Gorgeous location - great family holiday (Riviere Sands Holiday Park(Cornwall))

Member Name: Emily88

Product:	Riviere Sands Holiday Park(Cornwall)
Date:	20/08/09 (111 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Views, direct beach access

Disadvantages: Dirty caravan

Riviere Sands is a Haven caravan holiday park in Hayle, Cornwall. It is one of the smaller parks, but has a stunning location, and my family and I had a very enjoyable holiday there.

* Arrival *

Having spent 7-8 hours in the car on our journey from Liverpool, we relieved to find that the check in process at Riviere Sands was easy and didn't take too long. Check in times vary from 2.30pm - 4pm depending on what type of caravan you are in. After reporting to reception to collect our keys, we could then drive to our caravan and park the car outside it.

* The Caravan *

We had booked the 'Exclusive' caravan - the best you can get, and with sea views. I believe the year we went was the first year with these types of caravans, so they were quite a bit cheaper than they are now (just checked the website and you're talking around £1200 for a 7 night stay in August).

The sea view vans are in the front row of all the caravans, with a perfect view of the beach and sea (you could see the sand stretch round to St Ives). They all had a wooden veranda/balcony overlooking the ocean, with a table and chairs - a really lovely setting for a family meal.

Inside the caravan, I was disappointed with the level of cleanliness. There was crumbs on the sofa and carpet, kitchen bits and bobs weren't clean (kettle, microwave...), and the bathroom was just yuck. I decided to call the customer service line, who were very nice and sent a cleaner around to our caravan. However, I shouldn't have felt the need to do this - I would have expected at least basic hygiene for the price we paid.

Anyway, the living room and kitchen areas was nice, and a good size (for a caravan). The kid's bedrooms we tiny - two little camp beds in each room and no space to move. But apparently they were comfortable, so that wasn't too bad. Master bedroom and bathroom were also a good size.

* The Park *

I can't comment on the live entertainment as we didn't use it, but there seemed to be plenty for all ages according to timetable we had. The swimming pool was very small and crowded (it was an indoor pool leading to an outside side area), and my kids view of the slide was 'pathetic'! They did have a fairly big outdoor play area which was nice, and an amusement arcade. There was also trampolines and a bouncy castle, but these had to be paid for.

Just outside the park was a convenience store with bakery. Prices were a bit over the top as you would expect, but not too expensive.

From our caravan we were only a few minutes walk from the beach. It was a fairly steep sandy slope leading down to it, so not suitable for wheelchairs or prams/pushchairs. The beach was really nice and it was great to be so near to it.

* Nearby *

Some popular places to visit in the area are St Ives, St Michaels Mount and Lands End. If you have children, try Flambards (a theme park) - ours loved it. The nearest town is Hayle, you can get to it from the park by buses that leave every half an hour. It was a really pretty place, lots of flowers and trees, and some high street shops.

* Recommended? *

Definitely! Riviere Sands is a great base to explore Cornwall from. The sea view caravans had gorgeous views, might be a good idea to see if you can get one cheap in the sale (in the offers section on the Haven website). A lovely family holiday.

Summary: Well recommended