Ladram Bay Holiday Park review: "One of the best holiday parks we've been to!"

Luxury lodge rates: From £500 for two nights | Offer alert: Save 20% with code: DEVON20

*Price refers to luxury lodge with hot tub, other accommodation includes camping, glamping, caravan and motorhome pitches, holiday homes, seaview apartments and Ladram cottage.

Verdict

This is one of the best UK holiday park stays we’ve had. The accommodation was finished to an excellent standard, the facilities were fantastic and the staff were genuinely brilliant throughout our stay. The location is absolutely beautiful, combining countryside scenery with incredible coastal views, and it felt relaxing from the moment we arrived.

What stood out most was how family-friendly everything felt. There was plenty to keep children entertained, lots of thoughtful touches for dog owners and enough space in the accommodation that we never felt cramped, even as a larger group. The combination of the hot tub, sea views, excellent food and brilliant facilities made it feel like a really special getaway without needing to travel abroad.

We would absolutely return and would happily recommend it to other families looking for a UK holiday park with a luxury feel.

How we tested Ladram Bay Holiday Park

We travelled as a group with my husband, our four-year-old daughter, our five-year-old cavapoo, my sister, her husband and their one-year-old cocker spaniel.

This was our first time visiting the park, although we’ve previously stayed at Eurocamp sites abroad as well as Center Parcs overseas. It was also our first trip away with the dogs, which we were slightly nervous about beforehand, but it ended up being a really easy and enjoyable experience for everyone. Our daughter already enjoys these kinds of holidays, so we knew she would love the mix of activities and outdoor space.

What’s the accommodation like?

We stayed in the Ocean View Luxury Lodge, which included one main bedroom with an ensuite, one twin room and a sofa bed in the lounge.

The first thing that surprised us was how spacious the lodge felt. Compared to many holiday homes we’ve stayed in before, there was far more room to spread out and it never felt like we were living on top of each other. Each bedroom even had its own separate walk-in cupboard, which gave us loads of storage space and helped keep the lodge tidy throughout the stay.

The lounge area was particularly large and comfortable, with three sofas that worked perfectly for relaxing and playing board games together in the evenings. We also really liked having both indoor and outdoor dining tables, as it meant we could switch depending on the weather.

The outdoor space was excellent for families with young children or dogs. The gated decking area gave us complete peace of mind knowing our daughter and the dogs couldn’t wander off. There was also a small grass area outside which was really handy for quick toilet breaks for the dogs.

One of the biggest highlights was the hot tub. It was beautifully warm and felt incredibly luxurious, especially when enjoying it in the sunshine with the sea view in front of us.

The kitchen was also extremely well equipped. We had every utensil, pot, plate and glass we needed, which isn’t always the case in self-catering accommodation. We didn’t need to bring anything extra from home.

Having two bathrooms made a huge difference when getting everyone ready in the mornings, although the showers could occasionally struggle to stay hot if both were being used at once. Slightly more powerful showers would have improved things further.

We also managed to fit two cars onto the driveway, although only just - luckily the larger car park was nearby.

What are the pools like?

The pool facilities were excellent for families with children of different ages.

There were two indoor pools, including one large heated pool that was only around 1.2m deep, making it perfect for younger children who still want space to swim and play safely.

Attached to the main pool was a jacuzzi area with underwater loungers, which was a lovely touch for adults wanting to relax while still staying close to the children.

There was also a separate children’s pool which included built-in toys and interactive features. My daughter absolutely loved this area. There was even a small children’s waterslide too.

Outside, there was a splash zone with fountains and water features for kids to run through. This area was particularly well designed because there were lots of nearby sun loungers, meaning parents could supervise easily without necessarily getting soaked themselves.

For adults aged 16+, there was also a sauna and steam room. These were fairly small and basic but still a really nice added bonus.

The changing facilities were perfectly fine and included larger family changing rooms, which made things easier with children. One thing to note is that you need a £1 coin for the lockers.

Other on-site facilities and things to do

Teddy Bear Workshop

The teddy bear making workshop was one of the standout activities of the trip. It felt similar to Build-A-Bear but was far more interactive and much more reasonably priced. Our daughter loved choosing clothes for her unicorn and putting in its little heart. She got to practice her writing skills when filling in her birth certificate for her new favourite teddy. 

Outdoor play area

The pirate ship playground was brilliant. It was clean and modern and had multiple ladders and climbing areas to keep children entertained. It was also large enough for plenty of children to play together comfortably.

The larger play area had plenty to do for all age groups, and my daughter loved the spiral slide. The surrounding area felt relatively enclosed too, which made it easier to supervise younger children. The views from the playground were incredible with the sea and cliffs in the distance.

