Ribby Hall Village — Local services in Borough of Fylde

We came as a party of 7 (4 adults 3 kids) We arrived on Friday early afternoon, check in wasn't supposed to be until 4 but we enquired about early check in and were given the keys, and told as long as there was a tab on the door (to show it was clean) we were welcome to enter the cottage. No charge. Big ✓ on service there! The cottage (poppy) was clean and tidy and nicely decorated if perhaps some furniture was showing signs of wear. The mattresses were firmer than we're used to, so if you like a soft mattress, I would recommend bringing something to cushion it. As soon as we'd got settled we played on 2 of the impressive play parks they have for children and then had lunch at the pancake house which was delicious. After lunch we took the kids swimming in the fantastic pool! Wow! Compact enough to keep eyes on all 3 kids but big enough for a good swim. The elder two (4 & 6 had great fun going down the big racer slides while the 2yo kept us busy in the kiddy pool which has slides, water fountains and falls and was absolutely perfect for her age! Even the older two enjoyed playing in there over the weekend too! After swimming we changed into evening clothes and went to the hive for dinner & entertainment! The kids' entertainment was wonderful and although they started off shy, they were eventually running round the dancefloor having the time of their lives! After that came bingo, with generous prizes for both a line and house (didn't win unfortunately, but would have been a great start to the holiday!) Then we listened to the amazing singer Joeley (sorry if I didn't spell that quite right!) who was utterly fabulous (and also performed during the kids entertainment). Her voice was truly amazing and I feel privileged to have heard her sing! I went back to the cottage buzzing! The next day we awoke and noticed the deer and wallabies out of the window! Our cottage was right next to their enclosure! Then we abandoned the kids with their grandparents and made use of the spa. We booked the aqua thermal journey. Be prepared for an amazing relaxing morning. There is a variety of saunas and steam rooms, pedidarium, spa pools and general relaxing areas. If I lived closer I would be there every week. It was so good for my mental health to have the morning off! It was very clean and welcoming and had a very calming atmosphere. Afterwards we had a top rate lunch in the restaurant. The food was seasonal and well put together. Very tasty indeed! After a quick nap it was back to the reality of parenthood! We had signed the kids up for mini fencing which went really well! It's so good for them to try new things, and they had a blast! Then more fun in the play park before changing for dinner at the hive and more entertainment, again, excellent, the UV disco was a hit and the kids loved the pack of glow sticks we bought them from treasures (and the adults too!). Next day after another swim we walked down to the climbing wall which was fun, although 10 mins was not enough time for the kids who would have climbed for another 20 mins easily. (That is what they're used to at our local climbing wall, though that is much bigger with more walls to choose from). It might be ok for non regular climbers but I think the option to climb for 30 mins would be good. Then we went for a walk round one of the woodland trails and down to the hive for polarbear showtime. My middle son and I were falling asleep during the story which was a nice calm activity. We had an early dinner then went into Blackpool to see the illuminations 😍 which was an easy 15 min drive. Next day we packed up & checked out and then made use of the fun tower and pool before we left. What a fantastic fun packed weekend! We'd love to return! Things to note, we ate in the Hive for two nights and found the food decent and priced as you would expect (about what other holiday parks are charging). No washing machine provided but the laundrette was quick and easy to use and cost £13 to wash and dry a load. There was so much more to do and the midweek activities...

