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Our Weekend At Rookley Country Park On The Isle Of Wight

amomentwithfranca · 22 June 2018 · 22 Comments

A few weekends ago we travelled to the Isle of Wight. We were invited to stay for a couple of nights at Rookley Country Park, part of Island View Holidays. We have not been to the Isle of Wight before (well at least not as a family as I think Nick visited when he was a child). I was very excited to visit because I have heard so many beautiful things about it. 

Our Weekend At Rookley Country Park On The Isle Of Wight

We decided to travel the night before so we didn’t have to rush to get our ferry the following morning. We stayed in a hotel near the Southampton Terminal. OMG, my girls were so excited about this trip. As soon as we arrived at the hotel they were jumping up and down! Bless them!

RED FUNNEL FERRY

The following morning we had a nice and relaxed breakfast as we didn’t have to rush. We took our time and then we headed to the Red Funnel Ferry Terminal. Our Ferry was at midday but we arrived an hour before this so they let us get an earlier ferry which was lovely.

Lovely Family Photo On the Ferry

I hadn’t been on a ferry before so we were all very excited about it. The girls wanted to go around and explore. The only problem was that it was very windy so we couldn’t be too long outside. But we managed to get a nice family photo together. The views were lovely! I guess it will be even better on a sunny and warmer day.

Inside Ref Funnel Ferry

The journey is about an hour. It was after 11 am but the girls were a little bit hungry so they were ready for a snack so we got something to entertain them while we were on the boat. There was plenty of space to sit down although it was quite busy that day. They also have wifi which is handy if you need to do some work or stay in touch. It was a lovely experience!

SHANKLIN

We arrived to the Isle of Wight at about midday. We were too early to check in at Rookley Country Park so we decided to explore the area a little bit. Rookley Country Park is centrally located so it is very hand for reaching all sides of the island. Close to the ferry and close to many attractions.

Happy Family Photo at Shanklin

We decided to visit Shanklin and had a little walk along the seafront. Not long after we arrived a proper storm started. It was raining a lot! It was unfortunate as we really wanted to explore. Thankfully we were kept ourselves warm and dry with our new Regatta Outdoors clothes. Again we managed to get another family photo together with the lovely sea view just before the rain started to pour down.

There was an indoor play area and arcade so we decided to get inside so the girls can have some fun while we were waiting for the rain to stop.

ROOKLEY COUNTRY PARK

Rookley Country Park Entrance

We stayed for about an hour before making our way towards the resort, which wasn’t far. When we arrived, and despite the modest entrance and reception area (these are yet to be renovated) we discovered our accommodation – the most lovely (and brand new) Lakehouse ever!

OUR ACCOMMODATION: LAKEHOUSE

Our Accommodation: A lovely Lakehouse

The Lakehouses are amazing! We were so excited about it. They look modern and are very well made. The view of the lake is mesmerising. My only concern was that younger kids have to be supervised very closely as you don’t want them to get anywhere near the lake but with my girls, it was all fine as they are old enough to understand that they shouldn’t be near the water.

Outside the Lakehouses

Inside our Lakehouse

Two bedrooms with ensuite bathroom

At the moment there are 10 brand new Lakehouses but they are about to build another 10 so there will be about 20 Lakehouses in total. They all have two bedrooms, two shower rooms, and an open-plan lounge/diner/kitchen which create a light and airy space that maximises the lake views and the island light as well as log burning stoves and lakefront patios. Towels were also supplied.

One room has a double bed and the other room has twins bed. This was perfect for us. You really have everything you need if you wish to have a quiet day. There is a small Co-operative store very close to the resort where you can buy all your basic food and essentials. The nearest supermarket is Asda, in Newport. A welcome tray or basket with some essentials for your first night would be a good idea even if it was a paid option. Nick had to pop to the Co-op to buy some essentials.

Happy Family Photo Inside our Lakehouse

We then changed and got ready for dinner. We walked towards the main building. It was still raining so we couldn’t really explore much but we noticed they had a playground.

