Sands Resort

I have been twice, once with extended family including teenagers and grandparents and once with just 3 of us. Absolutely loved it and wish I was going this year.The staff are so friendly.

What a treat this hotel was! I am pleased I did not look at mumsnet before booking as it deserves the much higher review, which trip advisor gives it. Our 2 girls aged 4 and 22 months loved it - the indoor and outdoor pool, the gardens, entertainment and children's tea. We took advantage of the babylistening (not something we'd done before) but the whole proceedure is professionally carried out and it allowed my husband and I to have a relaxing meal and quality time each evening - on top of this food was suberb! The bedrooms were extremely spacious with a separate area for the children to sleep. Lots to do in the area and to top it all, the sun shone daily. Our best UK holiday!!

We have been here for the past three years for a week each time during August. It has always exceeded expectations with great staff and facilities, we will be going back again!

A good family-friendly hotel with family rooms and good food

Stayed four nights Sept 2010 with toddler (nearly two). Lots of great play facilities for her, mostly outdoors but there is the pool, which she loved and the childcare room when not in use for groups. Baby listening an excellent feature. Good setting for trips out and the nearby beach at Porth (few mins walk down the hill) great for kids to play. Great staff and surprisingly good evening meals for the grown-ups. Would go again.

We went Sept 09 with DD aged 2.5 and DS 6m as well as my mum. We had a a special linked family room. Mum in one room (with 2 single beds) kids in travel cots in the center living room and us ( in 2 single beds!) on the either side. The rooms were nice but not amazing. Good sized bathroom. Each room had a baby listening service (which we never used but it was there!). Although this is a very family orientated hotel the rooms had very basic flaws:
1) Each room had its own exit door with no chain or method of locking the door from the inside. My rather short DD would easily open the door and escape. The hotel would provide door gates on request but these were the horrible gates with the bar at the bottom and made it very difficult to exit the room with 2 kids and all the bags and buggys etc. It would be so easy to install chains on the doors at adult height to be used as required.
2)There is no lift. We were on the 1st floor and exhausted ourselves carrying all the bumf we bought up and down the stairs, not to mention struggling with 2 kids and day bags etc. It also meant the buggy had to be folded up to be carried up stairs or left in reception. It also meant our sleeping son either had to be woken or one of us would have to sit down stairs for his nap. Even though there were 3 adults to 2 kids we were exhausted with it all.
3) No on site washing facilities. Fine because I came prepared with lots of hand wash detergent, but then came to the problem of no where to dry it. Either a little laundry room on site or one of those extendible washing lines over the bath would have been good.
Those are the negatives and I have to be honest for me (mum) they were huge as I was generally the one rubbing my hands raw doing the hand wash each night, and finding new ways to barricade the doors etc. I came home absolutely exhausted.
However, my hubby, mum and daughter all adored the place. Its in a lovely location. Beautiful sea views over newquay. Lots of local entertainment (although dont bother with the Eden project, esp with kids - hugely expensive and very very dull even for the avid gardner like my mum).
The hotel entertainment was brilliant and geared for under 7s who adored it (for anyone older it was undeniably naff). The two pools were lovely and the indoor one was very warm. The staff were fantastic and very friendly. The food was ok. For kids it was brilliant with a special 5pm sitting which was carnage but brilliant to get them fed and done with. There were lots of kids clubs for all ages.
I would definately go back but perhaps better armed next time.

Children aged 4 and 7 were in 7th heaven. Facilities and childcare fantastic. Contemporary room with sea view on 2nd floor amazing, perfectly designed with separate but joined bedrooms for children and adults. Loads to do in area. Cove on other side of road absolutely beautiful on good weather day. Camel trail cycling from Wadebridge to Padstow, Eden Project, Heligan, St Ives all easily accessible. Perfect.

We went in April 2008 and have been raving obout it ever since. It was perfect for us with a toddler. The rooms were being gradually refurbished in a contemporary style, the staff were incredibly helpful. There was a new playground, the swimming pool was warm with family changing rooms and showers. Crealy park is 10min away, but would highly recommend just clambering about the rocks on the beaches- the nearest is opposite the hotel albeit down 80 steps!

We decided to holiday in Cornwall at Sands Resort as an alternative to our usual holiday at Centre Parcs. We took two teenagers and a nine year old, The teenagers were extremely bored but our nine year enjoyed the swimming pool. Also used the childrens club for 9yr old, she was the only one booked in, so she was entertained by the two people running the club for 2 hours by playing tennis, climbing, basket ball, etc, nothing was too much trouble..,.I think the hotel is more suited to young families, who want a break from their children when they eat in the evening.
The food at the hotel was excellent! The hotel room was very clean. We would go back again but without the older children...Both 16.

We stayed in July 2007 and were extremely disappointed. We paid a lot for supposedly the best room in the hotel and it was awful! The "lawn view" outside our room was of a patch of concrete used as the staff smoking area. The children's meals were school dinner standard, not what you would expect from a good hotel. The pool was too cold for our toddlers to use and there were no family changing or showering facilities. On the plus side, the children's club, golf course and outside play area were excellent.

"The kids can't wait to go back and neither can we, it's so nice to have a holiday where there is plenty for everyone to do." The atmosphere is "incredibly tolerant" and "the childcare facilites are excellent", plus the location is "lovely." "The standard of accommodation is very good and there's flexible dining to suit all age groups, including adults only." There are "lots of attractions within easy drive and a lovely sandy beach within a ten minute walk (downhill)." Most agreed with one reviewer's verdict: "the most family friendly hotel in the UK we've ever stayed in."

Our 2 boys 4 and 5 loved it. We used the kids club in the mornings and were impressed by the relaxed friendly atmosphere of the staff. The evening club from 7.15 till 9.15 was a great success and meant a week of relaxed dinners a deux. The food was better than I expected though kids teas weren't very well organised and they always seemed to run out of things early on. The accomodation was spacious and the boys enjoyed the playstation provided. Our main difficulty was getting them to leave the hotel to go and explore.

It is excellent for a relaxing family holiday, totally child friendly and the service was great

Wonderful hotel with great children's clubs and fantastic beaches on the doorstep.

Poor standard of accommodation. We paid for the top standard of room and there was mould in shower/dirty carpets/broken sofas very dated decor. Had the feel of a holiday camp! Food was trying to be something it wasn't. Childrens' food was served buffet style with lots of cakes on offer!!! Children not allowed in the bar after 7pm. Expensive for standard offerred. Didn't use the kid's club so can't comment on that but i wouldn't recommend it. We received refund on complaint and went to Watergate Bay, A much better standard hotel on the beach caterng for children!