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Reviews of Sandford Holiday Park ( Parkdean Resorts )
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Sandford Holiday Park ( Parkdean Resorts )
Holton Heath
Poole
Dorset (Browse area)
BH16 6JZ
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Pitches: 734
Open: 04/02/2025 to 21/11/2025
Rating: 
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| Who's it for |
 Families Welcome |
 Not Members Only |
 No Rallies |
 Not Naturist Site |
 Dogs Welcome |
 No Dogs Allowed |
 Groups Welcome |
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| Facilities |
 Toilet Facilities |
 Hot Showers |
 Washing Up |
 No Bathroom |
 Baby Changing Facilities |
 Laundry On Site |
 Drinking Water |
 Disabled Friendly |
 Chemical Disposal |
 No Battery Charging |
 Gas Exchange |
 Recycling Facilities |
 Kitchen Facilities |
 Freezer / Fridge |
 No Motorhome Point |
 Wifi Access |
 Shop On Site |
 Bar On Site |
 Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway On Site |
| Activities |
 Kids Playground |
 TV Room |
 Games Room |
 Evening Entertainment |
 No Fishing |
 No Wild Swimming |
 Indoor Pool On Site |
 Outdoor Pool On Site |
 No Horse Riding |
 Cycle Hire On Site |
 Golf On Site |
 No Tennis |
 Beach <1 mile |
 Watersports <1 mile |
 No Boat Launch |
| Other Features |
 No Sea Views |
 Not Working Farm |
 No Campfires Allowed |
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 No Waterside Pitches |
 Public Transport |
 Offroad Dog Walk On Site or Direct Access |
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Reviews:
118 in total, now showing 21 to 30
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| Date of Visit: August 2014 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: DPS Entertainments |
4 reviews from this member |
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 Well hello again Sandford this was our second visit here returning after a great stay last year, see our review July 2013.
Once again we had a fab holiday and the kids had a great time, made better by the fact our friends from Swansea joined us with their kids and dog. We pitched our tent in the same field as last time as it was in a lovely location, more so by request of the missus as it is near the showers!
Also our kids were able to just run over if they needed the loo!
This area is lovely as there is an open green area to play on and plenty of bushes the kids had fun climbing in and making dens! This is useful for us adults so the kids have something to do when you aren't down the main complex, or making tea! Good for evening BBQs too, kids can play close by.
As per my last blog, a play area is needed here and I mentioned it to the ents manager, who suggested I put this in writing. I will be doing this.
I have seen other reviewers fault the pitches due to trees! It's a wooded area you get trees but none in the middle of pitches, close by maybe but reception are more than happy to let you question or pick pitches from their plans, just ask?
Good to see security circling many times at night to silence those late night summer revellers!
Once more the entertainment was good and the ents manager continues to be funny! Even though extra chairs and tables were out this time, peak season means you need to get to the club earlier to get a table. Saying that once the bingo was over and the Sid and Lizzy show was done, tables became available. But there is a real good holiday feel with everyone in the room joining in. A lot if this is down the the great interaction if the ents manager.
Our kids had good fun in the arcades, outside park and the chippy is good too. We used the swimming pools this time and even the outdoor pool on a cloudy day was warm. Indoor pool is lovely too. Colour band system in place to prevent overcrowding.
We also hired a peddle cart, trust me parents, 30 mins is enough before your legs drop off!
Also this time they had horses and ponies to ride with it being school holidays, they were lovely and the kids enjoyed this!
Day trips again saw us visit monkey world and Poole also Swanage near by! Our girls also enjoyed an evening if greyhound racing which is at Poole stadium near by. Ok they are too young to bet, but loved looking at the book and telling me what name looked best to bet on.
Only faults, the restaurant serves nice food but no matter how busy you are, guests shouldn't have to get their own cutlery. Don't get me wrong the toilets are good and showers hot and spacious but really do need cleaning more than once a day in peak season. A little disappointing from last time!
All in all Sandford is great and it's always nice to see squirrels with fur cones in their mouths running about! We have paid our deposit for next summer the day we returned! 
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| Date of Visit: August 2014 |
Unit: Trailer Tent |
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| Reviewer: Susangibbons |
7 reviews from this member |
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Just had a lovely holiday at this park. The pitch sizes were good and access on to them was easy. The swimming pools were clean heated and well run the evening entertainment was great and well organised. We arrived earlier than it stated but as pitches were empty we were allowed on early which was really helpful and reception were friendly. My one complaint was the toilet blocks could have been kept cleaner there was plenty of toilets and showers and generally hot water but the blocks were often grubby and look like they need a good clean. Also could do with mop and bucket of water so people could mop out showers.
