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Sandy Balls Holiday Village
Godshill Village, New Forest National Park Hampshire, Fordingbridge SP6 2JZ England
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4.0
#4 of 9 campsites in FordingbridgeLocation
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Travellers' Choice
Surrounded by the outstanding natural beauty of the New Forest National Park, Sandy Balls unites an enviable location with an excellent choice of facilities. The perfect getaway for families, couples or groups of friends in this wonderful, unique area of England. You’ll find something for everyone on the park, with indoor and outdoor pools, a gym, spa, an arcade and a wealth of activities and entertainment. Make friends with our resident alpacas or hop on a segway and zip through the forest. Take your pick from a whole host of services conveniently located within The Village Square. Too chilled to cook? Whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner, let the team rustle you up something delicious in one of the restaurants to keep you out of the kitchen. Visit The Woodside Inn for gourmet pub grub, or Aubrey’s Forest Kitchen for artisan pizzas, steaks and pasta dishes. And if you've forgotten any essentials, you can pop into Acorn Place Shop & Deli for that important ingredient, local produce and a coffee. Whatever your budget, we’ve got accommodation covered; from classic caravans and lodges to our exclusive accommodation. Sink into a hot tub holiday, enjoy a log cabin with woodland views or soothe your spirit in the sanctuary of a Zen holiday home. Our exclusive Knightwood accommodation, named after the largest oak tree in the forest, is like nothing Sandy Balls has seen before with hot tubs, BBQ's, cosy outdoor seating, bike rack and dog shower! The Heartwood has a woodland tartan theme, cosy and totally unique. We’ve got our accessible and Westwood units. Both have wider doors, ramp access and a wet room. The New Forest begs for exploration, bursting with wildlife, fantastic walks, cycle tracks and visitor centres. Watching wild ponies roaming across the heathland offers an unmissable treat to any visitor. A host of picturesque towns and villages await on the doorstep, whilst Bournemouth and Poole are nearby.
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free internet
Pool
Fitness Centre with Gym / Workout Room
Bar / lounge
Archery
Bicycle rental
Children's playground
Parking
Public wifi
Indoor pool
Outdoor pool
Heated pool
Fitness classes
Restaurant
Breakfast available
Kids' meals
Outdoor dining area
Special diet menus
Game room
Entertainment staff
Evening entertainment
Indoor play area for children
Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)
Kids' outdoor play equipment
Highchairs available
Pets Allowed ( Dog / Pet Friendly )
Convenience store
Gift shop
Picnic area
Shops
ATM on site
Self-serve laundry
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Room features
Private balcony
Seating area
Sofa
Kitchenette
Microwave
Oven
Flatscreen TV
Bath / shower
Refrigerator
Stovetop
Electric kettle
Kitchenware
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Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
HOTEL STYLE
Family
Location
Godshill Village, New Forest National Park Hampshire, Fordingbridge SP6 2JZ England
Getting there
51 Restaurants
within 5 miles
2,143Reviews162Q+A100Room tips
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We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
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Detailed Reviews
Property's Favourite Review
We really enjoyed our 3 night stay (family with 3-year old child and a dog)
Firstly the accommodation was lovely, very clean, exactly like the photos, and the welcome pack exceeded expectations with lots of goodies for everyone including the dog!
The restaurants were great, delicious food and quick service. As it was very quiet one of the restaurants wasn’t open everyday, but they were very accommodating with allowing dogs into the other restaurant whilst the dog-friendly one was closed.
The swimming pool, soft play etc were great and kept my daughter busy.
But by far the best aspect was the staff working there, the team doing the evening entertainment and kids activities worked so hard even for a small audience which can’t have been easy! I can’t remember all their names but Bill and Jess spoke to us a few times and were fantastic!
The level of customer service here far exceeded my expectations. I just mentioned that I had struggled to find out what activities I could book, and within 2 hours the manager phoned me so she could personally book me on any activities we would like to do!
Overall it’s a great place for a short break and we will definitely return!
Firstly the accommodation was lovely, very clean, exactly like the photos, and the welcome pack exceeded expectations with lots of goodies for everyone including the dog!
The restaurants were great, delicious food and quick service. As it was very quiet one of the restaurants wasn’t open everyday, but they were very accommodating with allowing dogs into the other restaurant whilst the dog-friendly one was closed.
The swimming pool, soft play etc were great and kept my daughter busy.
