Dorset has a choice of more than 25 holiday parks, but we've picked 10 of the best by comparing location, reviews, price and facilities.
Some are in the busier touristy parts of Dorset which have lots of family attractions, such as Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch and Weymouth whilst others are in West Dorset along the Jurassic Coast in pretty seaside resorts such as Lyme Regis, Bridport, West Bay and Charmouth.
We've also chosen a mix of busy family holiday parks which usually have indoor swimming pools and kids entertainment, as well as quieter caravan parks with fishing, woodland, hot tubs and easy access to beaches.
For our price comparison we just looked for the cheapest caravan we could find for a family of 2 adults and 2 children for a week in August 2017.
Some are in the busier touristy parts of Dorset which have lots of family attractions, such as Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch and Weymouth whilst others are in West Dorset along the Jurassic Coast in pretty seaside resorts such as Lyme Regis, Bridport, West Bay and Charmouth.
We've also chosen a mix of busy family holiday parks which usually have indoor swimming pools and kids entertainment, as well as quieter caravan parks with fishing, woodland, hot tubs and easy access to beaches.
For our price comparison we just looked for the cheapest caravan we could find for a family of 2 adults and 2 children for a week in August 2017.
1. Chesil Family Holiday Park (Weymouth) - indoor swimming pool, busy park
**Winner: best value**
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Chesil Family Holiday Park is also known as Chesil Vista Holiday Park, depending on who you ask. It's a middle sized holiday park, with lots of onsite facilities and easy access to the amusement arcades and kiss-me-quick hats of Weymouth.
Reviews are very good (4.5 out of 5 when I checked). You could get away with spending at least a couple days onsite. There's an indoor pool and 'bubble pool' (parp), as well as a sauna and gym. For children, there's entertainment from 'Vic the Sea Monster' (not a character I'm familiar with), as well as indoor soft play for the shorter visitors and an outdoor playground for slightly taller ones. There's also football, basketball and evening entertainments for adults. There's quite a big range in prices for accommodation, but the cheapest I could find was a new caravan for 2016 which was could squeeze in 6 people potentially. For the purposes of our price comparison, we've just looked at the lowest price for a family of 4. Price: £925 for 2 adults and 2 children for a week in August 2017 |
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2. Warmwell Holiday Park (near Weymouth) - big park, loads of family facilities
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Warmwell Holiday Park is one of three Parkdean Holidays sites in Dorset and it tends to be the most popular with customers (averaging 4 out of 5 on TripAdvisor when we checked in 2017). The other holiday parks run by Parkdean Holidays in Dorset are Sandford Holiday Park (Poole) and West Bay Holiday Park (Bridport)
Warmwell is a big park with a really wide range of things to do on site, so it's one to consider if you are looking for endless entertainment rather than if you want somewhere to get away from it all. It's a little way inland, but is well placed half way between busy Bournemouth in East Dorset and West Bay and Lyme Regis in West Dorset. Onsite facilities include: a ski slope (yes, really), an indoor swimming pool, amusement arcade, pool tables, mini ten pin bowling, crazy golf, fishing lakes (I suspect that's the clincher for some men...), gym, sports court, archery, adventure playground, soft play, children's clubs, restaurants and evening entertainment. Warmwell is close to several of the larger attractions in Dorset, including Weymouth Sea Life Park, The Tank Museum and Monkey World. It's a 15-20 minute drive to the Jurassic coast at Durdle Door, Lulworth Cove or Weymouth. |
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There are caravans and lodges, including some which are wheelchair accessible. There are also pet friendly caravans. The more expensive accommodation are lakeside lodges.
Price: £919 for 2 adults and 2 children in August 2017
Price: £919 for 2 adults and 2 children in August 2017
3. Hoburne Park (near Christchurch) - indoor swimming pool, posh caravans
**Winner: best luxury holiday park**
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Another highly rated option in East Dorset is Hoburne Park, which was averaging 4.5 out of 5 on TripAdvisor when I checked. It's not the cheapest, but it's perhaps a little posher than some of the cheapest holiday parks in Dorset.
