Sandy Balls Holiday Village - Fordingbridge

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Although shabby and in need of updating, our cabin had spectacular views and incredibly comfortable beds. Unfortunately it did smell damp and mouldy although we didn't find any and it had been cleaned well. |The staff were lovely. Jessie was amazing with our girls and included our shy daughter so kindly that she felt able to join in. Her slime workshop was lots of fun, as was the kids house party - she didn't stop! |Dan was really friendly and led a great alpaca walk which was lots of fun!|Evenings in the acorn courtyard were really lovely. |The swimming pool was a good temperature and excellent depth for the children but it is incredibly old and I'd question last time the pool areas were properly cleaned. Some stuffing from a toy was on the side of the pool during our first swim on the Saturday and was still there and still falling into the pool on the Monday. The ladies changing rooms were really rather disgusting. |The food was nice but not amazing. Hugely expensive but not unexpected for a holiday park. Excellent £1 deal for kids.|Overall we had a lovely break and wouldn't let the pool put us off returning - but only if we could have our spectacular view from the cabin again!

Duncan H.

Three night stay in a 8 birth cabin for four of us (mum dad nan kid) nice size and good amenities. Not listed but it had a dishwasher and they gave cleaning items/ dishwasher tablets. Though a number of damaged areas. (Velux/ outdoor furniture/sofa) Though they didn't stop our enjoyment. We had the end of Tawny wood so was quiet and no cars driving past. We also had deers around the cabin.

The complex is great and all the staff were helpful and friendly.
We used the swimming, soft play, shop. Restaurants and bars
Shop around 130% normal prices, but has everything you need and some are reasonable (ie eggs £2.35)

Kid loved the entertainment in the evening. The staff were all great
The forest theatre was charming with all the cushions for kids.

Food was mediocre from Aubreys. Chips were horrible so don't recommend. Good drink option.

Did the alpaca walk and kid loved that too. Highly recommend. Dan was awesome. Friendly and informative. You walk over to good Friday hill for photos.
Good Friday hill is beautiful at sunset

Recommend the app. Easy to book and handy map.

Location is good. North side of new forest but 30 mins to beach 25 to Bolderwood etc. plenty of pubs around within 10 min drive. Fordingbridge 5 mins away

We look forward to coming back for longer.

kmratesplates

Just got back from a 4 night stay here and overall we had a good stay. I was a bit sceptical as I hadn’t read the reviews on here beforehand, I think if I had read them before I booked I wouldn’t have booked, and unfortunately I found that most of the previous reviews were accurate. We stayed in an exclusive lodge with a hot tub and it was lovely, it had everything we needed, all cutlery and utensils, beds were nice and comfy and it was clean. The hot tub was lovely, we did have an issue with it one night but it was swiftly rectified the next day once we reported the issue. The grounds were nice and clean, the playground was good fun and the scenic walks were lovely.|The reason I’m giving the park 3 stars are as follows - The swimming pool was closed 2 of the 3 times we visited it, both times it was closed there was no real explanation and it seemed it was run by inexperienced kids, and that’s no disrespect to the staff, they just didn’t know what was wrong and what to say which was disappointing. The whole pool area has had its day and needs a revamp, the changing rooms are pretty grim, the showers don’t work properly and it’s just dirty in there. The pool itself is ok, just seems like they need someone with experience who knows what they are doing to sort out the issues. One time we were in the pool and they said we had to leave as there’s an issue, but it will reopen in 15 mins. We have young kids but managed to get them out and get them in the baby pools while we waited. After 30 mins we asked when the pool would be open and the staff said 15 mins, but you could tell they didn’t have a clue. Someone senior should explain the situation and be honest with issues and times to the customers as many people were getting frustrated. |The gym was good, it had everything that’s needed and was empty both times I went. The arcade was good fun and we had some fun in there. The entertainment was non existent and I didn’t see anything going on which was a bit of a shame, it didn’t really affect us as we was out most of the time, not sure if it was because it was weekdays in term time. The soft play is very basic and has no balls in the ball pit, I’m guessing it’s because they need cleaning and supervision.|The phone signal is an issue, you can’t get signal anywhere and there’s no WiFi in the rooms. They want you to use the app and book things etc, but you can’t get any signal ? They need to invest in park WiFi so guests can make the most of facilities, it will make its money back in no time. |To summarise we had a nice stay and made the most of what we had, the park seems to be run by young staff who are on their gap year, and I definitely think they need some senior management to make sure things run smoothly. It seems like the park facilities need some improvement and this place would be 5 star. We had a good lodge so was pretty lucky, all of the reviews below are true and sum up the park.