But by far the best aspect was the staff working there, the team doing the evening entertainment and kids activities worked so hard even for a small audience which can’t have been easy! I can’t remember all their names but Bill and Jess spoke to us a few times and were fantastic!
The level of customer service here far exceeded my expectations. I just mentioned that I had struggled to find out what activities I could book, and within 2 hours the manager phoned me so she could personally book me on any activities we would like to do!
Overall it’s a great place for a short break and we will definitely return!
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Dean Hinshelwood, Other at Sandy Balls Holiday Village
Responded 3 Mar 2023
Thank you for the 5 star review! We're glad you were impressed with the accommodation and enjoyed the welcome packs. We're also pleased you enjoyed the facilities and entertainment! We hope to welcome you back soon. 😊
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Just read a previous review who stayed in the Zen 13 and we have just had 4 nights in the Zen 14. Very similar experience unfortunately and very disappointed with the lodge. 3 similar lodges literally on top of each other and like said on the other review, very little privacy for the hot tubs. Tiny little decking for walking into the lodge and seating outside very limited with so little space or sun. No WIFI as advertised unless you’re by the main shop and bars. WIFI is standard everywhere I’ve been now so this is really odd as barely any phone signal either. Every lodge or caravan had stickers on the doors to indicate they’d been cleaned, we didn’t and there were no toiletries as advertised also, not even hand wash or soap during a pandemic. One permanent resident next to us had removals arrive at 06:30 one morning and woke everyone up. No attempt to be quiet at all and a totally inappropriate time for this to start shouting and banging. We did speak to guest services about these issues and we got the welcome pack that wasn’t left on our arrival and sincere apologies.
Resort location is great in the New Forest and walks around it were fab. Although when we walked up to the new parts of the resort where The Bluebells, Tawny Wood and The Brambles are located, we were shocked at how different they were. Lodges all spread out, large decking areas with seating and looked lovely with easy access to your parked car for loading/unloading during your stay. Also when we spoke to guest services we were told they all had WIFI too (which really rubbed salt into the wound) at a similar price we paid for our Zen. If we did return then would certainly insist on staying in these areas as looked a far more comfortable stay and value for money.
Staff were very good, well stocked shop and every effort made to comply with C19 restrictions and guidance with lots of hand sanitisers and a one way system in place. Lots of activities to do and my two boys really enjoyed the mini archery once we eventually found the location. Signage could be improved as a first time visitor we struggled on arrival to find where we were going for parking etc and some locations even with a map. Aubrey’s
service and food was very good. Outdoor pool was a lovely way to finish our mini break off with the temperature at 28C.
After the first day there was no way I’d come back but as the week went on and discovering the new area of the resort, we discussed giving it another go in that area. The break certainly finished off better than it started.
Resort location is great in the New Forest and walks around it were fab. Although when we walked up to the new parts of the resort where The Bluebells, Tawny Wood and The Brambles are located, we were shocked at how different they were. Lodges all spread out, large decking areas with seating and looked lovely with easy access to your parked car for loading/unloading during your stay. Also when we spoke to guest services we were told they all had WIFI too (which really rubbed salt into the wound) at a similar price we paid for our Zen. If we did return then would certainly insist on staying in these areas as looked a far more comfortable stay and value for money.
Staff were very good, well stocked shop and every effort made to comply with C19 restrictions and guidance with lots of hand sanitisers and a one way system in place. Lots of activities to do and my two boys really enjoyed the mini archery once we eventually found the location. Signage could be improved as a first time visitor we struggled on arrival to find where we were going for parking etc and some locations even with a map. Aubrey’s
service and food was very good. Outdoor pool was a lovely way to finish our mini break off with the temperature at 28C.
After the first day there was no way I’d come back but as the week went on and discovering the new area of the resort, we discussed giving it another go in that area. The break certainly finished off better than it started.
