New Forest with Kids: Away Resorts Sandy Balls Holiday Review

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Nestled in the New Forest, Sandy Balls Holiday Village is a brilliant UK staycation destination for families looking for an affordable break immersed in nature. Not only is the New Forest on your doorstep but there are loads of kid-friendly days out nearby too (including places like Paultons Park / Peppa Pig World – more on that later!). This holiday park combines comfort with countryside charm, and offers an impressive range of facilities and accommodation to suit all budgets. Whether you’re after adventure or relaxation, Sandy Balls Holiday Park is a great base for a New Forest holiday with the kids. So, let’s get started with my review from our recent stay – here’s everything you need to know about Sandy Balls Holiday Village in the stunning New Forest – including photos, facilities, activities and more!

Visit: May 2025

Where is Sandy Balls located and who owns it?

Sandy Balls Holiday Village is located just outside the small town of Fordingbridge in Hampshire, right on the edge of the New Forest National Park – it’s part of the Away Resorts group, which operates lots of holiday parks across the UK, known for their mix of quirky and luxury stays. One of the biggest perks of a Sandy Balls stay is its proximity to loads of local attractions. Plus it’s just a 10-minute walk from Fordingbridge, a charming riverside town with pubs, a small museum and riverside trails. Check-in for our accommodation was 4pm, but we arrived at 3.30pm and were checked in straight away – the staff give you what you need directly to your car so it’s really quick and easy.

Why is the holiday park called Sandy Balls?

The name ‘Sandy Balls’ might raise a few eyebrows, and it definitely makes this holiday park stand out 😂, but it’s actually steeped in history. The name dates back to the reign of King Henry VII and refers to the dome-shaped sand and gravel outcrops that are found in the area – these ‘sandy ballas’ are natural land features that gave the estate its distinctive name.

What is there to do on-site at Sandy Balls?

Sandy Balls Holiday Village is packed with facilities to keep the whole family entertained – there are indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a sauna, play areas and a gym. I believe the outdoor pool opens around May half-term time each year – so if the weather is nice and you’re visiting in the summer months you should be able to make the most of it.

Lola and I had a swim in the indoor pool which was heated – usually I’m really wimpy about getting in but it was lovely and warm so even I could walk straight into the water which is very rare! 😂 Usually pool sessions would be 1 hour, but as it was very quiet when we stayed there were no time restrictions. For the lockers, you need a £2 deposit for a padlock or you can take your things through to the poolside (there are chairs around the edge), which is what we did.

In the indoor pool area, there’s also a small sauna room and also what I think may be a cold plunge pool next to it. It looked like a jacuzzi (so I got excited! 😂) but it turned out to be freezing – so either it just wasn’t on for our stay or it’s for cooling off after the sauna. There was a lifeguard in the pool area at all times, and plenty of changing rooms. All of the facilities are handily grouped together near the entrance of the holiday park so it’s really easy to dip in and out of the activities, pools and restaurants.

You can also hire bikes on site, and there are lots of kids activities including ride-on cars, pool inflatables, archery and alpaca walks – though all of these do come at an extra cost. For little ones, there’s an indoor soft play area (free) and seasonal kids’ entertainment too – we visited term-time in May (so not in peak season) and there was a full evening entertainment programme running. Here’s a photo of the activities and entertainment on offer at Sandy Balls Holiday Park during our stay – the Away Resorts entertainment programme was obviously included, but you can see prices for the extra activities there too. Bike hire was £25 per adult bike, £40 for tandems, £15 for kids’ bikes and you could also hire children’s seats (£7.50) or trailers (£15).

We went to the evening entertainment on one of the evenings during our stay and liked that it wasn’t just geared up for young children, as it often is at holiday parks. They had things for the little ones until around 8pm, like discos and shows, and then there were activities that everyone could enjoy. We played boom box bingo and scattergrams, it was a nice way to spend an evening and the host Lauren was really lovely with everyone.

