Back in March, we enjoyed a five day break at Bluestone Wales – a National Park Resort that prides itself on offering free range holidays and short breaks. And bar my youngest child Leo coming down with an unexpected bout of chicken pox whilst we were away, all in all, we had a ‘wales’ of a time.

Here’s what we loved about Bluestone Wales and why I would genuinely recommend it to anyone, but particularly families with young children.

THE ACCOMMODATION

As a resort, Bluestone Wales is huge! So naturally it offers all kinds and sizes of accommodation to meet your needs. We were kindly given a ‘Gateholm Lodge’ to stay in which was perfect for us as a young family of four.

The lodge itself was slightly set back from the road and was lovely. A modern ‘home from home’ which provided everything we needed.

Much to the kids’ delight, our detached two storey lodge provided ‘upside down living’ meaning that the bedrooms were downstairs whilst the kitchen, dining and living room areas were above. And thankfully there was no need to worry about safety with little people and stairs, as being a family resort, Bluestone Wales had all of this already covered with baby gates installed.

Our lodge had three bedrooms – one double and two twins (so could easily have accommodated a family of five or six) and two bathrooms, one of which was en suite.

What did we love the most?

Besides having everything we needed to stay comfortably as a family (which we really appreciated when Leo became poorly with the dreaded pox) we loved the open plan living space which allowed us all to relax and for the kids to play happily.

THINGS TO DO

Bluestone Wales is fantastic because so much is on site, which means that you don’t even have to leave the resort if you can’t or don’t want to!

We were all genuinely pleasantly surprised by the picturesque village centre which not only looks charming but brilliantly provides a number of lovely places to eat, drink and shop! And as no cars are allowed on the resort (apart from when you’re checking in and checking out) it’s incredibly safe for little ones to roam around too. Although do keep an eye out for the golf buggies! You can hire these for a reasonable cost to get around if you want to give your legs a break. However, it’s worth knowing that we chose not to and we had no problems whatsoever.

Besides the village centre there is lots of other stuff to do, most of which is outdoors and really caters for that free range type of holiday where kids can be set loose and be free!

There’s a fantastic water park known as the ‘Blue Lagoon’ which we took great advantage of, plenty of walking trails, soft play areas for both tiny tots and older children and even a lake to stroll around. Plus the resort offers lots of adventure activities or entertainment for an extra cost, if that’s your kind of thing!

As Leo was contagious for a few of the days, we were somewhat limited to how much of the resort we could experience but what we did manage to see we really liked.

What did we love the most? 

To be honest, we loved it all! The Blue Lagoon was a huge hit with Elsie who being aged 6, would have spent the entire time in the water if we’d allowed her to! Whilst Leo loved the soft play and just mooching about on the trails and walking around the lake.

As parents, Jamie and I were both thrilled with the facilities on offer and how much was included in our stay for no extra cost. We also really appreciated the fact that the prices in the shops, cafe and restaurants in the village centre were incredibly reasonable and what we’d normally pay, out and about at home.

GETTING OUT AND ABOUT

I can imagine that most families are quite happy to spend most of their holiday time within the resort and there’s plenty to do and see, so that’s more than possible.

But as we are a) a family who enjoy getting out and about and b) really limited as to where we could take Leo because of the chicken pox, we spent a good few days away from Bluestone and went on a few Welsh adventures of our own.

So we found shells in the drizzle on Tenby beach and dived into a local chippy for cover and enjoyed the most delicious fish and chips lunch when the rain became too much.

We went for drives out into the countryside and got up close and personal with a few of the locals. These little fellas above were some of our favourites.

We admired the coloured coastal buildings (which came in every dreamy pastel shade you can image) counted lots of castles (!), pulling up in the car to take a closer look at some of them and all in all just absolutely loved our time exploring the beautiful Pembrokeshire region and coast. It is a truly gorgeous place and one we’d love to return to again.

What did we love the most?

The proximity of Bluestone Wales to so many wonderful places! The area really does have everything you’d want from a UK family holiday including the most scenic beaches, prettiest seaside towns, stunning countryside dotted with ancient castles and plenty more besides. And it’s all just a short drive away.

WINTER LIGHTS FESTIVAL

I cannot write a review of Bluestone Wales without mentioning their incredible Winter Lights Festival that runs over the winter months until the end of March.

Simply put, it’s magical. Sadly we missed the Merlin light show and parade as Leo was too tired and all toddler-ed out! However we did get to enjoy the enchanted lights trail. And enchanting it absolutely was.

The beautiful displays which became more impressive as the sky became darker were wonderful. From giant lit owls to teeny tiny fairy houses glowing within the trees, it was simply magical. Not showy or grand, just well thought out, very creative and clearly designed with a great deal of love.

What did we love the most?

Every single step of the way! If you ever go to Bluestone over the winter months, you absolutely must make sure you take advantage of the Winter Lights Festival. For us, it remains one of our favourite memories from the break and something we won’t ever forget.

A SUM UP

Whenever I’m writing a review, I’m always very conscious of not just sharing the best bits and making sure that my experience talks about both the good and the not so good. But honestly, when it comes to Bluestone Wales, I really can’t find anything negative to say about it.

The resort caters brilliantly for families, particularly families with young children. Our accommodation wasn’t anything out of the ordinary but did it’s job perfectly and was more than pleasant enough. The resort is in a great location with so many fabulous places just a short drive away and it doesn’t cost the earth to stay there which certainly makes it appealing.

If you’re after something fancy, glamorous or all singing and dancing, then this probably isn’t a place for you.

But if you just want to get away as a family to spend quality time together, take things a little slower and get plenty of fresh air without spending a small fortune, then hand on heart, I think you’ll absolutely love it. We most certainly did.

Many thanks to Bluestone Wales for kindly inviting us to experience their resort as a family. For more information on their holidays, short breaks and attractive offers, you’ll find everything you need to know here.