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Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
+1
Loved our little staycation in Sandy Balls Holiday Village. On arriving we were greeted by a lovely lady, they say first impressions count and they certainly did after a 6 hour journey with 2 children and a dog. We arrived dead on check in time and our accommodation was ready. We were in an indulgent lodge with a hot tub and we were extremely pleased with our accommodation, saying that we had paid a lot for a 2 week holiday so expected it to be top notch. The welcome pack was great we had tea, sugar, fresh orange, milk and a nice bottle of wine. The village is well maintained and there were plenty of staff buzzing around. Our hot tub was checked everyday which I thought was great and refilled on the 2nd week. The weather was scorching so got our monies worth by using the hot tub on an evening. One thing that stood out were the staff, customer service was excellent in the pub, the restaurant, the shop and the activities. Considering the situation we are all in at the moment I think they were doing a tremendous job of making you feel welcome. People complaining about a wait for food? Really? They were part of 'Eat out to help out' so every business was the same wherever you went and think about it...the places weren't massive so they couldn't be overrun with staff as this would then make social distancing difficult. Just respect they are serving you! And if there was a wait for food you were always told before you ordered. We always managed to get a table even just for an evening drink. Also the food was great in both the Woodside Inn and Audrey's as we ate out a few times. Our little dog Daisy was also welcome pretty much everywhere which was great.
Both pools were great and we found the booking system easy although I would suggest that Away resorts take the booking fee of £1 per person away as people have already paid a good amount for their holiday and the pool should be free. We also found the booking system easy to use for other activities and booking a table in the restaurant.
Throughout our holiday we had a problem with our boiler and i must say day or night the maintenance people were there within 10 minutes and resolved the problem straight away.
The village was not overcrowded and all covid-19 rules were in place...one way systems, masks in shops, social distancing in pubs and restaurants, pool area cleaned in-between sessions, lodge fully sanitised and sealed when we arrived.
To top it all off the holiday village is in an exceptional area, the new forest is beautiful with plenty of places to visit and you are also close enough for a visit to the coast. We will definitely return sometime in the future.
A big thank you to all the staff for making our stay so enjoyable in these testing times. You're all doing a fantastic job 👏
Both pools were great and we found the booking system easy although I would suggest that Away resorts take the booking fee of £1 per person away as people have already paid a good amount for their holiday and the pool should be free. We also found the booking system easy to use for other activities and booking a table in the restaurant.
Throughout our holiday we had a problem with our boiler and i must say day or night the maintenance people were there within 10 minutes and resolved the problem straight away.
The village was not overcrowded and all covid-19 rules were in place...one way systems, masks in shops, social distancing in pubs and restaurants, pool area cleaned in-between sessions, lodge fully sanitised and sealed when we arrived.
To top it all off the holiday village is in an exceptional area, the new forest is beautiful with plenty of places to visit and you are also close enough for a visit to the coast. We will definitely return sometime in the future.
A big thank you to all the staff for making our stay so enjoyable in these testing times. You're all doing a fantastic job 👏
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Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Greg L, Other at Sandy Balls Holiday Village
Responded 16 Sept 2020
Thank you for your review, dawnfawcett. It has been lovely to read your review and see what a wonderful time you and your family had on park with us recently. I am so pleased you loved so much about our park and that you had such great service from everyone on park. Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us, all the team will really appreciate your kind words. I hope we will be welcoming you all for another break away in the future!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
This is the first time I have ever felt the need to write a review on a holiday, we have just returned from a 6 night break at sandy balls with our children and family and whilst the location and surrounding areas are absolutely beautiful we couldn’t help but feel disappointed as a whole in our stay.
We paid a considerable amount of money for a indulgence lodge with hot tub which was lovely however the cleanliness of the lodge had major room for improvement especially considering we are in a pandemic.
There is not a lot to do for children and we found ourselves spending more money venturing outside the site to keep the kids busy. The handful of children’s activities we paid for the kids to do on site were awful and a waste of money, the swimming pool was accessible only via a 1 hour slot however this slot also included change time so this meant you only actually got about 40 minutes in the swimming pool.
We ate at the restaurant on site on numerous occasions (there is not much on offer outside the resort without a 20-30 min car journey) this is ridiculously over priced for the quality of the food that they offer and the customer service was poor at times, we also found that the customer service throughout other parts of the resort was also poor.
However I feel I should mention the manager at the restaurant as he was very helpful and went out of his way to help us when we had issues with seating and also with the food.
The evening entertainment on site is almost non existent most nights there was a pantomime left running on a projector screen, whether this is due to covid or not I’m not sure but poor again.
The on site spa was lovely and the lady who gave me and my mother in law a facial was really really lovely (I can’t remember her name :( )
As a whole I’m afraid we won’t be returning to sandy balls in a hurry, there is just no comparison for us when we have been to centre parcs and even haven in the past whilst holidaying in the UK and had a much better time.
We paid a considerable amount of money for a indulgence lodge with hot tub which was lovely however the cleanliness of the lodge had major room for improvement especially considering we are in a pandemic.
