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What a fantastic holiday we have had! Just got back from a weekend away at Sandy Balls and I was really impressed. The site was spotless and the staff were brilliant (even though they had doubled booked our pitch)!
This place reminds me of a Center Parcs but for caravans and camping. Plenty of space, great playground, clean toilet/shower block and a nice plaza/centre. The indoor swimming pool was small but functional, and although the outdoor pool was open, it was freezing. I do think that it lacks proper family changing facilities which we have experienced at other sites and other little touches like spin dryers for your costumes etc.
Well stocked shop on site but was a bit hit and miss price wise - some things I thought were reasonable, others not. We ate in the pub and the Italian, both of which were good and fairly priced.
Would highly recommend this site to anyone and will certainly be going back again.
We have just got back from spending a week at Sandy Balls. Myself, partner and the dog stayed in our tent. We found the showers were very powerful, lovely for adults but could imagine not so good for little ones. Although one of the shower blocks did have a bath so if you have little ones this could be better for you. Shower blocks and toilets were ok, but can imagine in peak season would get pretty grubby with all the use. The site was pleasant enough, lots of room for kids to play. As for the pub and restaurants well where do I start. The pub was very over prices regarding the food and staff were quiet miserable. The pizza place was very expensive. I paid £17. 00 for two cooked breakfasts and two orange juices which were very small and was not worth the money at all. Very disappointed with value for money regarding food places. I cant comment on the swimming pools as we did not use these. I would recommend Sandy Balls but would advise not to use the food places and to venture out if you would like to eat as get better value locally. Also only an hours drive to Stone Henge.
Stayed for 5 nights 2adults, 2 twelve year olds and 2 dogs. We were in the top field, decent sized pitch. Toilet and shower block utterly disgusting, dated facilities I can cope with, dirty I cannot. We decided to leave it another 24 hrs before we complained, nothing changed. I invited the manager to view the state of his shower block, he was horrified and very apologetic, he admitted he had only been manager for a few weeks and had never been to our field ! Half an hour later the cleaners arrived, as usual throwing their fag butts on the ground before entering the block, less than 5 minutes pass and they left. We were out for the day but couldn't wait to get back to see the clean showers, what a disappointment still dirty.
On the entertainment side, the combat game was cancelled, we were offered the alternative of beading. I suggested they might like to come and tell the 2 boys (12yrs). The arcade very dated, machines take your money but don't work. Nothing else for the boys to do as swimming pool is nothing special, jacuzzi not working. I can't under stand why they don't have more for older kids, what a waste of a fantastic area in the forest. We ate at the wood side inn and pizza on the plaza both good food, good service. Well stocked shop, prices ok. We only live an hour from the site and hoped it would be a regular place to stay but I will not be returning because of the lack of management control over the park as a whole, having complained about the showers you would think he'd have checked them but he never did. Shame on you
I stayed in the Easter holidays for a few nights and was a shocked how much this sites has gone down hill in 3 years since our last visit. Arrival was easy, however we were told if we hadn't pre-booked to use the pool it was wise to do so straight away. As soon as we unhitched we went straight to the pool, however it was already fully booked for the next 4 days so unable to book a swim. All we could do is arrive at the pool half hour before a session in the hope we would be one of addition 10 people they let in. We managed to gain entrance once and to be honest it was awful. The changing rooms were disgustingly dirty as was the toilets, showers and pool side. When I mentioned it to the pool staff, they were so young they didn't really care. I can not fault the showers and toilets which were attached to each touring pitch area, these were kept extremely clean. The old visitors centre has been transformed in to yet another expensive shop. We didn't eat on site, but my daughter did use the children's craft centre which again was over expensive and the young girls running the activities were more interested In their mobile phones. All in all, this visit was extremely disappointing and it's unlikely we will visit again.
We stayed from Thursday to Sunday (with a late departure on the Sunday at 4:00PM for £5 extra) for a total of £45 which I think for the standard of the site is excellent value for money. What made it even better was the superb weather we had all weekend.
Travelled with my wife and 2 year old daughter so most of our time was spent either in the pool, soft play or adventure playground, we also used the on site bike hire centre on the Saturday.
We thought the pool was slightly on the small side but considering the time of year it was adequate, can imagine in the summer would be a nightmare although the outside pool would also be open.
The soft play area was where we spent a lot of time, had endless trouble trying to get the little one out. Two things we did notice was that it could have done with a good clean (a lot of dust and hair in all the corners) and the room had a really strange smell !
The adventure playground was good (some of the equipment was looking a little tired), can imagine it even better after a long dry spell.
