Ingenia Holidays Merry Beach

Take note: ALL Ingenia parks apparently now ban fires from the beginning of October till the end of March - a decision clearly made by people in Head Office who never actually go camping, and who have no idea how much a fire is part of camping and how cold it can be through some of those periods. Perhaps look elsewhere if a fire is a part of your camping experience.

Following our recent stay with you, we felt the need to provide some feedback on our stay as it was less than impressive. We have spent many weeks away with our family and were looking forward to adding to our experiences. We understand that you are in the process of making improvements, however the cost of a powered site for 8 nights, was exorbitant for the state of the park. 2 of the 4 washing machines were out of order 1 of the 4 dryer’s was out of order. Showers in the older block were cold and one was out of order. Showers in the new block, turned off whilst in them and we couldn’t get it back on and had to wash hair in the sink as it was covered in shampoo. All shower and toilet areas were dirty and although cleaned in the mornings, certainly needed further attention throughout the day which they did not get during such a busy holiday period. Toilet paper run out, paper towels empty, sand all over the floors, mould in showers, it was quite disgusting. It was great to have the movie night for the kids and offer popcorn, however there were children who missed out on the popcorn as they ran out! Surely you have an indication from bookings how many children you have in the park at any given time. BBQ’s out of order. When we first arrived and saw the site we were allocated we were perplexed as to how a camper trailer could be placed on a site with a large ditch in the middle of it, making it difficult to place the trailer in a way that ensured our children were able to lay on a flat surface. Totally inappropriate site for anyone except for a caravan on that site. Happy to have fireworks on New Year’s Eve for customers to enjoy, however repeated fireworks on subsequent nights made the experience for dogs petrifying. For a park that is pet friendly that is surely not a positive experience for customers. The power was lost on numerous occasions of our 8 night stay, to say there was powered sites was a little underwhelming. The pool had a leak on one day, that required it closing, surely the leak didn’t just appear, ? Maintenance issue. The jumping pillow was not inflated for the duration of our stay, ? Further maintenance issues! We are glad to hear that the park is undergoing renovations, however in the interim it is unreasonable to ask customers to pay the exorbitant price for a park that is run down, unkept and sub standard sites provided. The location is beautiful and such a shame that we and others won’t get to experience it again due to the state of it.

Accommodation excellent, rooms spotless, looked really nice, great presentation, beds were comfortable, cabin contained just about everything you would need with few exceptions, even ironing spray, plenty of plastic bags for bin, electric & normal fry pan (wife loved it), even a steam mop (wife loved it), had a fruit bowl (wife said it was a real nice touch). Contained everything else that you have in a normal cabin with the only exceptions being that it did not have a coffee table, while not necessary would have made it more relaxing. Simple thing to put your drink on a table. It also did not have a dryer in cabin which we thought that was a bit strange being that it had a washing machine so you would have to take the clothes to the public laundromat. Now, whist we had our own toilet, bathroom we checked out the public amenities, showers, toilets, laundromat, and I was impressed as they were absolutely spotless, were very well designed and presented – loved them. Very dog friendly, even had a large dog exercise and play enclosure. Very smart idea. Absolutely great for kids and family or even for couples like us who wanted to get away to a really great place for some needed R & R. Had a large jumping matt, had a large climbing, jungle gym/swing set and even had a miniature bike track for the littlies, also has peddle carts you can hire out for the kids. On top of all that if that was not enough, the widelife there was crazy, there was kangaroos everywhere all through the park resort, there all types of birds, lorikeets, willie wagtails, magpies, crows, pigeons, other birds and there was even the smallest bird I have ever seen before on the beach, mother and baby, at least half the size of a willie wagtail, so tiny and amazing to see. There were also lizards everywhere. I mean you didn’t even have to leave your cabin to see wildlife, just relax and sit on the balcony and enjoy, wildlife at your door. The staff were lovely and friendly and the people in the park were really nice. Nice beach, very wide, great for sport activities, plenty of sand. Nice sized rock areas and apparently some good fishing on the beach and on the rocks if you are keen. The only real negative was that the cabins are bit close together and had no privacy when sitting on the verandah, suggestion just need a shade cloth on the right side of the balconies.

We had originally booked a 2 bedroom luxury suite cabin but was kindly offered one of the new seaview beach houses as friends were camping close by & it would be more convient (for no extra cost). The new Seaview beach houses are stunning. They were spacious, had everything we needed, wereright opposite the beach, a few steps away from the pool, and had the most magical views all day from both the living room and the deck. There are two decent size bedrooms, a huge bathroom and seperate toilet. We travelled with two small children & actually used one of the bathrooms as a third bedroom which worked out great. While my baby slept I was able to watch my husband & toddler at the playground, and even swimming at the beach all while sitting on the beautiful deck. The park was busy but quiet at the same time, filled with lots of friendly families. It has such a nice atmosphere. There is a lovely general store a short walk away which had good coffee and yummy loaded bacon and egg rolls. The prawn man came around of an afternoon, so a drink with prawns on the deck was great! The ice cream van also came by which was great for our toddler. The only negative I could pick were dogs were allowed on the beach/at the park & whenever we walked by others camp sites or beach spots some dogs would aggressively bark. As much as we love dogs, It’s not relaxing as a parent to be on the beach and have a dog constantly barking at a toddler. Otherwise, it was a lovely stay and we would most definitely be back!

We have been going to Merry Beach Caravan Park for over 30 years and have taken and directed lots of overseas visitors there to see the wildlife which was always abundant as no pets were allowed on the front of the park. Last week we could not believe the number of dogs that were there, some unleashed and running around the park, and beach, fighting and barking as well as snapping at what birds there are left. (We have always owned dogs so are not anti pets) but this just isn’t the place for them! No possums as most of the large trees have been removed and none replanted and the kangaroos not in as many numbers and staying up the back. What a shame. Also the addition of the Seaview cabins does nothing to enhance the park, not the most aesthetic architecture.

Great location right across from the beach ⛱️ Plenty to do for young ones including a big pool, bike track and decent park. We camped this time around, so there were no photos of cabins to upload. They had a pool party for the kids when we were there and they loved it. We will definitely come back again soon.