Overall I would go back again.
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| Date of Visit: August 2013 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: Beecherk |
9 reviews from this member |
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We have had seasonal pitch here in sandford for this year been around 16 times. Had a great time. The owner and her team are excellent. The pitch we have is excellent and our neighbours are great. One of the ladys near us makes the best scones. And scones and pimms are normally available from 4 onwards. We bring our grandkids and they have had a great time playing around our pitch. The swimming facilities have been great. And even when the campsite was really busy we didn't have to wait. The showbar is great and the restaurant supplies good food, and the beers not bad. Next door is a pub, The Clay Oven, which is great for a change. We are already booked for our pitch again next year. Only 10 seasonal pitches left for next year.
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| Date of Visit: August 2013 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Northerngal33 |
8 reviews from this member |
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Hmmmm what can I say about this site? Lets start with the positives shall we as it wont take long: On first observation the site looks well kept and clean,
Check in was great, staff really friendly though couldn't accommodate the pitch I requested as it had been booked over the phone for the bank holiday weekend, this I thought unfair as I had booked for 10 days not just 3.
Outdoor pool is lovely, heated to perfect temp and a coloured band system is in place to avoid over crowding,
Indoor pool is ok and useful when its not so good outdoors.
Play areas are great for both big kids and younger ones so mine were happy,
Nisa shop was pretty well stocked but expensive so a drive into Wareham or Poole is worth it.
The entertainment is great though I didn't go out until 9pm as my kids are too old for the Sid and Lizzie show. Thats about it really.
Bad points.
The pitches in the wooded area. My god, I know we all like a bit of woodland when camping but this was ridiculous, trees in middle of pitches so pitching or parking was difficult, Low hanging branches to hang yourself on at night as there is NO street lighting, spiders dropping from the trees while pitching the tent, grasshoppers sharing the tent and ants. My god the ants were unbelievable, at one point you couldn't tell my tent was green as it looked a filthy black it was covered with that many. I complained and asked for a different pitch, I was prepared to unpitch and move but was told I didn't stand a chance as it was BH weekend so we had to put up with it.
Then we have the Midgies and Gnats to put up with, myself and my daughter were bitten over 100 times and two of mine became infected and literally exploded over my leg, it was not a pretty sight believe me, so don't forget your repellent though non of ours worked :-(.
Now for the shower blocks, you have a choice, the old block is not worth the effort, there are 3 showers and the water pressure disappears as soon as more than one shower was used, if you have long hair forget rinsing it unless you use a jug and wait 10 mins for it to fill. The central shower block is much better, water pressure is fine and temp is great, cubicles are much bigger too so its a much better shower experience all round. Footpaths are non existent so everybody walks on the road, cycles on the road, skateboards on the roads and rides the carts on the roads, speed limit is 10mph which is fine but cycles go faster than this and nothing can be done about it. Why not????
Security is everywhere on site but I didn't actually see them do anything but check passes.
All in all we did have a lovely holiday but that was because we were in Dorset not Sandford Park and we will never go back.
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| Date of Visit: August 2013 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Big Momma |
4 reviews from this member |
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Just got home after 5 nights at Sandford Park
We have been here lots of times so we know what to expect and were really looking forward to it as we haven't been away for a couple of years
Upon booking I asked for a large pitch as we have a large tent and a dayroom we use as a kitchen
We were recommended by the lady on the phone pitch no 153 which was the corner pitch up in the Paddocks adjoining the seasonal pitches.