The bike hire centre we found to be good value for money, we hired two adult bikes and a child seat for £29 which was from 9-4. Bit of advice if you require a child seat is to book in advance. We chose the 20 mile route which we found very enjoyable, especially the pub break 3/4 of the way round !
Pitches were more than adequate in size with everything you could need, the only complaint we would have is the TV point, we managed to get twice as many channels when we used our caravan aerial which we found a bit strange.
Shower/toilet blocks were clean but cold. Found the shower cubicles to be slightly on the small side but showers had plenty of power and were very hot.
Used the site shop which we found to be reasonably priced for a change. Didn't use any of the eating facilities although always looked quite busy especially the pizza place.
Overall a great weekend and would definitely return.
This is our 2nd visit to Sandy Balls, the first was in a tent. We were so impressed that we visited again in the winter but stayed in a cabin.
For camping we found the showers to be clean at all times, hairdryers free of charge and a really good play area for the kids.
The cabin was large and each had their own wooden decked area with table and chairs.
Both times we have been we have hired bikes on site and gone on some of the beautiful bikes rides which lead straight from Sandy Balls across the New Forest, riding routes are handed out free.
You can also go on a lovely long woodland walk on site which runs along the Avon River.
We were disappointed with the pizzas on the on-site pizza restaurant but someone said the pasta was better.
Just spent 5 nights over New Year at Sandy Balls. We have had a mixed experience.
We had gone with friends and booked two pitches. When we arrived they only had paperwork for one pitch and had to log into the account to find our details and second pitch, so check in wasn't exactly straight forward. We found our pitches which were fully serviced, gravel hard standing, they are reasonably big with a hedge dividing them. There were only pitches on four acres section of the site being used. Some of the pitches flooded and left peoples awnings under 3 inches of water. We found this strange as they were plenty of empty pitches and people we spoke to said the same pitches flooded the year before. Why would you book pitches out that are prone to flooding with all the rain forecast?
The toilet blocks were clean, very warm and were never to busy.
The facilities at the site are good, swimming pool with sauna included in the price, gym at an extra charge. We ate in the Pizza in the Piazza and the food was nice. I had the hot, hot, hot pizza. It lived up to it's name!
The woodside inn is nice, although we didn't find the beer to be best. The food was nice. The staff are very pleasant and friendly but they were under staffed. We went watching a Meat Loaf tribute act, which was a good night, but only one member of staff behind the bar. The staff they do have on work very hard.
There are some nice walks in the woods and the surrounding areas with the New Forest on your doorstep. We visited Salisbury (11 miles), which is nice and Salisbury Cathedral is the home of the Magna Carta.
The main problem we had at Sandy Balls was the organisation of the New Year Events. We had booked tickets for the Woodside Suite and marque at £20 a head. We were told in advance that this was adults only as children's entertainment was on in the Woodside Inn. There were different coloured bands for all the events. The Pizza in The Piazza was a meal and swing singer at £40 a head.
We were told that if we booked tickets together we would be sat together. We asked on 30th December what was the set up going to be, no one could give us an answer even at reception. This was worrying as it was the night before.
There was an all you can eat buffer during the day of New Years Eve, we were told you could buy tickets at reception. I went to reception to buy 4 tickets they knew nothing about it and told me to go to the Woodside Inn I had just come from.
We arrived at New Year at 7pm to get a seat and found tables in the marque seating 400 people and on a first come first served basis. The marque looked lovely, unfortunately there was no music or bar in the marque. The bar and music were in the next room, the Woodside Suite. You couldn't see or hear the band in the marque, this was due to the noise and residents. It is the most bizarre set up I have every seen at a function.
We found a couple of seats in the Woodside suite for our wives and we stood. By the end of the evening people were bring chairs from the marque and sitting to watch the band.
It was then announced during the night that you could go anywhere with your bands whatever colour they were. The management of this site totally let themselves down
This is a nice site and we may go back in the future during summer as we would like to see the area with better weather.
Would we go back for New Year, that is a definite NO, it was an absolute shambles.
Stayed here for a four night break, we have been here a few times before & we choose it for the location & all the facilities the site has to offer, we travelled as a family with our young Granddaughter. The swimming pool was very good as were the play areas for the children, the soft play area could do with some ventilation, the entertainment was spot on although on the Saturday night it was very crowded, the showers and toilets were very clean, we used the shop on site which had everything you need, you can do some nice walks into the forest from the site. The pitches were clean & tidy, the only downside is that when the site is full they can be a bit tight to get on & off.
