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    Home » Travel

    Bluestone Wales Review - Free Range Fun

    Published: May 18, 2018 · Modified: Aug 10, 2022 by Kate Hackworthy · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Thinking of booking a holiday? Read my Bluestone Wales review to find out how we enjoyed our stay. From the Blue Lagoon water park to the activity centre and staying in an all mod cons log cabin - there's a lot of free range fun to be had at Bluestones on the stunning Pembrokeshire coast.

    Read the tips, hints and information in our full Bluestone Wales review. From the Blue Lagoon water park to holidays, activities and the Bluestone lodges.

    Bluestone Wales Review - Outside of a log cabin in the beautiful Pembrokeshire forest on a sunny day.

    Bluestone Wales Review

    Last weekend we spent a wonderful weekend at Bluestone Wales in Pembrokeshire. From cycling and swimming to exploring and making daisy chains, we had loads of family free range fun.

    The weather was absolutely sensational, particularly for May! The sun blazed above us with just a few wispy clouds. The sun sparkled through the towering trees as the chattering birds sang to us.

    I'm originally from Canada, and my heart strings were immediately tugged as I saw the log cabins and tall evergreens. Having lived in the UK for decades, I don't often get nostalgic for my homeland.

    But with that stunning forest outside every window, I just stood and gazed at it endlessly. Being spring, the forest floor was littered with carpet of bluebells. I was enchanted from the moment we arrived.

    It's outdoor living, with all mod cons. No hardship or making do, just fun from morning until night.

    Being a friendly and car-free zone, it felt safe and easy. The kids could run out the door of the lodge and hop onto the bikes to cycle around our little road. They could go out of immediate eyesight and explore. For the whole weekend, they had a freedom that town-living and modern anxieties don't usually allow them. And man, that was wonderful.

    Girl with a daisy chain headband waving

    Bluestone

    Bluestone is a 5-star holiday park resort in set in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Wales.

    Bluestone opened in 2008 as an all-weather free-range lodge and cottage park for the whole family. It has outdoor, adventure, spa, waterpark and activities to keep all ages entertained.

    It's similar to Centre Parcs if you're familiar with those!

    Bluestone National Park

    Set within 500 acres of stunning coastal countryside, Bluestone is a sprawling resort, complete with a lake, mini village and loads of activities. 

    Amenities include an indoor water park, indoor and outdoor play areas, and a zip wire park,  spa and entertainment stage at the Village Hall.

    Although all the lodges and cottages are self catering, there are restaurants, cafes and even a pub. There's also a surprisingly well-stocked convenience store.

    The Village at Bluestone Wales in Pembrokeshire

    The Bluestone Village

    The village area is in the middle of the site, next to a lake and woodland walks.

    Accommodation is set out in cul-de-sac groups in the surrounding gentle hills, and they're all colour coded so you can find your way around. The car park is just beyond the housing and is near the indoor adventure centre and water park.

    It takes about 10-15 minutes to walk across the whole site, so not far (but you can hire golf buggies if you'd like).

    Play park in the village at Bluestone Wales

    Bluestone Resort

    The village has a great play park, bandstand, treehouse play area and toddler play area.

    Around the play area, there's an off license, convenience store and a few gift shops. There's also a Farmhouse Bar and Grill, coffee shop, ice cream parlour, chippy, Oak Tree restaurant, Knights Tafarn pub and more.

    There's a Wellness Spa where you can book treatments and a Village Hall with shows.

    The Kitchen

    The kitchen is equipped with microwave, cooker, kettle, toaster, cutlery, wine glasses crockery etc... There's even toast rack, French coffee maker and egg cups.

    There's a corkscrew, veg peeler, knives, scissors and most other essentials. The pots and pans are stainless steel so easy to clean (in the dishwasher!).

    A set of child-friendly plastic dishes are there as well, plus one high chair. If it's nice out you can even use a portable or disposable charcoal barbecue outside on the picnic table.

    Bluestone Wales - Caldey Lodge review. The master bedroom.

