I fancied trying an ‘independent’ holiday park, away from the more known Park Dean, Butlins and Havens etc.
When I found SealBay, the website really promoted it being toddler friendly, and it was. With some tweaks, this could have been a holiday park I would return to over and over again.
I cannot fault the accommodation and there are so many choices that will meet your families needs.
We chose a 3 bedroom Platinum Holiday Caravan and, although it was miles away from the entertainment, it was really nice accomodation
Though advertised as an all-inclusive site, there were a lot of extras we needed to pay for.
The onsite funfair was really expensive! You could get a wristband for unlimited rides for £15.
Though it doesn’t sound extortionate, for a family of four that is £60 for what I would say is no more than an hour or two of fun.
There was not that many rides, especially for toddlers, and I did not see value in it.
They did have a café at the funfair that had tons of little tyke cars so we sat with an ice cream there and the kids played on those.
There are two soft plays on site but there was a sign saying you had to go to reception and pay to play in them. We didn’t and I don’t think anyone else did but perhaps they would monitor this at busier times. I just hate when simple things like soft play aren’t included in your holiday price. This is why we do keep (reluctantly) returning to Butlins!
There is also a Bear factory and pottery workshop for an extra charge.
The swimming pool was another disappointment. The photos looked fantastic but there was actually very little for toddlers to do. Our 4-year-old daughter could only go on one slide and it was tiny.
There was a toddler pool, but it was shut. Yet, when I actually looked at it there was just a little water toy feature in the middle of a shallow pool so think they would get bored really quickly in here anyway. It is a shame as the pool area looks newly refurbished but there was just zero thought put into what younger kids can actually do or ride.
Evening entertainment at SealBay for toddlers
The evening entertainment was good for younger kids and my two really enjoyed it
They start with a kids disco type thing and have the Cove Crew characters to entertain the kids.
My biggest bug bare about any holiday park kid’s disco is the music they play. I know this is so finnicky, but they never play kid music. Whilst I fully appreciate Reaching for the Stars and recalling the full One for Sorrow dance routine, children don’t know these absolute tunes (criminal I know). All they really want is a bit of Disney, songs from films they know or K Pop. This is a common theme we have found at most holiday parks.
Enough moaning… The kids enjoyed the evening entertainment. They had a K-Pop tribute thing one night that I got roped up on stage for and they also have Bingo that children are allowed to play.
At Kid’s Cove, they offer daily crafts that my children really enjoyed and a daily show where you meet one of the Cove Crew characters.
The location of the park is perfect. It was right by the sea and our kids enjoyed flying a kite and collecting shells on the beach so be sure to take some beach toys.
Another thing to note about Seal Bay is the site is absolutely gigantic. They do run a free bus around the site but we cycled or drove everywhere.
We had our bikes and Burley trailer but without this it could be annoying getting around the park with younger kids so maybe consider requesting a holiday home nearer the facilities. We saw a lot of families actually driving to the pool or facilities – it was that far.
As we had bikes we actually rode in to Selsey for dinner one night but didn’t think it was anything special.
If you can get a good term time deal this was a pleasant holiday park but I am not rushing back any time soon – in case they charge me for all the soft play sessions we skipped on paying for!