Weekend Break We stayed here on a weekend break (Friday - Monday) in the Poppy Cottage for our son's 5th birthday. The cottage was lovely and clean, we even had a lady knock on and ask if we were happy with everything which I thought was lovely. The living room and kitchen were well set out and open plan. The bedrooms were spacious also - however the mattresses were incredibly uncomfortable. I think there was more given in a concrete slab. Every night there it took me a long time to get to sleep, maintain my sleep and then I woke in the morning in so much pain from it. My husband was the same and my boys were saying their beds were uncomfortable too. We had cot hire for our 2 year old. Only minimal bedding is provided, so best to bring some extra for your little one. The en suite and family bathroom was very well presented. However the water temperature wasn't consistent. We couldn't run a bath and have the water any warmer than luke warm. We had to add water from the kettle to bring the temperature up. Some of the kitchen utensils were looking a little worn out. But the use of a dishwasher was an added bonus. We also had trouble with the heating system. Even when turned up full the cottage never felt warm. Probably because it was wooden window frames and we could clearly see the blind in the kitchen window move due to a draft. There's also no blind / nets in the bedrooms so you have to keep the curtains closed until your dressed otherwise your neighbours are going to spot you in your birthday suit. We had some rather noisy neighbours. They continued to scrap the dining chairs across the kitchen until the early hours and stood by the front door (next to the master bedroom) smoking and talking rather loudly. As for the site, we didn't overally do that much. We visited the indoor play area, which we give a 6/10 on as it was free but run down on the exterior and no where to sit to really watch the kids. The swimming complex wasn't as impressive as we expected. The water was cold and we only warmed up when getting into the hot tub - 6/10. The outdoor play area was great for the kids but separated into different ages groups, so can be difficult to do everything for everyone in one go - 8/10. Papa John's was super expensive. The shop was reasonable depending on what we brought, which wasn't much. The tea room next to the shop was also expensive but decided to go their for our son's birthday lunch. £2 minimum for a brownie / shortbread each. Children's meals don't include a drink or pudding - but you do get good portions. Came to almost £50 for us to have main meals for 2 adults / 3 children. Drinks for the kids and 2 rounds of tea / coffee for us. Plus a cake each for pudding. We did go back there on our final morning to save the rush of cleaning up again. Another £30 for breakfast. All in all, it was a good stay, minus the cold and the mattresses. I would go again, but not for the prices I've seen them charge. They do have a wildlife centre on site but found that expensive too so didn't bother. Same goes for the paid activities. It's nicer than centre parcs in the respect you can park right outside your cottage for the entire stay and leave the site at will. Overall it's a 7/10 from us. I think it depends on what you're looking for...

Cottage Clean, but not immaculate. We were in an older property (Poppy) that is definitely showing signs of wear and tear but then it was also the cheapest property. First day we didn't have hot water. They couldnt get it fixed the first night or the morning of the next day. So we got moved to a Sapphire. They gave us the keys but when we got there it wasn't ready. We did eventually get in, and it was significantly nicer than the Poppy although not perfect. We had a flickering light in the bathroom but by this point we couldn't face complaining again. Pool Not very clean, all just a bit run down. Quite small but they were limiting the number of people going in so it wasn't over crowded. Couple of slides and a themed water play area for the kids. Just about acceptable but nothing to get excited about. Activities Limited offerings as we went out of "peak" season. Wasn't well advertised before we booked that there wouldn't be much on offer. When we got there , the screen in reception said there was various things available but when we asked they weren't on. We did archery which was really good fun, I would recommend this. We hired bikes which for £5 an hour I thought was good value. We cycled the Woodland Trail, there and back, which took just under an hour. A few bumpy bits but not too challenging. There were loads of children's play parks around the site which was actually one of the main plus points. Adults avoid the zip wire though, it's not made for our weight and I found that out the hard way! Arcades were small, nothing much else to say. Entertainment Let's face it, most of the evening entertainment at these places feels the same, whether it's Haven, Butlins or Ribby Hall. We experienced the "animal madness fun time"- definitely aimed at the under 5s cash bingo - it is what it is but I will say the prizes were very good (£150 cash for house) "pop rewind" - not terrible "Live cabaret" - indiscernable from pop rewind, same people singing "Songs from stage and screen" - still the same singers but deffo the best show of the week Food offerings We went to the nearby Aldi which was a 10min drive for all the basics. Spar on site wasn't cheap but not super expensive either, okay for emergencies. We ate at the Hive. The food was fine, relatively big portions, but very expensive for what it was. I wouldn't recommend it. We also had coffee and cake at Blend which was nice enough but quite expensive again. Overall A bit of a disappointment and probably wouldn't come back. Have heard it compared to Centre Parcs before and I can see that's what they're aiming for but it just doesn't hit the...