A Long Weekend At Bluestone National Park Resort, Wales - Part 2

To find out what we got up to on our first day at Bluestone, see here but read on to see what else we did over our long weekend!

Day 2

We woke up to heavy rain and strong wind....not quite the Summer break we were hoping for! Fortunately I'd packed our raincoats so after breakfast we jumped in the golf buggy and headed up to the Adventure Centre for some indoor play fun. 

The Adventure Centre is a brilliant place for kids - there is mini golf, a bouncy castle, Lego wall, wooden climbing frames, soft play and even a high ropes course for the bigger ones! There is the Wildwood Cafe upstairs and plenty of comfy sofas and picnic tables so you can relax with a drink while the children play. Elliot couldn't wait to get going and headed straight for the climbing frames!

There is also a small arcade section and Elliot was quick to spot the grabber machines! We never win on these but today was our lucky day, my husband won an Angry Bird pig on his first attempt - Elliot was SO excited!! 

Our tummies were beginning to rumble after all the playing (well, Kindle reading in my case!) so we decided to brave the weather and head down to Camp Smokey. We never got round to visiting on our last trip and I'd heard really great things from other bloggers.

You aren't able to take the golf buggy down to the camp so we parked up the top and followed the path which wound it's way down and through the steep forest. I was concerned the path would be muddy and slippery but the entire path is a boardwalk which is easily accessible for buggies and wheelchairs. You could also use the faster route and take the ziplines down!

Camp Smokey is a wooden restaurant nestled in the woods and all the food is barbequed and rustic style. The menu isn't huge but the food is cooked as you wait and the smells - wow wow wow!! My husband had a chilli dog, I had chicken fajitas and Elliot had a kids hot dog - plus all the meals come with amazing roast potatoes that I'm still dreaming about now. I loved the atmosphere at Camp Smokey, it was so relaxed and it felt really cosy sitting under cover having our lunch while it was pouring down outside.

The best part though was the open fire where you can toast marshmallows - amazing!! Elliot loved this bit and actually consumed most of our marshmallows....no surprise there ;)

Rather than head back up the zig zag path to our buggy we decided to follow the nature trail through the woods. It was a bit steep and a bit muddy at times but it was a really fun walk through the trees and it was so peaceful, we hardly saw another person. Fortunately the rain stopped too!

Our walk finished with a stroll around the beautiful lake where we saw lots of rabbits, ducks and various baby ducks - very cute!

We were itching to try out the ice creams in the village so we headed over to the cafe which has had a bit of a make over since our last visit. The ice creams didn't disappoint! (Although I did have to share mine with the husband....what's that about!)

We were going to head over the pub for a quick drink but we stumbled across a big marquee in the middle of the village which was offering free children's entertainment. Despite lots of people walking around the village, the entertainment tent was dead quiet and there were only a couple more kids in there. The children's entertainer was really sweet and really bubbly and enthusiastic with the children - they did some drawing, dancing, a treasure hunt and even pass the parcel! I had no idea that free entertainment was offered so I'd definitely recommend looking out for this if you're in the village. We were there an hour and Elliot really enjoyed it. He especially enjoyed winning pass the parcel!

We took a slow walk back up the hill to find our golf buggy and we made a quick tea back at the lodge. We were all quite tired after a busy day!

Day 3

We woke up to another rainy day but we had an exciting day planned at Folly Farm which is located just a few miles down the road from Bluestone. We first visited last year and it's somewhere Elliot always talks about! We knew we'd have a pretty busy weekend but we wanted to try and squeeze in a day at Folly Farm, it's such an amazing place and it's not like we're in the area very often to visit. And the weather scuppered our plans for a day out on the beach at Tenby so we really had no excuse but to visit Folly Farm!

We booked our tickets online the night before and were first in the queue when it opened at 10am...very keen ;) I won't write a big post about it but you can read my review from last year which contains lots of info and pics. Needless to say we had a brilliant day out and Elliot really enjoyed himself!

We got back to Bluestone around 5pm and were going to eat out in the village again but we were all tired again (must be all the fresh air!) so we tea back at the lodge. Cheese on toast - the tea of champions!


Day 4

Our last day :( Typically, the sun was shining when we woke up! Check out is 10am and so we had a bit of a mad rush getting everything packed. Why is it you always seem to go home with more than you came with?! Although you have to be out of your accommodation by 10am, you are able to use the facilities for the rest of the day so you can extend your holiday that little bit further. Elliot had a quick whizz around on his scooter but we decided to head on home as we had a 4 hour drive ahead of us. Pleased to report there were no vomiting instances on the way home - phew!

