When you have children, your holiday priorities start to change and you find yourself considering holiday possibilities you would never dreamed of considering before you had your minis. No offence to Haven Holidays, but they fell into this category – along with most staycation options! We were all about raving it up in Ibiza, heading out to the Middle East and generally going anywhere that offered us as much peace and quiet, and relaxation, as possible. Oh how times have changed!
Now don’t get me wrong, we do still love going abroad with the kids when we can, but our eyes have definitely been opened up more to what is on our doorstep over the past four years. There is something VERY appealing about the idea of unlimited luggage (well, as much as your car will fit), no passengers for your kids to annoy (other than yourselves), no dramas through security and my favourite one – the fact that the little ones are safely strapped in to their car seats and can’t roam around causing chaos!
I had been considering a little Haven Holidays break, before their lovely team got in touch, as a ‘pick us up’ before the husband went away for six weeks. So it seemed like fate that we were able to organise working with them and a tots break to Haven Littlesea, near Weymouth, the week before he went. The location of the Haven Littlesea park is great. It overlooks Dorset’s Jurassic coastline and there were great views across the water.
I thought it would be good, and hopefully helpful, to share our experience with you all in case you are thinking about booking a Haven holiday too!
Accommodation
The first thing I was super impressed by was the accommodation. We were in a Platinum caravan and I couldn’t believe the size of it. There were two bathrooms, both with showers. A double bedroom and twin bedroom, both with ample storage cupboards etc. A very good sized living room and open plan kitchen/dining area. And a little deck.
Everything was really clean and modern, and it was tastefully decorated too. There was plenty room for the four of us and the kids loved exploring their ‘new home’ for the weekend. We had L in the travel cot in the living room, but it would have fit through in the main bedroom too. It’ll be good when he’s in a bed because we were provided with bed guards for the single beds – Little I loved her bed. We’ll just have to come back when he’s older!
We also were provided with a highchair, so everything we needed for L was taken care of. You just had to pay a refundable deposit for the items.
Activities
I couldn’t get over the amount of activities available for the kids, especially the tots (under 5). There were group activities, solo activities, activities inside, activities outside, activities in the pool, activities to suit every interest out there. Some of the activities were ones you paid for and others were free. There was a really good mix.
In terms of activities for our two, who are four and one, there were a whole array of toddler friendly activities to discover as a family. Quite a few of them were new for this Spring as well.
We ended up doing learn to scoot, learn to bike, gym tots, mini archery and mini fencing. Little I was in her element! She really enjoyed each and every one of them and John, who ran them all, was so good. He was so much fun and couldn’t have done more to make sure the kids had the best time. Actually, every member of staff we came across on our break was wonderful and did as much as they could to make sure you had a great break.
She also did some water activities – turbo paddlers and aqua gliders – and loved scooting about the pool.
You can buy activity bundles which are either 10 or 20 passes and redeem them against a whole range of activities – sometimes easier than pay as you go.
There were also Nature Rockz activities available – such as foraging, forest trails, bug hunting, outdoor crafting and much, much more.
The daytime and night time entertainment was great too. So much to do and watch. We did a messy play session, a story time session and a sing along with Rory session. The Seaside Squad were great but our two were a bit scared of them! We hung around for one of the night time entertainment one night and the kids loved the Go Tots dancing and the Seaside Squad Adventures show.
You can use the Haven app to check out all the activities and timings at your park.
Facilities
On the park’s site there were plenty of facilities – indoor and outdoor swimming pool, arcade, soft play, entertainment hall, bar, mini shop, pub restaurant with outside terrace, mini golf, play parks, basketball court, Starbucks, fish and chip hut, Papa John’s pizza stand (which you could get a takeaway from) and a launderette.
Everything you could need for a great time away!
Weymouth
Once we left Haven Littlesea, we decided to have a little wander into Weymouth itself. We went down the beach front, headed to the Stable for some INCREDIBLE pizza and then hit up an ice cream parlour (Boho Parlour) to finish off our weekend in style! The Quay was so lovely, especially in the sunshine – lots of pubs, bars and restaurants. There seemed to be quite a lot to do round Weymouth so it’s worth a trip in if you go to this Haven park.
We had such a great time at Haven Holidays and would highly recommend a break to other families, especially those with younger children. Both kids had an absolute blast and it was so much fun to see them have such a good time. There are so many parks to choose from (36 in total), which means you can be door-to-door from anywhere in the country in under three hours, and there’s a great off peak deal on for tots – four-night midweek breaks start from just £99 for the whole family.
We’ll definitely be back!
*This post is in collaboration with Haven Holidays and we have been compensated. All opinions, words, photos and work are 100% our own and 100% honest, as always.