SMILES ALL DAY - THE MULLION WAY! (Mullion Holiday Park)

Member Name: snootybutnice

Product:	Mullion Holiday Park
Date:	10/04/09 (537 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Perfect location - lots to see and do - great park at fantastic price

Disadvantages: UK doesn't guarantee all day sunshine!

On a whim a few weeks ago, I decided to scan the internet for a cheap 3 night break in Cornwall. I came across Parkdean Holidays and opted for Mullion Holiday Park in South Cornwall - near the Lizard, which is the most southerly point of the UK.

REASON FOR CHOICE
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I wanted a location which was cheap, which catered to my 5 year old as well as my 82 year old mother in law - who was down visiting us in Hampshire for a week.
I chose Cornwall so we could visit St. Michaels Mount (and take my mother in law there for her 82nd birthday) plus take my 5 year old daughter to visit various pirate coves (and the like), because she's been studying all about pirates at school. Since she has also learnt all about Castles I thought the castle at St. Michaels Mount would also give her a good opportunity to dress up in her 'medieval princess costume' and consolidate her studies (amongst cream tea/icecream/boat rides etc that is!).
Mostly we needed somewhere to unwind and relax so that we could spend quality time with my mother in law (who we don't get to see often) BUT it had to be equally good for keeping our 5 year old daughter happy and amused too.
Last year we chose Butlins in Skegness but my partner and I absolutely hated it - although our daughter could talk of nothing else and had a great time. We have never really holidayed in the UK before - preferring more exotic long-haul holidays - so this time we thought we'd cross our fingers and give Parkdean Holidays a shot - since I can't say "Butlins" without shuddering and developing a twitch!

COST OF HOLIDAY
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We booked a Cormorant Caravan at Mullion Holiday Park for 3 adults & 1 child for 3 nights (covering 3 April - 6 April). The total cost was £118.21.
Check in was advised as 4pm onwards and check out at 10am. If you arrive earlier in the day you can apparently use all the site facilities and they will store your luggage for you until a caravan is available.

WHAT WAS INCLUDED IN THE COST OF THE HOLIDAY
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1. Caravan Accommodation

The caravan was in very good condition. It included all facilities such as

* Steps up to caravan leading to front door;
* LIVINGROOM/DINING ROOM - with wall-wall padded chairs spanning the width of the caravan (which could be opened out to reveal a spring loaded double bed), 2 large wall cupboards, a coffee side table, 1 foot stool, padded chairs surrounding dining room table, glass fruit bowl, gas fire, 3 windows.
* KITCHEN - with microwave, oven, TV, fridge with small freezer compartment, kettle, toaster, pots/pans, cutlery, plates, cups, mugs, tin opener, knives/ladles etc and kitchen bin, kitchen bucket + welcome pack instructions, window, 2 main power points.
* DOUBLE BEDROOM: Bed sheet, 2 duvets, 2 duvet covers, spare blankets, wardrobe, mirror, power points x 2, chest of drawers and two bedside tables with overhead storage above bed, window.
* SINGLE BEDROOM: Bed sheets x 2, 2 duvets, 2 duvet covers, wardrobe, wall storage unit, window.
* HALLWAY: A 2nd access/exit doorway to caravan, hanging pegs for coats, door to small storage cupboard.
* SMALL STORAGE CUPBOARD: Dust pan & brush, large brush.
* BATHROOM: A medium sized enclosed shower area, pedestal sink, toilet, glazed window with pull blind, storage rack above toilet to store things, 2 toilet rolls (cheap brand).