We had a such a brilliant weekend at Bluestone and really wish we were able to stay for another week. There is so much to do for families and we didn't even touch upon any of the paid activities such as messy play or archery. Hopefully we will get a chance to return next year!


*Disclaimer - We were given a 3 night break for the purpose of this honest review but all views are my own. We LOVED it!

A Long Weekend At Bluestone National Park Resort, Wales - Part 1

One of my favourite places in the world is Wales - we have family there and spent a lot of our holidays there as children. There is so much to do, plus the scenery is beautiful and you can't beat the beaches!

Recently we travelled down to Pembrokeshire for a last minute long weekend at Bluestone National Park Resort, a place we visited last year and fell in love with. Our last visit was in Winter so I was excited to experience it in Summer....although we weren't too lucky with the weather, doh! I had planned on writing just one blog post about this but I've split it into two so not to bombard you with info :)

Day 1

Bluestone is a 4 hour journey from Dorset so we set off nice and early on the Friday and couldn't wait to start our mini break. We stopped for breakfast at White Row Farm in Frome which is a brilliant farm shop and cafe, the food is lovely there. Unfortunately Elliot was in a bit of a grump and said he wanted to go home and wouldn't eat anything! After a stop in the farm shop (and buying yummy things we didn't really need), and a quick play in the playground we were on our way.

Looks can be deceiving, he was grizzling 5 minutes before this!

Sadly, my fears of Elliot not feeling well were confirmed when he decided to be sick on the M4 - ahhhhhh!!! Luckily I managed to catch most of it in a carrier bag but we had to pull over on the hard shoulder to do a quick clean up....yuck yuck yuck!

On our way again and we stopped at a supermarket in Camarthen to get a few supplies for the weekend. There is a little village store at Bluestone which stocks the basics but we decided to stop anyway, it was a good excuse to stretch our legs!

We arrived at Bluestone around 3pm and joined the queue of cars at the check in gates. Within a few minutes we had our keycard for our holiday home and a map of the resort, it was so quick and straightforward.  We weren't able to check into our lodge until 4pm so we parked the car in the long stay car park and my husband went off to sort out a golf buggy for us. Golf buggy hire was £80 for the weekend which isn't cheap but if you have little ones or don't fancy the hills then it's a great idea to hire one. It's also great fun whizzing around!

As we had some time before check in we headed straight to the Blue Lagoon pool - this was a highlight from our last visit so we couldn't wait to go for a swim! Elliot was back to his perky self now too and he couldn't wait to get in the pool. It was a really good time to go because the pool was really quiet and there were plenty of family changing rooms available. And the water was SO warm, just like getting into a lovely bath!

photo credit - Bluestone 

There is plenty to do at the pool for little ones - there are two toddler areas with mini slides, inflatable balls and a pirate's shipwreck to explore. If flumes are your thing then there are several slides plus a really nice lazy river in which you can just bob round. It takes you outside and it was certainly a lot warmer than when we went in Winter last year! My personal favourite bit is the wave machine, and even Elliot loved this. He liked to dive through the waves!

Soon it was time to drag ourselves away from the pool (it was tough, could have stayed all day!) but we were excited to check out our lodge. Cars aren't allowed on site through the weekend but you are allowed to drop your luggage off on check in day so we nipped back to the carpark and swapped the golf buggy for the car.

We were staying in one of the Caldey Lodges on Barthomelew View which was a short walk from the lake and village area. With two large bedrooms and  lovely open plan kitchen/lounge it was everything we would need for the weekend. As with our previous visit, everything was spotless and the beds looked so comfy and inviting!

Not of my photos, mine were filled with the mess that a 3 year leaves so thought you might appreciate one of the official pics from the Bluestone website!!

We quickly unpacked and headed down to the village to seek out some dinner, it had been a long day and we were all pretty tired and hungry. Especially after the swimming! We booked a table in the Farmhouse Grill for 7pm and headed over the Knights Tafarn, Bluestone's family friendly pub for a drink.  The lure of the outside play area was too much for Elliot so he ran off for a quick play whilst we enjoyed our drinks in the evening sunshine.

The food at the Farmhouse Grill was really good - it has changed slightly since our last visit and they no longer have the kids buffet but I was really impressed with the kids menu. Elliot had gammon steak with chips, egg and veg and the not only was the portion huge but it was really really tasty!! My husband and I both had a burger...no complaints from us!

