Saturday 24 March 2018

Our Family Adventure at Sandy Meadows with John Fowler Holidays - Part Two!

You may remember that back in October we visited Sandy Meadows Lodge Park, which is a fabulous holiday park owned by John Fowler Holidays. The holiday park is situated at Brean, Somerset in a lovely coastal location. We stayed in a stunning four bedroom lodge and we were overwhelmed by what a brilliant time we all had.

Due to the fact that there was so much to do, both on site and with nearby attractions, we decided that one week just wasn't enough. Therefore a couple of weeks ago we returned back to Sandy Meadows to enjoy some more John Fowler holiday fun!

On the day of our holiday, we set off early in the morning and stopped at a Beefeater for a buffet breakfast along the way. After a bit of a lengthy drive, we arrived just before lunch and pulled up excitedly outside reception. Just like the previous year, we received a friendly welcome and were told that our lodge was actually ready early and so we could check in straight away. This was great news as it meant that after a long drive, we had no waiting around and could go straight to our lodge to unpack and enjoy some lunch and a rest.



We decided to stay in the 4 bedroom platinum hot tub lodge again. There are now a few of these on the site due to recent expansion, but we were very pleased to have the same one that we had visited previously. I really liked the location as it was so quiet and peaceful, with a nice outlook over the field in front. The hot tub also had reed screening all around it, which meant that because we were not overlooked, our family had lots of privacy when spending time either in the hot tub, or on the decking.


Just like our first visit, the accommodation was fantastic. The lodge was so spacious and clean, with plenty of room for all the family. The great thing about the lodges is that there are no tiny cramped twin rooms like you get in some caravans and instead each room has ample storage, comfy beds and they even had space for the kids to play. I am also reliably informed by the children that it is great for a good game of hide and seek as there are plenty of places to hide!

The outside decking area is just so relaxing and is a great place to enjoy a good book, a glass of wine, or some family games on the table outside. There is a sliding patio door that opens out onto the decking which means that you can come and go out of the lodge with ease, making it perfect for some alfresco dining in the spring and summer months.

The hot tub is brilliant and was enjoyed by all of us. It is very private so it offers a great place to relax as a family, as well as being lots of fun. There is a list of rules on the decking gate and in addition to this, the chemical levels are checked twice a day to ensure that the water is safe and also at the correct temperature. We thought that this safety conscious attitude was fantastic and it was great to see that the company made guests well-being a priority.

There was one slight problem in the kitchen of the lodge on arrival where something was broken. I rang reception and made them aware of this and someone came to the accommodation in less than twenty minutes. This member of staff then quickly replaced the item and apologised for the inconvenience. Simple things like this can happen and go unnoticed until reported by guests, so I am not surprised that it was missed by the cleaners initially. I never judge a company based on problems, but more on how they resolve them and I am pleased to say that we were extremely impressed with the sites pro-activeness and speed in getting the matter sorted. Well done!


Before long we were unpacked and enjoying our holiday. We had a walk around the park and read the entertainment guide for the week so that we were aware of what was on in the show bar throughout the week. There was certainly plenty of entertainment to choose from and we ended up visiting Dunes every night of our stay to enjoy the kids club and bingo games.

The evening entertainment was definitely one of our favourite things at the holiday park and the Dune Show Bar was located a short walk away on the adjacent Sandy Glade site. You could drive over there and park outside, or alternatively enjoy a five minute walk through the park, which is what we chose to do. The entertainment team work so hard to ensure that guests of all ages have a great time enjoying the activities which range from the kids club to bingo and family game show night to cabaret. There was something on every evening, which made sure that there was always something fun for us to do as a family.

Riley's favourite Stripey was Kelsey and he absolutely loved dancing and singing along with her at the Foxy Club. Usually Riley can be quite shy and reserved, but Kelsey's positive energy, cheery attitude and constant smile, made Riley feel really comfortable around her. The other Stripey's were fantastic too, each of them taking it in turns to take on a different role each night whether it be djing, bingo calling, or dressing up as the mascots. They were also great at getting everyone involved on the dance floor (even the parents)!


John Fowler Holidays actually have five mascots who are Freddy the Fox, Kenny the Badger, Trixie the Bunny, Cheffy the Chef and Paxo the Chicken. The costumes were brilliant and there was an opportunity every night to have your photo taken with them. I really like the fact that you could take the photos yourself, so there was no extra charge for a mascot photo. Riley loved meeting all the mascots and we managed to take some brilliant pictures that will be going into his memory box.


We all loved the bingo games and throughout the week we managed one cash prize win of £30 in the adults bingo and each of my children all won a game each (much to my relief) in the kids game. The prizes for the kids bingo are pre-determined based on the sales amount for the evening and so the prizes vary for each game. We managed to win a Foxy Club soft blanket with all the characters on, a Trixie Bunny keyring, flashing minion eyes and some finger puppets. If you aren't lucky enough to win though, then you can buy some Foxy Club merchandise in the Foxy Shop which stocks plenty of soft toys and character products. We bought a couple of items to add to Riley's collection and found the prices to be very reasonable.

Across the road from Dunes is a well stocked shop and a small cafe called Chef's Corner. We enjoyed a meal in there together on one night of our stay prior to heading to the bingo and found the food to be very tasty and fairly priced. The menu isn't huge, but does feature plenty of comfort food dishes and family favourites. My husband enjoyed the Steak & Kidney Pie with Chips & Gravy and said that it was delicious. You can also purchase take away food from here that is allowed to be consumed in Dunes, so you can enjoy a meal whilst watching the entertainment if you would prefer.


Other facilities on site include an indoor heated swimming pool. In addition to swimming, there are also some indoor water activities held in there for an extra charge which include water walking zorbs, aqua gliders and pool kayaks. To the rear of the pool building there is also an outdoor park which is a good size with plenty of equipment to play on. It was too far from our lodge to allow the children to go on their own, but they enjoyed some time here in an evening on the way to the clubhouse.


Although there is plenty to keep you entertained onsite, we do enjoy having days out and there is certainly no shortage of places to visit in the area. In our last review we mentioned that we had visited Puxton Park, Bristol Zoo, Wookey Hole Caves and the Helicopter Museum. This time we wanted to try some new attractions, so we ventured to Crealy Adventure Park, Noah's Ark Farm Park and Fleet Air Arm Museum. We also enjoyed a day at nearby Weston-Super-Mare where we had a pleasant time walking along the golden sandy beach.



Overall we had an amazing time at Sandy Meadows in Brean, Somerset. We very rarely return to the same place twice, yet I feel like I could happily return here again and again. There is so much to do in the area that there is certainly no chance of getting bored and the lodge accommodation provides you with a luxurious place to relax and enjoy your holiday. Would we return for a third time? Absolutely!

We will also be uploaded a video of our stay in the next couple of days, so watch this space!

About John Fowler Holidays

John Fowler Holidays have been established for over 60 years and their aim is to provide families with a wonderful UK holiday that includes comfortable accommodation, an action packed entertainment programme and on-site facilities.

They have holiday parks throughout the South West of England in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, offering a range of accommodation options including chalets, caravans and luxury lodges. Some sites also have facilities for camping and touring.

If you would like to obtain further information on Sandy Meadows, or learn more about their other parks located in the South West of England, then you can find more information on their website, or social media channels which can be found here:

Website: John Fowler Holidays
Facebook: John Fowler Holiday Parks
Twitter: @JohnFowlerHols
Instagram: @johnfowlerholidays
YouTube: John Fowler Holidays


Disclaimer: This is a collaboration post and we paid a discounted press rate for our stay. All opinions and photographs are my own unless stated otherwise.

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