emmiewoo's Qype profile

Myself and family stayed here 21st Oct ’11. Our accommodation was a deluxe 3 bed caravan. It was clean and comfortable enough for us. It was very cold in there and needed the heating on all the time. Our only gripe was the bathroom, it was tired and dated and smelt of urine, even after cleaning it myself, it still had the smell.

We were situated close to the entertainment complex which could be quite noisy when the late nighters were walking past.

The complex was clean and well maintained, it was nice to see security who actually checked passes. The entertainment kept the children happy as did the arcades etc. The shop inside the live lounge is a complete rip off, cannot believe how much they were charging for the tat they were selling, shame.
The pool was clean and my son loved the crazy river part of it.

All the staff were friendly here. We ate in the on site restaurant for a dinner and breakfast, it was pretty average food, the guy who was waiting was very polite.

It’s not far from many outings, such as Durdle Door. The drive out has some fantastic views. We walked to Weymouth Beach/Bowleaze Cove and had a great day out along the coastline. You are also able to gain entrance to their smaller sister site, but we didn’t find the time to do this.

We’ve stayed at many Haven parks and this is by far the cleanest and friendliest, we would definately return.

We visited on a Sunday, we got there just after 2 and it was packed already. There were no car parking spaces in their small car park, so we managed to find a space on the side of the road where others had, you make a right turn at the end of the road.

The museum was full of stuffed animals, my youngest was amazed by it. Upstairs was quite narrow around the balcony area, so it was quite difficult to look at the displays, I guess a one way type of system would make it easier, but it’s free so cannot complain really. There were a range of cases to open and view full of bugs, spiders, butterflies etc….watch those fingers though!

Though it’s a much smaller museum than the London one, it’s enough for little ones.

Got into our room and it reeked of strong smoke. The window was even wide open, so much so that safety latch had been ripped out of the sill. There was ash all over it, with butts on the ledge. Then we noticed the sofa – the top of it had been used as an ash tray, the seats were ripped, with holes and dodgy looking stains on it and again sprinkled with ash. There was a blood stain on the wall too!

We went to reception to complain to the apparent manager, as there was no phone in the room, who informed us they were fully booked so we could not be moved and there were no cleaners either as it was late. We tried to find alternative accommodation but to no avail.

We then noticed on the bathroom doorframe there was like blue tac stuck to it, with body hair pressed into it, there was also body hair in the bath too, plus hair in the bed. We were disgusted and hardly slept a wink all night. The tv didn’t work, the remote was under the bed, the mirrors were filthy and the main one cracked! I took photos of everything.

We had paid for breakfast in advance and were dreading this, but to give them credit it wasn’t too bad and the staff member was friendly.

On check out I said I wanted to complain and was told to contact customer services on the website which I did. After about 12 days I was given a full refund with the admisson they’d failed to maintain their high standards!

I won’t be staying in another Travelodge again that’s for sure!
Parking on the road outside is free, should anyone want to stay here!

The rescue centre is really easy to find as it’s well signposted. Cost us £34 for a family ticket.

All the primates looked so happy and lively, jumping around, eating, playing, making everyone laugh and smile. So different to a zoo! We were fascinated by the chimps, could have watched them for hours.

Some of the abuse and neglect they encountered is shocking, we are so glad they were rescued and brought to such a fantastic place.

The kids also enjoyed the play areas there, we liked the long rope swing in the great ape play area! The Treetops cafe sold the usual types of food, there was a small soft play area in there so that kept my youngest amused whilst waiting for lunch.

It was very clean and kept and we had a great day out here.

It’s a small place, but captivating. It was the first time the children had been inside a lighthouse, the tours were not on, but they enjoyed just being there and having a look about, my youngest liked the touching table with shells, feathers etc to feel. Outside we watched the rough sea crash against the rocks and as we walked along the coast it sprayed up and over us a few times, the kids loved it, especially trying to catch the seaweed in the water sprays.

There is a charge for the car park.

Durdle Door is well worth a visit, sat on the Jurrasic coastline with the sun above it, just gorgeous.

It was very windy on the day we went and had there been a suitable handrail down the steep steps to the beach, I would have ventured down with my little one. My son and partner were much braver than me and did it, they walked along the lovely beach and got some fab pics. The walk back upto the carpark is not for the unfit!

