Photo Credit: Steve HaywoodLast weekend, we were invited to spend two nights at Devon's Crealy Resort - home to the brand new Sooty Land! We had such a fantastic time...let me tell you all about it!
What Is Crealy Resort?
Crealy Resort is comprised of Crealy Theme Park and it's adjoined campsite Crealy Meadows. Located just a 10 minute drive from the city of Exeter, Crealy is an ideal base for exploring everything that Devon has to offer but if you fancy staying put then it's perfect too as there is so much to do at the resort!
Crealy Theme Park
The theme park has been a favorite of my children for years now, it's big enough to keep them really well entertained with plenty of fun rides, play areas and shows but not so big that it feels overwhelming like many theme parks do.
My kids absolutely love the themed play areas such as Fort Crealy and Pirates Revenge as well as the many little play parks dotted around - there are also lots of great rides to suit all tastes. My eldest son is a thrill seeker and he loved the Maximus roller coaster - it is a kids coaster but it was enough to keep him happy! My middle child on the other hand is not a fan of thrill rides, but there was still lots to keep her busy - her favourites were the carousel and the driving school.
As well as the play areas and rides, there are also regular shows featuring the parks mascots Buddy & Blossom Bear and there's even an animal area where you can get up close with insects, meerkats and llamas too!
Crealy Meadows
Although we'd visited Crealy for days out many times before, this was our first time visiting the campsite and I wasn't too sure what to expect - but it's fair to say that whatever expectations I had, Crealy blew them out of the water!
We stayed in one of the Buddy Bear Explorer Lodges - a large static caravan-style lodge which stylish and spacious throughout. The lodge was comprised of a childrens twin bedroom complete with Buddy and Blossom theming which my kids loved, a family bathroom with a bath and shower, a large master bedroom with en suite shower room and a large living room and kitchen with dining area.
The couch in the living room pulls out to a double bed, so the lodge can sleep up to 6 people and there was plenty of seating for a family of 6 too.
Our favorite part of the lodge was the outside seating area which came complete with our own private hot tub! This was such a treat for tired feet after a long day in the theme park, and the kids absolutely loved it - we made sure to use it every morning and evening, it really made our stay feel extra special!
Photo credit: Crealy
Sooty Land
The reason for our invitation was the launch of Crealy's all new Sooty Land - a new area of Crealy which is included in your general admission price.
Sooty Land features 4 brand new rides - Sootys Magic Bus, Sweeps Flying Circus, Soo's Balloon Ride and Izzy Wizzy Lets Get Dizzy, as well as a revamped indoor play area themed to Sooty and his pals.
The indoor play area is now called The Pier and we were so impressed with this space as not only does it include the fantastic soft play area that the children knew and loved, but it's now home to a mirror maze, a giant games room, a dance area and even a Sooty Hall Of Fame featuring some of the classic props and memorabilia from Sooty's 75 year television career!
As well as the rides and play areas, Crealy is also hosting daily performances of The Sooty Show which we were able to see - the show brought back so many fond memories of my own childhood as a Sooty fan myself, and it was lovely to see my own children falling in love with the same characters I had been so fond of. As well as being entertaining for the children, the magic show was packed full of laughs for the grown ups too - it really was such a fun experience!
We were lucky enough to get to meet Sooty and Sweep alongside their "right hand man" Richard Caddell during a special appearance for the press event, but don't worry as there's a special meet & greet area where Sooty will be making regular appearances for all guests!
Photo credit: Crealy
Our Thoughts
Overall we were so impressed with the accommodation and camp site at Crealy, and would highly recommend it if you're planning a visit to Devon with children - I don't think you'll find a better place to stay.
As for Sooty Land, we all had the best time visiting - it was such a nostalgic experience for Jon & myself, and the children loved every moment of it - they've been asking when we can go back again ever since we got home which I always think is the best possible review!
We give Sooty Land and Crealy a big 10/10!
To find out more about visiting Sooty Land or staying at Crealy, please visit https://www.crealy.co.uk/
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