Review by Roi Croasdale on 26th October, 2011

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We are staying at Ribby Hall at the moment. We have paid what i feel is a lot of money for a four day stay, and expect a decent level of service. Our room had, allegedly been checked before we arrived. However, the floors certainly hadn't been hoovered. On preparing our tea, we found there were not enough plates to serve up our tea on, and on carrying out a more comprehensive check, found there were many other kitchen items missing (perhaps the staff carrying out the checks should be supplied with spectacles). As requested, reception was informed the next morning about the missing articles...even though i emphasised the fact that we hadn't enough plates to eat from, we are still waiting two days later for the promised articles. Further to this, the en-suite shower wasn't operating to any decent level, with a broken on-button, and it took an age for the water to drain away, well after the shower was turned off, more like a bath than a shower...all together leaving a very poor opinion wrt to customer service/satisfaction. It is our second trip here this year, and i can't see us coming again...

Date visited: 24/10/11

Review by Angie on 2nd March, 2011

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Fantastic place, couldnt fault it. We have 2 children aged 9 and they didnt want to go home. We swam everyday, they LOVED the pool. Also did some Horse riding. Everyone was very friendly, the village very tidy and our cottage was gorgeous :)

Date visited: fEB 2011

Review by Jennifer Worswick on 14th August, 2010

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I have visited Ribby hall every year now for the last 7 years, with my daughter and my two grandsons who are now 10 and 8, its like a home from home, the facilities in the cottages are excellent, we had a lovely spa bath in our last cottage, and 3 nice sized bedrooms, so we all had our own space...the boys played football on the pitch which was quite near us, and made some new friends, so we hardly saw them all day long....during the day they had been fishing with their dad, at the pond which was just a stones throw away, and loved it....its a lovely peaceful and relaxing place, we usually have the local ducks tapping on the patio window for their bread early in the mornings, which the kids love, we hope to visit again soon, we all look forward to it.

Date visited: every year for the last 7 years

Review by carol on 31st July, 2010

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We went there as a family, stayed in a three bedroom cottage. The pool was ok, I wasn't pleased with the cottage it wasnt particularly clean. Also whilst I was there I used there riding school and due to bad health and safety I broke my back in two places. Ribby Hall did not want to know and offered no help. I was stuck in hospital and they offered no support to my husband. THey said we use the facilities at our own risk. I personally would advise no one to attend Ribby Hall if you value your life and your family. The accident has ruined my life. It would have been bearable if Ribby Hall had offered us some support.

Date visited: October

Review by K. Doughty on 7th February, 2010

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I have stayed in a party of 6 in the Saphire Cottages at Ribby Hall in February half term for the past 5 years and am returning again this February. I have always enjoyed the break, but things are changing. My complaint is about the new charging policy. Even though there are 6 of us visiting the park we are only allowed to have one car on site. The second car would be charged £5 per day - an extra £25 for our 4 night/5day break. I have challenged this and just hit a brick wall. 'Environmental issues' is the quote they hide behind. How can 6 people with luggage travel safely and legally anywhere? Why rent a cottage to 6 people and say they can only have one car parking space? We park our cars on arrival and don't move them again until we depart. Not driving is part of our holiday so we don't add to traffic moving on site. I will be parking my car in a residential area with a prominent poster apologising and giving the reasons why I am parked there for 5 days. I am so disappointed in Ribby Hall, I feel the decision is unfair. Yes give one space to a four berth cottage but to a six berth one? Total madness. We have been loyal customers but I feel change happening to this soon.

Date visited: 15.2.10

Review by Robc on 24th August, 2009

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Having been to 2 different Centre Parcs before we decided to choose Ribby Hall for its similar yet different look, We booked a Lavender 2 bedroom cottage and when we first turned up some of the cottages looked very grotty from the outside, luckily ours was situated on Bream wood and was set back in a little cul-de sac and had wethered a little better, the cottage was not ready until about 4.15 with the brochure stating 4pm AT THE LATEST but we were given the keys at about 3pm which was very unfair on the young girl rushing to clean it for us, we left her to it and to her credit she did not rush and it was spotless when we did get in, and very modern and funky in its decor. The site itself at first glance was a little dissappointing compared to Centre parcs especially the Family fun pool with slides that are about 20ft long, but when you get in there the facilities was more than enough for our needs and the fact that the pool is only 1.2mtrs at its deepest meant our youngest being a weak swimmer could touch the bottom all anywhere in the pool. The fishing ponds are a must for youngsters we had never fished before and managed to catch several (2 large carp) which again the boys loved, also i recomend nigel Smith's restaurant for the fish and chips it is superb, this leads me onto our only real moan, the variantion of eateries is limited with all of them serving the same sorts of food and the Bar & Grill being very over priced, we chose to eat off site and found that the Blossoms (sizzler chain) at Ansdell near lytham was brilliant food and very good service also Whelans Fish & Chips at Lytham is well worth a try. The only dampener on the holiday was we managed to lose my wifes purse and didnt realise until the security guard knocked on our door unfortunately whoever handed it in had also helped themselves to £40 out of it first, this was on our first full day so dampened our spirits slightly. We would probably not return to Ribby Hall purely for the fact that the facilities and activities are limited and expensive (min £3 for anything) and the pool is not like the brochure makes out it is and it is definately not in Centre parcs league, but on the upside our accommadation was newly decorated, but it is one of those places that once you have been to there is no need to go again and it is expensive for what you get.

