Can you tell me about Bluestone in Pembrokeshire or Eiropean Center Parcs?

[thecatwiththesilveryfur]

I'd like to book a holiday for this summer and have heard good things about Bluestone - does anyone have any experience?

I'm also looking at the European Center Parcs - my son would love to go abroad - but I'd prefer not to hire a car and I'm worried about transport. Any thoughts? We're based in north east London, for context.

Thanks for any wisdom!

Oh, no, and there's a typo in the title which I now can't change!

Bluestone is good fun. Nice mix of indoor and outdoor stuff. Off site there’s a nice local town to visit and a couple of decent beaches too.

I would say it’s aimed for the under 10s of that helps with decision making. Definitely hire a golf buggy if you go as they are good fun to whizz you round the site plus it’s very hilly so you don’t want to have to walk everywhere. There is an on-site super market but it’s not the biggest so we tend to stop at the supermarket on the way so we can stock up.

I'm not sure which European cebtre parka you meant OP, but I cab highly recommend Siblu parks in France, nice big holiday park with lodges and lots of family activities, alot better facilities and France as a whole is better for families.

I found that with a ferry crossing and some diesel it was half the price of the knock off centre Parks in Wales and we had much more fun (and nice wine on the cheap!)

We have done three European centreparcs, the “nature park” near Disney Paris, another one in eastern France and one in Netherlands. We also stayed at a Eurocamp in Netherlands which had free access to a zoo and a play park.

We enjoy them a lot but you do need great weather to make the most of them so go in the driest month you can find.

I wouldn’t have wanted to go to any of them without my car, but it would have been possible for the Dutch and Paris park.

We picked both for having good pools and ignored the people moaning on Tripadvisor - if you go with the right approach you’ll have a great time. The ratings are often skewed by people being very grumpy about lack of customer service when they have a problem.

Maybe also consider Duinrell? Could be perfect for you.

I found that:

• booking early gave me amazing discounts so I could upgrade accommodation (definitely worth paying the fee to reserve accommodation near to the “centre” so you don’t have long walks to get to the main facilities).

• taking a car was handy as saved loads on the self catering - we could drive to a local supermarket.

• we packed dc scooter in boot of car which definitely helped in the larger Paris park and walking to the beach at the Netherlands.

• with or without a car, I would recommend plan to use the launderette facility (Eur 3.00) once, to minimise luggage.

• prices have shot up for bookable activities since Covid. We only did a few and mainly stuck to free walking trails, pools, playgrounds, soft play, farm, and our three “included” activities for dc.

• some activities are fab - the high ropes course at the Paris course was really good. Others are a bit disappointing so do read the reviews before you select any expensive activities.

We’ve been to Bluestone twice. You’d need a car I think as there is so much else to see and do in Pembrokeshire. Although there is a station in Narberth so you could get a taxi from there. As a PP said, probably more geared to under 10s although the theme park next door is also very good. We stayed 4 nights both times, DS was 7 the first time and 11 the second time. They have a huge indoor activity place with soft play etc and another large covered outdoor play area with sandpits, climbing areas etc. So well equipped if the weather is bad. Definitely need to get a food shop in beforehand as the onsite shop is limited and expensive. The restaurants are fine, we had several nice meals onsite and there is a takeaway pizza place. I’d go again even now as the swimming pool is good - they used to allow people to come in from outside but that changed in Covid and not sure if they have reinstated, as it was noticeably less busy on the slides when we went in 2021.

We’ve also been to many European centreparcs and it’s true, the holiday cost less in total even with petrol and eurotunnel tickets. (We live in Sussex so not a long drive to Folkestone). Loved De Vossemeren, De Kempervennen, Eemhof and Villages Nature.

We have done both. Would never go back to Bluestone, just like the UK center parcs it is waaaaay overpriced for what it is. I did have a quick look at February half term and they wanted £1100 for 4 nights compared to £450 at one of the European center parcs! Even with £200 for ferry/tunnel it's a no brainer. Prices this year are a bit higher than previous years, I think due to a combination of them becoming more popular with Brits and European school holidays aligning with ours more than they have in other years. Most Parcs are a straightforward drive along motorways but some can be reached by flying and public transport.

