Candyfloss & Dreams

Tag: Caravan Holiday

  • Freshwater Lodge with Hot Tub at Nodes Point Holiday Park

    Freshwater Lodge with Hot Tub at Nodes Point Holiday Park

    Reviewing the Freshwater Lodge at Parkdean Resorts Nodes Point Holiday park on the Isle of Wight. We stayed on a Monday-Friday break in July 2021.

    The Isle of Wight is a holiday happy place for me and we have just returned from a four night break on the island. We purposely booked early check in so we could make the most of our time and get into our lodge straight away. We decided to book a lodge with a hot tub because we wanted something a little bit fancy and, in my experience, it was worth the money. We did, however, book this break last summer and it cost us just under £600 in the Freshwater Lodge situated in Culver View. Splitting the cost over the year made it an affordable family break.

    Freshwater Lodge at Nodes Point

    Staying in the Freshwater Lodge as a family of 5 we had plenty of space. It was the four of us and Adam’s mum in a 3 bed, two bathroom lodge with an open plan living space which included a fully stocked kitchen and dining area. There was outside seating for six people as well as a large private hot tub on the decking. Inside there was a dining table for six as well as two bar stools. The open plan living space in the freshwater lodge makes it really easy to socialise. There are two bathrooms – one with a full bath and overhead shower, another; an ensuite to the master bedroom – which includes a shower cubicle. Having two spaces to wash really suited our situation.

    Our Lodge Tour Video of Culver View 5 is on YouTube

    What does the Freshwater Lodge include

    • One Double bedroom with ensuite, wardrobe, dressing table, TV with freeview and USB charging point
    • Two twin rooms with dressing table, wardrobe and TV with freeview
    • Bathroom with bath, shower, toilet and large cabinet for toiletries
    • Open plan living space with sofa and two arm chairs, TV with freeview and sliding doors opening up to the veranda and Hot Tub with outside seating
    • To the right of the entrance is a large cupboard with boiler, water heater, radiator control (including heated towel rail control) and a washing machine, air drier and ironing board.
    • The dining space has a large table and cabinet with plenty of storage
    • The kitchen has fridge, freezer, kettle, microwave, gas oven, dishwasher and toaster. There was an issue with our fridge (Culver View 5) which lead to a leak one morning and our food not staying particularly cold. A temporary fridge was put in the corner of the dining area in the interim and a new fridge has apparently been ordered. There is a large pantry space as well as plenty of cupboards. We did find cutlery to be a little sparse but there were plenty of wine glasses (for us none drinkers). There are no plastic or small bowls, plates or cutlery for children so its worth taking your own if you have very young children.
    • The seating area was comfortable for us. The TV seems a little tempremental and slow but worked fine for the times we used it.

    Review of Freshwater Lodge at Nodes Point, Isle of Wight

    I’ll start with the frustrations first because out stay was mostly positive. There was a smell of sewage for a lot of our stay which was really offputting. We found we could minimise it by keeping the entrance door closed and the sliding doors opened but it was frequent in the large bathroom. It was a bit off putting really but we only cooked twice. The other frustrating thing was the issue with the fridge which is hopefully being replaced. It is quite clearly lacking some sort of seal to keep the water in and the ice forming at the back of the fridge suggests its trying to over compensate to keep cool but with no seal around the door. We were told it didn’t need a seal so I do worry they are just avoiding fixing a problem. The solution was to put a temporary mini fridge in the corner which was acceptable but didn’t store a lot of food. We did have to throw a few things out like yoghurts because they just felt like they’d been left out at room temperature and I didn’t feel good about eating them. Some plastic or smaller, less fragile dishes and beakers for kids would have been fantastic too but this was lacking so we bought our own.