We couldn't squeeze in any pudding so we headed on back to our lodge and I for one couldn't wait to go to sleep!

A Long Weekend at Bluestone - Part 2

*Disclaimer - We were given a 3 night break for the purpose of this honest review but all views are my own. We LOVED it!

Bluestone National Park Resort - Day 5, Homeward Bound and Top Tips

Day 5

Woke up this morning feeling a bit sad that our week at Bluestone is almost over - it's gone so fast! We had to check out by 10am so we had a bit of a mad panic trying to get everything packed away...and as quickly as I packed one bag, Elliot would be in the other room tipping all his toys out of his Trunki again!! 

We eventually got everything back in the car (just) and housekeeping were waiting patiently to clean our lodge - that's promptness for you! Although you have to be out of your accommodation by 10am, Bluestone allows you to enjoy the facilities until 3pm which is really handy. You can stretch out your holiday that little bit further. 

We debated whether to go swimming at the Blue Lagoon but instead decided to visit the Adventure Centre again. Our plan was to tire out Elliot as much as possible so he'd have a good nap in the car! We decided to have lunch before we left so we visited the Wildwood cafe again. Baguettes for the adults and chicken goujons and jacket potato for Elliot went down a treat! 

After dropping off our little golf buggy it was time to head home. Leaving the resort on check out was as easy as pie - you simply leave the keycards in the box by the barrier. 

With a fond farewell we waved goodbye to Bluestone - hopefully we'll see you next year! 

Top Tips

• Hire a golf buggy! Ours cost £80 for the week which does sound a lot but we did use it everyday and it was really fun for Elliot. They aren't rain proof though so it's worth putting one of your handtowels in the front incase you get caught in a downpour...saves having a soggy bottom! 
• All lodges include a travel cot and highchair, and even stairgates on the larger lodges so bear this in mind when packing so you can save yourself some space in the car
• Bluestone is a no car zone - you're allowed to drive in on check in/out so you can unpack and pack but your car has to be left at the long stay carpark near the exit at all other times. This might be an issue if you have lots of shopping bags to bring back one day and have to carry them to your lodge. Do what we did, we stopped Morrison's in Haverford West just before checking in so we could do some shopping and be able to take it directly to our lodge door.
• If you want to do the activities, book in advance! These are very popular and get booked up really early so it's worth doing a bit of planning to avoid disappointment. 
• Your lodge kitchen will be fully equipped with everything you could possibly need to cook but if you have little ones, I'd recommend bringing your own toddler plates/bowls/cutlery to save breakages! 
• Bring the essentials. You get a little package with tea towel, 3 dishwasher tablets, mini washing up liquid and a cloth when you arrive but this might not be enough to last your stay, it depends on how much you plan to cook I suppose! I'd recommend bringing some bin liners, cleaning wipes and cling film at least. 
• Avoid the busy times in Blue Lagoon. When we stayed, between 9-11am was exclusively for Bluestone residents only. (It's a public pool usually). We got to the pool at just before 11am which meant that alot of people were just finishing up and the changing rooms and pool were very busy. Half an hour later it was really quiet! 
• Don't cook, get a takeaway! Bluestone is self catering but if you don't fancy cooking then they offer a takeaway service, including alcohol! Details of this can be found in your welcome pack. 

To sum everything up, we had a brilliant holiday at Bluestone and we will definitely be returning! 

*Disclaimer - We were given a 4 night break for the purpose of this honest review but all views are my own. We LOVED it!

Bluestone - Day 1

Bluestone - Day 2

Bluestone - Day 3 & 4

Bluestone National Park Resort - Days 3 & 4

Day 3 - Folly Farm 

Day 3 and we woke to another bright, clear day - perfect conditions for us to visit Folly Farm Adventure Park & Zoo.  A full blog review can be found here. We had the best day! Elliot had so much fun that he didn't even have a naptime in the daytime and fell straight to sleep when we left at 430pm...we worked out that he must have walked at least 5 miles so poor little thing must have been exhausted!

We didn't fancy cooking so we decided to head back to the Farmhouse Grill. We noticed they were running an offer where you buy a starter and main and then your desert comes free. Perhaps our eyes were bigger than our belly but by the time my Cadbury's Mania Sundae arrived I was just about ready to pop! Fortunately I had a little helper who would never turn down ice cream ;)

There were a couple of girls in the restaurant tonight who were making balloon animals/things for the kids and doing face painting. Elliot was chuffed, he got a pirate scar on his face and a pirate sword! Arrr!

