Parkdean Holywell Bay Holiday Park
Parkdean Resorts' Holywell Bay Holiday Park sits in a sheltered valley on Cornwall's north coast, a short walk down from one of the less crowded beaches on the county's north coast. It's a self-catering park of caravans, lodges and safari tents built around a hub with a heated outdoor pool, a 300-foot waterslide, a bar and restaurant and a daily entertainment programme, with an on-site surfing academy and Newquay a quarter of an hour away. It's a park that trades a big indoor water complex for a proper Cornish beach on the doorstep.
On this page
Is it worth it?
The quick read before the detail: who the park suits, what's on site and what to weigh first.
Holywell Bay is a mid-scale, mainstream family park, one of more than 60 in the Parkdean Resorts group, rather than a premium or boutique site. Its main draw is where it sits, in a sheltered valley a 10-minute walk down to Holywell Bay, one of the quieter beaches on the north Cornwall coast, with the Gull Rocks sea stacks offshore. On the park itself the standout is a heated outdoor pool with a 300-foot waterslide, a favourite with children of five and over. The main trade-off is the water. There's no indoor pool, so swimming runs only from mid-March to late September, and the walk to the beach is downhill out and uphill back. Childcare is another gap, with no crèche or childminding, so the clubs and character shows are things you do alongside your child. For families with children aged five and up who want that big slide and a real beach a short walk away, it works well; if you specifically want the waterslide, note that the neighbouring Trevornick park, a separate business in the same bay, rates highly but doesn't have one. You'll get the most from Holywell Bay in late May, June or September, when the pool's open and the crowds and prices are lower.
Best for
Families with children aged five and up who want the 300-foot waterslide, a quiet Cornish beach a short walk away and self-catering with entertainment on tap.
Maybe not for
You need an indoor pool or year-round swimming, your children are too young for the big slide, or you want a large, facility-packed park.
Best ages
Strongest for fives and over, who get the waterslide, the paid pool sessions and surfing. Toddlers have a paddling pool, character shows and clubs, but there's no crèche.
What stands out
The 300-foot waterslide, and the walk down the valley to Holywell Bay beach.
What to check
The waterslide's minimum age of five and a possible height check, and that with no indoor pool, swimming is only mid-March to late September.
Where is it?
In the Ellenglaze Valley near Holywell Bay, about 6 miles from Newquay and a 15-minute drive from town. Nearest airport is Newquay Cornwall, around 10 miles.
Quick facts for families
What the park is like
Where it sits, how the valley setting shapes it, and getting around with young children.
Holywell Bay is a Parkdean Resorts park in the Ellenglaze Valley, a sheltered coastal valley about 6 miles south-west of Newquay, roughly a 15-minute drive from the town. It follows the familiar Parkdean pattern: self-catering caravans and lodges around a central hub with the pool, a bar and restaurant, soft play, an amusement arcade, a multi-sports court and an entertainment venue, and a mix of included and paid activities. It isn't a large park by the group's standards, and it isn't a premium one; what sets it apart is the setting. This is Parkdean's park, not the same place as Trevornick Holiday Park, which is a separately owned park also at Holywell Bay. The two share the bay and the name but are different businesses with their own facilities.
The park is inland of the beach, so reaching the sand means a walk of about 10 minutes that runs downhill on the way there and uphill on the way back, with no lift or vehicle route down. That valley setting is the thing to weigh with a buggy in poor weather. The caravans and lodges are single-storey, so there are no external stairs to get into your accommodation, which helps if you're pushing a buggy, and if step-free access inside matters it's worth asking the park about a specific unit. There's a wildlife nature trail on site alongside the hub facilities, and the valley gives you rural and coastal walks straight from the park. For more on the county, its beaches and when to go, see our Cornwall guide.
Where you stay
Every way to stay, from a compact caravan to a spacious lodge or a safari tent, and which suits a family.
