Over the Easter break we spent a week in Cornwall, staying at John Fowler Holidays‘ St Ives Holiday Village. This is one of seven parks that John Fowler run throughout Cornwall, and is well located to explore all around St Ives and Land’s End. It was our first time in Cornwall, and we really enjoyed all that the area has to offer.
In St Ives Holiday Village, we stayed in one of the new 2 bed platinum lodges which sleeps 4-6. Being brand new, the platinum lodges are very modern and clean, with all the home comforts that you’ll need.
Platinum Lodges Accommodation
The lodges have an outdoor terrace which you can see above. Unfortunately we were not so lucky with the weather, probably because Easter was so early this year, but in sunny weather this area would be great to relax outdoors in your own private space.
Inside, the lodge has an open plan living, dining and kitchen area, with a table that extends to seat more people.
There’s also TV with an easy to access HDMI input so if you’ve brought your adapter you can connect your smartphone and watch any movies you’ve downloaded, or stream shows on services like Amazon Video (or whichever you’re subscribed to) so you’re not restricted to just the normal TV channels. They also have a sound system that you can connect your phone to via cable or Bluetooth.
At each end of the living and kitchen space is a bedroom, one double, and another with 2 single beds for the kids. There’s a bathroom attached to each of the bedrooms, and an extra separate toilet too. We found the accommodation very comfortable, and spacious enough for all of us. Normally, we don’t stay in 2 bed places as I worry they might not be spacious enough for a family of 5 but we did have plenty of space here and didn’t feel like we were too cramped.
St Ives Holiday Village
In the holiday village itself, there are a few features that you can enjoy with the kids like a playground, arcade, swimming pool, and adventure golf. There’s also evening entertainment in the Rafter’s Club, but we didn’t try that out as the atmosphere seemed more like a bar, which doesn’t suit our family.
The on-site facilities are handy to have to entertain the kids in between trips out, but I did think they would all benefit from some updating, to match the quality and newness of the accommodation.
For us, we used our lodge as a base to explore the surrounding area, rather than spending a lot of time in the holiday village itself, and this worked really well. There is so much to do in the area that you’re spoilt for choice, and could easily fill a week or two with plenty of fun activities.
The prices for a break with John Fowler are really reasonable, and with good quality accommodation, I would recommend it if you’re looking for a practical and good value way to visit Cornwall as a family.
Things to do around St Ives
Some of the outings we enjoyed during our stay with John Fowler Holidays are…
Minack Theatre
Approx 30 minutes drive from St Ives Holiday Village
This was one of our favourite places to visit in the area. We visited during the day time just to explore, and then came back later to watch a family show, which was The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch. Depending on the dates you visit, there will be different show playing and I would definitely recommend booking to see a show if you can, as it’s something really different and memorable to watch in such a unique location!
It is worth visiting at non show times too, if you want to explore the lower part of the theatre, take pictures and enjoy the view. There’s also a nice cafe where you can enjoy lunch.
St Ives Portminster Beach
Approx 10 minutes drive from St Ives Holiday Village
This is a lovely clean sandy beach that’s really close by to the holiday village. The kids had a great time playing here. There are plenty of picnic tables where you can sit with your fish and chips or icecreams, and there’s a shop to buy any buckets, spades and other beach toys you might need.
Lands End
Approx 30 minutes drive from St Ives Holiday Village
Land’s End is one of the most famous landmarks in the UK, so it’s a must to stop by and see it! The landmark has been developed into a tourist attraction with lots of other entertainment and amenities all bundled together, which is really good for families. Entry is free, and then you can buy tickets to each of the attractions separately, or as a bundle. We got tickets for the 4D dinosaur film experience, and there’s also a Shaun the Sheep experience, Arthur’s Quest, Greeb Farm and End to End Story. There are shops, restaurants and a great playground for the kids too, as well as the beautiful views of course.
Do note, if you want to take a proper picture with the sign then you have to pay the official photographer and they will send it out in the post!
St Michael’s Mount
Approx 15 minutes drive from St Ives Holiday Village
St Michael’s Mount is a small tidal island, that you can walk across to when the tide is in. On top of the mount, there’s a small castle area that you can explore.
Seal Sanctuary
Approx 30 minutes drive from St Ives Holiday Village
The Seal’s Sanctuary is a must visit for animal lovers! The kids enjoyed seeing all the seals and following the quiz trail around the sanctuary. This was one of the more expensive trips, but you do get a 7 day ticket so you can come back again during your trip if you get time.
Another local attraction that’s highly recommended is Flambard’s theme park. We didn’t get time to visit during our 5 day stay, but have heard it’s great so would be worth visiting if you have a bit more time!
We would definitely recommend St Ives as a fun destination for a UK family break, and John Fowler’s St Ives Holiday Village is well placed to enjoy all the region has to offer.
We were invited to stay at John Fowler St Ives Holiday Village in order to review
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
St Ives is one of my favourite places and I just love Cornwall as a whole too. We haven’t stayed with John Fowler before but that lodge looks lovely – we’ll consider them for the future x
Cornwall looks stunning! I have been meaning to plan a UK break and even more so now with a 4 month old.
http://www.whiitelist.com
I love St Ives and have many happy memories of visiting as a child with my parent and GrandDad
I have never been to Cornwall – only been as far as Devon in the South West. I always hear how beautiful it is in that part of England, and your post highlights that further!
Oh that looks great! We’re moving to Cornwall next month (fingers crossed!) so we’ve been looking for some places we can stay in while we explore the rest of the county during the summer.
that looks stunning
I would really want to visit this place.Looks beautiful and fun!!