WITH elves around every corner and festive tunes blasting out, Bluestone’s Kingdom Of The Elves is the perfect destination for Christmas-crazy families.
From early November until the New Year, the 5H resort in Pembrokeshire gets a snowy makeover.
With so many seasonal special treats, there’s almost too much to choose from. Happily, there is a good mix of free and paid activities.
Bluestone offers similar holiday resort facilities to a Center Parcs, but at a more affordable price.
Included in all Kingdom Of The Elves breaks is entry to the Snow Globe — a huge adventure dome that has been transformed into a huge snow globe — Santa’s VR Sleigh Ride, where riders take in the sights of the Snow Globe and experience life as one of Santa’s helpers.
Also in the price is the Elf Lagoon swimming pool, complete with fantastic slides and outdoor swimming sections and The Hive, home to various indoor activities.
Little ones can get stuck into complimentary activities including Jingle Jive, a celebration of Christmas characters with festive games, disco and singalongs.
And Polar Postal will see those elves collect children’s special letters.
We stayed in one of the Carningli Platinum Lodges which can comfortably sleep eight.
Walking into the brilliantly designed building it was easy to see how Bluestone got its 5H status.
Free golf buggies
The upside-down design has the open-plan kitchen and living and dining room on the top floor to take advantage of the gorgeous views.
There’s also a sunroom balcony and even a cosy cwtch — or snug. Perfect for our large group.
Downstairs, the bedrooms were just as impressive. Two double rooms came with top-notch en suites and the two twin rooms shared a bathroom.
But the biggest draw about these lodges has to be the two complimentary golf buggies, which gives exploring the resort another layer of convenience and adventure.
We visited just before Christmas with my three children, 15, 12 and 10, who were beyond excited when we told them they could each take a friend.
Within minutes of arrival, you realise most guests are big fans of Christmas. People bring their own trees and decorations and most golf buggies were decked out in tinsel and baubles.
There were whole families dressed up as Santa or elves and I spotted some very fine Christmas suits. Wherever you go, the standard greeting is, of course, ‘Merry Christmas’.
A lot of the activities are pitched at children younger than mine, but there was still more than enough for my lot to get stuck in to.
The big highlight for everyone was dinner at The Black Pool Mill
The kids absolutely loved the Elf Lagoon and would have happily stayed there drifting around the Lazy River and zipping down the various slides all day if hunger hadn’t beaten them.
The two youngest also went along to the Elf School, which was a lovely little multi-activity experience that they were probably a year or two too old for.
Our whole group went to the Christmas Show: Snow White And The Seven Elves, where even the moody teens cracked a smile at the jokes.
The production was great fun and perfectly pitched for families and we were all really impressed with the vocals.
The big highlight for everyone was dinner at The Black Pool Mill.
It’s an impressive former Flour Mill that Bluestone bought and renovated. They have done a great job with all the old machinery which is perfectly preserved throughout the building.
Every single dish was absolutely delicious and beautifully presented and the kids haven’t stopped talking about their meals.
We also booked the kids on the Sky Walk, which was a huge hit.
It’s a really creative multi-level, bespoke aerial adventure course that has enough flexibility to focus on the stations you enjoy most, or spread your time across everything.
Watching the kids scoot across the wire sitting on a bike or riding a surfboard was hugely entertaining — especially from the vantage point of the nearby bar and cafe.
Bluestone boasts 500 acres of wild Welsh countryside in the middle of a National Park, near Narberth, Pembrokeshire, and our weekend away only scratched the surface of all that this beautiful area has to offer.
One thing is for sure, it’s absolutely impossible to visit Bluestone Kingdom Of The Elves and not get totally immersed in the Christmas spirit.
