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I visited with extended family for my 13th birthday nine years ago so I don't remember all the details but I do recall having a wonderful time & never feeling at a loss of things to do.
We took part in various activities such as jewellery making, clay pigeon shooting, swimming, art class, etc.
I don't remember too much about the evenings but I did enjoy various pub meals which were of good quality.
The site seemed well-kept with the toilet block and playground areas not posing any issues.
I have been hoping to go back ever since but in recent years have heard it's gone very much downhill which is a great shame.
We have just returned from a 3 night break at Sandy Balls. We stayed in Northfields and we were the first pitch closest to the play area.
I would definitely recommend hiring the astroturf as this makes a huge difference to the comfort under foot due to the gravel. The toilets and showers are clean and plentiful. The site has a no noise policy after 11pm however whilst we were there we found groups of teens that made a lot of noise at night and did not adhere to this policy.
Food in the Bistro and the pub was quite pricey although the food at the Bistro was of better quality but portions were small for the price. You need to book a table at the Bistro in the evenings, we did not and even though it didn't look busy we was turned away. The shop is well stocked but a little over priced. There is a Co-op and Tesco Express in Fordingbridge which is only a 5 minute drive.
The Pool was on a band system that you received a band and could swim for an hour which made the pool less busy which is great when you are in the pool, not so great when the younger children want to swim and don't understand why they can't go now!
Stayed for a week in a READYTENT. Excellent drive-thru check-in!
3-bedrooms with 4 single airbeds and 1 double airbed though we took an extra double and it was a fantastic idea cos the big bedroom had storage area so me n hub could have a double airbed each!
Living area with table and 6 chairs (very uncomfortable though some tents seemed to have different chairs and looked loads better!)
Almost full-size fridge with freeze box. Gas stove and grill. Box of melamine pots (bit stained but clean) and cutlery and pans. (no chopping board)
Electric light and 3 point hook up. (suggest a small heater for the evenings)
Each tent has a point behind to collect water (no container in our tent, dunno if same for all?) Picnic table/bench.
Enough toilets and showers when we went, fairly clean though a few lights out and not replaced all week. Handwash facilities poor - 2 small sinks and one rubbish handryer. Several cubicles for personal washing however but no soap in them.
The roads/paths on site are a death-trap! Being in the new forest it is raved about as being cycle friendly and also had a cycle hire shop. Great? Yep but all those kids riding about with no care for reversing cars or pedestrians. Had to be careful where parking car too cos of this! Street lighting out in some areas not replaced leaving very dark bits.
Only used take-away and just ok though expensive.
Shop well stocked and lovely gift shop too.
Swimming pool not bad though crowded at times. Operated a coloured band system but we figured it out and kept our red bands as they were for the 6pm slot every day! Saved getting disappointed when son wanted to go and too full! (we did use it so it didn't restrict anyone else was my view!) Outdoor pool far too cold!
Large-ish co-op and a tesco express in Fordingbridge.
Fab pub called Alice Lisle - not sure which nearby village but great food and service.
Loved the wandering ponies and cows in the forest.
Don't think we would return as seen-it-done-it. Definitely not in our own tent as they have gravel pitches that you have to hire astroturf for if you haven't your own. Log cabins looked ok from what we could see but as surrounded by trees not much fun sitting out with little or no sun.
Hi we've just got back from a lovely SUNNY week at Sandy Balls. We've stayed here before many times, this was our second time in a tent, due to booking in February this year we didn't have a choice of pitch, four acres 23. This was a disappointment for us, as the pitch seemed small compared to others. We also felt we sat on the main road during meal times. However, that is are only bad comment. The site is great the kids aged 9 and 5 love it, we only went off site once for a cycle ride hiring one ad bike with tag a long on the back. The site was busy but you can find quiet when you head to the river walk, which is a must if you go. We do plan to go again, but will book now for May half term as we had a good look around site and identified pitches we feel would be better. I would recommend this site to anyone, tent, lodge etc.You can't go wrong.
I booked 6 weeks in advance and was told that they had pitches available on the Chamberlin field, the lady on reception told me that they had installed a new pool this year and that the facilities were very good. How wrong she was! Just one sink to wash up in, one portocabin for toilets and one for showers which were dirty and were not working properly. And I don't know how they can say the newly installed pool was actually a pool!It was a blow up thing stuck in the middle of the field. I ended up having to go to the main site and have a shower, which was a 10 minute walk down a main road, with my 3 year old.