There’s also a huge arcade building, with lots of different games machines, VR and family games like pool and air hockey. We had a fun evening playing pool, which is definitely a Smith family favourite, and it was £2 per go. If your kids love the machines then it’s worth bringing pocket money so you’ve got some coins.

What’s the accommodation like at Sandy Balls Holiday Village?

Away Resorts are very well known for their hot tub holidays, and they do offer them at Sandy Balls Holiday Village if you’d like to add a little bit of relaxation to your New Forest getaway. We were only staying for a couple of nights, so we opted for a cheaper option and booked the ‘luxury caravan’ for our stay at Sandy Balls Holiday Park. We were really pleased with our accommodation choice, it was lovely and cosy and had everything that we needed for a comfortable stay. Have a scroll down as I’ve added lots of photos here so you can see what our particular accommodation was like – I would say the luxury caravan is a great choice.

The lounge had a huge TV which had an Apple smart device connected – we always bring our Roku with us so it was handy not to have to faff to plug it in. It was nice to have somewhere comfy to chill after busy days exploring and lots of walking at places like Paultons! The kitchen was really well equipped with a decent size fridge-freezer and plenty of cooking utensils etc. The only thing that was annoying (and it seems to be standard literally everywhere we stay 😂) was that the oven only had one rack and one tray – which isn’t sufficient if you want to cook for a whole family. So we ended up cooking burgers in the bottom and grilling waffles in the top oven.

We had three bedrooms, as the kids don’t like sharing now they’re older and there wasn’t much price difference between booking a 2 or 3 bedroom caravan. I don’t know if this comes as standard with all Away Resorts accommodation types but our caravan came with towels too – we each had a bath towel and a smaller towel for hair, plus there were hand towels in both toilets. Having two toilets was super handy, and pretty unexpected for the price we paid (I’ll get to that later on!) and everything was nice and clean. There was also a self-catering kitchen pack with a tea towel, washing up liquid, bin bags, a cloth and a sponge – so that also helps when it comes to packing lightly.

What is there to do near Sandy Balls Holiday Village?

The New Forest

If you want to explore the New Forest with the kids, I think Sandy Balls Holiday Village is probably as close as you’ll get to the wilderness. Just a few minutes drive from the park you’ll enter the New Forest area, and there are tons of parking spots to begin your adventure from. Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary takes a bit longer to reach as it’s further into the forest, but it’s still only around 20 minutes drive from Sandy Balls. There are different walking routes, if you want to follow a set route, we did the two mile red pathway this time but unfortunately didn’t see any deer. Though, when we visited a few years ago, we were really lucky to spot a few of them, and you’ll for sure see lots of wild horses.

Paultons Theme Park / Peppa Pig World

One of the reasons that we head to the New Forest every few years is to visit one of our favourite places – Paultons Park. It has a fabulous theme park area with rollercoasters for older kids, as well as the infamous Peppa Pig World area for the little ones. Paultons Park is one of the UK’s top family attractions – it’s clean, well run and family-focused – and we’ve also always found the queues to be a lot shorter than many other theme parks. Tickets aren’t cheap but you can save by booking in advance online, plus parking is free and you can bring a picnic to avoid any extra costs. It’s an ideal treat day and with nature on your doorstep you can balance the cost with other free days out during your trip – for more info check out my article: A family review and guide for Paultons Park & Peppa Pig World.

