Our Review of Sandford Holiday Park

Here is our review of Sandford Holiday Park, Dorset. As with all our reviews here at Snaps & Stories, we only review the campsites we have stayed at, so you know you are getting an honest opinion from honest campers.

This is a review based on our experiences, totally independent and not sponsored or influenced by the campsite in any way.

Table of Contents

Review of Sandford Holiday Park

Address

Organford Road
Poole, Dorset
BH16 6JZ

Open Dates & Costs

Open March to November
We paid – £48 for 3 nights in March
Or Peak – £150 for 3 nights in August
(Based on a Star Pitch, 2Adults + 1Child)

Highlights

350 Pitches
Pool (Indoor & Outdoor)
Cycle Hire
Kids Playground
Indoor Soft Play
Bar / Restaurant
Village Shop

Snapshot of Sandford Holiday Park

This is a proper Holiday Park. If you are looking for a secluded, quiet, at one with nature park, then this won’t be for you. If, however, you are looking for a park where the kids can run riot, with discos, shows, bingo, play parks, swimming pools, bars and restaurants, then you will love this one. There were decent size pitches, helpful staff, and an abundance of things to do for adults and kids alike. Basically, think Butlins!! Read on to see how we found it.

Location – 8 / 10
Customer Service – 7 / 10
Showers / Toilets – 9 / 10
Cleanliness – 9 / 10
Facilities – 7 / 10

Review of Sandford Holiday Park – About Our Stay

We visited this one over the weekend the clocks went forward, so the official start of British Summertime. Of course, this meant we had rain on our first day there! It wasn’t very busy, and the ground was still a little sodden from the recent snow and rain. Most of the ‘Star’ pitches, which we were on were occupied. Largely due to those that booked the grass pitches being upgraded. Judging by the number of people around on the Friday and Saturday, the caravans and holiday homes must have been a lot busier.

Location of Sandford Holiday Park

Sandford Holiday Park is located in Poole, Dorset, near the South Coast of England.

Situated so far south, means you are certain to be close to a number of attractions. You are within easy reach of Bournemouth Beaches, with Sandbanks Beach being the closest. There are also lots of other attractions within easy reach, such as Corfe Castle, Wareham, and Poole Park.

Customer Service and Staff

One thing to note here is, the Touring & Camping reception is different from the main holiday park reception. You have to drive through the caravans and holiday homes to reach the Touring reception on the other side of the park.

On arrival, we checked in without any drama and were given a nice pitch right at the end of one of the lanes. We went through the ritual of setting up, only to find the electric hookup point wasn’t working. After a quick mention to the man in reception, he promised to sort it for us. When we returned later that evening after dinner, we found our lead plugged into another hookup point. So, true to his word, he sorted it for us.

Later in our stay, we asked at the main reception where we could lock our little boy’s balance bike to. They offered to hold it behind reception for us while we enjoyed the arcades and the indoor soft play.

We had no complaints about the staff, during the short interactions we had with them.

Score – 8 / 10

Showers and Toilets

Our review of Sandford Holiday Park continues with the Showers and Toilets.

I must admit we had hoped for more. They were quite basic, but also quite cold. I think there were four or five shower cubicles each, in the men’s and the women’s. They were a decent size, about 4 feet square, with a small bench.

The cubicle was one big square, so anything you put on the bench ran the risk of getting wet with spray. Although the showers were quite weak. Just in case, I tried to hang most things on the one peg.

I wish these shower blocks always had 2 or 3 pegs to give you more hanging space. I got the feeling they needed a bit of a refresh. They didn’t have proper urinals, just the one long metal trough-type urinal. In the ladies, they had 2 hair dryers. Only one worked, and the one that did work didn’t have a hose.

They were situated quite close to the entrance, and from what I can see, there are only 3 or 4 shower blocks. With 350 pitches, it would be interesting to see what the showering situation was like in July or August.

Score 6 / 10

General Cleanliness

Nobody wants to be flip-flopping through the mud when they are taking a shower. These were not too bad. They were cleaned about 4 times a day. The first one about 8.30 – 9.00 o’clock, so if you want them at their cleanest, head there then. They leave out a squidgy mop type thing to use scrap the floor with. Of course, you are relying on people using it. One morning one cubicle was laden with mud. Disappointing but not Sandford Holiday Park’s fault.

Score 8 / 10

Facilities

Bar & Restaurant
Onsite Shop

We can’t have a review of Sandford Holiday Park without talking about all the facilities they offer. They have lots. I mean lots. Pretty much all you could want for.

Indoor pool, Outdoor pool (from May), Soft Play, Play Parks, Arcades, Bike Hire, Crazy Golf, Tennis Courts, Bingo, Disco, Kids Entertainment…….

I have already discussed the showers and toilets, so I won’t mention anything about them again, like how cold I thought they were…(Ooops)

We didn’t try out the indoor pool, but we really wanted to. The reason we didn’t was that there was always a queue. Not just a queue and a wait to get in, but it was a one in one out situation.

And after peering through the heavily stickered windows, it may have been for the best. It looked a bit rowdy and loud, and noisy, and not ideal for a 3-year-old.

However, in terms of the things they offer, you cannot really fault it.

Score 10 / 10

Conclusion

So, after our visit and this our review of Sandford Holiday Park, would we recommend this site to others?

It has a lot of pitches and a lot of facilities. It is nearby some great places, and you can be sure you won’t be bored. As a result, we would definitely visit here again. It would be interesting to see the Park during peak times too.

In any case, I hope reading about our experience here has helped a little bit. Below are a few Photograph’s to help with our review of Sandford Holiday Park.

Happy Campervanning!!