Drive a fire engine, get soaked on Pirate Falls and marvel at the truly amazing Lego models of Europe's greatest cities, and that's just for the adults! Tracey Williams gives advice on the best way to visit LEGOLAND®

Being a bit of a theme park expert (thanks to my two rather energetic boys), I was intrigued to discover what LEGOLAND® could offer that the others could not. Shortly after entering the park I found out - the 'totally awesome' (my son Charlie's words) Miniland. Here, 35 million pieces of Lego make up a variety of city scenes from across Europe that were so precise they literally made my jaw drop. London in particular was astonishing, with famous sites like the London Eye and the Gherkin (plus a large amount of product placement!).

After hopping through Europe, we hit the rest of the park. It's an attractive area, built on the side of a hill, but it's also huge (150 acres), so be prepared for lots of walking (take a buggy if your child still uses one even occasionally). The park is divided into several themed areas, and they tend to target either the younger or the older kids. Because my two are seven and three, my hubby and I split up quite a bit of the time as most rides weren't suitable for both.

Highlights for Charlie (seven) were a ride on his first ever roller coaster - the Jungle Coaster, which he declared 'wicked' - the ultimate seal of approval. He also loved Pirate Falls - we had to go on it twice - but get a mac from one of the stalls before you ride, as you will get utterly drenched. We didn't get the mac.

Louis (three) is a gentler soul and enjoyed the Orient Expedition (look out for the Lego creatures on the way), Balloon School and Dino Safari. But everyone's absolute favourite ride was the Fire Engines, where you race against each other to put a fire out. Great fun!

A surprising hit was the Rat Trap; an enormous wooden structure made up of ropes, nets and slides. The boys had negotiated a new pair of pirate swords from the gift shop and ran amok, challenging all and sundry to battles and pretending to be Captain Jack Sparrow. If your kids (like mine) are still full of energy after a full day in Legoland, finish them off by taking them to this last!

Top tips for a successful trip

1. Watch out for the queues. They are many and various. Go as early as possible in your visit to the bigger, most popular rides. At peak times head for the quieter areas like DuploLand, Amazing Mazes or Rat Trap.
2. There are huge lines for food at lunchtime, so either take a picnic (my recommendation, as there are lots of nice picnic areas around), or eat early.
3. Take the Hill Train back up the hill at the end of the day. We had to push a buggy and it was very hard work!
4. Unless you're prepared to spend tons of cash, avoid the shops.

Weekend package
Even though we don't live too far from the park we decided to stay overnight at a hotel and were really glad we did. It meant not having to rush around fitting everything into one day - doing it all would have been near impossible.

We stayed at the Sheraton Skyline, which is around 20 minutes from the park. We had a good-sized room with two really comfortable queen-sized beds. When we got back from the park (tired and hungry) we headed straight for the Sports Bar for dinner. Perfect for the kids, as it was very relaxed with a pool table and play area, and ideal for grownups too as it had big-screen TV showing football for my hubbie, and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc (or two) for me.

If you're heading for LEGOLAND® I would highly recommend making a weekend of it, it made for a more relaxing experience and we all felt as if we'd had a mini holiday.

Information
LEGOLAND® and the Sheraton Skyline Hotel, Heathrow are offering a family package from just £199 per night for up to a family of four. The package includes accommodation, breakfast at the hotel and a two-day entrance ticket to the park.

The LEGOLAND® package is available from 25th March until 29th October 2006. To book call 020 87592535 or visit website www.sheraton.com/skyline. For more information on LEGOLAND® visit www.legoland.co.uk.