Carlton Meres Holiday Park

From £20 For 1 night, 4 adults 8.5 83 reviews
Pod exterior (added by manager 08 May 2019)
Swimming pool (added by manager 17 aug 2022)
Clubhouse (added by manager 08 may 2019)
Indoor pool (added by manager 08 may 2019)

  • Woodland setting with two well-stocked fishing lakes
  • Indoor pool, fitness suite and family-friendly bar on site
  • Seven miles from the Suffolk Heritage Coast at Aldeburgh
This isn't Merely a Suffolk holiday park – it's a Suffolk holiday park with a whole heap to do. If the two fishing lakes at Carlton Meres Holiday Park in Suffolk don't have you wriggling in anticipation, all manner of other options are on site to lure you in. Free activities and entertainment are held in high season (weekends from March to October), or there's splashing in the indoor pool for relaxed types, and a fitness suite and tennis court for the energetic. Or might you prefer wandering peaceably around the park's splendid woodland setting and woodland walk...? The kids are sorted too – always an amicable option on holiday – with an adventure playground to keep them swinging about for hours, and the arts and crafts, karaoke, disco and outdoor activities of the kids' club which runs on weekends and during school holidays (small charge applies). Guests of the roomy pitches at Carlton Meres have access to shower and toilet blocks, waste disposal points and fresh water points.

Site type

Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 20
Open now
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The campground/park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dog Act (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • Group bookings of 5 or more units (e.g. tent, caravan, motorhome or accommodation hire) travelling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Single-sex bookings of 5 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • The outdoor swimming pool is open between 01/05 and 15/09 (subject to weather conditions).
  • The restaurant is open between 05/04 and 02/11.
  • Entertainment and activities are available between 05/04 and 02/11.
  • The grocery shop is open between 05/04 and 02/11.
  • The indoor swimming pool is open between 01/04 and 30/10.
  • Bookings must not be for more than 14 consecutive nights.
  • No cars/motorbikes by the pitch/unit. All cars must be parked in the designated area.
  • Commercial vehicles (vehicles used for work-related purposes, carrying goods or fare-paying passengers) and sign-written vehicles are not permitted on site.
  • The campground/park caters for families (immediate members) and couples only - bookings from all other forms of groups are not accepted.
  • Discount cards and gift vouchers cannot be applied to bookings made via Pitchup.com.
  • Reception is unmanned after 5 p.m.. Please inform the campground while on your way there should you expect to arrive after this time so that the team can provide information about your unit/site.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 21 or over.
  • Single-sex parties of three or more people under 25 are not permitted on site. The heated indoor swimming pool will be open from Easter 2019. Please show your entertainment pass (included in the price) for free swimming pool access.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 15 Mar to

This site is a member of Park Holidays group.

AA Holiday Centre
View all Park Holidays parks.

Reviews

84%

would recommend this site to a friend

84%

would stay here again

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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Wonderful lake for fishing…

Overall 4/10
Location 8
Value for money 4
Accommodation 6
Facilities / Activities 2
Customer service 4
Child friendliness 6
Cleanliness 6
Wifi 2
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Camping pod

Liked: Wonderful lake for fishing

Disliked: Do not eat here! Dreadful overpriced food in the restaurant 6.95 for a children's meal 4 tiny nuggets and 11 chips (yes we counted because we were shocked at the portion. 1/4 of a sweetcorn cob and the chips were undercooked and cold. Chilli con carne was inedible. I wouldn't eat there if they offered the meals for free. Arcade underwhelming, small arcade and several of the machines were out of order. Tiny indoor pool, no slides etc suited for younger children only. The main children's park is suited to younger children only. There's nothing for older children (ages 8/12) Mini golf was a very poor experience, it should be free. Most of the staff didn't really seem to care, or didn't know what they were doing. You can't park near the pods which means several long trips back and forth to the car. They should provide a trolley/camping kart in the car park. One of the pods were left open all night after being cleaned. Doors and windows, we pushed the door closed at around 11pm because it was flapping in the wind but I suspect it was full of bugs for the next lucky guest.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Enjoy holiday….…

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 8
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 8
Child friendliness 6
Cleanliness 8
Wifi 2
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Camping pod

Liked: Enjoy holiday….

