Holidaying the Bluestone Way – Review

I have to admit I do love a holiday, a break away from it all is always great to clear your head and refocus ready to get back to work.and what better way to start the New Year than a trip to Bluestone.

Arrival

Checking in was a breeze with a drive thru style reception meaning I didn’t have to drag the pickles out of the car.

Couldn’t get into our lodge until 4.30pm but were able to use the Facilities including The pool and Adventure centre. After a 3 hour drive we headed to the WildWood Cafe for some late lunch.

At 4.30 cars were allowed onto the park so that we could unload and settle in before taking car back to the main car park, to then enjoy a car free park for the rest of our holiday.

The Lodge

We were in the Dina Lodge with 4 spacious bedrooms, plenty of room for Baby Pickles travel cot in one of the double rooms with me. The beds were ultra comfy. All of the rooms also had a wardrobe and chest of drawers, the pickles loved unpacking their trunki’s into these.

Our lodge had the most beautiful view overlooking the the hills of the park, including the other lodges right down to the lake.

What can I say about the kitchen in the lodge apart from ‘can I take it home?’. It was kitted out with all the mod cons, microwave, full sized oven, two fridges and my favourite a dishwasher. Plus large pans, Pyrex, plenty of crockery, utensils, cutlery and glassware so it was easy to cook for and serve a larger family.

There was also a huge dining table that comfortably seated 8. In total there were 3 large sofas so no one needed to sit on the floor.

The Blue Lagoon

The pool offered something for the whole family from the water slides and wave pool for the older pickles, to the toddler pool and rock pools for Baby Pickle.

All the pickles loved floating effortlessly around the lazy river, which went outside in the elements, we did get rained on but as the pool water was so warm that wasn’t a problem.

We were provided with our own lifeguard to swim with us as the pickles 13,8,5,3 and 1 didn’t fit into the pool safety requirements, this was a real treat as usually I spend hours in the pool, having to swap pickles with Grandma so they all get a go. The lifeguard was great with the pickles and really helped to encourage Jolie’s (5) water confidence.

Throughout the day the pool has at least 9 lifeguards situated around the pool to keep everyone safe.

The changing rooms were very clean, tidy and warm, with large coded lockers so I didn’t need to worry about losing the key.

The Adventure Centre

Over the 4 days we spent hours in the adventure centre, the pickles absolutely loved it, soft play for baby pickle, Faryl loved the bouncy castle, Jolie the Lego wall, Lexia the crazy golf and well Tegan loved the WiFi!

Tegan and Lexia scaled the sky trail and had good fun, I happily watched from the ground, but parents can joining.

The Village

As we were near the top of the site, we did have quite a steep walk down to the village, but they did have buggies you could hire for your stay, plus the landtrain does a regular circuit around the site. There was a Village Store, stocking all of the basic essentials that you might need when staying on site. A bakery for all your scrumy treats and The Farmhouse Grill restaurant, in which is The Granary where the pickles enjoyed a mini disco and other activities. Also the Treehouse adventure playground and the lake was a quick walk away.

The Food

During our stay we ate in the Wildwood Cafe several time and The Farmhouse Grill on the last night.

I was very impressed with the food, even though there isn’t a huge selection what there was on offer was of great quality, locally produced and reasonably priced.

What else is on offer

Well in a nutshell loads, so we will definitely need to return to try out the rest, including, top of my list. Well Spa Retreat offering a great selection of spa experiences.

Bluestone Lake, we did take a walk around the lake but didn’t get our feet wet Kayaking, Pond Dipping or Raft Building.

Even though we took the a steady walk down the steep ravine, there were lots of activities on offer such as Tree Climbing, High Ropes and Sky Wires all of which I was too chicken to try out.

We stayed on site for the whole of our stay, so it would be lovely to explore the local beaches and landmarks of Pembrokeshire

The Pickles Family Verdict

Lexia, 8 ‘I loved the blue lagoon and the sky trail’

Jolie, 5 ‘Can we go again so I can go outside in the pool and be brave on the water slides again’

Faryl, 3 ‘I liked crazy golf, swimming and all the slides in the centre’

Mummy, lets forget my age, ‘A great place to holiday with all the family, something for everyone whether you are looking for an adrenalin filled holiday or so where to relax and take a break, definitely worth a visit’

Bluestone – Some Facts

• There is a program of over 100 all weather activities, something for everyone.

• Nearly 300 luxury lodges cover the hills.

• Bluestone use local crops to heat Adventure Centre and Blue Lagoon.

• There are over 500 employees working at the resort.

• The resort opened to guests in July 2008.

• Set across 500 acres of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the views are stunning.

We were offer a 4 night stay at Bluetsone to review and share our honest view.

Written by Jessamine Hislop-Newton, Mummy to 5 Pickles, Founder and Owner of Little Pickles Markets

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