We all know that holidays with little ones can be stressful. Just the thought of travelling with small children is enough to put some parents off the idea all together. But there are some amazing resorts in the UK that are perfect for families - especially ones with really little ones.
One of these resorts is Bluestone Wales. Situated in the heart of Pembrokeshire National Park, the resort is surrounded by countryside, beaches, wildlife and plenty of history. It boasts 'free-range fun' for all ages, and honestly, it doesn't disappoint!
We enjoyed our second visit to the resort back in September; this time with an almost 4 year old and a 2 year old. It was just as lovely as I remembered from our first visit, however there have been some lovely additions making it even better for little ones.
I think my favourite thing about staying at Bluestone is the accommodation. We stayed in a Ramsey Lodge, which is suitable for up to 4 adults plus a little one in a travel cot (already provided in the lodge on arrival). These lodges feature 'upside down' living, with the bedrooms on the ground floor and the living space upstairs.
The only negative I will say about this style of living, is that the kitchen is very accessible to little hands. There are no cupboard locks - even on the ones containing glassware and the sharp scissors - and our two year old Parker had great fun with the oven / dishwasher buttons over the week too. I do think this is something they really need to consider, as I'm sure I'm not the first parent to notice this!
Although the lodges are completely self-catering friendly, there are still plenty of places to eat around the resort.
Grab a snack prepared that morning at Tŷ Coffi, go for al fresco dining in the forest at Camp Smokey, settle in for a hearty pub lunch at the Knights Tafarn or try a delicious pizza at the Oak tree. You can head to the Farmhouse Grill where you will find a menu filled with delicious Pembrokeshire produce or dine with a difference at one of our dinner shows!We ate out a few times, and found each location to be super child friendly. We loved the children's lunch boxes (a big favourite of Indie and Parker!) available at Ty Coffi, the dedicated children's menus at the bigger restaurants, and the fact that everywhere had colouring sheets and crayons on offer.
Even when there wasn't a child's size available, we found that the staff were always accommodating. For example when we popped to Ty Coffi for milkshakes one rainy afternoon, the staff didn't hesitate to split an adults sized portion into two. Even adding extra marshmallows which the littles loved!
Unfortunately we never made it to any of the dinner shows, but they looked and sounded amazing. Especially the Camp Smokey Shindig, which involved yummy food, singing, dancing and lots of family fun!
There are a plenty of things to do at Bluestone for little ones, and many of them come included in the price of your holiday. You can also book a number of activities at a small charge, including baby / toddler sensory, messy play, Mini Rangers, bug hunting, story time and there's even a fully equipped creche (because it's our holiday too!).
We didn't book into any payable activities this time, instead letting Indie and Parker decide what they wanted to do each day. They loved the adventure play area (a fantastic addition to The Village), and would have happily spent hours each day playing there. Now they're a little older they definitely got more out of the activities in The Adventure Centre. The Lego wall and soft play were probably their favourite parts though.
A highlight of visiting Bluestone has to be The Blue Lagoon swimming pool. Entry is included with your holiday, and resort guests get private access between 9am and 12pm. We never had any issues finding a family change room and it's gorgeously warm! The pool is great for little ones as it has a beach style layout, so they can sit on the edge and play. There are also two small 'coves' with water fountains and very shallow water to choose from too.
In general though, my two love nothing more than running around and exploring, and there was plenty of opportunity for that at Bluestone. We loved wandering around the lake, spotting the fairies and animals along the nature trail, and roasting marshmallows at Camp Smokey. Bluestone is car-free too so adventuring is a lot safer - you will still need to watch out for the golf buggy, bikes and resort vehicles though.
We had the loveliest mid-week break in Wales, full of fun adventures, cosy evenings in our lodge and lots and lots of memory making. We of course didn't manage to do enjoy even half of what Bluestone has to offer - a 5 day break just simply isn't enough time. But I think that just gives us a perfect excuse to come back time and time again!