Parkdean Resorts Sandylands Holiday Park, Ayrshire - Saltcoats

leannea611

We visit the park for a family weekend holiday with our 3 kids (10,13 and 16) and came home a day early and I couldn’t face another day forking out money. |first drama was the caravan we were given the stands at the back end weren’t even connected to the caravan and was dangerous but this was delt with quickly and we were moved to a lovely caravan and was actually closer to the other family members we booked with. Caravan was clean but had a strange smell we couldn’t find exactly where it was coming from but we think maybe the plumbing in the toilets. A few cans of air freshener fixed that. ||The issue we found was there isn’t a lot for the older kids, my experience is it’s great for under 8s maybe at a push but mine didn’t have much. Yes the arcade is great and they had plenty fun there but it cost a small fortune to keep them entertained. Swimming is the other but it was always booked. The bikes were fun but this would be better if they had longer on them for the price you’re paying. It’s a shame you can’t access over the bridge anymore as this would be handy for the beach and would give them more to do. It wasn’t a bad weekend just wished it would have been better for the money we paid. ||The staff were lovely and catered to our needs. We visited the onsite restaurant for a meal was expensive and you expect it to be but the food was bland. ||This is only my opinion on the place and our visit for our family and we have been before, but I don’t think we would come again. This might be the perfect place for other family’s just not for us.

GlasgowHappyHolidays

Positives - all on the flat no mountaineering required. Spacious park with caravans generously spaced out. Modern and sizeable restaurant with a wide choice of tables. Good sized entertainment complex. Close proximity to a a choice of supermarkets. Energetic, talented and fun entertainment team.||Negatives - after a heavy rainfall multiple buckets were placed around the entertainment complex and toilets capturing multiple leaks from the roof. Very tired and dated swimming pool and changing area. Neighbouring railway runs the length of the park with some caravans experiencing noise nuisance. Strong smell of illegal substances around certain areas of the park. Not all caravans have a clean path to the entrance steps problem highlighted by the terribly wet weather experienced. Entrance gate accessed via mobile number and not a code

Tracy T.

Was there for 10 days with the tourer. Was ok but. Very tight to get the caravan parked up in pitch as only 2 small rows. Night entertainment was good for the kids and staff were amazing polite and helpful. Most of arcades is all ticket based. There is an over 18s arcade but unless u know where it is u won't know its there. Whole place needs a big refurbishment and updated. U have to walk 15 min into town to get to beach. But its OK if u staying as a base and going on days out.

stevenpS5701QS

Built in Beko microwave display defective no 2nd subs microwave provided. (advise before start holiday at reception that may have to unscrew left valve of each radiator (if cold) to release hot water into radiators(initially we presumed some of the radiators were not working at all(as 2 radiators adult bedroom and one of smaller bedrooms radiators had been screwed all the way to closed despite boiler heating on and their right hand side valves at hottest 5!))))No toilet rolls provided this time. TV 32 inch instead of 42 inch as suggested in photos. Premium and reliable door open alarm fridge feezer kettle/toaster plenty of utensils etc. Caravan spotless on arrival. WIFI always immediate and superior to Seton Sands wifi that needs 2/3rd day sync. Survived

philip W.

We arrived at Sandylands full of excitement for a much-needed break — excitement that very quickly evaporated when greeted by the unmistakable smell of the nearby meat processing plant. Not exactly the coastal breeze we had imagined, especially on a warm day!

Let’s give credit where it’s due: the reception staff were absolutely lovely — helpful, friendly, and genuinely doing their best. The security team were certainly kept busy but responded quickly when called, and housekeeping had clearly worked hard with what they were given. Unfortunately, as the saying goes, you can’t polish a… well, you know.

The caravan was a stark contrast to the photos online. Gone were the colourful cushions, plush carpets, and warm, homely feel. Instead, we were welcomed into a soulless grey/brown space with tired decor, a musty smell, and more wear and tear than advertised. Curtains were half-hanging off, the toilet seat wobbled, the shower rail was barely attached, and the sofa had both cigarette burns and stains that made us hesitate before sitting down.

The cooker didn’t work for the first five days — reported early but not resolved quickly, which put a dampener on self-catering plans. Our first outing was to B\&M for reed diffusers — not the beach trip we had in mind.

Speaking of the beach: the website claims it’s a short walk away, which would be accurate if the footbridge across the railway line hadn’t been closed in 2021 (information kindly provided by a former caravan owner). The current route is much longer — not ideal for someone with rheumatoid arthritis recovering from cancer. It’s probably time the site info had an update.

The site itself had a bit of a “Shameless meets Cops with Cameras” vibe, with regular visits from the local police and some questionable behaviour from other guests. Not exactly the peaceful escape we were hoping for.

As for being dog-friendly — it technically is, in the sense that they’ll take your money for bringing one, but dogs aren’t allowed inside any buildings, including the bar. That left us sitting outside next to the children’s play area, unable to relax with a drink due to lack of indoor space or shelter.