Everything here is self-catering, and every caravan, lodge, bungalow and safari tent has an equipped kitchen. Whatever the grade, the price includes hub passes for the park facilities, heating, double glazing, bed linen, a Smart TV or Freeview and professional cleaning between guests; the lodges add towels on top. Dog-friendly and extra-wide caravans are available on selected units, and Parkdean flagged brand new caravans on site for 2026. The sizes in the table below are Parkdean's group-wide minimum floor areas for each grade, so an actual unit may be larger.
| Accommodation | Size | Bedrooms | Sleeps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caravan Bronze / Bronze Premium | 240 sq ft (~22 m²) | 2–3 | Up to 8 |
| Caravan Silver / Silver Premium | 384 sq ft (~36 m²) | 2–3 | Up to 8 |
| Caravan Gold / Gold Premium | 432 sq ft (~40 m²) | 2–3 | Up to 8 |
| Lodge Superior | 456 sq ft (~42 m²) | Not published | Not published |
| Lodge Deluxe | 800 sq ft (~74 m²) | Not published | Not published |
| Lodge Prestige | 800 sq ft (~74 m²) | Not published | Not published |
| Bungalow | Not published | 2 | Up to 4 |
| Glamping safari tent | Not published | Double + twin | Up to 4 adults |
| Touring & camping pitch | Motorhomes to 42 ft | n/a | n/a |
The caravans run in three grades, each with a plain and a Premium version. Bronze is the entry point at a minimum 240 sq ft (~22 m²); it's compact, so with a baby and a travel cot it's usable but tight. Silver at a minimum 384 sq ft (~36 m²) and Gold at 432 sq ft (~40 m²) give a family of three or four more room to spread out. All the caravans come as two or three-bedroom and sleep up to eight. Above them sit the lodges: the Superior at a minimum 456 sq ft (~42 m²), and the Deluxe and Prestige at 800 sq ft (~74 m²), which suits two families or a family that wants space. Check the bedroom count and occupancy for a lodge grade when you book. There are also two-bedroom bungalows that sleep up to four.
For a different sort of stay, there are five glamping safari tents, each with a double bedroom and a twin bedroom with real beds, a lounge, a kitchen and outdoor decking, sharing a shower and toilet block with the touring area, and about a 10-minute walk from the beach. The touring and camping field takes tents, touring caravans, campervans and motorhomes up to 42 feet, with a water and waste point, a heated shower and toilet block and a launderette.
On the family fit, the useful things to know are the space and the baby kit. A Bronze caravan is snug once a cot goes in, so if you can stretch to a Silver, a Gold or a lodge you'll have more room, and dedicated parking near your accommodation can be chosen at booking, which helps when you're unloading a pushchair, a travel cot and beach kit. Cots and highchairs are available to hire at £15 an item, added online or through Manage My Booking; the cot hire doesn't include a mattress or bedding, so bring your own. A travel cot typically fits only in the living area of a caravan rather than the bedroom, while many lodges have room for it in the bedroom, so if you want a door to close on a napping baby a lodge is the safer choice.
Eating and drinking
The self-catering picture, the places to eat and drink on site, and the shop.
This is a self-catering park, so the plan is to cook in your caravan or lodge, with a handful of places on site for the nights you don't. The park lists a board option, and Parkdean runs an all-inclusive dining package at some of its parks, covering breakfast, lunch and dinner mains with hot and soft drinks in the main restaurant on weekdays. If you'd rather have some meals sorted, check whether it's offered at Holywell Bay and what it costs when you book, rather than counting on it.