There is lots to do on site at Hoburne, including indoor and outdoor swimming pools, children's activities, a gym with sauna, indoor soft play area for toddlers, adventure playground and amusement arcade for older children, cafe and restaurant (although they call it a brasserie, which sounds fancier), tennis court and crazy golf. Location wise, it is well placed for visiting Bournemouth and The New Forest, but is a bit of a trek to West Dorset. You could also attempt a day trip to my beloved Isle of Wight from nearby Lymington. Most of the caravans have grand names like 'superior' and 'platinum' and the posher ones have verandas. Hoburne Park is a dog friendly park. Price: £1118 for 4 people for a week in August 2017 |
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4. Rockley Park Caravan Holiday Park (Poole) - busy Haven park, family facilities
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Haven has four Dorset holiday parks, but I wouldn’t say there’s an obvious choice as their best park in the county.
Rockley Park, Littlesea Holiday Park, Seaview Holiday Park and Weymouth Bay Caravan Holiday Park all score similarly on TripAdvisor (4 out of 5). They’ve all got indoor swimming pools (just in case the weather quite isn’t as good as it is in the brochures) and they all have kids clubs so you might, possibly, get a few minutes peace and quiet. They also all have evening entertainments for adults, although I go to bed about 10 minutes after the children so I’m unlikely to be playing bingo until dark. Rockley Park has slightly more facilities than the other three, including a climbing wall and water sport. However, if you stay at Weymouth Bay or nearby Seaview you can (at the time of writing) use the facilities at both parks, so you’ve got more choice. For younger children, I would be inclined to choose based on location and price. In my short survey, a week in August for 2 adults and 2 children was cheapest at Seaview (£779), followed by Weymouth Bay (£817), Littlesea (£918) and Rockley Park (£948). Obviously it would vary depending on when you searched, but that gives a general idea. |
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In terms of location, Rockley Park is near to Bournemouth which is a busy seaside resort. Weymouth Bay Caravan Holiday Park, Seaview Holiday Park and Littlesea Caravan Holiday Park are all in the Weymouth area.
Personally, I’d pick Rockley Park as I prefer Bournemouth to Weymouth but the others are more centrally located for exploring West Dorset and the Jurassic Coastline.
Price: £948 for a family of 2 adults and 2 children in August 2017 (although Seaview Holiday Park was the cheapest Haven park at £779).
Personally, I’d pick Rockley Park as I prefer Bournemouth to Weymouth but the others are more centrally located for exploring West Dorset and the Jurassic Coastline.
Price: £948 for a family of 2 adults and 2 children in August 2017 (although Seaview Holiday Park was the cheapest Haven park at £779).
5. Swandown Lodges (West Dorset) - posh lodges, indoor pool
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This one isn't the cheapest holiday park in Dorset, but Swandown Lodges is a more luxurious option than the knobbly knees and flumes you will get at some parks.
The lodges are light and swanky, and the site itself is part of the Cricket St Thomas Estate (Somerset/Dorset border) which means you have access to the local hotel's leisure complex. There's an indoor pool, spa treatments and a nearby golf course. There's also the option of fishing and bike hire. The main downside, in my view, is that it is half an hour's drive to the nearest beaches at Lyme Regis and West Bay. That's not a problem if you don't plan to go every day but an hour's round trip might be a bit much after a while. Swandown Lodges are on a huge 1000 acre estate with places to walk and cycle, so you might find there is enough to do onsite. Price: £1263 for a lodge for 4 people for a week in August 2017 |
If this is your idea of a holiday, I'd take a look at Swandown Lodges
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6. Seadown Park (Charmouth) - quiet park, cheap caravans
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We've included Seadown Holiday Park in Charmouth in our guide to Dorset's best holiday parks as it is one of the best value sites we've found in the county. Facilities are basic, but if you are looking for a cheap holiday park in a lovely location then it's worth considering.
