Places to stay: Bluestone, Pembrokeshire

A weekend at the eco-friendly Bluestone National Park Resort, a luxurious base from which to explore Pembrokeshire.

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Nestled in the heart of the stunning Pembrokeshire National Park in Wales is a surprisingly swish place to escape to. Bluestone National Park Resort‘s cute, cosy wooden lodges are scattered over the hillside, with a little ‘village’ at its heart full of restaurants and shops selling organic produce.

Staying at Bluestone feels a little bit like playing pretend – a Disney version of Wales. You can have dinner at the lovely Carreg Las restaurant, buy pastries and coffee from the village bakery and cheese from a vending machine (seriously!) walk or cycle around the car-free grounds or try some of myriad different activities aimed at grownups, including rock climbing, high ropes and archery. There’s even a Well Spa, complete with a beautiful outdoor courtyard with a heated pool that’s perfect for a spot of sunbathing.

The whole site is fuelled by an onsite energy centre, making it an eco-friendly as well as rather luxe place to escape to, and the lodges themselves are modern and sleek, with plenty of space to stretch out. The big open kitchens and picnic space would make them perfect if you’re after somewhere special and hassle-free to stay with a gang of friends, or if you’ve got little ones in tow.

Bluestone Resort Review

Head into the forest down a walkway lit by fairy lights and you’ll come across my favourite part of Bluestone – Camp Smokey, a beautiful lodge that hosts evening cookouts, complete with bonfire food and jam jars of hot cider. There’s foot-stomping live music, dancing and a crackling fire pit ready to toast marshmallows over – the whole thing is like being in a Mumford and Sons music video.

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Bluestone Resort Review

Bluestone Resort Review

Bluestone’s greatest asset, of course is its location, smack in the middle of the glorious Pembrokeshire countryside. Treat it as a base for exploring and you’re golden – within easy reach are wonderful waves at Freshwater West, the picture-book pastel houses and coffee shops of Tenby, and miles and miles of stunning coastal walks. My favourite place nearby are Bosherston lakes by Stackpole.

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Walk through the woods and out onto the edge of huge ponds covered in a blanket of lilypads, the surface broken only by bobbing swans. You can walk over the water on wooden bridges and finally emerge onto glorious golden sands of Broadhaven Beach, where we explored caves, watched some intrepid climbers scaling a little island out to sea and pulled on wetsuits for an ocean swim.

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Bluestone’s new Adult FourPlay breaks cost from £160pp.

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1 Comment

  1. October 31, 2014 / 4:31 pm

    Great review and pictures.The whole place just looks like a different world. Thanks for the Mumford and Sons example, I can picture a break perfectly. It seems like a very special resort to stay in.

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