After an incredible time down in Devon and South Wales, the next leg of our Summer road trip led us to Barmouth, a seaside town in county Gwynedd, located in the North of Wales. We were so excited to be staying with Away Resorts and, with them having nine holiday parks throughout the UK, couldn’t wait to see what Barmouth Bay had in store. We felt very grateful to be staying in one of their luxury three bed lodges with a roof terrace and, although we had been impressed with the photographs before hand, the reality exceeded our expectations tenfold.

Accommodation

As soon as we opened the door to our lodge we were bowled over by the size of it with a huge open plan dining room, living room and kitchen. With two sets of patio doors and tall ceilngs, it was so light and airy and, with so many lovely personal touches, it instantly felt like home. Of all the lodges we have ever stayed in, and as wonderful as they have all been, we all instantly agreed that this was our favourite.

With two full sized couches, loaded with cushions for comfort, a fireplace, coffee table and a huge television, it felt so welcoming and the exact kind of accommodation you hope for on holiday when you just want to put your feet up, sit back and relax in the evening. I loved the personal touches such as the flower displays, the pictures on the wall, the books to borrow during your stay and the DVD selection to enjoy in the evening. The way the decor and furniture worked together served as inspiration for my own cozy fireplace ideas back home! The children literally dived on the DVD’s and we loved cuddling up during our stay to enjoy some classic movies together.

Everything about the lodge felt luxurious, from the quality of the fixtures and fittings, the soft furnishings and the beautiful carpeted floors. There isn’t a single negative I could find about the lodge and multiple times throughout our stay we each said that we wish we could transport the lodge back home to Lancashire and live in it forever.

The dining area was perfect with stylish grey chairs and a bench, which was great for the children, and I loved how on arrival the place settings were so beautifully set with stylish crockery and glassware. I always think the small details really make a difference and the fact somebody had taken the time to set the table and make it look so inviting really meant a lot.

The kitchen was huge, far bigger than our kitchen at home, with everything we could need to make our stay as comfortable as possible. With a full sized fridge freezer, microwave, washing machine and dishwasher, not to mention every gadget, utensil, pot and pan we could ever hope for, it was the most well equipped kitchen we have ever encountered and we were so grateful for how easy it made our self-catering stay.

The lay-out was absolutely perfect for our family with a breakfast bar at one end of the kitchen for the children to sit and eat, or for us to eat at the dining table whilst the children enjoyed a movie. An open-plan like this means we can have eyes on the kids at all times, or simply relax and enjoy each others company, even when one of us is cooking a meal or putting another wash load in.

In the family bathroom there was a toilet, sink and walk in shower as well as exclusive Away Resorts toiletries to use during our stay. There was hot water on demand, luxurious soft towels for each of us, and storage in the bathroom which is always useful.

Our lodge had two twin bedrooms, both almost identical, with two full sized single beds, a bedside table and a huge amount of storage. Everything was faultless, from the fresh linen to the quality duvets, and they were spacious enough for the children to play in when they wanted a quieter moment.

The master bedroom was pretty special with the most comfortable double bed, a large flat screen wall mounted television, and best of all – a walk in wardrobe! There is nothing worse than feeling like you’re tripping over your things in a holiday accommodation, especially empty cases with nowhere to store, and so it was great to have everything hung up and packed away in drawers so we could just relax in our rooms and feel at home.

The master bedroom also had an en-suite which was a great addition, especially as a larger family when it comes to needing the bathroom. As was the case with the entire lodge, the bathrooms were spotlessly clean and this helped us to feel very secure in our accommodation, even during a pandemic.

As wonderful as the inside of our lodge was, and believe me I could sing its praises all day long, it was the outside which was a huge selling point, particularly during a heatwave. With a huge patio spanning two sides of the lodge, with sun loungers, outdoor seating and tables, not to mention beautiful views out across the beach, the decking area could not have been more perfect for a family stay.

And then as a huge bonus, and you can imagine the children’s excitment over this, there was a rooftop terrace to enjoy the good weather, sit back and watch the sunset, or escape for a little peace and quiet in the evening. Accessed via a spiral staircase on the decking, with safety rails in place for young children, it felt like such a treat to head on up there each day!

