Everyone says Christmas comes too early... but mum-of-two AMY LAWRENCE finds herself getting into the festive spirit with her family youngsters

NOVEMBER seems a tad early to be launching ourselves into a full-blown Christmas weekend, but as the magic of the holidays has no start date for the kids, it seemed a great opportunity to get away from the dreary, grey working week.

And so it was that we arrived at Bluestone Park Resort fairly late on a wet Friday evening to enjoy a magical Christmassy experience.

On arrival, we were pleasantly surprised to sail through drive-thru check in, which was so much easier than queuing for welcome packs, as is the style in most holiday parks.

The park is car free but we were allowed to drive to our lodge to unload before leaving the car by the exit for the weekend, which is a great idea. Although you do need bikes or a golf buggy to get around the vast grounds.

The lodge was modern and spacious yet warm and welcoming with a large kitchen and living area, a wet room (fab idea but less suitable for kids who like to run around) and two large bedrooms.

Having stayed in many a caravan this was the lap of luxury in comparison and I can see why the lodge style break is more appealing; it really is a home from home, with central heating, a full size oven, leather sofas and a dishwasher.

The heart of the park, the village, holds a convenience store, fish and chip van, pub, village hall, restaurant and information centre.

I have to say the only negative we did find was that the store and information centre shut at 7pm, meaning those arriving late only have the check-in team to ask for help with forgotten items, queries about activities or facilities etc. which was a slight pain when we’d unpacked and then had to bundle everyone back in the car to ask for help with the hot water. It was a small niggle, though, and it was our choice to arrive later in the evening.

We were up bright and early on Saturday to collect our buggy for the weekend, much to the excitement of our son, Flynn, who was desperate to try out the horn.

The staff were extremely helpful and knowledgeable about the use of the buggies, the best routes and the safety of using them, ensuring we were totally happy and comfortable before heading out on the road.

We set straight off to the WildWood Café and Adventure Centre, where the kids gasped on arrival at the huge indoor wooden adventure playground.

They enjoyed exploring the Lego station, soft play, bouncy castles and mini golf before we walked round to see the Kingdom of the Elves entrance which was like walking straight into a Christmas film.

Life-size reindeers and giant snowy Christmas trees lined the path to the ticket desk, where elves greeted us and insisted on giving us an ‘elf makeover’ — the more we explored the park the more families we saw adorned with rosy ‘elf’ cheeks.

We had our Kingdom of the Elves experience booked for Sunday, so we waved bye to the cheery elves and headed to a very important appointment with a man in a red suit… We were ushered into the village restaurant, The Farmhouse Grill, and seated in a lovely family area with a fantastic play zone complete with a playhouse, ride on toys and play bricks, which is cleverly visible from all the surrounding tables.

We enjoyed a delicious two-course Christmas lunch (in-between playing!) with around four or five other families before two excitable elves asked us to follow them to the toy workshop.

The wooden cabin was hidden from view of the main restaurant which made the sight of the snowy trees, fairy lights and cosy cabin all the more exciting when the children lined up outside the doors.

Bluestone really did outdo themselves on creating beautiful Christmas scenery and getting into character; every elf was passionate about their role and dedicated to giving all guests the full Christmas experience.

The elves led us all into the cabin where we sat surrounded by toys old and new, on comfy cushions and chairs.

Once everyone was excitedly seated we sang the special Christmas song (Santa Claus is Coming to Town) before the big man himself appeared to read us a story.

The story of Rudi the reindeer was perfect as the elves helped to act out scenes and it was just long enough to keep the interest of fidgeting small people. Each child then got to meet Father Christmas and were given their very own cuddly Roody toy, which I thought was a lovely touch.

Once we’d waved goodbye to Santa, who had a lot of work to do making toys in time for Christmas, we made the quick buggy ride to the brand new village hall in time for Bluestone’s very own pantomime, Cinderella.

The hall wasn’t too packed but the children excitedly chattered until the Fairy Godmother danced onto the stage to introduce the fairytale.

The show itself was very well written and directed with lovable, funny characters played by professional actors. The ugly sisters kept the adults entertained with witty one-liners and friendly banter while Cinderella and the Fairy Godmother enchanted all wannabe princesses with their beautiful dresses. I was worried the show would be too loud or long for our youngest, Daisy, two, but she was mesmerised by the songs (many to the tunes of the well-known Frozen soundtrack), while Flynn loved the stage effects and audience participation. I have to say this was the highlight of our weekend and we all thoroughly enjoyed the hour-long show.

We headed back to The Farmhouse Grill for dinner and as requested by the children, sat in the family area again so that they could run off and play while we enjoyed a glass of wine and starters — genius.

The food was great, served with a smile and not too expensive considering it’s one of only three eateries at the park.

By 9pm the children were falling asleep in their ice cream so we took the buggy back to the lodge and had a rested, quiet night’s sleep.

The next morning the boys went off to the amazing Blue Lagoon water park and went wild on the flumes, lazy river and splashed around in the wave machine for a good few hours.

They had a quick sandwich while still in their swimming shorts at the wet and dry café which was ideal for Flynn who just wanted to carry on enjoying the water park but needed something to keep him going.

Later that afternoon I took the children to The Kingdom of the Elves which was nothing like I’d ever experienced before, I think I possibly enjoyed it more than them!

A cheeky elf met us in the Adventure Centre and gave us all (group of around 30) elf costumes and sprinkled us with ‘reindeer dust’ to shrink us down small enough to explore the Elf Fun House. We started in the potting shed where we were all given Santa’s Christmas Checklist. This had space for several stamps that would be rewarded after each successful mission to help Santa deliver the perfect Christmas to all the good boys and girls!

Each room was truly inspired; a dream room complete with a giant bed and starlight ceiling for us to create a Christmas dream, the chocolatier room full of sweets and a chocolate river and my favourite, the hallway where we had to fill a giant jar with marbles without waking the larger than life cat!

Each task did take a bit of concentration and time to listen to the instructions, which is fine for older children, however for Flynn he did lose a bit of interest by the fourth and wanted to just get to the next room. Possibly this activity would be better suited to children aged five and over, however there were younger children who still enjoyed being part of the experience and exploring the house.

The end of the journey was marked with a winter wonderland garden party with the Elf Queen, complete with snow machine and dancing. Again I think I may have enjoyed it more than the children; it was so breath-taking seeing the effort and expense that had gone into creating the snowy winter garden scene. A highlight was being able to keep the Elf costume, something I know the children will be donning come Christmas party time.

We had a very straight forward check out on Sunday evening, just dropping our key cards into a box on the drive out. We all massively enjoyed our break at Bluestone and I am very keen to go back in the summer months when the outdoor activities are in full swing. The staff are to be commended on their determination to ensure every single guest’s break is perfect; the standard of customer care was outstanding and the passion and enthusiasm the ‘elves’ put into each activity really made the whole experience so magical.

The Bluestone Christmas break is perfect for families wanting to still enjoy the magic of visiting Santa and getting festive with a pantomime, but without having the hassle of having to do it all in a busy city centre. The comfort of the lodges is second to none and the weather wasn’t an issue at all with the use of the buggy. I have highly recommended a Christmas break at Bluestone to all my friends with children; being able to get away as family at such a busy time of year can be tricky but to enjoy all the festive activities in such beautiful relaxing surroundings is worth its weight in gold.. Book now while you can, I say!

 

A mid week (Monday to Friday) festive break at Bluestone National Park Resort starts from £275 for up to four people in a luxury Caldey lodge, including complimentary tickets to Kingdom of the Elves, as well as the Blue Lagoon water park and indoor Adventure Centre.