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Cornwall & Devon July 2022

A comprehensive guide to our Cornwall and Devon self catering summer holiday.

Crealy Meadows Theme Park & Resort

After a 5 hour drive, we arrived slightly before our 4.30pm check in time, we were allowed access to the Clubhouse but didn’t actually check in until much later as everyone was then made to join a large queue with camera crew surrounding us, despite the queue taking a while to reduce, it felt very rushed, I wasn’t really able to ask questions and felt conscious of the camera crew all around.

Accommodation

Our 2 bed Meadow View Hot tub Lodge was a clean, luxury and modern caravan lodge BUT it just didn’t live up to expectations of how it looked. There were regular power cuts which was very frustrating as everything would cut out for random periods of time, not great when you have fresh food in the fridge or relaxing in the hot-tub as it would reset each time.

The hot tub was clean but lacked privacy as it faced onto the caldesac of lodges, other parks with similar facilities tend to have the hot tubs placed to the side of the caravans/lodges with screening to offer a more private feel, we raised this with staff but felt they thought we was just being picky as they laughed it off when we requested a different lodge, there was no pre allocation option so this could be something else they look into offering.

Facilities

There is a Clubhouse within Crealy Meadow but it is very small, offering limited activities, entertainment and a few arcade style games. Not bad for a couple of preteens but nothing really age appropriate for toddlers or large groups.

The Clubhouse offers breakfast, lunch and dinner and we attempted lunch and dinner to be incredibly disappointed, very expensive for such poor quality food, when our server queried whether we was hungry or not, we explained we were starving but the food was terrible, nothing else was mentioned and we moved on. The bar is great if you like cider but the drinks options were incredibly limited beyond that, no cocktails, minimal spirit choices, very disappointing when pub choices within the area are also limited. Crealy has an app with an option to order food to be delivered to your lodge but it was unfortunately not functioning whilst we stayed, however due to the dire food we initially had, I don’t think we would have used the app anyway.

Surrounding the Clubhouse and Reception are the on-site facilities, which included a small climbing frame and slide that wasn’t suitable for toddlers. A miniature crazy golf course and the Sports Area, you are also able to hire pedal buggies to ride around the Crealy Meadows paths. All at additional cost and subject to booking. There is also a small shop within the reception area where you can purchase most basic necessities, beach items and fresh cornish milk in reusable glass bottles (delicious) the shop is quite expensive though.

Our 7 year old took part in the football training led by Exeter United Footballers, which he enjoyed, we rode a buggy and did the crazy golf. It all looked lovely but was very lacklustre, we had to chase for our son’s football certificate as they forgot to hand them out at the end and our crazy golf session was taken over by multiple other families running in and out.

Being so far from the beach, it would have been nice to have a swimming pool facility as the temperamental power and lack of privacy meant we didn’t really use the hot-tub, there is a splash zone within the theme park but a pool within Crealy Meadows would be a much needed bonus.

The basic facilities within the Crealy Meadow area were aided by the theme park next door but it was quite a walk back to our lodge on rough terrain so not ideal for the evening entertainment and activities (if anything was on) it was handy to have so close by as there is a good mix of rides suitable for all ages but come 8pm and it’s a-bit of a ghost town with not much else to do other than play boardgames at your lodge. At £90 for 2 adults and 1 child over 92cm for the entire stay was excellent value for money if you want to go everyday. Children under 92cm are free but as Merlin passholders, the theme park wasn’t good enough to fill the voids of Crealy Meadows.

Locale

There are not many places to safely walk to as it’s quite in the middle of nowhere but it is within various walking trails, excellent fields and flat areas for ball games to knacker the children out.

Greendale Farm shop is less than 5 minutes drive, they offer lovely local and artisan produce, with an on-site cafe & restaurant open between 8am-10pm on particular evenings and offer takeaway fish & chips, so there is another option for food than the Crealy Clubhouse but it is quite expensive so if you’re on a budget, self catering is the best choice.

Exmouth Beach is around 20 minutes drive, it has 2 miles of beautiful golden sandy beach. There are the full beach side facilities you would expect from the Jurassic Coast; a 2 mile promenade with crazy golf, swing boats, dinosaur Safari trail, rock pools, large play areas and many food eateries, the perfect family beach! You can also try your hand at a range of water sports and activities including fishing, jet skiing, Kayaking, Surfing, Kitesurfing, Paddleboarding and windsurfing

We popped to the Sea Shore Ice Creamery for the most interesting flavoured and delicious ice creams in eco edible pots! We also had a light lunch at Cafe Patisserie Glacerie, where we were lucky to have a little chat with the owner Michelin starred chef Michael Caines, having watched him for many years on GBM that was a real treat! Their pastries and cakes were absolutely incredible and will definitely return if we go back to Exmouth.

