Holywell Bay Fun Park - Review for families

Best for:

5 – 8

OK for:

Toddlers & Preschool / 9 - 12

Cost

It’s free entry and only those enjoying the rides have to pay. Each attraction can cost anything from £2 to £4.50 or you can purchase an all-day wristband. The first option is great because you only pay for the rides your child uses and that’s it, but if you want to spend the whole day, you’ll probably end up paying the price of the wristband, anyway. Mum and dad don’t need to pay or buy a wristband if they’re observing and not going on any of the rides, but family bands are available.

What’s on offer

With over 25 fun, sporty and energetic attractions – there’s no way you’ll end up bored in Holywell Bay Fun Park. In fact, you’ll probably have too much fun.

For smaller children, enjoy find your way out of Merlin’s Magical Maze to get to the three different kinds of golfing, the Bouncy Castle or the Sand & Digger Pits. For an action-packed adventure, hit up the Arcade, The Italian Job, the Shooting Range and Thunder Racing. There’s also a Jelly Tots Soft Play for especially young children.

The taller your child gets, they can try panning for gold, riding on kidsgo-karts and orbitors, bouncing on Trampolines, rebounding on a harness and blasting through the water in a boat. Taller children can walk on water, whiz around the track on more advanced F1 go-karts and even battle it out on the Battle Boats.

The park has an American-style eatery called The Diner, which has great views of the Cornish coast and a decent jukebox. There’s also an ice ceram parlor and a bar/restaurant. However, guests are welcome to bring their own picnic if they wish.

Facilities-wise, there is free parking for customers by the park, baby-changing facilities by The Diner and first aid supplies on site. There are plenty of areas to choose from if you need a meeting point in case you get lost and the park has a tannoy system, which can be used to locate your child if required.

Highlights

The website looks brand spanking new and is incredibly well-designed and user friendly. It’s one of the best websites for a family attraction we’ve seen in a long time! Before you visit, you can use the rides and attractions filter section to get all the information on the rides exclusively for your child’s height category. As long as you know their height, you’ll be fully informed and ready to play – or pass. You can also filter the types of rides, so if you don’t fancy anything too fast or that comes with a splash, you’ll be wise before you even arrive at the park.

Because it’s free entry, you can also scope out the park before you pay for a wristband. We recommend doing this, because you won’t end up disappointed if you don’t fancy a visit after all. If there are teenagers in your party, this is especially beneficial, as it’s definitely a park aimed at and suitable for families with younger children.

The park itself is nicely designed with clean facilities.

What to watch out for

• The park is only open from Easter – October and throughout that period there are weekends only time frames, so check the website to see if it’s open for your visit.

• The 18 Hole Pitch and Putt, Shooting Range and The Italian Job all cost more than the ride prices mentioned above and are not included in the all-day wristband. Expect to pay around £100 for the latter two activities. The golfing should cost between £6.50 - £7.80 per person.

• Height restrictions apply to many of the rides. Please use the height chart provided on the official website to ensure your child has plenty to play on. This guide will also inform how much you’re planning to spend.

• It’s not really a rainy day attraction as the best bits are predominantly outdoors. The soft play and eatery are located indoors, though.

• There are a lot of queues. Be wary of this before purchasing a wristband, as you may be limited in terms of time.

• You may find that this park ends up costing you quite a bit – depending on how much the kids like it.

• TripAdvisor users banded together to note that the park has gone “downhill” or seems incredibly understaffed, which causes lots of queuing and uncertainty. The staff may appear rude or bored. Most of these reviewers blamed the current management.

MFM tips:

• Don’t plan to spend all day here – 3 or 4 hours at most. Pay as you play, or you may find yourself a bit underwhelmed. If you want to be really entertained, invest in the 18 Hole Pitch and Putt instead.

What the owners say

“Ride, slide, splash and spin – with FREE entry, FREE parking and 25 rides and attractions Newquay’s Holywell Bay Fun Park is a great day out for all the family and one of the top things to do in Newquay.

One of Cornwall’s top family attractions, Holywell Bay Fun Park is close to the beach and just 4 miles from Newquay. Our ‘your day, your way’ approach allows you to choose to either pay as you play or buy an all-day wristband for the ultimate family day out!”

Visit the official Holywell Bay Fun Park website

More guides to family attractions in Cornwall:

Newquay Aquarium
Newquay Zoo
Land’s End
Eden Project
Buccaneer Bay
Paradise Park
Cornish Seal Sanctuary
Flambards
Dairyland Farmworld