The Ellenglaze Bar & Grill, named after the valley, is the main restaurant and bar, serving everything from burgers to fresh seafood, with outdoor decking for al fresco dining, big-screen TVs and Costa coffee served within it. It's where the evening entertainment happens too. Joe's American Grill is the casual, family option, a stateside menu of burgers, hot dogs and crispy chicken strips, open weekends only out of season. Scoops, new for 2026, is the ice cream parlour, also weekends only out of the summer peak. The entertainment venue, or showbar, serves meals, snacks and drinks and hosts the evening acts, and there's a separate on-site Costa Coffee outlet for a branded coffee while the children swim or play. A Tricks, Treats and Sweets shop near the Ellenglaze Bar & Grill covers children's pocket-money buys.
For groceries there's a convenience store with an off-licence, which is stocked for top-ups rather than a full weekly shop, and Parkdean's own advice is to do a main shop before you arrive. The store is small, so pack the baby food or formula you'll need; the self-catering kitchens mean you can prepare weaning food yourself. If you want a table at the restaurant, you enquire at reception when you check in.
Pools and the waterslide
The pool is outdoor and heated, open from 13 March to 27 September 2026. There's no indoor pool, so this is a spring-to-early-autumn feature and there's no pool access outside that window, which is the single thing to weigh against the Cornwall parks that swim year-round. The standout is the 300-foot twisting waterslide, which is free with the hub pass and has a minimum age of five. Some families mention a height check too, so if you have an older but small five-year-old, ask the park before you book. Alongside the main pool there's a separate outdoor toddler paddling pool for little ones, shallow, with no stated minimum age.
Beyond ordinary swimming, the park runs a set of paid pool sessions in the outdoor pool that each need booking and cost extra: Aqua Jets (age four and up), Aqua Paddlers (three to seven, the youngest of them), Inflatable Jet Skis (eight and up), Pool Party (four and up), Water Walkerz (five and up) and Wiped Out 2.0 (five and up). Free Adult Swim and Lane Swimming sessions run in the same pool for a bit of dedicated swim time. Pool access itself comes with the hub pass that's included in a direct booking, and the popular sessions can be pre-booked online from 10 weeks before you arrive through Manage My Booking, which is worth doing for a peak-season week.
The beach
Holywell Bay itself, the walk down, and what to know before a beach day.
Holywell Bay is a sandy bay about a mile long, roughly a 10-minute walk from the park, relatively uncrowded, with rock pools to explore at low tide. The walk down and back is the main thing to weigh, with no vehicle access, so a lightweight or all-terrain pushchair travels better here than a heavy city pram, and it's worth thinking about that climb on a hot day or when the weather turns. Offshore you can see the Gull Rocks, a cluster of sea stacks that appear in HBO's House of the Dragon as a filming location.
The beach has a seasonal RNLI lifeguard service, so swim between the red and yellow flags when they're on duty, and its water quality carries an Excellent classification from the Environment Agency. It's a surfing beach, with surfboard and wetsuit hire available, and it's dog-friendly, with the usual seasonal restrictions from around Easter to the end of summer that are worth checking against the current signage. There are around 400 parking spaces at the beach in the National Trust car park, for a fee and separate from the park, along with shops, a pub and toilets right by the sand, so you can make a full day of it without a trip back up to the caravan. For a change of scene there are other beaches close by: Porth Joke at 0.8 miles, Crantock at 1.5 miles, Perranporth at 2 miles and Fistral at Newquay at 2.9 miles.
Babies and toddlers
The park's entertainment for children runs under the Starland Krew banner, Parkdean's own set of characters who appear in shows and meet-and-greets through the day and evening. For the very youngest, Pipsqueak's Mouse House is a character show listed from age zero, which is the one activity that specifically reaches babies. For toddlers there's Play Tots and Tots & Tunes, both for two to five year olds, one built around play and the other around singing and movement, along with an adventure play area on site. In the pool, the separate toddler paddling pool is the spot for little ones, and Aqua Paddlers, the three-to-seven session, is the youngest of the paid water activities.
Childcare is the one real gap. There's no crèche or childminding, so a pre-walking baby has no on-park childcare and the clubs and shows are all things you do together rather than drop-off sessions. It's a fair limitation to weigh rather than a reason to rule the park out, though worth knowing if you'd pictured an evening to yourselves. The self-catering kitchen does let you prepare weaning food, handy since the small on-site shop may not stock baby food or formula.
