Devon’s award-winning family holiday resort and theme park has a new Sooty Land adventure park for 2022 - here’s how we got on when we were invited to its launch...
Where is Crealy Holiday Park?
Located just outside of Exeter, and a short drive away from Exmouth’s golden beaches, lies Devon’s number one day out, Crealy Theme Park & Resort.
The award-winning family-friendly site boasts over 60 rides and attractions, with spectacular entertainment, live shows and animals galore.
The accompanying resort offers a fantastic range of accommodation including five-star luxury hot tub lodges, themed tents for glamping and over 100 clean and well-maintained camping and touring pitches.
Where will I sleep?
We stayed in the Beach House, which is one of the on-site lodges that has its own private hot tub (in fact all the lodges have their own hot tubs!)
The accommodation was superbly clean and modern, with three bedrooms, an en suite and a large family bathroom with a full-size bath perfect for washing little children in.
The main living area had an open plan kitchen/diner with all the latest mod cons, and plenty of comfy seating and dining options inside.
We stayed for two nights, and the park provided a washing-up starter pack with a sponge and washing-up liquid for us. The kitchen is fully equipped for self-catering so there would be no problem cooking all your meals in if you choose to do so.
Outside, there was a beach house vibe going on with the bright coloured patio furniture and the hot tub, which is cleaned and maintained twice a day by the Crealy holiday park staff.
The hot tub was a real highlight, and our five-year-old loved referring to it as her ‘balcony swimming pool’!
It would easily seat 6-8 people and was perfect for our little one to splash about in. The temperature is set to a family-friendly heat so not too hot for children and perfect for a quick dip whenever you fancy it.
What is there to do?
We were invited toCrealy Theme Park to help celebrate a new area inside the main park for 2022 – Sooty Land!
Visiting a theme park when you are eight months pregnant can be hard enough, but with an energetic five-year-old in tow, we were fearing the worst.
Thankfully, Sooty Land manages to be contained enough so there was no long walks between rides or lengthy queues to get on them. In between the theme park rides, our five-year-old enjoyed the slides and climbing frames plus the water park and animal petting areas, which meant we could supervise from a distance and rest.
Inside Sooty Land you’ll find new rides that are perfect for young children. Our five-year-old daughter isn’t the biggest thrill-seeker but this area provided enough gentle amusements to keep her happy.
Favourites included the Izzy Wizzy Let’s Get Dizzy ride and Sooty’s Magic Bus.
The area itself is styled to give a retro nod to traditional seaside holidays from the past, so there are Punch and Judy shows, men on Penny Farthing bikes, as well as the Sooty-themed rides. There’s also a big top arena where you can experience a traditional Sooty and Sweep magic puppet show. This was an ideal way to keep our daughter entertained while mum and dad put their feet up!
There’s an inside area too, with a well-catered and super modern soft play, hall of mirrors and a stage where visitors can have a photograph with the real-life Sooty and Sweep! (The adults enjoyed this too!)
What can I eat?
In Sooty’s diner, you can get burgers and chips, veggie options, and kids meals for a reasonable price. We had double cheeseburgers, which we were pleased to find were meaty, homemade and very filling. There’s also Sweep’s hot dog stand, Soo’s café, the lovely Seaside Spuds hut where you can grab a jacket potato, and of course, an ice cream van located in the Sooty Land arena.
Outside the theme park, and there is a general convenience store in the Holiday Park that has all your self-catering basics plus a bar/ restaurant that serves all your usual family favourites throughout the day.
In the evening, Crealy holiday park has some spectacular family entertainment in the main arena, where you can grab a pizza and drinks while you watch the show.
We were impressed with the level of entertainment on offer, and all the family got involved in the games and Bingo – we even won a Full House and lots of prizes!
There’s a huge inside slide and soft play area, plus usual arcade snacks on offer well into the evening too. Perfect to keep the kids busy while mum and dad have a drink or two!
We headed to a local recommended pub called the Cat & Fiddle just five minutes drive from the Holiday Park for a traditional and hearty pub lunch. The resort staff are happy to recommend places to eat to suit what you and your party are after.
How much does it cost to visit?
The cost of the Beach House lodge starts from £56 per person per night (based on 8 sharing) during the off-peak season.
Day tickets for Crealy Theme Park throughout Devon School Holidays this Summer currently stand at £24pp online.
Final thoughts
We had a ‘Crealy’ great time visiting Sooty Land and while staying at this Holiday Park! We usually visit Center Parcsfor a UK family staycation, but with so much to keep children happy and busy we would book here again.
Being eight months pregnant, travelling anywhere can be draining, but at Crealy, everything is on your doorstep and it really is doable, no matter how exhausted you feel!
The fact all the lodges on site have a private hot tub is a really nice and luxurious touch. We loved the comfy and homely accommodation, which surprised us by having high ceilings, which is unlike other static caravan holiday homes we’ve visited before. This gave an airy and light effect – we didn’t feel cooped up at all.
We wish we’d had more time to explore the Exmouth beaches and coastline during our stay. Next time we’ll stay more than two nights so we can visit more of what Devon has to offer.