EXCLUDED: Food/towels/tea towels/toiletries

2. Evening Entertainment (at the Stargate Club and Bar)

In our welcome pack we received 4 passes which provided access to the entertainment at night - although we didn't bother carrying these and they were never asked for. Every night from around 6:30-8:30pm there was a show on for the kids - with two life sized characters - a Seagull and a kissing Lizard. They chatted to the kids, got them dancing/playing games, had competitions, gave out prizes with lots of fun music and at times it was quite funny. They also encouraged kids to get mum/dad up to dance. My daughter absolutely loved it. After this they did bingo for half an hour (not my cup of tea) and then had various adult entertainment - which we never stayed around for but I'm sure it would have been fairly interesting as they were great with the kids.

3. General On-Site facilities

We didn't really use many site facilities because it was such a short stay and we were out and about - but in addition to the nightly entertainment, Parkdean put various themed things on throughout the day for the kids - with many competitions - and then handed out certificates and prizes during the evening entertainment session e.g. best crazy golf player etc... From a quick glance at their brochure, the structured entertainment started early in the morning for the under 5s, then there was perhaps a crazy golf competition for 5 year olds+ at around 11am - and more things in the afternoon, but I didn't take too much notice as we came off-site each day.

I think most things on-site were free but we paid £1.00 for my daughter to have a few goes on a bouncy castle, £1.50 for the crazy golf and I'm sure people had to pay for their bikes (pedallo style).

Site facilities include:
- Indoor pool open 9am-6:30pm
- Outdoor pool (available from 18 May-20 Sept) - headed pool plus paddling pool
- Soft play area with ball pool (open from 10am - with specific time set aside between 10am-11am for under 5s only).
- Solarium - charge applies
- Crazy Golf - charge applies (£1.50)
- Scuba Diving - Monday evenings you can learn to scuba dive in 2 hour introductory course - charge applies
- Film Screening
- Free Wi-Fi
- Laundrette
- Pool, Darts and Bowlingo (?! Don't ask - I haven't a clue!) 10am-10pm
- Amusements centre (2p slot machines, various games machines of the shooting, driving, kicking football variety, one armed bandits etc - covering a large area about the size of a large swimming pool)
- Large adventure playground (this was great and my daughter loved it!)
- Multi-Sports Court
- Stargate club & Bar (open 6:30 - late with soda bar for children)
- Kynance Bar, Grill & Carvery (open 11am-11pm; Sunday 12 noon-10:30pm - pub grub, Sky TV, costa coffee and free wi-fi internet)
- Big munch takeaway (offering a full menu and fish & chips - times vary through season)
- Touring & Camping reception (with small book library aimed mainly at kids)
- Smoking terrace
- On-site shop which sells food/magazines/toys etc

HOLIDAY GRIPES (hint: pretty much 0!)
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Surprisingly, we all really enjoyed this holiday. If I had 1 or 2 gripes they would all be SO MINOR that it would not impact my decision about returning here. I shall list the minor gripes for the extra fussy, because perhaps what's fine for me would ruin the holiday for someone else:
The caravan was in good condition - although the seating area along one side of the caravan was a little discoloured with use - and the carpet in the living room was also discoloured and marked. The toaster only worked on one side, the shower door didn't close easily without lifting it up as the hinges had dropped slightly - and the single beds were extra slim so for large people it would probably be uncomfortable - the mattress in the double bed was clean but obviously a cheap mattress so it hurt my back a little but it was fine overall. The key thing is the caravan was fine-nice and not pristine-super duper deluxe.
The entertainment I couldn't fault with regard to my 5 year old daughter. She literally glowed and was dragging us out of the caravan so she could get there - even us adults enjoyed it to a degree! Unfortunately I didn't stay around for the adult entertainment so I can't comment.

