Finlake Resort & Spa
Finlake Resort & Spa is a 5-star, self-catering countryside resort spread across a 130-acre wooded valley at Chudleigh, on the eastern edge of Dartmoor in Devon. It's an inland activity base built around its own indoor waterpark, with Scandi-style A-frame lodges, caravans and pods in the trees, an ELEMIS spa for the grown-ups, a gym and a long list of paid activities from toddler crafts to axe throwing. Run by the Haulfryn Group and booked through Hoseasons, it suits families who want a rainy-day-proof activity week rather than a beach.
On this page
Is it worth it?
The quick read before the detail: who Finlake suits, how it works and the facts to skim first.
Finlake is an all-weather activity resort rather than a beach one. The draw is the indoor waterpark, kept warm at 30°C with a tots' splash zone and flumes for older children, so a wet Devon week still works. Around it sit a real ELEMIS spa for the grown-ups, a gym and a long directory of paid activities from teddy-making and pottery painting for toddlers up to archery and axe throwing for older children. The accommodation is the other pull: Scandi-style A-frame lodges you can only book here, plus caravans, pods and lodges in the woods, some with hot tubs. The catches are specific. There's no beach on site, so a beach day means a drive of about half an hour to the south Devon coast. A car is effectively essential, as there's no public transport route in. There's no kids' club or creche either, so the activities are things you do with your children rather than a place to hand them over. Get those right and it's a strong Devon activity base, especially in changeable weather.
Best for
You want a rainy-day-proof indoor waterpark, woodland lodges with the option of a hot tub and a real spa for the adults, and you don't mind driving to the beach.
Maybe not for
The beach is the point of your holiday, you want ground you can be sure is easy with a pushchair, or you were hoping for a kids' club to hand the children over to.
Best ages
Babies and toddlers upwards. The splash zone and the earliest activity sessions start around age two, with the higher-energy activities aimed at older children.
What stands out
The heated indoor waterpark, the Scandi A-frame lodges you only get at Finlake and the ELEMIS spa for a parent break.
What to check
That the outdoor pool and any activity you're set on are running for your dates, and book your pool sessions early as slots go.
Where is it?
On a 130-acre wooded estate at Chudleigh on the eastern edge of Dartmoor in Devon, just off the A38.
Quick facts for families
What the resort is like
The countryside setting, how the estate is laid out and what getting around it means with young children.
Finlake sits on a 130-acre countryside estate at Chudleigh (postcode TQ13 0EJ), on the eastern edge of Dartmoor in mid-Devon, run by the Haulfryn Group. It's a wooded valley rather than a manicured park, with woodland trails, stillwater fishing lakes and open spaces between the buildings, so the feel is nature-forward, birdsong and trees. Its sister Haulfryn park, Holmans Wood, is close by and shares Finlake's facilities, but it's a separate site and this guide is Finlake only.
The estate spreads its built parts across the valley. Finlake Falls is the main pool and waterpark building, which doubles as the reception where you check in for swimming and collect spa passes. The Sirona Spa has its own building, The Hub is the all-day food and shopping hub, The Retreat is the evening restaurant, and there's a gym and studio, an outdoor pool and outdoor activity zones, with the accommodation scattered through the woodland around them. Guests get an activity map to find their way about.
You get around the estate on foot. There's no golf-buggy shuttle of the kind some larger parks run, and how far your lodge sits from the pool and The Hub depends on where in the woodland you're staying, so it's worth asking about that when you book. The resort is open year-round, with the indoor pool, spa and most activities running through the seasons; the outdoor pool is the seasonal part, open from Easter through summer. There's no beach here, which is the whole reason the resort is built around its indoor waterpark, so the nearest sand is a drive away rather than a walk.
The accommodation
The self-catering options in the woods, which type suits a family and the baby kit you can hire.