Date visited: 17/08/09-24/08/09

Review by SD on 3rd August, 2009

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We orignially booked in the Orchid (1 bedroom cottage) but when we found the carpet was wet due to some leakage next morning, the staff were kind enough to put us into another accomodation (which was a 3 bedroom cottage!). They also agreed to extend our check out time due to the time spent in shifting by a couple of hours. Very well furnished and equipped. enough pans and utensils provided. TV channels are limited few (we found more choice in the bigger cottage). play area and pool is great place to hang around. We requested a high chair and baby travel cot for our little one which was provided with no additional charge. Local shop has all the essential stuff available at reasonable prices. Worth visiting and highly recommend.

Date visited: 24/07/09

Review by ivanbrowne on 28th December, 2008

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Having arrived at our lodge after a long drive from Belfast, we intially found that there was a lot of dirt and dust that had been missed when being cleaned. We contacted reception and inside 5 minutes they housekeeping staff were out and had the living room cleaned and a bathroom mat put down and were very nice. We found the staff everywhere on site very helpful and friendly and also the facilities very good. The passes for the site are a great idea and even though we didnt use a lot of them they looked very clean and tidy. Overall my family really enjoyed our stay and my daughter is still talking about it 5 months later. I look forward to staying again.

Date visited: 13/7/08-20/7/08

Review by melissa on 26th September, 2008

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i hae been to ribbyhall loads of itimes i really like little vic she is a great dancer i know she used to be a funstars i really love hear .It wsas brilliant the accomdataion this time because our holiday house had a upstairs.I went swimming once it was really great the noise was loud.I love coming to ribbyhall. I love getting the free lesure passes and the entertaiment thing saying whayts on each night.I love getting the free brouacher what u get when u go into your aparmet .I love crissy the duck sand squirrle

Review by melissa on 25th September, 2008

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I really enjoy coming to ribbyhall its really good for young chhildren.The pool is really good i also like both of the slides and the boats. The duck and the squrrila are realy good for the younger ones for the entreatiment i like

