Sandford Holiday Park

...have been to the wonderful Sandford Park in Poole, Dorset, three times now. I went twice when I was younger, with my dad and brother and then returned as an adult, in 2001, with my husband and our kids. My husbands mum and dad also came with us and I will base this review mainly on my experiences there in 2001.

##THE PARK##

Sandford Park is set in 64 acres of woodland, close to Purbeck Hills. They cater for all sorts ...
...literally loads to do at Sandford Park. During the day, there are both indoor and outdoor pools. Both are really nice and large. When we went in October only the inside pool was open, which was a large pool, with swimming lanes, play area and a whirlpool effect round the edges of one side. There were changing rooms and lockers here too. This was free for people staying on the site, although you had to show your card (which you are given on check ... more

I have been to the wonderful Sandford Park in Poole, Dorset, three times now. I went twice when I was younger, with my dad and brother and then returned as an adult, in 2001, with my husband and our kids. My husbands mum and dad also came with us and I will base this review mainly on my experiences there in 2001.

##THE PARK##

Sandford Park is set in 64 acres of woodland, close to Purbeck Hills. They cater for all sorts of holidaymakers and their varying budgets.

They offer a variety of holiday homes there, which include one bedroom caravans that sleep 2-4, two bedroom caravans that sleep 4-6, three bedroom caravans that sleep 6-8, then the lodge style caravans that sleep either 4-6 or 6-8, depending on number of bedrooms. There is also space for holidaymakers with tents. We’re not really a camping sort of family so cannot comment on the facilities there, but they do have a new shower block and toilets, and there are TV points and water on the super serviced pitches. There is also a warden, in case you feel more isolated and at risk outside of the main lockable lodges etc.

Our chalet~~

We stayed in a lodge style caravan in 2001. Bearing in mind there were 4 adults and 3 children in our party, the lodge was really spacious and we never felt on top of each other at all.

It was a three-bedroom place with a large living area. The kitchen and dining area were open plan onto the main living area and there was a family bathroom. One of the bedrooms was en-suite.

Bedrooms~~
Bed 1 – Our two older boys had this room, and it was a nice size. The bunk bed was fitted into the corner of the room and it was no ordinary bunk bed. The bottom bunk was a normal single size bed along one wall, but at right angles to this was the large wardrobe with a double bunk bed on the top. The ladder was in between the bottom bunk and the wardrobe doors. Our boys had to take it in turns to sleep on the top bunk as it was really big and comfortable and they both wanted it.
Bed 2 – My husband and I had this room. It was another good size with a nice double bed in it. There were wardrobes along the bottom of the room with a dressing table. We had our 6-month-old son in with us, in a travel cot and there was plenty of room at the end of the bed to have the travel cot up and enough room to walk around it. We also had the en-suite shower in our room, which consisted of a sink, toilet and shower cubicle. The shower was powerful enough for a nice shower and we never ran out of hot water. It was really handy to have the en-suite, because with 7 people to wash, and use the loo it could have become a problem.
Bed 3 – This was a standard twin room with two single beds either side of the room. There was a small bedside table in between the beds and a wardrobe in the corner of the room. My in-laws had this room and were quite comfortable.

All the bedrooms had bed linen and duvets, which I loved as I hate blankets!

Main living area~~
The living area was really large and spacious. We had enough room for my 6 month old to have his mat out and quite a few toys around the floor, without getting in anyone’s way. There were enough sofas for everyone to have a sit down and watch the TV – not that we did really – but we could have. There were large patio doors leading from the living area to the balcony outside the lodge and this would have been gorgeous on a summers day or evening. We went in October so it was a bit nippy for this.
The dining area was a basic picnic type table in the corner. It had a long cushioned bench going all the way round so everyone could fit around together. The baby was in a high chair so there was plenty of elbow room for everyone to eat.

The kitchen was small but adequate for a self-catering holiday. It came equipped with all the niceties, like kettle, toaster, microwave, fridge & cooker. There were also plates, cutlery and cups etc, so we didn’t need anything other than food to settle in.

The main bathroom was a bit small but also adequate as we had the en-suite too. There was a sink, loo and a half bath. This was brill for the kids although our oldest was a bit squashed.

Outside the chalet was a large area for our car to be parked away from the main road way and an area of grass around the front and back for the kids to play or to have am afternoon drink. The balcony was also pretty large and was undercover which was nice in the October rain!

