BIG4 Caloundra Waterfront — Attraction in Sunshine Coast Regional

We checked in late to Big4, the communication prior to check in was excellent and we were able to access our villa easily. The slider door to our villa was an absolutely mission to both unlock/lock and slide. However we made it in and found our villa was presented beautifully and was clean, well equipped with all the utensils and basics (but no facecloths). The pool on arrival was lit up and looked tranquil and exceptionally inviting, however the pool closes at 6pm, so the lights were only for show and it was a bit disappointing that the pool closed so early. On waking the following morning, the kids were in the pool on opening - 8am and it was even better then the photos show. The slides were a massive hit with kids & adults! The views from our villa were stunning overlooking the passage and the deck provided plenty of space and shade from the sun. The downside that it had the foreshore walkway between the villa and the water, so we had hundreds of people walking past everyday and little privacy.

We bought 2 coffees from the van on site, however the were the most disgusting, coffee less coffees we had ever had. I returned them to the van, they tried to “fix” them, but they were gross. That was the only time we bought coffee from there, finding many great cafes not far from BIG4.

The biggest knock to our stay, was when my daughter couldn’t have her hair braided by Braidz Boss a outside business Big 4 advertises on their website. This was a service we had booked in advance for a treat for our daughter and she had been looking forward to it so much!! We had kept her out of the pool prior to her booked time of 9am, however they never showed up. I called reception only to be told Braidz Boss wasn’t coming that day. I explained that I had a confirmation email from BIG4 the day before (which shows it comes from Big 4, I also forwarded this to reception to show them, as they said it didn’t come from Big 4)and it confirmed I had the correct day & time. After a phone call they learned she was coming and was running late. Apparently she had tried to call my phone (which I had on me the whole time, but apparently she can’t call NZ numbers), but she hadn’t thought to call reception to let them know. Clearly no common sense!! We had this point decided to get on with our day as we had already put off doing things because of her hair appointment. The lady at reception was incredibly apologetic and did offer to book her for later in the day, however we couldn’t do that due to other plans. My daughter was so disappointed on retuning to the park to see other girls with their hair done. I did receive an email from Braidz boss offering a discounted service, but it was for the same day, which wasn’t going to work and a discount doesn’t make up for the time we lost that morning. Holidays are expensive and time with family precious!!!! I also requested some facecloths that had be missing from our villa from reception which were going to be brought to the Villa, however they never provided any, so we just bought a couple from a local store. All in all, Big 4 Caloundra is a beautiful holiday park, with the best pool out there. But we would choose other...

Untapped location in the heart of Caloundra. The crew at Big 4 are genuinely fun, welcoming and attentive. From being welcomed into the park at reception on arrival, to the grounds staff, the coffee van baristas and even the bin guy, the team are intune with 'relaxed family fun' and it's ever so clear the crew love their jobs!

Our family had a short but relaxing, quality stay with the extended family, with a range of ages from 1-70 yo. Everyone enjoyed themselves immensely, and we felt we had our own private space with our 'spick and span' cabin overlooking the stunning Pumicestone Passage. The cabins are well thought out designs, compact spaces where everything has its place and use. All we needed to bring were the cheeses for a charcuterie board, and of course a few bevvys for a chilled stay.

We walked into town, biked around the coastal pathway - which wraps around the park on the waters edge, laid by the pool, had coffees from their coffee van whilst the kids played on the jumping pillow. There were plenty of items to do to keep everyone with smiles on their faces and inclusive of the entire family. We were pleasantly surprised by the daily Big 4 text messages with things to do, family games and even a movie night - these messages were just enough to prompt even more fun. Big 4 do a great job of communicating at the right time so you don't have to think about what's next - as guests we went along with the flow which allowed us to relax even more.

Restaurants and cafes are a short walk - parking the car for the duration of our stay was helpful to us and allowed for even more peace not having to rush a big family here there and everywhere. We are looking forward to their new restaurant opening for our next stay, which means we won't have to leave the park grounds if we don't want to.

Our family thoroughly enjoyed our stay and thank the Big 4 team immensely.

We're already planning our...

We stayed in a Banksia cabin for 5 nights with a 5 and 2 year old. We had a great stay, and would overall recommend for families wanting somewhere in a great location, close to lots of Sunshine Coast attractions. ||Pros: |* Lovely clean, modern villa; very well equipt. Everything worked, tea/coffee, salt/pepper provided. |* Easy check in, great communication |* Exceptional clean - all facilities and right through the caravan park. Saw lots of staff cleaning and picking up rubbish. Was very impressed. |* Has an app that lists all the available activities, park map and FAQ - a great idea |* Free activities for kids, they loved the cookie decorating and wildlife encounter. Face painter was amazing, Jumping pillow was a big hit |* Loved the games/activities in the restaurant area for kids. |* Homely feel, veggie gardens |* Amazing location, close to everything, short walk to Bullock beach (very kid friendly beach) |* Beautiful pool area, very clean and 2 super fun water slides ||Cons: |* No brakes on trundle bed - not sure if we just didn’t see them but we couldn’t use it as it kept rolling around; was actually quite unsafe for our preschooler as it skidded out from under him. |* Pool was quite cold - didn’t feel like 26-27 degrees, our son enjoyed it but was too cold for our baby. |* Very slippery on the sandstone area leading into the shallow area of pool, actually quite dangerous for the little kids who slipped serval times. Saw other kids also slip and fall backwards. |* No onsite playground |* No oven in villa, just microwave & induction cooktop, ended up cooking our frozen pizzas on the BBQ in camp kitchen. Wouldn’t have been a problem usually but we did our click and collect order on the way from the airport before we realised! |* Didn’t enjoy our meal at the onsite restaurant unfortunately, chicken snitzel was so dry it was inedible, beef brisket was very fatty and bland. Wouldn’t eat...