Auchenlarie Holiday Park Reviews
Auchenlarie Holiday Park is a 5-star family park with touring and camping pitches, stylish en-suite glamping S-Pods and a range of accommodation. The park has access to a beach and private cove, with fantastic facilities including a bistro, bar, heated indoor pool, gym - to name just a few! Sea fishing available nearby too.
4.54 /5
74%
Recommend
Amazing place
Featured
Recommends site
David D
1
0
This has to be one of the prettiest sites I have stayed at. The A75 can be a bit noisy when the ferries come in as the wagons seem to travel in convoy from Stranraer, but if you're in the lower touring section, it's fine - even up the top I think it'd be ok. It was absolutely fine overnight! The facilities are spotless and there's loads of showers and toilets. The showers are proper showers too. No ridiculous button to press!!! The sports bar isn't chic, but it's like a blissful blast from the past and stacked full of TVs and a recovered (looks like new) pool table. The entertainment venue is sport on for what it is. We tended to be in the sports bar though. Take away food is made from the main kitchen, it's fine, but we tended to cook - quite simple stuff, not stupid expensive but not cheap. The restaurant/bar has incredible views, words don't do the view justice. Drinks are reasonable for a holiday park. The shop on site is really well stocked. Not as cheap as your local super market, but very reasonable process considering its location, and a fraction of most large holiday parks. We'll definitely be back, I think they've got a perfect sweet spot of making money but not ripping the customer off. We all loved it and are really looking forward to coming back.
Fab
Featured
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Alan K
1
1
This park has everything. Beautiful views - the pictures online do not do it justice. We were blown away with the attention to detail. Very impressive.
First time visiting
Recommends site
Leslie M
1
0
Wasn’t the best weather during our visit but we were impressed with the site. Clean, lots of great facilities on site and friendly staff.showers were good, hot and clean. Toilets were clean and well maintained. Bar was clean, efficient service and friendly staff. Food was good. We will be back.
Amazing!!!!
Recommends site
Kayleigh C
0
0
Me & my partner had an amazing weekend with yous!!! We will definitely be back!😍 Showers & toilets were kept spotless all weekend and the showers were great! All staff were friendly & very helpful all round an amazing clean beautiful holiday park!! We highly recommend this place to everyone ! Couples or groups or family's it has something for everyone 👌🙌 the beach & views are breathtaking 🙌 at night & during the day it is so peaceful ☺️ a very relaxing place to recharge yourself 😍🥰
Gorgeous beach
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Louise P
0
0
A well kept park with great facilities. The beach is stunning but there is a bit of a steep path down to it. Disappointed that we couldn't see the sea from our pitch, and being so close to the A75, traffic noise was quite annoying and did disturb our sleep. Site was not very busy so no problems with showers or toilets, not sure how the usage would stretch out at a busy time.
Very disappointed stay
Derek F
0
0
Very nice, well kept site. However, it is very close to main route to the ferry terminal, with a constant stream of lorries throughout the night keeping us up every night. On 3 occasions, we went to use the facilities for an evening meal, however I felt there was very little to choose from. I made 3 choices, only to be told they were not available. I settled on soup, which was ok, apart from the stale bread. We twice attended the entertainment, first time was the quiz night, the only consolation was that we would have won as we were the only 2 there. 2nd night was Bingo at £20 per game, even if we played bingo, we felt that £20 is on the expensive side. Although I appreciate it is early on in the season, I felt the prices should reflect the availability of the services you are paying for. In a final note, the location of the site is Castle Douglas but you are actually 19 miles from Castle Douglas, not ideal when planning the weeks activities.
