The Sweetpeas and I head off on a summer holiday with my mum and auntie. I suppose you are now reading this and thinking why on earth I am writing a review about it now. Well, it's because I'm currently on holiday from work and I'm having a bit of a sort out. I came across some of the photographs and also the blog post that I had written but for some reason I never published it. It followed on from when we were packing. (This is now why I have my diary so that I stick to my publishing routine.)
For more details of the resort, please do head to their website.
It was incredibly sunny when we left home and they were very excited about going to Sunny Hunny.
Arrival
Going through the main gates, I initially
encountered a problem of finding where to park in order to go and check-in.
There seems to be a few spaces at the front and then some more further down.
Most were full up but this may have been due to their being a caravan sales
afternoon when we arrived.
A young man greeted us as soon as we
approached Reception which was really polite as that clearly wasn’t his role and he was just passing through. A young
woman helped us to check in by confirming our reference number. She was very
efficient and handed us an envelope containing our entertainment passes and
then guided us on the map to where our caravan would be.
Finding your 'home'
It was really easy to find as everywhere is
signposted. There was room for our two cars right next to the caravan off the
road where others will be driving and walking.
Upon entering, everything looked and smelt
really clean. I had to smile to myself when I instantly saw the "fighting octopus" coat hooks. I saw someone say that once and now I can't see anything but a row of octopuses.
We’d decided on a silver plus package. This basically meant that we could check in at 2:30pm rather than 4pm and that it was a better standard of caravan. It had multi-room heating which was a major plus point. (A freezing cold caravan holiday a few years ago has now made that imperative if we are going to get a good night sleep.) They are also 12ft wide which means there was more space.
Our caravan had lovely French windows from
the living room. This meant that the children could go outside onto the veranda
and then play alongside the caravan too if they wished. This piece of enclosed
outside space was absolutely superb and ideal for our needs. I’d definitely
want that option again.
Harvey loved that he could be outside whilst we were indoors.
Alyssa also liked being out there too. I shouldn't have really bothered with the caravan, just the veranda would have done to be honest.
The caravan was decorated minimally. A few little
ornaments and some non-offensive artwork. Ironically, also a framed picture of
the lighthouse in Hunstanton where we were originally going to be staying. (There
were a couple of large vases which were soon put up out of the way to avoid any
breakages.)
Also some kind of basket was in our caravan
which they thought was fantastic.
There were enough dinner plates, small
plates and dishes. Mugs were plentiful and also lots of glasses including wine
glasses.
There was an immense amount of storage.
Even cupboards that a small child could fit in. Bit of a panic when “The
Sweetpeas” went missing and I eventually heard this sound of “sssh, Mummy will
hear us.”
There was a shower room with basin and then
a separate toilet and basin. This was great for a family like mine as you can
almost guarantee one of the children would need the toilet when you are in the
shower.
A small, flat screen TV with in-built DVD
player also sat in the corner of the living room.
I liked that there were plenty of sockets
throughout the caravan so enough to have phones charging, kettle boiling,
laptop plugged in and the TV all on the go if necessary.
On the first night, we found out that then
front lights of the caravan worked but the back half with the bedrooms in
didn’t.We only realized this when we actually wanted to use them. Thank goodness for the iPhone flashlight.
We did try ringing the security number
which was given on check in and we left 2 messages. It finally got to 11pm and
no reply so we all headed to bed. This problem was soon rectified in the morning when we spoke to someone at reception.
Sleeping
The caravan that we chose had a twin room and a double bedroom.
It has become a bit of a tradition within our family to take this Snatch bedding with us on all our trips. The Sweetpeas think it's their "holiday bedding".
I slept at the front of the caravan on the sofa bed. I found that it was incredibly easy to put up and was very comfy. I was
woken by the noise of the numerous ducks at around 6am but that was my fault
for not shutting the windows completely.
Heating
There is a heater in the living area of the
caravan which, once you work out how to operate it, soon warms up the area. We
also had central heating so there was a radiator in each bedroom, hallway,
shower room and dining area.
Entertainment
You're at the seaside so obviously you have the beach to play on if the weather allowed you to get your bucket and spade out. Mostly it didn't and we ended up doing lots of puzzles and games.
