Forest Holidays Reviews 

We were attracted by the lovely ads about getting away from it all but our peaceful forest experience was ruined by a large family of drunks nearby who played loud music and swore all day. We complained about the antisocial behaviour but the company's phone call to the party concerned - not even a visit - didn't have any effect. Rather than listening to bird song, we heard non-stop 'f' words and rap music all day. Hardly relaxing. Overall, a very expensive price tag for a Butlins experience.

My family and I stayed with Forest Holidays for the first time last year at Deer Park in Cornwall. We traditionally take a week away each March as it coincides with both my wife’s and my birthdays, as well as our wedding anniversary, so it is a particularly meaningful trip for us.

Our stay at Deer Park was absolutely wonderful and left us with a very positive impression of Forest Holidays. We enjoyed it so much that we were excited to book again this year, choosing Strathyre for our 2026 visit.

While the location itself and the staff on site were excellent—everyone we encountered was friendly, helpful, and professional—we were unfortunately quite disappointed with the condition and readiness of the accommodation, which is ultimately the core of the experience we are paying for.

Prior to our arrival, I called a couple of weeks in advance to confirm that a stairgate would be available, as we were travelling with our toddler. I was informed that stairgates come as standard in the cabins we had booked. However, upon arrival after a full day of travelling, we found that no stairgate had been fitted. This meant we had to closely supervise and carry our toddler around the cabin until a member of maintenance was able to come and install one.

We also discovered that the fridge door was not functioning properly. Unfortunately, we only realised the extent of the issue the following morning when the fridge was not sufficiently cold despite being full of food. This left us uncertain about the safety of the food we had brought with us, including expressed breast milk which, regrettably, we had to dispose of. As you can imagine, this was extremely upsetting for my wife. After some effort we managed to get the door to close temporarily, and maintenance later attended and repaired it.

Additionally, the dishwasher would not work despite us carefully following the printed instructions provided in the cabin. It took several attempts to get it to run properly, including trying to wash dishes that had been left inside from the previous occupants. Again, maintenance had to attend to resolve the issue.

One of the highlights we had planned for the week was a full day of cycling with our toddler. We intentionally chose the day with the best forecasted weather. However, upon arriving to hire bikes, we were informed that only trailers were available. Both the website and signage at the bike shed indicated that child seats could be hired, which is why we had planned the activity in the first place. Our toddler refuses to sit in trailers, so unfortunately the activity was not possible and we had to abandon what had been a carefully planned day.

Finally, we also noticed several damaged skirting boards in the cabin. While this might not normally be a major issue, with a curious toddler exploring the space we were constantly trying to prevent her from touching exposed or sharp edges.

Overall, we left feeling quite disappointed with the standard of the accommodation during this stay, particularly given how exceptional our first experience with Forest Holidays had been. It has unfortunately changed our perception compared with our previous visit.

We stayed in Lodge 10 and had a lovely experience. The owner was around when we arrived and was so helpful in recommending this around the Coleford area and made the effort to get to know us.

The lodge was clean, the site was quiet and the staff was so friendly. Whoever we came across was more than willing to help, including the guy who came to test the hot tub, he took the time to explain to my 3 year old niece what he was doing which was so lovely.

We have already booked to return and can’t wait! Not sure why the reviews aren’t reflective on this but the lodge and site was clean and tidy, well maintained and welcoming.

We can’t wait for our next trip! Thank you so much!

Forest Holidays used to be a certified B Corp, an indication of high social and environmental values. Forest Holidays 'decertified' as a B Corp in early May. Despite this Forest Holidays is still listed as a member of the 'Travel by B Corp' coalition. This is misleading the travelling public and unfair to companies that are still certified.