Fantastic, clean and attractive
Recommends site
Jeffrey P
0
1
Me, my wife and our 2 kids stayed. Facilities were fantastic, location was beautiful and the views was fantastic. There was only 1 minor issue. I rated standard of service 3 stars, only due to the dinner. They only do pizzas for take away after a certain time, which we found a bit awkward with my son being a very picky eater ,with certain food he can't eat (he had no food for nearly 14 hours). We asked if we could order a pizza to sit in with us while we had food from the same restaurant, but was told he would have to sit outside 🤷♂️ I did raise my concerns with the restaurant manager and after been told multiple times we could not eat it in the restaurant we finally come to an arrangement. This is the only campsite I have been to where you can't order pizza to sit in the restaurant. Although the campsite was fantastic I would probably look for another campsite that would accommodate less picky eaters.
Great spot
Recommends site
Robert M
0
0
The staff were friendly and very helpful. Great fun with the grandkids, I will definitely come back with them. Good sized pitches and the toilets were spotless. The food and bar drinks were reasonably priced and had large helpings.
Beautiful part of Scotland
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Graeme H
0
1
First time visiting this beautiful site, every member of staff were welcoming, friendly and helpful when asked a question. Lizz and Meg are great with the kids and that was much appreciated.
Nice site
Recommends site
Laura S
0
0
We really enjoyed our stay at the park, however, we're really disappointed with the freezing cold swimming pool! Had pre-booked swimming however, they had a boiler issue and the pool was extremely cold, yet still was charged full price which I didn't think was right as it was not enjoyable! Swimming pool also had lots of dirt floating in it and the changing rooms were not very clean. Otherwise, we enjoyed the location and would stay again.
Bad experience, incompassionate staff, noisy and not dog friendly
Donnie M
1
0
First of all, I'll be positive. It's a nice location, the facilities are kept clean and the views are nice. The staff in the leisure centre were friendly. Unfortunately, we had to leave early because my elderly mother took unwell and I had to take her to the hospital. The staff refused to refund anything for the £40 of credits I had bought and the nights that we were missing out on. When they phoned ahead of us arriving, I had a positive feeling because they seemed friendly. They encouraged me to buy the credit packs for the activities, because I was told that is "works out much better value for money". Unfortunately, what they didn't tell us is that the credit packs are not refundable. Before my mum took unwell, we booked because it is advertised as "dog friendly", but it definitely isn't. My mum has a tiny, well-behaved dog. The dogs aren't allowed into any of the buildings at all, so when my young son and I wanted to use the facilities, my mum had to stay in the van with the dog. In the shop, my mum was at the doorway, holding the dog, and one of the shop staff was very rude to my mum, saying "get that dog out". Even the pub wouldn't let the dog in, even though it didn't serve food. We had to have a takeaway from the restaurant, which is a restricted menu, and didn't have anything healthy. The facilities were OK, but the "Fun swim session" was disappointing. It's advertised as an inflatables session, but only 1 or 2 of the 10 inflatable items were not burst. I tried blowing a few of them up, but they deflated quickly. The pool was cold too. My son wears a wetsuit in the pool, and he was still cold after about 35-40 minutes, so we got out early for a hot shower. The last thing is the beach. It looks nice in the photos, and it is actually nice when you get down there, but be warned, it's very steep. Not for elderly or anyone with mobility issues. Overall, we went there with high hopes from the positive reviews here, but unfortunately left early, with zero refund (and no compassion for my mum). Underused the facilities because they don't like dogs.
Fab weekend
Recommends site
Lynne D
0
0
My partner and I had a fab weekend, even though the weather was horrendous. Everyone was so friendly and staff were amazing. The park was great and amenities were fabulous. Will definitely return.
Dog friendly?
Ronald L
1
0
I booked this site because it said it was dog friendly, I soon realized that that was only outside. I could not rate the facilities correctly as we weren't allowed in them with the dog, which meant that we had to sit in the van all weekend eating takeaways. Not what I expected from a dog friendly site!