Its trump card is probably its location only a short walk from the beach at Charmouth, on the so-called Jurassic Coast, which is a good spot if you also want to explore east Devon during your holiday. The cheapest accommodation we could find was a relatively basic looking caravan, but there is wifi if you're willing to pay for it, which should stop the children from complaining. Some of the caravans are dog friendly, so you won't need to pay kennel fees or leave the dog with the in-laws for the week. You can find advice on things to do in the area from Visit West Dorset. Price: £560 for a family of 2 adults and 2 children in August 2017 (in a caravan which could actually accommodate 6 people, so less than £100 each for the week in high season). |
Charmouth in West Dorset
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7. Sandhills Holiday Park (Christchurch) - quiet park, near to the beach
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Sandhills Holiday Park makes our list because it gets consistently strong reviews and because of its prime location between Christchurch Harbour and Friars Cliff Beach.
It's a slightly quieter option than some of the caravan holiday parks on this list with more basic facilities. However, there is an outdoor pool from March to September (not sure why you would want to use an outdoor pool in December anyway), as well as an adventure playground, a bar and a small gym. Sandhills Holiday Park is in East Dorset, so it is well located for visiting The New Forest in Hampshire as well as the busy stretch of coastline around Bournemouth. It's quite a drive to West Dorset (a three hour round trip to West Bay), but not too far to Swanage or Poole. There are apartments at the site as well as caravans of varying grades. The apartments don't allow dogs. Price: £814 for 2 adults and 2 children for a week in August 2017 in an apartment |
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8. Highlands End Holiday Park (West Dorset)- nice views, basic facilities
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Highlands End Holiday Park is run by the same company as Golden Cap Holiday Park, which is also in this top 10 guide. They get similar reviews and offer a similar holiday in a similar location.
It's about 500 metres from the beach with nice views towards the gorgeous coastline around Bridport, West Bay and Seaport. If you're after attractions to keep the children entertained, then you can travel into Weymouth in about half an hour. I'd suggest getting a caravan with a seaview as they aren't a lot more expensive (about £60 extra for the week when I checked). Highlands End is a dog friendly site, although your dog will have to cough up a few quid to stay for the week (or you can lend it to him). It's also a popular touring site, in case that's what you are after. Price: £716 for 2 adults and 2 children for a week in August 2017 |
9. Golden Cap Holiday Park (West Dorset)- beachside location, basic facilities, fishing
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If access to a decent beach is your priority from a Dorset holiday park then I would consider Golden Cap Holiday Park, which is in my personal favourite part of the county. Beaches at Lyme Regis, Charmouth and West Bay (where Broadchurch was filmed) are all very nearby and have some of the nicest beaches in the Dorset.
Some of the caravans have sea views, although those tend to be the more expensive ones unsurprisingly. Facilities are very basic (shop, play area and a fishing lake which may appeal to some) so it's more of a base for exploring the coastline and perhaps sneaking into East Devon if you don't mind crossing the border. Reviews are very good (averaging 4.5 on TripAdvisor when I checked, 2017) and the caravans are modern (the website says they are all less than 5 years old, and presumably they didn't write that sentence in 1991) Price: £715 for a family of four people in a 2 bed caravan for a week in August 2017 |
Golden Cap Holiday Park is near to West Bay, where Broadchurch was filmed
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10. Meadowbank Holiday Park - (Bournemouth) quiet park, basic facilities, fishing
**Winner: lowest price**
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Meadowbank Holiday Park is one of the few inland holiday parks we've included in our guide, but it does get good reviews and it's well placed if you want to share your time between the beach at Bournemouth and cycling in The New Forest.
There's a games room and play area for children, but I get the feeling that this holiday park is mostly popular with anglers as you can buy fishing permits for the nearby Stour River (the website includes lots of pictures of people grinning and holding massive fish). It's also one of the cheapest Dorset holiday parks we've found. Price: £500 for a family of four, for one week in August 2017. |
Price comparison of 10 of Dorset's best holiday caravan parks
- -We looked for the cheapest accommodation available for a family of four, for a week in August 2017. From cheapest to most expensive:
- Meadowbank Holiday Park - £500
- Seadown Park - £560
- Golden Cap Holiday Park - £715
- Highlands End Holiday Park - £716
- Sandhills Holiday Park - £814
- Warmwell Holiday Park - £919
- Chesil Family Holiday Park - £925
- Rockley Park - £948
- Hoburne Park - £1118
- Swandown Lodges - £1263