It was a shame that we had to pay for the crazy golf (£1.50) and the bouncy castle (£1.00) but this was no different to when we went to Butlins. I had only 1 child to cater for, so the cost for us was peanuts (but I'm mindful these kind of things do add up for parents which is why I've listed it).
The two meals that we had at the Kynance Bar were nice and were similar to prices at the Harvester with not too dissimilar a menu - but we mainly took advantage of the self catering. If you are on a tight budget, then food is likely to be the highest expenditure of the holiday so you'd want to limit the number of times you used the on-site restaurant. (Note: One nice aspect is that when the kids eat all their meals, they get a free face mask of their favourite Lizard or Seagull character - which really encouraged my daughter to eat. A proper kids menu is also available where they can select 1 thing from the top row (e.g. hamburger, chicken....), 1 thing from the middle row and 1 thing from the bottom row plus they get a pudding and drink - I think this was around £3.95 or £4.95 (sorry I forget which).
You can pre-purchase tickets for food - we didn't do this but the price was £14.95 for adults (covering breakfast and evening meal) and £9.95 for children daily - but we thought this was too expensive and chose to pay ad-hoc for the 2 times we ate on site.

THINGS IM GLAD I BOUGHT - OR WISH I'D REMEMBERED
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I'm glad I bought:
- my special orthopaedic pillow (it helped me sleep)
- washing up liquid and sponge/scourer (why buy more when you get there?)
- small electric heater (at night the caravans get quite cold as they don't have a lot of insulation - this gave an extra boost to the gas heater in the livingroom and also allowed us to warm up the bedrooms before we all got undressed for the night so we were nice and cosy) - probably don't need this in the height of the summer though - more likely an extra fan would be good then!
- foil/cling film
- food/drink from home (saved money and saved on time spent shopping!)
- shower mat (they don't provide one)
- dressing up things for my daughter (such as medieval princess costume for our trip to a castle, a Spanish flamenca dress for dancing in evening - all designed to enhance the holiday and make it more fun/special for her.
- cool bag and ice blocks (for the picnic I made each day)
- mobile phone (use as a morning alarm, and satellite navigation)
- toilet roll
- games and books for evening in caravan to relax instead of using telly
- camera

I wish I'd remembered:
- travel flask for making cups of coffee (I remembered the cool bags for picnics - but totally forgot about a flask...duh!)
- sun cream; my partner burnt his bald patch but I did underestimate the sun and should have bought suncream even though it's April. The rest of us just got colour in our cheeks but it's better to be safe than sorry.


THINGS TO SEE & DO AWAY FROM MULLION HOLIDAY PARK
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Almost opposite the holiday park is a chocolate factory - I didn't get a chance to go in, but this would be interesting to see! While at Mullion you can pick up various free guides and maps providing discounts to various attractions (plus you can get discounts if you buy the local newspaper on some things). Some of the information I've listed below is borne from my own personal experience - but where I say that I haven't been I've given you a bit more info which I've extracted from my free copy of the Cornwall Guide 09 - which has a website address of www.cata.co.uk.

MULLION COVE - This is a small working harbour/cove where there's a few small houses, a gift shop, toilets, basket full of shells for kids to pick out with an honesty box charging 25p per shell, walkway filled with fishermens lobster baskets/nets. It's quite picturesque and the harbour is small with only a handful of boats moored there. There are little steps up to the cliff edge where you get marvellous views of the sea/rocks below and great views of the sea birds nesting high above on the rocks. There is a little sandy cove on the other side of the harbour which can get cut off by the tide - so you have to be careful. The cove is great for a half hour-1 hour visit and is on the road which is almost directly opposite Mullion Holiday Park.

FLAMBARDS EXPERIENCE - I think this park would have set us back around £55.00 for the day for 3 adults and 1 child - but it has brilliant write ups and is similar to somewhere like Legoland in terms of number of things to do - ideal for rainy days especially! According to the brochure it has "exciting rides, family shows, live entertainment, glorious gardens, re-creations of a Victorian village and Britiain in the Blitz" unquote. It was around 20-30 minutes away from Mullion. www.flambards.co.uk

