Review: Hendra Holiday Park, Cornwall

For half term this year, with travel restrictions lifting within the UK, we were excited to travel down to Cornwall to stay at Hendra Holiday Park in Newquay. Having stayed in Newquay previously we already knew that it was a great base for exploring Cornwall but with the children at seven, eight and nine, we also wanted somewhere the children could enjoy time at the park, make friends, gain their freedom and have the same kind of holiday experience that we had as children.

Hendra Holiday Park first opened in 1972 and has since grown into a five star, multi-award winning destination for holiday homes, touring, camping, caravan and glamping holidays, and it’s still family run today which I love. Located just a ten minute drive from the famous Fistral Beach, as we pulled into the park we were all bursting with excitement at the prospect of seven sun-filled days by the sea just enjoying time together as a family.

Prepare for your Hendra Holiday Park break with New Look voucher codes and get your holiday outfit sorted. Shop for everything from summer shorts to evening dresses, perfect for a stroll in the countryside or a dinner in a local restaurant

Hendra has strict COVID policies for all guests with the first being a contactless check-in on arrival. Having been handed a welcome pack at the gate we were told to park our car, text our booking information through to reception and await their reply. We were then instructed to type out a disclaimer to state that none of us were displaying COVID symptoms, had not been in contact with anyone who had COVID or been told to self-isolate, and had not tested positive in the last 14 days. Only then were we permitted to allow one member of our party into reception to collect our key and access our caravan for the week.

The Accommodation

Hendra has a wide range of accommodations to choose from and, with us being a family of six (although Lewis did not travel with us) we were allocated The Porthminster premium holiday home, new to the park in 2018. 13 foot wide, the caravan had a large open plan living area with a kitchen diner, three bedrooms, a shower room and a separate toilet.

The living area was light and spacious, had ample seating for a larger family as well as a 32 inch television and DVD player which we actually didn’t use for the entire duration of our stay. As a family we find that, ordinarily, we spend very little time inside our accommodation during Summer travels. We much prefer to be enjoying days out in the local area, sitting outside our accommodation whilst the children play, and often we simply use our caravan for sleeping, eating and showering.

The kitchen area had everything we needed for self-catering during our stay including an oven with grill and gas hob, a microwave, full sized fridge-freezer, a kettle, toaster and ample pots pans, plates and cutlery.

The dining table had seating for four which we find to be the case with this style of accommodation and simply means us grown ups get to eat on the couch with our plates on our knees and the kids, who cannot be trusted, sit at the table!

The master bedroom had a double sized bed, wardrobe space and a small wall mounted television which was a real treat for us as at home we don’t have a television in our bedroom. Our caravan was a three bedroomed option but for those staying in the two bed option, there is also an en-suite in the master bedroom too.

There were then two identical twin rooms with two single beds, overhead storage and a small wardrobe with hanging space. The rooms were clean, simple and most importantly for us after a long drive down, the beds were ready made on arrival.

We then had a separate toilet and sink in one room and a shower and sink in the next. I think this works so much better as a family, especially if you enjoy a shower without constantly being disturbed by a child needing the toilet every two minutes! It’s worth noting that towels are not included in the caravans, nor are essentials such as tea towels, dishcloths, washing up liquid, toilet roll or toiletries for the bathrooms. Although there is a supermarket on site where you can pick up these items, I do think a small welcome pack would be a lovely touch on arrival.

Each caravan also has an outside space to park your car, enjoy sitting outside and where the children can play. Unfortunately for us on arriving at our caravan we realised we had been located between two large parties who had not only set up a marquee and a large tent, but for the duration of our stay drank excessively and used offensive language in raised voices. As much as I appreciate that everyone deserves to let loose on their holiday, and god knows we all need it after the last year, I do draw the line at offensive language around my children and although the staff at Hendra were understanding when we complained, there was very little they could do with the park being at full capacity. As a result we spent our time at the caravan with the doors and windows firmly closed.

In and around the park

Hendra covers 80 acres of parkland meaning there is plenty of space to explore, play, enjoy picnics and look out at the views of the Cornish countryside. They have a huge range of facilities, bookable activities, entertainment, a swimming pool complex, restaurants, bars, shops and launderette, just to name a few. It wasn’t long before we found our bearings and there are plenty of sign posts for new-arrivals looking for various spots.

Food and Drink

Although you can stay at Hendra on a purely self-catering basis, we also like to relax a little during our holidays and although we cooked several nights, we also enjoyed sampling some of the food available on site. Due to COVID you can download the Hendra app where you can then order from Mario’s Pizzeria and Bar, booking in your pick-up slot for later that day or chancing your luck and booking there and then. The first night we were told there was a two hour wait on pizzas and so the next night we learned our lesson, booked our slot early in the morning, and collected our pizzas later that night.

