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Parkdean Pendine Sands Holiday Park (South Wales)
by MikeBorry
Well, not actually (re: title) as we go there a few times through the year as my mum owns a caravan down there! We have also paid to stay before my mum had hers.
Pendine Sands holiday park is a lovely place to stay and a major benefit is that it is pretty much right next to the beach. It is literally across the road, there's ... also shops, takeaways, cafes and pubs oh and a little post office.
But getting back to Pendine Sands, it's a lovely big, clean spacious park, the caravan park is quite large in size and iis split into different areas, a bit like street names, but you are never to far from the clubhouse which is called The Venue. It's here you will probably head to for the nights entertainment, they have the kids activities throughout the day and the Tree Tops Grove pop along to greet the kids (or scare them!! depending if your kids like dressed up characters) they aren't in the slightest bit scary and are really cute looking... Milly, Maxi and Monti, they also come on stage in the evening to get the kids up and dancing and to join in the competitions.
The host bingo games and little quiz shows with a prize for the winner. Later on they do also have live entertainment, whether it be singers or comedians, I have yet to see a bad show and they have all been really enjoyable. The drink prices in the clubhouse can be a little pricey and that's not just the alcohol, even the soft drink's don't come cheap, but this is what I have come to expect of all caravan park clubs.
They also serve meals up until 9pm. These are good meals and the prices are ok.
In The Venue you will also find an amusement arcade and the swimming pool. The swimming pool isn't the biggest but it is nice and clean and looks out onto a patio area and when the sun shines in it's really nice.
There is a park outside of the clubhouse and they also set up a big inflatable bouncy castle shark... £1 a go but the kids love it!!
There is another club right up the top of the caravan site but this is by the Owners Select so I don't think you would notice it unless you had a reason to got here, the Owners Select is another bar which has a larged decked area to the rear. We have only been there once but the park was lovely, a nice wooden play area!
I think the best thing though is the fact that the beach is across the road, and Pendine coast has a lovely golden beach although it is owned by the MOD so you have to be aware of what you can't take with you, such as metal detectors. It is a glorious 7 mile stretch of beach and has been used for land speed records since around the 1920's! Just up from the beach there is the Museum of Speed, it has no entry fee and you can see vehicles etc here (It bores me, having been there about a million times but when I was younger I quite enjoyed it!) There's also a nice park there too, and a toilet block with outdoor showers... handy for getting rid of all the sand!! A big carpark can also be found here, which is a pay and display but I think the cost is pretty cheap.
They do sometimes open the ramp, allowing cars to park on the beach.
The beach has brilliant caves to explore and at certain times of the year, the beach can be littered with jellyfish!! My kids found them fasinating..... I found them smelly lol!!
Pendine sands is part of the Parkdean company and can be found at~~
http://www.parkdeanholidays.co.uk/
You will then need to search for Pendine Sands... I did try putting in the whole link but it wasn't allowed.
Check this for prices and dates and photos.
I love it here, especially when the sun is shining. Another great thing about Pendine is that you are only about a 20 minute drive from Tenby which is another beautiful place with a good town centre situated behind a big castle wall, Tenby also has fantastic beaches.
As you enter Pendine from either side, you will see the caravan park ahead of you, the signs clearly post where each section of the park is and the reception is the turning with the big flags and rocks. Staff here have always been incredibly helpful.
I wouldn't choose to go anywhere else as I simply adore it here!
Pet's are welcome but you would have to check as I am not sure if that just applies to certain caravans.
I'm adding to this simply for people's reference and although this doesn't actually refer to the park it's a little tip!
Across the road from the actual caravan site there's a pub called The Beach, now the drinks here are cheaper and they welcome kids. It is also a B&B and it serves meals. The Beach is actually situated just above the actual beach and to sit outside with a drink on a warm evening is wonderful, it's such a nice relaxing place to be.
Alongside this is a little shop that rent's out movies, I have never done so, so am not sure of the actual way you go about renting a film, but I thought I would mention it!
The beach in Pendine is simply gorgeous although depending on what time of the year you go there you may see loads of washed up jellyfish ewww! But on a hot day it's lovely, there's miles of golden sand and caves to explore!
Along the front before you get to the actual beach are a few shops, where you can pick up buckets and spades etc. And across the way on the beach is a set of rocky steps which lead you to The Point cafe. The food here is cheap but that doesn't reflect the quality. The food is great and so is the bubblegum ice-cream mmm!
I think if you were to choose Pendine Sands as your holiday destination you certainly wouldn't be disappointed. You can safely leave your car in the site and have a nice time in Pendine alone, although there are so many lovely places to visit!!