On the site~~

There are literally loads to do at Sandford Park. During the day, there are both indoor and outdoor pools. Both are really nice and large. When we went in October only the inside pool was open, which was a large pool, with swimming lanes, play area and a whirlpool effect round the edges of one side. There were changing rooms and lockers here too. This was free for people staying on the site, although you had to show your card (which you are given on check in) to get in. The outside pool (which is open May 27–Sept 2) is extremely big and heated when open, and is pretty central to the chalets. It has a kind of “sea” effect in that it gets deeper gradually, with very shallow paddling water at the edges. There is room for sun loungers and so on around the pool. They also have a separate children’s pool with a sandy beach effect around it.

Other free activities and amenities at the site include an Outdoor Adventure Pirate Ship. This is good as it is located right outside the doors to the main club rooms so it is easy to keep and eye on the little ones.

Various clubs for the kids that are age friendly. There is the Tot Stars activity for under 5s and the Star Landers children's club for 5–11s, then the Action Stars activity for over 12s. Our children didn’t join any of these so I cannot comment on their content or ability to keep the kids entertained, however we did get talking to another family who had their kids in the club for 5-11’s and they seemed very happy with it.

There is a theme for the parks kids each night that include ‘Sid the Seagull’ and 'Lizzie the Lizard' characters. They worked very hard to get the kids up and using some energy, dividing them into teams, one seagull and one lizard then playing loads of games in competition. Our middle son joined in with these a lot and really enjoyed himself.

There is a large main family room, where most of the entertainment is held. Through the day it just a room where you can meet and have a drink (bar is in the same room) or some lunch but in the early evening the bingo is held, and then it goes onto more of an adult themed entertainment. There is usually some audience participation games played, which are always a laugh and then site entertainers will either do a show of some sort or there will be an outside entertainer brought in for your nights show. In another large, bar/room is where the kid’s entertainment is held. This is where you find Sid and Lizzie, and the kids disco, games, competitions and general craziness if family holidays. The bar in this room is open all day and there a few fruit machines dotted around. They had one of the big pay out ones and we won £57 one day!

They have a carvery restaurant on site and an outdoor barbecue but we ate in the chalet each night, trying to keep costs to a minimum.

Outside the main club room there is a takeaway, serving burger, chips and so on and a pancake parlour inside the kid’s area. These are delicious and well worth the £3 or so for each one.

Other facilities, for which there was a separate charge are bowlingo, Riding stables which take you on forest treks, crazy cave, darts and snooker, go karts (the kids loved these and as the site was fairly quiet when we went they got really long goes), crazy golf, tennis courts, bike hire (we used this too, and you could have normal single person bikes or those big family cart affairs), outdoor bowling green and launderette.

Pets are welcome at Sandford Park, although we put our dog and cat in the kennels. They cost an extra £35 per week each and you can take a maximum of 2 animals. I think this is probably restricted to dogs but it doesn’t specify. They have a doggy zone with pert friendly exercise areas. Not all the caravans will allow pets though so check before you choose your accommodation.

##THINGS TO DO##

Sandford Park is located near Poole in Dorset, which boasts many of Dorset’s Blue Flag beaches, both sandy and non-sandy. There are water sports available on some of these beaches and I can remember my dad going wind surfing when I was little here.

Tower Park Leisure Park and Monkey World are a short distance away.

Lulworth Cove is only 12 miles from the park and I can remember seeing the beautiful Durdle Door here when I was little. I think my dad and sister swam out there but I was too scared.

The one thousand year old Corfe Castle and Poole harbour are good places to visit too.

Bournemouth is only 11 miles away if you like it livelier and the New Forest is 26 miles away if you feel like a good natural day out.

We never really ventured much out of the park to be honest when we went in October 2001 as the weather was a bit wet and cold, however if we ever went back in the summer we would definitely explore more and see the beautiful surroundings of the South West.

##OTHER INFO##

The best website I have seen with information on current prices etc is www.hoeseasons.co.uk but just by doing a search on Sandford Park you will get a host of websites giving you information.

The park is open from April to October usually, although check at time of choosing as they may be extended slightly into November.

Overall I would recommend this park as a good family holiday. They do not allow all-girl, all-boy groups there, nor large parties of youngsters, so you can be assured it will not get too rowdy or be too boisterous. Our kids loved it, as did the in laws so it caters well for young and old. The entertainment was fantastic and the drinks were reasonably priced. Not leaving the site did not leave us bored either as there was plenty to do during the day for everyone. 

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