All the accommodation is self-catering, which is the easy way to feed a baby or a fussy toddler on your own timetable, and there's free Wi-Fi throughout. Holidays are booked through Hoseasons, Haulfryn's booking partner. There are five broad types, and the one families single Finlake out for is the Scandi-style A-frame lodge, a timber cabin tucked among the trees that you can only book here and not at Haulfryn's other parks. The table below is the line-up and how each suits a family.
| Accommodation | What it is | Good to know for families |
|---|---|---|
| Scandi-style A-frame lodges | Timber A-frames tucked among the trees, individually styled and some with a hot tub, with a lighter loft-style version too. Available only at Finlake. | The signature Finlake stay, the one you can't book at Haulfryn's other parks. |
| Lodges | The most spacious tier, 20ft or wider, with ensuites, breakfast bars and decking, plus a hot tub on some. | The roomiest self-catering base if you want space to spread out. |
| Superior pods | Curved-wall pod lodges with a cocooning feel, and a private hot tub on some. | A cosier, smaller footprint than the lodges. |
| Holiday homes | Mid-size units, 13 to 19ft wide, a step up in space from a caravan. | A middle option between a compact caravan and a lodge. |
| Caravans | Self-catering caravans, 10 to 12ft wide, with modern interiors. | The most compact base, and typically the most affordable. |
Room sizes and how many each type sleeps vary within a type, so the surest way to match a unit to your family is to check the exact one on Hoseasons before you book. Hot tubs come on some units across the A-frames, pods and lodges rather than as standard, and dog-friendly accommodation is available if you're bringing one, on specific units. Available dates vary by unit, so check the weeks you want on Hoseasons.
Check-in is from 4pm and check-out is 10am. An earlier check-in from 1pm costs £45 and a later check-out until 1pm another £45, or £90 for both together at Finlake specifically (last checked July 2026), which is worth doing if you're travelling with a baby and want the room ready sooner. A range of extras can be added to a booking too, from a welcome food hamper to celebration packages, all priced on the booking site.
For the youngest, a travel cot, a high chair and a stairgate are all available to hire. Pack a cot sheet, since the travel cot won't come with bedding.
Pools and waterpark
Finlake Falls and its pools, the spa for the grown-ups and the gym, plus the rules that matter with little ones.
Finlake Falls is the heart of the resort, and the indoor waterpark is what makes it work whatever the Devon weather does. The main indoor pool is 20 metres, heated to 30°C, with a beach-style ramped entrance that lets a toddler wade in gradually rather than face a step or a ladder, and space for a few steady laps. Alongside it there's a colourful splash zone just for tots, open from 10am to 6pm, and two flumes for older or taller children: the Twister, for ages eight and over, and the Tornado, both with a 1.2-metre height limit, running from mid-morning to early evening. There are also bookable in-pool activities that cost extra, including Water Walkerz, inflatable water zorbs you climb inside from age five at £8 for five minutes (last checked June 2026), with under-12s needing an adult with them and a maximum rider weight of 14 stone; sea scooters from age nine for confident swimmers who pass a short swim test; and an aqua aerobics class in the water.
The outdoor pool is the seasonal part, open from Easter through summer, with an outdoor flume for children who are at least a metre tall and can swim 15 metres unaided, and longer two-hour session slots in the open air. Facilities do occasionally close for maintenance, so it's worth a quick check ahead if a particular pool or flume is the reason you're booking.
How pool sessions work
Swimming runs on pre-booked sessions rather than turn-up-and-swim. Holiday guests check in through the resort's guest portal first, then book a slot online or by phone, and you collect a coloured time band from the Finlake Falls reception before you go in. A busy indoor session runs about an hour, the outdoor sessions two. The pool itself is open weekdays from 6:30am to 9pm and weekends from 7:30am to 8pm, with a break each day from 1pm to 2pm; day-visitor passes are bookable and usable in a separate, shorter window (weekdays 8am to 8pm, weekends 8am to 7pm), so check which times apply if you're buying a day pass rather than staying. Day visitors who aren't staying can buy pool passes too: £10 for adults aged 16 and over, £8 for children aged 3 to 15 and children aged two and under go free (last checked June 2026).
A few supervision rules matter with young children, and they're stricter than at some pools. A child aged eight or under, or anyone still learning to swim, needs an adult of sixteen or over in the water within arm's reach at all times, and one adult can watch no more than two under-eights in the water. Any child under fourteen needs an adult in the pool area, and no child can be left unattended. Worth knowing before you plan a swim around one parent and more than a couple of small children.
