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Mother's Day: Mother's Day With or Without the Family

by Rhonda Carrier

Here are some of our favourite treats for mothers of all kinds this 14th March, from brand-new mums to grandmas, from mums who need some hard-won time to themselves to those who prefer a break with the family. 

If you're looking for the perfect Mother's Day out, head for Florimania at the historical Hampton Court Palace in Surrey. A riot of fragrant flowers, extravagant floral displays inspired by artists from Van Gogh and Manet to Pollock, and flower-arranging demonstrations, it takes over the entire Mother's Day weekend, with free cake for mums in the Tiltyard Café on Mothering Sunday itself.



The deals


As usual, Luxury Family Hotels – some of TTF’s favourite destinations – have some special packages lined up. Woolley Grange near Bath is running a Mother’s Day Weekend including pampering for Mum and childcare for kids in the Woolley Bears Den, lunch, dinners with baby-listening, daytime childcare, a champagne breakfast, and a surprise gift. Prices start at £520, with children's meals extra. Even more tempting is the Mother's Day Treat at Moonfleet Manor in Dorset, which starts off with an aromatic bath, fruit platter, champagne cocktail and dinner on the Friday evening, progresses to a treatment, cookery masterclass, wine tasting and gourmet dinner the next day, and ends on Sunday with a stroll through the countryside and a family lunch. Prices start at £330 per night. Lastly, Fowey Hall in Cornwall is offering a mum's night away, including a spa treatment, with or without the kids (who stay free, paying only for meals). It's also offering a Mother's Day lunch in its restaurant. See our page on Luxury Family Hotels and note that you get a 10% discount with Take the Family. 

In central London, the swanky Landmark Hotel is offering a ‘Mum in a Million’ package, including two ESPA Ayurvedic treatments, spa and swimming pool access, lunch, and ESPA gifts, from £177pp. Another plush London favourite, One Aldwych, is offering champagne brunch in its restaurant Indigo followed by an afternoon screening of 'Calendar Girls'. Both hotels are family-friendly. 

Alternatively, The Blue Elephant Thai restaurant in Fulham is offering a Mother’s Day brunch with more than 20 curries, stir-fries, soups, traditional desserts and unusual fruits, plus entertainment and face painting for children, and a gift for Mum, at £30pp. Outside of London, the award-winning Hotel du Vin hotel chain (locations include Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh, and York) is offering special Mother's Day lunches featuring locally sourced, seasonally inspired ingredients, plus a bouquet of flowers. The Malmaison chain is offering a similar menu, with locations including London (Clerkenwell), Manchester, and Oxford, or in Brighton the Hilton Metropole is offering a Mother's Day brunch including a gift and a family photograph by a professional photogragher.

Other feature articles by Rhonda

• Amsterdam With Young Kids)
• Sunparks Zandvoort, Netherlands )
• Family fun in London this Christmas)
• Fun or Learning, or Both?)
• Florence with Young Kids)
• Getting Regal with Maharajas at the V&A Museum)
• Halloween French-Style)
• The Chain Game)
• The Big Draw 2009)
• A Mum's Break in London)
• Roald Dahl Day and Beyond)
• An Indian Summer and Exciting Autumn at British Themeparks)
• Gastronomic Adventures in Tuscany)
• A Checklist of Family Travel Essentials)
• Winter Sun on a Budget)
• In the Footsteps of Roald Dahl in the Chilterns)
• Late Summer Festivals)
• Mexican Magic at the British Museum)
• Nature’s Bounty)
• Home or Away?)
• A Five-Star Family Break in the South of France)
• Sun Protection Awareness The Facts)
• Post baby)
• Morecambe Bay – A Taste of the Great British Seaside)
• Babymoons)
• Eureka Museum)
• Chill Factore, Manchester)
• The Clos Lucé, Loire Valley)
• Newby Hall, Yorkshire)
• Latitude Festival)
• The National Space Centre (Leicester) and Spaceport (Wirral))
• Disneyland with Young Kids)
• The Year of the Comic Strip, Brussels)
• Belt tightening family holiday ideas)
• Darwin 200th Birthday Celebrations)
• To ski or not to ski)
• Family Breaks With, Without and For the Kids)
• La Cucina Caldesi - 'The Italian Cookery School')
• Winter Wonderlands)
• Motor-homing)
• On a family sized budget)
• Liverpool City of Culture 2008)
• Pitching Up)
• My favourite family holiday)
• The 5 best summer music festivals)
• Forest Parks, Kids Bookshops and Football)
• Christmas Family Short Breaks)