At Bluestone, we stayed in a cadley lodge. It was spacious, but had a wet room which was completely unsuitable for children. Our DC slipped over multiple times on the wet floor. After one banged their head particularly hard one time I asked for a bath mat but it didn't make much difference. The activities are extortionate (£15 for something that lasts 5 minutes) so we didn't do any, which kinda defeats the point of being there. Might as well stay at the local Haven campsite and go out sightseeing. The pool was nice, but they have strict ratios on adults to non-swimmers, so with three young children between two adults we can't go in the pool if we go back (we had my parents with us last time, but they also didn't think much of it and wouldn't want to return).

Next holiday we booked CP Erperheide which was fantastic in comparison and perfect for under 10s. Swimming pool much bigger and better, huge indoor soft play, activities mostly €5-10 and if you book ahead you get €30-45 worth of activity vouchers included which covered a lot of what we wanted to do anyway.

You don't say how old your DS is, some parcs are better suited for slightly older/younger children but as a starting point you could look at De Vossemeren or De Kempervennen, both are about 30 mins from Eindhoven airport. Or Villages Nature is within reach of Paris if you wanted to go by Eurostar. De Haan can be reached from Bruges. There's a great Facebook group called Center Parcs Europe Just for Brits full of useful knowledge, there's a search button so you can easily look up information about a particular parc or transport options.

‘At Bluestone, we stayed in a cadley lodge. It was spacious, but had a wet room which was completely unsuitable for children. Our DC slipped over multiple times on the wet floor. After one banged their head particularly hard one time I asked for a bath mat but it didn't make much difference.’

The Caldey lodge is adapted though and clearly states it has a wet room.
We have stayed at Bluestone many times when the children were younger. It’s great as a base because there are lots of attractions nearby that are worth visiting such as Folly Farm, Oakwood Theme Park and Pembroke Castle.

I haven't been myself but my brother books bluestone every year. They and the kids live it

We stayed at Centre Parcs de Haan on the Belgian Coast last year. Got there by Eurostar to Brussels, train to Ostende, then the coastal tram to a stop near Centre Parcs. It’s easy to get to Brugge from there and there is a huge sandy beach. We enjoyed it. We’ve also enjoyed Bluestone but you need a car for that really. Never done UK Centre Parks so I can’t compare.

We’ve been to Bluestone many times and it just getting so bad now… the food is terrible and swimming pool is now like something from 80s Eastern Europe! Pembrokeshire is our fave place in the world though!
We went to Durinell last year in the Netherlands and that was a lovely holiday, don’t think you would need a car as swimming pool and theme park on site and a lovely town a few mins walk away and great buses/trains

We've just come back from Bluestone, kids are 12 & 9, cabins were good, location is great as there are places to go within an hours drive or less, food was ok, expensive so bring your own snacks.we hired a buggy which the kids really enjoyed. It's aimed more for under 10's, although my 12yo still enjoyed it. The pool is not a patch on centre parcs though and a bit dated. Activities were ok for smaller kids.

Some beautiful scenery outside the camp, the cliffs and Tenby being the highlights, probably wouldn't go back as I'd find and air b&b at half the cost and due to lack of activities for older kids.

Definitely Duinrell, you could get the train from London Liverpool Street to Harwich, ferry and onwards public transport or taxi transfer - or fly to Amsterdam and get a taxi transfer. You don’t need a car once you’re there as you can walk into town and the public transport is excellent. Eurocamp have a sale at the moment…

im booked to go to bluestone in June, we went on the site today to look at restaurants but it says they aren’t available to book. Does anyone know if that likely means they are fully booked or it’s too early?

thank you

@Sarahsupasaint I called to make my reservations as the website was a bit crap for bookings I found. Also hire a buggy as they book up fast and are fun & handy to have.

Food on site wasn't great or cheap but not too bad, we ate out of the complex mostly.

There is a little shop that sells the basics and it's not too expensive
Enjoy!

You could fly from Stansted to Eindhoven and go to De Kempervennen by taxi.
Join the Center parcs Europe for Brits group on Facebook!