There is also a fish and chip shop at Hendra where you order at the counter as opposed to via the app. It was a little difficult to co-ordinate the two restaurants when we each wanted different orders but we did find the fish and chip shop had shorter wait times which is preferable when you have hungry children!

Should you wish to enjoy your food outdoors, or a drink throughout the day or evening, there is a small picnic area in front of the restaurants which you can order from direct with table service. We preferred to sit here as it was in direct view of the children’s play area so we were able to keep an eye on the children at all times whilst enjoying a drink or something to eat.

To the right was a large marquee with more picnic style seating for evening entertainment on a small stage at the front. During our stay we heard several vocalists perform and yet the majority of guests appeared to prefer the indoor entertainment at The Venue. If you’re looking for a quieter, more relaxed evening I would definitely say to choose the outside bar, it had a very relaxed feel and with the gorgeous weather we had, I think it’s always a good idea to make the most of it!

Hendra also offers The Terrace bar and restaurant which we didn’t use during our stay but I did take a look at the menu via the app as it offers both take-out and dine-in. You can also find the Coffee Express cafe inside this building with hot drinks, snacks, sandwiches and cakes available to buy. During the Summer months you can also find the Snack Shack open at the outdoor pool with more drinks and snacks, so you certainly won’t go hungry!

In the evenings there is a Crepe stand sets up outside of The Terrace where you can buy fresh pancakes with a variety of fillings. Over in the courtyard outside caterers visit each night to sell a variety of freshly cooked dishes including Thai curry, Beef meatballs, Barbecue chicken and Paella. We tried the Thai curry on a couple of occasions and it was utterly delicious!

For those who prefer indoor entertainment, The Venue offers limited capacity seating due to COVID and can be pre-booked on arrival. The entertainment is open every evening offering appearances from Henry and Henrietta Hippo, interactive family games, bingo, live bands, acts, stage shows and performers. We saw people queueing as early as an hour before the doors opened so it is clearly very popular although on the one evening we visited we did find that unfortunately the anti-social behaviour of others put us off returning.

Swimming pools

For our children there is only ever one thing they want to do on holiday – swim. Regardless of where we go or what we do, they will spend the entire holiday asking when we are going swimming and when we do, you’d think it’s the first time they’ve ever seen a swimming pool with how excited they get. Hendra has a large outdoor pool and terrace which is perfect for Summer although, with the pool heated from the end of May through to August, I think it hadn’t quite had time to heat up as it was very cold during our stay. That said, children never seem to mind the temperatures and it’s usually us adults who are shivering in our towels as they are blissfully unaware.

The great thing is that the outdoor pool at Hendra is completely free to use, although is currently running on limited numbers so you may have to wait during busier times, where as the indoor pool is £3 a person per swim. Again due to COVID, swimming needs to be pre-booked on arrival with slots limited to one hour and twenty minutes. There are no changing facilities in place at this time so you must arrive in your swimming things and leave the same way (which was a little chilly on the walk back to the caravan!). There are three slides in the indoor fun pool but only two were running during our stay, as well as a large pool, a small infant pool and river rapids too.

We swam twice during our stay and deliberately chose the last slot of the day in the hope it would be a quieter session, which it was. It also meant we could still enjoy our days out without our swim times interrupting our plans which worked well. I would definitely recommend booking in your swim times as soon as possible when you arrive so you aren’t disappointed, especially if the weather forecast is bad as we were told those days book up very quickly.

Supermarket & Shops

The Market Place at Hendra has everything you need during your stay from food, drinks, household essentials as well as gifts, swim accessories and more. It’s handy for picking up any essentials you forgot to pack but, as is always the case in our experience, the prices were quite high in comparison to the supermarkets. Just two minutes down the road you can find a large Morrisons store and also Lidl which is great for stocking up throughout your stay.

There is also a Saltrock shop on site selling clothing, footwear and surf gear which seemed to be a very popular brand in Cornwall although not one we have heard of up in the North. With Fistral beach just down the road it’s a great opportunity to give surfing and bodyboarding a go and we found the prices at Saltrock were cheaper than the beach side shops selling the same items.

Amusement arcade and Playloft

In the main courtyard you will find the amusement arcade and above that The Playloft. Again it definitely depends on each individual family but for us, when the sun is shining and we are lucky enough to be exploring somewhere new, we don’t tend to spend time in the amusement arcades on our travels. I would imagine during the Winter months this would be a great way to entertain the kids for an hour or so, I know I used to love playing on the two pence machines as a child at the seaside.

