Pleasurewood Hills Family Theme Park — Attraction in East Suffolk

Pleasurewood Hills Family Theme Park – Review

I visited Pleasurewood Hills today with my family, and unfortunately, I was very disappointed with the overall condition of the park. From the moment we entered, it was clear that the grounds and facilities have not been maintained to an acceptable standard. Pathways were poorly kept, with overgrown bushes and brambles encroaching on walkways and even hitting guests while riding the classic train attraction. This lack of basic upkeep creates not only an unpleasant atmosphere but also potential safety hazards.

We also went on the Cannibal Express, which is in desperate need of attention. While standing in the queue, the surroundings looked neglected, with peeling paint, weeds, and a general feeling of disrepair. The appearance reminded me of something out of a horror film, which is not what you expect from a family-friendly day out. Sadly, this level of neglect wasn’t isolated — most of the rides across the park looked dirty, overgrown, or broken. As someone with experience auditing multi-million-pound holiday parks and managing award-winning groundworks projects, I can confidently say that Pleasurewood Hills would fail even the most basic inspection of standards. The lack of care from the grounds team is glaring, and frankly, management should take responsibility for allowing the park to fall into this state. And please, don’t excuse the mess and rubble around the park by saying it is due to “ongoing upgrades” — some of the damage and poor condition has clearly been left unattended for well over a year.

For my family of five (two adults, three children), entry and parking cost us £90. At that price point, visitors should expect a safe, well-maintained environment and attractions that are fully operational. Unfortunately, many rides were either substandard or barely working. For example, the Rotten Tootin’ Target Trail ride was so poorly lit and malfunctioning that we spent eight minutes sitting in near-total darkness. Several arcade machines were out of order as well, which only added to the sense that the park is being neglected.

Food was another letdown. Prices were extremely high compared to quality. For lunch, we purchased two pizzas, four cokes, and one coffee, which came to an astonishing £50. This kind of pricing might be more acceptable if the overall park experience justified it, but given the conditions, it felt unreasonable.

The only saving grace of our visit was the entertainment. The animal displays and the circus show were well-presented and enjoyable, and they provided the only real value during our day. Without these, we would have left feeling that our visit was a complete waste.

Overall, I can only give Pleasurewood Hills two stars — and that is purely because of the animal shows and circus. The rides, grounds, and facilities are in dire need of cleaning, repair, and proper management. It is a real shame, as this park has so much potential, but in its current state, it is falling far short of the standards expected from a family theme park.

Response to the park:

Thank you for your reply. However, I feel that some of the concerns raised are not being fully acknowledged. While repainting certain attraction buildings is a positive step, this alone does not reflect the overall condition of the park grounds.

An independent review or outside assessment may be helpful, as it would provide a clear and unbiased picture of areas that require attention — such as rubble removal, pathway maintenance, and general upkeep.

Recent photos from other visitors also highlight these same issues, suggesting that they are not isolated observations. Addressing constructive feedback openly will not only improve the visitor experience but also enhance the reputation of the park in...

Id just like to give my honest review on the park as it was on Friday 16th August...

We arrived half expecting rides to be closed and to get a fine as that was all the reviews talked about online. We had been 2 years ago with our 3 children plus baby so knew what to expect.

Parking: this is easy to sort if you book tickets online. Not only are the tickets cheaper (ours were only £20 a person which if you've been to any big parks is pretty cheap) but you can also pay for parking and they email you quickly with proof of parking. Makes it much easier when you arrive.

Signs were all over the car park reminding you about parking. No excuses really. You could argue that it's a bit money grab for them and to an extent I agree but since we got discounted tickets on the site it balanced out anyway.

Yes, the site is looking pretty run down. V v squeaky rides that need a good oil, several buildings covered in ivy along with abandoned rides. Honestly it does look like a zombie film set in some parts.

However if you are there to entertain your kids then they don't notice anyway. My 11 year old and 8 year old loved every second. Even my 5 and 3 year olds managed to go on the majority of things they wanted. We arrived at opening time and did not leave till 4 pm. Honestly we have never stay in a theme park that long before there was somebody crying or being generally tired.