We had a lovely dinner! We were pleased with their food overall and the staff were so nice and friendly. It was also great to be able to hear more about their upcoming projects. Apparently they also have cottages and caravans. Their cottages have been newly refurbished too.

SWIMMING POOL

Lovely early swim with the whole family!

The following morning we decided to go for an early swim. They have an indoor and outdoor pool. Only the indoor pool was available when we were there but they were ready to open the outdoor pool not long after our visit.

We were the only ones having a swim at the time so we really enjoyed our time there. We swam for about an hour and had so much fun! It was really lovely!

KIDS ACTIVITIES

After our lovely dip in the pool, we changed and went straight to the kid’s activities room. They have different activities on offer like pebble painting, scavenger hunts, clay play, sand bottles, painting, Rookley rocks, pool volleyball and tie-dye. We booked for a tie-dye session because we knew the girls would love doing something like this.

You need to be with them at the session though. You cannot leave your kids alone but it was mentioned that they were looking into having kids activities where you could leave your children. That would be amazing because sometimes you just want a little break.

EXPLORING THE RESORT

Rookley Country Park boasts some lovely fishing lakes. We decided to go for a stroll along the waterfront. This was really nice. The views are amazing and the weather was better that day. No more rain which made a big difference.

Walking along the waterfront

We decided to stay on site that day because we wanted to enjoy the facilities and have a feel for what Rookley Country Park has to offer to families.

Playground

After our walk, the girls wanted to go to the playground. It is not very big but they had good fun. Because we had bought some essentials the day before, we decided to have lunch at the Lakehouse.

If you don’t want to cook, they have an on-site restaurant serving meals all day too, which is a great option.

DISCO TIME

As part of their kids/family entertainment, there was a Kids Disco from 6 pm to 8 pm. Our girls had a lot of fun. Bella loves singing and dancing so this was right up her street. She was so happy.

We ordered some food for all of us from the restaurant . The girls wanted to stay until the very end!

SUNDAY – BREAKFAST

The following morning (our last day) we were asked to meet for a farewell breakfast. They had a yummy breakfast buffet with all the typical English Breakfast food such as grilled tomatoes, fried mushrooms, bacon, baked beans, sausages, scrambled eggs and best of all, fried potatoes! OMG, I loved them! I think I ate 4, LOL! We all really enjoyed it!

After our tasty breakfast we checked out and decided to explore the Isle of Wight a bit more, so we went to Blackgang Chine. I’ll cover this more in another blog post. There are few interesting attractions in the island such as Carisbrooke Castle, Osborne House, Dinosaur Isle, The Needles, Robin Hill Country Park, Garlic Farm Isle of Wight Zoo, Isle of Wight Steam Railway. We will definitely need to come back and explore more! It felt that the weekend past too quick for us.

On our Ferry having an early dinner

After a lovely day, we went back to the terminal to get our Ferry home. We had a really good time on the Isle of Wight. We just want to say thank you so much to Rookley Country Park for inviting us to spend such a lovely family weekend.

Have you visited the Isle of Wight before? Where did you go? Have you heard of Rookley Country Park before? What do you think of it?

*Disclosure: We were invited to Rookley Country Park to try their brand new accommodation. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks for stopping by,

Love you all ❤️

Franca  💋

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Filed Under: Press Trips, Holidays, Review, Reviews, Travel

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lydia C. Lee says

    23 June 2018 at

    That looks lovely!! #KCACOLS

    Reply
  2. Shan says

    23 June 2018 at

    Looks absolutely amazing! I’m
    Coming with you next time the kids look like they had a whale of a time and your breakfast sounds right up my
    Alley! #KCACOLS

    Reply
    • amomentwithfranca says

      24 June 2018 at

      Yes the breakfast was amazing! Lol It was a lovely weekend! 🙂 x

      Reply
  3. Fiona Cambouropoulos says

    24 June 2018 at

    Looks a great place to visit with a family. The kids crafts look lots of fun. #KCACOLS

    Reply
    • amomentwithfranca says

      24 June 2018 at

      The girls had a fab time! We enjoyed our weekend there! 🙂 x

      Reply
  4. Veronica Lee says

    24 June 2018 at

    Looks like a lovely place for a family weekend getaway. Glad your girls had a fab time.

