New Park Manor Hotel review: the perfect venue for a kid- and dog-friendly getaway

The secluded heated outdoor pool

Set in the heart of the beautiful New Forest, New Park Manor Hotel offers a luxury getaway with thoughtful touches that make every member of the family feel welcome.

Made up of a 15th Century hunting lodge and modern extension, there are rooms and suites to sleep couples or families of up to 7, plus a newly refurbished spa with a great range of treatments. Little ones from age 3 months to 8 years get 2 hours of childcare in the on-site OFSTED-registered Four Bears Den, leaving parents free to enjoy the spa or a stroll in the forest.

Four-legged family members are welcome too, and we loved the comfy beds, food bowls and goodie bags that were waiting in our room for our two small terriers.

The whole hotel is carefully designed to provide a relaxing break for every visitor, with helpful touches like non-slip bath mats, a dog washing station and plentiful board games dotted around the hotel and grounds.

It can often feel like a relaxing luxury getaway needs to be kid- and pet-free, but New Park Manor Hotel manages to strike just the right balance - I'd highly recommend it for a family break in the New Forest.

Relaxed family dining at the spacious Vinery Restaurant

How we tested

I stayed at New Park Manor Hotel with my wife and two kids (aged 11 and 13) for one weekend in June. We drove from Bognor Regis, which took just over an hour. We stayed in adjoining Superior rooms and took advantage of the games room, outdoor pool and the relaxed Vinery restaurant, as well as enjoying treatments in the spa.

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What are the rooms like?

We stayed in adjoining Superior rooms, which were spacious, comfortable and with plenty of room for two in each. Our dogs were greeted with a goody bag (containing a tennis ball, three poo bags and two chewy treats), bed and two bowls for food and water each. At £25 per dog, per night, it's cheaper than getting a dog sitter or boarding. Plus, dogs won't want to miss walkies in the heart of the New Forest, which is just a couple of minutes walk away, down a quiet track alongside the neighbouring polo field.

Our tweens made themselves at home in the adjoining room, which was set up with twin beds. Both rooms had a massive TV, and we had a great time playing board games until midnight with Glastonbury on in the background.

I would have liked to have been able to set some kind of parental controls on the TV in the kids' room, like we have at home, as I'm not sure what ungodly hour they stayed up to in the end.

Each room has an en suite bathroom with a bath, shower, sink and toilet. Toiletries are full-sized bottles of Bramley products, which "please don't take me" stickers - I really liked this as it means you don't have to scrimp and make little hotel-sized toiletries stretch. There was even a non-slip bath mat discreetly rolled under the sink, and a low light by the loo for late-night toilet trips.

In the mini fridges I was thrilled to find a tiny bottle of proper organic semi-skimmed for making tea and coffee, and two bottles of water chilling away. There's plenty of space to store snacks and drinks of your own, too.

Our rooms had a gorgeous view of the forest, and we even got to see a herd of deer grazing at twilight on the fields.

What activities are on offer?

The Four Bears Den Kids Club

My kids made a beeline for the games room, and managed to beat me at table tennis. We had a game of pool - there are adult and kid-sized cues - and the kids liked the retro-looking arcade games (although only one of the three was working when we visited). Parents of younger kids were snuggling up for story time on the oversized bean bags, and enjoying the building blocks.

Each evening the games room is transformed into a cinema and there are two kid-friendly films to choose from, with a weekly programme of crowd-pleasing titles displayed in the hotel lobby.

In the spa you'll find an indoor pool and even mini treatments suitable for ages 3 and up. As the weather was good during our stay, we stuck to the outdoor pool, but my 13-year-old skincare fanatic loved her pampering junior facial in the luxurious spa treatment rooms.

Outdoors, you'll find a heated pool ringed by sunloungers, with towels provided. Guests are encouraged to wear the fluffy white dressing gowns provided in each room so they can arrive swim-ready and change into and out of their cossies in their rooms. The pool isn't huge, but it is big enough to indulge in races back and forth while giving babies and their parents plenty of space, and I found the warm water makes such a difference to how much fun one has when the weather's less than tropical.

There's a well-equipped playground and lawn games like sucker archery and giant Jenga to play with on the large lawn. Dogs are allowed in this part of the hotel, but they do need to stay on leads.

When it's time to wind down, there's a cosy reading nook with a well-stocked bookcase of bedtime favourites for all ages, plus board games you can play in the nook, take down to the Stag lounge or smuggle up to your room.

For younger children, the Four Bears Den offers arts and crafts, dressing up, toys and outdoor play - all supervised and with 2 hours included per day. You do need to book ahead though, so be sure to organise slots for your little ones ahead of time.

In the school holidays and at weekends, there's a whole programme of family activities on offer, from forest school to mocktail making and scavenger hunts to bird feeder decorating.

The games room and cinema

What amenities are available for kids?

