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Which Darwin Escapes Holiday Resort Is Best? Our Reviews and Price Comparison
We've stayed at several Darwin Escapes resorts, including Woodside Coastal Retreat on the Isle of Wight
I don't think I'm being unfair if I say that Darwin Escapes is a much less famous name in the UK holiday park market than Haven, Parkdean Resorts or Butlins.
However, they've got 23 holiday home locations around the UK - as well as three owners only resorts.
That Darwin Escapes a pretty big player and on a par with Away Resorts in terms of the number of locations.
We've been to several Darwin Escapes ourselves and have found that they are consistently high quality and good value. You can sometimes get spacious lodges for a similar price as a pokey caravan at some resorts. You don't always get a load of facilities, but that may not be what you're looking for.
Here's a summary of our personal experiences of Darwin Escapes, along with a league table based on customer reviews and prices. We've also come up with suggestions of which resorts we think are the best value and in the best locations.
However, they've got 23 holiday home locations around the UK - as well as three owners only resorts.
That Darwin Escapes a pretty big player and on a par with Away Resorts in terms of the number of locations.
We've been to several Darwin Escapes ourselves and have found that they are consistently high quality and good value. You can sometimes get spacious lodges for a similar price as a pokey caravan at some resorts. You don't always get a load of facilities, but that may not be what you're looking for.
Here's a summary of our personal experiences of Darwin Escapes, along with a league table based on customer reviews and prices. We've also come up with suggestions of which resorts we think are the best value and in the best locations.
Which Darwin Escapes Resort is most convenient for me?
Driving with children is one of life's challenges. You may decide that the most important factor is choosing a resort close to you.
Here's some advice on travel times from some major UK cities to Darwin Escapes resorts.
Here's some advice on travel times from some major UK cities to Darwin Escapes resorts.
Darwin Escapes near to London
For a quick escape, your closest option is Tilford Woods Lodge Retreat in Surrey, which is about 90 minutes' drive away from Central London. Canterbury Reach Lodge Retreat in Kent, The Springs Resort & Golf Club in Oxfordshire and Blenheim Palace Lodge Retreat in Oxfordshire are all about 1 hour 45 minutes away.
If you're in East London, I'd go for Canterbury Reach Lodge Retreat. The others are better from West London.
Read our main guide to holiday parks near London.
If you're in East London, I'd go for Canterbury Reach Lodge Retreat. The others are better from West London.
Read our main guide to holiday parks near London.
Darwin Escapes near to Manchester
From Manchester, it's about 90 minutes to Darwin Escapes Rivendale Lodge Retreat in the Peak District. When we went to Rivendale, we loved the way that it has been built inside a natural cliff edge.
Rivendale Lodge Retreat has this fantastic cliff edge looming over the lodges
We enjoyed the view from the restaurant at Rivendale Lodge Retreat
Plas Isaf Lodge Retreat is a similar distance away (well, it's actually about 10 minutes closer). Talacre Beach is another convenient option and will take you about 90 minutes to reach. It's obviously a better option if you want to be by the seaside.
Check out our main guide to places to holiday parks near Manchester.
Check out our main guide to places to holiday parks near Manchester.
Darwin Escapes near Birmingham
The obvious choice from Birmingham is Stratford-upon-Avon Lodge Retreat, which is only 45 minutes away by car. Meanwhile, Blenheim Palace Lodge Retreat in Oxfordshire and Rivendale Lodge Retreat are both 90 minutes away.
Check out our guide to places to stay near Birmingham.
Check out our guide to places to stay near Birmingham.
Darwin Escapes near Glasgow
You don't have a great deal of choice from Glasgow. The nearest Darwin Escapes Resort is Dundonald Links Resort, which is only 40 minutes away. However, it's really a golfing holiday sort of place rather than somewhere to take the children.
Your next closest options are in the Lake District, which are more than two hours away by car. Keswick Reach Lodge Retreat or Thanet Well Lodge Retreat are your best options.
