CBeebies Land Hotel at Alton Towers Review

Around every corner you’ll be greeted with CBeebies characters and interactive play and entertainment areas, including a reception which has a central CBeebies Bugbie storybook feature with interactive lights and audio.

Situated outside the theme park, but still on Legoland property, you'll need to drive to the theme park from the hotel. It's about a 5 minute drive. The 76-room hotel has its own dedicated entertainment area and restaurant separate from the theme park.

With 42 standard rooms, 26 premium rooms and 8 suites, there are a range of rooms designed to sleep up to 7 people and 5 rooms that are fully wheelchair accessible.

As you'd expect each room is themed to a popular CBeebies show, there are Postman Pat, Something Special, Octonauts, In the Night Garden and Swashbuckle rooms.

Our family, (mum, dad and 2-year-old daughter Matilda) stayed in a Bugbies room, which costs £281 for a package including bed and breakfast, park tickets for 2 days, and added extras like early park entry.

What’s the room like?

The Bugbies room was amazing. It really gave us a feel of being immersed in CBeebies land, and was just exciting for us adults to see our daughter enjoying it so much.

The room is deceptively spacious with separate areas for the children and adults, without feeling completely detached from them.

There are no plain white walls as every surface is covered with some sort of mural, picture or CBeebies character, so if you’re a minimalist, it won’t be your ideal retreat.

Where do the kids sleep? How many children can sleep in the room?

The children’s area is designed for up to three children to sleep, with a bunk bed with a truckle bed underneath.

There is also a pull up travel cot in the drawer for babies should you need it. The children’s room had a separate TV - which initially turns onto the CBeeBies channel - a small entertainment area.

Every room has toddler friendly features such as bathroom steps to the sink, children’s toilet seats, baby baths and a cot.

Where do parents sleep?

Adults have a double bed partitioned away from the children’s area, that was so incredibly comfortable I wanted to take it back to my own home. It most certainly made for a sound night’s sleep for both myself and husband.

What’s the bathroom like?

The room also offers both an adult and child seat on the toilet and a stall in the bathroom. Our daughter could stand with us and brush her teeth and wash her hands, without the usual back pulling lift to get her over the basin.

What facilities are there in the room?

There were lovely additions to the room too; an abundant choice of different teas and coffees, water - still and sparkling - biscuits and Pringles, which is always a help when you get the late night hunger pangs and your child has drifted off to sleep for the night.

There were both adult and child standard sized toiletries in the bathroom that smelt simply luscious! A bag of CBeebies magazines and books such as Go Jetters and In the Night Garden that kept Matilda entertained.

All of the extra attention to detail went into making the room both comfortable and an enjoyable part of the experience, and made us more than happy to return to our room after a fun filled day.

Also in the room:

• Kettle with tea/coffee and biscuits
• Fridge
• TV
• Phone
• Safe
• Iron and ironing board

What’s breakfast like?

The Windmill restaurant seats 200 people and is divided into 3 areas: the castle area, library area and central area.

The breakfast was very tasty and was my preference over the evening meal.

Breakfast offers a large breakfast buffet, with a variation of cereals, fruit, juices, pastries and the option to create a full English should you want to fill up, ready for the day.

You can go up and fill up a plate as many times as your stomach desires. There is a selection of colourful plastic cutlery, bowls and plates for the children in difference sizes to suit all age ranges. Costa coffee is available at an extra cost.

Make a reservation where possible as the restaurant can fill up fairly quickly in the morning.

What’s the food like in the evening?

The evening food menu is not extensive - more applicable to the adult menu - but certainly offers staple meals which suit everyone’s tastes such as pasta, bangers and mash and a roast dinner.

There is also a pre-dinner salad cart. As well as a children’s menu, there is also an option to order a small, large or family size option on the “adult” menu.

The children’s menu comes with an ice cream flavor of your child’s choice. On arrival, a child gets handed a A4 card with the image of a pizza and a sheet of stickers and however the pizza is decorated, that is how the pizza is served, which was a lovely touch.

When asking for the meals with vegetables, you can ask the waiters/waitresses to recite what vegetables it includes if you want the reassurance that your child is getting the best of their five a day.

CBeebies characters walk around during the sitting to entertain the children - Matilda was very excited. They are given a pack of colours and sheets to stay occupied also. Should they not be able to sit still, there is a host of fun shows taking place with a peep through window from the restaurant to spectate. My husband and I took turns to let her participate in the fun whilst the other sat and had a moment’s quiet time. Perfect!

What’s the overall hotel experience like?

CBeebies Land Hotel most certainly goes out of the way to make their guest feel attended to and special.

From the moment you are greeted at reception to the minute you wave goodbye, you really feel immersed in the CBeebie magic that comes alive. You are only used to watching on the big screen.

I got a hug off Iggle Piggle as well as my daughter, and I certainly high fived a few CBeebie characters, because I felt a part of the magical CBeebie hotel experience too. I would recommend it to anyone with a preschool child.

Best bits for under 4’s in the hotel?

All of it. The hotel is perfect for all preschool children. There are constant activities and shows across the day, scheduled in every half an hour over 14 hours; ranging from meeting Bing, to dancing with Ubercorn, here's a full list:

• Andy’s Prehistoric Quest: Andy’s Time travelling clock is broken and has scattered priceless artefacts across the CBeebies Hotel. Help Andy to follow the clues and find the missing prehistoric items around the room.
• Swashbuckle Game Show: Those pesky pirates have stolen some of Gem’s jewels and she needs help to get it back. Join in the games as the quest to win the most jewels begins!
• Bing’s Sleepover: Bing and Flop have arrived at the CBeebies Land Hotel for their very own live show!
• Stargazing: As darkness falls and bedtime is just around the corner, join the CBeebies Land Hotel presenters and gaze up at the stars. Learn about the fascinating wonders of our solar system and the constellations.
• Disco: Bright, colourful and full of energy, little ones can learn their favourite dance moves at two lively discos, one of which features Ubercorn at the decks. Dance the night away before bedtime!
• Story time: Head to the CBeebies Land Hotel Library for some rest and relaxation before bedtime. With calming music, restful activities and story time, little ones can unwind after an action packed day.

Best bits for older children?

The hotel could still cater for children who are slightly older, such as 5 - 7 year olds but with the characters, activities and shows primarily based around preschool shows, this experiences would be best suited for children under 6/7.

What should you not spend money on?

I personally feel the evening meal could be slightly cheaper for a standard sized adult meal vs the quality however you really do buy into the experience of it all which is a completely redeems this minor fault.

Any downsides?

We did have to wait some time for our food but that could have been due to the fact that it was the opening of the hotel and the staff are finding their feet, this however was such a minor downside and there was so much to occupy our daughter in the meantime.

Is it worth it?

Yes! Families get so much for the price that would be really quite happy to spend money on almost all of it. Compared to a similar package at the Legoland Castle Hotel (£572) it’s much cheaper.

You can stay after checkout for as long as you’d like so you could make a visit across two days should you wish. There is no area of the hotel that allows the child to be unoccupied at any point in time.

For what you pay, the hotel ensures you really do receive an exceptional service and full on fun filled entertainment and seeing my daughter that happy was invaluable.

MadeForMums verdict:

Every aspect has been meticulously executed to make sure that little guests (and their parents) have a totally magical stay. I think for a special treat, such as a birthday, it is worth it – as the hotel is guaranteed to make your little one’s year.

Visit www.cbeebiesland.com for more information.

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