Soft play

The soft play area was quite small, although luckily it wasn’t busy during our visit. While small, it did extend quite far back and so there were cameras which faced the seating area which made for a thoughtful touch for parents. It was also very clean!

Arcade

The arcade was much better than expected. There was a huge variety of games and everything felt clean, modern and well maintained. Some of them are expensive (one of the claw machines that “guaranteed a prize” was £4 just for one go) and while it was helpful to have contactless card readers on the change machines, they were default set to very high amounts (£30!) 

Dog park

The dog agility area was a lovely bonus feature and ideal for smaller dogs wanting to burn off some energy. It was only a small fenced area though, so it could feel cramped if busy, and larger dogs might easily clear the fencing. The location next to several large open fields was fantastic for dog walks.

Kids disco

The kids disco played genuinely current music that children actually recognised and enjoyed, including songs from things like KPop Demon Hunters. There was plenty of seating for parents and ordering drinks to the table through the app was very convenient.

The only thing missing was perhaps a bit more structure or interaction. A host leading games or activities would have made it feel more engaging, and the characters only appeared briefly at the very end.

What’s the food like?

Restaurant and Drinks

The restaurant menu was surprisingly extensive and catered really well for both adults and children.

For non-alcoholic drinks there were soft drinks, milkshakes, slushies and some really fun mocktails. The Tricksie mocktail was especially good.

Cocktail lovers are also well catered for. The pina coladas were excellent, and we really appreciated the range of local drinks available too, particularly the Otter Ale.

Quality of food

The quality of the food exceeded our expectations, especially given how reasonably priced everything was.

Some highlights included:

• Mixed Grill: hearty and perfectly cooked

• Indian Sharing Board: full of authentic flavour

• Nachos: generous and really tasty

• The Big Bay Burger: excellent quality and very filling

We also had the fish and chips takeaway and this was also really great quality and value for money. They also made it pretty quickly which was surprising as it was a big order.

Service

The service throughout our stay was genuinely fantastic and really helped make the holiday memorable.

At one point we accidentally forgot to order our daughter’s drink. When the staff realised, they quickly brought her the drink she wanted free of charge, which was such a thoughtful gesture.

Those small touches of hospitality really stood out and made us feel very welcome.

On-Site Shop

There is an on-site shop with useful essentials and it had virtually anything you needed in there. We bought a few extra family games there as we’d forgotten to bring a few things. I also found it relatively cheap, and not a rip off. The only downside was that it closed earlier than we expected during our stay.

What is there to do nearby?

One of the best things about this park is its location. Being so close to the beach meant we could easily enjoy coastal walks, beach trips and sea views throughout the stay.

The surrounding countryside is also beautiful, with lots of large open spaces and walking routes nearby, making it ideal for families with dogs or young children who want plenty of outdoor space.

We did a visit to Lyme Regis to go fossil hunting and my daughter loved this! We managed to find a few ammonites in the rocks and bought a special hammer to open them up easily. Dogs were allowed on this beach which made it super fun for everyone.

About the author

Rebecca Warbis is a UX Designer at Mumsnet where she works closely with the Tech and Product teams to make the site easier for parents to use, interact and engage with. She regularly travels with her family both in the UK and abroad and has plenty of experience staying in a whole range of holiday parks including Eurocamp and Center Parcs.

For this review she travelled with her husband, four-year-old daughter and cavapoo alongside extended family and their dog in order to give a well-rounded perspective on how well Ladram Bay caters for families and dog owners.

About the editor

Jenny Wonnacott is a mum of three school-aged children and a content editor for Mumsnet, where she covers a wide range of parenting topics. She combines her professional experience with real-world parenting know-how to guide families on everything from the best baby monitor to safe sleeping advice to the board games guaranteed to get preteens off screens.

Travel has always been a big part of Jenny’s life, from childhood holidays right through to travelling with her own family today. She’s experienced just about every kind of family holiday – including camping, holiday parks, long-haul adventures, skiing, city breaks and all-inclusive stays. From Club Med to camping in the Cotswolds, Jenny has years of experience discerning which facilities, amenities, activities and thoughtful little extras makes the difference between a good holiday and the best holiday ever.

About Mumsnet travel reviews

All Mumsnet travel reviews are written by real people after extensive hands-on testing. We travel with children to test out how each property caters to families and assess whether it's genuinely geared up for kids. We test the beds, amenities and food, and explore the local area to highlight stand-out features and address any concerns. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. We may be hosted on a complimentary basis and sometimes we earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage and we will only ever publish an honest review.