See our main guide to places to stay near Glasgow.
Your next closest options are in the Lake District, which are more than two hours away by car. Keswick Reach Lodge Retreat or Thanet Well Lodge Retreat are your best options.
See our main guide to places to stay near Glasgow.
Which Darwin Escapes Resorts gets the best and worst reviews?
Review scores don't tell you everything, but they're a good start. We added together scores from our two favourite reviews site - Google Reviews and TripAdvisor. We then crunched the numbers to come up with a percentage and ranked them from highest to lowest:
We didn't include these three owners-only resorts:
- Canterbury Reach Lodge Retreat, Kent - 93%
- Sandymouth Holiday Resort, Cornwall - 92% (read the blog about our visit to Sandymouth)
- Beach Cove Coastal Retreat, Devon - 92%
- Dundonald Links Resort, Scotland - 92%
- Tilford Woods Lodge Retreat, Surrey - 92%
- Mullion Cove Coastal Retreat, Cornwall - 91%
- Wareham Forest Lodge Retreat, Dorset - 91%
- Plas Isaf Lodge Retreat, North Wales - 91%
- Bath Mill Lodge Retreat, Somerset - 91% (read the blog about our visit to Bath Mill Lodge Retreat)
- Hawkchurch Resort & Spa, Devon - 90%
- Blenheim Palace Lodge Retreat, Oxfordshire - 90%
- Keswick Reach Lodge Retreat, Lake District - 90%
- Rivendale Lodge Retreat, Peak District - 90%
- Piran Meadows Resort, Cornwall - 89%
- The Springs Resort & Golf Club, Oxfordshire - 89%
- Thanet Well Lodge Retreat, Lake District - 88%
- Woodside Coastal Retreat, Isle of Wight - 86% (read the blog about our visit to Woodside Coastal Retreat)
- Cheddar Woods Resort & Spa, Somerset - 86% (read the blog about our visit to Cheddar Woods Resort & Spa)
- Stratford-upon-Avon Lodge Retreat, Warwickshire - 84%
- Woodside Bay Lodge Retreat, Isle of Wight - 82%
- Norfolk Woods Resort & Spa, Norfolk - 82% (read the blog about our visit to Norfolk Woods Resort & Spa)
- Kilnwick Percy Resort & Golf Club, Yorkshire - 80%
- Talacre Beach Resort, North Wales - 76%
We didn't include these three owners-only resorts:
- Aberconwy Resort & Spa, North Wales
- New Pines Holiday Home Park, North Wales
- Seaview Holiday Home Park, North Wales
We enjoyed our visit to Norfolk Woods Lodge Retreat - but it's a low scorer by Darwin Escapes high standards
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This was our view when we stayed at Sandymouth Holiday Resort in Cornwall
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That's a lot of numbers!
Yes, but the key thing is that more than half of the Darwin Escapes resorts get a score of 90% or more from reviewers. That really is outstanding.
Canterbury Reach Lodge Retreat is the highest rated overall, but there are several with similar scores.
The only resort scoring less than 80% is Talacre Beach Resort in North Wales.
Let's see how that compares to other big holiday park brands.
These scores are correct at the time of writing (2025).
Canterbury Reach Lodge Retreat is the highest rated overall, but there are several with similar scores.
The only resort scoring less than 80% is Talacre Beach Resort in North Wales.
Let's see how that compares to other big holiday park brands.
- 57% of Darwin Escapes resorts score 90% or more from customers
- 9% of Park Holidays UK resorts score 90% or more from customers (see the full ranking)
- 4% of Away Resorts score 90% or more from customers (see the full ranking)
- 3% of Parkdean Resorts score 90% or more from customers (see the full ranking)
- 0% of Haven resorts score 90% or more from customers (our top 10)
- 0% of Butlins resorts score 90% or more from customers (read more)
- 0% of Center Parcs score 90% or more from customers (read more)
These scores are correct at the time of writing (2025).
