Is this Welsh resort the pocket-friendly alternative to Center Parcs for Irish families?
Bluestone is the only national park in the UK to consist largely of coastal landscapes.
When Center Parcs opened in Ireland seven years ago, it changed the holiday landscape. Its woodland holiday village model — self-catering lodges, indoor subtropical swimming pool, and dozens of family-friendly activities — was well established in Europe but was groundbreaking for the Irish market.
With its launch, however, came another talking point — the high cost.
There were deals — provided holiday seekers were willing to travel mid-week and during school term — but at peak season, even the most basic self-catering lodges generally come with a price tag veering over €1,500 for four nights.
Awake to the potential of fun holiday resorts like Center Parcs, savvy Irish consumers sought cost-effective alternatives. One name kept emerging: The award-winning, five-star Bluestone National Park Resort in Wales.
There are significant savings to be made here: Providing you’re willing to travel in July, before UK schools break for summer, you can rent a lodge in Bluestone for almost €750 less than Center Parcs.
At the time of writing, four nights on July 13 in CenterParcs costs €1,749, while the equivalent dates in Bluestone will set you back just £880 (€1,008).
While Center Parcs offers three- and four-night packages only, a more affordable two-night option is also available at Bluestone — longer week-long bookings are also on offer.
It’s easily accessible too — the pleasant three-hour Stena Line Rosslare-Fishguard ferry is just a half-hour drive from the resort.
Bluestone also happens to sit on a national park. Wrapped in 500 acres of wild Welsh countryside, it falls partly within the boundaries of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, meaning stunning forest treks are easily accessible, as well as a host of breathtaking beaches on the Welsh coastline — it is the only national park in the UK to consist largely of coastal landscapes.
If a city break is more your thing and you want to tag on a trip to Cardiff or London, it’s just one hour and 40 minutes to the Welsh capital by road, and a little over four hours to England’s capital.
As for those awards we mentioned, Which? magazine declared it the number one holiday park in Wales — and third in the UK — for the fourth year, while the resort won Best Small Company for UK Parks & Lodges Holidays at the British Travel Awards in 2024.
We visited at Twixmas, for the Christmas experience, and again found there was significant value for money. In a saturated festive market, where Santa grottos in Ireland can set families back a few hundred euro, here the hour-long Elf School, at just £15 per child, was a piece of theatre. Their Jack and the Beanstalk panto, at £16.50 for each child, was West End standard. So families saving for next year’s Christmas calendar could explore building it all into a festive break at Bluestone.
The Welsh destination was opened in 2008 by a local farmer and the authentic family ethos feels every bit as strong today.
Activities cost extra, but there’s no hard sell. Wander through the resort and there are endless free options.
The Serendome, built in 2019, is a vast, glass-covered area providing a weatherproof outdoor experience. Bringing the outdoors indoors, Bluestone describes it as their “big umbrella”.
The Serendome, built in 2019, is a vast, glass-covered area providing a weatherproof outdoor experience. Bringing the outdoors indoors, Bluestone describes it as their “big umbrella”.
It has free sand and water playing areas, a ‘garden of imagination’ with giant Jenga blocks and a sprawling playground. These are people who understand kids and the simple activities that will keep little hands busy.
There are also cafes, bars, and stalls with light bites.
The Sky Walk takes centre stage in the ceiling of the structure, and for £31.50 kids in harnesses can ‘cycle’ and skateboard across sky-high wooden beams in 90-minute climbing sessions. There’s also the Cloud Theatre, and it’s here we watched the outstanding Bluestone panto.
Afterwards, lit by fairy lights with flakes of white on the trees and ground beneath us, we gasped as a flurry of fake snow gushed through the Serendome. A festive wonderland, the Christmas soundtrack playing overhead was the icing on the cake.
Nearby, the Blue Lagoon has a heated tropical swimming pool, with a lazy river that veers outdoors, along with a wave machine, and three daredevil slides.
Bluestone is worth visiting for those alone.
Our unexpected holiday highlight, though, was the axe-throwing on the tournament field. Even the younger kids had a go, hurling axes with terrifying ease onto a target board.