There is not a lot to do for children and we found ourselves spending more money venturing outside the site to keep the kids busy. The handful of children’s activities we paid for the kids to do on site were awful and a waste of money, the swimming pool was accessible only via a 1 hour slot however this slot also included change time so this meant you only actually got about 40 minutes in the swimming pool.
We ate at the restaurant on site on numerous occasions (there is not much on offer outside the resort without a 20-30 min car journey) this is ridiculously over priced for the quality of the food that they offer and the customer service was poor at times, we also found that the customer service throughout other parts of the resort was also poor.
However I feel I should mention the manager at the restaurant as he was very helpful and went out of his way to help us when we had issues with seating and also with the food.
The evening entertainment on site is almost non existent most nights there was a pantomime left running on a projector screen, whether this is due to covid or not I’m not sure but poor again.
The on site spa was lovely and the lady who gave me and my mother in law a facial was really really lovely (I can’t remember her name :( )
As a whole I’m afraid we won’t be returning to sandy balls in a hurry, there is just no comparison for us when we have been to centre parcs and even haven in the past whilst holidaying in the UK and had a much better time.
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Date of stay: September 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Greg L, Other at Sandy Balls Holiday Village
Responded 29 Sept 2020
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, lindseysZ8549WQ. It is of course disappointing to read that you did not enjoy your stay with us. Thank you for your review Ripley25. It was disappointing to read that your accommodation was not to the standard that you or we expect. Our team works hard to offer every guest the best experience for their break and so it is always disappointing when any of our guests leave feeling disappointed with any aspect of their break. Whilst we always hope you'll have a problem-free stay, we do ask that if any issues arise that you pop in and speak to our team in Guest Services. This allows us the opportunity to rectify any issues quickly and enables you to enjoy the remainder of your break away. I hope you were able to discuss the points you raise in your review with our team before your departure so we could look into a resolution for you. We have had to limit the amount of activities available and time allowed in the pool due to current restrictions. We do ask guests to come swim ready to ensure they can utilise the booking time fully. I can only apologise that you experience poor customer service whilst dinging with us. This will be fed back to the Food and Beverage Manager to investigate further. Your positive feedback will be passed on to Ryan, Aubrey's manager and also the team at The Retreat.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Sandy, sandy, sandy where did it go wrong.
Sandy balls is a treasured family break that we have been visiting for the last 30 Years but this visit was very disappointing.
We stayed July 2020 for 4 nights in a superior comfort Lodge.
Let me start by saying this was not a Lodge it was clearly a vamped up Caravan, yes it was reasonably spacious and had decent mod cons but it was not Lodge it wasn’t even made from wood maybe the underneath stilts where haha.
As we pulled up to our Accommodation it was really disappointing it was like being back home and seeing a row of houses on a street all looking at each other with no privacy from anyone.
There wasn’t any bushes shielding anything especially shielding the hot tubs that were situated on the front porch.
You had to share all your wobbly parts with the whole street it was like putting a hot tub in your front garden at home and not expecting people to stare not my cup of tea for sure. They couldn’t have crammed anymore lodges in that area if they tried.
There were people coming and going constantly, you would expect people to go out to sight see but when your in your hot Tub on the front porch the last thing you want is a face full of dust as the cars go by staring at you.
So the check in rules for the so called fancy accommodation have been changed from having a early check in at 2.30pm and a late check out on leaving day to the same time as the standard Accommodation to allow extra time for them to be cleaned throughly because of the current pandemic. I totally agree they need to be spotless so not a issue.
Hmmm it was far from it, hand prints everywhere, dirty stained bedlinen, missing Towels, I spent 2 hours cleaning the lodge with Antibacterial Sprays from top to toe.
I have seen previous reviews reporting the exact same issues and the pitiful response by sandy balls to these issues is they have new cleaners please bear with us, no apologies just hope you come again soon, OMG clearly they can’t clean!!! And are not doing their job properly and considering the current situation of Covid this is a Disgrace sandy balls.
This holiday cost us over £1,400 which works out £300 per night The least anyone expects is clean sheets.
You need to address these issues Now before someone does get ill.
In my opinion you are much better off staying in the old style lodges as they have much more privacy and are actually made out of wood and are far cheaper.
There will definitely need to be changes before I will be returning with my Family and I definitely Will not be staying in these caravan-lodges again.
Sorry to be harsh but if your not told then you can’t make changes.
