We had the pleasure of staying at the Park Dean Resort of St Minver in Cornwall this June. We wanted to share our fantastic experience!
The Location
St Minver holiday park is ideally located. It lies in the North of Cornwall. Tintagel is a 30-minute drive away. The beautiful Port Isaac, filming location of the TV Series Doc Martin is a mere 15-minute drive. The closest big tourist destination is Newquay which is a 30-minute drive from the holiday park.
Rock Beach is a 5-minute drive and there are plenty of other dog-friendly beaches within a 20-minute drive of the park. I would say that St Minver is a park which requires a car. Although there are plenty of attractions close by, these do require a car to travel to.
There are other Park Dean resorts (and indeed other holiday parks) in other parts of Cornwall which do not require a car.
Accommodation
Upon booking, we opted for an Elm Caravan. The main factor driving this decision was price. The Elm caravan was one of the cheaper options but by no means the cheapest. We also needed to consider our dogs. In this caravan, we were permitted to bring our 2 dogs, Biscuit and Blue.
The Elm caravan we booked had 3 bedrooms. This provided ample room for 2 adults, 1 older child and 2 dogs. We did appreciate the 3rd bedroom for luggage storage. As with all caravans, the elm had limited space. We would have managed with 2 bedrooms, however, the 3rd bedroom made life much more comfortable.
Our caravan had one bathroom – including a toilet, sink and shower. We also had an en-suite bathroom with a toilet and sink.
The living area was extremely spacious. We had a tv and a sofa which would easily seat 4/5 people. A dining table and chairs were also greatly appreciated in the caravan. The kitchen was fantastic – here we had a kettle, toaster, oven, hob and microwave. Full crockery, cutlery, glassware and cups were also provided. We also had use of pots and pans and every kitchen utensil found in a full kitchen.
The caravan had a balcony area with a rather nice and expensive table and chairs. This was perfect for the warm evenings.
Upon arrival, the caravan was absolutely immaculate.
Facilities
Although we were out exploring Cornwall for much of the holiday, we did have the opportunity to make the most of some of the site’s excellent facilities. The indoor swimming pool was fantastic. We were able to book our time slot in advance of our stay via the website. Toys and inflatables were provided for the children and we enjoyed an hour of fun each morning.
The entertainment each evening was second to none. Although we stayed at a quieter time, the entertainment staff still provided a full programme of entertainment (not all holiday parks do this). One evening we enjoyed karaoke. Another was a quiz night. Often if the dancefloor was empty, the entertainment staff would do an impromptu quiz with the guests. It felt as though there was always something going on which was great, especially for the children.
Bingo was also played each evening and although we didn’t win, we had a great time playing!
The entertainment block also houses a games room, a small arcade and the resort restaurant.
We enjoyed great food here and it is a restaurant I would recommend to all visitors. The food was delicious and reasonably priced.
The Resort
St Minver has to be one of the best holiday parks I have been to. The park is effectively laid out. At the entrance of the park is a shop and reception area. Here the indoor pool is situated.
The entertainment block is located at the top of a hill, however, there is parking outside which is especially useful for disabled guests.
The caravans were spaciously placed and we were able to park outside of our caravan which was incredibly useful. The park is full of little roads, paths and walkways which made our evening dog walk a real pleasurable experience.
A children’s play area is located on-site too which is a great place for the children to burn off some energy!
What made our stay memorable was the friendly and welcoming approach of the staff. We arrived in the evening and asked the staff where the best beaches in the area were. They immediately drew up a list for us and asked us each evening which beach we had visited and enquired as to how our day had been. They gave us lots of advice on which restaurant and shops to visit and couldn’t have been more helpful.
Thank you to Rachel and all the staff in the entertainment block who made our stay so pleasant!
For similar posts, see our adventures category.
