Parkdean Resorts California Cliffs Holiday Park in Norfolk Review

Does California Cliffs live up to the sunshine-implied name?

Search latest deals at 
California Cliffs
​Holiday Park

I must admit part of the reason that I wanted to visit California Cliffs Holiday Park was because of the spectacular sounding name. My visit coincided with warm August weather, and I was successfully convincing myself that I was in the sunshine state until it clouded over 10 minutes later.

The first thing to mention is that California Cliffs is the sister resort to Summerfields Holiday Park, which is practically next door. They are both owned by Parkdean Resorts and you can use facilities at either, regardless of which one you stay at.

Having visited both, my opinion is that California Cliffs is the better of the two, but you may find that Summerfields is cheaper for the dates you are looking at - so you could bag yourself a cheap holiday and then use the facilities at California Cliffs.

California Cliffs also gets slightly better customer reviews - you can read more about that in our main guide to the best holiday parks in Great Yarmouth.

---

Wandering around the site at California Cliffs

And what are the facilities like at California Cliffs Holiday Park? 

I'd say that they are pretty good but I have seen Parkdean Resorts with a wider range of things to do. The swimming pool is nice as it has an indoor and outdoor section, which are linked together. When I visited, it was jam-packed and there were lots of people enjoying the outdoor pool on what was a really lovely spell of weather.

This connecting pool setup avoids the embarassing dash that you sometimes have to do at other holiday parks when you want to swim in both pools.

We experienced this on a recent visit to Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park on the Isle of Wight. I'm surprised that more holiday parks don't use this technique of linking together the two pools, perhaps with a lazy river (yes ,I know there are some but I wouldn't say it's the case at the majority of the many holiday parks that I have visited around the UK).

You can just about see the outdoor swimming pool slide in this photo

The indoor pool leads to an outdoor pool (top left hand corner). This is one of the 'official' Parkdean photos rather than one of mine

The sports court, mini golf and playground at California Cliffs are looking in pretty good shape. The park doesn't have the big range of spectacular things that you get at Parkdean's Action-Packed Parks, but there's certainly enough to spend a little bit of time before you go down to the beach

We spotted several pay-to-play activities including mini karts and mini golf

One of the free playgrounds at Parkdean Resorts California Cliffs Holiday Park

You can just about see people wearing giant inflatable balls bumping into each other in the sports court!

Pedal kart hire is a popular activity at California Cliffs Holiday Park

The reception area is well maintained at California Cliffs Holiday Park

There's a small onsite shop at California Cliffs Holiday Park

---

Inspecting the view at ​California Cliffs Holiday Park

As I wandered around the site of California Cliffs, I was interested to know whether any of the caravans have a sea view. The short answer is that you're very unlikely to have a sea view, but it's not impossible.

The site is flat, which is unsurprising as it's in Norfolk, and is over the road from a steep cliff with a slope that leads onto the beach. I did find perhaps half a dozen caravans with a sea view but the vast majority don't (take a look at Haven Hopton in Norfolk if that's more important to you)

Those caravans that do have a sea view overlook a road before they see the sea, but it's still a sea view of sorts. 

These caravans overlook a road, with the cliffs on the other side

You can just about see the sea behind the cars parked over the road from this caravan

---

Scenery and holiday park vibe

I wouldn't say that California Cliffs is a particularly leafy or scenic holiday park, but it is quite typical of the smaller to mid-sized Parkdean Resorts site. I got more of a seaside vibe from Haven Caister-on Sea as it leads more directly onto the beach, but I'm being quite picky now. 

Some parts of California Cliffs Holiday Park are leafier than others

---

Caravan accommodation and posher upgrades

Most of the accommodation we saw at California Cliffs Holiday Park was the usual caravans that you get with Parkdean Resorts. These range in size and facilities, but most of them are two or three bedroom properties. Those with a lot of patience might like to read our detailed guide to Parkdean's caravan grading system.

Most accommodation at California Cliffs Holiday Park are caravans like these

We didn't see any other unusual accommodation options at California Cliffs (e.g. glamping) but we did see a small number of swankier properties which looked more spacious.

We did spot a small number of larger caravans and lodges

---

Heading to the beach!

Getting to the beach from California Cliffs is easy. You head out the main entrance to the park, take a short walk down the road and then go down a slope

The beach was probably my favourite thing about California Cliffs and it's close enough that you could do a quick walk in an evening rather than it becoming a big event where you have to drive pack everything into the car. The beach has beautiful sand and extends for a very long way.

The other thing I like about it is that you get a high view from the cliff top before you get onto the beach. If you are visiting Haven Caister-on-Sea (for example) then you don't get this cliff top view, which is something of a treat. 

Quite a few people were sat on benches at the top enjoying the beach without actually going onto it (I should point out that the Haven resort I mentioned does have a seating area overlooking the beach but is not quite as high up). I imagined my grandparents sitting here whilst the grandchildren played on the beach below.

The weather is quite changeable around this part of the coast and you do sometimes get sideways winds that will throw the sand in your face. But if it's not too windy then it's a lovely place to spend a bit of time. I particularly enjoyed sitting on a wall and watching all the goings on with the sand dunes in front of me.

This slope is practically over the road from the entrance to California Cliffs Holiday Park

Help yourself to a beach toy!

I beg your pardon?

This amusement arcade is just outside California Cliffs Holiday Park

---

A quick summary of our visit to California Cliffs Holiday Park

Anyway, my overall impression of California cliffs is a very positive one. It's not the swankiest and shiniest holiday park I've ever seen but it's got the main things that we look for and a truly lovely beach not far away.

---

Most of the photos on Holiday Park Guru are original photos that we’ve taken ourselves from our own visits to 100+ holiday parks around the UK. Please don’t use them without permission.