As most other people have said, this has got to be one of the nicest sites we have been to. We booked for 1 night and ended up staying for 2. Out of season price was £18 including dog which I think was very good. We could use the swimming pool in this price too. Toilets and showers were very clean and well kept. Fabulous walks all around the site but could do with clearer sign posts. Shop on site was lovely with freshly baked croissants and bread. Bike hire was available although we didn't use it but prices seemed reasonable. Would love to return but maybe not peak season when it would be busy with families!
Just back from a weeks stay on this site & in many years of camping, I think this is probably one of the nicest sites we have stayed on.
There is no designated areas for different types of unit, its a mixture of tents, campers, caravans, mobile homes etc. The pitches are flat & well maintained each with its own EHU & water supply. The only downside to that are that the pitches are all hard standings, a top covering of small pebbles with quite hard ground underneath, so a groundsheet is recommended & make sure you have enough rock pegs for everything you need to peg out, anything else will just bend. The site also has lodges on site & you can also book pre-erected tents.
The site itself is huge with plenty to do, there is a pub on site, The Woodside Inn, which provides decent pub fayre for a reasonable price although the drinks are a little pricey. The Woodside also has entertainment at weekend & a regular mid-week quiz. As an alternative, Pizza Piazza serves Italian food & the food from both the Woodside Inn & Pizza Piazza is available to take away.
There is also a very well stocked shop on site, a gym, a swimming pool with a hot tub & sauna, cycle hire, play areas for the kids & a small amusement arcade. We found all the staff extremely friendly & helpful.
There are shower/washing blocks in each area of the site which are kept clean & tidy. Each block contains separate male & female showers (several for each sex) which are hot, powerful & free. There are also washing cubicles which are curtained off from the rest of the showers/toilets, & hairdryers. Also contained within the block are the washing up areas & a laundry.
There are nice walks on site down to the river Avon, but a few hundred yards up the road past the Fighting Cocks pub (good beer & good food for a reasonable price), the New Forest awaits. The town of Lyndhurst is busy but worth a visit, as as the lovely town of Lymington (home to Gold medal winner Ben Ainslie), Winchester & Bournemouth where you can see the grave of Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, & her husband, the poet Percy Shelley.
Further afield, Portsmouth old docks with HMS Victory & the Mary Rose, along with a great shopping area & the Spinnaker tower is well worth a look. Highclere castle (better known as Downton Abbey), Jane Austen's house & Thomas Hardy's cottage are all within easy striking distance.
Lovely place, lots to do & we will certainly be going back.
Just got back from our stay at sandy balls, we had a lovely time and the weather was fantastic which helped. The toilets on site were very clean indoor and out door pool were great. The pitch we were on orchards 49 was large and with electric, water and tv hook up. All pitches are near a toilet block. The only thing I would say about the site was the walk down to the river was not very well sign posted. Staff were friendly and the entertainment in the woodlands bar was good.
This was our 2nd visit to Sandy Balls, requesting a pitch on north field again, along the rear perimeter. We had high expectations following our 1st visit at Easter 2012. Unfortunately we were really disappointed with this visit.
We were allocated pitch 70 on Northfield which is in the middle terrace, site etiquette by some people is appalling, using our pitch as a short cut through the site, when politely challenged being met with a gob full of abuse & foul language. Also tents & caravans mixed into adjoining pitches, indeed the two pitches next to us 69&68 resembled a car park, with 5 cars randomly parked on the pitches.
Feral children running amok on site until well after 11:00pm, we have 4 children who know how to behave & not impact on others. Now I don't mind listening to music of my choice, but why oh why do others seem to think its reasonable to blast theirs out so loud without consideration for others. Warden intervention minimal in fact none existent, despite repeated requests.
The small children's play area is woefully lacking in maintenance, with weeds & grass growing through the play matting, the sit on rides were missing foot rests leaving 9' length of stud bar exposed just ready for a child to gash themselves on, also the baby swings were covered in moss & lichen having never been cleaned, rendering cloths filthy if child used them. Again after numerous reports to the wardens these ere not attended to until the penultimate day of our 10 day stay.
Now for very nearly £600. 00 for 10 nights stay I think its reasonable to expect 1st class facilities and appropriate levels of management
Facilities on site, while functional were not cleaned anyware regularly enough with at least 2 Wc's being constantly blocked & requiring clearing etc.
Now for the positives, the activities programme for the children is excellent our girls thoroughly enjoyed all the crafting &nature walks & crafts. These were very reasonably priced and supervised by experienced personable staff.