Sirona Spa
The Sirona Spa gives parents somewhere to get time to themselves, and it's a proper spa rather than a token wet room. Its self-guided thermal suite, the "Spa Experience", is adults-only from sixteen and takes around two hours, at £25 on a weekday or £30 at the weekend, with a two-person midweek slot (Monday to Friday, 12 to 2pm, booked by phone) at £40 for the couple (all last checked June 2026): an adults-only pool and jacuzzi, a lava sauna, a herbal sauna, a thalasso steam room, a herbal steam room, Caribbean storm showers and relaxation areas. There are eight treatment rooms using the ELEMIS range, with massages and body treatments from £75, facials from £70 or, for the more involved anti-ageing facials, from £115, the Million Dollar body and facial treatments from £65, manicures and pedicures from £15 and waxing or a lash and brow appointment from £10 (all last checked June 2026, see the spa's own treatment pages for the full menu), plus a specific ELEMIS Peaceful Pregnancy massage for expectant mums, which isn't offered before twelve weeks. An HBL hair salon sits inside the spa, open most of the week.
Because the thermal suite is adults-only, the spa doesn't double as a family facility, so the way it works on a family break is that parents take turns, one at the spa while the other has the children in the pool or at an activity. Children aren't shut out entirely, though: the Mini-Me menu takes ages five to fifteen for a manicure (£15), a mani-pedi (£35), a mini massage and facial (£40) or a full pamper package (£65), so £15 to £65 depending which you choose (last checked June 2026), with a parent staying in the spa throughout.
If you want to keep movingGym and fitness
The gym is better equipped than a holiday-park token room: over 60 pieces of cardio equipment, a dedicated free-weights area, a 32-capacity studio for classes, air conditioning, a sauna and steam room, plus a Technogym app system for plans and class booking. It's open early until late on weekdays and shorter hours at weekends. There's a paid programme of around eleven class types, from Zumba and spin to yoga and Pilates, each bookable individually or included with gym membership. One thing to plan around with older children: under-sixteens aren't allowed in the gym. Outside, there's a tennis and multi-sport court you can book in hour slots, free to use.
Things to do
The paid activity directory across the ages, the places to eat and what a family with a baby or toddler gets out of the resort.
Activities are the reason most families come, and they run as a paid directory of individually bookable sessions rather than an included programme. Almost everything needs booking in advance, with a child accompanied by a parent, and the sessions come in peak and off-peak timetables. There's plenty pitched at the youngest: Make a Teddy from age two; junior crafts, sand art and pottery painting from three; Junior Activities and GO Multisport, games and multi-sport challenges for ages three to seven; Adventure Trukz, mini off-road vehicles on an obstacle course, from four; and den building for ages five to ten. The higher-energy activities skew older, from aeroball and inflatable panna soccer at five and laser tag at six, through archery, football fun and disc golf all from seven, up to junior segways at eight, target paintball at twelve and axe throwing at thirteen. A few carry practical kit or group-size rules: closed-toe shoes for archery and axe throwing, trainers for laser tag (capped at 20 people a session) and axe throwing capped at 15 a session, so it's worth reading the notes when you book.
Not everything costs, though. A signposted woodland walk and the tennis court are free, there's an adventure playground for the little ones, and the estate's stillwater fishing lakes are there for anglers, where the usual UK rules mean anyone aged thirteen or over needs a rod licence (free for under-sixteens). Horse riding runs through an outside provider, booked by phone rather than through the resort's own activity system.
Booking the activities
Sessions are booked ahead, with at least an hour's notice, paid in full at the time, and they're non-refundable if you cancel inside 24 hours. A child needs a parent or guardian with them, which is the practical difference from a resort with a kids' club: you're taking part, not dropping off. If a particular session is the reason you're booking the holiday, check its timetable and age limit first, and book it early once your dates are set.
Eating and food shopping
Since the accommodation is self-catering, you'll cook most meals in the lodge, and there's a shop on site inside The Hub for grocery essentials, local produce and gifts, though most families do a bigger supermarket shop in Newton Abbot on the way in. For meals out, The Hub is the all-day option, a cafe and casual diner open daily from 8:30am until late for breakfast, lunch, dinner and light bites, with heated covered outdoor seating and, usefully with tired children, takeaway and delivery to your accommodation, with delivery running until 8:30pm. The Retreat Forest Kitchen and Bar is the bookable sit-down restaurant, serving classic British comfort food like fish and chips, burgers and grills alongside wood-fired pizza, with The Hub the reliable all-day choice for daytime meals. There's also a new sports bar with screens for live sport, open evenings and weekends.
If you'll want a high chair or a children's menu at the restaurants, ask the resort when you book. The self-catering kitchen is the simplest way to feed a baby or fussy toddler in the meantime.
