Lower Hyde Holiday Park

After a smouth crossing with my two daughters and there husbands along with 4 grandchildren who had not been to the isle of wight before we arrived at the caravan park.
The first thing that you notice is how narrow the drive is and along with a couple of sharp bends care needs to be taken getting your tourer to the touring field.
The touring warden greeted us with a smile and after a brief mix up over the amount of pitches we had booked (he sorted this out very quickly) he showed us to our pitches, The pitches are very large and all grass some thing i am in favour of (not hard standing) water was near bye and toilets / shower a short walk away .
We soon set up camp and the views over the valley were realy lovely , the wind made it difficult to get the awnings fitted on but with six adults we soon sorted them out ,
first stop after a nice cup of tea was the toilet / shower blocks, we found these to be very modern and very clean (the standard of cleaning was maintained all through our holiday) .
The grandchildren had already gone of to check out the play area and the amusments when we found them We all went to check out the swimming pool they were thrilled with the pool and were looking forward to going swimming.
Later in the everning we set of to see what the entertainment was like,again its only a short walk from the touring field, and upon arriving our passes were checked out by the security staff (again some thing i am in favour of).
Though its a large area there was not a seat to be found and its made even harder because there are pool tables in between the seats and the bar taking up space that could be better used i think.
The bar staff were working flat out to cope with the amount of people but i think they did a great job and were always smiling .
The entertainment was some thing for evey one party games for the kids plus party dancing, then the star act for the night , we were treated to a Bee Gees and Abba tribute band also a great singer during our stay but to top it all for me a Queen tribute band who i realy enjoyed.
The staff put on a show two nights and i have to give them 9/out of 10 for effort but only 5 out of 10 for talent. they also have a karaoke talent competion for kids and adults on two nights during the week we enjoyed this and give 5 stars for effort to the singers .
We did piont out that the bar signs for the cost of beer didnt add up £1.99 a pint but a four pint pitcher was £10 this was soon removed again top marks to the staff.
My only disopiotment was that you could not get anything to eat after 10 oclock no hot dog stand or chipy , i always like a snack before going back to the caravan. There is always food during the day and we did have a breakfast and the two for a tenner meal both well cooked and very good value.
I found all the staff very cheerfull and they do a great job from the cleaners to the entertaiment staff, the park is clean and tidy at all times and the little shop has all you need. There is a large super market just at the bottom of the main drive so you dont need to load your caravan up with tins for your meals another bonus for me .
All in all we had a great time here apart from the weather but you cant change that so make the most of what you got , there is always some thing to do or some were to go on the island. Before we left we went over to there other parks for a quick look around again we were inpressed with what we saw . We will be back next year to sample one of these .
Lower Hyde Holiday Park, shanklin, Isle of Wight

Practical Caravan Top 100 Parks Award 2008

Located near Shanklin, a popular seaside resort on the Isle of Wight where the beach has been awarded a blue flag, this site is great for family holidays. Nearby sandy beaches, amusements, cycle ways and
walking paths all make great days out, or you can visit the Isle
of Wight Zoo at Sandown. When you stay on site, the indoor and
outdoor pools, sports courts and play area will keep the whole family entertained. The large pitches all have electric hook-up and are close to the washroom facilities.