Summary 2.5 out of 5

I really want to like Crealy Meadows more than I do as it is well priced for the standard of accommodation, hot tubs and on site theme park. It has the bones to a fantastic holiday village, it should be amazing but it just didn’t hit the mark. Excluding the theme park, the facilities are modern but small and basic, if you are an older family that wants to spend the bulk of your time at your lodge, fully self catering then you do get great accommodation for your money (when everything is fully operational) but we didn’t want to spend everyday in the theme park and wanted to eat out, it meant we had to drive constantly and didn’t get to relax as much as we would with better onsite facilities. I can see it suiting many people with different needs as they offer glamping safari tents, pitches for caravans and camping so for your family, it may suit your needs perfectly.

Cornwall

Heading out of Crealy in Devon, we had some stunning days in Cornwall,

Newquay makes my heart happy, so we had to head to world famous Fistral Beach, it’s become very commercialised over the years, still a stunning white sandy beach but the shops & eateries are very expensive with gigantic queues. We waited over an hour for Rick Stein fish & chips for it to be incredibly overpriced minute portions, highly disappointing!

We stopped off for dinner at Wah Hing Chinese Restaurant & Takeaway for a feast before heading back to Devon, it was delicious, cheap but plentiful portions and super fast friendly service! Highly recommend!

Eden project

As professional gardeners, we had high expectations, but thankfully we used Clubcard vouchers as we spent as long driving there as we did being there, it was stunning as the volume and size of plants are incredible and have many exotic plants but not all areas were well maintained and many water features were very stinky.

There was a Beano Skateboarding event whilst we were visiting but it didn’t interest our 6 year old and our 2 year old was too young to participate so thankfully, they are adept to country gardens and shows so was interested in the various biomes but we all felt like we missed areas as we went through quite quickly, despite stopping for an incredibly expensive toastie lunch that was practically inedible from the overheated sourdough bread so luckily we had a mini picnic just in case.

We would attend again as a couple with discounted vouchers and a full picnic but probably wouldn’t attend again as a family until our children are older.

We absolutely love Cornwall, the sandy beaches and clear, warm waters are the jewel of the South West coast and we have even looked at relocating here. One day, but for now we love our time here, minimum 4 hour drive from Essex but those beaches are worth it!

Note. All driving timings are dependent upon date of travel as Devon and Cornwall’s roads can become incredibly congested in peak months.

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Welcome to our first blog post featuring Haven Weymouth Bay Resort! Let me know if it was helpful and if you have any questions at

Having stayed at Pontins (That’s a whole story in itself for another day) and Crealy last year, our introduction to self catering UK holidays was greatly mixed so we headed to Weymouth Bay Haven with relatively low expectations and were pleasantly surprised….

Accommodation

So let’s get the bad out of the way as finding moths under the kids beds and the previous occupants swimming knickers on the sofa were not the greatest introduction to caravan life but credit where it’s due; Haven have a free app that you can download for quick check in, reporting any issues, booking activities with a downloadable park map https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/my-haven-experience/id1517363519

Using the app, we were able to log all issues that were dealt with within 2 hours by 2 friendly, empathetic cleaning ladies… we popped out for a swim and returned to a sparkly clean, spacious, surprisingly modern caravan.

We, specifically were allocated Windsor 18, there is an option to choose your own spot prior to check in for a fee. As we had never been we just went with the Haven allocation and was pleased with how close to the main facilities, restaurant and pools we were located, it was around a 10 minute walk to the sports field for the outdoor activities.

The caravan has 2 bedrooms and bathrooms, which I wasn’t expecting as the floor plan only showed 1 bathroom, so make sure you bring 2 floor towels if you have booked a Silver caravan. This with 2 young boys was a pleasant surprise but if more than 1 person wants to shower, you will still need to wait as the temperature and pressure can drop quite low.

We had ample room within our caravan for self catering, full sized fridge/freezer, oven/grill & extractor, but make sure you bring dishwasher tablets as I wasn’t expecting a dishwasher and no tablets are supplied. There is a decking area to the front, accessed by sliding French doors and a small grass and patio area to the side of the caravan but the sun was a little fleeting here, may be better in the summer when the sun is higher but as we were out a lot of the time, it didn’t really effect us.