The Playloft is an indoor soft play area which again would be a godsend during bad weather or the colder months. You can pre-book sessions here for the children although, with so much to see and do in the surrounding areas and the weather so lovely, our children preferred to play in the outdoor play area during our stay.

Children’s Play Area

The children’s play area at Hendra is fantastic and I know the children would completely agree. It looks to have been newly renovated with several different areas to play in and it was here we spent most of our time. The children were lucky to make some lovely friends during our stay and seeing them play together each night, well into the evening, was exactly what I had hoped for when we had booked our stay. I remember caravan holidays as a child and the excitement of those holiday friendships, they meant so much to me at the time and it never ceased to amaze me how strong those bonds felt after just seven short days.

Hendra has an amazing climbing wall which all three of the children enjoyed, spending hours each day climbing up and down and left to right, and each time shouting, “Mummy! Watch me!” as I sat on my little spot in the evening sunshine feeling wonderfully exhausted after a day of fresh air. Those moments were my absolute favourite thing about our stay and the moments that I will look back on and remember in years to come.

The Jolly Henry was an impressive addition to the play area and once the children disappeared inside they wouldn’t reappear for hours. As much as there is always so much to do at holiday parks such as this, I always think if the children have a play area and a little imagination, they really don’t need anything more.

Outdoor Gym

Every morning during our stay the children would ask to visit the outdoor gym before we packed up the car and headed out for the day. Designed for adults, the outdoor gym offered a rowing machine, a stepper, a bench press and various other equipment, all of which was just fascinating to the children!

To be honest, other than when Gaz and I used the equipment with the children, I didn’t see any adults using the outdoor gym during our stay. It was mainly occupied by children although early in the morning we were lucky enough to have it entirely to ourselves.

Sports Facilities

Hendra offers a large skate park situated at the back of the play area where the older children seemed to congregate with electric scooters, skates and bikes. We hadn’t brought the children’s bikes or scooters with us but in the mornings they would run wild up and down the ramps and enjoy having it to themselves for just a little while.

Here you could also find a table tennis table which seemed popular with the older children and, further into the park, Segways were available for hire in organised activities. Other activities could be booked at the park for an extra fee as well as a free Hippo Safari Land train which did tours of the park each morning leaving from the train station situated behind the skate park.

Things we’d change

I think it’s very important to write honest and fair reviews of each of our stays, something I have really prided myself on over the years, and as much as we had a wonderful week in Cornwall, there were things I would have changed during our stay. Our main issue was with the anti-social behaviour of a small number of guests on the park, particularly the use of bad language which, although difficult for staff to manage, is un-acceptable around children. I would have liked to see more reminders throughout the park that Hendra does not tolerate offensive language used in public areas and stricter repercussions for those who do.

We also had a few issues with our WiFi in the caravan as the password listed on our arrival document was actually incorrect. This meant that for the first couple of days we had no WiFi which alongside no 4G, with a text message assistance service, was quite stressful with work commitments to fulfil. Although there is public WiFi in the main areas of the park, we found with so many people trying to use it, this wasn’t very accessible.

I also found the charge for swimming a little surprising as, having stayed at many holiday parks over the years, it was the first site we had stayed on where swimming came at an extra cost. Ordinarily, out of COVID times, we would usually swim each day with the children but at £3 per person per swim, this would add on a staggering amount during a seven day stay.

Things we loved

It goes without saying that for the children, the play area was their absolute favourite thing about our stay, inclusive of the days out we had and all of the beautiful beaches we visited and local attractions. Even now, having been back at home for over a week, they still talk about it daily and I think that’s always a great sign.

We also loved that our accommodation was perfect for larger families, gave us freedom to self cater, space to enjoy time together as a family and all caravans were within a short distance of the main park facilities.

For me personally, if you’re wanting to explore Cornwall then Hendra holiday park is a great location to do just that. We were able to visit Fistral Beach, Looe, The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Padstow, Camel Creek, St Michael’s Mount and countless beaches, all within an hours radius. There is so much to see and do in Cornwall and despite cramming as much in as possible, we have still only seen a fraction.

The children enjoyed every second of their time at Hendra and for me, that’s always going to be the most important thing. They came back home with tanned faces, sun-bleached hair, two lovely new friends who they have spoken to almost daily since, and memories to treasure in years to come. I will alway be grateful for this time with the children and am thankful to Hendra for inviting us to stay,

You can find out more and book your own stay here at www.hendra-holidays.com.

* We were invited to Hendra holiday park for a complimentary stay in exchange for an honest review. All words and opinions are my own. *