I visited the Welsh alternative to Center Parcs – here’s how it stacked up

As a nation, we’re in crisis when it comes to adventurous family holidays in Britain. With the rise of holiday parks equipped with hot tubs, Starbucks and e-bikes, the great outdoors has become a creature comfort, and holidays in the wild have become less “brace yourself” and more “pass the Bollinger”.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I found myself in a kayak with my 12-year-old niece in the rising waves and riptides off the wild coast of Pembrokeshire this summer. Despite my concerns that we’re creating a danger-averse generation, she was beaming from ear to ear, eager to “noodle” through the rocks and currents, desperate for us to (intentionally) capsize into the bracing water. It was the final day of our holiday at Bluestone National Park Resort – and my faith in adventurous family breaks had been restored.

Bluestone has been named the number one holiday park in Wales (third in the UK) for three consecutive years by Which? magazine – outranking Center Parcs (ninth), which, despite being the most visited in the survey, “failed to deliver value for money”.

Founded by William McNamara on the grounds of his dairy farm in 2008 – next door to Wales’s biggest theme park, Oakwood, opened by McNamara in the 1980s – the resort spans 500 acres of wild Welsh countryside on the outskirts of the small town of Narberth, in the heart of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. The independently run park operates a “free-range fun” philosophy and offers an alternative to the nation’s most popular chain of forest-based holidays, encouraging “children to explore and engage” with their surroundings.

Cost comparisons

With the cost of modern family summer holidays, both abroad and on home soil, rising, we visited Bluestone on a mission to compare it with past breaks at Center Parcs – not just the experiences on offer but the budget required to enjoy them.

Our four-bedroom platinum lodge was part of the Merlin’s Crest neighbourhood, which first welcomed visitors in 2023 following a £30 million investment. The cladded lodge was spacious, with freestanding baths, rainfall showers and a second-floor sunroom adding luxury touches.

Included with the lodge was the use of two electric buggies – a fun gimmick at first inspection, but we soon learnt they made exploring easy and saved us money on bike hire for a group of eight. Compared with other holiday parks, the variety of accommodation is vast in terms of style and price – original lodges have been expanded to include studio apartments, properties for groups of up to 12 and charming cottages.

Given Center Parcs’ reputation for hefty prices, the difference in value for money at Bluestone wasn’t as dramatic as I’d expected. Prices of meals and drinks (there are five restaurants, which offer takeaway services) and shopping for essentials at the local Newton Stores shop (which stocked primarily Co-op produce), mirrored previous holidays.

Winning activities

It was, however, the adventurous spirit encouraged at Bluestone that was the real difference – in the Which? survey, the Welsh contender gained four stars “for the variety of facilities on offer”. Over the course of a long weekend, Martha (aged 12), Charlie (eight), Noah (eight) and Theo (two) put the park’s activity programme to the test – adventure kayaking, Star Catcher climbing, Woodland Warriors laser tag and the Teddy Bear’s Picnic theatre show all scored top marks.

Prices for all were comparable to Center Parcs, but there was huge praise for the “proper wild” setting for laser tag (enjoyed equally as much by the participating adults) and sky wires (a series of tree-top ziplines). Both were located in the Steep Ravine area, which nurtures a childish sense of adventure. Set in a wooded valley, it remains largely undisturbed by the presence of the large holiday park. There were no manicured footpaths and it was refreshing to see children embracing a wild environment that hadn’t been ruined by health-and-safety regulations.

At the heart of the resort, the free-to-use Blue Lagoon is Bluestone’s flagship waterpark – like many of the online reviewers before us we found it in need of an upgrade, but the children enjoyed the three slides on offer, wave pool, lazy river and dedicated baby pool. It wasn’t busy and during the late-night Saturday opening the adults were treated to an Ibiza-style poolside DJ set – all free of charge.

I was struck by the opportunity for children to enjoy themselves beyond the organised activities – something that can be lacking at Center Parcs. There was ample open green space for ball games and hide-and-seek, several play areas, including the Hive (an indoor centre brimming with soft play apparatus), and a choice of outdoor trails for walking (no dogs allowed), running or cycling through the surrounding woodland. In the Senedome, our two-year-old tester Theo was entertained without cost by a sand pit, and water-play corner.

For adults, the Well Spa promised a sanctuary of calm, and while, much like the Blue Lagoon, the facilities show signs of age, my signature massage was a pleasant break from piggyback rides and the staff were genuinely welcoming. “I’m glad we came here and didn’t bother with the hassle of the airport,” I overheard one couple, celebrating their anniversary for the weekend, laugh as they enjoyed complimentary drinks in the outdoor whirlpool.

“Our typical guests are families, couples and, increasingly, multi-generational families from the UK, often escaping urban areas for a countryside or coastal retreat. Many come from cities like London, Cardiff and Birmingham,” McNamara told me. “With the growing trend of no-fly breaks, our guests value Bluestone as a genuine escape from everyday life, even on a UK staycation.”

After two hours with my feet up, as we cruised back to our lodge surrounded by views of the rolling Welsh countryside, I certainly felt like I had been liberated.

A sense of adventure

The real draw of Bluestone for our adventure-seeking family was this boundless approach to family holidays – guests are actively encouraged to head beyond the gates and explore the local area. To promote this, the roster of activities includes several off-site experiences. This is how we found ourselves kayaking along the Pembrokeshire coast with local guide Ricky.

We ate our picnic lunch (included in the cost) on a deserted beach below towering sea cliffs and surrounded by rock pools brimming with limpets, anemones and crabs. Ricky actively encouraged the children to explore unrestricted, without a single sanitising wipe in sight.

Back on the water, Martha whooped her way through the waves towards the picturesque seaside village of Solva, where ice cream at the nearby Pointz Castle parlour waited. Bursting with the feeling only adrenalin can provide, I was reminded that while you’re young it’s the experience that matters, not the home comforts or the cost of a cappuccino. And that’s where Bluestone exceeded expectations.

Essentials

Lucy Aspden was a guest of Bluestone National Park Resort. A four-night midweek (Monday to Friday) spring break at Bluestone National Park Resort, in a six-bed platinum lodge (St Govan’s), starts from £600, arriving April 28 2025.

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Read more with our latest review of Center Parcs.