I LOVE Blackpool! (Blackpool in General)

Member Name: bigh11

Product:	Blackpool in General
Date:	28/06/09 (130 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good fun and lots to do

Disadvantages: Can be expensive

I went to Blackpool yesterday so thought I would write a review on it. I have been to Blackpool more times than I can remember, we used to go every summer as children and I've gone almost once a year since. I love everything about Blackpool, the lovely beach, the piers, the tower, the trams, the illuminations, everything. Every time I go, I have a brilliant time and never want to go home.

Our Day Out To Blackpool

We got there at about 11am and noticed that Blackpool Train Station has gone all modern since our last visit; you have to go through electronic gates to get in and out of the station and if you don't have a ticket, then don't even try!

It was a lovely day, not too sunny when we got there but not raining either, that's always a bonus! We walked down to the North Pier, it always amazes me that you have to pay 50p to get on this pier and yet it's the worse one! They did give us some vouchers though, for £1 off the carousel and 50p off an ice cream plus two more vouchers, I can't remember what they were though. As we walked down we noticed a group of lads playing cricket on the beach so we watched them for a while then walked down to the bottom where people were fishing. I wish it had been sunny because the sun terrace was empty and I could have quite happily sunbathed for a couple of hours!

My boyfriend and I are a pair of big kids really so we headed straight for the arcades. The first one we went in was Coral Island; I think this is probably the best one. They have the ghost train and mono rail ride for the kids (and big kids I guess!) plus it's huge and they have so many different games. One of the games stole my £1, I told somebody and he came and sorted it out straight away.

I then needed a sit down as I have a bad back so can only walk around for a short while, we were going to go in the Bar inside Coral Island but they had gone way over the top with the air con and it was too cold to sit in there, we tried their café too but it was really busy and we only wanted a drink so didn't fancy queuing.

We went into the amusements next door, I can't remember what it was called, they all look the same really apart from Coral Island so it's hard to remember their names! It was quite a small one anyway, we got a can of pop each (80p each!) then played a few of their games.

As we walked down the front, we came across Golden Isle indoor adventure golf, we love crazy golf and this place looked really cool so we thought we'd have a game. Because it's only just opened the price is slightly cheaper than it will be after the 12th July. It cost us £3.75 each (usually £5) they charge £2.50 for children (usually £3) and £10 for a family of four (usually £15)

The place looks amazing, you go in and it's themed like a pirate ship and it's very impressive. It's very dark inside with spot lights, black lights and pretty lights in the ceiling. There are 12 holes in total, some of them are quite straight forward but some are a little more complex but they are all great fun. We found we were waiting around quite a bit, it was really busy and we had to wait for the group before us to finish before we could go, it wasn't too bad as they have crates, barrels and rocks everywhere so I could sit down while I waited if I wanted to. The children that were in the groups before and after us really enjoyed themselves, it was very magical and they've done a brilliant job with it. Beats any crazy golf course I've ever been to.

After that we had a walk down to the Central Pier, it was starting to rain by this point, typical Blackpool! We had a walk down the pier, avoiding all the people who were trying to get us to play their daft games. The Central Pier is probably my favourite, they have some good rides, including the Big Wheel, my boyfriend is terrified of heights so wouldn't come on it with me and I'm not brave enough to go on by myself! Plus they have some interesting shops down at the bottom. There is a caricaturists, which costs £9 for black and white or £11 for colour (per face) I was going to get one done but the queue was too big. Further along is the shop where you can get old fashioned pictures taken, I'm sure it has a name but I didn't notice what it was, really should start paying more attention shouldn't I? Anyway I digress, in this shop they dress you up in old fashioned clothes and the pictures are printed in a way that makes them look really old. I had one done a few years ago and it was great fun, although it did cost £30 (that was including the frame)

There is also a chocolate and fudge shop, we couldn't resist getting something; the display in the window looked so delicious. I got some marzipan (that's really boring I know!) and my boyfriend got some Jack Daniels chocolate, it was horrible but then I do hate Jack Daniels, my boyfriend thought it was gorgeous! They were quite pricey I thought - £1.99 a bag and you only got 5 or 6 pieces.

The pier also has the famous Legends show, we didn't go to see it but it looks really good, it's basically a tribute act to stars like Robbie Williams, George Michael and David Bowie to name a few.

I was getting hungry by this point so we crossed back over the road and went into Fun Palace where they have a chip shop style café. I had pie, chips and gravy and my boyfriend had sausage, chips and gravy plus we had two large Pepsi's and it came to £9 which I thought was very reasonable.

