(AD: We were kindly invited to stay at Bluestone free of charge for the purpose of this review. Bluestone have had no editorial control over this content, and we have not been paid for this post.)
A couple of weeks ago, we headed off to Pembrokeshire in Wales for a 4 night stay at Bluestone resort.
It was our third visit to Bluestone - we visited for the first time when Tyne was almost 2 and I was heavily pregnant with Noah, and again for a second time last summer with all 3 of the children.
When we told them where we were going on holiday, all 3 of them remembered it really clearly and were incredibly excited to be heading back - and actually, Jon & I were really looking forward to it as well.
Bluestone feels like the perfect little quiet place for quality family time and a retreat from the chaos and hustle bustle of every day life, and we were so looking forward to soaking up it's calm serene atmosphere.
Accomodation
We were staying in a Gateholm lodge, which is one of their "Upside Down Living" style cabins - this means that the bedrooms and bathrooms are on the ground floor as you enter, while the living room and kitchenette are upstairs.
We love these lodges as the view from the living room window across the hills is really spectacular, and we were treated to some incredible sunsets as we ate dinner together at dining table.
The lodges are very spacious and are kept to a very good standard of cleanliness - there was plenty of room for our family of five, and the children had loads of space to play in.
What I love most about the lodges is that there are two bathrooms, with a separate shower and bath - meaning no interruptions from children needing the loo while I'm having a soak in the bath tub, unlike at home! The presence of a bath tub in holiday accomodation always makes life much easier for me too, as all 3 of my children hate showers.
It's also a much more relaxing experience to be in a lodge, so that we don't need to fret so much about the children being noisy and disturbing other people - which is often a concern when we stay in hotels.
Each lodge has a picnic table outside and plenty of play space in the grass too, which is really lovely on nice sunny evenings. I loved that the children had the chance to play outside of an evening as we don't have a garden at home for them to do this - I also think it's great that Bluestone is mostly a car-free zone too, as it feels much safer when the children are exploring.
On Site At Bluestone
To put it simply...there is a lot to do at Bluestone! In fact you could very easily spend your entire holiday on site and never get bored.
My little ones favorite part is, without a doubt, the park. This is located just a stones throw from the pub and coffee shop which both have outside seating areas, so parents can treat themselves to a drink and a chat while the children play.
The play area is a really decent size, and although there are always lots of children there - somehow it never really feels crowded.
There's also a very impressive indoor play area for the rainy days too, which includes a free bouncy castle, ball pond, massive wooden climbing zone and mini golf. There are also activities such as a climbing wall and a high rope challenge for children in there too, which are an additional charge.
There's a smaller play area upstairs for smaller children, which is more like a soft play - this is a nice little place to retreat when you want a bit of quiet as it's rarely busy.
There's a lovely woodland within Bluestone too, with some lovely little features such as a bug hotel.
Infact, every inch of Bluestone is a wonderland of nature - one of the most picturesque places we have ever visited.
During our stay, Bluestone were hosting a Knights Festival so - of course - we had to go along and check it out!
There was a Knights School during the afternoon for the children to join in with, and then a parade later on in the evening which culminated in a very exciting and entertaining jousting tournament - my eldest son Tyne (aged 6) was absolutely delighted with it! Especially the sword fight finale!
The Knights Festival was all completely free of charge, and really made for an extra special last evening of our trip.
Another thing that has to be mentioned about Bluestone is their incredible swimming facilities. The Blue Lagoon pool is by far the best swimming pool we've visited at any holiday destination and, if I let them, the kids would choose to spend all day every day there!
The pool has a toddler zone, a sunken pirate ship splash area, a lazy river and some really fun water slides which my eldest absolutely loved! The main pool zone also has waves every 20 minutes which were a lot of fun, too.
There's also a poolside cafe, which came in very handy when my 4 year old decided that she needed a snack immediately 10 minutes after we had got in the pool!
The changing rooms are always lovely and clean, too.
There's a spa on site at Bluestone too, and although I haven't tried this myself - their treatments do sound very tempting!
Bluestone also offers organised activities for an additional charge such as tree climbing, story telling, messy play and lots more.
And I also have to mention the thing that my children get most excited about at Bluestone - the golf buggies! Because Bluestone is a no-car zone, they hire out golf buggies which you can use for the duration of your trip.
Most people do hire them as Bluestone is a pretty huge site and there are lots of hills, so the walking can get a bit too much for little legs - my 3 absolutely LOVE riding around in the buggy and it really adds to the overall Bluestone experience so if you can afford it (They cost £95 for a weeks hire, so a little on the pricey side) then I would recommend going for one.
Food
We wanted to save a bit of money by eating in the lodge most evenings during our trip - but there are plenty of great dining options if you do prefer to dine out.
We did get a takeout pizza from the Oaktree restaurant on site one evening, which was very handy (although perhaps a little on the pricey side when ordering for a family of 5 - a family meal deal might be a good thing to offer perhaps?) and we also got a takeaway from the Bluestone Chippy van one evening too which was actually really impressive.
I never really expect much from chippy vans but the quality was actually really good, and it was very reasonably priced too.
In The Area
Whenever we visit Bluestone, we always struggle a bit to tear ourselves away as there is so much to keep us busy - but we did take ourselves off to Tenby for the day which is always well worth doing.
It's around a half an hour drive from Bluestone, and is a really beautiful little seaside town full of colourful houses, kitsch shops and some of the most stunning beaches the UK has to offer. Definitely worth a visit!
We also loved visiting the town of Saundersfoot for a little walk around one evening - it was very picturesque and peaceful.
On our last day we visited The Smugglers restaurant in Narberth - it was a lovely little spot for lunch or an evening meal, with very tasty food and a great menu in a gorgeous spot right on the seafront.
But the best thing about it was the fantastic Pirate themed play area - my little ones absolutely loved it, and could have happily played there all afternoon. I highly recommend a visit if you fancy a nice meal out!
Overall
We had another fantastic stay at Bluestone, and every single one of us left feeling a bit sad to be heading home (Infact my 6 year old cried his eyes out most of the way, asking when we could go back again...always the sign of a great holiday!).
We've always visited Bluestone during the summer months, so we've been talking about perhaps trying to visit during the Christmas period next time as I've heard that their Kingdom Of Elves theme is something really special!
If you're looking for a place to relax while the kids explore and play to their hearts content, in a beautiful setting where you can enjoy some real peace and quiet ....then Bluestone is the place for you.
It really does offer the best of both worlds when it comes to tranquility and fun. The Bluestone experience is pretty hard to beat.
To find out more about visiting Bluestone, please go to https://www.bluestonewales.com/
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