The diary of Dad

Like so many others this year, our Summer holiday had to be cancelled and sunny Spain will have to wait a while longer. Our little man deserved a holiday though, so we rented a caravan for a weekend in Yarmouth at Cherry tree park.

It was my first experience of a caravan holiday as an adult and if I am honest, not something I was particularly excited about especially given the horrific weather that seems to follow us on every trip joined us once more. However, Cherry Tree caravan park offered far more than I had expected.

The caravan itself was spacious and welcoming. The cosy sofa and fireplace in the main living area were perfect for the three of us and both bedrooms and the bathroom were in great condition and certainly big enough for our little family. The kitchen also had everything we needed, including a fridge,freezer, kettle, and cooking facilities.

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We had little intention of staying in though. Having dumped our luggage we headed straight out to see what the site had to offer in terms of entertainment and check out the restaurant (Maybe the bar too!)

Entertainment at Cherry Tree caravan park

The restaurant itself was beautifully laid out with tables overlooking the pool. We ordered a kids meal for our son and a bowl of chips as a snack for us. The service was prompt and friendly and there were no complaints with the quality of the food, however with a bowl of chips costing £4.99 we decided to stick to cooking for ourselves from then on! We finished eating just in time to hit the bar area in time for the kids entertainment.

The huge bar area was perfect with plenty of seating available with a view of the stage, where the entertainment crew performed an admirable job of keeping the little ones happy and entertained whilst the parents could enjoy a drink.

We were fortunate enough to see the legendary Stevi Ritchie (Remember him?!) perform live on our second night. Perhaps I had a beer too many but he was absolutely brilliant and even answered my request to give us a version of Bohemian Rhapsody as it has now become my Son’s favourite song. If you’re reading, thank you very much Mr Ritchie.

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We were delighted to find a large array of daytime activities for toddlers at Cherry Tree too. One of my main concerns prior to the holiday had been being trapped inside the caravan watching the rain fall with nothing to do. Activities included craft making such as kites and animal masks and opportunities to meet the Starlight crew, who are giant animal entertainers from another galaxy. (Definitely not just staff in costumes.)

There is also an arcade full of games and opportunities to win tickets which can be converted to prizes at the end of your trip. We ended up with far too many of these due to my wife’s unhealthy addiction to arcade games. If only the weather was a little better and we could have spend this time in the free outdoor play area instead, maybe next year!

The pool was also a great place to spend a little time in the day, with Covid restrictions meaning it was never crowded and this was perfect for us to give our toddler a few swimming lessons without fear of getting bumped and splashed too much.

Covid restrictions at Cherry Tree caravan park in Yarmouth

Since I’ve mentioned the dreaded C word above, I should really go into a little more detail. Coronavirus restrictions are in place throughout the park and are very clear and well policed. The restaurant, bar and arcade areas all follow a one way system and the pool area is on a booking only system with 45 minutes allocated per session with each family allowed one slot per day. Track and trace is available in all areas with staff always available on hand to enter details and ensure all restrictions and rules are adhered too.

Many areas of Cherry Tree park were sadly unavailable on our visit due to a mixture of bad weather and Coronavirus. The outdoor pool may not have been too popular in the rain anyway and this had little effect on dampening our spirits through what was overall a really great holiday and one that I would recommend. Robbie loved every minute of it and that is all that really matters. Happy kid, happy Dad!

Thanks for reading our review of Cherry Tree caravan Park in Yarmouth. As a man who has always avoided caravan holidays at all costs, I can now say my attitude has changed. That said, I am really looking forward to writing a review of somewhere a little more tropical some time soon! Steve.