Facilities

There is another Haven park next door called Seaview, however we chose Weymouth Bay as the facilities seemed better, especially the outdoor lazy river pool. It is not open year round but thankfully we had beautiful weather so both pools were open. The indoor pool isn’t huge but as it is managed through a booking system that staff keep on top of, it didn’t feel overbooked or too busy at any time, both pools are heated to a comfortable temperature and our children enjoyed their daily swims. Prior to arriving you are allowed to book up to 10 swim slots (1 slot per person) but on arrival, you are able to book additional slots if you wish. There is also a pool shop which sell armbands, floats, goggles etc and was extremely well priced.

Adjacent to the pools are the reception, owners lounge, restaurant, arcade and large play park area. Haven have another free app that you can download to order food & drinks to your table, https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/haven-serve/id1457311497

however the app doesn’t show correct pricing or the full menu, I thought the cocktail deals looked fantastic at just over £10 a pitcher but upon ordering, the price was nearly £20 a pitcher instead so quite the difference, I raised the issue with bar staff but they said they had no control over the app and it had been reported to Head Office.

When he had ordered food and drinks, it was well priced and tasted good, my partner ordered the big burger and it was literally the size of our 3 year old’s head so great value. The chocolate fondue dessert was delicious, we ordered 1 thinking we may need another to feed the 4 of us and it was ideal so another great value dish. Yes, we have had better meals but for the price paid, location and proximity to the large play park, it suited our needs perfectly.

The play park is modern with an array of slides, climbing frames and swings set within a sandy zone for the little ones and play bark area for the older children, however both areas are great for all ages with our children spending hours here over the 5 days.

The arcade has a varied mix of games for varying ages and budgets, many of the machines give out tickets which my children loved collecting and cashing in for lots of sweeties and toys at the end of our stay.

There are so many activities available, we weren’t able to fit them all in during our 5 days but our boys managed to do: Ball sports - football, rugby and basketball, Dodgeball, Archery and Crazy Golf.

Both boys also enjoyed being Wild Wizards; making special wands and potions from items they collected within the woodland area and doing the mini aerial climb, where they were harnessed to a low level climbing course. Our 7 year old had grown over the 1.2m recommended height during the time of booking, he still enjoyed it but definitely more suited to under 6’s.

The highlight of all these activities for our boys was Ranger Chad, Chad was friendly and kept the boys interested throughout all activities with his laid back but in control style. He even lent us a butterfly net to rescue our football from a river and our boys fondly call it chads net as he let us keep it.

Locale

A short 10 minute walk from the ball field area, brings you to Weymouth Bay Beach, we are avid walkers so walked many hills and surrounding areas but there are flat buggy trails for the less adventurous that take slightly longer.

Weymouth Bay is a shingle beach but has all the local beach amenities you can need, including mini theme park, restaurants, cafes, bars and most important to our boys, an ice cream bar! However, if on a budget, the ice cream on the beach is considerably cheaper and delicious, you can also hire beach chairs for £5 a day here. There is also a tourist shop selling souvenirs and seaside paraphernalia, the beach is shingle so not many sandcastles being built but our boys still loved digging, building rock castles, skipping stones and playing in the water.

If you pop in the car, or the bus (there is a bus stop outside Haven with excellent links) only a 5 minute drive away is Weymouth Beach, we didn’t go to the sandy part so I cannot comment on this but enjoyed a couple of mornings at the Sealife Centre and Sandworld. The Sealife centre doesn’t have the largest selection of fish, especially sharks (to my youngest’s dismay) but it was the best Sealife we have been to with outdoor play space, water park and general theming. The restaurant serving pizza was well priced and the pizza was delicious! All staff were friendly and knowledgeable. I will do a feature in the future on Merlin parks and businesses which will include Sealife as we make our way around the country.

Sandworld is a family run business with an interesting history, small but well priced, especially if you complete the optional quiz as the children were spending longer at exhibits than they probably would and learned so much about sandart. There are also multiple areas for building sandcastles and creating your own sandart. We were blown away by the talent and look forward to returning when artists come in the summer to watch them at work.

Summary - 4.5 out of 5

Haven offers a comfortable family holiday with as many activities and facilities you could ask for, with an active family on a budget, you couldn’t ask for anymore. Weymouth Bay has opened our eyes to reasonably priced caravan holidays, yes it was nice having a hot tub and luxury lodge at Crealy but the extra costs didn’t balance, we paid only £222 for our 4 night break in a silver caravan and have already booked to return next May half term and are looking at other Haven locations in the UK, the blight of brexit and covid on our airports doesn’t seem to be fading so UK, we’re happy to stay!

Book now at https://www.haven.com/parks/dorset/weymouth-bay