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Landscove Holiday Village (Devon)
by Craggybuk Background Landscove Holiday Park is situated on Berry Head, a part of Brixham in Devon. Brixham is a fishing town on the English Riviera which stretches from Brixham in the South to Torquay, 8 miles further north. The site boasts very picturesque scenery, overlooking the English channel from its cliff top position. The ... site itself is approximately 1.5 miles from Brixham town centre and boasts 120 units of accommodation . Accommodation The site consists of roughly 60% chalets varying from 1 to 3 bedrooms and 40% mobile homes which came with 2 or 3 bedrooms. Although we stayed in one of the mobile homes which I'll come onto shortly, I did get to have a good look at the chalets due to the main window taking up almost the whole front of the building. I wasn't too impressed with this as guests would be far too exposed to passers by (including myself). Many a time did I walk past and see people watching TV or eating their meals. I would have felt uncomfortable with the lack of privacy if we were the ones in the chalet. The beauty of a mobile home is that you roughly know what to expect before you view your accommodation. We had originally booked onto another site but had to change plans at the last minute due to circumstances out of our control, because of this, we had to take a 2 bedroom mobile home rather than our normal 3 bedroom version. This didn't really give us a problem in terms of sleeping, but we found the lack of storage space a bit of a problem. In general, the mobile home was very clean although we did have to call out the maintenance guys within 5 minutes of arriving as 2 light bulbs were not working and the window in the childrens room was coming away from the wall. We felt a bit let down about this issue as it was obvious to the naked eye that there was a problem but nothing had been done about it until we raised the alarm. To be fair to the maintenance staff, they did respond quickly with 2 new bulbs and some sealer to secure the window. Facilities Landscove scores very highly on its excellent facilities. All attractions are situated in the same area of the park which we found very useful as it meant the kids could play in the amusements whilst we sat in the bar having a drink and watching Sky Sports on the big screens. Swimming - The site has both an indoor and an outdoor pool. The indoor pool was more suited to younger children as it was about 10 metres long and 1 to 1.3 metres deep. The outdoor pool was about 15 metres long and 1 metre to 1.6 metres deep. Both pools were constantly supervised by at least one (but usually 2) qualified lifeguards. What I did find strange was that only one pool seemed to be open at any time, for example, if the main pool was open in the morning, the indoor pool would be closed and visa versa. I assume this was a cost cutting exercise but it could have been avoided really, especially if 2 lifeguards were available as they could patrol one pool each. Amusements - I've always been one for the amusement arcade wherever we go on holiday. For a site arcade, this has to be one on the best I've been to. All the main types of machines were present, namely penny falls, the grabber machines which my kids proceeded to win at on many occasions and a handful of video machines. All were reasonable priced, 2p for penny falls and 30p a go on the grabbers and video machines. What was nice about the site amusements was that it was used mainly by young children so there was never a group of teenagers congregating in the area which meant our kids could enjoy themselves without being intimidated. Bar area - There were in fact 2 bar areas. The main one was used for shows such as comedians, magic acts, music, etc but we never used this one. Our usual nightly haunt was the harbour lights bar which joined onto the restaurant in one direction and the amusement arcade in the other. As well as the previously mentions TV's which were mainly used for Sky Sports but at times did carry 'normal tv', the bar was equipped with 2 high quality pool tables and a dart board that had seen better days. It was £1 a go for pool which I believe is a typical price these days and darts was free. Drinks in my opinion were quite expensive but I have paid more in other establishments. Typical prices were £3 for a pint of Fosters, £3.20 for a pint of 1664 and £2.80 for a large red wine. On one occasion we did purchase a pitcher of Pimms and lemonade for £10 which seemed pretty good value as we got about 6 decent sized glasses out of this. In my opinion, one of the most useful features of the bar area was its WiFi internet connection. I've never been on a site previously where this was available so it was great to check out Ciao (sad I know) from the comfort of the bar each evening and keep in touch with family that way. This WiFi access was included at no extra charge which was pleasing. Restaurant - There was a small restaurant on site with approximately 15 tables. This was open from 8.30 to 11.00am for breakfast and then for main meals after this time. Food was reasonably priced and portion sizes were generous making this a good alternative to cooking. A Sunday roast carvery was available on Sunday evenings priced at £6.50. This looked nice but we took the boring option and went for a meal with chips instead. A takeaway service was also available