Winter Wonderland @ RDS Ballsbridge

Guest Blog: Sara from the Bewley's Hotel Marketing Department

Last Sunday i took a trip to check out Winter Wonderland at the RDS Simmonscourt. I have to say, i was really impressed.

We drove and parked at Bewley's Hotel Ballsbridge although there is plenty of parking provided by RDS.
The entrance to Winter Wonderland is right next door to the hotel. You can enter for free and stroll around. When you walk in you will feel like you have been 'Christmassed'. It's almost like being at the German Christmas Markets. When you walk through there are various vendors specializing in a wide range of snacks such as ginger bread, candied fruit, crepes etc.

To the left you will be drawn by the screams, The Jungle River cannot be missed. There is a charge for all rides. You have to get in to a log and it takes you up high enough to see the Ballsbridge landscape. You then plumit down in to what appears to be a big pool of water. You make a big splash but dont get too wet!

Fosset Circus has a Christmas Show every few hours, we missed that but there was great demand on the day and some of the acts were outside. It looked like a good show to bring the kids to.

It was very windy on Sunday so we weren't brave enough to take on the Big Wheel. I went on it before when it was just Funderland and it is really good, you can see every corner of Dublin when you are up the top.

The Christmas Markets hadnt opened on Sunday but i have heard from people that have been there last night that they are great for little craft bits.

Funderland was open and had all of the great rides its famous for. There is a charge in but well worth the visit, so much fun!

We spent most of our time at ISkate. It was €15 per adult in and that was at peak time, the prices vary pending time of the day. The rink is in really good condition and they have a great team there helping everyone. We stayed on the ice for the full session. For kids there is a kiddie rink and there are special skates for them too. You can get attachments to their shoes or the skates with double blades. There are little penguin holders that kids can sit on or hold on to as they make their way around the ice.

As we left we sampled the Crepes which were amazing! We still had enough room for our dinner in The Brasserie in Bewley's Hotel Ballsbridge. We opted for a main course each and the hotel just launched 'Kids Eat Free' when accompanied with an adult. There are money saving options such as purchasing tickets online rather than at the desk.

This is a great day out and highly recommended for all ages. If you are trying to think of a great girlie, boys, family or work day or evening out then mark this high on your list of options!