Hoburne Holidays: Hoburne Park Review, Dorset

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If you’re looking for a holiday park stay in Dorset with the kids, this review is all about Hoburne Park. Well-rated on TripAdvisor, this site is really popular with families as it’s one of the best-located holiday parks in Dorset – with so many fantastic days out on offer nearby. The accommodation options are great too – you can even book a hot tub break if you fancy a little bit of luxury. This review has everything you need to know about Hoburne Park – including photos, facilities, activities, days out and more!

We always try to travel on a budget so, if you’re looking to explore the UK and Europe with kids in an affordable way, have a browse around the blog for tips, guides and reviews. You can follow our travels on Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok.

Holiday: August 2026

Hoburne Holidays: Hoburne Park Review

Hoburne Park is a lovely family-friendly holiday park in Christchurch, Dorset. It’s so well-located for days out (keep scrolling for that – there’s so much to do nearby!) and you can easily explore both Dorset and Hampshire during your stay. It’s just a 10 minute drive from the New Forest and 20 minutes from Bournemouth with plenty of restaurants and shops. Though, if you don’t fancy driving, the park is located just a short walk from the beach. Check-in time is 4pm but you can use the facilities on-site if you arrive earlier (just chat to reception) and check-out is 10am. The staff are a real credit to the park – every person we came across was friendly and cheerful.

Things to do: What activities are there at Hoburne Park?

I’m starting my review of Hoburne Park focussing on the activities that the holiday park offers – as that is often a big part of family holidays. The site boasts both indoor and outdoor swimming pools so you’ve got all weather scenarios covered. We visited on a particularly hot August weekend so the heated outdoor pool was really popular. There are some fun water-based activities on offer including an aqua disco (free), an obstacle course (£5) and water tag (£5) at set times throughout the week. During our stay, the pools were open from 7am – 8pm and there are daily slots for adult-only swims.

Directly next to the outside pool, you could also play mini golf and there are a few playgrounds dotted around the site for little ones. Older kids will enjoy the sports area – Hoburne Park actually partners with AFC Bournemouth to offer football coaching over the summer holidays if you’ve got some keen football fans. Inside, you’ll find a small soft play for toddlers and an arcade. If you’re holidaying with teens, there’s also a pool table near the restaurant.

The park offers plenty of entertainment for little ones from Sammy’s Squad team with discos and games. Later into the evening, there’s more on offer to suit the whole family with musical bingo, game shows and live music. Unfortunately, we were two songs away from a full house in the bingo! (As always! 😂) The prizes were £120 for a line and £280 for the main winner so it was well worth joining in for £3 and really good fun.

We absolutely loved having easy access to the beach so bring your buckets and spades for hours of free entertainment. It’s lovely to be able to explore on foot – Steamer Point is just a 10 minute walk from Hoburne Park. Exit using the gate at the side of the park (make sure you write down the code!) and it’s a flat pathway to reach the beach – so buggy and little-leg friendly. (There’s also a car park directly next to it if you’d rather drive.) You’ll find a cafe with meals, snacks and ice creams there too. Wander a bit further along the sand and you’ll reach Mudeford Quay – the perfect spot for a bit of crabbing.

Hoburne Park offers plenty of affordable kids’ activities – lots are free and others typically range from £3-£6 per child. All activities can be booked easily using the QR Code in the information booklet you’ll be given on arrival. Most activities are best-suited to children up to around 12 years old.

What’s the accommodation like at Hoburne Park?

Hoburne Park offers a range of 2-3 bedroom accommodation options to suit all budgets. The levels are Classic, Select and Premium – all holidays come with bed linen and towels included. We stayed in their mid-range Select caravan. There was a main kitchen / living area with a dining table, a huge comfy sofa, a TV and a fully equipped kitchen. The integrated fridge-freezer had plenty of room for a full shop and the cupboards had all the pots, pans and utensils needed for easy self-catering. They provide a starter pack (with things like washing up liquid) so you can pack pretty lightly. The bathrooms also came with hand towels and soap.

Our caravan had 3 bedrooms (sleeping up to 6 people), a gated decking and plenty of space. It was exceptionally clean, in lovely condition and the beds were comfortable. We were really pleasantly surprised to find the main bedroom also had an en-suite toilet – it’s so handy to have two loos when travelling with kids! If you’ve got a slightly bigger budget you can also pick accommodation with a private hot tub and there are pet-friendly caravans available.

The WiFi was fab and we were able to watch Netflix on the TV when we wanted some chill time. The only thing we really missed was a dishwasher, and the curtains weren’t brilliant for blocking light but we always travel with sleep masks. Here are some photos of our particular accommodation – as you can see it was absolutely immaculate:

What is there to do near Hoburne Park?

Hoburne Park is right on the coast – offering plenty of opportunities for beach days on your doorstep! But, if you want to do some exploring further afield, it’s insanely well-located for some fabulous family days out in both Dorset and Hampshire. We’ve spent quite a lot of time in Dorset over recent years, as there’s so much to see and do, so I’ve included activities from this trip and past visits. Here are a few places you might want to add to your holiday itinerary:

The New Forest

If you want to have a wander in the New Forest with the kids, Hoburne Park is just a 10 minute drive away. 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 the holiday park. There are lots of different walking routes – you’ll spot some deer if you’re lucky and definitely see some wild horses.