The restaurant and shop area — aptly called The Village — oozes personality with a homely vibe, as if you were wandering through the streets of an English town. There’s no sense of it following a resort template. Here, we bought souvenirs in The Emporium, had dinner in The Farmhouse Grill, and tried a pub quiz in Knight’s Tafarn pub. The local shop is well stocked, and not overpriced, but the shopping centre for full self-catering supplies is just a 10-minute drive from the resort.
Close by, the lake has water activities from kayaking to stand-up paddleboarding. We chose to walk past it into the woodlands for a short hike through the magnificent
national park. There are paid activities here too, from nature art to outdoor detectives, but we were content to ramble through the forest, playing pooh sticks over the little bridges built along the route.
The Hive offers indoor options for rainy days. The giant inflatable area is free — a facility most holiday resorts would charge for — while bowling and a handful of other adrenaline-fuelled activities are on offer for a fee.
It was also the base for Elf School, the hour-long Christmas experience that enthralled even the most cynical of teenagers.
Accommodation at Bluestone comes in the form of holiday lodges and cottages to suit all budgets, and can host between two and 14 guests.
We stayed at a Platinum Collection lodge, Bluestone’s premium offering, in Carningli Lodge — a lodge that has potential to sleep eight. There’s a spacious living room, but also an adjoining den and sunroom so families or friends could easily share the accommodation — and the cost — and have some time out in quiet spaces.
Bluestone is vast and hilly in places, so electric buggies are available for rent for £125 for four nights — they are complimentary with all Carningli Lodge bookings. The handy transport option is useful, though not essential if budgets are tight.
Like Center Parcs, Bluestone is car-free. You can bring your vehicle to your lodge for check-in and departure only — beyond that, it stays in the car park. Safe for little rambling feet, or bike enthusiasts, it’s one of the biggest drawcards of these holiday resorts, guaranteeing peace of mind for parents.
The spa also ticks all the boxes, with steam rooms, saunas, and a stunning outdoor hydrotherapy pool — though it’s impossible to compete with Center Parcs’ lush Aqua Sana experience, one of the best on the Irish market.
Bluestone National Park Resort has won significant sustainability recognition, notably the King's Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development, making them the first UK holiday resort to receive this award. They also met an ambitious goal of becoming the first fossil fuel-free holiday resort in the UK in September.
Their sustainability initiatives are impressive; the resort’s Blue Lagoon water park is one of the first in the world to be heated using locally sourced biomass, saving over 1,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. In September 2024, Bluestone opened a 3.2MW solar farm, which now supplies a third of the park’s total electricity needs. That same year, they transitioned to using Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) instead of diesel across the resort, including vehicles and backup boilers, further reducing its environmental impact.
Bluestone has also implemented several other innovative practices, such as creating pathways from 60,000 recycled guests’ nappies in a world first.
If there is such a thing as a guilt-free holiday, Bluestone might just have it sewn up for environmentalists.
At the heart of it all, whether it’s Bluestone or Center Parcs, these nature villages are selling family time. And it’s worth every cent. You spend a morning together in the lazy river, catch your breath at the exhilaration of pool slides and sky walks. That evening you share stories and bond over the dinner table in your lodge, pulling out board games and a deck of cards, all the while building family memories that will last a lifetime.
Hanging on a wall in the village the resort manifesto says it all: "Bluestone believes pebbles need skipping, holes need digging, water needs splashing, bug, frogs and slimy stuff need capturing, and all before bedtime."
Nestled in a lodge in the forest, with a focus on family time, nature, and disconnecting from daily life, it’s a philosophy and world view you can live by here – and best of all, you’ll do it as a family.
Standard lodge: A midweek spring break staying in a six-bed lodge (Gateholm) starts from £420. Based on a 4-night break (Monday to Friday), arriving 20/04/26.
Platinum lodge: A midweek spring break, staying in a six-bed lodge (St Govan’s) starts from £820. Based on a 4-night break (Monday to Friday), arriving 20/04/26.
- Stena Line operates a daily Rosslare to Fishguard service, from €175 single, car and driver. stenaline.ie
- bluestonewales.com
- Part of Vickie's trip was supported by Stena Line and Bluestone National Park Resort
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