We liked the leafy surroundings at Bath Mill Lodge Retreat
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This is the beach at Woodside Bay Lodge Retreat on the Isle of Wight
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Which Darwin Escapes have a swimming pool?
It's important to realise that Darwin Escapes generally don't offer the same range of facilities that you get at Butlins, Center Parcs or the bigger resorts from Haven and Parkdean Resorts.
However, there are seven Darwin Escapes with an indoor swimming pool, including:
However, there are seven Darwin Escapes with an indoor swimming pool, including:
- Cheddar Woods Resort & Spa in Somerset
- Norfolk Woods Resort & Spa in Norfolk
- Hawkchurch Resort & Spa in Devon
- Piran Meadows Resort in Cornwall
- Sandymouth Holiday Resort in Cornwall
- Talacre Beach Resort in North Wales
- The Springs Resort & Golf Club in Oxfordshire
The swimming pool at Norfolk Woods can be found in this building
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Our lovely view of Somerset when we stayed at Cheddar Woods Resort
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Which Darwin Escapes resorts are close to a beach?
Only about half of the Darwin Escapes are near to the sea. That sets them apart from Haven, Parkdean Resorts and Butlins, where the vast majority are close to a beach.
Here are the ones to consider if beach proximity is your priority, from closest to furthest:
Here are the ones to consider if beach proximity is your priority, from closest to furthest:
- Woodside Bay Lodge Retreat and Woodside Coastal Retreat on the Isle of Wight - 1 minute walk from the beach. These two resorts are basically one resort in two halves (we've been to them both several times). Woodside Coastal Retreat has the better sea views and some lodges are practically on the beach. Woodside Bay Lodge Retreat has a woodland between it and the beach, so you don't get such unrestricted sea views. The beach is quite rustic and is mostly shingle, with some rough sand.
- Beach Cove Coastal Retreat in Devon is a 1 minute walk from the beach. They only have one bedroom properties, and it is aimed at couples rather than families.
- Mullion Cove Coastal Retreat in Cornwall is a 5-minute walk to the beach.
- Talacre Beach Resort in North Wales is a 10 minute walk from the beach.
- Sandymouth in Cornwall is a 20 minute walk to the beach. It's an excellent beach and we enjoyed visiting several times when we stayed at Sandymouth.
- Dundonald Links Resort is a 5-minute drive to the beach.
- Hawkchurch Resort and Spa in Devon is a 10-minute drive to the beaches around Charmouth and Lyme Regis.
- Piran Meadows Resort in Cornwall is a 15-minute drive to the beach at Newquay.
- Wareham Forest Lodge Retreat in Dorset is in a coastal area but isn't very near to a beach. The nearest sandy beach is about 15 minutes away by car.
- Plas Isaf Lodge Retreat in North Wales is a 25 minute drive to the beach
We enjoyed exploring the beach at Sandymouth, which has a good mix of rocks and sandy patches
Which Darwin Escapes is cheapest?
We just looked at one set of peak time dates for our price comparison. More specifically, we looked for a week's holiday for two adults and two children early August 2026. We went for the cheapest lodge available and didn't include upgrades such as hot tubs.
Here they are, from cheapest to most expensive.
Beach Cove Coastal Retreat in Devon only has one-bedroom accommodation, so we didn't include it in our price comparison. We also excluded Dundonald Links Resort in Scotland, which offers golf breaks.
Here they are, from cheapest to most expensive.