Things to do
The activity programme, the evening entertainment, the on-site surfing academy and the days out around Cornwall.
The activity programme mixes free sessions with paid ones. Free through the day are a kids' disco and Starland Krazy for all ages, Krew appearances and Football for age two and up. The paid activities cover soft play and the amusement arcade (both from age two), a run of arts and crafts sessions from age four such as Professor Slime, Squishies, pottery painting, sand art and tie dye, Battle Blasters outdoor shooting (five and up), Hover Archery (eight and up), single, double and family karts, and an all-weather multi-sports court (two and up), with table tennis on site too. The paid pool sessions from the section above run in the same programme.
The evening entertainment is a full nightly programme. Free acts and events include Park Live live music, Bingo Gaga, a Country Night, a Who Dunnit murder mystery, Quiz Nation and adult karaoke, with Linked Bingo, board games and Boombox Bingo among the paid extras. For grown-ups there's a set of paid daytime classes: Gin & Yoga, Sip & Paint, jewellery making, mosaic art, line dancing, local walks, wine tasting, water fitness, yoga, super sports and beginners' poker.
Surfing on the doorstepThe surfing academy
The Cornwall Surfing Academy is based at the park, steps from the restaurant and store, and it's a real point of difference for older children. It runs group lessons and hires out wetsuits and boards, taking anyone from a complete beginner to an experienced surfer, and Parkdean guests get a discount. You book directly through the academy's own website rather than through the park. With Holywell Bay a surfing beach in its own right and hire available at the sand as well, it makes an easy way to get a child of around seven and up into surfing on holiday.
Off the parkThe area and days out
Straight from the park you have the beach, the rock pools, the Gull Rocks viewpoint and coastal and valley walks. Newquay is about 15 minutes away, with 11 beaches including Fistral, plenty of shopping and restaurants and local microbreweries, and it holds Newquay Zoo, home to more than 1,000 animals across 13 acres of sub-tropical gardens, and the Blue Reef Aquarium. For younger children, Lappa Valley Steam Railway pairs steam rides with soft play, a maze and a boating lake, and Camel Creek Adventure Park near Wadebridge has roller coasters, 5D experiences, ponies and reptiles.
Further out, the Eden Project near St Austell, about 45 minutes away, is one of Cornwall's best rainy-day days out, with its rainforest biome and children going in free up to a limit per adult, and the nearby Lost Gardens of Heligan have a jungle rope bridge and a big playground. Padstow, around 30 minutes, is good for harbourside crabbing, Rick Stein restaurants and the buggy-friendly Camel Trail, and St Ives, about 40 minutes, has sheltered beaches and Tate St Ives, though its steep cobbled streets are hard work with a city pushchair. Other options are the Screech Owl Sanctuary near Bodmin, Tintagel Castle on the north coast, about 45 minutes away, with its clifftop ruins and a long walk down and back that's challenging with very young children, Healey's Cornish Cyder Farm and the Japanese Garden at St Mawgan. When the weather turns, the Eden biome, Lappa Valley, the Blue Reef Aquarium and Newquay Zoo's covered areas are the indoor picks, alongside the park's own soft play, since there's no indoor pool for a rainy-day swim.
Loves and gripes
What families rate and what frustrates them, and how the ratings stack up.
The good and the less good, drawn from guest reviews and family roundups.
What families love
- The beach itself, praised as beautiful and relatively quiet.
- Having facilities, food and beach together in one place.
- The Starland Krew evening entertainment for keeping children occupied.
- The pool and 300-foot waterslide, a hit with older children.
- The dog-friendly accommodation.
Common gripes
- No indoor pool, so swimming depends on the weather and the season.