We were so lucky with the weather for the duration of our stay, with temperatures soaring close to 30 degrees at times, and so we made good use of the terrace after a day on the beach. I loved sitting up there with my book in the early evening whilst the children played on the decking below, or snuggling up with the kids later on to look up at the stars – it really was perfect.

Although I am sure any of the lodges are lovely at Barmouth Bay, I would say it is worth every single penny to upgrade to a rooftop terrace lodge with views out to the beach. I have never seen such beautiful sunsets here in the UK as we did there and you can’t put a price on those moments.

Facilities

I will be completely honest with you, unlike many of the other Away Resorts parks, Barmouth Bay has very few facilities itself. This wasn’t an issue for us at all as we made our decision based on the location and the lodge as opposed to the facilities offered onsite, but for those who prefer to have more organised activities, restaurants or entertainment, it’s worth checking out the other parks and what they can offer.

That said Barmouth Bay has a lovely indoor pool which, due to COVID, had to be booked in advance and you received an hours slot with limited numbers. The most important thing for our children is always the playground and that is one thing that Barmouth Bay can offer in abundance!

The play area is a huge timber fort with rope bridges, slides, climbing frames and turrets and you can just imagine how much fun the children had playing here each day. There are lots of picnic benches surrounding the play area, some with parasols so parents can shade from the sun as you sit and watch the children, as well as benches within the play area itself so you can keep an eye on the kids at all times.

The Beach

We had never been to Barmouth before this Summer and yet we had heard, from countless sources, that the beaches at Barmouth were something else, and they weren’t wrong. I have never experienced seas quite as warm as they were here at Barmouth Bay and loved how the beaches went from pebbles to the softest, golden sand. Although we loved exploring North Wales, we spent the majority of our days here at the beach.

With our lodge being just a stones throw from the beach we were able to head off there in the morning and then nip back for some lunch, or Gaz or I would go back and make up some sandwiches so we didn’t need to disturb the children’s fun. I loved that without kids clubs or organised activities, the children found ways to entertain themselves be that skimming stones, decorating rocks, building sandcastles or swimming in the sea. If I could imagine the perfect British holiday, it would have been this.

With the beach having private access from the park itself, it was incredibly quiet which made it feel like we had the whole beach to ourselves at times. I know so many people have their worries about travelling within the UK this year due to fears of crowds or over-packed beaches, but never once did we feel that anyone had intruded on our personal space and it meant we could just relax, enjoy our time and enjoy some much needed normality as a family.

Every evening we would walk to the beach to watch the sunset and enjoy the warm summer nights, just drawing in the sand, skimming stones, or watching the geese which would swim down the estuary each night. The thing I love the most about Barmouth Bay is how it reminded me of my own childhood holidays when we’d spend our days exploring or swimming in the pool and our nights at the beach, flying our kites, running races, staying up long after bedtime, before walking home sleepily, hand in hand. As much as there were moments when naturally the children fell out or were tired and grumpy, for the most part it was pretty idyllic and that doesn’t happen very often as I’m sure you all know.

The thing is, all you really need at Barmouth Bay, with everything you could ever ask for right there in your lodge, is each other, and that’s what it’s all about isn’t it? Just taking some time away from the daily grind, finding those quiet spots where you can just breathe in the fresh air, forget the stresses of the last 18 months in a pandemic, and allow the children to just be children. They laughed more during our stay here than they have done in months and it was every bit the tonic we needed as a family.

But the most special thing about Barmouth Bay, and the most magical feeling in all the world, was seeing the sunset each night together. We have travelled to so many places over the years, watched the most beautiful sunsets across Greece and Cyprus, seen the most glorious skies throughout Italy and Spain, and yet the sunset here at Barmouth Bay rivalled all of those places, no doubt about it.

We had the most incredible week at Barmouth Bay with Away Resorts and whilst I’m sure you’re reading this thinking come on, surely there must be ONE negative to the holiday, you’d be right – there was. The biggest negative to our week was that when Friday came around, after making the most amazing memories together here in Barmouth Bay, we had to say goodbye……