    Bluestone Lodges - Bedrooms

    There's a master double bedroom and a twin room. They're all comfy and have everything you need, from a mirror and chest of drawers, to bedside tables and lamps and wardrobes with hangers. 

    There is central heating and blackout curtains. All bed linen and towels for use in the lodge are supplied, along with hand soap and one toilet roll.

    Our bathroom was a wet room with a surprisingly powerful shower. The heated towel rail was perfect for drying our swimming costumes, ready for the next dip in the pool.

    There's also a pull out drying line in the bathroom.

     

    Outside of the Blue Lagoon at Bluestone Wales, with waterslides coming out of the transparent dome.

    Things to do at Bluestone

    There are SO many things to keep your family occupied at Bluestone Wales!

    Blue Lagoon Water Park

    Included when you book Bluestone is unlimited entry to the amazing Blue Lagoon water park. It's a massive pool with a 'lazy river' to float around, waves and water slides.

    We spent hours and hours there, swimming, splashing, sliding and having a ball. There are separate sections for the tiny babies, and you walk in on a gradual beach-like slope so it's only an inch deep to start.

    Listen out for the sirens that signal the wave machine is about to be turned on! Either move to the shallows or get ready to jump the waves! It was great fun.

    There are family changing rooms, lockers (bring a £1 coin) and hair dryers.

    Bluestone Wales Review - inside the adventure centre with mini golf, climbing frames and more.

    Bluestone Adventure Centre

    The large adventure centre is packed with fun for kids, with sofas for the grownups to chill out on. There's mini golf, climbing wall, arcades, soft play, adventure . There's also a restaurant/cafe/bar upstairs for sustenance.

    The weather was so amazing that we didn't actually end up spending that much time at the Bluestone Adventure Centre, but it had a lot to do in it to keep the little ones entertained. I'm sure it comes into its own on rainy days.

    Sign of Activities at Bluestone Wales

    Bookable Activities at Bluestone Wales

    After you book your holiday at Bluestone, you'll be prompted with a few emails asking if you want to book extra activities. There's lots to do there included in the price (like the Blue Lagoon water park and Adventure Centre, as well as a guided walk, parade, pub quiz and live music ), but if you do want to do one of these extras, then apparently they book up fast so it is advised to prebook them.

    You can book paid for activities including a dinner show, willow workshop, sky trail, climbing wall, archery, laser clay, kayaking and more.

    Bluestone Cycle Hire

    We brought the kids' bikes, but hired two adult bikes, plus a tag along bike attachment since my son is only learning to cycle. Well there was so much opportunity to cycle around that he mastered his bike on the first day and we didn't need the tag!

    The site is hilly, which didn't bother us at all, but lots of people hired golf buggies to get around.

    We didn't feel the need to get one at all, but I can see how they would be useful if anyone in your party isn't quite so mobile or the weather was wet and you didn't fancy walking between activities.

    Bluestone Wales Review - 4x4 Off Road Ranger

    Off Road Ranger Driving School

    We paid in advance for the kids to go to the 4x4 Off Road Ranger driving school.

    They absolutely loved driving their little electric cars around the track and taking their driving test. They joined a few other kids, were told how to drive the cars and quickly set off going around the track and through puddles.

    There was so much concentration on their little faces and my son was particularly excited by having indicators!

    I'd say this was great value and loads of fun. They were even given little driving licenses at the end to take home.

    Camp Smokey 

    Upon prompting, we also booked for lunch at the stunning oasis in the forest, Camp Smokey, paying a £20 deposit against our meal.

    However, we needn't have bothered.

    I had been under the impression that you needed to book in order to go to Camp Smokey, but that's not the case. You can stop in at any time and eat, have a drink, wander about or toast marshmallows.

    It's a US-style charming wooden restaurant/bar/picnic area.

    Booking meant we had to be there at a certain time, which was restricting. The place was never packed and we would have gotten a seat at any time.

    We weren't impressed by the food and my vegetable chilli was so spicy I couldn't even eat it. But I loved the atmosphere at Camp Smokey. The smell of woodsmoke in a large burner for kids to toast marshmallows in permeated the crisp forest air.