from the restaurant which we used once when ordering a pizza for £7 which was delicious and well worth the money. Shop - Although the site didn't have its own shop, there was a Costcutter over the road which was affiliated with the site. We used the shop for a daily newspaper and milk although you could have bought most items you would require from here such as beer, wine, frozen food, buckets, spades, postcards, etc. Prices were slightly higher than you would pay in a mainstream store but it was convenient to have the shop on our doorstep. To Do Nearby Coastal Walk - Our caravan was literally 30 metres from the cliff edge. There were lovely walks along these cliffs up to Berry Head itself. These walks were quite educational as there were information boards situated at various locations along the way, in particular at the 2 forts which were used to protect the coastline against the French many years ago. On my particular walk, I went as far as Berry Head lighthouse which you can get really close to. I did consider walking further down the coastal path into Brixham itself but the walk back up the cliff afterwards put me off as it would have been a lot of hard work. Brixham Harbour - Brixham harbour is a beautiful place with something for everyone. There are quaint gift shops, some top quality fish restaurants and plenty of crabbing opportunities for the kids. We spent many a happy hour here dangling our lines into the water in the hope of catching crabs, this seemed a very popular pastime as the entire harbour wall was full of eager families seeing who could catch the biggest ones. We found the best time to visit Brixham was in the evening as the main car park only had enough room for 130 cars. There was a bigger car park at the new harbour for 970 cars but this was a good 1.5 miles away from any of the shops or attractions. Paignton - I have to say Paignton is my favourite seaside town of all time. There is just something about the place that I love. There is always something to do here and it is well worth a visit if you are in the area. We always park in a side street at the top of town to avoid car park costs. This does involve a small walk to the seafront but it has saved us a fortune over the years of going here. Paignton is 5 miles from Brixham and will take between 15 and 30 minutes to reach depending on traffic which is very heavy around midday. Model village - This is a must see attraction. Located in Babbacombe, Torquay, the model village is set in its own little world, hidden from the outside world by a multitude of fir trees. The detail that has gone into these exhibits is staggering and there is also a lot of humour such as a detectives office run by Hugh Dunnit and Howard Ino. The model village is very reasonably priced at £26 for a family of 4. For this price you can even go back in the evening when everything is lit up making for an even more stunning view. It takes about 2 hours to do the whole village and will be tricky for wheelchair users and parents with small children in buggies. The model village is 10 miles from Brixham and took us an hour to get there due to extremely heavy traffic. Verdict This is a high quality site with everything you are likely to need for a family holiday. The maintenance issues we had on arrival should have been avoided and these did make us feel a little negative to the site in the first day or so. Once we had forgotten about these, we had a great time in a great area of the country. I would 100% recommend the area to anyone who has never been there before and would recommend this site if you can get a decent price. We paid £560 for our week in the middle of August although prices do vary depending on the time of year you intend to go. Park Address Landscove Holiday Park Berryhead Brixham Devon TQ5 9EP Read the complete review |
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Shamba Holiday Park (Hampshire)
by katyc After countless hours trawling through the web, we decided we would take friends recommendations and visit Shamba holidays at Ringwood. First impressions seemed good the Website www.shambaholidays .co.uk was easy to navigate and the site looked very nice I am still a bit of a technophobe so did my booking by telephone ... which was easy and pain free the lady was very helpful and patient. As a Caravan virgin I would have liked to go for a long weekend but in High Season ( School Holidays) you have to stay for 7 nights minimum. Well early one Monday morning we set off in the pouring rain and after a fairly short easy journey we pulled off the Dual carriage way and discovered our Caravan site. We booked in at reception and were created by the Wardens, who then showed us to our pitch upon arrival it was apparent that this pitch would not allow us to put up our porch, as soon as the Warden realised this he moved us. So we have arrived Caravan all set up so we set out to explore the site, perhaps it was the weather or maybe my expectations were very high but I was rather disappointed. Play Park I was expecting a very well built wooden play area however it was rather tired and shabby , I was not convinced at the safety of the equipment. We therefore did not make that much use of the play area Shop This is exactly as you would expect from a camp site shop selling sweets, papers, a small selection of groceries the prices were reasonable apart from the bread £1.70 a loaf! Social Club This did