- Pool sessions needing pre-booking up to 10 weeks ahead, which frustrates spontaneity.
- The waterslide's age and possible height limits leaving younger children out.
- No mobile signal on the park.
- Wi-Fi in the accommodation costing extra.
- A smaller, less-equipped park than the bigger sites or neighbouring Trevornick.
Parkdean's site shows a TripAdvisor rating of 4.6 out of 5 for the park. The Parkdean group is also a three-time British Travel Award winner, an award at group level rather than for this park specifically.
Against the other Cornwall parksHow it compares
The closest comparison is Trevornick, the separately owned park right in the same bay. Trevornick generally rates higher, sits closer to the beach and is award-winning, an AA Holiday Park of the Year, with indoor soft play, pitch and putt and a free Wild Tribe outdoor club. What it doesn't have is the 300-foot waterslide, so for a family with children of five and up who specifically want that slide, Holywell Bay wins on that one feature; for younger children below the slide's age, or for raw quality, Trevornick is a strong choice. Both lack an indoor pool.
Hendra, near Newquay and about 8 miles away, has a large indoor pool running year-round with three flumes, a baby pool and a toddler slide, plus indoor soft play and an under-2s zone, which makes it the stronger option for babies, toddlers and off-season trips. Haven's Perran Sands, around 7 miles away, is a bigger, busier park with an indoor pool, an outdoor lazy river, indoor soft play and Activitots and Activikids sessions, where Holywell Bay is quieter and smaller. Pentewan Sands, about 40 minutes away near St Austell, has its own private beach and two year-round indoor pools and rates highly, with no waterslide to match Holywell Bay's but a better fit for babies and toddlers who need an indoor pool.
Getting there and when to go
The drive, the train and airport options, and the best months for young children.
Most families drive, and the A30 is the key road into Cornwall. London to central Cornwall is roughly 4.5 to 5 hours in good conditions, stretching to 6 or 7 on peak summer Saturdays when the A30 backs up beyond Exeter; the Midlands is around 4 to 5 hours and the North 6 or more. The park's postcode for the sat-nav is TR8 5PR. You'll want a car once you're there, as the surrounding area and the days out need one.
Flying, the nearest airport is Newquay Cornwall, about 10 miles away, though its services are seasonal rather than year-round, so you'd hire a car on arrival. Exeter is around 90 miles and Bristol, handy for Midlands and Northern families, about 150 miles. The train isn't practical to the park directly: the nearest station is Newquay, around 6 miles away, with London Paddington to Newquay via Truro taking about 4.5 to 5 hours, and you'd need a car or taxi from the station.
On timing, the best months are late May and June or September, when the pool's open, the crowds are lighter and prices sit below peak; August is the warmest but also the busiest and dearest, and it's best to avoid October onwards if you need the pool, since the outdoor pool closes at the end of September. Booking runs from 2 nights up to 14, so a long weekend works as well as a full week, even though the park's promoted mainly for 7-night breaks.
When to goWeather on the north Cornwall coast
Holywell Bay sits on Cornwall's Atlantic north coast, so the weather is mild and changeable rather than Mediterranean, and rain is possible in any month with no real dry season. That's why the beach walk and the outdoor pool are best thought of as fair-weather features, with the soft play and the days out as the rainy-day backup. The figures below cover the park's main season.
| Month | Daytime high | Overnight low | Rain | Wet days | Sea temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9° | 4.5° | 106 mm | 16 | 10° |
| February | 9.5° | 4.5° | 89 mm | 14 | 9° |
| March | 10.5° | 5.5° | 68 mm | 13 | 9° |
| April | 12° | 6.5° | 68 mm | 12 | 10° |
| May | 15° | 9° | 70 mm | 11 | 12° |
| June | 17.5° | 11.5° | 60 mm | 10 | 15° |
| July | 19° | 13.5° | 65 mm | 11 | 17° |
| August | 19.5° | 14° | 68 mm | 11 | 17° |
| September | 17.5° | 12° | 70 mm | 11 | 16° |
| October | 14.5° | 10° | 111 mm | 16 | 15° |
| November | 11.5° | 7.5° | 125 mm | 18 | 13° |
| December | 9.5° | 5° | 113 mm | 16 | 11° |
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.
