Last week I posted a photo diary of our stay at The Sands Resort in Newquay, Cornwall. Today I’m going to tell you a bit more about our stay.

This was our first holiday as a family of four. Quite surprising really as we normally holiday every few months even if it’s just a short stay but things have been a lot more chaotic with two than I imagined.

Anyway Chloe has just turned 6 months and we were well due a little break.

One thing I should point out is that going anywhere even just overnight with two little ones isn’t generally relaxing. You always need to be entertaining, changing or feeding at least one of them and you have to take so much stuff everywhere you go!

Luckily this is no general hotel. The Sands is totally geared towards making your holiday as stress free as possible. We didn’t take a buggy, preferring instead to hire ( for free) one of theirs. We didn’t take a travel cot for Izzy as there was a totally lovely wooden cot included in our suite. Towels were in our room as standard but also included are big towels for the pool so another thing we didn’t pack.

There is so much for us to do all the time that it wasn’t necessary to take loads of toys so for once packing up the car wasn’t such a chore.

On arrival – we parked up and the first thing Izzy spotted was the gorgeous pirate ship in the children playground, we spent a lot of time there.

Checking in – was quick and painfree and here is where I will point out the ONLY flaw. There are no lifts. If we had taken the buggy and wanted to keep it in our room it would have been difficult to get it up two flights of stairs. This didn’t bother us too much as although we were quite a distance from the lobby our room was so gorgeous and the climb up the stairs was worth it for the view across the water as the sunset each evening. Bliss.

Did I mention we had the most glorious weather every day we were there?

By the time we settled in that first day we had time for a quick dive in the pool before our evening meal. The pool was quiet and peaceful and we could relax in the smaller pool with the little ones.

After our swim and shower we had our three course evening meal in the hotel restaurant. Izzy was pretty stroppy after a long day of travelling up but the staff were attentive and set us at ease immediately. They were helpful but not in our faces which is just how I like it.

The food – was really good and I did like that the children’s choice had a starter included. Sometimes we are eating starters at restaurants and Izzy is sat waiting for her main which means she ends up eating most of mine!
Presentation and taste was spot on and there was plenty of it which meant we were all comfortable full and ready for our beds.

Our suite- was made up of one large sea facing room with a very large bed, settee, chairs, table and TV followed by a very small corridor/ alcove and then a smaller room with twin beds and a cot. This is ideal for families for small children such as us as it meant Izzy kept to her usual routine of sleeping in her own room but we were close if she got a bit unsure of where she was. We took our Bednest for Chloe and there was more than enough room for it next to our bed.

Breakfast – this is a standard hot hotel buffet but with lots of different cereals/dried fruit etc too. Really nice yoghurt and a mountain of baby food to choose from. Coffees and teas are served to your table and I was happy to find they served decaf tea as SO many places don’t. Lots of clean high chairs ( I hate when they are grubby in some restaurants/hotels) and straws etc for drinks for the children.

The Kids Club – included in our stay was one free entry for both girls in the ofsted approved kids club/ nursery. Prior to our visit I was extremely reluctant to leave my children with strangers but the women working there were incredibly lovely and great with both girls. We didn’t venture far with one of us sat around the corner reading the whole time and of course I popped back to feed C but the two hours of adult time was refreshing to say the least. There are several sessions you can choose thoughout the day including one from 7.15-9.30pm which would leave you to dine child free!

The Spa – part of our stay included a massage for me which was completely awesome. The Spa is set downstairs away from the children’s play areas and feels like you are in a different hotel. The room was so relaxing that I *may* have dozed off. There are lots of treatments available with competitive prices.. Handy if you forget to wax before your hols 😉

The Gym – my OH used the gym during our stay and said it was pretty good everything he needed for a workout and clean and well maintained.

The Pools and Play areas – both indoor and outdoor pools are ideal for families, plenty of seating and again clean and obviously well looked after. The play area is fab with a mini golf area, sandpits and pirate ship as well as the usual things. There are also two bouncy castles which Izzy just loved.

Overall – I can’t recommend this hotel enough. It’s ideal for families, particularly young ones. We really felt like we needed a break prior to our visit and it was as relaxing as holiday with two very young children is ever going to get ..unless you take a nanny of course 😉

We hope to return next year.

Visit The Sands website for lots of offers and more information.

* We were gifted a short break in The Sands Resort for the purpose of this review.