both eat in and takeaway food at very reasonable prices mainly burgers etc we used the take away service for some Garlic Bread £1.50 for 5 slices and no oven to clean! We went in a couple of times after swimming for a drink and the prices were reasonable Spirit and Mixer £2 pint £3 fruit shoots £1. Throughout August there is also entertainment on We were very lucky to find a children's disco which my daughter thoroughly enjoyed they gave free glow in the dark bracelets and sweets! I unfortunately had to remain in the Caravan with the youngest - such a pity! Swimming Pool The pool can be both indoor and out depending on the weather, there is no lifeguard on duty which I found to be a disadvantage due to lots of games and jumping into fairly shallow water. The whole pool area is very clean and well maintained. There are baskets for your possessions but no lockers there are also tables and chairs around the pool area. Within the pool building there are two Family changing rooms with bathroom we used these which meant that showering two children was much easier, there are two doors which go into the main bathrooms if you cannot get into the family changing. For me the two disadvantages of the pool were no lifeguard and also the tiles were lethal when wet . Bathroom Very clean with a family shower room (ladies only) There is also a play pen again ladies only but bliss . The Toilets have won Loo of the Year by the British toilet association (yes there really is made me chuckle) we didn't use our shower in the Caravan there was no point when the facilities were so good. Laundry I cannot comment on these again the area was clean but I do not go on holiday to do washing! Washing up area Radio playing plenty of hot water and again very clean other than someone else to do the washing up it was excellent! Tourist information Near the reception there is a shed with loads of leaflets with everything you can do in the area and also places to eat all the leaflets tend to have money off coupons so well worth a look Shamba also has a field for walking the dog as we haven't got one I didn't venture here but I was told is very good by those with dogs Well the cost we paid £28.00 per night for our pitch including use of all facilities and also water and electricity hook up however should you have children over 5 then you would have to pay £2.50 per night for them you are also charged £3.00 per night for awning's and Dogs are extra too full details are on the website (www.shamaholidays.co.uk) Directions The site is easy to find just off Ringwood road, Full address Ringwood Road, St Leonards, Ringwood, Hampshire BH24 2SB. Summary Well would I recommend this site for us I would not go here again but if your children were 5 &6 then they would probably get more out of the site and then it would be a great place to stay. Shamba is ideally suited for exploring the nearby area and there are good facilities for shopping in the area. I would not go again as we didn't need the facilities that were there and too many hidden extra's, although to be fair the Staff were incrediably helful and when we had a problem they dealt with it and could not have been kinder. Read the complete review |
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Sandy Balls Holiday Centre (Hampshire)
by Fluffiedux We have just returned from a small group trip to Sandy Balls - three families all with children under three and several novice campers. We had a fab time! This is just a snapshot of our experiences, and does not include details on all facilities. We camped with all our own equipment on the seasonal 'Cornfield' field which offered ... grass pitches (as opposed to gravel / hardstanding) as it was August (two extra fields are opened to deal with extra campers during the peak month). Facilities on this field were basic, but more than sufficient - several blocks of toilets, with 3 loos and 3 showers for each gender, and 2 washing up sinks with drainers. All blocks were effectively cleaned by site staff every afternoon. A campsite 'warden' was on site between 10 and 7 every day, helping new arrivals and dealing with any problems or queries. A very professional set up - and we hadn't even seen the main holiday centre yet! The outdoor swimming pool looked like a continental pool - very nice indeed -complete with loungers and ice-cream seller! The pool itself was very, very cold - more than bracing. As it was high season, the indoor pool was running hourly sessions - which worked very well - all facilities were clean, and chemical levels were checked whilst we were there. The shop was very well stocked, complete with bakery and freezer section, as well as the expected tins and jars. Some high end goods on offer too. Prices were reasonable - slightly more than 'corner shop' prices. At all points staff were friendly and helpful, although the on-site 'pub' was apparently having problems with their credit card facilities which made staff a little fractious. As a driver you must be very careful - children on bikes go where they like! Outdoor facilities like the play areas were excellent for the young family members - and well built to cater for several age groups, seperated enough for safety and ease of use, but all within eye sight of parents. I thought it was expensive, but with hindsight, generally it was good value for money. Read the complete review |
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