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Luke S. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Camping pod

Liked: Absolutely beautiful

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice and peaceful place…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Carlos C. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Camping pod

Liked: Nice and peaceful place

Recommend to friends Visit again

A wonderful short stay. Would go again.

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Camping pod

Liked: Facilities were good. Staff were friendly. Swimming pool was a good size. Food was tasty.

Disliked: Needed a card for arcade machines. Cards needed topping up either by money or debit card but machines to do this kept breaking. A lot of children just waiting for this to be fixed. Bring back coins. Helps a child to see how much money they have to spend.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great accommodation, good facilities, lovely family atmosphere.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 8
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Camping pod

Liked: We loved the little pods, comfy beds, heater and plug sockets - just enough mod cons to keep me happy but still the fun of midnight treks to the loo to add excitement for the kids! Dog was welcomed and staff very friendly.

Disliked: Had thought there might have been a little campsite kitchen with kettle!!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fishing lakes, bar and restaurant. Nice clean park. Vans wheel spaced.…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Camping pod

Liked: Fishing lakes, bar and restaurant. Nice clean park. Vans wheel spaced.

Disliked: A bit too many public dog walkers passing in front of pods where we were fishing from our pods. But hey it’s a family dog friendly park and for that it’s great!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Relaxed atmosphere, staff only to happy to help. Stress free…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Charlotte H. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Camping pod

Liked: Relaxed atmosphere, staff only to happy to help. Stress free

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good site/camp,spoiled by indifferent,uninterested staff, essentially!

Overall 4/10
Location 8
Value for money 4
Accommodation 6
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service No rating
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 6
Wifi 4
Brenda H. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Camping pod

Liked: Nice facilities,well kept, clean site.

Disliked: Offhand reception staff, often talking and ignoring holiday makers. I appreciate it was near the end of the season,but the staff were frosty, bordering on rude! Women's showers, no hot water, difficult steps for anyone not part mountain goat. When we queried no hot water in women's showers was told "they've had a look at them"! However, we would have preferred that they had been fixed ! Three days is a long time to go without a shower. We had no offer of a refund or compensation, merely told "oh, you can always use the men's showers", not a satisfactory solution, in our opinion !

Recommend to friends Visit again

Clean facilities.…

Overall 6/10
Location 8
Value for money 8
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 4
Customer service 4
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 4
Susanne K. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Camping pod

Liked: Clean facilities.

Disliked: Had to wait for 1hour and 1/2 for food. Need to book swimming pool in order to go for 45min in some murky waters. Very unfriendly pool staff on top. Never again

Recommend to friends Visit again


Features

Leisure on site

Bar or club house

Cycle hire

Evening entertainment

Fishing

Fitness centre

Games room

Indoor swimming pool

Kids' club

On-site restaurant/cafe

Outdoor swimming pool

Play area

TV room

Take away

Tennis

Watersports

Amenities on site

Bath available

Car parking by site/unit

Composting toilet

Disabled facilities

Dog park

Drying room

Food shop

Free wifi

Ice pack freezing

Internet access

Laundry

Parent & baby washroom

Pick-up from public transport

Portable toilet

Pub toilets

Public telephone

Shower available

Toilet block

Washing-up area

Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly

Motorcycle friendly

Single-sex groups welcome

Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided

Barbecues allowed

Campfires allowed

Commercial vehicles allowed

Dogs allowed

Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Peaceful

Walkers' paradise

Utilities

Charging facilities

Dump point

Electric car charging point(s)

Gas cylinders available

Recycling available

Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby

Convenience store nearby

Dog walk nearby

Nearby farmers' market

Public transport nearby

Type

Large (51-200 sites)

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby

Climbing nearby

Fishing nearby

Golf nearby

Leisure/theme park nearby

Restaurant nearby

Sailing nearby

Tennis nearby

Watersports nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Seasonal sites

Location

Carlton Meres Holiday Park

Rendham Road

Carlton

Saxmundham

Suffolk

England

IP17 2QP

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

52.23261°N
1.4623°W

Route directions

On the A12: the site is signposted (Carlton Meres Holiday Park) in both directions. Do not follow your satnav for the last part of your journey as it will lead you to Lonely Farm campsite behind the park. Make sure you follow the signs for the park and turn right at the entrance for Carlton Meres Holiday Park.