When we arrived at the pitch it was covered in molehills, which we weren't to happy about but flattened them down and pitched up
The next day more molehills had appeared which left sand troden in the carpet and all over the day room floor
On the second night we were woken up by a rustling noise and spent a restless night listening to sounds coming from the living room. Next morning daylight revealed the culprit and we were greeted by several large mounds under the tent groundsheet. One was still in progress and a flip flop still on top of it was moving up and down as it grew by the minute. We were sharing our pitch with a mole. We duly reported the matter to the camp reception, were the girl seemed puzzled at what to do and said she had had no reports previously of moles but promised to find out and contact us to let us know. We returned to our tent to find the one hill getting even bigger and waited for them to send us a warden to take a look. Then we waited and waited and waited. Finally the children were getting distraught and we lost our patience and I returned to the camp reception to find four of the staff having a cuppa and a chat in the office. When I asked what was happening the girl told me that she had been trying to contact me on my mobile no (I haven't given her one as I don't really use one) but got another lady who didn't know anything about it. She seemed to find this very funny. Apparently the mole people were coming sometime today to put traps down so don't worry about it we didn't need to move the tent. I went back to reception and eventually they sent the most rudest 'warden' we have ever met in the end we moved pitches thanks to fellow campers we await a response from Parkdean
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| Date of Visit: August 2013 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: ERNEST |
3 reviews from this member |
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Tried this site as couple weeks previously stayed at West Bay in Dorset which is another Parkdean site. Really enjoyed West Bay - lovely clean site.
Unfortunately cannot say the same for Sandford.
Good Points
Indoor and outdoor pools which the children enjoyed
Good children's play areas
Location
Food cost was okay
Restaurant staff polite and efficient
Bad Points
Overpriced drinks
Restaurant very busy so had to wait for table (not too much of a problem)
Touring pitches quite close together
Shower/toilet blocks - unclean, no toilet paper most days, dated. Even our two children were very reluctant to use them
Very poor lighting around the touring park - got lost couple times in the evening
Children riding bikes, playing ball games around car and caravan
Also, cannot blame park for the standard of peoples behaviour and manners. But saw people spitting on the floor, bad language, belching, burping without consideration of others in the vicinity.
Will never go here again but certainly would go back to West Bay.
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| Date of Visit: July 2013 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: TentnTrailer |
6 reviews from this member |
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We booked this site as a second choice after failing to get a pitch on sites near Swanage that would accommodate our large tent. It was booked (by phone) in April for a week starting 20th July but closer to the time we found the price had been discounted, so an email to the customer services explaining our disappointment for booking early was returned with an offering of adult breakfast vouchers ( for use in their restaurant) to the value of the discount. This turned out to be very useful on the last day as it removed the need to prepare breakfast in the tent and then have to pack it all away afterwards for a 10AM departure.
This was our first visit to Sandford and on arrival everything went smoothly. The staff were very friendly and even gave us some extra breakfast vouchers for the children. Our pitch number was selected at the time of booking and our only stipulation was the area had to be large enough for our tent. We got an 8x20m corner plot with EHU, which turned out to be the same price as the std pitch size. The pitch was about as far as you can get from the facilities but this turned out to be great as it was quiet, few cars driving past and there was not a constant steam of people walking by the tent to get to the toilet block. The campsite reception has various leaflets (bus timetable) and other local info, sells some camping items and other bits. They will also freeze blocks for a small charge.
The toilet block and showers (free) were more than adequate and reasonably clean for the most part and plenty of hot water at the times we used them. No queuing for the indoor washing up area also.
The main complex included indoor/ outdoor heated pools, restaurant, games arcade, kids play areas and a club house. We used the restaurant for our 3 breakfasts and the kids used the pool nearly every day. We tended to stay clear of the club house even though there was evening entertainment. A Nisa shop is also on site. Sainsbury’s at Wareham and Poole has the usual range of chain shops and supermarkets.
No 40 bus service stops outside the campsite which we used one day to save a bit of driving. £18 gets you a 5 person 3 zone all day bus ticket. No 40 to Swanage and then open top bus No 50 to Bournemouth via ferry crossing and Sandbanks (about 1 per hr up to 23:00). We were fortunate enough to get the best weather in July so the bus tour was quite a change and as it was a double decker, the view was superb.
The site is well placed for days out e. G. , the beaches at Studland are fantastic, free parking if you are a member of the National Trust.
We would stay at this campsite again as the price and facilities for the period we went seemed quite reasonable by comparison with other sites in the area. Might be an idea to take some insect repellent and ant powder. The other lucky thing is that Lancs schools break up a week before Dorset so the camp was quieter and the price jumped for the following week.
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| Date of Visit: August 2013 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: Tcreedy |
2 reviews from this member |
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We have just returned from sandford for the bank holiday weekend. We were looking forward to our stay as we had paid extra for the luxury of fully serviced pitch. On arrival the staff were helpful and quickly booked us in. The fun started once we arrived at our pitch. The road leading to it was very narrow and because the pitches are very small you have to park at the front of the pitch restricting the road even more, this meant you are not able to use the car to push the van onto your pitch. Added to this it was the steepest pitch entrance we have ever seen so much so that the previous van had damaged his corner steadies leaving. After several campers came to help( which we all had to do for any new arrival as well as moving our cars to allow room to move a van) we tried to push the van up but the back scraped along the floor as it was so steep and the front was still on the flat road. We had to lower the jockey all the way down and start again. The whole weekend was ruined worrying about getting off the pitch. After speaking to the office nothing was done so luckily we arranged for others to help us leaving and we helped them too as we were far from the only ones concerned about our departure.
