Places to Stay With Kids' Clubs in Cornwall

Cornwall has nine places on BritStays with children's entertainment listed as a facility. That's a small, specific set rather than a sprawling list, which is good news when you're trying to compare like with like: you can read the lot in an evening and work out which ones suit your family.

What 'children's entertainment' covers here

Across these nine stays, the facility turns up alongside a fairly consistent set of extras. Seven have a swimming pool, seven have a bar and seven are listed as pet friendly. Six have a restaurant, six do takeaway food, six have a playground and six have WiFi. In practice, that means most of these places are set up so you don't have to drive anywhere for an evening meal or a wet-afternoon activity.

The entertainment itself varies more than the facility name suggests. Several listings also flag evening entertainment specifically — Monkey Tree Holiday Park, Newquay Holiday Park, Lizard Point Holiday Park, Valley Caravan Park and Watergate Bay Hotel among them — which tends to mean scheduled shows or club sessions rather than an all-day kids' club. If a staffed club with set hours matters to you, ring and ask what runs on your dates. Programmes are usually seasonal.

Where they are

The cluster is on the north coast. Newquay has the most, with Monkey Tree Holiday Park, Newquay Holiday Park and Watergate Bay Hotel all in that area. Padstow accounts for two more — Valley Caravan Park and MacDonalds's Farm Touring & Camping. After that it spreads out: Bedruthen Steps Hotel at Mawgan Porth, Fowey Hall Hotel at Fowey, Lizard Point Holiday Park near Helston and Anglers Paradise Holidays at Bude.

If you want beach-first days and a short walk back for showers and tea, the Newquay, Padstow and Mawgan Porth options put you on that stretch of coast. Fowey and Helston sit further round and feel different in character — useful if you want the kids' facilities without the busiest holiday-park atmosphere. Elsewhere in the county, Falmouth, Penzance, Looe and St Austell are worth knowing for days out even if your base is further north.

Hotels versus parks

Four of the nine are hotels, three are caravanning sites, one is a holiday park and one is camping. The split matters more than the labels suggest.

• Hotels — Fowey Hall Hotel, Bedruthen Steps Hotel and Watergate Bay Hotel all list a spa alongside a restaurant or pool. This is the combination that suits couples travelling with children, or two generations sharing a trip: something for the kids, something for the adults, and food on site.
• Parks and caravanning — Monkey Tree Holiday Park, Newquay Holiday Park, Lizard Point Holiday Park and Valley Caravan Park follow a familiar pattern of pool, bar and evening entertainment. Monkey Tree Holiday Park sleeps 8, so it's one to look at for larger groups or two families sharing.
• Camping and something different — MacDonalds's Farm Touring & Camping lists a hot tub, bar and cafe, while Anglers Paradise Holidays at Bude pairs a pool and bar with takeaway food.

Bringing the dog

Seven of the nine are listed as pet friendly, which is a high proportion. The listings don't say how many dogs are allowed, whether they can go in the bar or restaurant, or what happens during kids' club sessions, so confirm those details directly before you book. If you're driving down with a dog and small children, a site with a playground and on-site food is worth more than it sounds on a rainy Tuesday.

Days out once you're there

Cornwall's family attractions are spread across the county, so expect some driving. Kernow Adventure Park at Falmouth is a water park; Screech Owl Sanctuary and Spingfields Fun Park and Pony Centre are both in Cornwall and lean younger; The Tamar Valley Donkey Park sits over at Looe. For wetter days, the Shipwreck Treasure Museum at St Austell and Tate St Ives near Penzance both work with older children.

For landmarks, St Michael's Mount and Tintagel Castle are the two that tend to hold children's attention longest, and Land's End is an easy add-on to a Penzance day. The Minack Theatre is worth checking if you're in that corner of the county.

When to book

With only nine stays in this set and two of them in Newquay, school-holiday weeks go early — book summer and half-term as far ahead as you can, and have a second choice ready. For term-time breaks you'll have more room to negotiate, but check that the entertainment programme is actually running: out of season, pools and clubs sometimes operate reduced hours. Before you pay, confirm three things in writing: the club's age range, the dates it runs, and whether it's included or charged separately.