Well what can I say. We all loved it. There is so much to do for kids and as well as adults. The bistro was on the little expensive side, but the takeaway on site was very well priced and tasty. The pool was ok, and did the job. I would highly recommend taking cycles, or look into hiring as there are loads of tours and trails to do, which are also kid friendly. Everyone on site, staff as well as campers were all very friendly.
Just returned from a 4 day break at sandy balls. We were in the Northfield area, and it was a great place for us to pitch along with 2 other families.Children age range from 2 to 10. The kids loved it. We've been to Sandy Balls many times before so know the site well but have always stayed in a lodge - this time we took our tent and I have to say, we didn't miss the lodge at all, showers/wash area was fine, staff helpful when one of our friends car broke down. The only thing I would say if you are camping PLEASE hire the astroturf. Makes all the difference on a gravel pitch and be aware you need Gravel pegs ground V hard. The area is lovely and we didn't venture into the forest, just stayed on site and chilled.Came home a day early due to bad weather being forecast and didn't want to put a wet tent away. Other than that would really recommend site.
We have just returned from our 3rd year at Sandy Balls and once again, we've had a great holiday. It helps of course, that the sun was shining for much of the time but even on wet days there are a number of activities to keep children entertained. The toilet facilities are clean and plentiful with free showers/hair dryers. There is a bistro on site, which seems a bit pricey. There are indoor and outdoor pools and an indoor activity centre for children with the usual slides/ball pools. There is also a Spar shop which sells just about everything but it is really expensive and we found it easier to drive into Fordingbridge to the large Co-op.
There is a lovely riverside walk attached to the site and we got a map from the cycle centre, which let our 7 yr old daughter follow the trail while looking for clues and letters which she really enjoyed and it made for a cheap day out - well - my husband is a Yorkshire man!
It was our third visit and have already booked for next year. I cant praise the staff or the site enough, toilets and showers were spotless. Entertainment for my 6 year old was spot on. Site facilities were as always superb, to be honest I'm struggling to find a bad thing about this place, mmmmmmm oh yeah it rained for one day. All in a great relaxing place to go with the family.
I have sooooo much to say and so little time, so I'll sum up quickly. My family and I are struggling to find a site that matches up to this one (and we nearly always stay on 5 star sites). It would be nice to have an undercover/heated area by the bar, so us dog owners have somewhere to going for that all important G&T after a long walk. My only problem is, is that often they are fully booked and you can't get in! My advice is to book early especially in school hols.
Just back from a week at Sandy Balls! So much to do on site, rain or shine.
The outdoor adventure play areas for the children were really quite impressive, with designated areas for younger and older children. There is also an indoor ball pit, activity centre and arcades. Activities on every day for the children too, some of which are free but most carried a small charge. The indoor pool is spacious and wasn't over crowded despite the site being full, although we were a little disappointed to have to pay for the use of the spa pool, but worth it after a hard days cycling.
Well equipped cycle hire centre on site, which also stocks a host of other useful items. Although we found this quite an expensive option, around £40 for the first days hire for 2 adults & 2 children, and then £20 a day after that. If you can, take your own bikes - as this really is a great way to get around the site and see some of the new forest.
The bistro, bar and shop seemed all quite pricey to be honest but there is a takeaway.
The pitches were spacious and as the rest of the site well kept, there were lots of free warm showers, washing up sinks, washing machines, rubbish bins and chemical disposal points. There was some work going on near the entrance to the site, but apart from the odd stray digger, didn't really affect us.
We visited Moors Valley country park, just down the road at Ringwood, and it was a brilliant accessible way of seeing some of the new forest with little ones in tow. With a mini railway, numerous adventure play areas, on the 'play trail' a lake, cycle trails, walking trails, visitor centre and cafe and best of all a 'tree top walk' - amazing day and inexpensive!
The only slight bug bear was some (not all) of the staff were a little unhelpful / unfriendly. We could live with this though!
