REVIEW: Santa's Grotto at The Brunel, Swindon

On Saturday 25th November, we visited the magical Santa's Grotto inside The Brunel Shopping Centre in Swindon, which is open on selected days all the way up to Christmas!

The Santa's Grotto is located inside The Brunel Shopping Centre, inside a beautiful giant bauble filled with lights, festive trees, and of course Santa and his elves! The beauty of this Santa's Grotto is that there's no need to book, so if you're getting some shopping done in Swindon Town Centre and are unsure of what time you'll be ready to see Santa, you're not tied to a time. Simply just turn up! 

On arrival at the grotto, we were greeted by the friendly elves, who chatted with our two boys, aged 4 and 2, and made them feel at ease (plus very excited) to visit Santa! We arrived early so we weren't queuing very long at all, and before long, it was our turn to meet Santa.

He greeted the children with such enthusiasm, and knew their names before they spoke with them, making it a very personable experience. He chatted with them and asked them what they were hoping for this Christmas, before they had a professional photo taken with Father Christmas which can be purchased at the end. After a little more chatting came the gift giving, where the children were both handed an age-appropriate toy from Santa's big sack of gifts! They were delighted with their gifts and although they were sad to leave Santa, they were ready to go home and play with their new puzzles. 

As you leave the experience and wave goodbye to Santa, you can then see one of the elves who will show you the professional photo taken of your children with Santa, and asked if you'd like a copy printed. You can have the option to have it printed in a frame, a key ring, bauble, snow globe or glitter frame! We opted for a beautiful bauble for the Christmas tree, which was printed there and then for us in less than 5 minutes. Both children and parents were delighted with their bauble!

If you're looking for a very affordable Santa's Grotto experience in Swindon, where you don't feel rushed and can keep your memories forever with a beautiful photo of your little ones forever - this is for you! It's just £4 per child, so it is very reasonably price (as we know Santa's Grottos can be expensive!). 

They're open on weekends until 7th December, then daily all the way up until Christmas Eve. They have a range of special events on selected days too, including visits from the Grinch and performances from local choirs. You can find out more here!