the Jurassic Coast for afternoon tea to celebrate a couple of family birthday’s.
It was supposed to be an adult’s only occasion, but due to illness, my 3 year old granddaughter, Lilah, came along with us and I am so glad she did.
What we hadn’t realised was that Moonfleet Manor has welcomed a very special guest to the hotel and have put him to work in a magical Narnia-themed Grotto.
Costing just £10 per child, the Santa’s Grotto at Moonfleet Manor is a lovely and affordable place to see Santa this Christmas and with many local festive grotto’s already sold out, it was lovely to find such a wonderful experience for children with availability.
Moonfleet Manor itself, is decorated beautifully, with twinkling lights and trees throughout the hotel.
Santa’s Grotto, is set in the conference building next door, which is not decorated as well as the main Manor house. In fact, my only tiny grumble is that they could have added some festive decorations and music to the initial queue up the stairs, but we made our own fun by singing fun Christmas songs until it was our turn to visit Father Christmas.
However, once you are through the special wardrobe door, you are whisked away into Narnia, complete with coats hanging in the doorway, glistening snow, the Snow Queen and magical creatures.
It is a short walk to see Santa, but he was on form, chatting to Lilah and telling her stories of elves and new reindeer in training.
We spent a good five minutes talking to Santa in the grotto and never felt rushed. In fact, Lilah felt so comfortable with him, that she was happy to pose for a photo.
At the end of our session, Lilah got to pick the present she wanted, from the unwrapped pile. All the presents were really good value for money and I actually prefer that she got to choose the one she wanted.
I highly recommend the Santa experience, it is well thought out and affordable. For an extra special treat, you could combine it with a kids afternoon tea, or a warming roast dinner in their restaurant.
Moonfleet Manor is a luxury family hotel in Dorset, overlooking the Jurassic Coast. In fact, it has stunning views of the Fleet lagoon and Chesil Beach, so is the perfect base for exploring Weymouth, Portland and Abbotsbury.