    The rest of the lodge, though, was really nice. Having a washing machine was really handy especially after a day at the beach. Having two bathrooms between the five of us meant we getting washed and ready was really easy. Having TV’s in each room meant when the kids needed some much needed downtime we weren’t stuck watching an endless loop of cbeebies. I loved the size of the pantry in the kitchen and having the open plan living space was really great for preparing meals and continuing to socialise. The dining table was comfortable and the bench was an ideal place for my son to sit at – the first year we didn’t request a high chair for him! It absolutely felt like a premium holiday accomodation at a holiday park because we had so much space.

    We have been to many caravan parks in the past and I think if I saw a lodge coming up for a similar price I wouldn’t hesitate to book again. I believe you can get some of the lodges included in the Sun holiday and I think they are absolutely worth it if you’re going in a larger group with friends or family – even better if you can split some of the cost down. I know a hot tub lodge won’t suit every budget and I’m not saying we will now only ever go for a lodge – because I’m not really prepared to pay more than £800 for a four night break and they do whack the price up – but if you can afford it, and you can comfortably fit the payment into your monthly budget (if booking in advance) then I would recommend it for the extra space. As a family of larger adults, myself on the chunky side and Adam being 6’5 having a bigger shower and shower over bath honestly made this experience so much more comfortable. I really struggle with the normal caravan showers so this was a huge plus for us.

    Using the Hot Tub in your hot tub lodge at Nodes Point

    The hot tub is in it’s own little gated off area and was much bigger than I thought it would be. It was a lovely addition and we used it every day – sometimes out of obligation really but it was a novelty that didn’t wear off on our break. It was a great way to warm up after the very cold swimming pool. You can use the hot tub after 7pm on your day of arrival, I think this is to give the cleaning chemicals a chance to get working, and between 10am-10pm every other day. Maintenance come around every morning to check the chemical levels and adjust as needed and on changeover days they refill the water and do a clean. The hot tub is kept lidded and locked whilst not in use. The tub was regularly between 37-39 degrees but we couldn’t seem to adjust the temperature. It was hotter during the day when the sun was out and cooler in the evening during the night so I expect this had something to do with it. The jets would go on for 15 minutes at a time which is an indication for how long one should be in a hot tub but I don’t think anyone ever pays attention to that.

  • Packing for a Caravan Holiday

    Packing for a Caravan Holiday

    Caravan Holiday Packing When You Can’t Drive

    We are very excited to be off on a Caravan Holiday to the Isle of Wight however neither Adam or I can drive so when it comes to travel we have to navigate public transport. It can be really tough when you’re having a staycation and trying not to pack the absolute world, especially with children. We love caravan holidays because they provide a good base for us to explore, are usually pretty affordable and holiday parks usually have great facilities to enjoy. This is the second time we’ve had a caravan holiday at Landguard in Shanklin so we know what to expect of the park which makes packing quite a bit easier. However, as you can do when you have a car, we can’t be taking loads of things with us and nor can we do a massive food shop and drive it over to the caravan when we get there which means we have to be pretty savvy when it comes to packing. This year our plan is to take one medium wheelie suitcase, our Cabin Zero hand luggage bag and a backpack. Evie will also have a bag to carry herself. We’ve been doing caravan holidays for ages now but I would love to try a luxury lodge as recommended by Wandermust Family.

    Our caravan includes bed linen, duvets and pillows which is perfect as we don’t need to worry about taking those with us however we still need to take towels which I find take up the most amount of space. I try and get those into the case first, laying ours at the bottom and rolling Evie’s towel up as it’s much smaller and thinner. However, caravan holidays don’t come with everything you need. We’ve gone with a slightly more luxury grade caravan for our break which does include more space and a few more things that we wouldn’t need to worry about bringing with us which is great.

