Forest Holidays Reviews 

Whilst we love going on Thorpe Forest, this being our 4th visit. We were a bit disappointed. The staff were great, and happy to help anytime. However, the Golden Oak cabin we stayed in, which we have previously stayed in before, was looking tired and grubby.
The cost of staying at Forest Holiday sites is not cheap! and having holidayed at several different sites around the country, including their new site in the Brecon Beacons. I really do think Forest Holidays should spend a little of the money they earn on refurbishing some of the older sites.

Black wood Forest, Golden Oak Cabin. Ok, so the only good point was that the hot tub was great and hot. But very strong smell of chlorine.
I booked this holiday to take my elderly mother and my children away for some quality family time. Unfortunately my mum got very sick and was admitted to hospital on the Saturday, before our 5 day break starting on the Mon. My mum was very sick, the consultants told us that she wasn't going to survive the hospital visit and started her on palliative care. The hospital was 1 hour away from our lodge so we decided to go on the Monday and visit my mum in the hospital during the daytime with the children. On arrival late Monday afternoon around 7.30 ish we arrived. We told the staff on reception our situation and the response was that it's to late to order food. If we want food we would have to buy what they had in the freezer section and cook it. So we did, totally overpriced and not worth it.

The next day we needed to sort out the WiFi so we could keep in touch with family and hear of news of my mother. My husband went to the reception and asked for help. The response was that they only knew how to set it up on Iphones. They don't know about Android.

Sadly my mum passed away on the Tuesday night. We were all devastated and decided to use the lodge as a place to rest and come to terms with what has just happened before setting off again.

In those days I had one hot shower as there was no hot water. And before you reply forest holidays yes we turned down your "luxury" floor heating but still no hot water. The cutlery and plates were dirty with old food stuck to them so had to wash everything before using. The lodge was average not anything luxurious. The full TV package we bought was basic, log fire basic. That's it!

Awful customer service, no compassion whatsoever. Worst week ever 😢💔

Well what an experience during Storm Darragh. We had a full black out yet your team (especially Rob) were exceptional. They were so positive and did absolutely everything they could to keep everyone safe and with a great sense of humour! Thank you for being so incredible we will be back (but hopefully without the storm!) thank you for everything! A special thank you to Rob, and the elves Reagan and Dai! And a lovely lady that we didn’t get her name that was with Rob. Lastly the 2 ladies on reception on Friday were just fabulous too! Thank you all. Stay safe and see you soon!

This year was my 40th birthday so to celebrate booked a cabin at their Brecon Beacons/Garwnant site.

Before we even arrived however there was a disconnect between the site management and the information provided by email or on their website.

Day 1: Friday - Check in is from 4pm onwards which is fine, email and website states we can arrive by 8pm, so the decision was made by ourselves to drive down after work.

Received a call at 7:00pm asking if we were on our way as they close at 7:30pm. First disconnect between Brecon site and emails/website.

Managed to pick up the keys at 7:20pm so got there just in time. The ladies on the desk gave a quick rundown and that was that.

Drove to our cabin, as it’s just under a mile away from the visitors centre and settled in for the night. The cabin itself I couldn’t fault, spotlessly clean, very spacious and was in a nice looking location.

Day 2: Saturday - Decided to order breakfast with delivery to the cabin which is advertised on the website, on the TV and on a sign on the dining table.
There was a variety of breakfast delivery options with breakfast delivery from 07:30am onwards. Made our selection and scheduled breakfast delivery for 9:15am.
Received a knock on our cabin door at 09:00am to be advised that the kitchen does not open until 10:30am and they could deliver until 11:00am. Not what was advertised on their website or their booking system.
Second disconnect between Brecon site and emails/website.

This left us with very limited options on activities in the area due to the massive delay in breakfast delivery.

Went down to the visitor centre to book some activities to be told there were very few activities being conducted. (Archery and the Quiz at 5pm on Saturday were the only activities available). The numerous activities available to book on the website were unavailable. We booked in for the pub quiz.
Third disconnect between Brecon site and emails/website.

We eventually managed to find an activity to do but this was with a different company not associated with Forest Holidays.

The pub quiz was held in the Forest Retreat Cafe which was next to the visitor centre. We attended the quiz where the quiz master (an employee) proceeded to drink 3-4 pints whilst still being “on the clock”.

AT 6:35pm, as the quiz was nearing its conclusion we decided to book a dinner takeaway to our cabin, again the booking system giving us a multitude of time slots, we booked a takeaway delivery for 7:15pm. Within minutes we were approached by one of the sites employees advising that the kitchen was closed (at 6:40pm) and that we would receive a refund.
Fourth disconnect between Brecon site and emails/website.

The manager (who was also the inebriated quiz master) was fumbling around on the system trying to work out how to refund the under which he advised he had managed to do.

It is now 3 weeks later and I am still yet to receive the refund on my food order to the total of £77.25, despite me emailing on the 22/11/2024 requesting it again. Unsurprisingly I have received no response to that email.