You'll be glad to know that you won't have to lug all your baby gear along to New Park Manor. There are cots, toilet seats, baby baths and even a Milk Butler service delivering sterilised bottles and warm milk. You don't even need to bring your buggy as there are Bugaboo Butterfly prams available for naps and strolls around the forest. One thing I felt was missing was pool toys - so be sure to pack some of your own favourites.

If you want to go for dinner without your little ones, there are video baby monitors available free of charge, or a babysitting service at £25 per hour for a minimum of two hours.

- Mumsnet user TryingToJuggle

Is New Park Manor Hotel dog friendly?

We'd never brought our dogs to a hotel before, usually opting for pet-friendly AirBnBs or booking a sitter, so it was lovely to be able to bring them on this trip with us. Both dogs were given a warm welcome from staff, and I loved the small, thoughtful details, like a water bowl at reception and a dog washing station and poo bin in the main car park. I also noted the carpets seem super tough and possibly waterproof throughout the hotel, so I didn't worry about leaving any paw prints.

One happy customer

In our room, there were comfy beds for both dogs, plus a goody bag, food and water bowls and even a room service menu of canine-approved meals. We brought the dogs with us to our meal in The Vinery restaurant, which is spacious with a relaxed atmosphere, so we felt right at home. If you're so inclined, there's an afternoon tea for dogs (options for humans are also available).

What’s the food like?

There's a good selection of classics and more refined local delicacies on the adults' menu, and we went for generous portions of chicken Caesar salad, pesto pasta and tofu with roasted vegetables from the hotel's kitchen garden. A gang of impeccably behaved French children ran in from their game outside, ate burgers, chicken schnitzel and ragu off plastic plates and dashed back outside to play again.

I had a peek at the kids menu, and there's something for the fussiest (trust me, I've been there) - like a cheese sandwich and pom bears, as well as the more adventurous - like a katsu curry, plus a selection of purees for babies.

In the interests of relaxation, we ordered breakfast to our room for no extra charge. The avocado and poached eggs on toast were filling and wholesome, but the pancake portions were a tad skimpy for my kids' appetites.

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What is there to do nearby?

The hotel is set in the New Forest and Hampshire County Show grounds, and the forest itself is just a couple of minutes' walk down a rugged pathway. As long as your buggy has good wheels, it's not too rugged although there are a couple of heavy gates to open to get into the forest from the hotel.

With over 100 miles of car-free cycle track through the forest, it's a great opportunity to get out on your bikes - bring your own or hire from recommended local company Cyclexperience. In terms of villages, Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst are nearby and there's sleepy Lepe beach if you fancy some sea air and a cornetto - which also boasts a cafe and playpark.

Moors Valley Country Park is 25 minutes away by car, home to a mini railway, Go Ape high ropes walk and some truly epic playgrounds. For Peppa Pig fans, don't miss Peppa Pig World at Paultons Park.

What’s the spa like?

We treated ourselves to a trip to the spa, and the kids were keen to try out the Mini Ishga treatments. The spa has been newly renovated this year, with new sunken hot tubs added to the expanded terrace, revamped treatment rooms and the innovative Somadome experience.

It's worth noting an adult needs to sit in while under-16s are having their facial or massage. My 13-year-old loved her skincare treatment, saying it left her skin feeling really well moisturised, and my 11-year-old found his 25-minute massage super relaxing.

I opted for a 55-minute, full body massage - which was blissful. The treatment rooms are low-lit, quiet and peaceful and the spa's therapists are serene and professional. My wife gave the newly-installed Somadome a whirl - it's a pod where you're completely immersed in a guided meditation featuring light therapy, magnetic waves and binaural beats. It's a choose your own adventure situation, with a menu including Recharge, Motivate and Manifest programmes. She found it relaxing if a little discombobulating, likening it to a turbo-charged Headspace session with bells on.

The hotel is now offering 3-month summer spa membership for both adults and kids, so if you're local to the New Forest National Park it's worth a look for all-weather swimming in the indoor heated pool.

About the author

Poppy O'Neill is a Content Editor at Mumsnet and a mother of two. She's been researching and reviewing the products Mumsnetters swear by for 3 years, with a particular focus on home essentials, laundry and fans. From a highly-recommended retractable washing line to the best quiet fans money can buy, and Mumsnet's favourite dehumidifier to the steam generator iron that'll cut your ironing time in half, she loves to deep-dive into research and find the very best products on the market.

Poppy is also an award-winning, best-selling children's and parenting author of books such as Don't Worry, Be Happy, The Extraordinary Book That Makes You Feel Happy and Mother Power. She specialises in children's mental health and her books are used by therapists, teachers and SENCOs across the UK. She won a The Week Junior Book Award in 2023, her books have been translated into several languages and she's been featured in The Guardian, The Sunday Times and The Sun.