Waverley Park Holiday Centre in East Cowes Review

Waverley Park is a highly rated holiday park near to the Red Funnel car ferry

There is a terrific choice of holiday parks on the Isle of Wight, including some run by big chains and some that are independently run. Waverley Park is the latter of those two and has built up a good reputation over the years. We wanted to see it for ourselves and paid it a visit this autumn.

For those of you who want to cut to the summary, I'll say that we thought it was a really charming and neat independent resort, which has an appealing nostalgic vibe to it.

Waverley Park has a nostalgic vibe

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First impressions and location of Waverley Park Holiday Centre

Cowes is on the north of the Isle of Wight, and is split into two. The west side of the town is known simply as Cowes whilst the east side is known as East Cowes. The west side is famous for the annual sailing regatta and is generally seen as the posher of the two sides of the town. However, East Cowes has a lot going for it as well, including Queen Victoria's former home at Osborne and (almost as impressively) a Waitrose. 

Waverley Park Holiday Centre is in a really good location in the town, on a gentle slope that leads right down to the esplanade. The beach at East Cowes is shingly and isn't really the sort of place that you would go for a swim or a day out, but the park leads straight onto a good playground. 

As we approached Waverley Park Holiday Centre for the first time, we weaved our way through houses before arriving at the leafy entrance. There are some lovely mature trees by the main car park. As you get further into the site you start to see the sea view. 

I would say that having this view adds a lot to this resort. You don't get a view from all of the caravans as many of them are side on but you will get a good view if you are camping or touring. The communal areas also have a great view.

We visited Waverley Park in autumn

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Accommodation at Waverley Park Holiday Centre

A good chunk of Waverley Park is taken up with static caravans. Most of them - I would say - are the 12 foot wide design and most of them don't have balconies. However, they are modern and not looking tatty. I believe that some of the site is owned privately as there are some caravans with more of a homely feel and decorations on the outside. 

Another large section of the site is reserved for motorhomes and campers. We visited towards the end of the season so there were a few motorhomes but it would have been a bit too cold for camping. 

As mentioned earlier, you'll get a really good view looking across to the River Medina and the estuary out into the Solent if you're staying in this area. 

The caravans are side on and lead down towards the sea

Some of the best views are from the camping and touring area

There's plenty of hardstanding for motorhomes

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Communal facilities at Waverley Park Holiday Centre 

The communal facilities at Waverley Park are bunched together, which we always think is a good move. It makes it much easier if you have children of different ages rather than having to keep moving around. The main entertainment is the outdoor swimming pool and the playground. We visited at the end of the season so the pool wasn't being used but it looked like it would be good fun in summer. 

The playground is very charming and quite quirky. An old boat has been repurposed and there's also a mini train, which looks to have been constructed by hand. Personally I love this sort of thing as it has a lovely nostalgic seaside feel to it.

There's also a pub on site called the Waverley where you get probably the best views on the whole site.

Waverley Park has an outdoor swimming pool with a slide

There's also a games room to keep you entertained

The playground has a quirky home-made feel

The onsite pub has good views of the sea

This is the other half of the playground at Waverley Park

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Final thoughts on the Waverley Park Holiday Centre 

We were very charmed by Waverley Holiday Park in East Cowes. It certainly isn't as large or as flashy as a lot of chain holiday parks. Instead, you get quite a nostalgic vibe and simple accommodation. It doesn't have grand lodges but if you just want simple accommodation, a sea view and a family-run vibe then I would put it on your short list. ​