Thought not to worry, the onsite shop which is also the visitors centre is open until 07:30pm, we can get some of the frozen meals from there which they had advertised to me the day before. Nope.. they closed the visitors centre for the quiz..

During our limited stay, twice we were let down by their advertised takeaway service, the inconsistency between information from their site, emails and the information provided by the site employees.

Our stay in a basic cabin cost over £600. With the lack of available resources and activities I would encourage anyone that is contemplating a stay with Forest Holidays to save your money and go somewhere else!

Forest holidays; I booked our stay with you based on the activities/services as advertised, I have not sought compensation for false advertising or failure to deliver on the advertised services. I just want the refund of £77.25 for the Saturday evening meal which we did not receive. Please initiate the refund.

Edited on 21/12/2024:
Further disappointment from Forest Holidays - I can see you have acknowledged other disgruntled customers before and after my review but have still yet to even acknowledge my email or review (yet you continue to send me your marketing emails!)

Edit to reply to Forest Holidays Response (22/01/2025): You mean booking reference 6497632 which had already been supplied to you by email on 22/11/2025 & 08/01/2025 - which neither you have responded to… Please just refund my money.

Issues started as we broke down on route therefore we were going to be arriving late. I contacted Glentress and they informed us that they would leave our key in the cabin and just to go to reception in the morning to register that we had arrived.
The cabin was immaculate and the hot tube was amazing. We had food delivered for 2 days and this was a lovely treat and very tasty.
But the negatives as there was construction going on not much in the way of wildlife. The site is still under construction and the roads are full of either plaster cement which is wet and was getting everywhere. I have stayed in other cabins in forest locations and I do expect mud but this was awful. I planned on going for walks in the forest to take pictures but the first time I tried my boots were thick of cement stuff. On the Tuesday evening while chilling and watching TV having the premium package there were a couple of occasions when it would freeze or go off so had to search the film again. Left it till the next day to try again and the same was happening. I did report this late on Wednesday for it to be looked at on Thursday 10.30. We also went out for the day on Wednesday but we found the drive up the hill a second time back to the site was very steep and not enjoyable. We therefore made a decision not to go out on Thursday even though there were places I wanted to visit while in Scotland. So missed out on this as this was also my Birthday treat.
Woke up Thursday morning and made the decision to just go home a day early as I am not able to go out due to the state of the area to walk taking photos. I hope in time once the building work stops it starts to feel more relaxed.
When I got home I had to take my car straight to the car wash as it was caked with cement all in the wheel arches and felt it needed to be washed straight out. Again I have been to plenty of forests and expect mud but this was thick and bad. I think if it mentioned about the steep road up I may not have booked also if I was aware there was still construction going on I definitely would not have stayed. I am not expecting anything just to review so people are aware of the situation.

We were so looking forward to our stay at the Cornwall site. My daughter has been so excited to stay in a tree house! Except it wasn't a tree house at all, just a lodge which was actually fairly run down. The images on the website are misleading. I emailed the company twice with my concerns and had absolutely no reply or response. Terrible customer service and a really disappointing, over-priced stay. Definitely not luxury.

just stayed at the new site at Glentress in Scotland- wonderful break, Harry and Mark were excellent in booking us in and sorting a hot tub issue, went well over and above top customer service!

Lodge was spotless - only very minor gripe was no Wednesday quiz and food offer was a bit hit and miss but it's the 2nd week of opening and this will improve . Would I recommend - well we are booked again for January and November in 2025 so most definite!

Forest of Dean stay. Lodge was filthy, looked tired and lots of broken parts. We went on a girls weekend to relax in a hot tub but ended up being a warm bath due to no jets and lights! took 24 hours for someone to attend and we left 24 hours earlier than planned due to the issues. Emailed complaint over and never had a reply. Waste of money

Deer Park is a beautiful and tranquil setting and we have been for several years. Staff are friendly, chatty and always very helpful. The lodges are perfect for our needs and we always have a fabulous and very relaxing break there

Great location for scenic walks. Accommodation was perfect and very well presented.

First time at this location but about the 8/9th at a Forest holiday location. The cabin was the deepest in the forest of any location so quite isolated from neighbours.
The drive to the lodge is quite long and very potholed, it could do with a bit of maintenance, however if you've got an SUV you're laughing.

When we were there hardly any of the advertised activities were running due to not enough staff, this was disappointing as we usually live going the quizzes in the forest hub. Not like it was out of season either as we've been to other locations later in the year and things have been run.

