Sandaway Beach Holiday Park

No availability at present on Pitchup.com 7.2 111 reviews
Separate toddler pool (added by manager 21 Jan 2016)
Stunning views from the park
Touring pitch with hook up
Pitches

  • Family friendly-site with spectacular views out to sea
  • Private stretch of beach leading to a secluded cove
  • Pool, kids' clubs, soft play and playground
Ever wanted to channel your inner mermaid? Sandaway Beach Holiday Park near Ilfracombe in Devon has a private stretch of beach leading to the secret spot of Mermaids Cove for secluded swims and sunbathes. (If you happen to glimpse a topless mermaid, say the site staff, just look the other way…) The park is placed right on the edge of the ocean on a low cliff, with the rocky foreshore and sand of the private beach a few minutes’ stroll down a purty stepped path. If you’re not scrambling over the rocks to Mermaids Cove, soak up the rays at the sun trap here; just make sure you’re aware of the tide times before you go down. Away from the beach, there’s plenty happening parkwise for those who might get restless just soaking up the sun: Sandaway Beach is a John Fowler Holiday Parks site so is crammed with things to do for merpeople of all sizes – kids’ clubs for little squirts, free heated outdoor pool, indoor soft play area and an outdoor playground alongside pool tables, amusements and an internet café. Guests can also use the facilities at Sandaway Beach’s sister park Combe Martin Beach Holiday Park a few minutes away: this one has its own private beach too (Newberry) and the Sea Spray Club for beachside drinks and dining as well as evening entertainment and more kids’ clubs. Vittles at Sandaway are covered with the pub grub and basket meals at the Smugglers Bar, where there’s also evening entertainment, free wifi and a gape at Exmoor and sea views (kids are welcome in the pub). Golf, fishing, watersports and farm parks are all close to hand nearby.

Site type

Caravans for hire 86
Touring caravan pitches 10
Motorhome pitches 10
Tent pitches 10
Opens

Tourist board rating

Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The site does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act (i.e. XL Bully, Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • The outdoor swimming pool is open between 29/03 et 01/11 (subject to weather conditions).
  • The bar and/or restaurant is open between 29/03 et 01/11.
  • The grocery shop is open between 29/03 et 01/11.
  • Twin axle vehicles are not permitted on site.

Languages spoken

English

This site is a member of John Fowler Holidays group.

AA Holiday Centre
View all John Fowler Holidays parks.

Reviews

57%

would recommend this site to a friend

50%

would stay here again

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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Nice place but due to toilet block doubt we will return

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

Electric grass pitch

Liked: Friendly staff and social club

Disliked: Toilet block had no wear to sit or put cloths while showering and pitch became flooded so had to park in carpark

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for your feedback. We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed our friendly staff and the club facilities. We apologise for the inconvenience regarding the toilet block and the flooded pitch. We understand how important it is to have adequate facilities and will address these issues to enhance our guests' experience in the future. Your insights are invaluable as we strive to improve. We are sorry to hear that you won't be returning, but thank you for taking the time to leave a review. Best wishes, John Fowler Holidays. Best wishes, John Fowler Holidays

The on site shop , bar and restaurant was very good. The…

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

Electric grass pitch

Liked: The on site shop , bar and restaurant was very good. The staff were friendly and helpful. Also the private cove was very picturesque and was only a five minute walk away. The location of the site is well placed to visit nearby combe Martin , only about 15 mins walk away . Although we didn't use the busses , they stop outside the main entrance if you want to travel further without your car/camper .