Paultons Theme Park / Peppa Pig World

The fabulous Paultons Park is around a 30 minute drive from Hoburne Park. It has a brilliant theme park area with rollercoasters for older kids, as well as the infamous Peppa Pig World for little ones. 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 – check out my Paultons Park & Peppa Pig World Guide for more info.

Moors Valley Country Park

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 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 there – it’s around a 25 minute drive from Hoburne Park.

Bournemouth & Poole

Hoburne Park is a just a 20 minute drive from Bournemouth – you’ve got the beach, restaurants, the pier and extras like the cinema to keep the whole family busy. If you’re feeling really brave you can zip-line from the pier and, if the weather isn’t on your side, Bournemouth Oceanarium offers a fun indoor day out. Around 40 minutes from the park you’ll find Poole where you can hop on a boat ride to explore the Jurassic Coast from the water.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

Around an hour’s drive from Hoburne Park, older children and history buffs will love a trip to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. It’s home to HMS Victory, HMS Warrior and the fascinating Mary Rose Museum, plus you can hop on a boat tour of the harbour and get stuck into the interactive exhibits. Children can visit for free with their Blue Peter Badges – my Portsmouth Historic Dockyard Guide has all the details.

Beaulieu Motor Museum

Beaulieu Motor Museum is around 30 minutes from Hoburne Park. It’s home to over 280 vehicles – including vintage cars, racing cars and famous film vehicles like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – but the event days offer the best line up if you can time your visit well. My son is obsessed with supercars – so he had a fantastic day at Beaulieu during our stay at Hoburne Park.

Other attractions nearby

New Forest Wildlife Park is around a 30 minute drive from Hoburne Park. It features over 260 animals across 40 species including otters, wolves, lynx and deer – and the kids will love the adventure playgrounds! Children can enter for free with their Blue Peter Badges.
New Forest Waterpark offers inflatables and water sports around a 30 minute drive from Hoburne Park – perfect for cooling off over the summer months!
Farmer Palmer’s Farm Park provides a delightful farm experience. Kids can engage in hands-on activities such as feeding lambs, stroking guinea pigs and taking tractor rides. This one is a 45 minute drive from Hoburne Park.
Splashdown Waterpark is one of Dorset’s most popular family attractions. Much of the waterpark is indoors, so it’s a useful rainy-day activity, while the outdoor slides are perfect during the summer months. It’s around half an hour’s drive from Hoburne Park.
Longdown Activity Farm offers a fun day out around 30 minutes from the holiday park. Located near Ashurst, this working farm gives kids the chance to bottle-feed lambs, hold fluffy chicks and pet friendly goats and donkeys.
Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove are absolutely stunning spots for a coastal day out – you’ll be looking at just over an hour’s drive from Hoburne Park but they’re well worth the trip if you’ve got the time.

👉 You’re absolutely spoilt for choice when it comes to days out! For even more itinerary ideas, check out my articles on the best things to do with kids in Dorset and Hampshire – Hoburne Park is so well-located for exploring both areas!

What facilities are there at Hoburne Park?

There isn’t a shop on-site at Hoburne Park but there’s a small Spar Supermarket located nearby if you just need a few bits. Though, you’ll find Sainsburys, Lidl and some restaurants all within a 5 minute drive. On-site there’s a coffee bar and a lovely restaurant – we enjoyed dinner there on our first evening. Prices are pretty standard for a meal out – here’s a quick glimpse or click through here to see the full menus on offer.

The food in The Compass Restaurant is tasty and we were really impressed with the gluten-free options. It can often be so hard to eat out so Hoburne Park definitely gets brownie points for their fantastic menu! Though I have to say I was a bit jealous of my husband’s gyros which looked amazing…

If you want to leave the car behind, there’s actually a bus stop inside the park which will take you all over the local area. You can pick up a booklet with routes and prices from reception – you’ll want the Number 70 ‘Beach Breezer’ and you can opt for ‘Hop on and off’ day rider passes to cut costs. Single journeys were £3.

How much is a holiday at Hoburne Park – is it good value for money?

Hopefully my review has been helpful – we visited Hoburne Park in Dorset for a 3 night getaway on the first weekend of August during the school holidays. Our trip was gifted but, to give you an idea of costs, a stay over the same weekend next year starts from around £600 depending on the accommodation chosen. Term-time stays over the summer months typically start from around £300-£400 for a Monday-Friday break. Or, opt for the last weekend of August for the best summer holiday prices.

It’s a lovely holiday park and perfectly located for family-friendly days out and beach fun. Plus, the outdoor pool makes Hoburne Park a great option for a summer getaway. If you’re visiting over the summer holidays, make sure you check out the free firework displays in Bournemouth and Poole. I would highly recommend a UK staycation in Dorset and Hoburne Park is a brilliant base to explore from. Have a lovely time! 😊 For more information, and prices for your dates, click here to check out Hoburne Park on the Hoburne Holidays website.