Beautiful lodges with huge hot tub set in a stunning peaceful part of the forest. Close enough to drive to local areas, right in the heart of many walks and wildlife spotting adventures. The staff were so friendly, dressed up on check in day for Halloween, they all looked brilliant. Everyone was so welcoming, smiling, saying hi to the dog (lots of free biscuits, he loved it.) I couldn't have wished for a better way to celebrate my 50th birthday than here. Definitely a must do is the nocturnal nature walk with Jerry and Prof (barn owl) was amazing, educational, engaging and a not to be missed experience. Holding the owl whilst walking along was the highlight of my daughters holiday. The lodge was clean, tidy, spacious and had everything we needed. We pre bought food hamper, which was well worth the money and all there on our arrival for a much needed cuppa. The bacon and bread were delicious! Food at the retreat was slightly disappointing, the first night we could not get food as they were busy. Good fish and chip shop and chinese just in Coleford, 5 mins away. But the staff were apologetic. Overall an amazing time, saw lots of wildlife, got the whole family off technology and outside, visited some lovely places, Symonds Yat is stunning in autumn. Highly recommend and will booking again for sometime next year. 10 / 10 for lodge, setting and 11 / 10 for staff.

My husband and I have been going to Forest Holidays Keldy and Cropton for over a decade now, staying approximately 15 times in that period.
Firstly the customer service from the staff is always first class. The area is great, it's a great base to explore North Yorkshire and the forest itself if peaceful.

However since covid the level of "luxury" has dropped right off. It feels like the company are simply focusing on expanding into new areas rather than maintaining current lodges. The price point for these lodges is high, with that comes an expectation that unfortunately continues to fall short.

Decor is tired, appliances are tired. Kitchen lacks a full size fridge as an attempt for you to buy their over priced, limited choice food. Mould in all the bathroom areas and showers that trickle. This is not a one off, as I said for the last 4-5 years the quality has just dropped off significantly. I left the holiday feeling ripped off and taken for a mug at continuing to give £1000s to this company.

The entertainment package was lacklustre, hardly anything new in the movies list making it a complete lack of value. The charge for pets is far too high. Food delivery charge is utterly ridiculous.

After 10+ years I think it's time to say no more being ripped off for us and we will be looking elsewhere for our next holiday

Forest holidays are wonderful. I got a log cabin here, and they're spacious, functional and fun. The forest walks are also really peaceful and beautiful - exactly what I was looking for.

My Mrs is an NHS nurse. Unfortunately she contracted norovirus from work the day before we were due to stay, as a special treat for my b'day. Her ward was closed because of the virus, as we explained on the phone, so this was a pretty good and verifiable reason.

Phoned up and tried to explain and hopefully move (not cancel) the booking. Got told that customer service are unable to help, but maybe we could go anyway 💩 Eventually spoke with a "manager" who explained that if she had to do it for us, she'd have to do this for everyone" and that she was "too busy to listen and explain their terms and conditions". Brilliant.

Nice example of shi*ty customer service here. We will never book another break through Forest Holidays ever again. You suck!

The reply below says all.you need to know about Forest Holidays, "we regret we couldn't help". Of course they could have helped! Forest Holidays chose not to help.

Stayed at Cropton, Golden Oak cabin 42 in October. Cabin had everything that you would expect and was lovely and clean. All pre-paid items were already waiting in the cabin. All staff have been lovely but I would like to give a shout out to Claire for making us feel welcome and going the 3xtra mile.

Why neglect the cleanliness!
Group of 10 stayed Blackwood Forest Cabin number 10. Paid over £2,300 for three nights. The stairs to the cabin broken and the handrail very wobbly. Kitchen area black mould on the grouting and tiles. Broken door to bathroom one downstairs. Black and brown dirt on the showers glass doors, in all bathrooms. Hairs inside the drawers in kitchen. Smelly towels in bedrooms. The hot tub was really good and hot, the position of the lodge excellent. But as for the state of the lodge was just terrible for the price paid, but hey learnt my lesson never to go again

Ardgartan Log cabins - beware of nice images online as they do not reflect the actual very poor tired state of the Cabins , furnishings and equipment. Leather sofa had lost is structure , poor state of Decoration , broken BBQ etc
Very disappointed at the Misrepresentation of the units

A huge thank you to the Forest Holiday team for saving our weekend away. The night before we were due to travel to Scotland my husband fell and badly injured his foot making it impossible to drive the 6 hour trip. Leah in the customer service team went above and beyond to make sure we could still have a weekend away together, speaking to management to get our cabin changed to another location that we live much closer too. She even ensured we kept all the little extras we’d added to the cabin and early check-in. I know it isn’t usually possible to make changes on the day of arrival but was very much appreciated as we’d been so looking forward to our trip. I didn’t even mention to her that it was for a special occasion so it really was fantastic service. Arrived onsite and the staff have been equally as friendly and helpful, the cabin is lovely and we’re very happy to have a few days away - even if we are now only
40 minutes from home!

We recently stayed at the Sherwood Forest site for a weekend, a group of 6 ladies. The cabin was lovely, the only downside was the large sofa was extremely uncomfortable, very low and not great for older guests. However the rest was great, as 6 adults were staying it would have been nice to have robes for all of them not just the double room occupants. The setting is beautiful, lots to do and we would definitely recommend the preordered BBQ pack absolutely excellent and try the axe throwing it’s great fun. Would definitely recommend a stay there.