Bluestone National Park Resort in Pembrokeshire is packed with magical activities for a fun-seeking family
WHILE my four–year-old son Elliott walked down the path lined with toadstools, the fairy yawned as she woke from a deep sleep.
No, he wasn’t dreaming. He had stumbled upon a Secret Village Walk at Bluestone National Park Resort in western Wales.
Set in the green countryside of the Pembrokeshire National Park, Bluestone opened in 2008 and could be called a cheaper Center Parcs.
But that does it a disservice. It has its own charms — and without the High Street restaurant chains at every corner, our weekend there felt truly free-range.
The site consists of 345 lodges, cottages and studio apartments. It was full but you could wander through the beautiful woods for a long while without bumping into anyone. Well . . . except for the odd fairy, of course.
That afternoon in the woods we came across what looked like real hobbit treehouses.
Elliott was in wide-eyed awe even before he spotted the human-sized fairy in the final house on our trail.
You can pay £13 for a guided walk in the woods from a “hobbit” and follow Fairy Faye searching for fairy villages and magic dust.
Bluestone is full of these brilliantly thought-out activities, but with no guide book in the lodge, you do have to actively search out information to find out what’s on.
And there is a lot on.
Even the incredible new Serendome isn’t yet on the maps and you won’t want to miss that.
The Serendome is a huge under-cover activity centre containing cafes, a shop and a 400-seat amphitheatre, plus water and sand play areas.
It also features paid-for activities including a ten-metre tree with climbing holds (£15) and a spectacular vertical adventure course called Sky Walk (£30), built over seven towers with 24 climbing stations.
Shrieks of joy
It is the perfect place to escape to on a rainy British summer day.
Elliott couldn’t be coaxed off the Mini Sky Walk (£9.50 for those aged three to eight).
The Blue Lagoon swimming pool is open to the public but has reserved swimming sessions for Bluestone guests.
The morning we arrived, we had a couple of hours to spare before we could access our lodge.
So Elliott and his sister Molly, one, wasted no time testing the waters.
The large dome is full of watersides, jet sprays and shrieks of joy.
Our log cabin was large but homely and extremely practical for a family — a high chair, stair gates and travel cot meant we didn’t have to worry about bringing big items of baby kit with us. A huge communal area offered beautiful views of the adjacent lake, which resulted in the odd feathered visitor.
Also at the lodge were our rental bikes with trailers. We loved the freedom of cycling from place to place, listening to the kids buzzing with excitement as we glided through Bluestone’s glorious scenery.
Our lodge was next to the Well spa, where my wife and I escaped one morning, leaving the kids with the grandparents.
We whiled away a couple of hours moving between the hydrotherapy pool, sea-salt cave and steam and sauna rooms.
My wife booked the Celtic Combo — a back, neck and shoulder massage finished with a facial. She walked out on air afterwards.
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On our last night, we booked in at Smokey Joe’s Shindig at Camp Smokey (adults £18.95, children £14.95). This rustic diner is located in the heart of the woods, surrounded by towering pine trees and a babbling brook.
After dinner, the restaurant — packed with families — got to its feet dancing to a foot-stomping band playing a country mix of modern songs and golden oldies.
There was no better way to finish up than by roasting marshmallows over the open fire . . . with aching feet and a ton of memories.
GO: BLUESTONE
STAYING THERE: A mid-week four-night break at Bluestone National Park Resort is from £84.75pp based on a family of four sharing a Caldey Lodge. All breaks include unlimited access to the Blue Lagoon Waterpark, Adventure Centre and the new Serendome.
See bluestonewales.com or call 01834 869900. OUT & ABOUT: For more on Pembrokeshire see visitpembrokeshire.com.
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