    We did really like it there, but instead, I'd suggest visiting for a drink at the fully equipped bar and buying the kids a few marshmallows to toast. If you want to eat there, there isn't a need to pre-book and you can turn up whenever suits you.

    We kept gravitating to Camp Smokey after cycle rides and forest walks.

     

    Camp Smokey at Bluestone Wales. Read my Bluestone Wales review to find out how we enjoyed our stay.

    Bluestone National Park Resort

    We loved the freedom to roam and explore.

    The park felt safe and secure, quiet and peaceful. Having no cars meant we didn't have to worry about the kids running around, cycling and scooting.

    Our days were full, but we were never rushed. We each took turns choosing the next activity to do and we just enjoyed spending days of wonder and excitement together.

    Bluestone, we loved you. We'll be back. 

    Edit: It's now a year later and we all still talk about Bluestone Wales all the time. The kids had such a wonderful adventure, we loved our outdoor experiences and we all loved our stay. We're now looking at booking again and revisiting our magical time. 

    Looking for more family adventures - try these!
    Harry Potter Studios
    A Family Weekend in Stratford Upon Avon

    Barafundle Bay

    On the way home, we took the very short 20 minute detour to find paradise (aka Barafundle Bay). We checked out of Bluestone and had a picnic lunch on the most magical secluded beach.

    Powdery white sands met the crystal clear sea. We were pretty much the only people there and it was an enchanting few hours of splashing in the sea.

    Getting To Barafundle Bay

    Drive to the Stackpole Quay National Trust Car Park (£5 all day)[not the further Stackpole Court car park] and walk 10 minutes to paradise.

    It's worth it, trust me. After all that free range fun and sea air, the kids slept for two of the four hours it took us to drive home.

    More info: Visit Pembrokeshire

    Barafundle Bay, Pembrokeshire, Wales

    Barafundle Bay, Pembrokeshire

    Disclosure: We were guests of Bluestone in Wales. All opinions are our own in this Bluestone Wales Review. Thanks for supporting the brands that make it possible for me to be a UK travel blogger and food blogger.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Bryanna skye

      May 22, 2018 at 9:07 pm

      It looks absolutely stunning!! And so good that it is a car free area as I always worry about stuff like that

      Reply
    2. Cecilia Keinapel

      May 21, 2018 at 7:41 pm

      Bluestone Wales looks and sounds amazing and you are so lucky to be able to experience it!

      Reply
    3. WhatLauraLoves

      May 20, 2018 at 3:36 pm

      OMG those log cabins look amazing. I love to go to places that are a little rustic and have more character about them xxx

      Reply
    4. Yeah Lifestyle

      May 20, 2018 at 12:01 pm

      What a fabulous review! We have not been to Bluestone before but this sounds like something our two kids would love. Definitely planning our next holiday to Bluestone.

      Reply
    5. Nichola - Globalmouse

      May 20, 2018 at 8:19 am

      What a brilliant, thorough review. I can't believe we haven't been to Bluestone yet, it looks fantastic, that swimming pool alone is amazing.

      Reply
    6. Rhian Westbury

      May 18, 2018 at 9:00 pm

      The log cabins look amazing and pull on my heart strings and I'm not even from Canada. I've read a lot about Bluestone but not heard much about it so sounds good x

      Reply

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    Kate Hackworthy in the kitchen

    Hi, I'm Kate, a journalist, author and multi-award-winning food blogger. I hope you enjoy my vegetarian and vegan recipes. About Me

    Collage of press logos.

    Popular recipes

    • The BEST Easy Red Lentil Dahl
    • Easy Naan Bread Recipe (yeast-free)
    • Mini Baked Potatoes
    • Easy Lentil Soup

    Easter Recipes

    • Easter Rice Krispie Nests
    • Italian Easter Bread (Pane di Pasqua)
    • Mushroom Wellington
    • Nut Roast

    My cookbook

    Veggie Desserts and Cakes Cookbook cover.

    Check out my Veggie Desserts Cookbook, full of tasty desserts with vegetables!

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