ST MICHAELS MOUNT - This is about half an hour drive away - parking cost us around £3.00 for the day. There are a few cafe's along the beach front that sell cream teas, bacon butties, sweets, icecreams, cakes, sandwiches and the like. There is also a fabulously large play park for kids and large clean public toilets. Once you reach St. Michaels Mount (at low tide you can walk across - tide information 01736 710265) you can then pay to go up to see the castle and gardens (Castle opens from 29th March - 1st Nov Sunday-Friday 10:30am-5pm AND gardens are open from May to June Monday-Friday 10:30am-5pm and July-October Thurs & Friday only 10:30am-5pm). The boat to St. Michaels Mount cost £1.50 each (each way) and £1.00 for children each way. The views across the bay to Penzance are spectacular however the climb up the steep hill is not for the faint hearted, very ill, disabled or wheelchair bound I'm afraid. The island has a cafe, restaurant and 2 gift shops. www.stmichaelsmount.co.uk

FUTURE WORLD @ GOONHILLY - We never made it here afterall which was disappointing as we ran out of time but this has an interactive visitors centre with a "variety of fun and interactive play... both indoors and outdoors". This is probably only 20 minutes drive away from Mullion Park and has robots, guided tours and the latest in futuristic transport called "Segway" as seen on Dr. Who and The Gadget Show. www.goonhilly.bt.com

NATIONAL SEAL SANCTUARY - I didn't read great reports about the seal sanctuary as many people complained it was expensive and not worth the cost compared to other attractions - but then again they are doing a great job and its the leading marine rescue centre for seals so why not! You will get greater savings if you buy your tickets in advance - tel 0871 423 2110 - Gweek, North Helston, TR12 6UG. Ticket costs are: Adults £11.95 gate price or pre-purchased £6.95. Child (3-14) £9.95 gate or pre-purchased £4.50 Student/Consession £10.95 gate or pre-purchased £5.95, Family (2+2) £36.00 gate or pre-purchaesd £20.00. New for 2009 is quote "Rocky our blind Californian Sea Lion has been joined this year by two younger playmates - a pair of male Patagonia Sea Lions". www.sealsanctuary.co.uk

TREVARNO - I never went here but this is closeby and is the National Museum of Gardening with "70 acres of gardens, grounds and woodland walks, treasure trails and adventure play area, railway restoration project, museum". It apparently has a gift shop, plant sales and homemade refreshments. It's located on the B3303 Camborne-Helston road. Admission is £6.50 adults, Seniors £5.75, Disabled £3.25, Children £2.25, under 5s Free. Family ticket £16.00, Toy museum £0.50p www.trevarno.co.uk.

POLDARK MINE - This mine is only 2 miles away from Helston and provides guided mine tours and claims to be "the only complete underground tin mine open to the public". They have a beam pumping engine, museum plus activity centre with craft activities, shops, restaurant, picnic area and childrens play area. Opens 10am-5:30pm (last mine tour 4:00pm) and is closed on Saturdays between 8th April-17th July. Open backed and high heeled shoes not permitted for the tour. www.poldark-mine.co.uk

LIZARD - Of course a journey to the Lizard wouldn't be complete without actually visiting Lizard point. We half saw it through torrential rain on the day we had to return home - but didn't really get to "see it"...so next time!! :- ( We did pick up a newspaper who provided an overview of all the beaches, beach safety and things to do - they have a website www.visitlizardcornwall.co.uk which may well be useful for you.

PRAA SANDS - This was a cove that we discovered about 20 minutes away which was lovely. Many surfers were there and it had a lovely long sandy beach with a few cafes/restaurants and shops and public toilets. Very relaxing and daughter loved it.

COVERACK BEACH - Quote from Lizard & Meneage newspaper "Pleasant harbour, wide sand and pebble beach. Popular for bathing, water sports and rock fishing. Swimming possible, dogs permitted, shop/cafe nearby, parking, toilets.

