Bluestone Wales Resort

So following on from arrival and first impressions, today is our first full day at Bluestone Wales Resort. The weather today is nothing like yesterday. We have blue skies and the wind has thankfully died down. The wind in Wales even made the news as it was compared to the storms in Ireland which were much worse.

The Park

There is an awesome park at Bluestone with fake grass which is lovely and bouncy underfoot. It feels a bit like being in Teletubby land. All the equipment is made out of sturdy wooden structures with bright colours. There’s something for all ages with big slides, little slides, ride on bouncy bugs, swings and a strange thing that looks like a colander that you sit in and it spins around.

The park is just above the coffee shop which is perfect for us mums and dads that need a bit of extra fuel to keep up with the little ones.

Just off the park there are wooden tree houses which all have games in them such as noughts and crosses, pinball and ball mazes.

We also discovered a giant chair which was left behind by a local welsh giant.

The Lake

After we’d had a mooch around the village we went for a wander around the lake. We bumped into some odd looking locals along the way.

The lake was lovely although there was a distinct eggy smell which I’m guessing is something to do with the sewerage system, but we could only smell it for part of the way round.

We also saw lots of birds, ducks and proper lily pads which Isabelle thought were only made up in films.

Narbeth

We also popped into local Narbeth to have a look around. There we found the most amazing deli which had so many yummy things to choose from.

Isabelle was amazed at the size of the onions and found the biggest jacket potato EVER….

We also found a shop that sells specialist alcohol including every kind of flavoured gin imaginable. Nothing unusual about that you would think, but alongside the alcohol they sell ice creams, gelato and sorbet (alcoholic and non-alcoholic). It seemed like a bit of an odd combination. Isabelle had a vanilla ice cream which the lady claimed to be the BEST vanilla ice cream ever. Isabelle being quite the ice cream connoisseur put the ice cream to the test and confirmed it as being THE BEST IN THE WORLD. It was made locally from local Welsh cows milk. As well as the ice cream, Chris bought two pints of local cider which came in a milk carton. It looked a lot like a cows urine sample and didn’t smell much better either.

The Knights Tafarn

In the evening we ventured out to the knights Tafarn for a drink. There was a lovely atmosphere in the pub, and we’re hoping to go back on Thursday for the pub quiz.

There were also a couple of pumpkin people sat outside which you can see a clip of on our Instagram stories.

Blue Lagoon and Adventure Centre

A good fun swimming pool is a must when booking a family holiday, and a trip there almost daily is a great way to get the kids up and out for the day or something fun to do before getting ready for dinner. The pool was definitely no disappointment with waves, a lazy river and slides to play on. Isabelle and even Ryan had a great time.

Lisa x

*disclaimer – we were given a mid-week stay at Bluestone in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.

Our midweek break at Bluestone Wales

I’m writing this post on the second day of our midweek break at Bluestone Wales. We arrived yesterday so this is our official full day at the resort.

The Drive Up

We set off from Exeter yesterday whilst the sky was a strange yellow colour and the sun looked like it was on fire. I think from all of our friend’s Facebook statuses’ that we were the only people in the whole of Exeter that hadn’t taken a picture and posted it.

The drive was pretty uneventful until we got closer to Wales. The closer we got to the resort the windier it became. There were leaves and bits of bush and twigs whirling around outside the car, and we could feel the wind against the car which swayed a little bit.

We arrived slightly early for check-in and as the weather was pretty grim we sat in the carpark to wait. Some other people were slightly braver than we were and got out to take a bit of a walk. I think we were far more sensible as we watched them try to keep hold of their hoods, umbrellas, and children.

A bit about Bluestone

Bluestone which will be celebrating its tenth birthday in 2018 is set in the middle of Pembrokeshire National Park surrounded by beaches and countryside with lots of historic features.

It’s a luxury resort where the kids can roam free, explore with lots of both indoor and outdoor activities for all ages.

There is a range of lodges and cottages to stay, and whilst the resort has a fantastic village vibe going on, it’s extremely spacious.

Bluestone does everything it can to remain an environmentally friendly business by following the Green Dragon Environmental Management System. Just from our first reccy around the resort we could see that a lot of love and attention to detail has been put into creating the Bluestone experience.

The Lodge

Once we were given the keys to the lodge we made our way down there to drop off our luggage. Once you have checked in and done the drop-off, Bluestone is a car-free zone which is great for little ones. There are golf buggies and bikes to hire and of course, there is the option to use your legs as well, oh and a bus service around the resort.

We were staying in a Dinas Lodge which sleeps, eight people. My first impression was a good one. The lodge is huge. There is a living area where there is a TV and sofas which leads onto the kitchen/dining area. Again the kitchen/diner is massive with high ceilings and french doors that lead to a patio area. it’s decorated in natural tones with dark wood and leather sofas.

The kitchen is fully equipped with everything you would need to cook for a family of eight all week long. We have two fridges with a small freezer compartment in each fridge, a full-sized oven and hob, a dishwasher and all the necessary kitchen gadgets such as toaster, kettle, and cafetiere.

The bedrooms are all of a good size with plenty of space for our clothes. Most importantly we have two bathrooms which is always a bit of a deal-breaker when there are eight people all staying in the same space for a week.

Once we unpacked we went for a wander around the village which is just up the road from us. We found a lovely coffee place, the Pub (of course), the Orchard Restaurant, the park (the other of course), The Firehouse Grill, and some shops all to explore in more depth.

Our Thoughts

Our first impression is very positive. I love the high ceilings and the open-plan layout of the lodge. We really like that everything is on one level which isn’t as big a deal for us since our youngest is seven. Having the large dining table which seats all of us was great for our first night which was curry night.

Can’t wait to have a proper look around tomorrow. You can also keep up to date with what we’re up to by checking out our Instagram feed.

Lisa

*disclaimer – we were given a mid-week stay at Bluestone Wales in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.

Tag: Wales