Last note, maybe offer more to disappointed clients to compensate them than just the generic excuse your currently giving about the cleaners being New because People are paying a lot of money to stay with you and are Entrusting you with their health.
Sandy balls is a treasured family break that we have been visiting for the last 30 Years but this visit was very disappointing.
We stayed July 2020 for 4 nights in a superior comfort Lodge.
Let me start by saying this was not a Lodge it was clearly a vamped up Caravan, yes it was reasonably spacious and had decent mod cons but it was not Lodge it wasn’t even made from wood maybe the underneath stilts where haha.
As we pulled up to our Accommodation it was really disappointing it was like being back home and seeing a row of houses on a street all looking at each other with no privacy from anyone.
There wasn’t any bushes shielding anything especially shielding the hot tubs that were situated on the front porch.
You had to share all your wobbly parts with the whole street it was like putting a hot tub in your front garden at home and not expecting people to stare not my cup of tea for sure. They couldn’t have crammed anymore lodges in that area if they tried.
There were people coming and going constantly, you would expect people to go out to sight see but when your in your hot Tub on the front porch the last thing you want is a face full of dust as the cars go by staring at you.
So the check in rules for the so called fancy accommodation have been changed from having a early check in at 2.30pm and a late check out on leaving day to the same time as the standard Accommodation to allow extra time for them to be cleaned throughly because of the current pandemic. I totally agree they need to be spotless so not a issue.
Hmmm it was far from it, hand prints everywhere, dirty stained bedlinen, missing Towels, I spent 2 hours cleaning the lodge with Antibacterial Sprays from top to toe.
I have seen previous reviews reporting the exact same issues and the pitiful response by sandy balls to these issues is they have new cleaners please bear with us, no apologies just hope you come again soon, OMG clearly they can’t clean!!! And are not doing their job properly and considering the current situation of Covid this is a Disgrace sandy balls.
This holiday cost us over £1,400 which works out £300 per night The least anyone expects is clean sheets.
You need to address these issues Now before someone does get ill.
In my opinion you are much better off staying in the old style lodges as they have much more privacy and are actually made out of wood and are far cheaper.
There will definitely need to be changes before I will be returning with my Family and I definitely Will not be staying in these caravan-lodges again.
Sorry to be harsh but if your not told then you can’t make changes.
Last note, maybe offer more to disappointed clients to compensate them than just the generic excuse your currently giving about the cleaners being New because People are paying a lot of money to stay with you and are Entrusting you with their health.
Read more
Date of stay: July 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Greg L, Other at Sandy Balls Holiday Village
Responded 12 Aug 2020
We are saddened to hear you have had a negative experience at our Sandy Balls Holiday Village. and can only apologise that the experience was not something that either you or we would have hoped for. We take all of our guest feedback very seriously and will pass on your comments regarding the cleanliness of the lodges to the General Manager and Housekeeping Manger to investigate further. Our team works hard to offer every guest the best experience for their break and so it is always disappointing when any of our guests leave feeling disappointed with any aspect of their break. Whilst we always hope you'll have a problem-free stay, we do ask that if any issues arise that you pop in and speak to our team in Guest Services. This allows us the opportunity to rectify any issues quickly and enables you to enjoy the remainder of your break away. We try to improve the experience we are offering our guests with every piece of feedback we receive. Therefore we, once again, thank you for taking the time to provide this to us.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
+1
I’ve waited years to come to Sandy Balls. I booked in Boxing Day- an Indulgent Zen (13) for 6 people to celebrate a birthday.
Due to Covid I didn’t think we’d be here but luckily by the time our date arrived we were good to go (with some alterations). Check in was moved back to 5pm and as well as checking in being delayed due to extra cleaning apparently being required we also have to check out an hour early. We’ve lost 4 hours of our holiday. Given the Covid situation we must let that go.
Checking in was efficient. But, when we arrived the disappointment began. Our en-suite didn’t have a door! I called the office and find that the door had been removed and there wasn’t a replacement available!! There was a group of screws and fixings on the dressing table which had been removed from the wall.
In a lodge for 6 we were lead to expect from the photos that we’d have 4 dining room chairs which was odd in itself. We had only 3. We had no outside seating which the site photographs show as being present. We had no pots and pans. I called the site services 5 times upon arrival. Given that we checked in just after 5 we were starving when we arrived. We had to wait over an hour for pans to arrive so we could cook. And for a chair. No outside chairs were available. No bathroom door was available!