Day 4 - Tenby Bound

We were all pretty tired from yesterdays visit to Folly Farm so we weren't in any real rush, it was quite nice to take our time and just leave when we were ready. We decided to visit Tenby today. It was only a short drive but Elliot must have been zonked from all the walking yesterday because he fell asleep as soon as the car started - this was at 11am, we don't get early naps like this very often! Rather than wake him, we found a carpark overlooking the coastline and we just admired the views for a while. The beaches in South Wales are some of the best in the UK and Tenby is no exception. We parked above South Beach and the views across to Caldey Island are amazing.

When Elliot woke up we wandered along the Esplanade into town. The beach below was deserted but I can imagine it gets packed in the Summer. Tenby has lots of nice little shops - we couldn't resist popping into one of the old fashioned sweet shops!

We were spolit for choice when it came to picking somewhere for lunch but we had our handy Trip Advisor app to help us make a decision! We opted for The Mooring which according to their website is a cafe by day, and a restaurant by night. It's important for us when eating out that we go to kid-friendly places and the girls working at The Mooring couldn't have been more helpful. We were given a highchair, somewhere to leave our buggy, colouring and pencils , kids cutlery and were made to feel very welcome! For lunch Elliot and I had homemade fishfinger sandwiches and my husband had a pulled pork ciabatta roll. The food was amazing!! Even just writing this is making my mouth water ;) 

When we got back to Bluestone, we jumped in our buggy again and drove down to the Village. We grabbed some hot drinks from Millers Bakery (whilst resisting the welsh cakes!) and took a walk round the lake. There was hardly anyone around and it was lovely and peaceful.

We are really enjoying our stay at Bluestone so far - the fresh air, the comfy beds and most importantly, quality family time :)

Bluestone Day 1

Bluestone Day 2

Bluestone National Park Resort - Day 2, Riding the Waves

Bluestone - Day 2

After a great night's sleep in a very comfortable bed, it was a leisurely morning for us. Hubby was tired from all the driving (and my snoring...oops!) so we let him have a lie-in. While he was snoozing, Elliot and I were getting acquainted with the local wildlife! I noticed quite a few birds flying past so I put some bread out by our patio door to tempt some down. We didn't have to wait long before we were visited by at least 5 different types of bird including some cute little blue tits. Then the seagulls appeared, they were greedy and scared all the little birds away! Elliot had his nose up against the window and was enthralled!

Blue Lagoon

We decided to try out the Blue Lagoon waterpark today. When we arrived it was pretty busy and there were no family changing rooms left. Not a problem for us as I took Elliot into the female changing rooms with me but I did hear a few grumbles from other swimmers who were waiting for a family one. There were plenty of lockers around both changing rooms.

Photo Credit - BlueStone

Once in the pool, Elliot was practically squeaking with excitement!! We got in just as the wave machine started so that was interesting, didn't realise how forceful the waves were and almost toppled over!! The wave machine comes on every 20 minutes and it's brilliant fun once you get used to it! The lazy river was probably my favourite and you even get to go outside. You'd think it would be freezing but actually it felt quite refreshing and you're soon back inside. Might not be so fun when raining though ;)
For the little ones there is a toddler corner which has a slide and a rock pool area to climb in and along. Elliot loved this and it was a job to get him out! There is also a pirates shipwreck and splash pool which we had lots of fun in. For the thrill seekers there are four flumes to whizz down - not my cup of tea (too scary!) but hubby had fun trying them out.
We probably spent around an hour in the pool - Elliot was SO tired otherwise we would have stayed longer! It was much quieter when we left so we had no problem finding a family changing room.

The Adventure Centre

As it was lunchtime we headed over to the Wildwood Cafe in the Adventure Centre which is set around a giant treehouse and enchanted land. Hubby and I had baguettes for our lunch whilst Elliot had sausage, chips and peas. We did actually ask for a jacket potato rather than chips but as soon as he spotted the chips we knew there was no use in sending it back! The menu wasn't vast but to be honest it was perfect for a quick lunch stop and fairly reasonable.

The Adventure Centre is massive and has so much to do to suit all ages. We visited the Circus Zone which is a large room decked out like a big top and has tons of stuff for a toddler to enjoy. Elliot played with giant lego, rode on a mini rollercoaster, climbed across lots of soft play toys and attempted to ride a trike! Best of all, we had the room to ourselves so he could make as much noise as he liked!