This was my 3rd time here and I still enjoyed it. It’s great to learn of the history behind the smuggling trade and the goings on in the caves.

It only takes about an hour to get around, with Hairy Jack telling the story. It is quite dark inside and a little chilly. My children loved the mystery of it all and enabled them to let their imagination run away in there. Some bits would be a bit jumpy for younger children, but that’s mainly at the beginning. There’s quite a few interactive things to do.

It’s £14.60 for 2 adults. We got the cliff lift up which is £2.40 for an adult return. The views are lovely on top of the cliff and there’s a childrens play area on the green.

They could do a little more to update it, but it then again if you change things too much it takes away the history and tradition of the place!

We used our clubcard vouchers to go here so we each had a wristband. You can get discount vouchers online if you look usually bogof on wristbands.

The rides were ideal for us…I’m not a fan of big rides so I could enjoy all the younger rides ha. The kids aged 8 and 4 loved it…they went on nearly all the rides…we loved the peddling helicopters and the ice rink was great. It was a nice mix of tradional and current. The staff were friendly and the food was reasonably priced, especially for the portion size and not a rip off like similar places.

The ‘free’ park area is great too. Will definately go back

It’s approx £34.00 for a family ticket, 2 adults/2 children…but I found a 20% off voucher online (www.smartsave.com/uk/days-out/groombridge-place-gardens) so we got in for just under £27.00.
There’s plenty of parking and a short walk to the entrance.

We looked at the map and decided to get the canal boat upto the forest. It was a wait of around 15 mins as we’d just missed the boat. It cost us £1.00 each (under 3’s are free) after a short trip we disembarked and began exploring the forest. We got off at the Crusoe’s small play area. The forest is massive, with something to see, paths to explore and things to play on almost everywhere.

Yes, some of it is tired and worn, but come on, it’s all outdoors! We all throughly enjoyed the big rope swings and loved the ‘dark walk’. The hours flew by we were having so much fun. I imagine it would be quite difficult in places with a buggy and definately a wheelchair, though there were signs for different routes for wheelchair users.
Once you’re in the Enchanted Forest, you are a fair way from toilets and refreshments so go before you set off! We took a picnic so didn’t try the food .

There are some animals enroute, including the Zeedonk! We missed the falconary show, but saw the birds of prey, then went to the formal gardens which all looked clean and kept. I enjoyed learning the history of the place in Exhibition Hall.

We all had such a good time, my children 8 and 4 loved it and can’t wait to go back. If you’re not an outdoor type or not fond of nature then don’t visit. We’ve not been to anywhere like this before so it was a refreshing change. If you’re unfit, some of the hills maybe a challenge!

Ate there last night and it was lovely. When we went in we were greeted immediately by a friendly waitress. We were taken down the spiral staircase to the restaurant area (upstairs is where you wait for takeaway).

The decor and furniture is basic, it could do with a make over. But on to the food….

We ordered the vegetarian set meal for two £17.50pp. We had a delicious veggie platter for a starter, comprising Thai corn cake – deep fried sweetcorn in red curry paste, deep fried veg and mini spring rolls with 3 dips – sweet chilli and a cucumber dip.

For mains we had:
SUPREME FOREST Mixed vegetables in green curry with coconut milk served with steamed Jasmine Rice.
PAD THAI – JAE Stir fried rice noodles with egg, bean sprouts and bean curd in palm sugar and tamarind sauce.
Tao Hoo Him Ma Parn Stir fried bean curd with cashew nuts, baby corn, spring onion.
Pad Pak Ruam – Jae Stir fried mixed vegetables with soya sauce.

Desert was either cheesecake or 2 scoops of ice-cream, we had one of each.

Our bill came to £51.30. That included 2 large white wines @ £4.50 each and 2 Tiger lagers @ £3.00 each. Plus we were given prawn crackers when seated, which we thought were complimentary, but £1.30 was added to the bill for this, it’s not much but we don’t eat them.

The food was absolutely yummy and I’m not a fan of Oriental food. The service was friendly and staff polite and always smiling. Will definately be recommending.