Highlights of Our Family Holiday to Bluestone

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We recently returned from a much needed family break at Bluestone, Pembrokeshire and I already know that we will definitely be back. This year has been a pretty eventful one with some health issues and more hospital visits than I care to mention, so a holiday away making precious memories with our girls was just what the doctor ordered. With Bluestone offering the opportunity to spend some quality time as a family of four full of outdoors, free range fun, I couldn’t wait to pack our bags and make the journey down from Birmingham.

If you haven’t heard of Bluestone (where have you been?) – here’s what you need to know. Bluestone is a car free family resort in the heart of Pembrokeshire, set within 500 acres of UK National Park. Bluestone offers two types of breaks; both Midweek – Monday to Friday, and Weekend – Friday to Monday. With a wide choice of luxury self catering lodges and cottages to suit a variety of family sizes, and plenty to keep families and children alike entertained indoors and out, it really is the ideal base for a family holiday. We stayed in a Ramsey lodge which offers upside down living (the bedrooms downstairs and the living space upstairs) which was the ideal base with glorious views of the Welsh countryside.

Having been to Center Parcs on a regular basis with the girls as they’ve been growing up, I have to admit I wasn’t convinced we’d find a holiday the girls would enjoy as much in the UK, but it appears that we have done just that. The girls are already asking when we can go back, and with lots of exciting updates to Bluestone expected this Summer, there are now even more reasons for us to return!

Here are some of the highlights from our weekend break at Bluestone.

The Blue Lagoon

A trip to Bluestone wouldn’t be complete without at least a few visits to the Blue Lagoon. When it comes to our family holidays, the girls absolutely love the opportunity to pop on their cozzies and have a good splash around, so a fun family friendly swimming pool is an absolute must. The Blue Lagoon water park most definitely didn’t disappoint, with a wave machine, four different speed water flumes, the rippling lazy river that meandered our into the fresh air and both indoor and outdoor jacuzzi pools.

For Neve, (who is two and a half) there was also the benefit of a smaller toddler pool, with a mini slide, balls and water play activities perfectly tailored to Bluestones’ younger guests.

The Bluestone Blue Lagoon is open to non residents who live or may be visiting the Pembrokeshire, however between 9 and 12am it is limited specifically to Bluestone’s guests, meaning its a little quieter than the rest of the day. We tended to make our visits to the Blue Lagoon later in the day at around 4/4.30pm, as at this point a lot of families were heading back to their accommodation or off for their evening meal.

There are some height restrictions on the larger slides, and if children were particularly close to the required height (like Erin who only just made the minimum at 5 years old) they can give you a wrist band so you don’t need to be measured every single time. Having a special wrist band also made Erin feel pretty special too.

Neve is still currently in her arm bands and not entirely at ease in the water, but it was great to see her swimming confidence flourish as she splashed around in the toddler pool, going up and down the slide with a huge grin on her face and even making a few little friends! Erin loved being able to ditch her arm bands and experience the thrill of the flumes with her Dad, giggling all the way down from top to bottom!

My personal highlights of the blue laggon were drifting around in the lazy river as a family, letting the water gently push us through the twists and turns which was very therapeutic! I even got a few minutes to myself in the jacuzzi too- bliss!

With lots of family size changing rooms and plenty of space to get the girls dressed and ready to go, the Blue Lagoon was a popular destination for the girls, who also enjoyed doing a swimsuit boomerang or two (see my insta story highlights!)  .

Toasting Marshmallows at Camp Smokey

On the second day of our stay, the weather turned a little bit chilly, and I heard a passer by talking about toasting marshmallows and was desperate to head along and have a go ourselves. We popped along to Guest Service to find out more info, and they were very helpful and told us that the fire pit was at Camp Smokey, one of the many onsite eateries set in the depths of the woodland.

The walk down to Camp Smokey was magical, with an undulating wooden bridge descending all the way down to camp. It felt like a mini adventure in itself and the girls started singing “We’re going on a bear hunt” as we plodded down to our destination.

Camp Smokey is set in a fantastic rustic woodland setting, where we were able to eat al fresco whilst watching some of the braver Bluestone residents zip wire right over our heads. We purchased our little pot of marshmallows to toast over the fire, and the girls loved holding out the sticks until they started to brown. Yum.