Showers tend to blow through between sunny spells, so it's worth planning for at least one wet day a week and keeping an indoor option in reserve.
PracticalitiesGood to know
The one that catches families out is signal: there's no mobile signal on the park, which Parkdean warns about directly, so download maps, shows and anything you'll need before you arrive. The free Wi-Fi is in the entertainment venue only; in the accommodation it's a paid add-on, Park Connect+, in selected units from around £5.95. There's a cash machine and a launderette on site, and a downloadable park map on the official page.
Activities and swim sessions can be booked online from 10 weeks before you arrive through Manage My Booking, and the popular ones do fill. Check-in is the standard Parkdean process, with the lead passenger named on the booking checking in, and restaurant tables are arranged at reception when you check in. Dogs are welcome in selected accommodation and on the bar decking, though not inside the venue. Electric vehicle charging is being trialled at seven Parkdean parks, though Holywell Bay isn't confirmed as one of them, so don't count on charging on site. On accessibility, the caravans and lodges are single-storey with no external stairs to reach them, and the valley walk to the beach involves a slope in both directions; if step-free access inside matters, ask the park about a specific unit before you book.
Questions
The things families ask most, useful links and when this guide was last updated.
Is there a meal package or is it self-catering only?
Plan to self-cater. Every caravan and lodge has a full kitchen, and the on-site eateries cover the nights you'd rather not cook. The park lists a board option, and Parkdean runs an all-inclusive dining package at some of its parks, so if you'd prefer some meals sorted, ask whether it's offered here and what it costs when you book.
Can our four-year-old go on the big waterslide?
No. The slide's minimum age is five. Some families also mention a height check, so if you've a small five-year-old it's worth asking the park before you book. If your children are younger and the slide is the main draw, a park with an indoor flume pool built for little ones will suit you better.
Is there childcare so we can get an evening to ourselves?
No. There's no crèche or childminding, and the shows and clubs are things you join in with your child, not drop-off sessions. If you want an evening to yourselves you'll need to bring your own childcare or plan around the family evening entertainment.
Will a travel cot fit in the bedroom?
Cots hire at £15 an item, with no mattress or bedding included, so pack your own. In a caravan a travel cot usually only fits in the living area, so if you want it in a bedroom you can close the door on for naps, choose a lodge rather than a caravan.
Will our phones work on the park?
Expect no phone signal on the park, which Parkdean flags directly, so download maps and anything you'll need before you arrive. The free Wi-Fi only reaches the entertainment venue; in your caravan or lodge it's a paid add-on in selected units.
Do we have to book swimming in advance?
You don't pay per swim; pool access comes with the hub pass in a direct booking. The popular timed sessions do book up, though, and you can reserve them online from 10 weeks before you arrive, so grab your slots early for a school-holiday week.
Can we book a short break or does it have to be a week?
Yes. Booking runs from 2 nights up to 14, so a long weekend works as well as a full week, even though the park's promoted mainly for 7-night stays. Check the durations for your dates when you search.
Is the walk to the beach manageable with a pushchair?
It's about 10 minutes down through the valley, so downhill going and uphill coming back, with no lift or road down. A lightweight or all-terrain pushchair handles it better than a heavy city pram, and the climb back is worth bearing in mind on a hot afternoon or a poor-weather day.
See more Parkdean Holywell Bay photos
Open the Parkdean Holywell Bay photo gallery →Useful links
- Parkdean Holywell Bay: the park's own site for accommodation, facilities and booking.
- Cornwall with little ones: our guide to the wider county, its beaches and when to go.
Last updated July 2026.
