We decided very last minute we wanted to visit Alton Towers this Easter holidays and because it’s just under a 4 hour trip each way we knew the best idea would be to stay over. We had been recommend by friends to book the Moon Voyager room in the main hotel but because of it being so last minute these were all booked up! What I did find available was the Beach Comber room at Splash Landings Hotel at a bargain price! Now in all honestly all the reviews I’ve seen in the past for this hotel were really bad so I didn’t hold out much hope. At that price though it just seemed a risk worth taking and I’m so glad we did!
Booking
Booking was very straight forward and as we are Merlin Pass holders we did this through the Merlin Holiday club. We booked just 3 days before and found we were unable to book restaurants online but it was school holidays too so I’m sure both of these were a factor! It didn’t matter because on arrival the lovely staff in reception booked all this for us anyway! We were arriving on a Thursday and only Friday was available to book for the waterpark but this was probably better to be honest because we went from pool to the car to go home in our comfortable clothes and damp hair!
Check In
Check in is from 3pm and we checked in online 2 days before to speed things up! I would defo recommend this as we walked past the queue on arrival to collect our Key cards from the self Service machines which was so much better. We actually got the text to say our room was ready a bit early at 14.22pm! We were in the park anyway so we didn’t check in until later but was nice to know we had the option!
Our Hotel Room
As I’ve said I didn’t have high expectations but on entering our room we were so impressed! Not only was it spotlessly clean, the beach hut theme was so cool!! The room has Bunk beds in the room rather than a separate children’s sleeping area but that wasn’t an issue for us. The room has tea & coffee making facilities, iron, ironing board and TV. Our room over looked the outside part of the water park which made It feel like being abroad!
The room has a thermostat for heating but no air conditioning. We didn’t find this a problem though as we were able to open the window (which is rare in hotels these days)!
Breakfast was included in our package and we were able to get a slot for 8am but I believe they run from 7am - 10am. It was a fabulous buffet style with everything from fresh fruit, pastries, coco pops and of course cooked breakfast!
The Hotel
The hotel itself is lots of fun and the whole Caribbean theming throughout really does get you in the holiday mood! They have a family bar called Ma Garrita’s which has entertainment in the evening. The entertainment staff are brilliant and out of all the other Merlin hotels we enjoyed the evening entertainment here the most. The bar shuts at 11 and entertainment runs until 10.30pm. Lots of Games for the kids and disco dancing!
There is also have a shop & an amusement arcade in the hotel which you can collect tickets to exchange for prizes. The 2p machines are always a hit with us!
Evening Meal
We wanted to eat at the Roller Coaster restaurant but although the amazing staff made some calls and did their best it was too fully booked. If you want to eat there you need to book way in advance as it’s very popular. The other options we had were The Secret Garden in the main Alton Towers hotel or The Flambo Jambo in Splash Landings Hotel. Now The Secret Garden menu looked too posh for Mason who is quite a fussy eater anyway so we opted for Flambo Jambo. This restaurant is buffet style with lots of different choices and cuisines. It’s very kid friendly so was perfect for Mase. Something I must mention is It’s very hot in the restaurant but this is because it’s situated right next to the water park which is at a kept at a tropical temperature! Next time I will dress accordingly!
The Water Park
Wow! It’s absolutely amazing! We had a brilliant time and for Mase this was the best part of the trip! There was lazy river rapids, splash pools and water slides inside & out! The pool is so warm outside that you can swim outside all year round! You can swim out to it from the inside so you don’t get cold in cooler weather! Inside they have seating around the edge and you can buy food & drink if you want to sit and have a break in your swim wear! “It’s like a little village Mum” is how Mase described it and I think that’s probably a good description! They have lockers to store your belongings at 20p and the water park reception are happy to give change before you go in.
Conclusion
We had the best time and can’t wait to go back! The stand out for me was the staff as they are absolutely lovely and can’t do enough to help. I’m so glad we booked this hotel as I nearly didn’t. If you’re a Merlin Pass holder you can pick these breaks up during school holidays really cheap. The same break for a non Merlin pass holder however would be £430 - we paid £128. To Renew our Merlin Passes as a family it costs us £501 for the year which sounds a lot but totally worth it with the saving we made on this break alone!
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