Gutted
We bragged about our first holiday with Forest, Deerpark in Cornwall taken 2 yrs ago. Booked a lodge for 6 - 4 travelled and we had a fantastic time. Location right over the river, views of all the wildlife on the river. Birds by the dozen. The cabin itself was fab - had everything you could ask for. In view of this we persuaded 2 friends to join us for 3 nights 22-24 May Deerpark again. Well,could not believe the cabin. No 11. It looked as tho nobody had been near it in abt a year. Cobwebs all at the windows, looked unloved. Hubby & I had the twin downstairs. 1 friend had main bedroom the other the 2nd twin. Main bedroom friend said the shower was so difficult to turn on in fact a bath was run instead the first night. You had to be a midget to see yourself in the mirror to shave or do hair - not really impressed. 2nd twin was ok obviously had to come downstairs for loo or use main on suite upstairs. Two curtains were hanging off railing(small gaps) in top bedroom looked 'dossy'. Our twin downstairs was fine, altho mirror was situated very low had to bend knees, but apart from that ok. Our bathroom shower was superb - easy peasy to use, hot and plenty of gusto. The towel rail was always hot as well...such a bonus nothing worse than using wet/damp towels to dry off. The kitchen had everything but you had to be a genius to work out how to use the oven. Eventually found directions pasted to a cupboard door. Overall ok. Outside on balcony so disappointed. Tall shrubs and trees hiding the river view so could not see any wildlife activity at all. Heard a lot but saw zilch. The hot tub was lovely but a side panel kept falling off. A nuisance & lots of wires sticking out bit scary. This lodge definitely requires some light maintenance work. For the money you pay it did not seem to be good value. Felt so let down after boosting the place & dragging them along, to find this. One consolation were the birds. We had brought seed & they were up real close to eat - with Mr Robin eating off our hands. Delightful. So overall, don't think we shall be booking again any time soon.

I recently stayed at the Sherwood Pines location, and to say the experience was disappointing would be an understatement. For the premium price Forest Holidays charges, you expect a baseline of cleanliness and attentive customer service. We received neither.
Accommodation & Hygiene:
Upon check-in, the cabin was frankly filthy. We discovered thick layers of dirt, dust, old food and dog hair left under the sofa and beds. It was incredibly unhygienic.
It took four separate requests and a 36-hour wait from our first complaint before the underneath of the sofa was finally cleaned properly. Spending the first day and a half of a holiday chasing housekeeping is completely unacceptable.
On the last day I always strip the beds because I like to be helpful. I discovered blood stains on my mattress protector and some other staining on others. I also accidentally kicked off the shower trap lid and was horrified to see matted hair and mould.
Accessibility & Communication Failures:
The lack of organization extended to the activities. We had booked onto the quiz night. While I understand events get cancelled if numbers are low, we were never notified. I had to help two disabled family members struggle all the way to the Retreat, only to be turned away and told it was cancelled. The staff had my contact details on file, failing to send a simple text or call to save vulnerable guests an unnecessary, painful trip is a massive oversight.
Management Oversight:
To top it off, I raised all of these significant concerns directly with the manager this morning. I was promised a follow-up call later today. It is now evening, and I have heard absolutely nothing.
The outside environment is beautiful, but the actual management, upkeep, and customer care at this site are severely lacking. I am still waiting for the courtesy of a response.

Staying in the Forest of Dean cabin 76 & the cabin is very worn! The Hot tub door to the controls is broken and if my child caught their leg on it getting out of the hot tub it would slice their leg open!Considering the price we paid also if you stay in the forest cabins make sure you drive a monster truck because the pot holes on the roads to the cabins look like they’ve previously been used to test anti tank mines! really disappointed, how hard is it to put some stones in the holes to prevent serious vehicle damage to customers who are paying top dollar to stay! My advise! I wouldn’t book again

Sherwood Forest - We tried to contact the company before about upgrading our lodge as we could see loads for sale still. No response from email, you can't call them at weekends or bank holidays. We thought we'd then just ask when we arrive and was told by the check in lady no you have to go through head office.
We arrived early the check in lady said she'd come get us when the cabin was ready, she didn't tell us where to go or where to wait etc so we sat in the cafe, she didn't come and get us when it was ready.

Cabin 35 wasn't clean, floors were wet, smelt like dogs. Baring in mind we have a dog and pay extra for that I do expect it to be clean otherwise what are we paying for. The oven was dirty, the cutlery and plates were to. The dishwasher smell made me gag and it also tips forward when the doors open. Mould, sofas were ripped etc

We had on off issues the first few days with the hot tub heating which they did come out and fix.

The main bedroom bed was the worst bed i have ever seen, the mattress didn't fit the bed frame and it was so hard, and squeaky i couldn't actually sleep on it and slept in the single bed.
The quality of that cabin is below standard.
I couldn't use the app because after day 1 it stopped working.
It says someone will knock and check how everything is. No one did.

