MAGIC BRICKS

On a trip to Legoland in the small Danish town of Billund, Robin McKelvie finds creativity and familial connection

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“We are all about the brick,” smiles Kathrine Kirk Muff, of Lego House, as we sip a coffee in the slick café in the massive, multi-floor oasis dedicated to the wildly popular plastic toy. “Lego is at the heart of the 'Capital of Children' that is Billund - and we celebrate that. Billund is somewhere that everyone can enjoy.”

It's impossible to ignore Lego in this town of just under 8,000 residents in central Denmark. Arriving at the airport, Lego takes centre stage and I'm left in no doubt that Billund is home to the Danish company's headquarters. A 10-minute bus ride away is the Hotel Legoland, which emerges like a fever dream I had as a kid, when I was a huge Lego fan. It even looks like it's built of Lego and there are opportunities to play with it everywhere. Plus, of course, the chance to buy Lego in the many guises that it takes today.

Hotel Legoland is brilliantly fun and my two daughters - 17-year-old Tara and 14-year-old Emma - forget about trying to look cool and throw themselves right in. It helps that we have a Ninjago-themed room which kids can enjoy as parents take a well-earned break. I'm pleasantly surprised by breakfast - a huge smorgasbord alive with healthy options and chunks of hot smoked salmon on the buffet. Just feet from the buffet is the tunnel that leads into Legoland.