Excellent site
Recommends site
Claire N
1
0
Excellent site with lovely beach and great facilities for kids. Lovely site - stayed with the grandchildren and lots of happy memories made. Toilet and shower blocks absolutely sparkling clean, lovely play area close to pitch. Leisure facilities were great and spent a very wet afternoon swimming and at soft play, a few games at the arcade and a drink in the bar. Friendly staff everywhere and a really good size supermarket. Site was lovely and quiet at night for us all to sleep, but realise that it was probably quite a quiet weekend in general, as schools were back and weather forecast was not great. We will be back!
Great place
Recommends site
Sheila H
0
0
This place is great for families. Unfortunately on our Saturday night stay, we had party campers behind us. They had very loud music and singing voices on until 2.45am, which meant I couldn't sleep until then. Thankfully my 3 kids were so tired after a busy day, they crashed out. This was not ideal at all. Since there's a 10pm quiet zone policy, it should really be checked by security staff for parties. I love a party but these people had no consideration for others around them. The tent pitch is fairly close to the main road, which means you can hear the lorries/buses going by, but the tunes blasting soon covered that noise! Great wee shop onsite, great toilet/shower facilities by the tent pitches & pretty clean. Good size pool for kids. Good parks & football court. We didn't realise there was a beach onsite & headed to one at the next camping farm, £4 parking but it was lovely. Food a bit expensive in the restaurant for what it was, shame take-away isn't open earlier. We will definitely go back and recommend it! It's a good place and all the staff we came across were very helpful.
Outstanding site
Recommends site
Brian R
0
0
The best site we've stayed in. The whole family agree this has been our best holiday.
Camping
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Mohammed N
0
0
We stayed here for 2 nights in tent, a lovely place with sea. Clean toilet and washing facilities. Only problem I could see was the tent location was next to the main road and I could hear the traffic passing during the night.
Fabulous position but with problems
Recommends site
Maureen L
0
0
Had a great time apart from the lack of sleep. I am sorry, but the tourers and tents should not be so close to the main road, the noise is constant and horrible, day and night. Others around us checked out early with the same problem. The bins were literally overflowing, with the lids vertical and hadn't been emptied for two days, but to be fair, I rang the emergency number out of hours and it was dealt with promptly. I was concerned that if it became windy, the rubbish would have been all over the park, as people hadn't even tied their rubbish bags. There was nowhere for the grey waste by the toilet block in the purple zone although it was indicated on the map. I couldn't lift up the carrier to use the chemical waste point as it was so heavy. Otherwise, it was a long walk down the hill. Really sad that there wasn't a grey waste drain on our pitch as it is on most fully serviced pitches we stay on. There must be drainage for all the statics, couldn't that have been extended to tourers? We would love to come back but could not be in that same area of the site - just too noisy.
A lovely break
Recommends site
Alison G
0
0
We stayed here for a family break in August; 2 adults with 12 and 15 year old boys and a dog. We camped on a grass pitch with electric hook up. The site is easy to find and the views are stunning. We went straight to our pitch as we'd had great communication from the site before our arrival and knew exactly where to go. We quickly realised that we were very close to the main road, which can be busy with large lorries at times. It certainly didn't spoil our stay but wasn't as peaceful as we'd have liked and my husband and I were aware of the road during the night, although the kids slept straight through! The boys enjoyed exploring the site and made good use of the football area and the pool; we were a little surprised that you have to pay extra for the pool and many of the activities, (I don't think we've ever come across this in 20 years of camping!) but the booking system is easy. There's access to 2 bits of beach; the bay, in particular is fabulous and very beautiful at low tide with lots of rocks to climb. It's not the type of place you'd set up camp for the day because the rocks mean you can't really go in the sea but the dog loved it and it's a great place to explore. The entertainment complex is of an era and very 'sunshine indoors', if you're a Phoenix Nights fan, but the kids were happy using the pool and amusements and we used the takeaway twice. Ordering on-screen (like McDonalds) is easy and it was very reasonably priced; we