Sandy Balls Holiday Village

Reviews

• AP

  Adam Pollard

  2 days ago
  1.0
  My elderly mother and her sister in law booked a 7 night stay with sandy balls this week and had to come home Wednesday They are both in there 80s when I booked it I asked can they be near the central hub which got put on the notes m. we arrived to find they where at the furthest point of the park and couldn’t get any further away I understand you can’t guarantee it but surely there must have been one closer so they rang guest services many times asking for help as they couldn’t walk that far in the extreme heat they asked if they paid extra would they bring them some food etc got told no and had to walk up in blistering heat my auntie when she got back then collapsed the next day with heat stroke and was none responsive my mum in a panic called your out of hours number to be Met with a rude and aggressive gentlemen who said no we don’t come to lodges to give first aid call a ambulance He arrived a while later walked in and called the ambulance and then just left surely as a emergency out of hours member of staff he should be first aid trained he didnt check a pulse put her in recovery Position nothing my mum who is in 80s was panicked asked him and got told don’t give me no lip which is just dam right disgusting and unacceptable I was rushing down from West Sussex to meet them to take them home as she was feeling unwell but she had to be taken away in a ambulance the treatment of them threw the entire stay was disgusting my mum has been A owner at bay view for 22 years and will never return to sandy balls the lodge was tired the decking was uneven with cracks everywhere the outdoor chair had a large hole in it when they asked for replacement one got brought smothered In bird crap when asked if it would be cleaned they got told I’ll Come back later he never did The bathrooms has Black mould and silicone everywhere There’s random screws put in the kitchen where it’s falling apart Yes it was hot but the lodges are totally unfit for the new weather we are having no fans no Nothing just a metal oven they left 4 days early The park seems to be a social club for every teenager in a away resorts uniform treating it and the customers like mud
• BB

  Becca

  2 days ago
  1.0
  More like Sad Balls - Save your money and don’t go - We’ve sadly had to cut the holiday short due to the recent extreme heat wave, no air con made the lodge unbearable and unsafe for our 20 month old who unfortunately suffered with heat exhaustion. We booked the holiday back in February for our June visit and were so looking forward to going back having visited in the late 90s. We booked a ‘luxury’ lodge we weren’t fussed about a hot tub and so expected the lodge to resemble that of the photos online. The lad on the phone couldn’t tell us specifically what lodge we would have until the day of arrival which seemed very strange, we had paid everything in full yet it was still up in the air where we were staying? We struggled to find anything luxury about the lodge at all. The exterior of the lodge was tired, shabby full of cobwebs and just generally unloved the decking was dirty inside the carpet was dirty and stained. The shower was dirty and needed replacing. The fireplace was smeary the dining table was sticky dirty with food stains all over it. The rooms were very small and the whole cabin was just shabby, old and very dated. There was no Wi-Fi and then to top it all off there were no working televisions anywhere in the lodge. The oven and toilets were also filthy and disgusting. Now on to the site itself - this was very disappointing…. There wasn’t a swing for my daughter which she loves - no air con in the soft play - one sad slide on its own completely away from anything? An outdated arcade with no staff around.. we were in utter shock that the restaurant was shut Tuesday and Wednesday and not even any air con in the other restaurant. It took until Tuesday afternoon to be moved into an actual luxury cabin (a static at the Avon site) which we expected when we first got there anyway. There was no communication between the maintenance staff and the Warden, who we had to call and chase up out of hours as he wasn’t informed about the television or WiFi when we first reported it at 3pm and we ourselves as we were still waiting for them to fix the television. Eventually it was Kayleigh who got things moving for us she was very helpful and apologetic and saved the holiday it was just unfortunate with this unforeseen heatwave that for the sake of the baby we had to come home with no air conditioning in the lodge. I think for future reference in July and August and with rise of climate there needs to air conditioning installed in all areas. We must comment however how much our little one did enjoy the Play Tots entertainment which we eventually found at the back of the Woodside pub we were waiting for awhile at the front on the big screen and on the stage where so many other parents and children were waiting. Not a single member of staff redirected us as to where the Play tots was… very poor communication across the resort and no where near sign posted enough.
• MM

