Parkdean Resorts: Lower Hyde Review, Isle of Wight

Table of Contents

This review is all about our fantastic holiday on the Isle of Wight – staying with Parkdean Resorts at Lower Hyde Holiday Park. We were on a budget (as usual!) so keep reading for everything you need to know, including how much we spent on this insanely cheap UK staycation! I’ve added what there is to do on site; information about the attractions we visited during our holiday (like Blackgang Chine Theme Park, Robin Hill Country Park, The Needles); what the accommodation was like; swimming pool highlights; family photos and lots more! We always try to travel on a small budget, so if you’re looking to explore the UK and Europe with the kids (in an affordable way!) then have a browse around my blog. And if you have any recommendations, please let me know – you can follow our travels on Instagram too!

Holiday: June 2022 (Updated January 2026)

Parkdean Resorts Lower Hyde Holiday Park

Lower Hyde Parkdean Resorts is a family-friendly holiday park located in the Shanklin area of the Isle of Wight – it’s a fantastic choice for families looking for an affordable UK break, with plenty of on-site facilities including an outdoor pool, entertainment venue and kids’ activities. Getting to Lower Hyde Holiday Park is straightforward. If you’re driving, you’ll need to take a ferry to the Isle of Wight from Portsmouth, Southampton or Lymington, with crossings available for cars and foot passengers. For the best price, take advantage of the discount offered through Parkdean Resorts or use comparison website Direct Ferries. Once you arrive on the island, Shanklin is just a 20 minute drive from any of the ferry ports. Lower Hyde is a brilliant base for exploring the Isle of Wight on a budget!

Things to do: What activities are there at Lower Hyde Holiday Park?

Indoor and outdoor swimming pools

Let’s start my review of Parkdean Resorts Lower Hyde Holiday Park talking about the swimming pools – we were insanely lucky with the weather during our family holiday to the Isle of Wight! We had brilliant sunshine and, with a trip on the ferry too, we definitely felt like we’d come on holiday abroad. We couldn’t have picked a better week for our getaway, so the outdoor pool at Lower Hyde (which was often empty!) was a huge hit with the kids! As well as the outdoor pool, because the holiday park is next door to their sister park (Landguard), there’s also the option of using their indoor swimming pool too. Finn and Lola enjoyed swimming in both pools, and it’s great to have a wet / cold weather alternative as well with how unpredictable things can be in the UK.

Other activities

Lower Hyde Holiday Park also had a playground, as well as a restaurant and arcade machines in the main building. The kids can enjoy activities like hoverboards, crazy golf, battle blasters, arts & crafts, sports courts and family-friendly entertainment. There was a shop on-site for bits and bobs, but there were supermarkets just down the road for a full shop. One thing that I can’t report back on is the evening entertainment (I assume that there was some! 😂) – we only had 5 days to explore so we were so busy that we didn’t have time to check it out!

What’s the accommodation like at Lower Hyde Holiday Park?

The caravan we had for our Monday-Friday stay was great, and it was such fantastic value for money. We were situated in a quiet area with views of the trees through the large window. Everything seemed new and clean – honestly it was probably our favourite caravan from our UK travels. The kitchen was well-stocked with utensils and equipment which made it really easy to self-cater. After shopping for food locally, we cooked back at the caravan for meals each night and made up picnics to take out with us each day.

Our caravan had a good oven, a decent size fridge and plenty of space for eating and relaxing in the evenings. The beds in the caravan were also really comfortable – which is always a bonus! As well as the central living and kitchen space, our accommodation had two bedrooms and a small shower room. If you’re booking directly with Parkdean Resorts you can even choose a hot tub lodge for a little extra luxury!

Local Area: What is there to do near Lower Hyde Holiday Park?

The Isle of Wight is such a brilliant location for a holiday with kids. We’ve visited the Isle of Wight with the kids three times, and this particular trip was one of Finn and Lola’s favourite holidays! The size of the island makes it really easy to get around, and there’s loads to do to keep the little ones entertained.