Babies and toddlers
There's no creche, kids' club or babysitting service at Finlake. It's a do-it-together resort, where the activities from age two upwards are sessions you take part in with your child, not childcare you can hand them to. If a break from the children is part of what you want from a holiday, the spa is the way to get it, with parents taking turns rather than a club taking over.
What suits babies and toddlers well is the water. The indoor pool's beach-style ramp lets a toddler walk in gently, the tots' splash zone is built for the crawling-and-wading stage, and the pool supervision rules keep the youngest close to an adult. A travel cot, high chair and stairgate are available to hire, and there's a swim school, Finlake Flippers, following the Amateur Swimming Association's Learn to Swim Programme across its seven stages, with both group lessons and one-to-one sessions. It runs on published school terms, so if you want a lesson during your stay, ask whether it's available for your dates.
The area and days out
The moor on the doorstep, the beaches a short drive off and the towns and days out around the resort.
Finlake's inland position makes it an activity base you drive out from, and Dartmoor National Park is right on the doorstep, with open moorland, ponies, river paddling at spots like Fingle Bridge and Dartmeet, plus easy family walks. Haytor, one of Devon's most recognisable granite tors and a popular family walk, and Canonteign Falls, billed as the South West's highest waterfall in the nearby Teign Valley, are two of the closest days out. Haldon Forest Park, with its cycling and off-road trails, is very close too.
For the beach, the south Devon coast is about a 30-minute drive, with the sandy stretches at Teignmouth, Ness Cove and Oddicombe the ones the resort points families to, and Shaldon and Dawlish Warren, around 10 to 12 miles (16 to 19 km), in the same sort of range. The livelier English Riviera towns of Paignton, Torquay and Brixham are a little further south, roughly 20 to 25 miles (32 to 40 km) by road. It's not a beach on the doorstep, so a beach day is a planned outing rather than a stroll from the lodge.
For everyday practicalities and bigger days out, Newton Abbot is the nearest substantial town, around ten minutes away, with supermarkets, a pharmacy and a mainline railway station. Chudleigh, the small town nearest the resort, has only basic shops. Exeter is a short drive north up the A38, with its cathedral, the RAMM museum, major shopping and the nearest big hospital. Further out, Buckfastleigh has the South Devon Railway, a heritage steam line to Totnes that makes a good family day, the market town of Totnes is a little beyond it, and the historic Ugbrooke House estate sits close to Chudleigh.
Loves and gripes
What families rate and what to weigh, how it compares with the big woodland parks and the drive in.
Finlake carries a VisitEngland 5-star rating and a guest rating of 4.3 out of 5 with Hoseasons, as of mid-2026. You may see it listed under its former name, Finlake Holiday Park, on TripAdvisor and some other review sites; it's the same resort.
What families rate
- The indoor waterpark, which keeps a wet Devon week going when a beach holiday wouldn't.
- The breadth of activities across the ages, from toddler crafts to axe throwing.
- The Scandi A-frame lodges and the woodland setting, and hot tubs on some units.
- A real ELEMIS spa, unusual on a self-catering park, for a parent break.
- The 5-star rating, a signal of consistency.
What to weigh
- No beach on site, so the coast is a drive rather than a walk from the lodge.
- No kids' club or creche, so the activities are all with your children.
- Pool swimming runs on pre-booked slots rather than turn-up-and-swim, so swims need planning around the set session times.
- No public transport route in, and everything off-site is a drive away.
- The activities are paid on top of the self-catering stay, so booking a lot across a week costs more.
How it compares
The closest comparisons are Center Parcs and Bluestone: self-catering woodland resorts built around an indoor pool with a paid-activity model. Finlake is smaller than Center Parcs and usually sits at a lower price point, and it has things they don't: the A-frame lodges you can only book here, a full ELEMIS spa with a hair salon and a strong indoor waterpark. What it doesn't have is a formal kids' club like Center Parcs, so there's no drop-off childcare, and there's no beach, where a coastal Devon park like Challaborough Bay puts the sand on your doorstep instead. Our Center Parcs guide sets out how that side of it works if you're weighing the two.
The drive inGetting there and when to go
Finlake is reached by car via the A38, the Devon Expressway between Exeter and Plymouth, taking the Chudleigh exit for TQ13 0EJ, and it's easy off the M5 to the north. There's no public transport route to the resort itself and no airport transfers, so a car is effectively part of the plan. If you're flying, Exeter Airport is a short drive away and Bristol is the larger option, roughly an hour up the M5, about 60 miles (100 km). The nearest mainline station is at Newton Abbot on the Exeter to Plymouth line, a short taxi from there, as there's no station at Chudleigh. There's EV charging in the on-resort car park if you need it.
