Blogs by Ella Fisher

Earlier this year, I decided to plan a little getaway with my youngest daughter. She’s five now, and I thought it would be a fun way to start building memories together—something I already do with our oldest. I truly believe that giving your kids one-on-one quality time every now and then is really important. We all know how hard it is to divide your attention fairly, but this is my way of trying to keep things balanced.

I didn’t spend too long looking for a place to stay—Booking.com always seems to lead me to the best hotels or apartments, and this time was no different. I ended up booking the Shanghai Hotel in Delft. The photos looked stunning, the reviews were great, so I thought: let’s go for it. It was €150 per night, excluding breakfast. For adults, breakfast was about €20 per person, and for kids around €10. Not bad, although I always say I can’t possibly eat €20 worth of breakfast… but hey 😉 Maybe they’ve priced it for the big eaters out there.

We left for Delft around 3 PM on a Sunday, and I could tell my daughter was super excited—chatting non-stop and refusing to nap in the car, which she normally does. It’s about an hour’s drive from our home, so really doable. As soon as we got near the hotel, we spotted the big yellow M, and you know what that means! Yep—McDonald’s for dinner. I don’t think I’ve ever stayed this close to a McDonald’s. Back when I lived in Purmerend with my parents, I had to bike at least seven minutes. This one? Three-minute walk. Perfect when you’re traveling with a little one.

Not exactly dietician-approved, I know, but who cares? Vacation had officially started, and what better way to kick it off than with some guilty pleasure?

Now... right when we checked in, things already went a bit sideways. They charged me for two days of breakfast. I didn’t notice right away—figured it out later while sitting at McDonald’s. But even at the front desk, something felt off. Another reminder to always trust my gut next time.

We stayed on the fifth floor, and I had booked a studio room. Absolutely gorgeous. I wanted a little bit of luxury for the two of us, and I definitely got it. I think the photos speak for themselves. If you ever stay at the Shanghai Hotel, go for the studio. And yes, the McDonald's is still just a three-minute walk away—for those who care.

My daughter ordered a Happy Meal and got the cutest flying hamster toy. Kind of reminded me of those AH promos we had, haha, but maybe that’s just me. She didn’t want her hamburger, so I took one for the team. I also had a salad and spicy nuggets (though I still prefer the KFC ones). After dinner, she played outside a bit with some other kids. Then we headed back to the hotel, had a bubbly bath party, and she fell asleep almost instantly—leaving me with a little quiet time.

The TV was right across from the bed, but I kept the sound super low so I wouldn’t wake her. Instead, I just scrolled through my phone, read a few things, replied to some messages... and eventually fell asleep too.

I did wake up around 2:30 AM though—probably just that extra alertness that kicks in when you’re sleeping somewhere new with your kid.

The next morning, we got up early for breakfast and checkout. The breakfast was fine, but was it really worth what I paid? Meh. Not really. What made up for it was still being able to keep our destination a surprise. She had no idea where we were going. The only clue I gave her was: “It’s just a 10-minute drive.”

Turns out we got super lucky with the weather. Back home it had been raining, but we didn’t see a single drop—until we left the park. So yeah, let’s say the weather gods were on our side.

We walked into the park, and she lit up—completely surprised and over the moon. Honestly, I thought I’d been there before, but none of it looked familiar. It was a shame she wasn’t tall enough for some of the rides, which I found odd. At the Efteling, she can ride the Python coaster, which is way more intense. But I’ve been told different parks use different safety standards based on how the rides are built, which explains the height restrictions.

Luckily, she wasn’t upset about it at all—and to be honest, the rides she couldn’t go on didn’t appeal to me either.

We kicked things off with the tugboats ride—kind of like a little train on water. Nothing wild, but she loved it (for one round at least). Of course, the seats were soaked from the rain the night before, so we both had wet butts. And that was before things got really wet.

Next up: the slide brigade—an epic water slide where you go down in a boat. The first round wasn’t too bad—just a splash or two. But then she wanted to try the tunnel slide… Let’s just say it looked like we’d peed our pants by the time we got out. Totally soaked. But we laughed so hard, and that’s what counts.

Then we did the Twistrix, a spinning roller coaster—not really my thing, but she loved it. After that came the Halloween teacups, which we went on twice. I cracked up watching her get spooked by someone in a semi-creepy costume. Second time around? Not scared at all.

We also checked out the Dynamite Express, the Copper Mine, the Chute, Haunted Museum, Monorail, and the Flying Carousel. That last one? Pure torture for me, but I survived without throwing up—always a win.

To top it all off, she got a super cute K-pop braid and a princess face paint makeover. And—proud mom moment—I won her a plushie on the first try at one of those grabber machines. She was thrilled.

On the way out, you have to walk through the gift shop (clever marketing), and of course, we ended up buying something. She got a souvenir magnet from the park, and I picked up a bracelet for my oldest daughter.

She slept the entire drive home. We had the best time together—and who knows, maybe we’ll do something just as special again next year.