I do love shopping but it's not so much of a relaxing experience these days. Once you have battled the traffic into the city centre, found expensive parking and traipsed the children around the busy shops at the end of the day I often wish I hadn't bothered.
This is why I love McArthurGlen in Bridgend so much. Really conveniently located just off the M4 (so close you can see it from the M4!!) it has plenty of free car parking and even a few mother and baby spaces. The shops are undercover and there is a fabulous food court, smaller cafes and a children's play area to keep the kiddies entertained throughout the day. And best of all - designer goodies at up to 70% off RRP - what gets better than that?!
We have long been fans of McArthurGlen but last weekend we were invited to come for a day out there. The centre has had a massive cash injection recently and had a big refurbishment. The shops are big, bright and the outlet is wonderfully clean. The children's playground has also been updated and is fabulous for the under 7's - my two couldn't wait to get in there!
There is a wide selection of places to eat lunch, to suit all budgets from Frankie and Bennies to McDonalds - we chose to eat at Pizza Hut which again was great for the kids and grown ups alike!
Another big plus point for me were the toilet facilities - they plenty of toilets across the outlet and there are large mother and child (or father and child toilets) which are big enough to get a double pushchair in and meaning that you can actually go to the toilet if you are on a shopping trip on your own with the kids - a massive issue normally for me, especially now I have the double pushchair!
In terms of shops, they have a great selection of all types of shops, from beauty to homeware to high street clothes shops and the more designer end of the high street.
There really are some fantastic bargains to be had there - I think it is a great place to go shopping, and a lot of people go there for Christmas shopping too.
We were given a £100 voucher to spend and we picked up loom bands, books for the girls, shoes and a shirt for daddy, school shoes, school hair accessories, chocolates and cards for thank you presents, and new bedding for me. Obviously this was a significant saving compared to had we bought these things on the high street - I think we would have spent at least three times that amount were we shopping in the city centre.
There are several McArthurGlen outlets across the country - I'd definitely recommend trying them out! Find out more about McArthurGlen Bridgend here.
I am a member of the Mumsnet Bloggers Network Research Panel, a group of parent bloggers who have volunteered to review products, services, events and brands for Mumsnet. I have not paid for the product or to attend an event. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity. We were given a £100 voucher to spend at McArthurGlen Bridgend and provided with lunch at Pizza Hut for the purposes of this review.
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