The food at Camp Smokey is your typical barbeque sizzling smokey food – think burgers, ribs, potatoes and corn on the cob. Nom! There is a huge choice of eating places on site at Bluestone, and we didn’t get to test them all during our short stay, however I can definitely recommend the takeaway pizza’s from the Oak Tree Restaurant!

Nature Trails, Fairies and Rapunzels’ Tower

Bluestone really does allow you to embrace everything that the great outdoors has to offer, and with a variety of Nature Trials to choose from right on your doorstep, we took the opportunity twice during our break to head out as a family and take in the beauty of the ancient forest. Not just your average walk in the woods, there were so many little surprises waiting for us nestled among the trees, that the nature trails became another magical experience for the girls.

Despite being a popular resort, Bluestone has somehow managed to retain this air of peace and tranquility which really is something special. Whilst exploring the nature trails, it at times felt like it was just us, the trees and the fairies, like we’d been shifted into a parallel universe of Roald Dahl’s Magic Faraway Tree (so much so, that I half expected to bump into Moonface!)

Whilst the forest is a pretty stunning sight in itself. the addition of little tree houses and Rapunzel’s tower was an adorable sight and it was so cute to see the girls shout up “Rapunzel Rapunzel let down your hair”. She wasn’t in of course, but the girls decided she had simply gone for a swim. Why not?

As we headed deeper into the woods, we meandered down to walk alongside a babbling brook, with the sun was gleaming through the trees and reflecting off this adorable fairy village resting in a nook on the waterside. The girls loved exploring the little village of houses, wells and bridges, with them both making a little wish for the fairies before we continued on to our destination.

The magic didn’t stop there, with a number of beautifully painted ‘critters’ to spot climbing on the trees. This was such a great call by Bluestone – just at the point where little legs were starting to wane in energy; finding the ladybirds, dragonflies and beatles hidden amongst the branches gave them both a sudden second wind, with chants of “I’ve found another one!” and “WOW sooo cool!”. We loved the Bluestone critters so much in fact that we recreated some of our own when we returned – sitting on the patio painting pebbles and then finding them a new home in our garden!

After a little pit stop in the fairies toadstool den, the nature trails continued on, and by this point we’d covered a fairly significant distance. The girls enjoyed running through the make shift cane tunnels, approaching from different sides and meeting in the middle, and it was adorable watching Erin help her younger sister when she got a little lost! The girls loved the tunnel so much that Mike and I got to have a pit stop at the picnic benches, taking a moment to watch our girls playing hand in hand in the sunshine. At home there is always so much going on – toys, technology and the madness of the daily routine, that the nature trails gave us a real gift – the ability to stop and do nothing but breathe it all in. Two sisters making memories 🙂

Golf Buggy

Ask the girls for another of the highlights and I am pretty sure the golf buggy would come pretty high up the list. As an eco-friendly resort, there are no cars on site at Bluestone (other than briefly on arrival day) and whilst Bluestone is accessible by all, there are some areas that are a little bit hilly. With Neve’s little legs who aren’t so keen on walking any significant distance (unless there are critters and fairies to distract her of course), we opted to hire one of the electric golf buggies to get around the park. There is a fee for this, however in my opinion it was a small price to pay for a calmer commute and kinder on my back, as I would’ve inevitably ended up carrying Neve around in my arms!

The girls absolutely loved riding along on our little golf buggy named Sioned, waving at passers by and laughing when Daddy tooted the horn! That said, at times it was a little tricky convincing Neve that she needed a driving license before the could take control of the wheel!

If the golf buggy isn’t your thing, Bluestone also have a variety of bikes and trailers available for hire on site, or a shuttle bus service which can quickly take you from one side of the park to the other.

The Play Areas

The play areas at Bluestone were expanded in 2017 based on customer feedback and are absolutely fantastic. Designed with curious, inquisitive and energetic children in mind, the Village Play area has plenty for little ones to explore and discover.  As soon as Erin set sight on the brightly coloured soft protective matting she let out a little squeal, and they both couldn’t wait to go and check it out.

