Pinewood - Lympne

Gemma S.

Just returned from our first stay at Port Lympne in a Pinewood Pod. 2 adults and 2 children. We started our stay with a day around the zoo, including the safari truck which lasts one hour. We then returned to our car at 3 pm for our luggage, signed in and were taken to our accommodation on provided buggies. The pod was much larger than I anticipated. Great touch that Haribo marshmallows and skewers were provided and all that is needed to start the fire pit. Bedding and towels were provided too. We weren’t en suite so used the shower block/toilets a very short walk away which were clean and well maintained. Kids slept on the pull out futon which was very easy to use. We ate at Babydoll’s and the staff were very attentive, it was very relaxed, lovely food and bonus that the kids were able to play in the park outside afterwards. Port Lympne taxi cab took us to and from the restaurant and both drivers were polite and helpful. Sitting around the fire pit in the evening was so lovely. We woke in the morning and had to be out at 10am. We then headed to Howletts and had a fantastic day there too. Admittedly without the discount code we would never have been able to afford this one night stay, but I’m so thankful to Port Lympne for the promotion and we had the most amazing experience and will tell everyone that will listen about our fantastic stay!

E R.

+ We really loved our night in Pinewood pods. There is a lovely atmosphere, it is quiet and really clean. The service was excellent, staff is really friendly and helpful. Showers and toilets were clean and close-by.
Magical experience to sleep right next to the lions and hearing all the animals in the evening/night.
You get a bag of marshmallows to toast on the fire pit.
Being able to visit the reserve once it closes was perfect as most animals were awake then.

- Only disappointment was the sofa bed as the mattress is extremely thin and all you can feel is the wood you sleep on.

GrandTour43220973555

We booked a last second trip to Port Lympne- two adults and two children (13 and 10). The only accommodation available was the non-ensuite pods at Pinewood Lodge. If I had a choice I would have booked a slightly more luxurious accommodation (one that comes with a buggy ideally!), but the Pods were fantastic. Well equipped, warm, comfortable and very conveniently located. The shower blocks were cleaned regularly and it was pretty cool to go to sleep to the sound of lions roaring.||||The actual park is fantastic. It feels like the animals are truly looked after and cared for. I generally avoid visiting zoos or anywhere that animals are held captive, but this felt different. There were lots of opportunities to get up close and personal with the animals.||||Every person working at the reserve was friendly, knowledgeable and made the experience special for us all.||||We ate dinner at Babydoll and breakfast at Bear Lodge. Both fantastic meals and friendly people working at the restaurants.||||After dinner we roasted marshmallows and played games at the Treetop (I think) clubhouse, which was a relaxed vibe and the kids loved it.||||We visited Howletts the following day, which has a bit more of a busy, commercial feel, but we were lucky to see Damian Aspinall himself out feeding the chimps and were impressed to read more about what he is doing. ||||Can’t recommend this place enough. Even the rain didn’t spoil the weekend. We’ll definitely be back to try a different accommodation (and hopefully with better weather!)

Shelly S.

We bought 1 night in the non-ensuite pod using the sale code in the January sales so it was £132 for the 4 of us for one night, 2 adults and a 3yo and 6yo with access to both parks for the two days with the safari. |So cost was not too high. The check in process was easy at the entrance to the park. You were shown to the pods though it is quite far to bring your belongings from the carpark so bring a wheeled suitcase or travel light. We loved the lions being so close and the fire with marshmallows and sticks in the evening was great. The single beds for the kids were fine the futon was awfully uncomfortable. Not very much sleep..! In hindsight we should've stuck the kids in the futon! |There's two double sockets for electrical items. WiFi wasn't good in our pod (3) so don't rely on that. Kettle with little.milks and tea etc was fine. |We didn't eat on site as we felt it was out of our budget. We went to local places to eat breakfast (airport cafe) and a pub in Folkestone for dinner. We brought food for packed lunches. The teas and coffees in port Lympne I felt were overpriced (rip off). |The loos were fine though the toilet roll dispensers they have kept failing and the tissue got stuck inside so no loo roll... Showers were hot though the tray filled up within a couple of minutes and water went over onto the floor outside in a mini flood. Not good, ladies showers need to be declogged frequently!|We loved the park. Loved walking it in the evening. We did A LOT of walking. Those buggies looked like great fun. We heard the lions roaring in the evening and at 5.40am (as you do when you can't sleep on the futon).

Hayley W.

I booked via a very good value for money offer from Port Lympne for overnight stay in pinewood pod plus entrance to both reserve parks. After exploring Port Lympne and doing the safari we checked in. My only small issue was that only one lady to check everybody in so it was quite slow. We were very happy with swift pod number 5, everything you need for a short stay and the location is superb right to next to the lions with the tiger just around the corner too! The games room was a good extra, my children enjoyed playing giant Dominos and Jenga. We couldn’t get a table booking at Babydolls restaurant so I had pre-arranged a delivery to our pod via email that morning, requesting the time we’d like then gave our food order at check in. It was delicious and nice to sit outside to eat. We lit the campfire and toasted marshmallows plus made s’mores! Once it got dark we went to explore some of the animals by torchlight! We saw the clouded leopard and cheetah which we had been unable to spot during the day. The tiger was walking around too. We found it quite nice to chat around the fire pit with some other families before bed. It was a fairly warm night inside the pod. We didn’t get woken to lions roaring sadly but we did see them running past quite early! The shower and toilet block was clean and tidy, handy sink to wash up in. |The next morning we checked out and drove to the Airport Cafe just up the road for breakfast. Then we explore Howletts park. We were delighted to spend time watching the amazing elephant herd before they are sent to Africa soon. All in all we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

Lydia M.

Just back from a one night stay in a ensuite pod- it was just magical in every way! Would 1000% recommend! Woke up at 6am to the sound of the lions. Great location- beautiful pod- amazing staff. Cannot fault any of it! Loved our experience from the beginning to end. We explored the stunning wildlife park, had an incredible safari ride (felt like we were in Kenya!) had a great meal at the Bear Lodge restaurant and yummy breakfast at the Garden Room. We also did the feed the gorillas experience- definitely recommend! Would definitely come back again.

Kelly W.

A fantastic stay at Port Lympne. We stayed in one of the en-suite pods. Lovely listening to the lions and tigers at night and in the morning. There is a games room which has a pool table, cards etc. Also a fire pit so we enjoyed toasting marshmallows in the evening. They supplied all things needed for the fire pit. The pods was fab, all you needed. We spent the whole day walking about the park and doing the safari before we went to our pod at 3pm. Then we stayed there the following day as well instead of going to Howletts which is included in the price. This is our first time staying and would definitely be doing it again! Xx

Sonia W.

Me my husband and 2 boys stayed in the pod for a short weekend break .It truly was amazing .|The food prices in the park were expensive,however we was able to leave and drive to supermarkets within a 5 mile radius .||I will definitely book a pod again it really is a lovely place for a family we celebrated my sons 12th Birthday .||We all loved the experience of waking up to the lions that were opposite the pod .