A site never to be visited again
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| Date of Visit: July 2013 |
Unit: Trailer Tent |
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| Reviewer: Raddaran |
5 reviews from this member |
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A park with great facilities. We were pitched right up near the top shower/toilet block. It was the week before most broke up for summer holidays ( Glos children broke up the week before). By the end of the week it was very busy, almost to busy for the facilities to handle.
The showers and toilet blocks were kept very clean considering some people are like animals ( enough about that). I made a point of thanking the cleaning staff. The top shower block is the older of the three wash areas, and had lower water pressure due to being higher. But I preferred it as they were mostly empty. Each block also had washing facilities and chemical waste disposal points.
The camping and touring staff were very helpful. You can get local tourist information and bits and bobs for camping there, also freeze your blocks 20 pence each.
The entertainers worked very hard during the evenings. The bar got very busy.
There are two pools both heated. However every day I was there one of the pools were closed due to a biological hazard. ( child being sick), this means that everyone tries to use the other pool which made for 45 min queue. This is a fault of a parent, not the park but the pool is closed for the rest of the day, for cleaning and filtration.
Like other have said, if there was a play park up in the touring site, it would be great. The main complex where the pools and club house is situated is a 10 min walk from the top of the camping field.
As with any resort, it's there to make money, 2 pints, 2 glasses of coke and a squash costs £12. 50. Crazy golf and buggies both cost.
Due to the hot weather the ground was rock hard, I had to nip to go outdoors to buy thick steel pegs, the cheaper thin ones just bent.
When you book, do it over the phone and make sure you ask for a flat pitch, some are really not ideal for a bigger tent or camper. A couple of people asked to be moved for that reason, luckily at the start of the week it was quiet.
The camp is in the middle of nowhere, you cannot walk to anything. I think if I had realised this I may not have booked, we like to get out and about without using the car all the time. However there is loads to do within a short driving distance.
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| Date of Visit: July 2013 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: DPS Entertainments |
4 reviews from this member |
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My partner and I just returned from a great one weeks camping at Sandford, The park was quite empty with is being out of season.
We changed our pitch as we would have felt quite lonely at the lower end of the touring field where we were, pitched amongst the many trees! Loadsa squirrels were fun to look at!.
Instead we pitched right opposite the circle shaped shower block which pleased the missis!
We even managed to get a portable ariel to freeview mini box signal to ensure we never missed Murray at Wimbledon!
Showers were all hot, free and it felt like the floor was heated too! Funny as the park was full by the Friday! Great how the shop will freeze campers ice packs for 20p in the mini shop in the touring area!
This park is brilliant for all and lots to do for Kids, I genuinely believe this Park gives the neighbouring Haven Rockley Park a good challenge! The park entertainment for both kids and adults is brilliant and we say that coming from an entertainment background ourselves.
The ents manager is one funny guy and a great entertainer! Oh and the lady was kinda cute too! We never used the pool but saw it was clean and always busy, big amusement arcade too! Tower Park is just down the Road, Bowling and Water Park is a must visit!
Also Poole Greyhound stadium is a good night out! Monkey world in Wareham is a beautiful place to visit with so many happy happy breeds of monkey! Poole itself is lovely and 5 miles away, oh and Go Outdoors is just down the road too.
Only thing I would say is it may be worth having a kids park at the camping end, as the park is a little walk to the main complex, although crazy golf, tennis courts, football courts and peddle bike sheds is near the touring end!
Anybody reading this I would say don't look for any other parks and book a family holiday here!
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Common Questions
Is Sandford Holiday Park ( Parkdean Resorts ) child friendly? YES, it accepts children & has a playground View all facilities
Does Sandford Holiday Park ( Parkdean Resorts ) have a swimming pool? YES, there is a pool on site View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to Sandford Holiday Park ( Parkdean Resorts )? There is a shop on site View all facilities
Is Sandford Holiday Park ( Parkdean Resorts ) dog friendly? YES View all facilities
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