Date visited: 19/9/08

Review by Yvonne on 22nd June, 2008

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We’ve just had a week’s stay at Ribby Hall and were keen to see how it compared to Centreparcs, especially as it’s nearer (for us) and not so expensive. We paid £617 for a week’s stay in one of their Rose Cottage holiday houses. The cottage had one double bedroom with en suite shower, two single bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen/dining area and adjoining lounge. We also had a picnic table outside on the patio. One thing was very similar to Centreparcs; the ducks knew we’d just moved in and all but knocked on the patio door! We found the accommodation clean, very recently redecorated, spacious, well equipped and modern. We noticed no noise from the adjoining house, even though they also had 2 small kiddies. We were given complimentary toiletries, some tea & coffee and washing up liquid (enough for a couple of days). If you are planning to go there you might find it useful to know the following are provided: toilet roll, tea towels, dishcloth, kitchen utensils (inc grater, peeler etc), ironing board, iron, 2 bin bags, microwave, oven & hob, non-slip bathmats, clothes airer, fridge/freezer (yes proper freezer), lots of pillows & cushions. The kitchen has a hard floor, as do the bathrooms, everywhere else is carpeted. A hoover, mop & bucket, dustpan & brush are provided. There was no washing machine, no dishwasher, no hair dryer and no towels with Rose Cottage level of accommodation. Also there was no CBeebies channel and no DVD player (although you can obtain one with a large cash deposit). There was no potty or toilet ring (fortunately we’re past that stage) and no step (so our 3 year old couldn’t reach the sink easily and he needed a leg up into bed every night!). The beds were luxurious and we all loved them but they were a bit high up for our 3 year old. We put lots of cushions on the floor in case he fell out (which he only did once luckily) and a spare pillow over the shelf/drawer next to the bed so he wouldn’t bang his head on his way down to the floor. Each room had ample wardrobe and drawer space. Bathrooms had heated towel rails and there was central heating throughout. En suite shower was very good (powerful enough and hot). Big bonus was being able to leave the car outside your house and so all the “just in case” stuff can stay in the car and there’s no queuing for the barrier etc like at Centreparcs. Our departure was relaxed, we didn’t have to strip the beds and although we could see the cleaners were on their rounds, we didn’t get hassled or hurried out. We found Morrison’s 5 minutes away in Kirkham and self catered easily after stocking up from there. We have relatives in Lytham so we ate out around there and never got round to testing the on site restaurants. We can recommend Chu’s Chinese in Lytham, however! We did like the on site café which had a wonderful cake selection. The shop was an interesting mixture of all your essentials/basics (bread, tea, newspapers) but also had some toys, books and an up market food as gifts section and also stocked Emma Bridgewater kitchenware. A Tesco extra is also not too far away, just near the end of the M55. We said hello to the horses but didn’t otherwise use the Equestrian Centre. Our 3 year old and nearly 5 year old (both boys) were very happy in the outdoor play area, which was spread out over quite a big area, had lots of interesting equipment and included 2 deathslides. The café does take-away hot drinks so you can follow your kiddies around whilst sipping your coffee! The indoor softplay was also good, bigger than the ones inside the pubs etc at Centreparcs. We very much enjoyed the pool. Our eldest boy thought Centreparcs pool was better but still managed to enjoy himself to the point of exhaustion every time we went, so clearly 2 slides is really enough! His preference might be more to do with the lack of toys in the water; Ribby’s stock of toys in the baby pool wasn’t very exciting and no toys or beach balls are allowed in the rest of the pool. There are two slides and adults are allowed down the blue tunnel slide, with or without a child! No armbands, buoyancy jackets or swim rings provided. We liked the changing rooms, the showers and the free shampoo/bodywash provided! The water was warm enough and everywhere was very clean (like Centreparcs, the changing rooms are being constantly mopped). Toilets are pool-side, not changing room/dry side, so if your kids need to wee as soon as they’re stripped off you might want to figure out where the toilets are first! The fact that it was not busy and smaller than Centreparcs meant it was much easier for we parents to relax; it was easier to keep them in sight and they weren’t being jostled or sunk by other kids. The baby pool was very warm and there are also 2 spa pools. There’s a separate adult pool which we didn’t get to see. All in all I preferred the pool to Centreparcs and a few buckets, watering cans and boats in the baby pool would make it perfect. We liked being free to come and go with the car and made use of the discounted tickets you can buy from Reception (e.g. Blackpool Zoo) but also had some happy times on the beach (would recommend Cleveleys). We enjoyed Blackpool Zoo very much, got the boys very hyper at the Pleasure Beach one day (went by train), another day we parked near to Starr Gate (start of tram line) and took the tram up to the Sealife Centre and also had a look in the RNLI centre (small but interesting and a very worthy cause). Our eldest enjoyed the Sealife Centre but it didn’t hold the attention of our 3 year old, partly because although he’s tall for his age he wasn’t tall enough to see some of the exhibits. Nice soft play area and café at the end though. Lytham front has the windmill (free admission to the museum) and lots of wind for kite flying! Lowther gardens in Lytham has a lovely play area and a café. Cleveleys was very enjoyable as we got there just as the tide was going out and the boys had a happy time with their buckets and spades (and also a JCB drove past on the shoreline which was very exciting, apparently!). The trams pleased the boys more than anything and I think if we go again we’ll spend more on trams and less on entrance fees! Under 5’s are free on the train and trams. We also enjoyed walking around Ribby’s grounds, followed by ever hopeful ducks (who are watched eagerly by the seagulls in case they leave anything). The boys also liked the green tractor that went on its rounds each day (collecting rubbish). There are plenty of grassy areas (beware duck poo!) to run about on and we weren’t troubled by the internal traffic. With good weather you could easily amuse young children on site for a couple of days but we felt Ribby is more intended to be a base than the self-contained experience that is Centreparcs. We very much enjoyed our stay and were impressed with the accommodation and the helpfulness of the staff. Additional costs: BLACKPOOL ZOO: £30 entrance tickets (under 3 free), £2.00 parking, £4.00 for the train (costs £1 a head single, £1.50/head return), £5.00 on ice creams, £5.00 on drinks but we took a packed lunch. We didn’t buy the map (£2.00) or go in the soft play (£3.00 a head). PLEASURE BEACH: £25.00 for a book of 25 tickets but all rides were at least 2 tickets per child and quite a lot of the rides the boys were interested in took 3 tickets per child, so we quickly used up the book (although one lovely man gave them a free ride when we’d run out!). This was an unplanned indulgence so we possibly didn’t get the best deal. I think you can buy a wristband (unlimited rides) for Beaver Creek (kiddies area) for £15.00 per child but you would have to buy separate tickets if you wanted to accompany them (e.g. on the Zipper Dipper). However, the boys understood when the tickets were all gone, allowing us to leave before they overdosed on fun and turned into gremlins. It is very noisy, so you need to take the chance to agree terms/rules with the kids before you go in! SEALIFE CENTRE: family ticket costs £20.00 via Ribby (2 adults 2 children) but we paid less than this using vouchers from the local What’s On guide (available in the on site shop). A map/activity book costs £4.00 (we didn’t buy).

