A Christmassy Trip to Bluestone Wales: Part One (Rhan Un)

4th December 2014

Letters to Santa
Bluestone National Park Resort is a luxury short break and holiday destination in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Bluestone is situated in 500 acres of beautiful wide open countryside that you are free to explore, with a choice of accommodation available; wooden lodges, quaint cottages and studio apartments all to choose from. It is an all-weather holiday destination where you can be adventurous with tree-top climbs or enjoy a relaxing time in the spa. It’s all about free-range fun.

We were very excited to be invited to Bluestone for a three-night break and to visit ‘Kingdom of the Elves’ where you are taken on a magical festive tale through the Elf Workshop to find out what happens to your letter when you post it to Santa.

A Blue Sky in the Forest at Bluestone WalesJumping in muddy puddles at Bluestone WalesDaddy and Ava in the Adventure Centre at Bluestone Wales

After driving rain for most of the looong journey there we arrived at Bluestone to lots more rain and with empty belly’s and feeling tired. We were quickly welcomed through the drive-through check-in and were very happy to get into our beautiful topsy-turvy Ramsey lodge, in which we would be sleeping downstairs and which are designed so that you get great views from the living area’s french doors and windows. The lodges are really nice, spacious and well-designed to a very high standard. Upstairs there is an open-plan lounge and fully-equiped kitchen which was great as it meant that Ava could play whilst we (Paul) were cooking or tidying up. The kitchen even had a dishwasher (a luxury that we don’t have at home) which we loved as we didn’t have to spend much time washing up. The first night that we got there as it was quite late it was already pitch black outside so we had no idea what kind of view we had and it was quite nice being completely surrounded by darkness and feeling like we were shut off to the outside world.

We chose to order a takeaway for our dinner the first night as it was late, dark and raining. Our takeaway came from a restaurant on-site which is a great option to have. We got a pizza for Ava, Paul had a curry and I had fish and chips which were all decent, and my fish was especially nice.

Ava in her bedroom at Bluestone WalesAva and Mummy out in the rain at Bluestone Wales

On our first full day at Bluestone it carried on raining most of the time which was a shame because we couldn’t explore quite as much and it meant we had to wrap up lots and then carry our coats and everything around with us once we were inside again. In the morning the boy went shopping and we got all sorted and then we ventured out into the pouring rain and howling wind to go to ‘Kindgom of the Elves’ which was in the Adventure Centre. We were greeted by a couple of friendly elves and then went through to the main room where we waited for our trip through the kingdom. This was our first glimpse of the amazing Adventure Centre, which has, *deep breath* crazy golf, a bouncy castle, a climbing wall, a smaller climbing wall for younger one’s, a soft play area, a Swing and Drop (a pendulum-like contraption up in the air), a Lego wall, wooden climbing frames with slides, a high ropes indoor adventure, trikes, and more. There’s also the Wildwood Cafe there so you can sit and watch with a drink.

We then started our Christmassy adventure as we were led as a group through Kingdom of the Elves. We journeyed through different rooms and spent a bit of time in each one where an elf entertained us and told us how they needed our help. In the first room all of the children were given an elf apron which was cute and Ava was quite enthralled by the elf, the room and the other children. The first few rooms were really good fun with lovely elves who entertained the kids well and moved things along nicely. The ice-themed room with its dancing snowman, balls flying around, fun music and lots for the little one’s to get involved in was a highlight and Ava loved collecting balls and putting them into a machine.

Overall, Kingdom of the Elves was a great experience that helped us to feel Christmassy and that Ava loved. She loved getting involved and spending time with other children (although as most of them were older they weren’t that interested in her), and it was lovely to see her joining in. The ‘Elves’ were mostly good; enthusiastic and engaging and most importantly; fun. The whole thing did last a bit long though, around an hour and a half and we thought an hour would have been better. The kids, especially the younger one’s had begun to lose interest towards the end, with some constantly crying and whinging and demands for the loo not being met (by the parents not the Elves). Ava got tired of walking round and being constantly on the go after a while and was definitely ready for a sit down and a snack by the end of it. We were also carrying all of our outdoor clothes around the whole time so it would have been nice to have had somewhere safe to leave them.

Spinning TopsDaddy and A drawing a train at Kingdom of the ElvesCollecting balls in the ice roomToy Soldier

After Kingdom of the Elves our tired girly got some energy back and hot footed it to the bouncy castle, where she spent quite a while bouncing around and copying off the big kids with no fear whatsoever. Then it was time to leave, to have a rest and get some dinner so we picked up our screaming-didn’t-want-to-leave-ever-ever-ever-I-hate-you-mummy-and-daddy toddler and ventured back out into the pouring rain back to our cosy lodge.

Lots of toys and a reflectionAva the Elf at Bluestone National Park ResortRoom full of toys at Kindgom of the Elves

We had been planning to go out for dinner that night but after a tiring day we decided to cook dinner in our lodge so the boy popped to a local Aldi and picked up some steaks for us and sausages for Ava. We then put Ava to bed in her own room where I had pushed the two single beds together and created a sleeping area in the middle with pillows all around (she’s only little still!) and we set to ‘work’ having a relaxing evening upstairs, with wine and a magazine for me and beer and a tablet (not the druggy kind!) for him. It was really great being able to put Ava to bed and having our own area on another floor to be able to relax and not have to be really quiet. You could hear the floor creaking a bit from downstairs when someone was walking across the kitchen but it wasn’t enough to disturb her and we just walked as quietly as possible whenever we got up to get another drink.

View from the front of lodge and a rainbow!By the Bouncy CastleAva and Daddy taking a stroll through Blusetone National Park WalesView from our lodge at Bluestone WalesAva and Mummy outside our lodge at Bluestone Wales

We ended up going to bed reasonably early (to sleep!) after a busy day and lots of fresh Welsh air and battling the wind and rain. We all slept soundly after a lovely, fun and happy day.

Next I will be sharing another post about our next two days at Bluestone (it was only supposed to be one!) and our overall thoughts of the holiday. I also have a vlog (my first one!) coming if my computer decides to let me finish editing it and not decide to delete it all and go crazy after I’ve spent hours editing it. Sigh times a thousand.
Brilliant blog posts on HonestMum.com

2 responses to “A Christmassy Trip to Bluestone Wales: Part One (Rhan Un)”

  1. Bluestone looks fab- I’ve only heard of it as blogger as a few other people I know have been this last year and have said what a great time they had. It looks so beautiful over the festive season! #brilliantblogposts

  2. Honest Mum says:

    Gorgeous break with for a beautiful family! Can’t wait to see you vlog soon too! Thanks for linking up to #brilliantblogposts

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