In the end, we made the decision to cut our stay short. A real shame, as it could’ve been a very different experience with some honesty in advertising, basic maintenance, and a bit more care.

Would I return? No. Would I recommend? Only if you enjoy DIY repairs, strong air fresheners, and unexpected police presence on your holidays.

Herbert

Currently on a weeks break with my family for my Birthday! Staying from 18-25th August.

Arrived late around 8pm. Checking was fine. Security handed over keys to Caravan 340.

This review is based on two out of seven days of our stay.

Negatives.
*Floor carpet in the caravan does smell probably requires changing. Looks dated
* Very small single fridge, not adequate for family of 3 or more.
* First day we reported one of the large hobs wasn't working. Security maintenance sent someone on the evening of the 18th. Checked and confirmed that a gas engineer will need to be sent over on the morning of the 19th. Another maintenance man ( not a gas engineer) came to inspect, who also promised to send someone else to fix. On the evening of the 19th, we contacted Security to get an update, Security didnot seem to have on record that we had reported the issue, they sent someone else who checked the cooker and promised to send someone on the 20.8.25
* Microwave glass plate is missing and rotator ring in the microwave is broken. Problem reported to the Security chap who had come to re-inspect the gas hob.
* Less than 2hrs after the maintenance many had left the caravan, now the boiler in the caravan has stopped working and we don't have hot water.
* There is no central heating too.....
* This is not the birthday I expected, it's 11pm and I just think now, what's the point to call the Security out again....
My five year old is cold in bed....

We miss our warm house in London...atleast everything worked there.

Positives.
We had a nice swim on the 19th. Pool is nice and warm.

Will we stay over again.

Probably NOT

Update on our stay.

In the morning on the 20th, my family and I went to reception to request to be moved, we were informed that the Manager, was on a school run and wouldn't be in until about 10am.

When we returned to speak to the manager a lady by the names of Julie. We had to go through the whole story with her as she didn't seem aware or briefed. She said she had been on annual leave and wasn't informed about anything!

She declined to move us to another caravan because the park was fully booked! Ofcourse as a customer you have to belief what they say, so we were then promised that all the issues would be sorted on the day.

Microwave was sorted 👌

Gas hob was sorted 👌

Hot water and central heating was also sorted by gas engineer who was sent around 1-2pm. 👌

Fast forward.....to 9.30pm.

We were back to same issues of no hot water and central heating. It gets very cold in the evening on the park due to close proximity to the sea. My five year old has been cold and we have struggled to take showers due to the constant disruptions our holiday.

10pm....reported issue once again to the park and security man attended but as he is not gas engineer, he couldn't fix it.
He said that the park has a policy of not contracting gas engineers out of hours and so we need to wait until the morning.

I have now consulted my solicitors about this situation as it is clear, Parkdean/Sandyland have failed repeatedly in their duties/obligations to us as their paying customers!

matthew L.

They claim it’s a 5 minute walk to the beach, it isn’t. It’s more 20 minutes which is fine for me but my mum has mobility issues and therefore was entirely unable to go to the beach. They are false advertising here fairly certain trading standards would have a lot to say.

The caravan was not clean we actually discovered an empty 2 litre bottle of dr pepper under one of the beds which shocked us. The sofas had stains all over them and the curtain rails were literally falling off the walls. We took dishes out of the cupboards and flung them dirty.

The staff are hit and miss some were good others not so much.

If you are going here I would advise that you do not use the app to order to your table. The staff for the most part aren’t paying attention so wont notice your order until you approach the bar to inform them. This happens even if you’re the only ones in the bar. I experienced it multiple times.

On the day we checked out we sadly decided to have breakfast in the boathouse. We waited 45 minutes for our breakfast to come out then when I said I wanted to cancel the breakfast. The breakfast was overcooked. The staff stated that this was due to there being only one chef in the kitchen. As someone who trained as a chef and worked as a chef for 5 years I took that as an insult. There was 27 covers in the place a chef is expected to handle 50 covers at a time. Whoever was in that kitchen is not a chef they are a cook and calling them a chef is offensive to those who actually are chefs.

I think the management here need to really look at guest experience because massive improvements are needed.

Clair M.

Advice - use a privately booked caravan, not a Parkdean one. On arrival, the caravan given was disgusting. It stank of smoke, had crockery lying around with food on, balls of hair lying around, crumbs and dust all over and the curtain rail was falling down and was taped together. I asked for a different caravan but reception told me they were fully booked so it was impossible. Instead she sent a cleaner round. The lady sent had just finished her shift but returned to help. She went above and beyond. She agreed it was disgusting and stank. She made a couple of phone calls and within a short time we were given a different caravan, presumably privately owned. This one was lovely - 4 tvs, a veranda, heating, an air fryer and it was spotlessly clean. The lady at reception lied to us and was unwilling to help. The cleaner was fantastic. Everything else was fine. The bar and entertainment were good and the staff were friendly. Once the caravan was changed, we had a lovely holiday.