The location and this area of the new forest is wonderful &well worth repeated visits. Sadly spoilt by the behaviour of inconsiderate parents & feral children.
I would just like to add as many have said the same, what a wonderful site this is for everyone, lot's to do swimming bike hire play areas for children toilets are very clean, and there are many places to visit. Local pub just down the road about a mile away.
Only one thing that I would like to comment on is some selfish campers erecting their tents and taking up more than their pitch, even to erect 2 tents and spread onto the next pitch.
This was our first ever camping trip and we are so glad we decided this site! The staff when we arrived were friendly and very helpful and soon had us on our way to our pitch.
The pitch it's self was very large with water, electrical hookup tv points and taps on each one. The warden went way above the call of duty in trying to find a tv hook up cable for the kids even though in the end the tv was never turned on.
The toilet and shower block was immaculate along with a fantastic play park very close to all camping pitches.
This park has many services including fishing equipment hire, cycle hire that we never had chance to use but we loved the pool and sauna!
We are happy to say we loved our time at this park and it has given us the camping bug. We look forward to coming back here and to meny other parks.
Just back from the bank holiday weekend at Sandy Balls. This was our second visit. We really rate this site as being one of the best we have been to due to its location deep in the New Forest area and close proximity to the coast.
Being a bank holiday it was pretty busy and full of children. Our one gripe was that there was little evidence of warden attendance around the park just keeping some of the rowdy holiday makers in check. The pitch next to us was overrun with children playing ball games and water pistol fights and we couldn't just sit outside our motorhome and relax without wondering when the next ball would hit our van or our pitch get invaded by the neighbouring children. There was also quite a lot of noise from large groups going on til after 11pm. Obviously the site was busy and one can always expect boisterous children and noise at peak times but on other sites we have been to, unneighbourly behaviour is kept in check.
There is really no need for the children to be terrorising the campers around the pitches because there are two fantastic play areas and a massive ball games field for them to play in.
Didn't use the showering facilities but they looked fresh and clean. All the pitches were of a good size, flat and well maintained.
The bike hire was great, really easy to arrange and there was lots of information available from the shop for local cycle trails and suggested routes that take in the best pubs and villages.
A word of warning if you're visiting at peak times - book your activities in advance! We couldn't get in for a swimming session or archery as they were fully booked when we got there. Disappointing but we will be prepared next time.
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Common Questions
Is Sandy Balls Holiday Village child friendly? YES, it accepts children & has a playground View all facilities
Does Sandy Balls Holiday Village have a swimming pool? YES, there is a pool on site View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to Sandy Balls Holiday Village? There is a shop on site View all facilities
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
All reviews and comments are the personal opinion of the review author only , and as such do not represent the view of the UK Camp Site.co.uk.
The facilities shown on this website are a guide only, and you should check with the campsite direct before making any booking. The UKCampsite.co.uk will not be held responsible for any errors or omissions
Tent Pitches 
Caravan Pitches 
Motorhome Pitches 
Small Campervans 
No Glamping Units 
Holiday Homes for Hire 
Holiday Homes for Sale 
No Seasonal Pitches 
No Electric Hookups 
No Hardstandings 
No Fully Serviced Pitches 
Families Welcome 
Not Members Only 
Rallies Welcome 
Not Naturist Site 
Dogs Welcome 
No Dogs Allowed 
Groups Welcome 
Motorbikers Welcome 
Toilet Facilities 
Hot Showers 
Washing Up 
Bathroom 
Baby Changing Facilities 
Laundry On Site 
Drinking Water 
Disabled Friendly 
No Chemical Disposal 
No Battery Charging 
No Gas Exchange 
No Recycling Facilities 
No Kitchen Facilities 
No Freezer / Fridge 
No Motorhome Point 
Wifi Access 
Shop On Site 
Bar On Site 
Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway On Site 
Kids Playground 
No TV Room 
Games Room 
Evening Entertainment 
Fishing <10 miles 
No Wild Swimming 
Indoor Pool On Site 
Outdoor Pool On Site 
Horse Riding <1 mile 
Cycle Hire On Site 
Golf <5 miles 
No Tennis 
Beach <10 miles 
Watersports <10 miles 
No Boat Launch 
No Sea Views 
Not Working Farm 
No Campfires Allowed 
No Waterside Pitches 
Public Transport <1 mile
No Dog Walk 
What a fantastic holiday we have had! Just got back from a weekend away at Sandy Balls and I was really impressed. The site was spotless and the staff were brilliant (even though they had doubled booked our pitch)!
