Like many people this year we were having trouble deciding whether to do a trip abroad or a staycation. We decided having two little ones it was probably better to have a staycation rather than a plane journey and holiday abroad.
We were lucky enough to spot that the Sun Holidays we’re doing their £9.50 coupons at the time and we snapped up a bargain in Camber Sands in East Sussex at a park Dean resort. We did pay a little extra as upgraded to 3x bedrooms and requested an early check in but this was a budget break away for us. I must admit I was a little apprehensive as to what we had actually booked as the deal seemed to good to be true.
At just over 2hours away Camber Sands is a glorious sandy beach and breathtaking views. The Park Dean resort is conveniently located right opposite the beach so location wise was perfect. We chose the best week to go away and our weather was incredible, i actually think it was hotter here in the UK than it was abroad, both myself and my husband both commented that it felt like we were abroad.
The Park Dean resort was made up of caravans, chalets and lodges, and we were lucky enough to be in one of the caravans. This was like a joke away from home and had everything which we needed in there. Fully equipped kitchen, kettle, toaster, microwave, cutlery, crockery, tv, cooker, iron and ironing board. It was like a mini version of home.
The accommodation was perfectly clean and spacious enough for 2x adults and 2x children. One of whom decided this week would be her first week of crawling, so was pleasantly pleased that even the lower hard to reach areas were clean, as Isabella was on the move and exploring everywhere. As expected with caravans the curtains were on the thin side and even at nighttime it wasn’t dark enough for the little ones to sleep, we took our gro blinds with us which made the rooms very dark, just wish we had one for our room too.
The facilities and activities on the park seemed never ending. In the main complex there was a show bar where they held daytime children’s entertainment and then in the evening had activities for the children, a disco, bingo and then adult music tribute acts too. The highlight of the children’s entertainment were the crew members, Noah was scared of them to start with but soon fell in love with Sid, Lizzie, Sparky, Knarky, Pip Squeak, and Sparkle.
Some of the activities had to be prebook and were age restricted so we didn’t get to try them out but there was go karts, crazy golf, bunjee trampolines, water jets, various children’s entertainment, climbing wall and high ropes. Aside from the paid activities there was plenty of choice for free things to do.
You could eat in their main restaurant the Boathouse which had a varied menu and good value for money, or for snack in the evening there was the Shiwbar. There was also a fried chicken shack and a fish and chips shop but we never tried these out but did look busy, outside there was also an ice cream shack too.
Image Credit: Parkdean Resorts
To keep little ones amused there are four fantastic indoor swimming pools with a water flume for you to enjoy. The children’s pool is separated from the main one and had lots of toys and floats for them to enjoy. Spectators are also welcome in to watch, and plenty of locker space to leave your valuables. We actually left our pram at the pool side as was easier for us.
As our weather was incredible we were able to make use of the play park which had your usual swings, slides, climbing frames, floor trampolines, climbing walls and rockers. They were split into two areas for younger and older children which was nice as meant enough play equipment for each age group. Outside was also a splash pad area which featured water guns, water hydrants, sprinklers and water flowers. My little ones thoroughly enjoyed running in and out getting wet and spraying us with water.
There was a local shop on site where you could get your essentials if needed, we took most food with us but did need to occasional pint of milk and loaf of bread. The arcades were also a hit with Noah, he loved sitting on the racing car and pretending to drive, as well as playing on the 2p machines. The only downside was that you needed to walk through the arcades to get access to the restaurant, show bar and the park in the evening.
What made this park for us was the location to the beach, not even a 5 minute walk and we were on a seven-mile stretch of uninterrupted golden sand, when the tide was out you could walk for miles. We had fun looking for fish, shells, seaweed, crabs and even came across a jelly fish. We spent most mornings at the beach paddling, building sandcastles and walking along the beach edge. It honestly did feel like we were on a beach in another country.
The park was also dog friendly if you wanted to take them with you, but was kept really clean so you wouldn’t have noticed dogs were allowed in. There was a special dog agility area for them to let off steam too.
We enjoyed our visit here so much we have actually booked to go back later on in the year so will be good to visit in the Autumn and see what it has to offer then.
