One of the very few downsides of living in Cornwall is that generally if you’re going away somewhere you’ve got a long journey ahead of you.

Whether it’s going to the airport for a holiday, visiting friends upcountry, or heading off for an important business meeting, down here we’re well conditioned to spending two, three, four, five or more hours getting there.

So it really was quite nice to go ‘on holiday’ just half an hour down the road.

Parkdean Resorts has eight holiday parks in Cornwall and Mullion is one of them.

It offers a mixture of caravans, lodges and camping and touring pitches.

Falmouth Packet:

Our home for the weekend

We were in a caravan for a long weekend and, immediately upon arriving, it took me back to childhood holidays.

The park at Mullion has everything a young family – clearly the main demographic – needs for an enjoyable break.

It’s got soft play, indoor and outdoor pools, an adventure playground, amusement arcade and the Stargate Entertainment Club, which has live acts for both the kids and their parents as well as general fun and games, bingo and discos.

Food-wise there’s the Kynance Bar and Grill, which offers decent pub-restaurant food at reasonable prices. We ate there one night and enjoyed a good quality meal.

There’s also a takeaway that offers fish and chips and the like, as well as an on-site convenience store.

The park is also dog-friendly and ours was welcomed with a ‘Pooch Pack’ that had some treats inside, as well as a list of dog-friendly beaches nearby.

These include Mullion Cove and Kennack Sands, where we visited.

Falmouth Packet:

Kennack Sands

Because while parks like this offer everything you need to entertain the kids, they also offer a great base from which to explore.

Nearby you’ve got Mullion Cove, Lizard Point, the National Seal Sanctuary at Gweek, Flambards (of course) and Poldhu Cove, to name a few.

Falmouth Packet:

Mullion Cove

We’d never been to Kennack before and it’s a good beach with two cafes on site. It was certainly popular.

Mullion itself, of course, is a pretty little village and we took the opportunity to enjoy a good meal at The Old Inn on our second night.

Aiming to mix local attractions with what was on offer at the park, after that we headed back to the Stargate.

Now, you’ve probably got a reasonable idea of the type of entertainment on offer and you wouldn’t be wrong.

On the first night we just about endured a covers singer, while on night two there was more of the same to begin with before someone with some real talent hit the stage.

That came in the form of Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist Jimmy Tamley, a ventriloquist who apparently made Simon Cowell rather angry on this year’s show (sorry, I haven’t seen it for a few years).

Falmouth Packet:

Jimmy Tamley

Anyway, although the act did have some slightly dated and uncomfortable moments, it was genuinely decent entertainment for the most part.

It’s standard holiday park stuff and that’s either a good thing or a bad thing depending on what you’re into, but the kids are certainly entertained well into the evening before there’s something for the adults.

Our caravan, a Trelan, was well-equipped, with oven and hob, fridge-freezer, TV, DVD player, cutlery and so on, with only towels, toiletries and the like needed to be brought from home.

It was spacious and the ‘master’ bedroom had a decent size double bed. The second room had two smaller singles and there was also a pop-out bed in the lounge.

Falmouth Packet:

The master bedroom

Having enjoyed a barbecue to close our long weekend, it came to packing up.

Normally this is accompanied by the dread of a long drive ahead.

I had to keep reminding myself that we didn’t have to do that this time and there was no need to rush off – and that was really nice.

There’s plenty to be said about holidaying close to home – this trip felt like we really ‘got away’ without having to suffer a long journey.

With the park also offering caravans for sale – some barely the price of a new car – I can certainly see the appeal.

To book visit www.parkdeanresorts.co.uk/location/cornwall/mullion/  or call 0330 123 4850.

Parkdean Resorts is encouraging people to experience the best of Britain this summer, by showcasing some of the UK’s greatest family days out. Find out more about Parkdean's Best of Britain campaign at www.parkdeanresorts.co.uk/amazing-memories/discover/best-of-britain/