The lovely Helen who blogs at Twins, Tantrums and Cold Coffee very kindly agreed to write a post all about her recent family holiday to Bluestone, Wales. With 3 children under 3 they put Bluestone to the test to see if it would hold up to being a ‘proper’ holiday. Find out how they got on and what their favourite things were below.
Is there even such a thing as having a ‘holiday’ when you have three kids, all under the age of three?
I didn’t think so, but I’ve actually managed to prove myself wrong after a trip to Bluestone in Wales with our two year old and nine month old twins.
You won’t believe me, but I even felt like I’d had an actual break. Not something I was expecting!
So here are 7 reasons you HAVE to pay Bluestone a visit:
1.The range of activities on offer
Bluestone has over 100 activities on offer for every age group from tiny babies to teenagers, so there is always something to do.
My 9 month old twins did a Baby Sensory session, and could have joined in baby massage and yoga, messy play, or a three hour creche session.
Our two year old loved some of the family entertainment such as Tawny Tails shadow puppet show, and a story session with one of Bluestone’s mascots Buzby Bumbles. If you’ve got older children, they can try their hand at archery, crossbow, laser clay, rock, tree and wall climbing, a sky trail, the high ropes and sky wires, as well as all sorts of sports and nature trails.
But if you don’t want to spend too much, there are also free options.
The Blue Lagoon swimming pool is a beach-style pool with a river rapids ride, wave machine, two water flumes, a lazy river that takes you outside, a pirates’ shipwreck and a separate water cove wet play area for little ones.
Also free is Bluestone’s indoor Adventure Centre. For older kids there is the Sky Trail and The Wall, families can get competitive on the crazy golf course, whilst the little ones can enjoy a bouncy castle, ball pools, diggers, climbing frames, and a separate Circus Zone soft play room.
2. 500 acres of beautiful countryside to safely explore
Bluestone is set in 500 acres of private countryside with 345 lodges, cottages and apartments surrounding its own village. Once you’re unpacked cars aren’t allowed on the site, so you can explore safely without constantly having to shout ‘CAR” at your toddler! You can hire bikes to get around – complete with tag-alongs or trailers, but better still, hire a golf buggy! Even with two adults, a toddler and two babies, we still managed to all get on and loved whizzing from A to B (keeping to the 10mph speed limit, of course). The resort is vast with its own lake and forest, so it’s a great chance to get outdoors and get back to nature with your family.
3. Luxury accommodation
Bluestone lodges range in size from two to six bedrooms and are capable of accommodating between two and 14 people. So it can be a romantic break for just the two of you – or you can it can be the more the merrier with extended family or a group of friends. They come with digital TVs, DVD players, WIFI, dishwasher, microwave and fridge freezer – but beware, no washing machine. You can also stay in a cottage or studio apartment in the resort’s own village. We stayed in a four bedroom St David’s lodge which is one of Bluestone’s flagship accommodation choices, and had a double and three twin rooms, three bathrooms, as well as a playroom (complete with toys of course), and a massive open plan kitchen, dining area and lounge. We were totally spoilt!
4. Spoilt for choice when it comes to food
With a well-stocked shop onsite and such great self-catering facilities in our lodge, we cooked and ate in each night which was just easier with the babies. Let’s face it, eating out with young children is no fun whatsoever. But we grabbed lunch on the go, and had a great choice of five restaurants, the village pub and even a chippy! You can also eat at the Blue Lagoon and Adventure Centre so the kids don’t have to be away from the action for too long.
5. Have some ‘me-time’ at the Spa
If you’re lucky enough to get a break from the family, head straight to Bluestone’s Well Spa for the afternoon and make the most of the time to relax. It has an outdoor hydro pool, brick and celtic saunas, herbal and marine steam rooms, an ice cave, salt room and ‘experience’ showers, as well as an amazingly tranquil relaxation room (where I finished off my spa session with a 20 minute snooze). A whole host of massages, pedicures and facials are on the treatment list, and you can even book your little girls in for a ‘princess makeover’ if you didn’t quite manage to escape the kids entirely.
6. Perfectly positioned to check out the local area
If you fancied a day off from the resort’s fun and games, Bluestone is located in the Welsh Pembrokeshire Coast National Park – perfect for getting out and about. It has both stunning coast and countryside on the doorstep to make the most of and is close to the famous seaside town of Tenby, the magnificent Preseli hills, and fabulous beaches.
7. Bluestone is a ‘proper break’
With so much to keep the children occupied, the age-old adage of ‘happy children, happy parents’ really does come into play. Book the activities online before you get there and the morning decision-making on what you’ll do that day is taken out of your hands. You could eat breakfast, lunch and dinner out if you want to, and forget cooking. And if all else fails – there’s a creche! If you’re anything like me, you’ll feel you really did have a holiday.
To read Twins, Tantrums and Cold Coffee’s full review of Bluestone click here: https://twinstantrumsandcoldcoffee.com/bluestone/
For more information about Bluestone, log onto www.bluestonewales.com
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