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Adventureland Indoor Play Centre (Merthyr Tydfil)
by MikeBorry
My kids love Adventureland and having recently been to a party there I thought I would review it now whilst it's still fresh in mind.
It's situated on an industrial estate in Pentrebach Merthyr Tydfil, and it's quite out of the way, unless you know about it, you wouldn't really know it was there!
From the outside it ... doesn't really look much but once you go in through the doors, you are met with a bright fun looking place. There's a sofa in the corner and a few tables and chairs dotted around the front by the shop bit, where you can buy slushes, pop, crisps, sweets and even hot and cold food and a cuppa!
I usually buy a toasted sandwich and a cuppa and settle down with a magazine whilst the kids are let loose to run riot!
There's soft play areas for little ones and slides and climbing frames etc for the bigger kids (me included!). Like most of these indoor play areas the slide goes straight into a big ball pit and the kids love it!
There's a place upstairs (made to look like a castle) where the children can sit to eat, I think this is mainly reserved for parties though.
It's a nice place although a bit chaotic but thats part of the fun in places like this anyway!
It's a nice clean place with a friendly atmosphere.
Prices ~
Under 1 year ~ Free
Under 3 years ~ £1
3 - 12 Years ~ £3
Family ticket (2 adults, 3 children) £9
For more info on food prices or party booking check ~
http://www.adventurelandmerthyr.co.uk
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Shell Island (Llanbedr, Wales)
by Storm123
Shell Island is a great holiday destination for families. Its one of the largest campsites in europe boasting a massive 450 acres and 300 acres for camping. Its tents and camper vans only on here and does not allow caravans on the site.
Shell Island isn't a true island as when the tide comes in it cuts it off from the mainland. So ... you have to be careful and make sure you know the times for when the tide is in or out.
This truelly is a magical place for children as they can wonder off playing in the massive sand dunes and on the beach also a play ground at the front of the site. You can even go crabbing once the tide has gone. You'll be amazed at what you might find. The beach is very tricky to get to in parts as the sand dunes stand between you and the sea. They are very hard to climb if your as old as me haha. Parts of the dunes are caked in glass,broken bottles and rusty cans and the odd jelly fish so be careful where you place your feet and always wear sandals/flip flops.
There are lots of different types of shells on the beach if you want to take a souvenir home with you. Besides that the coast is very beautiful and you can watch people doing water sports such as fishing and power kiting with a surf board.
Memories of when I was a kid came rushing back when I used to go camping with my family.
Dogs are welcome but are restricted to certain areas of the campsite.
You are allowed to have a camp fire as long as it is off the ground (eg a wood burner).
There is plenty to do in nearby barmouth which is beautiful and unspoilt. There are plenty of little shops, arcades and the views are just breath taking! Its a very special place.
Security also comes around at night to make sure you are behaving and to keep the noise down after a certain time. Also you are required to wear a wrist band for security reasons so they know you have paid.
There is a pub on the island called the tavern which opened in 1977. Its not great but the beer is quite cheap setting you back around £2.40 per pint. They have flat screen TV's so you'll never miss a footie match.
Also to keep the kids entertained is a little arcade which is to the back of the pub which boasts pool tables and your typical arcade games. You can also purchase beer and wine to take away with you but this is quite expensive to do so make sure you take plenty with you (most important thing) haha.
There is a snack bar next to the pub where you can buy chips and big breakkues etc.
There are three shops on site. A gift shop,camping and leisure shop and the shell island supermarket.
The gift shop sells you usual gifts and toys for children such as buckets and spades beach wear and ice cream which are great but still a bit pricey.
The camping and leisure shop sell camping equiptment such as knifes,pegs,burning wood and clothes. The list just goes on and on.
The supermarket sells your usual foods and sweets etc.
The only thing that ruined the holiday was the sheer lack of facilities such as the showers. There is only one block with about 8 showers in and it takes ages for the que to go down.
There was one main block of toilets to and they had those horrible smelly chemical loos dotted around the place.
Prices are as follows
Adults - March,June,September and October £6.00 per night Weeky £35.00.
Child - March,June,September and October £2.50 per night Weekly £15.00
Adults - July and August £7.00 per night Weekly £40.00
Children - July and August £3.00 per night Weekly £18.00
Dogs - £2.00 per night (Max of Two dogs) which I don't understand as they don't use the facilities provide.
Boats and trailers - £5.00 per night £30 weekly.
Unoccupied tents £25.00 per night.
The address as follows -
Mochras, Llanbedr, Gwynedd LL45 2PJ
Put the address in your satnav and you can't go wrong.
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