Disliked: The camping pitches are uneven and placed adjacent to the car park. This meant there was constant noise from people using their cars . The toilet facilities and showers were relatively clean but basic . The water in the shower was , after a long wait quite hot meaning you were unable to stay under it to long . The water coming from the wash basins never got hot and was of such a high power that you ended up splashed with water. We didn't realise there was a wash area for our crockery until we saw an open door as it had no sign on it. We would not recommend this site for touring/camping. In our opinion it's just a spare piece of grass with room for about 5 pitches . We also felt that it wasn't very secure when going out for the day as obviously you can't lock an awning and as stated before this area is basically in a car park and very close to the main gate and busy main road.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Many thanks for taking the time to review your recent stay. We appreciate your feedback and are delighted to hear that you enjoyed the on-site shop, bar, and restaurant, as well as our friendly and helpful staff. We are pleased that you found our private cove picturesque and that the location was convenient for exploring nearby Combe Martin. We do, however, regret to hear that your camping experience did not meet your expectations. We are continuously working to improve our facilities, and your comments about the noise, toilet facilities, showers, and wash areas will certainly be taken into consideration as we strive for a better experience for our guests. We apologise for any confusion regarding the wash area for crockery; we will make sure to address the signage issues to ensure it is more visible for future guests. We are sorry to hear that you won't be returning. Best wishes, John Fowler Holidays

Cleanliness, pleasant and professional staff, Beautiful Scenery…

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

Electric grass pitch

Liked: Cleanliness, pleasant and professional staff, Beautiful Scenery

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for taking the time to leave this review. We will make sure that your lovely comments are passed on to the team at the park and we look forward to welcoming you back in the future. Best wishes, John Fowler Holidays

This place was amazing, shower/toilet block clean well stocked with toilet roll,…

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

Electric grass pitch

Liked: This place was amazing, shower/toilet block clean well stocked with toilet roll, only 1 min walk from tent pitch. The club house with entertainment even though it's out of season. Nice clean outdoor pool. Site shop really good prices and lots of verity. All staff really polite and even more helpful. The food at chefs corner was really nice aswell.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Many thanks for leaving us this wonderful review and sharing these lovely photos, we are so pleased to hear that you had such a great time. We will make sure that your lovely comments are passed on to the team at the park and we look forward to welcoming you back in the future. Best wishes, John Fowler Holidays

The cove, the food, the friendly shop…

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

Electric grass pitch

Liked: The cove, the food, the friendly shop

Disliked: The camping pitches

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Many thanks for taking the time to leave this review. We are pleased to hear that you enjoyed your stay and we look forward to welcoming you back in the future. Best wishes, John Fowler Holidays

Liked the evening entertainment for the little kids and the soft play.…

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

Electric grass pitch

Liked: Liked the evening entertainment for the little kids and the soft play. The little Mermaid cove gave plenty of fun for little and big kids. Facilities weren’t spotless but were definitely passable. Loved the hot water in the showers once you got them going a while

Disliked: Need to have a designated space for ball games. Had lots of kids on the tent pitches coming and kicking footballs or playing cricket which kept hitting our tent. Had to eventually tell kids to move away but got ignored plenty of times.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We are disappointed to hear that you were let down by other guests on the park and we will pass this feedback to the team at the park to review. We are sorry to hear that you won't be returning. Best wishes, John Fowler Holidays

Lovely site , lovely views and close to plenty of villages and…

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

Electric grass pitch

Liked: Lovely site , lovely views and close to plenty of villages and things to do ! Would go back .

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Many thanks for taking the time to review your recent stay. We are really pleased to hear that you enjoyed your stay and we look forward to welcoming you back in the future. Best wishes, John Fowler Holidays

Excellent site, clean toilets and bar great staff and stunning views

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

Electric grass pitch

Liked: The pitch size was very generous. More than enough room for our tent plus room for the kids to play outside. Entertainment venue was clean and well looked after, food was delicious. We ate in there for every meal aside from breakfast. Soft play and amusements being open until late was a great addition and well used to burn off any end of the day energy before bed. Will definitely be returning.

Disliked: Our only dislike was that the outdoor pool, which was supposed to be heated, was freezing cold

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Many thanks for leaving us this wonderful review, we really appreciate it. We are so pleased to hear that you had such a great time and we look forward to welcoming you back in the future. Best wishes, John Fowler Holidays

Stunning site, friendly staff,but a bit dirty

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

Electric grass pitch

Liked: Beautiful location, with very helpful and friendly staff. The stripeys did a great job with interacting with the kids

Disliked: The shower block was a bit neglected for those stopping in a tent, unfortunately during our weekend stay it wasn't cleaned at all whilst we were there as the same dirt hadn't been touched all weekend floors and walls need a good bleach and then our stay would have been 5/5

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Many thanks for taking the time to write a review. We are disappointed to learn about the cleanliness issues that you faced during your stay and we will pass this feedback to the management team at the park to review. We will also ensure that your lovely comments are passed on to the staff at the park and the Stripeys. We look forward to welcoming you back in the future. Best wishes, John Fowler Holidays

Clean, friendly staff. Happy to return

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

Electric grass pitch

Liked: All facilities close by, beach cove is great, beautiful views. Great entertainment too.

