Honest Warmwell Holiday Park Winter Wonderland Review (Dorset)

Last year my family spent a few days at Warmwell Holiday Park Winter Wonderland in Dorset. We paid £141 per adult (x6) for two lodges for three nights , and had a great time with the extra festive activities they laid on. Here’s what we thought of the place, and whether it’s worth booking for this year.

We wanted something special to do in the run up to Christmas, but not extortionate. So, I found Parkdean’s Warmwell Holiday Park in Dorset running a Winter Wonderland through December and decided to book two lodges next to each other to enjoy the festive feels.

We chose Warmwell for the ski slope fun, the amount of activities, the location and the price. The setting was stunning as well – set around a lake in woodlands. I felt like there’d be enough for everyone to do, but plenty of opportunity to just enjoy being together too.

Here’s exactly what it’s like staying at Warmwell in winter, what the Winter Wonderland includes, and whether it’s worth booking for your family or friends this year.

Where is Warmwell Holiday Park?

Warmwell Holiday Park is in the Dorset countryside near Dorchester, surrounded by lakes, trees and walking trails. Even before you reach reception, it feels quiet and cocooned – especially in winter when the park is calmer and the woodland setting is all wintry.

It’s also a great base for exploring Dorset, with the Jurassic Coast, Lulworth Cove and Weymouth all within easy driving distance – though honestly, there’s enough on site that you don’t have to leave. We did, on the Sunday – more on that below.

Our lodges at Warmwell Holiday Park

We stayed in two ‘Superior 3 Bedrooms Lodges with dedicated parking and decking’ at Warmwell. They were 8 person lodges, but really only enough beds for 6 (two doubles, one twin) and then the sofabed. We decided to get two for comfort, for the 8 of us, which I’m really glad we did. They definitely weren’t big enough for 6 adults for 2 children comfortably.

On the plus side they had kitchens with everything you need, spacious bathrooms and felt private from the rest of the site. On the minus side they definitely could’ve done with another clean and were a bit… used. They didn’t look like the photos. The sofas were grim – I was glad I wasn’t sleeping on one of those.

We paid £35 more to get two next to each other. We were quite far from the entertainment area so for little legs and old legs in winter it meant one of us would often drive up to get back comfortably.

Warmwell’s Winter Wonderland entertainment

Warmwell’s Winter Wonderland entertainment is the reason many families book.

BREAKFAST WITH SANTA

The best thing we did there was pay £15 per child to have breakfast with Santa. It was calm and relaxed and the kids could go up and see Santa and get their gift as they warmed up to the experience rather than being rushed in. They got pancakes and a drink, and a gift from Santa. They could also post their letters in the box.

Adults could have breakfast too, from an extensive menu and the lovely elves just made it a really lovely and calm event. Definitely recommend. Just the Santa experience we wanted.

EVENING food market

We bought some marshmallows to toast outside – big excitement for the kiddies. There was also ice cream and some performances for the kids too. As usual for children’s entertainment, it was too loud and so Reggie didn’t like it. Other kids were having fun joining in and dancing though.

Christmas pantomime

We sat around waiting for this pantomime to begin and honestly, it was awful. So loud, unnecessarily rude, and just totally ridiculous – not in a fun way. People were leaving, and so did we. I was gutted as that had been one of the main reasons we wanted to stay here, and I was excited for my Greek niece to experience the pantomime but none of us could bare it.

The Setting

The woodland lakes, trees and quiet winter atmosphere made the whole experience more magical. It’s not flashy but there are twinkling lights, a Christmas heart and some lowkey nods to Christmas throughout.

Year round entertainment at Warmwell Holiday Park

the swimming pool

One of the reasons we booked Warmwell Holiday Park was because of the swimming pool. It had slides, a wave machine and a general splashy area for the little kids to swim too. You need to get you booking confirmed for the pool early on, as it booked up fast. We only got to go in there once.

We did book for a pool party, and paid £9 each, but after experiencing the pool for the included free session we decided we didn’t want to pay al that just for what I worried would be loud music and the pool. It was a good pool though, and we enjoyed our session.

Changing rooms were pretty grim though, just to warn you.

soft play and rollerskating

Next to the swimming pool was a soft play for little kids. It was a really good size to be able to sit and enjoy watching them play in it, rather than feeling you had to join in to keep an eye on them. You could bring in a coffee from the bar and sit there. Reggie loved it in here.

The roller rink is at the same site. We paid £5 to have a go but it really wasn’t very successful – think my three year old was a bit young!

SKI SLOPE and ringos

Obviously this is a great USP for Warmwell Holiday Park, especially for their Winter Wonderland experience. We paid £9 for Reggie to have 30 minutes in their ringos. Basically you had to run up the hill with it, and then they slid down spinning around. It was great fun – money well spent.

You could also book ski and snowboard lessons, and I liked the vibe round there. Just made it feel all the more Christmassy – that fake ski slope.

There was also a mini golf course, trampolines and a craft studio set up too.

Food and drink at Warmwell Winter Wonderland

Warmwell has a restaurant, bar (the Boathouse), takeaway options and a small shop. We had one dinner at the restaurant – I had a 7/10 chicken tikka masala for £16. And one breakfast – a bacon bap with a coffee for £5. Both were perfectly acceptable for the price, and I’d recommend you visit for both.

Food is what you’d expect from a holiday park: convenient, filling and easy rather than destination dining.

We ate the rest of the meals at the lodge, which worked well for all of our different tastes. It also worked around the Christmas fun and games we had for the kiddies.

On the Sunday after check out we went to The Smugglers Inn at Osmington Mills, in Weymouth. We had a lovely (spendy) meal, with desserts. It tasted all the better in the lovely pub, with a great waiter, and the weather grim outside. So cosy in there.

Is Warmwell Winter Wonderland worth it?

I know you’ve read a fair few complaints in this review of Warmwell Winter Wonderland but, I do actually think it was worth it at that price. I’m just keeping it real.

It was lovely to get away for a few days, and at £143 per adult for three nights, with the kids free in that pricing, it was very good value. Remember we had two lodges for the eight of us too.

We paid extra for a few bits, but I don’t begrudge any of it. All part of the fun.

Warmwell Holiday Park Winter Wonderland Review

It rained horrendously while we were at Warmwell Winter Wonderland, so if we’d have been at home for the weekend it would’ve been one of those rainy weekends at home. It was more fun to be nice and warm with the heating cranked up in a wooden lodge setting.

It was great having the pool and soft play on site, and a few extra things to do too.

If you’re looking for a UK Christmas break that’s easy, cosy, good value and genuinely fun for kids – without dragging yourself through crowds – Warmwell is well worth considering.