Once we'd eaten we decided to get rid of all our copper because we were tired of carrying it around! We gave ourselves a challenge to see how many tickets we could get, I love playing the daft little games that are probably aimed at children! We did ourselves proud and got 369 tickets and exchanged them for some Me To You oven gloves, a Liverpool FC magnet and some sweets.

We crossed over the road and went and sat on the steps near the central pier, these weren't here last time I went to Blackpool and I think they look really good. It was lovely sitting in the sun with the waves crashing against the bottom steps.
We both decided to get our palms read, I know, we should have just flushed the money down the drain but it's become like a tradition for me to get my palm read and I always see the same lady and although I don't believe in it completely, she is usually quite accurate about some things. She is also totally wrong about some things too!

It was 5.30pm and I was in really bad pain with my back so we decided to go and get the train home.

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We didn't even scratch the surface of what Blackpool has to offer, below are some other attractions I have visited in the past, I won't list all the prices because they tend to change with the seasons.

The Pleasure Beach

I used to love the pleasure beach when I was younger but I can't really go on the rides anymore due to my dodgy back but I still love walking around the pleasure beach, although this will now cost you £5 which I think is a bit cheeky. My favourite rides have got to be Valhalla and Avalanche. Valhalla is amazing, and very very wet! If you're going on it and you think you don't need one of those big plastic coat thingies, believe me you do! You get soaked, there is no avoiding it! Avalanche is awesome because I love the speed. I have never been on Pepsi Max because I was there once when it crashed and it put me off for life. Revolution makes me feel very ill so I've only been on that a few times. I love the roller coasters like the Grand National and the Big Dipper. I used to love the Log Flume but I believe it's closed down now. Looking on the website, there are some rides I haven't heard of such as Bling and Infusion.

The pleasure beach has a good choice of children's rides, in their own area named Beaver Creek. They also have a selection of cafes, bars, restaurants and gift shops. There are plenty of toilets scattered about the place and I've always found these very clean and tidy.

There is so much more to the pleasure beach they I haven't covered, it's a great day and I would highly recommend it to children and adults alike.

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Blackpool Tower

I love Blackpool Tower, I think it looks brilliant and it represents so many good childhood memories for me. However I do think inside is really overrated. I went in just over 2 years ago with my nephew and we were really bored, we went up to the top, that's always good fun but besides that we couldn't find much to do. Looking on the website, they have a Jurassic walk and 3D show, this would have been brilliant but either it wasn't there when we went or it wasn't open. The aquarium is okay for about 10 minutes. The ballroom is okay if people are using it, otherwise it's just a huge empty room.

Now the circus is brilliant. I haven't been for many years but I still remember how much I loved it and I can't wait to see it again.

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The Sandcastle

This is an indoor water park and it's great fun. I went just over two years ago with my nephew and we stupidly left it very late to go in so only had an hour and a half but we did have a lot of fun whilst we were there. Our favourite slide was the Sidewinder, it really takes your breath away and makes your tummy go funny but it's brilliant, we went on it about 5 times!

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Accommodation

I've stayed over in Blackpool plenty of times but most were when I was younger and I don't remember where we stayed. One place I can recommend is Fortune House down near the South Pier, a few minutes from the front. It's a very simple but clean and friendly place to stay. I've stayed twice now and both times the owners have been lovely and always make the stay very enjoyable. They are really flexible with the breakfast; they'll make you pretty much anything you want! It's very reasonably priced too, starting at £20 per person per night which includes breakfast. The first time I stayed there we had a lovely four poster bed and it didn't cost any extra.

I've also stayed in the Premier Inn on the South Shore which was really good, very clean and tidy. It is a bit of a walk from the sea front though.

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Blackpool has a lot to offer, you could easily spend a few days here and not run out of things to do. Just be aware that people may claim Blackpool is "cheap and cheerful" - well let me tell you, it's not! You might be able to find a cheap b&b, cheap cafes etc but you'll end up spending a fortune and you won't have a clue where it's gone! We spent about £70 in one day and we didn't even go to the pleasure beach or in the Tower.

Websites to visit for more information:

http://www.theblackpooltower.co.uk/
http://www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com/
http://www.goldenislegolf.co.uk/
http://www.sandcastle-waterpark.co.uk/graphic/hom e/
http://www.visitblackpool.com/

Summary: A great seaside resort with lots to do