Away Resorts: Sandy Balls Holiday Village Review (New Forest)

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If you’re looking for a holiday park stay near the beautiful New Forest, this review is all about Sandy Balls Holiday Village – a fantastic family-friendly resort just 2 minutes from the National Park. Not only is the New Forest on your doorstep but there are loads of kid-friendly days out nearby (including places like Paultons Park & Peppa Pig World – more on that later!). This review has everything you need to know about Sandy Balls Holiday Village – including photos, facilities, activities, info on the local area and more!

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Visit: May 2025 (Updated August 2026)

Away Resorts: Sandy Balls Review

Where is Sandy Balls located?

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. 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.

Things to do: What activities are there at Sandy Balls?

I’m starting my review of Sandy Balls Holiday Village focussing on the activities that the park offers – as that is often a big part of family holidays. This one is packed with facilities to keep everyone 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.

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 – 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 – you can see prices for the extra activities on 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?

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 to this part of my review so you can see what our particular 3 bedroom accommodation was like.

The lounge had a huge TV which had an Apple smart device connected – we always bring our Roku with us but 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 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.

I don’t know if this comes as standard with all Away Resorts accommodation types but our caravan came with towels – 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.

Things to do near Sandy Balls Holiday Village:

The New Forest

If you want to have a wander in the New Forest with the kids, Sandy Balls Holiday Village is just a 2 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 20 minute drive from Sandy Balls. 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 just a 20 minute drive from Sandy Balls.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

Around an hour’s drive from Sandy Balls, 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.

Bournemouth & Poole

Sandy Balls is a just a 30 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.

Other attractions nearby

New Forest Wildlife Park is around a 30 minute drive from Sandy Balls. 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 less than a 10 minute drive from Sandy Balls – 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 Sandy Balls.
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 a 40 minute drive from Sandy Balls.
Longdown Activity Farm offers a fun day out around 25 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 Sandy Balls 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 – Sandy Balls is so well-located for exploring both areas!

What facilities are there at Sandy Balls?

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?

I hope my review has been helpful – we thought our trip to 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. 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.

We really couldn’t fault our stay – at less than £60 per night 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’d definitely recommend a holiday 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. Or, for even more fabulous holiday options, check out my article on the 14 Best New Forest Holiday Parks for Families.