Choosing A Holiday Park in Newquay Cornwall

Looking to choose a holiday in Newquay, Cornwall this year?.

One option is to stay on a Newquay Holiday Park. The advantage of these is they are quite a cheap form of self-catering and the campsite will have facilities such as entertainment, swimming pool, shop, takeaway and activities for children.

However, when having a holiday in Newquay, if you aren't familiar with the holiday parks available and the Newquay town layout you will need to choose your holiday park carefully to get the best position and holiday park that meets your needs, whether you are a family, a couple or a group of teens.

Newquay itself has no caravan parks at or near the beach. They are all up to 2 miles inland. Here's an overview of your Newquay holiday park options:

Trenance Caravan Park, Newquay, is great for families or older people. It is the closest caravan park to Newquay town. Location wise, it is next to the Zoo and by the boating lake. If you arrive by train then it is about a 15 minute walk (weight of your suitcases depending!) but it is all downhill. Trenance Caravan Park is a family caravan park, it is very small and doesn't have many extra facilities.

Rosecliston Caravan Park is best for singles and couples. Definitely a young crowd.

The Rosecliston camp site is about 2 miles out of Newquay town. At night it is dark to walk to, along a narrow road, although I think there may be a footpath there now, it certainly isn't a walk I'd want to do on my own, both in terms of personal safety and traffic safety.

Porth Beach Tourist Park is ideal for families.

It is close to Porth Beach, Newquay, which is the outer edges of Newquay but has a great beach. Town is about 2 miles away, but buses run in the summer season until about 3am as they take people to/from Trevelgue.This is a good clean site.

What's good about Porth Beach is the variety it brings you. The sand is soft, there's a very shallow stream that runs down through the beach, ideal for toddlers paddling. Further out there are rocks and caves to explore - at low tide you can walk through to Whipsiderry Beach on one side and Lusty Glaze Beach on the other - although I'd not recommend this unless somebody knew you were going there and you knew the tide times. People have been caught out.

There's also the Mermaid Pub, which is right on the side of the beach and has a very large, and very affordable, menu of food.  I have eaten there a number of times and the portions are large.  The Mermaid pub isn't one where you'll find any trouble, it's a families/food pub.

Hendra Holiday Park is the largest holiday park and camping ground in the Newquay area.

Independently run, it is family-centred and very clean and secure. Again, you will find this park 2.5 miles out of town, but there is a regular bus service into town throughout the day and evening.

Hendra Holiday Park is just about ½ a mile from the Morrisons supermarket and petrol station (neither are open 24 hours). It has a club on-site, or there's the Kings Head along the road (walkable).

Hendra is also home to the Waterworld Swimming Pool, with flumes.  Note that there will need to purchase a pass if you wish to use this facility.

The park itself is a Bellamy Gold Award holder, with 5 stars.  This Bellamy Award is given for: the highest possible grading, parks are judged to be meeting exceptional quality standards. They go beyond the norm in terms of quality provision. They exceed the highest standards of the industry. Expect to be surprised by what you find: pristine conditions, thoughtful and sympathetic landscaping and immaculate standards of cleanliness the crème-de-la crème.

Trevelgue Holiday Park bills itself as a family venue, but it does have a lot of young people events that you might not wish to be a part of - so watch out that you don't mistakenly book into those dates and expect a quiet week (e.g. Run to the Sun weekend and the Mini Rally).

Trevelgue is tucked away a mile or so inland and so not an easy walk to the beach. It is about 3-3.5 miles from Newquay town centre.  They organise buses to run until about 3am in the peak seasons.

Sunnyside  - this was a Club 18-30 holiday campsite for singles... The campsite has now closed down and the land is being used for second homes / holiday homes in Newquay - a new development of luxury cedar cabins for the posh crowd! There is a new Sunnyside Hotel that opened in Newquay town for 2007, which overlooks Towan Beach.

Tip: If you are booking holiday chalets, holiday caravans, mobile homes, campsites, or motorhome pitches in Newquay, then check the actual location of the holiday camp site. Many will align themselves to Newquay, yet actually be a number of miles inland. Make sure you don't arrive by plane or train, expecting to be within a mile of town, only to find you're right out in the countryside without even a bus service.

Have a good holiday.