My wife and I with our 13-year old son stayed at Sands in October this year over the half term week.
This was our fourth visit to Sands, following our first visit around 10 years ago, when our older son was 13 years old and his younger brother was just 3. At that time the great appeal of the hotel was the full programme of activities for the boys, and a range of adult options for us parents. We are happy to say that, in the 10 years since our first visit, little has changed, and it was reassuring to know this time round exactly what we could expect from our stay.
Sands is genuinely set up to cater for families, in the layout of the rooms, the meal options, and the activities available to enjoy.
The rooms are spacious and well-designed to provide separate adult and child accommodation, with either sea view or country view (the hotel website offers helpful floor plans to show how the suites are laid out). We have always opted for the country view suite which has a dividing wall between the adults and the children rather than separate rooms, and this has worked perfectly for us, particularly since we are usually out and about in Cornwall somewhere, or immersed in some activity or other within the hotel.
We found the catering on offer really good. Breakfast runs over 3 hours every morning, to suit both early and late risers, and offers a full selection of everything you might want for a family breakfast. At the other end of the day, children can have their evening meal early (from 5.00pm) which not only frees them to go and join their clubs and activities before bedtime, but also allows parents the chance afterwards to eat undisturbed in the "fine dining" part of the restaurant, in the confidence that their children are being well looked after. This sense of confidence is increased by the hotel's baby-listening service, which prompts a staff member to come and let you know if there is undue movement or noise in your room whilst you are enjoying your time n the restaurant or bar. We found the restaurant had a good menu, with daily specials - including, as you might imagine in Cornwall, a "catch of the day" fish dish, which we enjoyed on several evenings. The menu also highlights vegan and gluten-free options.
As far as activities are concerned, there is always something to keep you occupied. Some of the outdoor activities are obviously curtailed after the end of the summer season, but we still got out to enjoy the maze, 5-a-side football, and the bouncy castle; other outdoor pursuits were also open, including golf and tennis. Inside, we enjoyed the pool area, which includes the main pool, a toddlers’ pool and a steam room (take a £1 coin for the lockers), the gym with a good range of equipment, the beauty parlour and the spa (we suggest you choose and book your spa treatments before your visit so that you can get your preferred time), and the Moroc spa, which includes a hot tub and sauna, along with a glass of bubbly and mint tea and biscuits. There is also a games room, with table tennis, pool and table ice hockey. The kids have a regular programme of clubs, divided into age groups, and led / supervised by appropriately trained and qualified staff members, along with special events added in. During our week, there was a Hallowe’en party, a Silent Disco (!), a Magic Show, a Puppet Show, a Live Music evening, and a Music Quiz - parents welcome to attend all these! And all of this does not even include a lovely beach a couple of hundred yards down the road.
Sands is not a cheap place to stay, but based on a bed / breakfast / evening meal tariff it is great value for money. Cornwall in October may not sound like a great idea, but when you have so much to keep you occupied, it’s great. And remember the old Scandinavian saying – “there’s no such thing as bad weather – only the wrong clothes.” Highly recommended.