particularly enjoyed designing our own pizzas with exactly what we wanted on them. We didn't use the restaurant, sports bar or evening entertainment area so can't comment, but I will say that we didn't come across a member of staff the wasn't friendly or helpful! The onsite shop has all the basics (although it's a good climb uphill!) and they put our ice blocks in the freezer for us. Maintenance and cleaning staff had a good presence on site and there were many dog poo bins available which was good for us. Washing/toilet facilities were good although we preferred the block that was further away from us rather than the mobile type unit. The site was nowhere near full (maybe because Scottish schools had already gone back?) but we can imagine that had it been busy, there would have been much more queuing for a shower/the loo. We were really impressed by the number of great quality play areas around the site - our boys are too big now but they'd have loved them when they were smaller. We were also really impressed by the 12 noon check out so we could have a leisurely 'get up' on the last day. The surrounding coast is beautiful! Mossyard is a hidden gem! The beach was huge when the tide went out and not very busy at all; again the dog loved it! There were more rocks to climb and explore here too. The surrounding area is quiet. There's not loads to do but we didn't mind! We explored Castle Douglas and Kirkcudbright; both quite sleepy but we enjoyed the wander. Both have a Tesco too. We really enjoyed our break - it was the beach, the general scenery and the fact it wasn't too busy on-site or nearby. It suited our family really well. We were perfectly happy with the site and I would recommend it as long as you're aware of a few things we've mentioned. If you're camping, you have to expect a certain level of 'making do' and it's just a fraction of the price of any other type of holiday! Thank you Scotland and Auchenlarie!
Lovely site, great value
Recommends site
Laura S
1
0
Really impressed with the site and facilities available. Food wasn't overpriced with generous portions and extremely tasty. Sports bar dog friendly with space indoors and outdoors. We had one sociable dog and one older nervous dog with us, so good to have outdoor space to sit too. Very nice atmosphere and whilst it was busy when we were there, never felt overcrowded or rowdy. Toilet and shower areas kept clean and well laid out with good pressure in showers that we haven't had on previous campsites. Shingle beach area adequate for dogs to have a little run off their leads. Watch out for rabbits on site if your dog is prone to chasing. We were in newer part that was close to main road, but didn't spoil our stay. Also visited Gem Rock Museum in Creetown only 10 minutes away. Well worth a visit with an abundance of rocks, gems and fossils and tasty tearoom too. Only £6 each. Would definitely come here again.
Fab stay
Kelly C
0
0
Lovely stay at this park, shower block & toilets very clean. On-site entertainment was quiet, due to Scottish summer holidays ending but really is a lovely site. Food in the restaurant was absolutely amazing. The outdoor park is lovely, my girls really enjoyed it here.
Noise from the road kept us awake
Recommends site
Joseph R
0
0
The road is the main road to the ferry, so cars and wagons drive day and night. I would recommend the park but inform about the noise so others knew what to expect. Site is clean but the staff in reception send the sheets to inform you of the site facilities the day after you arrive which is no good in most cases as lots do not have internet when on site. This should be done in advance so families can plan their activities and days when they are there. This site is on a hill so it is not suitable for the elderly, unless they were very fit.
Great camp with plenty to do
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Victor P
0
0
Great campsite with plenty to do and had a good time, but the traffic noise was very bad.
Motorhome travel
Recommends site
James D
0
0
Great site to camp on, easy hook ups and plenty of things to do on the site. Pubs, entertainment, gyms and swimming facilities.
Very, very loud
Frazer H
0
0
On initial review, the location seemed lovely. Our campsite was clearly marked. There were toilet facilities next to us. We were camping literally beside the main road, which was incredibly loud, with big artic lorries passing frequently. The staff were lovely. However, you had to pay for entertainment on top. Lauren in particular was fantastic The toilets were absolutely gross unfortunately. I did see a cleaner several times and it does just happen unfortunately, with lots of people using them. The beach is also not very accessible. It's a very, very steep windy road to the beach. Overall, due to the location, I would not return, but I'm sure if you were in a quieter spot, it would have been better!