KYNANCE COVE - This is supposed to be one of the best coves located about 15-20 minutes away, but we ran out of time to see it. On our last day we followed the winding road through pretty moorland in pelting rain to "look at the cove from the car". We saw a sign saying there was a "toll fee" (a few pounds) for the road and then I think you have to pay for parking on top (but we got there early so didn't pay anything - as no-one was manning the gates). Apparently it's a really picturesque cove with a pleasant sandy beach at low tide, and turquoise water - but we couldn't see it from the car park! Toilets are a 10 minute walk from the beach. They warn that the final steps down to the beach are steep and you can get cut off at high tide.

GUNWALLOE COVE - We came across this cove during our travels which is about 10 minutes drive away. My daughter wasn't so keen as it was more fine pebbles than sand - but she did enjoy finding slithers of slate everywhere, especially when she found out she could write on it. There is a ship wreck here (according to a plaque warning people against stealing bits from it during dives etc). We saw a tea house above the cove which claimed to serve things but it was shut so presumably only opens later in the season (its a private house). The cove was very quiet...we only saw 2 people walking past with their dog! The local newspaper advises there is a sandy cove to north of main beach and interesting church amongst dunes, with lifeguard at weekends.

KENNACK SANDS BEACH - We never got time to see this beach which is on the easterly side of the Lizard However the local newspaper advises "Blue flag beach, wide sandy beach, one of the most popular on the Lizard. Cliff walks towards Cadgwith or Black Head. Dogs banned on western beach only. Swimming, shop/cafe nearby, toilets and parking."

MISC - Obviously there are hundreds of things to see and do but I've just chosen those places closest to the holiday park - a trip to Lands End may also take your fancy as well as visiting the Eden Project (close to St. Austell), The Minack Theatre, Geevor Tin Mine, Paradise Park & JungleBarn, Pendennis Castle, Glendurgan, Trebah, National Maritime Museum, Trelissick, Porthcurno Telegraph Museum, Trengwainton, Tate St Ives are other places which are also closeby...to name but a few!!

MULLION PARK CONTACT DETAILS
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Mullion holiday park, Ruan Minor , TR12 7LJ
Call: 0871 641 0359
www.parkdean.com

HOW TO FIND MULLION HOLIDAY PARK
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Travel instructions: From the A30 take the A39 from Fraddon to Truro and continue on the Falmouth road. Take the A394 to Helston then the A3083 for The Lizard. After approximately 7 miles you will find Mullion holiday park on the left opposite the Mullion turning. (TR12 7LJ)

HOW I FELT MULLION HOLIDAY PARK COMPARED TO BUTLINS
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The accommodation at Butlins (Skegness) was the most basic available and didn't have any of the self catering facilities available at our Caravan in Mullion Holiday Park. The decor was also very tired and the shower very small - it didn't appear anywhere near as 'bright and clean'. The beds were more uncomfortable and so lumpy that I dreaded sleeping in them each night.

On the plus side, the extent of "things to do on-site" at Butlins was more superior to Mullion - this is where Butlins excelled - but then again I think the site is probably 4 times the size. There were park/fair ground type rides, bowling, soft play, play areas, creche facilities, spa - this aspect I couldn't really fault - it was fantastic.

My main bug-bear was that food (which was included as I chose a package) had to be eaten between 4pm-6pm (even the grownups!). My stomach wasn't really ready at this time as I normally don't eat until c9pm. The entertainment on site started around 5pm for the kids shows - but by the time we got to the food hall (plastic tables - canteen style) half of the inhabitants at Butlins had already eaten and were queueing outside in the cold, to grab the best seats. After we finished eating at 6pm we then had to stand around for around 1 hour while watching the show, before we could grab someone's seat who was leaving the entertainment hall. Mullion was far more relaxed - where you could eat at a sensible time - with restaurants serving up to 10pm and then you could walk into the entertainment centre and find seats without a problem (bliss in comparison).
Mullion therefore gets my complete vote.

I will also be putting this information on Trip Advisor.

Summary: If Butlins didn't do it for you, then Parkdean may well hit the spot!