Disliked: Quite close to main road and no safety access gates.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Many thanks for leaving us this wonderful review, we really appreciate it. We are so pleased to hear that you had such a great time and we look forward to welcoming you back in the future. Best wishes, John Fowler Holidays


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 pitch/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Launderette 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

Spectacular scenery

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Public transport nearby Shop nearby

Type

Large (51-200 pitches)

Accessibility

Disabled facilities

Nearby leisure

Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Surf school nearby Tennis nearby

Location

Sandaway Beach Holiday Park

Nr Berrynarbor

Ilfracombe

Devon

England

EX34 9ST

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London GMT (GMT+00:00)

GPS

51.20651°N
-4.04455°W

Nearest transport

Coach
5.5 km Methodist Church
13.7 km Opposite George Hotel
13.7 km George Hotel
Rail
14.8 km Barnstaple Rail Station
21.2 km Chapelton (Devon) Rail Station
23.7 km Umberleigh Rail Station
Ferry
4.7 km Ilfracombe Ferry Landing
19.8 km Instow Ferry Landing
19.8 km Appledore Ferry Landing
Airport
44.1 km Swansea Airport

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

The fishing village of Combe Martin is around five minutes' stroll, for boat trips, a 13th-century church and another beach: one of six within easy driving distance. Combe Martin also has the Combe Martin Wildlife & Dinosaur Park with over 250 species of wildlife, animatronic dinosaurs, a canyon train ride and swimming with sea lions. Ilfracombe is four miles from Sandaway, with several beaches here and between Ilfracombe and the three-mile stretch at Woolacombe 10 minutes’ drive away. The hand-carved Tunnels beaches are a hoot for exploring the Victorian etiquette of the day and should keep kids amused for hours. Arty sorts visting Ilfracombe should pack paintbox and inspiration: the town has eight art galleries (Damien Hirst owns several properties here and the controversial Hirst statue Verity stands at the harbour entrance). If your art loving is of a more dramatic type, get along to the award-winning Landmark Theatre, aka Madonna’s Bra (you’ll see why when you get there. The kids hopefully will not...)

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020 2019 2018 2017
Combe Martin 0.5 km Sea Poor Poor Poor Poor
Ilfracombe Hele 3.7 km Sea N/A Good Good Good
Ilfracombe Tunnels Beach 5.8 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Combesgate Beach, Woolacombe 12.1 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Woolacombe Village 12.1 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

RHS Garden Rosemoor 30 km

National Waterfront Museum 46.1 km

National Trust

Arlington Court and the National Trust Carriage Museum 8 km

Heddon Valley 8.1 km

Watersmeet 17.1 km

Holnicote Estate 33.5 km

Dunster Working Watermill 41.7 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Ilfracombe, Berrynarbor and the Coast 4.3 km

ARLINGTON COURT 8.1 km

Hunters Inn - SW Coast Path - Trentishoe - Hunters Inn 8.3 km

Hunters Inn - Woody Bay - South West Coast Path - Hunters Inn 8.3 km

Lee Bridge - Slade - Ilfracombe - Coast Path 8.4 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.

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Want to know more about camping in Devon?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Sandaway Beach Holiday Park have a swimming pool? Yes View all features
  • Is Sandaway Beach Holiday Park dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Sandaway Beach Holiday Park? The fishing village of Combe Martin is around five minutes' stroll, for boat trips, a 13th-century church and another beach: one of six within easy driving distance. Combe Martin also has the … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Sandaway Beach Holiday Park?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  noon –  10 p.m.
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    Read more