There was some entertainment on the actual park but The Sweetpeas decided that they'd much prefer to use their spending money in the arcades in the evening.
After a quick nap of course...
Anyone that knows me will tell you that I absolutely love the 2p machines and will happily play on those all evening. Harvey's eyes lit up at the crane machines though at 10p a play.
Me ~ "When your money has gone, it's gone. You'll never get anything out."
One minute later...
Harvey ~ "WOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I won."
Me ~ *mutter* *mutter* *mutter*
That was them both hooked then and that's all they wanted to play on. They ended up getting out 3 of the Tatty Teddy dogs and also a Teenage Mutant ninja Turtle soft toy. Don't you just hate it when your own children prove you wrong and never let you forget it?
They did have a few goes on some of the other games though but that was mainly because I wanted to have a go!
I thoroughly enjoyed the walks back from the amusements to either the car straight back to the caravan. (It depended on what the weather was like as to if we drove up or walked. ) The Sweetpeas,content with their haul of soft toys and prizes, would sometimes have a slushy on the way back. It's never too cold for a slushy. Never.
We paid £391 for the 3 nights during the August summer holidays. I think this was a reasonable price for the time of the year and the standard
of caravan that we had. It was made a little cheaper too as I booked through TopCashBack and received some money back when I paid the balance. (If you do decide to sign up to the cashback site and actively use it, I will then get £7.50 at the time of writing this post. That's 75 goes on the grabbers so I thank you.)
Recommendation
I would definitely recommend a visit to
this park. I would strongly advise the upgrade too as it was such good value to
have the added little extras.
Thank you so much to the owner of
Kensington 223 and the staff at Manor Park, Hunstanton. We had a great time. The Sweetpeas didn't want to leave.
I absolutely love the seaside and can't wait until our holiday this year. As long as I get a view like this, I'm happy.
Sun, sea and sand.
I did not get paid to write this review nor get compensated in any other way. I just wanted to share our experiences of being at that particular site.
What a lovely place to visit. We did some caravan holidays when the kids were younger and thought they were great, especially for the children. Lovely pics too!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you had a lovely time. I think it's a shame that not all caravans have heating all the way through though!! I would have assumed they did. It looks like lots of space to relax. And that's brilliant they won so many of the toys - so funny that you'd told them they wouldn't - that's the kind of thing that I'd say too!!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like it was a great holiday. I've actually been looking at taking my lot to Norfolk on holiday this year. I grew up with caravan holidays and I just love them!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you had a brilliant holiday what a great place to take the kids!
ReplyDeleteWe are huge fans of caravan holidays. I grew up with holidays in an touring caravan, so being in a static always seems really big. I like the freedom it brings
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a very relaxing holiday, I'm glad you all had a good time. We used to always have caravan holidays when I was younger. I'm glad that it's not only my children that put things on their heads! :-) I used to have that spotty dog bed spread when I was younger - loved it!
ReplyDeleteBrings back memories. Good ole Snatch.
DeleteLooks like you had a lovely time. Amazing how iphones can literally do anything right?!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely ~ an app for anything.
DeleteSounds like you had a great time - are the kids saving up their 10ps for the next holiday? I used to always come home with loads of teddies.
ReplyDeleteThey are indeed. It's lovely trying to see them weigh up in their heads whether they need a new toy or would rather save their money for their holiday.
DeleteWhat a lovely holiday! It looks like the kids had a great time! xx
ReplyDeleteAh your kiddies look like they had a fabulous time x
ReplyDeleteI haven't been to Hunstanton for years! It sounds and looks like you had a fab holiday!
ReplyDeleteWow, they did well with their haul! Looks like you had a lovely time - family memories to cherish x
ReplyDeleteI've never been on a caravan holidays. It looks nice and the place is actually very spacious.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a lovely holiday.
ReplyDeleteWe had our first caravan holiday last year and loved it. We also came home with 7 teddies from those machines
Looks like a fabulous caravan holiday - mine always see it as such an adventure
ReplyDeleteThis is making me dream of a family break!
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had a great time!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing on #singleparentlinky
ooh that looks so much fun!
ReplyDeleteI loved your use of words and writing style a lot. Hey, will you help Uk people by suggesting them the best agent for double glazing uk for turn window? It will be very helpful.
ReplyDelete