Family Holiday's at Bluestone Wales **REVIEW**

Last week we took the beautifully scenic drive over the bridge into Wales for a family holiday at Bluestone Wales. The kids and I were so excited and there was definitely cheering as we pulled up to see the tell tale Bluestone sign!

If you haven't heard of Bluestone National Park Resort, Its a fun and unique family holiday destination here in the UK!. Bluestone resort is situated within a 500-acre woodland that's set in the UK's only coastal National Park, it is bursting with wildlife and with over 100 exciting indoor and outdoor activities. Whether its relaxing woodland walks, a dip in the pool or thrilling tree top adventures you are looking for Bluestone has it covered. 

Bluestone offers a wide selection of self-catering accommodation from one bedroom holiday cottages, to wooden lodges of various sizes ideal for families and groups (sleeping 4 to 14). You can read more about the Ramsey Lodge that we stayed in during our visit here - "Ramsey Lodge Accommodation Review". 

Checking in to Bluestone National Park Resort couldn't be easier, there is a drive through check in so you don't even need to leave your car! You simply give your booking reference and confirm a few details then you are given your key card, swim passes and some important information inside a booklet. You are then directed into the long stay car park just passed the check in desks. 

You can get into the resort from 11am on the day of your check in and make use of all of the facilities including the adventure centre and blue lagoon (swimming pool). However your key cards won't let you into your accommodation until your designated check in time which will be either 3pm or 4.30pm depending on which lodge you are staying in. 

Bluestone is a car free resort, although cars are allowed on site during check in and check out days so you can unpack. On check in day cars are allowed on site from your check in time and can be driven right up to your lodge making unpacking super easy. All cars need to be returned to the long stay car park you were directed to at check in by midnight that day. On check out day you can collect your car from 7am.

As I mentioned Bluestone is a car free site but that doesn't mean walking is your only option! You can hire out bikes, bike trailers, tandem bikes and golf buggies for an additional cost during your stay to get around the resort. The golf buggy was definitely one of the highlights of both James and Evelyn's stay at Bluestone, they love whizzing around the resort in the little golf buggy. If you have young children or elderly people in your party I would definitely recommend these, whilst it is definitely possible to walk around the resort its quite hilly and can be tiring on little legs or the elderly. We also saw lots of people on bikes around the resort and every lodge has a bike rack outside to keep bikes safe. 

If you are thinking of hiring bikes or a buggy I would recommend booking in advance before your stay. They tend to book up quickly especially during peak times like school holidays and are often all booked out once you arrive on resort. 

Bluestone National Park Resort have taken lots of care and thought into making sure they have everything you need right there on resort. From luxury accommodation with all the mod cons to a beautiful village area with a variety or shops for all your needs whilst away. This includes a convenience store, gift store, café and several restaurants plus a great park right in the heart of the village. There is even a spa if your are looking for a bit of extra relaxation during your stay!

Considering these are on a holiday resort we found the shop prices really reasonable (and the flapjack in Newtons convenience store is amazing! We actually stocked up on our last morning to bring some home!). It would have been nice to see a little launderette or similar as that's the only thing missing and means there is nowhere to wash or clean muddy clothes on resort. It didn't effect us but perhaps just remember to pack a few extra changes of outfit in case of wet or muddy adventures during your stay. 

Bluestone also have a huge range of activities and adventures available to book during your stay with something for everyone considered. Whether its messy play for babies or sky wire tree top adventures for teens and grown ups. I loved that we could view all of these activities before we went and book them up prior to arriving via my account on the Bluestone website. It was great being able to plan our stay around the activities the kids really wanted to do and book/pay for them beforehand. 

James and Evelyn were very excited to discover they were both old enough to attend some of the unaccompanied activities and feel all grown up enjoying some Bluestone fun with the amazing Rangers. They even held a games night one evening which they attended alone and got to stay up late (until 9pm!) and play games with other kids and rangers. The kids loved having that bit of independence and the rangers were absolutely amazing with the kids and putting the parents minds at rest that the kids were safe. 

You can find out a bit more detail and information about the adventures and activities available at Bluestone via our post here - "Adventures and Activities at Bluestone National Park Resort".

As a family we absolutely love Bluestone National Park Resort, its the ideal family holiday resort if your looking for fun and adventure at your own pace. The settings are beautiful and even young children will enjoy a wander through the woodland to discover Camp Smokey (where you can cook your own smores on an open fire!). On our walk through the woodland we found pathways full of baby frogs, lots of wildlife, some very cute tree houses and even a troll bridge! 

Toasting marshmallows at Camp Smokey was another highlight and well worth the long walk through the woodland, don't worry though there are plenty of beautiful places to stop and admire the scenery on the way. It cost around £1.75 for 10 marshmallows on sticks and there are other options available too, as well as a full hot food menu. We all enjoyed toasting and eating our marshmallows and it provided a great pit stop during our walk. It felt pretty surreal being surrounded by woodland and towering trees whilst sitting in front of an open fire eating marshmallows but totally delicious too. 

The only time we left the resort was to go to the beach, there was just so much to do! We were very lucky with beautiful sunny weather all week but even if you don't get the sun there is plenty to do. We enjoyed the adventure centre which is indoors and has a large soft play with two separate areas, one for younger children and one for older children. There is also a bouncy castle, small arcade and even crazy golf, all of which are included in the price of your stay. 

We also enjoyed visiting the Blue Lagoon which is the swimming pool at Bluestone which is also included in your holiday price. The Blue Lagoon is no ordinary pool though and has several water slides, a wave machine and a lazy river that takes you outside and back in again (which Evelyn thought was great!).  There are 3 pools within the Blue Lagoon, the main pool and two children's pools complete with some inflatables and toys. Again this was indoors so can used regardless of the weather 

Life just feels a little better, a little slower and much less stressful at Bluestone. Its like being dropped into a place where your worries are whisked away and replaced with beautiful rolling hills and time to make family memories without disruptions. It really feels like everyone at Bluestone from the moment you check in is dedicated to making your stay perfect and that's exactly what is was. We definitely didn't want to leave and can't wait to book our next adventure at Bluestone! 

If you love the sound of Bluestone and would like to book your very own free range fun holiday you can book online here - www.bluestonewales.com or give the friendly booking team a call on 01834 862400. 

Have you ever been to Bluestone? If so what was your favourite memory from your stay? 

xXx


** We received a 4 night stay on the Bluestone National Park resort for free for the purpose of this review. However the golf buggy and additional activities were paid for by ourselves. All words, opinions and images are my own and I retain full control of this post.**