  Mark Murphy

  Jun 20, 2026
  2.0
  We arrived at Sandy Balls Holiday Village yesterday after a long drive, looking forward to our holiday. Unfortunately, the start of our stay has been very disappointing. On arrival, our lodge key fob didn’t work properly, resulting in two trips to reception before we were finally given one that worked. When we opened the lodge door, we were immediately hit by an incredibly strong smell of urine. With temperatures currently reaching the high 20s, the lodge had effectively been sitting and cooking in the heat all day, making the smell absolutely overwhelming. I contacted reception and the night manager attended promptly. While unpacking, I discovered the source of the smell when I stepped onto a large wet patch in the carpet while wearing socks. The night manager inspected it and, after getting down to check the area himself, agreed that it appeared to be urine. The only immediate solution available was some towels and a spray to help mask the smell. As a family with a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old, this wasn’t the start to our holiday we had hoped for. We spent as much time as possible outside attending the evening entertainment and keeping the windows open in an effort to air the lodge out. Unfortunately, the smell persisted throughout the evening and overnight. By bedtime, our five-year-old was refusing to stay in the lodge because of the odour. After spending the night in what felt like a “urine oven”, we’re still not sure whether the smell has now soaked into our clothes, bedding and belongings, or whether it’s simply become permanently lodged in our nostrils. Either way, it was impossible to escape and made for a very uncomfortable first night. Given the heat, the smell was far stronger than anything we have ever experienced in holiday accommodation. There were also several maintenance issues that, while relatively minor on their own, added to the frustration given the circumstances. The decking trim was broken and sticking up with sharp edges that could easily injure a child running past, the toilet roll holder was broken, and the extraction fan light in the kitchen wasn’t working. To be fair, the night manager was polite and attended quickly, and reception assured us that cleaning staff would attend the following day to address the carpet issue. We also stayed here three years ago and have noticed improvements to the entertainment. The children’s animal show was excellent and very well received by our kids. The site itself is clean, attractive and well maintained. However, accommodation standards are a major part of any holiday experience, and arriving at a lodge with what appears to be a urine-soaked carpet significantly affected the start of our break. I appreciate that problems can occur, but this is something that should have been identified and resolved before guests arrived. The site itself has a lot going for it, but the condition of our accommodation fell well below the standard we expected. I hope the issue is resolved quickly and that more attention is paid to accommodation checks in future. Thankfully it’s not as hot today and we’re cooking dinner and have all the windows and doors open to mask the smell. At the time of posting staff have attended to fix the decking however had not been told that the correct part to fix.
• PM

  Patricia Montgomery

  Jun 10, 2026
  2.0
  This was our first visit to Sandy Balls and I have mixed feelings about the experience. There was a lot to like. Our lodge was excellent, the site is beautiful, and the whole place has a lovely atmosphere. My in-laws were visiting from overseas and we were looking forward to spending some quality family time together with our 5-year-old daughter. What really let the holiday down for us was the pool situation and I booked it precisely because of the pool facilities. We stayed for two nights during the recent heatwave and, despite paying just under £700 for the break, we didn't manage to use either the indoor or outdoor pool once. The outdoor pool operates on a wristband system and demand was extremely high because of the May heat wave. By the time we discovered how the system worked on our first day, all wristbands had already gone. The same thing happened again on our second day. I completely understand that capacity has to be managed and that staff can only work within the system they have. My issue isn't with the staff. It's with the system itself. For families staying only two nights, particularly during hot weather, the combination of a 2:30pm check-in time, limited pool capacity and first-come-first-served wristbands means pool access can be much more difficult than you might expect when booking. In short, no-one can swim on the day they arrive. What disappointed me most was that the pool is such a central part of the Sandy Balls experience. When it's very hot and you're holidaying with children, you naturally assume you'll be able to spend at least some time there. In our case, that simply wasn't possible. However, I still think future guests should be made much more aware of how difficult pool access can be during busy periods. Had I known this before booking, I would probably have chosen a different destination for this particular family break. A lovely site with great accommodation, but the current pool setup took a lot of the shine off what should have been a relaxing holiday. Although the lodges and the overall layout are nice I don't think I would go back again.
• LM

  Lucy ML

  Jun 8, 2026
  3.0
  What an unusual trip that was, we clearly got a dud weekend! Staff were so miserable and unhelpful, telling us we can go and swim, the pools free then being kicked out after 25 minutes, by some miserable young lad too busy on his phone to tell anyone why, then going back to the changing room to have the staff with cleaning chemicals all over the floor with the grates up then acting like we're the problem because we needed to get changed, saying if they didn't do it no one else would. Bar staff taking money for drinks then not giving us the drinks as they "forgot"....the bar was dead, Entertainment last night was awkward beyond belief, and "Elvis" would rather have been having a colonoscopy than be there and didn't he make everyone know it and feel it, (it's bad when a drunk hen party get up and leave!) and you cant beat hearing the Entertainment staff talking about how bad the Entertainment was and talking about their plans for after work and commenting on the guests. All the dining room floors where filthy and tables sticky and broken with dirty glasses. All of the money they're raking in needs to be spent on maintainance and staff training. You go to stay in resort like that to relax and have fun not listen to staff slag you off, have the Entertainment team with faces of thunder and be kicked out of places. Disappointing experience with a beautiful backdrop