    #Kcacols

    Reply
  5. Carol Cameleon says

    24 June 2018 at

    This looks amazing! We’ll certainly bear it in mind because talked about having a break on the Isle of Wight at some point. Thanks for hosting #kcacols

    Reply
  6. Susan B says

    25 June 2018 at

    Despite the bad weather, it looks as though you had a fabulous break. Well done to Red Tunnel for allowing you to travel a little earlier. That sort of flexibility helps when you have children. Lovely pics of Rookley Country Park and the family.

    Reply
    • amomentwithfranca says

      25 June 2018 at

      Thank you Susan! 🙂

      Reply
  7. Pen says

    26 June 2018 at

    Oh wow, your accommodation looks great. What a wonderful resort. Pen x #KCACOLS

    Reply
  8. Jacqui says

    27 June 2018 at

    How gorgeous is this! You are looking stunning! It sounds like an incredible time away with the family! #KCACOLS

    Reply
  9. Becky @ Educating roversi says

    28 June 2018 at

    I’ve never been to Isle of Wight but it is somewhere i would like to visit as I’ve seen so many lovely pictures of it. The Country Park looks amazing! I love places like this were everything is there for the kids and family related. It makes the holiday so easy and enjoyable. #KCACOLS

    Reply
  10. Lisa Pomerantz says

    28 June 2018 at

    This looks absolutely wonderful, and nothing but sunshine and smiles! I think I should start traveling with you! Great pics! xoxo #KCACOLS

    Reply
  11. Tracey Bowden says

    28 June 2018 at

    Franca it looks fabulous. So pleased you enjoyed it. You’ve made me want to visit the Isle of Wight now too! #kcacols

    Reply
  12. Tracey says

    28 June 2018 at

    I have never been to the Isle of Wight but it looks lovely, I like the idea of staying in a lakehouse, it looks really comfy and modern! #KCACOLS

    Reply
  13. Sarah | Digital Motherhood says

    28 June 2018 at

    I only live across the water from the Isle of Wight but have still never been! Love the look of the lodge, looks very cosy. #KCACOLS

    Reply
  14. Sarah | mummykind says

    1 July 2018 at

    I love the Isle of Wight but have never been for more than a day trip! Would love to try this out! #kcacols

    Reply
  15. Cassie - Gorgeous george's mama says

    2 July 2018 at

    Ahh as you know, we visited the Isle of Wight some weeks after you. The weather defo makes a huge difference as ours was glorious. As we were with older members of family, there were a lot of things we couldn’t do and tbh we ran out of time so we have already made a schedule for a weeks worth of activities when we return.

    I love, love, love the look and sound of this resort. I don;t think I’ll even need to look at anywhere else to stay. I’m sold!

    #KCACOLS

    Reply
    • amomentwithfranca says

      2 July 2018 at

      Yes definitely the weather makes a huge difference! We also felt there were so much to do at the IoW that we need to come back. The lakehouses are beautiful. We really liked them. X

      Reply
  16. Crummy Mummy says

    5 July 2018 at

    Wow your chalet looks amazing – bigger than our flat! #KCACOLS

    Reply
  17. Kate Eccles says

    8 July 2018 at

    This is totally my sort of holiday, I just love the look of it, will definitely be taking a peek at the website : #KCACOLS

    Reply
  18. Maria says

    8 July 2018 at

    I love the look of the lakehouse and it sounds like there’s lots for the kids to do too! We’ve not been to the Isle of Wight since E was around 2 years old now so I’d love to go back again. #KCACOLS

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Franca, a lawyer mum of 2 gorgeous girls married to my best friend, living in London. Award nominated parenting & lifestyle blogger. Read More…

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