We took our own lunch as food is way overpriced. Fried chicken down at egg express is a joke. Something like £11 for one tiny serving is just daylight robbery. But we pre empted this as this is normally the case anywhere.

Circus was a bit lame if you have been to any decent circle before. Lady throwing a cube about, trapeze artist and someone juggling footballs. Also an arrogant presenter who wasn't remotely funny (kids found him hilarious though, so I guess that's all that matters). Show lasted about 25 mins which was long enough as the music was far too loud.

It was not busy considering its peak summer holiday season. We managed every ride available with v short or no queuing. Cannonball was painfully slow but that was because they only had one 8 seater train. An extra one would speed things up massively. It was my children's favourite ride.

The fact that it is not busy was a massive plus as we didn't have bored kids in queues. We were really whizzing round all day and accessed everything we wanted.

The BIG problem on the day was Wipeout. When we arrived it was closed. Eldest was v upset as that was all he wanted to see that day. We walked round to the ride before lunch and there were two staff milling about and were not able to answer whether or not it would be open. Come 3:30 pm (we were worn out by this point) it suddenly started being tested. My son ran across the park to see if it would be opening. Sure enough 4pm comes round and we managed to get to the front of the queue and get on. Happy son. However I think a lot of people had been complaining about the ride closure at the entrance and I'm sure many missed out on it on their visit. I would have been cross if we didn't get to go on.

Marble madness still closed and the small bouncy pole ride in the little kids section was being refurbished too. Not too bothered to miss out on marble madness as it is a bit rattly for us last time 🤣

All in all a v v enjoyable day with 6 hours spent in the park with v short breaks. The kids were shattered on the way home and we felt we got our monies worth.

Hope this...

We’ve visited Pleasurewood Hills twice now with our 9 year old twins. Both times had a very similar excellent experience.

This park is in a great location if you are staying on the Suffolk Coast. There is a Travelodge and Premier Inn within spitting distance as well as a huge Tesco superstore (handy if you want to buy a picnic) and the Potters Kiln Harvester (also recommended) which you can book a table and roll into for dinner at the end of your visit to Pleasurewood Hills.

The website is easy to use and offers various ticket options, you can book in advance to save money and don’t forget to prebook /prepay your car parking (not because parking is tricky but simply because it’s one less thing to do when you are there).

The park layout is a bit weird - a few ‘dead ends’ and signage is a bit lacking so I reckon you could easily miss stuff if you don’t concentrate.

The rides and attractions are plentiful and varied. Loads of rides for small children and a good deal of adult/older kid stuff. Of note the Wipeout is an extreme rollercoaster of a high quality that wouldn’t be out of place at a more premium theme park.

Both times we have visited the park it has been a weekend over a half term and it has never been overly busy, and queues have been minimal, the longest being 10 mins but on both visits we have had plenty of occasions where there has simply been no queue. My daughter and I riding Wipeout 5 times consecutively with no queue and on another visit my kids doing the same on Egg Express for about an hour (I reckon they rode that one about 20 times consecutively!) while we watched and drank coffee from a bench. It’s not unusual to get a ride all to yourself. We have never visited in the heat of the summer holidays though so unsure if this situation is the same in August.

There are also other attractions, a soft play for under 10’s, an absolutely brilliant sea lion display, on our second visit there was an insect display where the children could hold a hissing cockroach and view other creepy crawlies up close. On both visits we have spent the whole day 10am to 5pm at the park and not run out of things to do.

There are benches and places to eat a picnic dotted all over the place, including a couple of under cover options. Coffee/ice creams are reasonable and the booths are well located. Loads of clean toilets. Very civilised.

There is a great pizzeria on site with a bar serving draught beers which went down well at half time. There’s also a burger bar.

Overall I think you can tell I love this place, good value and great fun. Friendly staff and somewhere I am sure we will come back to again. Alton Towers it is not, but I think Pleasurewood Hills revels in the fact that it is a smaller and cheaper theme park and retains a certain charm that the bigger parks do not have.

If you can come and visit then do so because you will not be disappointed. If you want a fun day out in Suffolk that is not expensive then this is a...