Apart from the shocking poor condition of the Indulgent Zen upon arrival, the glass on the balcony was very dirty. Faux candles were provided without batteries. Other things which disappointed us, which we could have over looked were it not for the lack of doors, include the lack of privacy of the hot tub and how tightly the accommodation is wedged up together. I’d read that there was WiFi. We couldn’t get any signal and when I queried that I was told we wouldn’t get a signal where we were situated!
Such is the reputation of Sandy Balls that I’d also requested a brochure for looking into buying an accommodation here. I cancelled this. Perhaps the reputation was built over previous years / ownership.
I’ve been here for 5 and a half hours and I’m yet to feel that the £1000+ price I paid for a 3 night stay is justified.
Due to Covid I didn’t think we’d be here but luckily by the time our date arrived we were good to go (with some alterations). Check in was moved back to 5pm and as well as checking in being delayed due to extra cleaning apparently being required we also have to check out an hour early. We’ve lost 4 hours of our holiday. Given the Covid situation we must let that go.
Checking in was efficient. But, when we arrived the disappointment began. Our en-suite didn’t have a door! I called the office and find that the door had been removed and there wasn’t a replacement available!! There was a group of screws and fixings on the dressing table which had been removed from the wall.
In a lodge for 6 we were lead to expect from the photos that we’d have 4 dining room chairs which was odd in itself. We had only 3. We had no outside seating which the site photographs show as being present. We had no pots and pans. I called the site services 5 times upon arrival. Given that we checked in just after 5 we were starving when we arrived. We had to wait over an hour for pans to arrive so we could cook. And for a chair. No outside chairs were available. No bathroom door was available!
Apart from the shocking poor condition of the Indulgent Zen upon arrival, the glass on the balcony was very dirty. Faux candles were provided without batteries. Other things which disappointed us, which we could have over looked were it not for the lack of doors, include the lack of privacy of the hot tub and how tightly the accommodation is wedged up together. I’d read that there was WiFi. We couldn’t get any signal and when I queried that I was told we wouldn’t get a signal where we were situated!
Such is the reputation of Sandy Balls that I’d also requested a brochure for looking into buying an accommodation here. I cancelled this. Perhaps the reputation was built over previous years / ownership.
I’ve been here for 5 and a half hours and I’m yet to feel that the £1000+ price I paid for a 3 night stay is justified.
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Date of stay: July 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed in an indulgent 4 bed lodge which allowed pets and had a hot tub. Upon arrival we had very generous welcome packs for us and the dogs!! The whole lodge was spacious, modern and very clean. Every staff member we met was so happy and friendly, the park was very clean and had lots of activities on offer. Only thing that we found was the restaurants were quite pricey, food was lovely but the portion sizes were quite small for the price.
Also if the resort would be willing to invest in an adult changing table/facility for the swimming pool this would be extremely beneficial for our family and others for future visits.
All in all, we had a brilliant time, staff could not have been friendlier and the park was decorated beautifully. Thanks all 🎄
Also if the resort would be willing to invest in an adult changing table/facility for the swimming pool this would be extremely beneficial for our family and others for future visits.
All in all, we had a brilliant time, staff could not have been friendlier and the park was decorated beautifully. Thanks all 🎄
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Date of stay: December 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Greg L, Other at Sandy Balls Holiday Village
Responded 21 Dec 2020
Thank you for the 5 star review ameylc94! We're pleased to read you and you four legged friends enjoyed your stay. We will ensure all your lovely comments are fed back to the team and we have taken on board your comments regarding the changing facilities within the swimming pool. Merry Christmas and we hope to see you again next year!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
First visit to Sandy Balls and just returned from a one week stay in one of the Zen lodges. Inside the accommodation was really nicely done and the overall park is a pleasant environment and a good location to explore the local area and beaches.
Unfortunately I think the resort has now crammed too many properties into the site. We were really disappointed by the plot we were in as it had such limited usable outdoor space and was pretty claustrophobic. The deck is very narrow and when the doors are open you cannot pass. The hot tub was placed on what looked like a half finished patio with some very cheap and uncomfortable rattan furniture. There is no proper outside dining area or an umbrella. The area was overgrown with weeds and nettles and just didn’t look well maintained.
The pools are both nice but limited availability due to the booking system.
Both restaurants served decent and reasonably priced food but the service was very poor to the extent that we didn’t go back. Nicer food and much better service at the Fighting Cocks which is 1km away.