James P.

Three nights in a lodge, with our 2yr old.

Big place like this tho and Hottest days of the year 30 degrees plus would have expected a fan in the accommodation. Beside that, beautiful location, beautiful finish and great entertainment for our small person.

Would definitely return 😊

Sterlings P. B.

We stopped over for the weekend with our kids and had an amazing time. The upgrade to the hot tub was well worth it! The atmosphere, activities and friendly fun staff were fantastic. Waking up in the forest to the birds and sunlight through the trees was delightful. Lots of amenities. The TriBeCa lodge was clean and lots of towels provided. We’ll definitely be back again, we had such a fun time. Shout out to Jade on reception on arrival, who was super friendly and accommodating - great start to our break away!

Aaron B.

Just returned from a 4 night stay in a luxury caravan. Overall it was an amazing experience. The caravan was very clean save a couple mould spots on some of the curtains. We absolutely loved the patio furniture and the little area for the kids to run about while we enjoyed our coffee and meals outside. Kitchen was well stocked with cooking supplies and there was plenty of towels and toilet roll available for us. The location is absolutely ideal with lots of scenic walks and donkey hot spots very close. No Wi-Fi but that was okay as we had plenty of 3G service to be able to make plans.

The activities offered were incredible. We took our 2 and 4 year old to pottery painting and potion making and they loved it. The young lady who ran it was so sweet and energetic. You can tell she actually really liked creating the magic for the the kids. My 4 yo adored the mini land rovers and proudly has her driving license displayed in her room now.

The only disappointments we had were the family swim times at the pool. On the app and online it stated the indoor pool opened at 7 and with little kids who get up early I was hoping to get in around 9. Unfortunately we got all dressed and excited only to find that family swim didn’t start until 10. And then when we came back at 10 there was a class so we ended up coming in after 1. The staff was very kind and apologetic I just wish the website and app reflected the time difference so we could plan accordingly.

The laundrette was very outdated and only one washing machine was working. It would have been nice to have card operated machines as opposed to coin but that’s understandable.

They did also chop down a tree right next to our caravan the last day there. There was no warning it would happen and made my 2 year olds nap very difficult. We also couldn’t leave the site in car because of all the equipment blocking the way. Would have been nice to have a heads up so that we could have planned accordingly and already have been off site during it.

Despite the few qualms we had a lovely time and will definitely be returning.

A8641RKbrianw

We sadly left early this weekend as having spoken to a lovely young lady in reception when we reported some issues with our chalet and were told that unfortunately nothing could be done as there was no management on park all weekend. Apparently the guest experience manager and the general manager were both on holiday together and they had only just found out and didn't know when they would be back! Its a perculiar way to run a holiday park. We've been coming to Sandyballs for decades so its very sad to see it like this and according to all the friendly team we spoke to during our short visit its like this most weekends and even when Management are in during the week they never ever see them and they never work past 5pm! Positives were the woodside inn where the food was lovely as were the staff especially Rachel who made a fuss of us. Arcade is still fun and the grandkids really enjoyed spending all their pocket money! Big shoutout to Tim who sorted out a problem when we had an issue with the ticket machine. We didn't eat in Aubrey's and according to the sign in the window its now only open 3 days a week which is very odd. We were planning to come back in September but unfortunately based on this visit have decided against it and will reluctantly book elsewhere. I really hope the owners read this but based on the many other poor reviews I doubt they will so its goodbye to Sandyballs.

Ian G.

4 night stay, 4 adults & a toddler, lodge with hot tub very spacious & cosy which met our needs. Some of the soft furnishings were showing signs of wear could do with a bit of a clean. The children's soft play & outside play areas were good & clean. The indoor pool & splash pools were good & clean so were the changing rooms. The shop was great for essentials. All of the staff on site were friendly & cheery. On our 3rd day a slight issue with the boiler & having called the out of hours on site service the engineer was with us within 40 minutes and fixed the problem he was also very friendly. The speed limit on site is 5 mph however some staff didn't comply and with it being dry stirred up dust from the roadway which blew in our direction. Great time had by us all. Thank you