Date visited: 30 May 2008

Review by lisa on 19th February, 2008

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there is a big group of us,all adults that visit ribbyhall village at least twice a year.we all range from 18-30.we leave the kids at home and enjoy the quiet break away.we really enjoy coming every year.we stay in the delux cottages that sleep 6,it really is home from home.the only thing that i think could improve is the entertainment for adults on a night.there was a comedian on last year that wasnt very good in my opinion.we are all looking forward to coming again soon.

Date visited: october

Review by Mark on 14th January, 2008

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For start the chalet accomadation is excellent. We stayed one down from the most expensive and it was basically a small house, on two floors, three bedrooms, bathromm and shower room. Plus a large grass area right behind the house where kids spent most of the holiday, as we dont have that at home. But that is what you pay for as there wasnt much else. Once spending time in the swimming pool area there is little much else to do on site. There was horse riding which was quite expensive. With the price we paid (taking excellent acc into account) there should have been more of an opportunity to spend your all holiday on site, which is far from the truth. Overall, excellent accomodation, far too expensive limited facilities.

Date visited: 21-7-2006

Review by sharon meredith on 17th April, 2007

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My family and I spent a wonderful christmas at Ribby Hall village.There is plenty to do for children. Cycling, swimming, badminton,squash, crazy golf, horse riding all at reasonable prices. There is also a good venue in the evenings with kiddies shows and later a disco or thre is a wide screen tv and leather sofas to relax on. I particularly liked the fact that this was a no smoking venue. There is also an adults only bar. The steam rooms and spa baths are fantastic also. Our accomadation was spacious , clean and very comfortable. The staff were polite and couldnt do enough to help. All in all this was a fantastic holiday and my family and I will definatly visit again!

Date visited: 21st December 2006

Review by wendy fellowes on 7th March, 2007

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I just wanted to say that our family visited Ribbyhall for 2 weeks every July for 7 years. Everything about it is excellent and there is plenty to do in the surrounding area. There were 3 generations in our family and everyone enjoyed it. Definitely recommend Ribbyhall as a lovely, peaceful and fun holiday.

Date visited: July 2006

Review by Darren Morgan on 3rd March, 2007

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My family and I very much enjoyed our visit. I agree with a former review that some factors are expensive (such as eating!); however, the positives outweighed the negatives by a significant margin. The grounds are very calming and the pool was excellent. My daughter is two and the amenities in the pool were very suitable. The adult pool was good and the relaxation features (steam room etc) were marvellous. The accommodation was great, clean and to a high standard. My daughter very much enjoyed the ducks roaming around. The main feature was the friendliness of the staff (apart from the leisure centre staff). Everyone else was extremely courteous and helpful, helping us to enjoy our visit.

Date visited: 26th Feb - 2nd March

Review by Robert Russell on 24th April, 2006

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frankly, it's a huge disappointment....having paid nearly £500 to stay for less than 4 whole days i expected more. my children were bored stiff after they'd been to the pool (which is the only facility you don't have to pay extra for). the brochure gave us the impression there was 100 acres of landscaped grounds to wander in, in reality there ARE 100 acres.....mostly built on. we left our children to play unattended one day in the designated play area only to have our son come running to the cottage to inform us our daughter had been assaulted by a group of teenagers who were hanging around (10 yards from the security centre and not one adult saw anything) the horse ride was a glorified donkey ride with no input needed from the rider as the horses were obviously conditioned into a dull routine....why you have to fill a questionnaire stating your ability is beyond me. everywhere you go you will have to avoid cars/maintenance vehicles because there are NO designated footpaths (a painted line in the gutter does NOT suffice in my view when families have small children) the overall impression i came away with (one day early because the kids were bored!) is that Ribby hall is puirely a money making machine with little or no thought put into family entertainment.....unless you want to take your kids to the bar in the evening......i've been to campsites with more thought behind the way they're run

Date visited: 17-21 april 2006