- Talacre Beach Resort, North Wales - £665
- Thanet Well Lodge Retreat, Lake District - £669
- Canterbury Reach Lodge Retreat, Kent - £745
- Hawkchurch Resort & Spa, Devon - £765
- Keswick Reach Lodge Retreat, Lake District - £799
- Plas Isaf Lodge Retreat, North Wales - £845
- Sandymouth Holiday Resort, Cornwall - £859
- Kilnwick Percy Resort & Golf Club, Yorkshire - £869
- Stratford-upon-Avon Lodge Retreat, Warwickshire - £869
- Wareham Forest Lodge Retreat, Dorset - £889
- Bath Mill Lodge Retreat, Somerset - £895
- Cheddar Woods Resort & Spa, Somerset - £895
- The Springs Resort & Golf Club, Oxfordshire - £919
- Tilford Woods Lodge Retreat, Surrey - £949
- Woodside Bay Lodge Retreat, Isle of Wight - £959
- Rivendale Lodge Retreat, Peak District - £1005
- Piran Meadows Resort, Cornwall - £1009
- Norfolk Woods Resort & Spa, Norfolk - £1155
- Woodside Coastal Retreat, Isle of Wight - £1265
- Mullion Cove Coastal Retreat, Cornwall - £1409
- Blenheim Palace Lodge Retreat, Oxfordshire - £1535
Beach Cove Coastal Retreat in Devon only has one-bedroom accommodation, so we didn't include it in our price comparison. We also excluded Dundonald Links Resort in Scotland, which offers golf breaks.
Kilnwick Percy is a mid-table performer in our price comparison
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We liked the spacious accommodation at Kilnwick Percy
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Our conclusions - how to find the right Darwin Escapes resort for you
The first thing to say about Darwin Escapes is that they have an exceptionally good record on customer reviews. The majority of their resorts are achieving scores of 90% or more, which blows other competitors out of the water. That's also been our experience - we've been to several Darwin Escapes ourselves and are yet to find one we didn't like.
Picking the best for you will depend on your priorities.
If a short drive is your priority, then your decision will be quite easy. From London, I would start with Canterbury Reach Lodge Retreat, which combines outstanding reviews with good value. From Manchester, go for Rivendale Lodge Retreat if you want the rolling hills of Derbyshire or Plas Isaf Lodge Retreat if you want to be able to drive to the beach. If you're travelling from Birmingham, I would either go for Rivendale Lodge Retreat or Stratford-upon-Avon Lodge Retreat. From Glasgow, go for Keswick Reach Lodge Retreat or Thanet Well Lodge Retreat, depending on which is cheaper for your holiday.
However, if we put driving distances aside then my top three looks like this:
I'd also like to give an honourable mention to Woodside Coastal Retreat on the Isle of Wight. It didn't score particularly highly on reviews or prices compared to some resorts (and it doesn't have a pool) but it's my personal favourite. This is almost entirely because of its sea views. We've managed to get front row lodges a couple of times and have loved watching ships sail past.
Picking the best for you will depend on your priorities.
If a short drive is your priority, then your decision will be quite easy. From London, I would start with Canterbury Reach Lodge Retreat, which combines outstanding reviews with good value. From Manchester, go for Rivendale Lodge Retreat if you want the rolling hills of Derbyshire or Plas Isaf Lodge Retreat if you want to be able to drive to the beach. If you're travelling from Birmingham, I would either go for Rivendale Lodge Retreat or Stratford-upon-Avon Lodge Retreat. From Glasgow, go for Keswick Reach Lodge Retreat or Thanet Well Lodge Retreat, depending on which is cheaper for your holiday.
However, if we put driving distances aside then my top three looks like this:
- Sandymouth Holiday Resort is the winner for me, as it combines a high review score with good value prices, an indoor swimming pool and a great beach about a mile away. We stayed at Sandymouth a few years ago and loved it.
- Hawkchurch Resort & Spa in Devon is a close runner up for me. It performed well in our comparisons of reviews and prices. It's also got a swimming pool and a beach within a short drive.
- Canterbury Reach Lodge Retreat is worth a mention as it scores very well on both review scores and prices.
I'd also like to give an honourable mention to Woodside Coastal Retreat on the Isle of Wight. It didn't score particularly highly on reviews or prices compared to some resorts (and it doesn't have a pool) but it's my personal favourite. This is almost entirely because of its sea views. We've managed to get front row lodges a couple of times and have loved watching ships sail past.
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