Back downstairs in the Adventure Centre we quickly spotted the bouncy castle and Elliot had great fun boinging around. He then made a bee line for the lego section and we created his name on the big Lego name wall. (I loved that part!). There are lots to do for older kids such as climbing walls, crazy golf, high ropes and an arcade. You could spend hours in here!

The Village

After naptime we jumped in our buggy and did a bit of exploring round the resort. We parked up at the Village and found the Treetops Adventure Playground which Elliot loved. There was a section called Treetots for the very young and he had a whale of a time climbing through tunnels and whizzing down the slide. 

The Village is home to several places to eat, a bakery, a toy shop, a convenience store and even a pub! We stopped for a quick drink in the pub but didn't eat although the food coming out did look nice. 

When we left we realised we'd just missed a heavy downpour....which was great but not so great for our poor little buggy who's seats were rather soggy! Wet bums all round! 

We've managed to squeeze a fair bit into today but there is still so much to see, I'm worried we will run out of time. But that means we might have to return for another holiday next year ;) 

Tomorrow we will be visiting Folly Farm just down the road near Tenby, Very excited to meet some giraffes! 

Bluestone Day 1

Bluestone Day 3 & 4

Bluestone National Park Resort - Day 1 & First Impressions

Writing this blog has bought some lovely opportunities but I was over the moon to be offered a chance to review Bluestone National Park Resort in West Wales. I spent many a childhood holiday in Wales and it's always a pleasure to come back! Bluestone has luxury accommodation set in 500 acres of Pembrokeshire countryside, year round activities for all ages and an amazing indoor waterpark.

It's a 4 hour drive from where we live in Dorset but we decided to leave a day early and have a stopover in Swansea. This meant that it was a shorter car journey for Elliot plus we spent the afternoon catching up with my lovely family who we don't get to see enough! 

We woke up this morning to glorious sunshine but it was SOOO cold. Before setting off for Bluestone we decided to visit Mumbles which is one of my favourite places in Wales. We had a bracing walk along the seafront rounded off with a visit to an ice-cream parlour to warm us up....er or not haha! 

So onto Bluestone.....

Upon arriving at the resort, our first impression was just how tidy and well landscaped it was! It was incredibly well maintained and gave us a really good impression of what the rest of the resort was like. Check in was brilliant! It was a drive through booth, and it took all of two minutes. Butlins could learn a thing or two from this! We were handed a map and some info booklets and off we went. 

When we got to our lodge we couldn't actually get in and our keycard didn't work but a quick call to Guest Services (who couldn't apologise enough!) and minutes later someone was with us with a new card. Great service! By this point the weather had turned decidedly dodgy and we had rain, sleet, snow, hail, sunshine and a rainbow all in the space of 5 minutes. We left hubby to unpack the car whilst Elliot and I explored our lodge. 

We are staying in Caldey Lodge and it sleeps 4, Elliot was mega excited to see two beds in his room! The lodge is lovely and spacious with an open plan kitchen/dining area/lounge. It also has a wet room which is going to be a novelty for Elliot! The kitchen is very well stocked with every utensil you could possibly need and even a dishwater too. Our lodge is spotless and ever so cosy and warm! Oh, and there's even underfloor heating in our wetroom - amazing! 

Bluestone have a no car policy on site so this means that when you arrive you can drop your stuff off outside your lodge and then move your car to the carpark by the entrance/exit. Bluestone is rather hilly so if you don't fancy walking then you can hire a golf buggy. We decided to hire one for the week and can't wait to explore on it! 

We decided to eat out as it's our first night so we jumped in the buggy and made our way down to the village - luckily it had stopped raining but brrrrr it was cold!! Bluestone has several different eateries on site but we chose to eat at the Farmhouse Grill. The menu offered plenty of choice but my husband and I both chose the Farmhouse Burger and I was quite excited to see they offered an upgrade to my favourite, sweet potato fries! Our mains also came with unlimited salad and bread, both of which were really tasty. Elliot had the kids buffet which included a selection of pastas, meatballs, chips, veg, pizza and chicken nuggets. Everything looked fresh and there were no complaints from Elliot who demolished his dinner in record time! Our burgers were really good and we were completely full afterwards, not even any room for pudding!

We didn't get the chance to explore much this evening, it's not much fun in the dark plus Elliot was ready for bed so we came on back to our warm lodge and we couldn't wait to get our pjs on. 

Day 2 looks a bit rainy so we are planning on visiting the Blue Lagoon waterpark. We'll also be exploring the rest of the resort and sheltering from showers!

Bluestone Day 2

Bluestone Days 3 & 4