Thinking about a staycation but not sure where to stay? Then look no more – Mill Rythe Coastal Village on Hayling Island is the perfect choice. We spoke to Vicky from the King family, and they told us all about their stay…
Where did you travel from?
We’re based in Buckinghamshire and really wanted somewhere less than a 2-hour drive away. Our youngest child is 3 years old, so less time in the car the better! Mill Rythe was perfect at just 1hr 45 minutes.
Who did you travel with and what did you do whilst on park?
Me, my husband, and our 3-year-old and 11-year-old girls. We drive down after school on Friday and were on park by 5pm. Checking in was easy and I was surprised to see access to our caravan with a fob – no heavy keys which was great. Friday night we cooked fajitas in the caravan.
Well, I cooked whilst they relaxed in the hot tub, all discussing how lovely the accommodation was and where we might go the following day! We stayed in the TriBeCa which had a beautiful master bedroom with bath tub for us and the girls shared the second bedroom which had twin beds. There were even some welcome goodies on arrival – including a bottle of prosecco which was way more than we expected.
Our smallest Darcie, loved sharing a bedroom with her big sister and was asleep by 7:30pm, meaning we had some time with our eldest too before she snuck off to bed with her phone – luckily there was easy access to the WIFI!
In the morning, there’s nothing better than the smell of a fry-up cooking whilst listening to the seagulls and the sun streaming into the holiday home so we all enjoyed bacon, eggs, sausages, and toast.
A few days before our holiday, we downloaded the APP and booked our swimming slots. So, Saturday morning we went to explore the pool. It wasn’t busy and changing was easy. There was a shallow end for Darcie and a deeper end for Sophie to swim in.
After a quick change, we headed to the seafront. If you park in the amusement’s car park directly opposite the roundabout to the left, it’s free. We parked and walked all the way along the seafront to a lovely little Bar & Restaurant called the ‘Inn on the Beach’. The kid’s threw stones in the sea and collected shells along the way. In there, we had a drink and watched the amazing number of windsurfers in the sea. For a cold weekend in January, I don’t know how they do it, but it certainly brightens the water!
After this, we walked back and let them play in the amusements and arcade. There is also a shop there, takeaway fish and chips plus other little food shacks for milkshakes, ice-creams, and lollies. As we arrived back on park, Sophie and Darcie grabbed their roller boots and we headed to the sports court which had plenty of space for them to practice. If you also take their trainers there’s a small outdoor play area too.
We booked dinner on the Saturday night in The Missing Squirrel Bar & Eatery. All I can say is wow! This place is amazing. It felt like we should be in a London restaurant, somewhere fancy, not on a holiday park. The décor is beautiful, and the food was delicious. We both had the bacon burgers and two kids tomato pastas.
The kids were shattered Saturday night so after they went to bed me and Matt jumped in the hot tub, shared a bottle of bubbly and star gazed! Perfect. The park is clean, the staff are so friendly, and nothing was too much trouble.
There were some building works on park when we were there, but nothing that interrupted our stay. I’ve seen there is a splash pad, and family entertainment coming in the summer so we will be back for that! Can’t wait!