The bluebell wood at Sandybrook is now coming into full bloom, so late May is a great time for a short break - especially with £30 off each lodge.

We are very proud that Darwin Forest has been named as a finalist in the Holiday Park category of the prestigious VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2012.  The park, honoured with being amongst the best five holiday parks in England, now goes forward to an Awards Ceremony to be held on 22 May at the Athena Centre in the heart of Leicester’s cultural quarter.  We will have to wait until then to find out which award the park will receive, but all finalists are guaranteed to receive either a Gold, Silver, Bronze or Highly Commended Award.

Questionnaires from guests on recent holidays reveal that at Darwin Forest, 58% rated their holiday as Excellent and a huge 94% rated it as Excellent or Very Good.  Results from Sandybrook were better still with 60% rating their holiday as Excellent and 95% as Excellent or Very Good.   Our website now also links directly to Trip Advisor, where customers generally have lots of positive things to say about their holiday experiences. Rest assured that we continue to strive for even better customer satisfaction ratings in the future.

A carefully choreographed refurbishment of the Forester’s Inn at Darwin Forest started after the Feb half-term holidays. Bar, restaurant and toilets are all being refitted before Easter, to provide a lighter, more contemporary atmosphere.  After Easter the existing conservatory will be replaced with a stylish and bigger new one and the exterior given a face-lift. We aim to minimise any disruption to guests during the transformation and all services will continue to be available at all times.

In order to meet requests from guests, we have invested in many more private hot tubs over this winter.  They are now available across a broader selection of lodge types at both parks.  Demand is still sure to outstrip supply though, so do book early!

We now provide free Wi-Fi internet access in all lodges and main facility buildings at both Darwin Forest and Sandybrook Country Parks.  This will be particularly beneficial at Darwin Forest where we are aware that mobile phone signal coverage is less than perfect.

Darwin Forest has followed up the recent confirmation of its 5 star holiday park status with a Gold David Bellamy Conservation Award - for the 14th consecutive year.  Further confirmation of the popularity of the park came last week when the park earned the accolade of being crowned Hoseasons Best Lodge Park in the Heart of England.   

The new mini golf course at Sandybrook is now open and is already proving popular with guests.  It’s fun for all the family! Give it a try for only £2 per adult and £1.50 per child.

A brand new phase of lodges is being rolled out at Darwin Forest.  ‘Woodsman’ versions of the Elvaston, Riber, Sudbury and Hartington lodges are being made available during the autumn.  The contemporary interiors feature large open plan living areas and wooden floors, whilst outside quirky waney-edge larch gives them that natural ‘cabin in the woods’ feel.  Get in quick and request one for your next holiday – they are sure to be popular!

Children from 3 to 12 years of age may join in the fun this summer, during the school holidays, with regular Wednesday and Thursday afternoon sessions with Darwin Explorers Club.   Each session is just £2.50 per child.  Please download details here and pre-book as soon as you arrive at Darwin Forest.