Overall, kids had a great time but the adults were left disappointed particularly considering we were paying c£400 a night. Very unlikely to return.
Unfortunately I think the resort has now crammed too many properties into the site. We were really disappointed by the plot we were in as it had such limited usable outdoor space and was pretty claustrophobic. The deck is very narrow and when the doors are open you cannot pass. The hot tub was placed on what looked like a half finished patio with some very cheap and uncomfortable rattan furniture. There is no proper outside dining area or an umbrella. The area was overgrown with weeds and nettles and just didn’t look well maintained.
The pools are both nice but limited availability due to the booking system.
Both restaurants served decent and reasonably priced food but the service was very poor to the extent that we didn’t go back. Nicer food and much better service at the Fighting Cocks which is 1km away.
Overall, kids had a great time but the adults were left disappointed particularly considering we were paying c£400 a night. Very unlikely to return.
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Date of stay: July 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Guest Solutions Advisor, Other at Sandy Balls Holiday Village
Responded 5 Aug 2021
Thank you for your review, David H. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your stay within our Zen lodges and enjoyed the park. I do hope hope you were able to speak to Guest Services team during your stay regarding the overgrown weeds etc to as we could have tired to resolve them during your holiday. I have now passed on your comments regarding the outside space to the general manager for review. Sadly we have had to bring in the booking system for swimming due to the current climate - this is to ensure it gives our guests a fair opportunity to use the pools. We hope you will choose to visit us again as we would love the opportunity of restoring your faith in us.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The stay itself was good, however the staff were awfully rude and inside the lodges need some adjustments.
I booked this for a friends birthday weekend away and when booking the staff member on the phone advised that toilet rolls and towels were provided, therefore we did not bring our own.
When arriving we had one towel each, but due to the fact there was a hot tub we were using, this was not enough. We went to reception and asked for more towels as the towels we had were wet. The receptionist said that our towels were for the whole weekend and to hang them outside for them to dry (it was raining). When advising it was raining, this was ignored so we kept our wet towels.
We also asked for more toilet rolls as between 7 of us, we were given 2. We went to reception in the morning to ask for some more but was told they didn't have any whilst the receptionist pretended to look for some. We then had to drive to a shop in order to buy more. If this was stated before arrival, we would have been more prepared.
The cooker in the lodge is a massive safety hazard and flings back when you pull it down!! Myself and my friend have serious burns on our arms from simply opening up the oven and having it fling back up at us. This seriously needs looking into as it has caused a scar on my arm.
I booked this for a friends birthday weekend away and when booking the staff member on the phone advised that toilet rolls and towels were provided, therefore we did not bring our own.
When arriving we had one towel each, but due to the fact there was a hot tub we were using, this was not enough. We went to reception and asked for more towels as the towels we had were wet. The receptionist said that our towels were for the whole weekend and to hang them outside for them to dry (it was raining). When advising it was raining, this was ignored so we kept our wet towels.
We also asked for more toilet rolls as between 7 of us, we were given 2. We went to reception in the morning to ask for some more but was told they didn't have any whilst the receptionist pretended to look for some. We then had to drive to a shop in order to buy more. If this was stated before arrival, we would have been more prepared.
The cooker in the lodge is a massive safety hazard and flings back when you pull it down!! Myself and my friend have serious burns on our arms from simply opening up the oven and having it fling back up at us. This seriously needs looking into as it has caused a scar on my arm.
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Date of stay: July 2020
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Greg L, Other at Sandy Balls Holiday Village
Responded 4 Aug 2020
Thank you for taking the time to leave your review, kenny11123. I was saddened to read that the service you received was not to the standard that we would usually expect. This has been reported to the General Manager and the incident is being investigated. We take all of our guest feedback very seriously. It is worrying to hear that the oven is unsafe and that you burnt yourself Was this reported at the time? If not, please can you contact the park so that this can be rectified so that no other guest has a similar issue. I do hope that the negative experience would not put you off returning to the park again in the future.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Fantastic little break between Christmas and new year in a superior caravan. The accommodation was perfect for what we needed. The complimentary hand wash, washing up liquid and tea towels was a nice touch.
For a 2 bed caravan, was also very spacious. Cannot fault it at all.
The location is amazingly pretty, and the forest of lights were gorgeous, my wife and kids could not stop looking at all the lights.