    Wear Your Heaviest Clothes

    I think this is a given no matter where you’re going just to save on space and if you’re flying somewhere, luggage allowance. Wear your heaviest items the day you travel and dress in layers. The annoying thing about public transport is of course having to get on and off so you don’t want so many layers that it gets annoying but enough so that it’s not taking up precious room in your case. I try to them make the rest of our clothes fit as snuggly as possible. Evie and I wear quite thin tops and dresses which are easier to fold and roll but Adam’s t-shirts are a little less flexible and heavier. This time we’re only going for four nights so thankfully don’t need as many outfits, and, we aren’t going anywhere that requires having to dress up which is nice. When it comes to shoes, I usually wear trainers to travel in and pack a pair of flat shoes or flip flops as a spare. I do the same for Evie, getting her to wear heavier shoes and packing her sandals. Adam only has his trainers so we’ve saved a bit of space there as his feet are huge!

    Think of the Essentials

    For a caravan holiday we then need to consider what we need to bring to the caravan that isn’t provided like washing up liquid, a tea towel, extra toilet paper and a bin bag. For four nights I know we won’t use much of this and we are planning on eating out for dinner each night however, the washing up liquid will be needed for mugs and breakfast things, an extra bin bag is handy and no one should ever run out of toilet paper, especially not on a caravan holiday! You just don’t need that stress! Plus I’m pregnant, I wee about fifty times a day now. It’s needed. Toiletries and hand soap are also needed although I think these can easily be condensed down into smaller bottles. Anti bacterial wipes are also a great thing to pack to give everything a wipe down. An essential for me is absolutely bringing a couple of my favourite tea bags and coffee. I have a small tin that I fill with tea bags and 3 in 1 coffee sachets. I’m not fussed about sugar in tea and a pint of milk is something on our list to buy once we get to the caravan holiday park but having a nice hot cup of coffee after travelling and whilst unpacking everything will be just lovely. Something you might want to consider is a tire pressure monitoring system when travelling by car or if you have a towing caravan.

    Consider Pregnancy

    We will be away when I’m 28 weeks pregnant and where, hopefully, I can still be relatively comfortable however there are a few things I am considering bringing with me before we go to make sleeping more comfortable. A pregnancy pillow will be really handy as will a small fan to keep me cool, however, again not being driving these are both really bulky things that probably won’t fit in our luggage. I think because of this Adam is going to be sleeping on the sofa bed so we both have a bit more space at night and I am going to get some cooling face spray. Everything else will be as normal, however, it would be a good idea to decide what you want to do and where you want to go before travelling and get an idea of distances, especially if you find walking long distance to be a bit tough. Also, I’ll be taking my maternity notes as a precaution.

    Packing for Children

    One good thing about a caravan holiday is that you usually have a lot to see and do on site however Evie does sometimes get up quite early when we are away and can get bored whilst waiting to head out. Evie likes to bring her own bag and suitcase and over the years has actually got better at carrying it. This time we’ve said it might be easier if she just takes the one bag or suitcase as we’re only going for four nights and won’t need much. The travelling isn’t as far either with our longest train journey being an hour and a half so not much entertainment equipment is needed. However, I know she’ll want a few things to do in the caravan or if the weather takes a wet turn so we usually pack her tablet and charger, paper, pencil case and a couple of books. Sometimes I get her a small new Lego kit too which I usually let her open when we get to the caravan as it’s a nice new treat for her and keeps her happy whilst we unpack. However, depending on where we are in the park and if it’s still dry when we arrive, hopefully she can have a little play to burn off some of that energy before we eat.

    If, like me, you thought you wanted to give your seven year old child a bit of independence and let her pack her own bags…always check them before trusting them. I found Evie had packed 2 pairs of knickers, seven dresses, a bikini, a rubber ring and sunglasses. I swapped a few things around and may have added some extras…

    Eat Before You Travel

    When it comes to using public transport as a method of getting to your holiday destination you really want to try and eat something hearty before you go. We aren’t leaving until after lunch which means we can have a nice big brunch before getting on our first train and means we will only need a few snacks to keep Evie (mainly) occupied and less grouchy. With a caravan holiday being self catering we know we will have to head to the shops, there’s a Lidl just around the corner from our park, before we can get a good meal though so having had something to keep us going through the travel will be key to surviving. Also, if you have something a bit big before you go, should you encounter any delays, it won’t be as hard on a full stomach.