On timing, the indoor waterpark, spa and most activities run year-round, so Finlake is an all-weather resort and a wet or cold week still works. The outdoor pool is the seasonal extra, open from Easter through summer, so May to August is when you get the most out of both the indoor and outdoor water. Those months are also the warmest and, in July and August, the driest.
Month by monthThe weather
The figures below are long-term averages for Chudleigh, the nearest weather reference. Devon summers here are pleasant rather than hot, and the wetter autumn and winter are exactly when the indoor waterpark matters most. There's no sea temperature to quote inland; if you drive to the coast for a beach day, the south Devon sea sits at around 16 to 17°C in July and August, cool but swimmable.
| Month | Daytime high | Overnight low | Rain | Wet days | Sea temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9.5° | 4° | 132 mm | 15 | 10° |
| February | 10° | 4° | 99 mm | 13 | 9° |
| March | 11° | 5° | 86 mm | 12 | 9° |
| April | 13.5° | 6° | 69 mm | 10 | 10° |
| May | 16° | 8.5° | 64 mm | 9 | 12° |
| June | 19° | 11° | 63 mm | 9 | 15° |
| July | 21° | 13° | 67 mm | 8 | 17° |
| August | 21° | 13° | 76 mm | 10 | 17° |
| September | 19° | 11.5° | 70 mm | 9 | 17° |
| October | 16° | 10° | 130 mm | 14 | 16° |
| November | 12.5° | 6.5° | 129 mm | 15 | 14° |
| December | 10.5° | 4.5° | 145 mm | 16 | 12° |
Typical monthly averages from weather-station records. Sea temperature is the open-water figure, so a sheltered bay can feel a degree or two warmer.
Questions
The things families ask most, the health and practical bits, the official pages worth a bookmark and when this guide was last refreshed.
Do you have to book the pool in advance?
Yes. Swimming runs on pre-booked sessions, and you collect a coloured time band from the Finlake Falls reception before you go in, with holiday guests checking in through the guest portal first. Slots for the busy times fill up, so book your swims early in the day rather than turning up and hoping.
Can children use the spa?
The thermal suite and its pool are adults-only from sixteen, so under-sixteens can't use it. Children aged five to fifteen can have a Mini-Me treatment, a manicure or a small pamper, as long as a parent stays in the spa with them. If you want spa time for yourself, plan to take turns so one of you is with the children.
Is there a kids' club or a creche?
No, there's no creche, kids' club or babysitting on site. Every activity needs a parent taking part, from the age-two sessions upwards, so you're doing them together rather than dropping the children off.
Do we need a car?
In practice, yes. There's no public transport route to the resort, it sits off the A38 near Chudleigh, and the beaches, towns and days out are all a drive away. Bring the car and factor in a supermarket shop on the way, since it's self-catering.
Can babies and toddlers eat easily at the restaurants?
The accommodation is self-catering with a kitchen, which is the simplest way to feed a baby or a fussy toddler on your own timetable. If you'll want a high chair or a children's menu at the restaurants, ask the resort when you book.
Where's the nearest A&E?
Torbay Hospital near Torquay and the Royal Devon and Exeter in Exeter are the two nearest, both a manageable drive rather than on the doorstep. Save the route to your satnav before you travel, and call 999 for anything serious.
Health and practicalities
For anything medical, the nearest A&E is at Torbay Hospital near Torquay or the Royal Devon and Exeter in Exeter, both a manageable drive rather than close by; save both routes to your satnav before you travel, and call 999 for anything serious. The nearest pharmacy and the bigger supermarkets are in Newton Abbot, about ten minutes away, since Chudleigh has only basic shops. There's a launderette on the estate, which helps with a baby or toddler who gets through several outfits a day, and EV charging in the car park. It's a woodland estate, so if step-free routes or the walk from your lodge matter, ask the resort before you book.
Finlake Resort & Spa photos
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Useful links
- Finlake Resort & Spa: the resort's own site for the pools, spa, activities and what's open.
- Finlake on Hoseasons: the booking partner, for accommodation, dates and prices.
- Devon with little ones: our guide to the county, its beaches and days out.
Last updated 13 July 2026. Accommodation, prices, activities and what's open change, so check with the resort or Hoseasons before you book.