This was our second visit to this site. Once during the summer & more recently mid December. Everything is perfect from lovely clean & warm showers, friendly & courteous staff, good food & entertainment. Plenty of room to pitch. Everything you require is on the park, but don't miss out on the fantastic New Forest, beautiful rides, walks & sights and horse riding there is so much to do. Take your bikes & walking boots, although you can hire bicycles on site.
I've read a few of the other reviews and I guess it just proves that not all sites are for all people.
My simple test for a site is would I want to spend my hard earned money and go back? The answer here is yes to the New Forest but no to Sandy Balls.
To expand on that, we just spent a week in the half term break at Sandy Balls. OK, it was very, very cold and that always dampens the spirits so I'll bear that in mind but we just sat as a family and thought through a list of the good and bad bits. There were more bad than good though on reflection.
We stayed in the 'Northfield' on a fully serviced touring pitch, part hard standing. Here's a list of Good, Bad and Really annoying bits that may help.
Good:
1) Plenty of showers, 10 in the Northfield block so never had to wait.
2) Enough toilets to go round.
3) Lots of recycling points, chemical waste points.
4) Shop was OK and stocked some provisions, spirits, magazines and bread, pastries etc.
5) Woodside Inn is good for a family meal, OK food and reasonable price.
6) Bathroom also in showers, ideal for little kids / bathing babies (although not a single hook or shelf so towels and stuff either balanced on the baby buggy or the floor).
7) Serviced pitch with water and waste (non chemical) on the pitch was good (although aerial didn't work - see below).
Bad:
1) Grass around pitches was a bit long and had been soaked through, so one quick shower was all it took for a very boggy, muddy pitch to develop. We half parked across the hard standing (no awning up) so at least one side of the car stayed clean inside. I guess this is a peril of being open 364 days a year, pitches never get a chance to fully recover and by the end of our week the boggy grass felt like a wet weekend at the Glastonbury Festival.
2) Tight, narrow roadways around the touring pitches. Twin axle tourer with a big car up front is nearly 40 foot in length so proved very difficult to manoeuvre around with pitches opposite occupied. Even some of the smaller outfits and single axle vans were struggling to shunt back and forth parking up.
3) Showers supposed to have under floor heating but this didn't work. We reported this but was told it was faulty, sorry. Summer time, no probs but this time of year, you needed it.
4) Pitch black around the site and down the steep steps to the shower facilities. Light near the steps and the two on our stretch of road were out all week. I reported this to guest services and was told it would be sorted, twice - they must have got sick of the site of me but still didn't fix them.
5) The Northfield touring field is as far from the central amenities / entertainment as it could be on the site. With small children it is a 20 minute walk minimum. Again, in summer, fine, but we just had an Arctic snap last week and resorted to driving back to the central areas in the car - not ideal or environmentally friendly. We weren't the only ones either, as the car park was full every day.
6) All the kids activities cost extra. £3, £5, £7 a go X two kids, suddenly makes doing some crafts, playing with the clay, painting etc. Pretty expensive.
Really Annoying:
1) TV Aerial in the pitch did not work. Tried it, called maintenance at guest services on the Saturday, they promised they'd be out Monday to have a look but didn't turn up. Chased them Monday, Tuesday and then Wednesday, still no joy so we gave up!
2) Hired the water hose extension for £2 (very reasonable). Walked back to pitch and found it was a few metres too short. Did the 20 minute walk back to the shop where the guy says, oh yes, they're too short for most of the pitches you probably need the 10 meter hose like the rest of Northfield.
3) Nice pool indoors. Outdoor closed for obvious reasons this time of the year. We were on our way back in to site one day, checked the pool, went back to pitch and got gear together. Did the long walk back down, got there and was told sorry we're full and it's a minimum one hour wait. I asked if I could book a slot for later that evening but was told you cannot pre-book. The best they could do was give us a coloured band and let us in after an hour, for an hour!
Wonderful site agree with everything that's been said before, facilities clean, all you could want from a site. Only moan was as it rained so much the grass around the pitches could have been cut more often, but that's really being picky. Will be going back, just hope for better weather, but even Sandy Balls can't do much about that although they manage to supply just about everything else you could want from a site.
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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 
I visited with extended family for my 13th birthday nine years ago so I don't remember all the details but I do recall having a wonderful time & never feeling at a loss of things to do. 