On the plus we ordered a takeaway Indian to the cabin which was nice.
The other staff were really friendly and helpful we came across. It's good for dogs because the balcony is secure and there's loads of places to walk.

With that cabin it's not worth the money your spending to have a nice weekend away.

I stayed at Forest Holiday Norfolk earlier this year and had a really lovely relaxing stay The cabin was very clean and had everything required. My friend and I enjoyed a few walks with the dogs.
We visited a village called East Harling and stumbled upon a lovely cafe “The Old Coaching Inn”which had recently opened and served the most delicious cakes and pastries thoroughly recommend it will definitely be going back

We are regular Forest Holidays customers and have always had very positive experiences across multiple sites, which is why we chose to contact them directly regarding our recent stay at Strathyre before leaving a review.
Unfortunately, despite sending a detailed complaint on 17 April and following up several times (including via social media), we have not received any acknowledgement or response at all.
Our stay itself was disappointing and did not reflect the “Golden Oak” premium experience we paid for, particularly as it was for a special occasion (birthday and anniversary). There were multiple maintenance issues throughout the cabin, problems with key facilities such as the hot tub, and a safety concern where our daughter cut her foot on a raised metal edge at the entrance.
I want to be clear that the staff on site were excellent and responded quickly when issues were raised — this is not a reflection on them, but rather on the overall condition of the cabin and the lack of response from customer services.
We chose not to leave a negative public review initially as we know this is not the usual standard, but given the lack of any response, we are now hoping this may prompt someone from Forest Holidays to make contact and resolve the matter.

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Disappointing experience and no response to complaint

We’ve stayed at Cropton Forest with Forest Holidays several times over the past few years, but unfortunately our recent experience has left us very disappointed.

During our stay in February 2026, we went on what we understood to be a well-signposted walk in the forest. However, the signage was unclear and insufficient in several places, which resulted in me becoming lost with my dog. This was stressful and took away from what should have been an enjoyable experience. For a location that attracts visitors unfamiliar with the area, clear and reliable signage is essential—especially where mobile signal may be limited.

This isn’t the first issue we’ve encountered. On previous stays, we experienced problems with lodge cleanliness, a faulty bath tap, and on another visit, a malfunctioning smoke alarm that went off throughout the night. This was particularly distressing and disrupted our stay significantly.

I raised these concerns directly with Forest Holidays via email but have not received any response, which is disappointing in itself.

While the location is lovely, the repeated issues and lack of customer service mean we are now hesitant to return. I hope improvements are made, both in maintenance standards and in responding to customer feedback.

Had a lovely time at Ardgartan. Location is great and staff could not have been nicer or more helpful. The recurrent comments from others are however true. The cabins are in a somewhat sorry state now. We've been coming here for ten years but hadn't been for a couple of years. Some of the issues with the cabin we noted the last time are still there. The cabin is much more sparse and items of furniture such as freestanding lights have been removed. Things have been notably worse since they were taken over in 2022 by Sykes and it feels like a bit of a golden goose to them, an asset that is going to get flogged for the money until it falls over. I genuinely do like forest holidays and have never had a holiday that I didn't enjoy. I wish I could say it was perfect. There is an elephant in the room though and anyone reading these reviews would see the issue.

I have not taken my stay yet but I had a booking issue which has been dealt with today by Sheila from customers services. My sincere and grateful thanks to her for her help and understanding. She must be a credit to your team. Lesley Lester.

