One of my favourite movies is Hideous Kinky, about a single, free-spirited hippy mother struggling to bring up two children in Marrakech. As a single mother of two myself (with boho inclinations), I’d even fancied myself as a little like the cool

gives young and amateur drivers a chance to compete in regional and international rallies), but that’s not a bad thing. Here it’s free and you can get really close to the drivers: heck, some of those watching even sit on bus-stop roofs in narrow country

for sand-dune safaris and skiing. The Sir Bani Yas Island is an island getaway with the Arabian Wildlife Park. The park is located in the southwest of Abu Dhabi and is home to thousands of large, free-roaming animals, such as oryxes and gazelles. There is a

to release it from the ice lantern, then over the outside of the bowl to free the ice from it. Place a tea light in the hollow (where the yoghurt pot sat) and this lantern will light up the darkest winter garden. Ice creamSnow has truly magical properties

that everyone was free to do their own thing.On one of our drives down the hill, we saw handwritten notices for a special mass and celebration, so we decided to go along. We bumped into our housemaid, Jenny, who introduced us to everyone. Again, we wished we

or meet new friends at the Clownfish Kids Club. This leaves you free to ‘go troppo’ – the local term for letting yourself go so completely that you cease to worry about all the little things (like mortgages, shares, jobs, shaving). Bridge & Wickers offers

’s American diner in the village, where the children (their number has now swollen to four) quickly make themselves at home in the play area that is housed within the restaurant. It is a genius idea, freeing up us parents to properly kick back and start

children can collect eggs, bike hire and a farm shop. Children are encouraged to roam free (away from the working bits of the farm), play Pooh sticks and build camps in the woods as well as visit the sheep, pigs and cows. But pack a case of wine and a book

access to over 60 museums and monuments (under-18s are mostly free anyhow) and reducing queuing time. From the fashionable elegance of La Madeleine, we moved to another prestigious address: Le Meurice, a super-grand hotel steeped in Louis XVI glamour

’s club. Grace was also delighted to discover her favourite ice-cream parlour, Cold Stone Creamery. The chaotic free-for-all queuing system could be a deterrent and I was about to ask Grace if she really wanted an ice cream, when all the staff suddenly