We visited Monkey World at the weekend to take advantage of the Half Price Dorset Residents offer which is on until the end of January 2016.

Having never visited before I didn’t know what to expect but was completely surprized at how huge and impressive the Park was (65 acres in fact).  Of course the first thing our son Sam spotted was the play park and he was in heaven playing there for ages until we managed to persuade him to come with us for a hot drink.

I’d heard there was a little soft play area in the Café and luckily we managed to grab a table right next to it which was perfect as he could play while we enjoyed a cuppa.  It’s not the largest of soft play areas but it kept plenty of children amused for a loooonnggg time and they especially loved the glass wall which they could look in and watch the monkeys playing next door.

When we finally managed to escape the Café we went to explore the rescue centre and I couldn’t believe how many enclosures there were and how many different types of primates there were to discover and wave at!  You’ll find Woolly Monkeys, Marmosets, Orang-utans, Gibbons, Chimpanzees and Squirrel Monkeys to name but a few.  It was really lovely to see how much space they had and how clean the enclosures were.  Monkey World have done their best to replicate the wild and it was nice to see the monkeys having fun swinging from tyres and playing on old fire hoses.       

When we were over the other side of the park the heavens opened and so we had to take cover for some time.  We managed to complete the route we were following and came across another smaller play area and Café plus the entrance to the woodland walk which I would love to have done if our tummies weren’t rumbling. 

So, we headed back to the main Cafe and managed to secure another table near the soft play area so Sam could play while we waited for food.  The menu is varied and includes baguettes, burgers, hot dogs, jacket potatoes, children’s hot meals and more.  If I could recommend anything it would be to introduce little lunch boxes for the kids and also offer more soft drinks that do not contain sweeteners.  My husband also commented that the coffee wasn’t very nice and after trying some I couldn’t help but agree.  We ordered a jacket potato, hot dog and piri piri baguette and all of it was thoroughly enjoyable and reasonably priced.

By this time we had been there for a few hours and whilst I knew there was a lot we hadn’t seen I could see that Sam was getting really tired and wanting to go home so we again talked him out of the play area with the promise of a trip to the gift shop. 

Although we didn’t have a chance to explore the whole park I don’t mind because it has given us a good excuse to return on a summers day and sit on the lawn with a picnic and say hi to all of the other primates we missed.

Good to know………………..

• It’s very easy to find and well signposted from Wool.  If you are using a Sat Nav then enter the post code BH20 6HH.

• Parking is free.

• There is a sounvenir book on offer in the gift shop for *£1 which tells you the story of Monkey World and Jim Cronin, their work abroad, a little about the primates, a guide to the park, feeding times and much more.

• If you have little one’s with you then you may wish to take a pushchair as there is a lot of walking (plus of course their handy for the bags ect).  Don’t forget the essential baby wipes too for muddy fingers in the play park.

• Within the Cafe you will find a microwave which you can use to heat baby milk and food.

• There are several toilets dotted around the park with baby change facilities.

• Should you wish to take a picnic with you then you’ll be spoilt for choice on where to dine as there are plenty of picnic benches around the park with some of them being undercover just in case the Great British weather lets you down.

• Whilst your main reason will probably be to visit the monkeys the children will have hours of fun playing in the different play areas.  Unfortunately we never had the chance to get to the Great Ape Play Area but this will be our first stop next time.

• There are several keeper talks which go on throughout the day and details can be found on the many boards around the Park.

For more information and tickets, please visit Monkey World.

Thanks Monkey World for a lovely day.  I now know why you have such a huge following and I admire everything you do.  Long may you continue the good work.

*Please note - any prices stated are correct at the time of writing. 

Before my son was born I swore he would never have a dummy and it was only after a few days of constant crying and thanks to a nappy cake I was given that he ended up having one.  From then on I convinced myself that he would only have it for a little while but of course the older he got the more he relied on it.  In the last year or so we only had it at nap times, long drives and bed but he was 100% addicted to the damn thing and I knew it would be torture when the time came to get rid of it.

We’d been talking about the dummy fairy on and off for a few months and Sam was adamant that the fairy was NOT going to take his dummy, sometimes to the point where he’d get really upset so I thought it can wait till the New Year.

After a recent visit to the dentist I was told that his dummy was affecting his bite and was strongly advised to lose it.  With that and the fact that we have a new baby on the way I thought it needed to be tackled sooner rather than later. 

So, a week ago to the day, we were off out for the afternoon and Sam couldn’t find his dummy anywhere so I told him it’ll have to stay at home and he could have it when we got back.  He never asked for it once which surprised me and then when he got back in the car tired later in the day he’d remembered it was lost at home and was completely fine on the journey.

Knowing this could be my opportunity I thought if I can just get to the dummy without him noticing and hide it I may be in with a chance of starting 'operation big boy!'  The funny part was that I had no idea where it was so I plonked him down on the sofa with a cartoon while I frantically searched everywhere.

When my husband came home I told him my plan and he said I was being mean but I knew deep down that the tears would eventually be worth it.  In the run up to bed time we discussed that the dummy fairy must have visited while we were out and that she’d decided he was such a big boy now that he didn’t need it anymore.  All was going swimmingly until a very tired boy was in bed and oh my the tears were gut wrenching as I knew his little blue crutch was only sitting in the kitchen.  My husband didn’t agree with my plan but I persisted for an hour on and off as we had lots of cuddles and tears and I told him about a 100 times that we would visit the toy shop in the morning to show what a big boy he’d become.

Of course he eventually fell asleep and that was that!  It was a week ago and we’ve had no more tears at all which has completely shocked me.  We’ve had an occasional ‘I want my dummy’ at bedtime but we’ve reminded him he’s a big boy now and he’s fallen asleep no problem without it.

The only downside to the new Sam is that he is now getting up between 1 and 2 hours earlier in the mornings which is killing me!  I’ve told him I want early mornings submitted in writing at least 24 hours in advance but this has fallen on deaf ears. 

If you are embarking on the same journey soon then I wish you all the luck in the world.  My only advice is to be strong and throw the dummies out asap so you won’t be tempted to cave in!