by Log lodge – check. Swimming pool – check. Range of family friendly activities and restaurants – check.
As I gazed over the lush green Mole Valley from the comfort of our hot tub on the balcony, glass of crémant in hand, I decided to compare the Mole Holiday in North Devon with another famous holiday hotspot that we have frequented over the . years, Center Parcs, it was quite similar to comparing, say, Virgin with EasyJet.
After shelling out £450 a night for an underground lodge in Longford Forest Center Parcs in Ireland last summer, only to find an overflowing ashtray, fitted sheets too small for the bed and a fitness area dogs that were not much bigger than our garden, we swore that would be our last visit there.
But here we were, less than a year later, in a similar but much more luxurious lodge at the Mole, which would set you back around £750 a night in peak season but cost around £400 in off-peak night face for mid-week break. . I think, dare I say it, it’s worth the price this time.
And that’s mainly because the Mole includes all the little extras that Center Parcs charge extra for – from dishwashers to hot tubs. And because the overall finish, location and experience – from the friendly staff to the bi-fold balcony doors, huge beds, proper wooden cutting boards and American-style fridge and ice machine – is simply better.
The 125 acre estate, formerly known as the Highbullen Hotel, is much smaller and more bijou than your average Parcs Centre. Adjacent to the Hub, a games room, spa, three restaurants and the Pavilion leisure centre, it includes 58 eco-friendly lodges, an Agatha Christie-style manor house, an 18-hole golf course and many other estate suites.
Our four bedroom eco-lodge was designed brilliantly for a family of five like ours with three bedrooms and two bathrooms at one end for the kids, and the master bedroom and bathroom at the other for us. We almost felt like we were on our own mini break, sans enfants, when they finally went to bed. And our dog, a labrador called Luna, was also very welcome and loved the festivities at the Hub, the main reception and the farm shop and indoor activities venue.
The lodge was situated on a very steep hillside (can’t say I’d love to walk up it many times a day; a golf buggy would be welcome) which was dominated by the Pavilion leisure centre. With its split level stone and white painted exterior and set, it more closely resembled a 1950s hotel in Dirty dancing. I don’t want to want to walk up that hill carrying a watermelon.
From the children’s point of view, the big caveat, especially for those younger than ours – Charlie, 15, Eddie, 12, and Jemima, nine – is that the mole, or Paradise Swimming, does not have an indoor water park. Subtropical at Center Parks. Instead, there is a 20-meter indoor pool and a small outdoor one.
However, we were happy with the indoor pool, although a little tired around the edges, and the range of 40 activities, from pickleball (like tennis but with small plastic rackets), to ax throwing, Nerf gun wars to painting pottery. , we kept busy. Despite the fact that the resort was fully booked when we were there, the pool remained blissfully quiet.
We spoke to another family who said they had been going to Center Parcs for many years but had heard about the Mole from some of their friends. They had boys who were about the same age as ours and they said they still had plenty to do here.
And did I mention the food? The on-site farm shop may be a bit pricey (£3.50 for a loaf of bread!) but the food is a big step up from the aforementioned Center Parcs. Neither Bella Italia nor Pancake House were to be seen.
We sampled the hearty breakfast hamper, which had everything you needed for a fry-up including over 15 local sausages, organic bacon and free-range eggs, and the roast hamper, which included chicken, homemade gravy, local herbs, wild garlic, potatoes and so on.
We also ate in the Cellar restaurant one evening and although there was a bit of a wait, due to the fact that many other families had the same idea as us and booked for an early dinner, the food was great. I had a delectable Caesar salad with fresh anchovies and the kids loved the fish and chips and pasta. Also highly recommended is the homemade focaccia with Marmite butter, a giant slab of sticky toffee pudding and Languedoc rosé.
Since its launch in July 2023, the resort has also received Green Key accreditation (an international tourism ecolabel). It is located within the North Devon Unesco Biosphere, one of 738 reserves in 134 countries to be recognized as a place of learning for sustainable development.
The indoor pool and Pavilion leisure center is fueled by a 199Kw biomass plant, the food is sourced locally and everything from the moss green roof on the lodges to the L’Occitane soap bars and shampoo seems to be sustainable, designed with the planet i. mind.
There were a few things we didn’t like – such as the 4pm check-in, which left many families milling about endlessly in the Hub waiting to be admitted to their accommodation; and the 10am check out, which made our stay two nights even shorter, but overall, there wasn’t much we didn’t like about the mole.
Center Parcs is a distant memory now, but if you enjoy that kind of holiday and don’t mind paying a little extra for something more refined, this new Devon bolthole might just hit the spot.
Georgina Fuller traveled as a guest at the Mole Resort (01769 540561; themoleresort.co.uk), which offers two-bedroom accommodation from £168 per night, based on a three-night stay