Nearest transport

Coach
21.9 km Broad Street
22.1 km School Lane
25 km Chaucer Street
Rail
2.7 km Saxmundham Rail Station
6.1 km Darsham Rail Station
10.1 km Wickham Market Rail Station
Ferry
16.8 km Walberswick Ferry Landing
16.9 km Southwold Ferry Landing
27.4 km Bawdsey Ferry Landing

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

After they've whirled around on site for a while, take the kids to the coast at Aldeburgh (20 minutes' drive) or Southwold (25 minutes) for days on the beach, buying freshly caught fish on the sands and enviously eyeing up the beach huts. Walberswick (25 minutes) is also well worth a look, to birdwatch among its heath and marshlands, catch crabs on its beach or to take the ferry across the Blyth back to Southwold; you might spy some celebrity residents in this popular town too... Both Felixstowe and Lowestoft are each within 45 minutes for additional Suffolk seaside trips; some time should be spent at Lowestoft for the Pleasurewood Theme Park too – and from there one can move onto the seaside at Great Yarmouth, an hour from the site, and the rest of the Norfolk coast or the Suffolk and Norfolk Broads. Closer to home, take a trip to fab Framlington Castle (15 minutes) – where Mary Tudor was proclaimed queen, fact fans – and to Orford Castle (25 minutes), both managed by English Heritage and both rather spectacular. See also, for wildlife-loving sprogs, the 2,000+ residents at Norfolk's Banham Zoo, just over an hour away, and walking among the parrots, mammals and reptiles of African safari park Africa Alive! at Kessingland (30 minutes), a colourful day out sure to have them squawking.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020 2019 2018 2017
Southwold The Denes 17.6 km Sea N/A N/A N/A N/A
Southwold The Pier 18.8 km Sea N/A Good Good Excellent
Felixstowe North 31.2 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Felixstowe South 32 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Lowestoft (South Of Claremont Pier) 32.1 km Sea N/A Good Good Good

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Framlingham Castle 8 km

Orford Castle 16.1 km

Orford Ness National Nature Reserve 16.4 km

Sutton Hoo Anglo-Saxon Burial Mounds 17.6 km

Christchurch Mansion 28.2 km

National Trust

Orford Ness National Nature Reserve 16.5 km

Sutton Hoo 17.7 km

Flatford: Bridge Cottage 42.9 km

Elizabethan House Museum 45.1 km

Thorington Hall 45.9 km

Cycle routes

Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.

Other

GLEMHAM HALL 6.1 km

SNAPE (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 01/01/2007 7.9 km

Leiston - Eastbridge - Middleton - Theberton - Leiston 7.9 km

Framlingham - Saxtead - Saxtead Green - Apsey Green - Framlingham 8.3 km

Framlingham - Brandeston - Kettleburgh - Lampardbrook - Framlingham 8.3 km

Local events

  • Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival (Saturday, 28 September 2024 – Saturday, 28 September 2024)

    Aldeburgh, England 8 km

  • Latitude Festival (Thursday, 25 July 2024 – Thursday, 25 July 2024)

    Beccles, England 15.7 km

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Offers

Lodge, cabin, pod or hut
Camping pod
  • 20% off April/May Special Offer
  • 20% off May Special Offer

Conditions apply - see pitch type section for details

Want to know more about camping in Suffolk?

  • Does Carlton Meres Holiday Park have a swimming pool? Yes View all features
  • Is Carlton Meres Holiday Park dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Carlton Meres Holiday Park? After they've whirled around on site for a while, take the kids to the coast at Aldeburgh (20 minutes' drive) or Southwold (25 minutes) for days on the beach, buying freshly caught … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Carlton Meres Holiday Park?
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  4 p.m. –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Carlton Meres Holiday Park? From $42.27 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.