This month we headed to Suffolk for Easter and whilst it was only a couple of weeks ago, it’s safe to say i’m already missing our caravan! We stayed at Parkdean Kessingland Beach located right on the sea front.

Not our first time staying at a Parkdean but definitely one of our favourites. I’ve actually visited this site before, back when I was just a kid so nearly two decades ago! Back then, it wasn’t a Parkdean and truth be told I don’t really remember my experience obviously.. Being so long ago!

This was my first time staying at Parkdean since they changed their booking system. They’ve taken an approach similar to Haven where they grade their caravans based on the facilities. I used to enjoy being able to select exactly the caravan we felt would work best for us. Now, you choose from bronze, silver and beyond and they get more expensive as they go along. Bronze is the most basic and with it being a last minute booking for Easter we took a gamble with this one. It was the only option to be honest so it made the decision slightly easier but before we arrived I was worried it wouldn’t quite be big enough. Just a 2 bedroom accommodating three of us and our giant dog. Turns out, I needn’t worry as the caravan was the perfect size.

We were down in Kessingland to visit my gran for her 90th birthday over in Halesworth but we needed a base to stay. Kessingland beach is only around 25 minutes away to drive and a great location right on the beach front. This is the first time we’ve had a caravan we can so easily walk to the sea. Our previous sites we’ve always been a little set back and it’s involved driving to the beach or a hefty walk; so this location was ideal.

We arrived late Friday night and missed check-in at 4pm but security giving us the keys instead went smoothly. Despite it being Easter half term and a bank holiday, it was still so much quieter than our experience at Parkdean Sunnydale last year. It’s amazing how different the parks can be and how much impact the facilities can have on your stay. We’ve learnt that we prefer a bigger park with a dog-friendly bar and a large entertainment venue. Nothing worse than feeling like you can’t go anywhere because it’s too busy! A good pool helps too.

Parkdean Kessingland Beach has a great outdoor pool but this was closed during our stay. Understandably since the weather is freezing! But the indoor pool was small and we knew it would be too busy for us. Therefore despite swimming normally being a big part of our holiday, we didn’t actually go. We didn’t at Sunnydale for the same reason and so far we’ve found Parkdean to be very hit and miss with their swimming facilities. During our stay at Parkdean Brynowen we stayed midweek and had the luxury of taking our 3 month old baby for her first swim.. In a pool we had entirely to ourselves! At Parkdean Skipsea Sands, we struck gold with a sauna included! Perfect for someone like me who’s not really into swimming just feels obliged for the sake of our toddler. It’s safe to say that when it comes to booking our caravan holiday we never really know what we are getting ourselves in for!

Staying at Kessingland Beach felt like a real abroad holiday! I know it wasn’t but the close proximity to the beach sure helped. On one of our less busy days we decided to walk along the shore for as long as we could manage. After a while, feeling very thirsty we headed inland and towards the playground we’d seen a few times when driving in to the site. Here we came across a lovely restaurant, The Waterfront, my aunty had told me they do the best food in the area. We were greeted by a large dog who took a liking to ours but the restaurant wasn’t open yet so we told the owner we’d return on our walk back. It wasn’t even 11am yet so we kept walking and headed towards the park. It was here we came across the most beautiful little shop. It was only a gift shop but it sold some lovely little trinkets and my daughter and I had fun picking out some keepsakes to take home. The shop was full of locals coming in to pick up a few things and I loved the small town vibe. It made me wish we lived in the kind of place where everybody knows each other just like my time living in a small town in America.

We bought so many things that the shop owner gave my daughter a pinwheel to take home and she absolutely loved it! I’ve never seen anyone get so excited about something so simple! Every time the wind blew that was it, she was made up.

After a short play on the park we headed back towards The Waterfront. This time it was open and already getting busy with dogs and their owners. The place has a huge collection of tables out front and on a sunny day like today it was easy to see why this was the place to be.

I went for the Iced caramel latte with my husband ordering the hot chocolate.

Of course we couldn’t escape the wrath of our little one without getting her something to keep her occupied and luckily they had some very tasty great value traybakes on the bar. I went for lemon tart and it was demolished within minutes of her getting her hands on it!

The owner came out after a little while to offer all the pooches a pupachino which Newkee devoured in seconds.

After our little wander that turned in to quite a long stroll, we headed back to our caravan. We had planned to go to the nearby Africa Alive but the weather was too nice not to spend it by the sea!

We finished our day visiting Oulton Broad near Lowestoft and the weather changed rapidly to grey skies. The sun was short lived! I’ve blogged aboout a couple of our visits already:

Throughout our week we visited some brilliant places in and around Kessingland. My personal favourite is Southwold but Halesworth is up there too. I was glad to revisit both places during our recent Easter break.

Whilst we didn’t make it to Africa Alive, we were able to visit the car boot sale next door that takes place every Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday. We got there too late to have a proper browse as I didn’t realise it closed at midday. Half the stalls were packing up but it was clearly a large event! I’d recommend popping down if you have a chance to visit.

During our stay, besides driving around Suffolk visiting all the nearby towns, we also spent a fair bit of time on the Parkdean site.

We attended a few of the Milkshake Mornings where they provide free entertainment for children on certain mornings in the entertainment venue. This is a great start to the day after breakfast as it gets us up, out and makes us feel like we’ve at least done one thing today! We only went to the clubhouse once on an evening as we were so tired from the busy days. On our single night out we enjoyed an overpriced pint but it was worth it to see our little one having a boogie at the tots disco!

Overall I would absolutely revisit Kessingland Beach. It was one of the best Parkdean sites we’ve been to so far and we really enjoyed staying here.

If you’ve never considered a caravan holiday before, take a look at my previous blog post for everything you need to know. We find it to be the perfect combination of privacy, good value and everything you need on your doorstep!

Who knows where in the UK our next Parkdean adventure will take us?

~ Visited Kessingland Beach, April 2026 ~