We have never holiday with Forest Holidays before so this was our first time. First impressions, when we walked into our cabin It had just finished being cleaned as it was only 4 o’clock but the Strong smell of dog wasn’t pleasant to be greeted to. We do not have a dog and I believe a pet friendly cabin was all that was available when we booked, which I thought wouldn’t be a problem as other places I have stayed normally charge more for pet friendly accommodation to allow for extra cleaning but I’m not sure this is the case here! The recycling/bin was very dirty and smelly, it clearly doesn’t get washed out between stays. The dishwasher being integrated was very loose in its housing, whenever we opened it it almost was dropping out of its space. The shelf on the door of the fridge that you keep your milk in was very loose. It looked as though a screw had been already been put in the door to help with this but it was still very loose and I was a little bit concerned that my milk was going to fall out, luckily it didn’t but it is loose enough that it could be a problem. Under the unit in the kitchen were extremely dirty I can appreciate that maybe not every time somebody leaves a clean needs to be done under the cupboards but it was quite a buildup so maybe if it was done every few stays it would prevent this. The blinds were thick dust and the window frames were extremely grubby. I can appreciate it is a lodge with wooden windows etc but these things could still be a lot cleaner than they was. Lots of cobwebs throughout which again it’s a lodge in the woods but it wouldn’t have been as bad as it was if it was dusted regularly! There was also a hole in the decking by our hot tub. When we returned home we received an email for feedback on our stay, I click the link but it didn’t work so I sent an email just to say the link doesn’t work in that email but Nobody got back to me. A couple of weeks after I got another email to say please share your feedback with the same link, I clicked it again and it still didn’t work so I then sent an email direct to customer services to which again no one replied! I can not believe the customer service from such a big company! As you can tell from all of the issues pointed out I would rather not wish to holiday with forest holidays again.

Honestly too bad to summarise. Kids and partner upset at advertised activities eg bike riding not being available - poor service and average chalets. Will never go back. Found the CEO email and made a direct complaint - no reply or even acknowledgement, which tells you everything. Avoid.

Awful. Of the four days we stayed only one day that we could use the hot tub because of ‘maintenance’ issues. No one was interested in rectifying or even apologising.

We had an excellent experience at Blackwood Forest with my husband and 2 year old. Our cabin was well equipped which was also clear in the room details when booking. The staff were all very helpful - including a special shout out to Anne who checked on us after we’d settled in and managed to get us some salt and pepper that we’d forgotten to bring for the dinner we were cooking. And to the cleaning staff who found my pillow I’d forgotten at checkout and kept it safe until we returned.
The forest was beautiful, we enjoyed walks, playing in the playground, the hot tub and a local restaurant during our long weekend.
Thanks for a great first holiday with our daughter!

Stayed at cropton from 27th to 30th March lodge no.46.Great upon arrival,everything clean but from Saturday morning the 28th we had no hot water and no heating error code up on their Samsung heating which was blocked pipe somewhere.manager came and brought us 4 small oil filled rads but didn't get hot water until Sunday late afternoon when they put the immersion heater on.They did bring us some logs for the fire and a bottle of prosceco and was promised a refund which we haven't seen yet,When I checked the fault code on system it was saying it had failed on the Thursday before us even getting there!

I recently booked an accessible cabin (no.1) in the Forest of Dean as I’m a full time wheelchair user and if it wasn’t for my wife I would have gone home the day we arrived. The only things that made it accessible was the wet room and hoist for the hot tub. Firstly the parking outside the cabin was on a very steep incline which made it difficult in a wheelchair. The kitchen was not accessible at all (not like another accessible cabin in Blackwood Forest). The bed was ridiculously high which made transfers on and off the bed difficult (being a paraplegic). There is only one bathroom which was absolutely disgusting (the photos don’t do it any justice) and in desperate need for refurbishment, I don’t even think it was cleaned before we arrival. There was faeces on the wall by the toilet and toilet seat which my wife cleaned because she didn’t want me to make a fuss. The sink was ridiculously small that you couldn’t even wash your hand in it. It would be great to have an en-suite in the double bedroom so others can use the toilet and not have to wait while the bathroom is in use like the cabin in Blackwood Forest. I’m not sure the hoist for the hot tub get’s serviced regularly as it was a bit temperamental and I get stuck in the air getting out of the hot tub. To be honest I feel that the whole cabin was in desperate need of refurbishment as it looked very rundown. I don’t understand why a log burner isn’t fitted, aren’t disabled people entitled to these luxuries as well? My wife reported these issues at the end of our stay and the staff looked shocked, were very apologetic. It’s such as shame as Forest of Dean is a beautiful place to visit and the staff at the retreat were great.

We came to glentress forest, Peebles on 10th of April for 3 nights. On arrival we received a warm welcome from 2 of the team. The lodge ( golden oak hideaway) was amazing, clean, modern and just what we were looking for. I noticed we didn’t have a hair dryer, I asked a member of the team for one, they delivered it within 10 minutes. They service was outstanding throughout. Highly recommend this amazing resort in Peebles.