Blackgang Chine Theme Park

Blackgang Chine Theme Park is such a unique and quirky place, with lots on offer to keep the kids busy all day, and it’s just a 25 minute drive from Lower Hyde Holiday Park. It has a mix of rides, play areas and different worlds to explore. Visiting Blackgang Chine was Finn and Lola’s favourite day out during our holiday. The site is perched on the edge of the coast, looking out over the sea, making it a stunning place to explore and sit for a picnic. They also have summertime fireworks over the school holidays, which are included in the ticket price. It’s a fun family day out – and I’d highly recommend adding this theme park to your Isle of Wight itinerary if you’ve got children under 11 years old. Each ticket also lasts for 7 days – so you can visit as many times as you like – check out my Blackgang Chine Theme Park Review for more info.

Robin Hill Country Park

A 15 minute drive from Lower Hyde Holiday Park you’ll find Robin Hill Country Park – it’s more outdoorsy than Blackgang Chine as the attractions are dotted around woodland and countryside. There’s a great selection of play areas and activities for kids, including the treetop Jungle Heights, the Canopy Skywalk, the Squirrel Tower and the toboggan run which my kids were obsessed with! This park is definitely more about adventure playgrounds and open spaces than big rides. Update: Robin Hill Country Park was closed for a while, as it was sold, but it reopened in April 2025 with an exciting range of brand new attractions like an electric boat safari, soft play and mini-diggers. Find out more in my Robin Hill Country Park Review.

The Needles

The Needles is a beautiful coastal spot – my two enjoyed making sand ornaments to keep as souvenirs and we had a tasty picnic on the seafront. There are rides dotted around for the younger ones, things like carousels, as well as places to eat and relax. The chairlift takes you down to the seafront – which I have to say was absolutely beautiful in the sunshine with its turquoise water. Or, you can walk up and down (like we did) using the pathways and stairs. You can also watch glassblowing, with live demonstrations, or take one of the boat trips which run daily from Easter to October. It’s definitely worth a visit to The Needles – there’s lots on offer to keep everyone busy and the view is stunning.

Other things to do with children in the Isle of Wight

For lots of family holiday itinerary ideas for your trip, check out my guide: The 10 best things to do on the Isle of Wight with kids. There are plenty of fabulous things to see and do in the Isle of Wight so here’s a quick taster of a few more places you might want to visit with the kids:

Osborne House: Osbourne House is a beautiful estate, which was a former royal residence – it’s run by the English Heritage so you can visit for free with a valid membership.
Tapnell Farm Park: Tapnell Farm Park is a brilliant option for a fun day out with bouncy pillows, go-karts, zip-lines and all sorts of other fun activities for the kids – with a blend of farm animals too!
Isle of Wight Steam Railway: There’s a lovely steam railway in the Isle of Wight – we were fortunate to use Tesco Clubcard vouchers for a freebie trip in the past. Though they no longer run that offer but you can get reduced entry prices through Red Funnel to add to your ferry booking.

How much is a holiday at Parkdean Resorts Lower Hyde Holiday Park – is it good value for money?

I hope that my review of our fabulous Isle of Wight getaway has been helpful – our Monday-Friday stay at Parkdean Resorts Lower Hyde Holiday Park cost just £78. This was for a term-time visit in June with a two bedroom upgraded caravan – and it was insanely good value for money at less than £20 per night – what a bargain! Our Isle of Wight holiday was so cheap because we booked it through The Sun Newspaper Holiday Scheme, which can be a fantastic way for families to travel on a budget. Having said that, Parkdean Resorts tend to be more affordable than some other UK holiday parks and they offer some cheap deals directly too. (Keep your eyes peeled for their sales!) I even found some brilliant prices for the school summer holidays – with breaks from £341 for 2026!

There are actually a handful of fabulous Parkdean Resorts holiday parks on the Isle of Wight so, for even more options, check out my article: Which Parkdean Resorts holiday parks are on the Isle of Wight? All four of their Isle of Wight resorts offer hot tub accommodation if you fancy treating yourself. Wherever you choose to stay, I hope you have a fabulous time! For more information, and prices for your dates, click here to check out Lower Hyde Holiday Park on the Parkdean Resorts website.