Bluestone resort in Wales turns into Christmasland with Elf School and Santa’s grotto
Pembrokeshire park offers a festive, budget-friendly alternative to Lapland trips as it hosts Elf School and a Santa experience
Bluestone National Park Resort in Pembrokeshire has transformed its 500-acre site into Christmasland for the winter season, turning the holiday park into a festive village described as Wales' answer to Center Parcs and a fraction of the cost of a Lapland trip.
At the heart of the experience is Elf School in the Kingdom of the Elves, where a team of helpers guides children through tasks such as repairing magical letterboxes so letters to Santa can be sent directly, and dispatching baubles to decorate homes. The program culminates in the Believer's Ball, a final test in which each child lifts a desk lid to press a magic button signaling belief in Santa, triggering cheers from the room when the answer is announced: I believe!
Guests stay in lodges such as Merlin's Crest, a three-bedroom 'upside down' design with sleeping quarters on the ground floor and living spaces upstairs to maximize views of the surrounding countryside. An electric buggy shuttles families around the site to attractions like Rudolph's Breakfast Barn and the Snow Globe. The village's Christmas makeover extends to the Serendome, a large indoor-outdoor space beneath a transparent dome that becomes a life-sized snow globe in winter, along with the Blue Lagoon waterpark and the Hive activity centre, all given festive makeovers. Welcome packs on arrival include a blank letter to Santa to be written and posted to Santa or given directly to him during a 15-minute one-to-one session.
That evening, a parade of festive buggies forms a lighthearted traffic jam as a Santa on a float waves to guests. Families then book a slot at Santa's Lodge to visit Father Christmas in the grotto, walk through a short maze, and meet his helpers. Inside the grotto, Santa asks about behavior and preferences, and children are invited to share what they would like for Christmas; the children promise to leave a drink for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph before choosing a cuddly toy from a large basket.
Overall, the experience offers a regional alternative to long-haul winter getaways. Unseasonably warm days can reach the mid-teens Celsius, but foam snowstorms and other effects sustain the Christmas mood. The trip to Bluestone is roughly 200 miles for many visitors, far shorter than the 2,000-mile journey to Lapland, and the package focuses on accessibility, family-friendly activities, and on-site lodging that minimizes travel and costs.