Is Bluestone Worth It? An Honest Family Review of Bluestone Wales

Short answer: yes, if your children are under about ten and you want a holiday where the experience trumps the weather.

Bluestone Wales is a lodge resort in Pembrokeshire built around a heated indoor water park, an indoor adventure centre and a car-free village. We went with another family, with three children between us all under nine, and it was the break we badly needed.

This is our honest review: what it's like, who it suits, what to watch out for, and whether I'd go back.

Disclosure: Bluestone invited us to stay for the weekend in exchange for an honest review, so we didn't pay for our stay. Everything below is what we actually found.

Why we went

2019 had been a hard year. I'd been made redundant late in 2018 and started a new company with a good friend, which meant working every hour going. Mrs P was finally diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which limits what we can do together. Meanwhile the kids kept growing, and that's when life starts to pass you by. Bluestone gave us a break when we needed it, and best of all we brought our best friends along.

Bluestone at a glance

Where Pembrokeshire, West Wales, a short drive from Tenby

What it is A lodge resort with an indoor water park (the Blue Lagoon), an indoor Adventure Centre, a lake, a spa, and outdoor activities

Best for Families with children roughly under ten, and groups of families

Rainy daysExcellent: the two big attractions are indoors

Getting aroundCar-free once you've unloaded at your lodge

Our stayA weekend in a four-bedroom lodge in Preseli View, two families, three children under nine

The lodges

With two families and three children, we needed room, and we got it. Check-in was quick, and because the resort is a no-drive zone you're allowed to take your car round to your lodge once to unload. It's a one-way system and it's a big site, so listen carefully when they give you directions. Our four-bedroom lodge in Preseli View had plenty of space for all of us.

The Blue Lagoon water park

This is the reason most families book, and it lives up to it. It's heated by a biomass plant and it's the warmest water I've ever swum in. There are flumes, whirlpools, rapids and a proper wave machine, plus a separate, gated, very warm area for the little ones, which I enjoyed as much as they did. Swim nappies were provided free on our visit, and there's a shop if you've forgotten swimsuits or goggles. Photos aren't allowed inside for privacy, so I can't show you, but it's genuinely the best-looking water park I've been to.

The Adventure Centre (your rainy-day saviour)

We had one glorious day of weather and a lot of rain on the others. Normally that would have been miserable. At Bluestone it barely mattered, because as well as the Blue Lagoon there's the indoor Adventure Centre. It has mini golf (my favourite, obviously), bouncy castles, arcades, and a big treetop structure with rope bridges and views across the whole centre. If you're braver than me there's indoor zip-lining and climbing. As an overweight dad, I sat those out.

Around the resort

With a young family and friends, we wanted a bar (check), shops (check), play parks (check) and outdoor space for adventures, and we weren't disappointed. There's a lake, plenty of outdoor space, and older-child activities such as archery and high ropes that we're saving for when the kids are bigger.

Days out: Pembrokeshire and Tenby

Bluestone also made a great base for the area. We visited friends nearby and spent our one sunny day in Tenby, which has a beautiful beach.

What I'd tell a friend before booking

• Go with another family if you can. Our four-bedroom lodge fitted two families comfortably, and the kids entertain each other.

• Don't fear the weather. The two biggest attractions are indoors.

• Check what's included. Water park and Adventure Centre access was included on our stay, but some activities cost extra, so check your booking.

• It's a long drive from the North West. Plan a stop.

• It suits younger children best. Our three were all under nine and there was more than enough for them.

So, is Bluestone worth it?

For a young family, yes. It solved the two things that ruin UK family holidays, bad weather and bored kids, and it gave us the time together we'd been missing. I can't wait to go back, ideally when the sun shines all week, and when the kids are old enough for archery and the high ropes. Until then, I'll enjoy being the mini golf champion.

If you're weighing up other options, I've also written about alternative family holidays in the UK, a family holiday in North Wales, and Jet2 VIP with kids if you're going abroad.

Bluestone's own website is bluestonewales.com.

Bluestone Wales: quick answers

Is Bluestone good on a rainy day? Yes. The Blue Lagoon water park and the Adventure Centre are both indoors, and we had plenty of rain without it spoiling the weekend.

Can you drive around Bluestone? No. It's car-free. You can drive to your lodge once to unload, following a one-way route, and then leave the car.

Is Bluestone good for toddlers? The Blue Lagoon has a separate, gated, warm area for young children, and swim nappies were provided on our stay.

Is the water park included at Bluestone? It was included on our stay, along with the Adventure Centre. Some activities cost extra, so check your booking.

How far is Bluestone from Tenby? It's a short drive, and Tenby makes a good day out on a dry day.