With plenty of benches surrounding the play area, we could sit in comfort just a stone throw from the girls, meaning we could tuck into an ice cream or cold beer whilst still being confident that our girls were safe and secure.

The playground had lots to keep them busy, with elements suitable for both ages, with Erin enjoying climbing the rope ladders to the giant slide, and Neve loving the mini house and little boat – with it’s moveable steering wheel and binoculars, where she spent most of the morning looking for pirates.

Another nod to their eco-friendly roots, the Village Play Area at Bluestone is also made from natural and plastic free materials, and with the giants chair and natural creations like the fiddle playing fox and the wizard on site, they really have embraced sustainability, and because of this, you always feel like you are in amongst nature. It’s a very refreshing change from the norm.

The Knights of Arkley Myths & Legends Festival

The entertainment at Bluestone varies depending on the season, and at the time of our visit (April 2019) the Knights of Arkley Myths & Legends festival had made its appearance (showing until the 2nd June). We headed to the Tournament field at 6.30pm, to see two beautiful horses arrive, both ridden by dashing knights in suits of armour. The Knights of Arkley event was packed full of fantastic jousting and sword fighting, with lots of audience participation, music and laughter, and the girls loved every minute.

The event became even more exciting for us when they asked for a child volunteer. Erin loves horses so quickly threw her hand in the air, and chosen at random to be involved! She was invited to attempt to pull the sword from the stone, just like in the ancient tale, and we all cheered and laughed when she nonchalantly thrust it out, one handed, with a surprising amount of ease.

I was so proud watching her be crowned a Lady and trot her way back to the audience, and yes I may well have become that embarrasing Mother who woops just that little bit too loud. Apologies to those standing next to me if I damaged your ear drums! 🙂

Venturing Outside of Bluestone – Being a Mermaid on the Beach

We couldn’t go all the way to such a beautiful part of the UK without taking a visit to the beach (a rarity for us urban dwellers!) Having seen some positive reviews we decided to head down to Tenby beach, which is just a short drive away from Bluestone, with Saundersfoot  also being highly regarded. Erin was desperate to tick off an item from her wishlist, which was being a mermaid on the beach, so we took her tail down to the shore where she was able to have a bit of a splash around in the sunshine – life made!

So would I recommend Bluestone?

Most definitely yes, I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was very impressed with everything that Bluestone had to offer, and for the first time in a long time, I came back from my break actually feeling refreshed – where as other holidays have left me feeling like I need another one to recover. We got to spend some real quality time together, enjoy each others company and really talk, and it was so lovely to see the girls playing so nicely together, as four days hand in hand are a real rarity now that Erin has started school.

The relaxed vibe at Bluestone is really special, and at no point during the break did I ever feel like I was being over marketed to, encouraged to spend excessive amounts of money or stuck for entertainment, as we really were spoiled for choice.

Our days were jam packed, fun filled and energetic, and when we got back to our comfy beds at the end of the day, the girls slept amazingly, presumbly dreaming of fairies and woodland surprises.

So what’s next for Bluestone?

Whilst we were cruising around in our golf buggy, we stumbled across the bulging dome of the Serendome – and at the time we had no idea what it was, but we were pretty sure that it was going to be exciting. I’ve since learned that the new Serendome at Bluestone is opening to the public on the 19th July 2019, adding even MORE indoor and outdoor fun!

The Serendome will the be the largest umbrella in the UK and has been four years in the making for Bluestone. There will be four new exciting adventure activities including Wacky Racers – where families will decorate their own Kart and them compete to win the Bluestone Grand Prix (sounds epic), Starcatcher – scaling a 10m tall naturally grown tree and Skywalk/Mini Skywalk, a vertical adventure course like no other!

Also, with the existing playgrounds on the park really sparking the girls imagination, I was excited to learn that there will be not one, not two but THREE more for the girls to choose from, including water play, sand play and an imagination garden

Put simply, we can’t wait to go back to Bluestone. 

I hope you enjoyed learning about our highlights, and if you are visiting Bluestone yourself and have any questions please feel free to pop me a comment or DM me on my channels – I’d be more than happy to share our experiences! 🙂