Potters Resort: Activities for 5 year olds

Lyndsey OHalloran

3 years ago

On a break at Potters Resort in Hopton-on-Sea not only do you get all inclusive dining and drinks included but the activities are all part of the price as well! When you consider how much you pay to do some things at places like Center Parcs having activities included really makes Potters great value for money. We did quite a lot on our visit so I wanted to highlight so of the things that would be suitable for a 5 year old!

Upon arrival in your welcome pack you get a list of all of the activities that are available during your stay and here it also details how to sign up to the Potters system that allows you to book some of the activities (these have a P sign next to them on the list). It was easy to sign up but we actually didn’t use the system as everything we wanted to do didn’t require booking.

Play area

No holiday park would be complete without a play park and you can find one at the back of the Potters Resort near the football pitch. You’ll need about a 5 minute walk from the main building to get to the park and we were so lucky as our accommodation overlooked the park. It’s only a small play park but it kept Erin entertained while we were getting ready in the mornings.

Swimming pool and gym

It’s been a long time since we were all in a pool together so we couldn’t wait to go for a dip. The pool can be found in the Palms Heath and Fitness Club, just a minute away from the main Potters building. Here, you will also find a gym and hair and beauty studio close by.

The pool actually has 3 different pools; a shallower one at the back, baby pool and larger main pool. The smaller shallower pool was perfect for Erin as she was able to stand up in a lot of it but swim when she wanted to. However, she was also able to use floats and noodles that were provided if she wanted to go in the big pool. We went swimming a few times in the morning and had the place to ourselves mostly at around 9am.

The pool also has a whirlpool, sauna and steamroll which I most definitely used a few times.

Hopton beach

Not technically a Potters activity but you can walk to the beach from the resort in only a few minutes and honestly it’s such a beautiful beach. We got a very nice day for it and the sun was out and the weather was great and it really felt like we could have been abroad. John might not have agreed if you ask him if the sea was warm though.

As it only takes a couple of minutes to get to the beach you can head there for as long as you like and are then able to get back to your bungalow easily to get dry or ready for another activity.

Activities for 5 year olds

The activities guide is laid out really well as everything says how old or tall you need to be to take park. I spent a little bit of time on the first afternoon while John and Erin were swimming to get a highlighter and mark out everything that Erin would be able to do. This made it easier for us each day to make a plan and ensure she did everything that she was interested in.

One of the first, but favourite activities was mini Segways in the International Arena. Staff are on hand to explain how to use the Segways and it took Erin a little while to get used to them. However, once she did she was zooming off and absolutely loved it. Times were limited especially if there was a queue of children waiting for a turn so how long you got really depended on how busy it was.

The KMX bikes were also a hit with Erin, with these being suitable for children over 3ft and up to 14 years old. For some activities they have equipment in different sizes so sometimes you might need to wait for a turn on the equipment most suitable. I don’t think Erin ever waited more than 10 minutes for an activity like this though.

Erin so desperately wanted to try out the Cliff Hanger, where you have to be 1.1m and a minimum of 3 stone (maximum of 17 stone). Erin did have a bit of a wait for this activity but mainly because we hadn’t planned it and she had sandals on at the time. You have to wear closed shoes so John had to nip back to the bungalow for Erin’s trainers.

Erin was really quite small and maybe not big enough for this really but she gave it her best go and really, really tried to get up as high as she could. I know it’s going to be something she wants to do again next year when we go back.

The longest Erin had to wait for anything was for the bungee trampoline which was about an hour! She made a friend in the queue though so she was quite happy. Again, Erin was quite small and couldn’t really bounce too much herself but the staff really helped her to do a backflip when they saw how much she was trying to do it herself.

Live entertainment

During the day there was a few different things on for children Erin’s age including learning how to dance (few different options) and an amazing science show called Exciting Science! Erin was a bit desperate to get picked to get up on stage and she got her wish and was able to do something really cool with her dad.

It’s definitely worth trying to make time for sessions such as this!

At 7:45pm each evening the children’s entertainment started in the Atlas Theatre and this lasted until about 8:30pm. Each evening was different and had things like a family gameshow, dancing and party games. This time after dinner was a great way for children to go on the dance floor and play with others their own age. Erin hadn’t really done anything like this before but she got stuck right in.

At 9pm the main evening entertainment started (no photography allowed though). Shows during our break included ‘The Brits’, Variety, ‘Broadway and Beyond’ and ‘Celebration’. The singers and dancers are all absolutely amazing and we all really enjoyed what we managed to see.

Activities that you have to pay for

There are a few things at Potters that you do need to pay for such as arcades, bowling and pool. Potters has 2 small arcades and a few bowling lanes (£4 each) so you can choose to use these if you want to but you don’t need to incur additional costs if you don’t want to. It was nice to have these as an option though.

Our verdict…

I don’t think we could have asked more for the activities available during our break. Our days were so full that we came home absolutely exhausted and Erin even fell asleep on the bus home.