The food was fantastic also. Having read poor reviews i was sceptical about spending good money in the restaurant and pub on site, but all meals we had were superb, if not a little pricey.
a few minor things to stop this being a 5 star review:
No WiFi in and around the accommodation, but there is some available in the venues.
The Entertainment venue (Woodland Suite) is very small, we had to wait around for tables to become free as people would begin queuing half an hour before it opened.
All the staff were amazing, but a i felt the venues were a bit understaffed. The pub is table service and only and could be slow when busy. And only 1 bar staff in the entertainment venue which slowed things up when at the bar ordering.
Speaking of Staff, a special shout out to Helena on the entertainment team who was amaxing with my little girl who was too shy to dance but really wanted to. We tried to get her up but she wouldnt until Helena came over. She really made her holiday special.
For a 2 bed caravan, was also very spacious. Cannot fault it at all.
The location is amazingly pretty, and the forest of lights were gorgeous, my wife and kids could not stop looking at all the lights.
The food was fantastic also. Having read poor reviews i was sceptical about spending good money in the restaurant and pub on site, but all meals we had were superb, if not a little pricey.
a few minor things to stop this being a 5 star review:
No WiFi in and around the accommodation, but there is some available in the venues.
The Entertainment venue (Woodland Suite) is very small, we had to wait around for tables to become free as people would begin queuing half an hour before it opened.
All the staff were amazing, but a i felt the venues were a bit understaffed. The pub is table service and only and could be slow when busy. And only 1 bar staff in the entertainment venue which slowed things up when at the bar ordering.
Speaking of Staff, a special shout out to Helena on the entertainment team who was amaxing with my little girl who was too shy to dance but really wanted to. We tried to get her up but she wouldnt until Helena came over. She really made her holiday special.
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Date of stay: December 2021
Value
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Away Resorts, Other at Sandy Balls Holiday Village
Responded 6 Jan 2022
Thank you for your 4 star review, GECostin. We're so pleased to hear you and your family enjoyed your break with us. It's a shame to hear the service in the bars was a little slow - this was due to staff isolating so we do apologise for this. It's lovely to hear your Daughter got up to dance with Helena. We hope you'll be back to see us again soon.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
There is a soft play but I wouldn’t recommend Sandy balls after the response I have received from their guest services ,
No, you are given an allocated parking space near to your lodge, but you are able to drive up to your lodge to unpack the car on arrival.
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"Avoid travelling Good Friday, arrive the day before. Ask about your caravan in advance, to pick the most appropriate."Read full review
"Get a lodge with hot tub if you can. Lovely at dusk sitting listening to the bird song"Read full review
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PRICE RANGE
£64 - £158 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
sandy balls holiday centre hotel fordingbridge
LOCATION
United KingdomEnglandHampshireNew Forest National Park HampshireFordingbridge
NUMBER OF ROOMS
300
Prices are provided by our partners for one room, with variable occupancy rules as provided by the property, and reflect nightly room rates, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Sandy Balls Holiday Village
Which popular attractions are close to Sandy Balls Holiday Village?
Nearby attractions include Insight Activities New Forest (2.4 miles), Breamore House (3.0 miles), and The Horse and Groom (1.9 miles).
What are some of the property amenities at Sandy Balls Holiday Village?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include an indoor pool, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge.
Which room amenities are available at Sandy Balls Holiday Village?
Top room amenities include a kitchenette, a flat screen TV, and a refrigerator.
What food & drink options are available at Sandy Balls Holiday Village?
Guests can enjoy an on-site restaurant, a lounge, and breakfast during their stay.
Is parking available at Sandy Balls Holiday Village?
Yes, free parking is available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Sandy Balls Holiday Village?
Conveniently located restaurants include The Cartwheel Inn, La Lambretta, and Rose and Thistle.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Sandy Balls Holiday Village?
Yes, guests have access to an indoor pool, a fitness centre, and fitness classes during their stay.
Are pets allowed at Sandy Balls Holiday Village?
Yes, pets are typically allowed, but it's always best to call ahead to confirm.
Are there any historical sites close to Sandy Balls Holiday Village?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Sarum College (4.4 miles), Rockbourne Roman Villa (3.5 miles), and Newhouse (4.7 miles).
Is Sandy Balls Holiday Village accessible?
Yes, it offers wheelchair access, reduced mobility rooms, and facilities for disabled guests. For specific enquiries, we recommend calling ahead to confirm.