I Paid £412 for a Weekend at Sandy Balls Holiday Park, Was it Worth it? 

Sandy Balls Holiday Park has a reputation as one of the fanciest lodge and camping parks in Hampshire. If you prefer a more elevated outdoor experience when you venture into the great outdoors, this could be the place for you. Check out my honest review before you decide…

In my experience, most people in Hampshire have heard of Sandy Balls Holiday Park, but it’s notoriety stops at the borders. It felt like anyone local I told that we were going in the three week run up between booking and arriving, had been or knew someone that had but anyone else just fixated on the name.

If it wasn’t ‘we’ve been there!’, it was ‘is that a real place?! Why is it called Sandy Balls?’ [laugh / giggle / snort]

So, just in case you’re not from Hampshire – let me introduce you to Sandy Balls Holiday Park, just on the edge of the New Forest.

According to the website I needed to be prepared to ‘escape into ancient woodlands, open moors and wild heathland’. According to my many friends who’ve been past guests, I was in for an amazing time thanks to the great location and family friendly vibe.

So, off we went.

The New Forest is only a 45-minute drive from our home in Southsea, and Sandy Balls is around an hour. This was an easy to reach weekend, which given the proximity and low cost of getting there, meant we could spend a little more on the accommodation.

But, was the £412 for a weekend at Sandy Balls worth it?

Review: accommodation at Sandy Balls

The three of us (me, boyfriend and toddler) stayed in a 6-person lodge at Sandy Balls. I wouldn’t actually suggest staying there as a 6 though. We had a lovely room with a double bed and en suite for the two of us (definitely missed my SIMBA hybrid mattress at home though). Reggie’s room had a bunk bed in it, and a single too. So, 5 beds, and a large lounge where the sofa could pull out to be a bed.

To be fair, our room was spacious and did have a TV so if you had four kids, they’d be alright, but not 6 adults. As I said, we had our ensuite with a bath (great for toddler) but there was also another shower bathroom next to Reggie’s room.

The kitchen / diner / lounge space was big enough for Reggie to ride around on his scooter, and for us to relax in at the table and on the sofa.

Reggie woke up really early one morning and it was really nice to just cuddle up on the big sofa with a duvet and watch some TV with the sound of the rain on the roof. We definitely need a bigger sofa at home. Anyway, I digress, back to the Sandy Balls review.

Review of the food at Sandy Balls

Each lodge has a little kitchen so it’s easy to be self catered. We had all our breakfasts and lunches this way – using the great stuff from the on site shop. The shop is stocked with yummy locally produced delicacies, from jams, to fruits to meats. You won’t go hungry!

No complaints there.

I do, however, have complaints about the restaurants at Sandy Balls.

There are two restaurants at Sandy Balls, the Woodside Inn and Aubreys. I booked Aubreys for the first night, from home. I’d already been warned by friends that the restaurants get really busy and hard to book so I wanted our spot secured.

We turned up and only a few tables were occupied, although it was for a 5pm booking. Toddlers hey?

In short, the service was slow and the waiting staff seemed harassed, even though it wasn’t busy. The food was overpriced, for what it was. And the whole place was so hot.

It wasn’t the dining experience I wanted for £20 a meal. Or that I expected from a place like Sandy Balls.

The next night we met friends and went to the local pub The Fighting Cocks. This was great as there was a huge outdoor climbing frame and loads of kids playing outside.

And then, it was back at Aubreys for the final night. We didn’t particularly want to, but after looking at the Uber Eats choices, and weighing up being late for Reggie’s bed time, we decided to give it another go and had these pizzas above – mine looked a lot better than Ben’s (no, I’m not swapping, the waitress has chosen).

The Woodside Inn was apparently booked up, although didn’t seem it when we wandered past.

Things to do at Sandy Balls

I thought it was going to be Centre Parcs vibes. I imagined a timetable of things to go to, and an epic swimming pool for my money. Unfortunately not. This, was the ‘toddler playground’.

I was also surprised at how basic the swimming pool was, especially the changing rooms. As I say, I’d been at Butlin’s in Bognor the week before, for the day, and the facilities there far outranked the pool at Sandy Balls.