Moors Valley Country Park

Located on the Dorset/Hampshire border, Moors Valley Country Park is a fantastic place to spend a day with the kids – there’s so much to do! The park boasts adventure play areas suitable for all ages, a tree-top walkway and it’s home to Go Ape with a ‘Net Adventure’ for the little ones and high ropes course for the more adventurous. Families can enjoy cycling and walking trails that meander through the forest, with bike hire available on-site. The Moors Valley Railway offers delightful steam train rides through the park and, with picnic spots and a café, it’s easy to spend an entire day immersed in nature here. We had a fantastic time on our last visit, check out this article for more info: The Ultimate Guide to visiting Moors Valley Country Park with kids.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

Older children and history buffs will love a trip to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard – it’s one of the most interesting things to do with the kids in the Hampshire / New Forest area. It’s home to HMS Victory, HMS Warrior and the fascinating Mary Rose Museum, plus you can also hop on a boat tour of the harbour and get stuck into the interactive exhibits. Tickets aren’t the cheapest but the full attraction pass covers all 9 attractions and the water bus – it’s valid for a year too so you can make multiple visits – and children can get in free with their Blue Peter Badges. (There are often special events for kids during the holidays too.) We really enjoyed our visit check out this article for everything you need to know: Portsmouth Historic Dockyard with kids – the ultimate family guide!

Bournemouth Beach

Whilst Sandy Balls isn’t a coastal resort (despite it’s name!), it’s only about a 30 minute drive to Bournemouth Beach – so you can still get a mix of the coast and forest during your stay. We didn’t have time to head there this time, but it was absolutely boiling the last time we stayed in the New Forest so the kids had a lovely time cooling off in the sea. It’s a great spot to explore too so if you’ve got time for a Bournemouth day trip it’s worth a visit.

Honestly there’s so much to do in Hampshire and the surrounding areas – the New Forest is a fantastic base for a family holiday with loads on offer to occupy kids of all ages. Other places to visit include: New Forest Wildlife Park, New Forest Water Park, Beaulieu Motor Museum, Exbury Gardens & Steam Railway and loads more family-friendly days out. To help you to find the best options for your itinerary, make sure you check out my guide: The 10 best things to do in Hampshire and the New Forest with kids.

What facilities are there at Sandy Balls Holiday Village?

As well as the facilities mentioned above, there’s a supermarket on-site and also quite a few different dining options with restaurants and takeout facilities. We ordered some chips during our visit and it was really easy – you can use the QR code from the menu in the caravan and choose a time for collection. We boiled up some hot dogs to go with them for a cheap and easy dinner. There’s also an outdoor screen / entertainment area as they also have an outdoor cinema showing on some days, I assume this area is probably more utilised over the summer months. The entertainment was inside the Woodside Suite during our stay.

Is Sandy Balls dog-friendly?

Yes Sandy Balls is very dog-friendly, in fact all Away Resorts locations are, and the location of this holiday park in the New Forest makes it the perfect destination if you want to bring your furry-friend on your countryside adventures. There are pet-friendly lodges available, areas for dogs to exercise and plenty of scenic walks directly accessible from the park.

How much is a stay at Sandy Balls Away Resorts – is it good value for money?

We thought our stay at Sandy Balls Holiday Village was really good value for money – our two night stay (Bank Holiday Monday – Wednesday) was £118 for a 3 bedroom Away Resorts ‘luxury caravan’ – and it was a great base for our New Forest adventures. One of the reasons that we picked Sandy Balls was that we only wanted a few nights of accommodation and they offer flexible booking days. Unlike lots of other UK holiday parks, with Away Resorts you can book any stay duration you like and there are no set arrival / departure days – you get the flexibility that you would get from booking a hotel stay, but with family facilities and accommodation options.

Having self-catering facilities is a great money-saver too and we really couldn’t fault our stay – at less than £60 we got a lot for our money. This was our first stay with Away Resorts and it definitely won’t be our last – though we might perhaps look at some hot tub options next time as it did look lovely! I think Away Resorts offer some fantastic locations and holiday parks for UK family staycations with lots of kid-friendly activities – and I hope that my review of Sandy Balls Holiday Village has been helpful, I’d definitely recommend a stay in the beautiful New Forest. Have a lovely time! 😊 For more information, and prices for your dates, click here to check out Sandy Balls Holiday Park on the Away Resorts website.