It boasts a huge theme park, a zoo, a dinosaur park and is famously home to Thomas Land - so it's little surprise that Drayton Manor Park is a big hit with families. But it has also just been named in the Top 20 best amusement parks in the WORLD at the 2023 Tripadvisor Traveller's Choice Awards.
The awards are bestowed on the attractions that have consistently had the best reviews from millions of visitors from across the world over the past year. So what better time to check in to the Staffordshire resort - which is just under two hours drive from Manchester - to see what all the fuss is about.
The resort has recently launched a new section to the theme park too - the Vikings themed zone with a host of new rides and a new entrance into the attraction. You can make a fully themed stay of it with a Viking bedroom too.
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I headed along with my seven-year-old and four-year-old boys, staying in one of the new Viking bedrooms at the four-star Drayton Manor Hotel where overnight stays for a family of four cost from £306. The hotel itself is the first building you see when you arrive at the resort, and you can park up here if you are staying overnight.
It's then a short walk down a hill to the theme park itself, which spans a vast landscaped site featuring a host of different zones to explore, with features suitable for the youngest members of the family up to the oldest. With two younger children in tow, naturally Thomas Land was one of our eagerly-awaited destinations, as well as the dinosaur park and the zoo.
As soon as we arrived at the hotel I could see the kids' faces light up, with lots of Thomas the Tank Engine theming in the main lobby. They were swiftly informed that during our stay, there was a Thomas trail to explore around the hotel which they loved doing, finding little clues across the venue which would lead them to a little prize each.
Heading into our bedroom was almost enough excitement alone for the two of them - seeing the huge bed kitted out like some kind of Viking warship, and their bunk beds to one side with their very own horned helmets to wear. There was a view out to the large gardens where we spied outdoor play areas that we vowed to investigate at some stage during our stay.
But next it was time to enjoy our first trip into the theme park itself - and first stop was Thomas Land. The Thomas the Tank Engine themed attraction has been celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, unveiling a new ride in the process.
The Thomas and Percy Submarine splash ride is the theme park's first "baby flume" - a water ride suitable for accompanied children aged 2 and upwards. We headed off to try it on its first full weekend open and it's fair to say the queues were pretty sizable.
Indeed, it took us two hours to get on for the first ride, due in part to a technical glitch, but the kids were heavily invested at this point so we resigned ourselves to staying in the queue. Annoyingly, after the lengthy wait the kids absolutely loved it - and, as soon as we were off the tiny boats, came the cries of "again, again".
I was not keen on joining a queue AGAIN. Thankfully, I was able to distract them with the prospect of some of Thomas's longer-established rides with decidedly shorter queues.
During our visit we particularly enjoyed Jeremy Jet's Flying Academy, Flynn's Fire Rescue and Captain's Sea Adventure - all of which were suitable for both my 7-year-old and 3-year-old which was great.
Next stop in the theme park was the zoo. With my older boy currently obsessed with all things wildlife, he couldn't wait to spot some of the 500 animals here, spread across the 15 acre site.
Right next to the zoo is also the dinosaur park, which my younger boy was particularly keen on. He loved racing around and seeing the giant models of the jurassic creatures and posing up for a photo with the T-Rex at the start of the site.
You'll also find the huge outdoor play park here - on its own be enough to keep younger kids entertained for most of the day, if they didn't know they had an entire theme park to also explore.
Set up like two huge train carriages (to keep with the Thomas theme) it features a series of crawl-through tunnels, slides, poles and climbing frames that kept my two youngsters good for an hour before we felt we needed to move on and see some more of the vast Drayton Manor site.
With tired feet by this stage, we decided to catch the Thomas the tank engine train that runs regularly from here, which takes you back to Thomas's home at Sodor (aka back to Thomas Land).
Heading back to the hotel for our evening meal, we had booked into the Garden Rooms buffet restaurant, rather than the Parklands a la carte which was all booked at the times we wanted. You need to book your restaurant times for both breakfast and dinner before you go on your trip, and I'd advise to do this as soon as you possibly can to get the times you want.
When I walked in to see that it was a carvery my heart sank - as I know my picky kids probably wouldn't eat most of it. But then I realised there was a kids buffet section too with the crowd-pleasing addition of cheesy pasta, chicken bites and potato wedges.
However I went in on the full carvery, and even though it was a Saturday night I was pretty pleased with my full-on roast dinner.
After dinner we decided to check out the hotel's in-house entertainment and we were really pleased we did. Held in the hotel ballroom, there was a children's entertainer leading kids in a load of amusing dance-style competitions with lots of little prizes on offer.
My two absolutely loved this and it was just a really unexpected and nice thing to lay on for families we thought.
After a good night's sleep, we headed down the next day to explore the hotel's outdoor play areas. Again, this was a bit of an unexpected treat with a raft of climbing frames, slides, wooden play houses and swings for the kids to explore before we'd even headed out for another full day at the theme park.
Heading in for a second day, this was a chance for my older boy to be a tad more adventurous and try some of the "older kid" rides.
He was particularly entranced by the new Vikings-themed land as you walk into the park, although the thought of Thor - the giant "disc-o-coaster" was definitely off the table.
Having watched the Vikings rollercoaster Jormungandr do a few circuits though, I decided this would probably be a bit easier on the stomach and it was an enjoyable family ride. It definitely whet my son's appetite, he was soon clamouring to have a go on the bigger rollercoasters inside the main theme park including the Accelerator..
Having done another full circuit of seemingly the whole park, and having to try and prise the kids away from the railway themed play area yet again, it was time to finish our stay at Drayton Manor.
As we headed to collect our bags back at the hotel I could see one family desperately trying to drag their kids out of the reception, tears streaming down their faces. "Oh lord, please let this not be me in ten minutes" I thought.
But letting my two boys back into the hotel to see all the cool Thomas-themed bits and bobs just got them all excited all over again. So when I explained that it was now time to go, out came the waterworks.
"I don't ever want to leave, ever," exclaimed the older child. "Want to go back to the Viking room," cried the younger.
That's probably all the endorsement you need to know about this place, and why people head back here again and again - kids absolutely adore it. And, having experienced it myself, it's not hard to see why Drayton Manor has been rated one of the best amusement parks in the world right now.
We enjoyed top class service from the moment we walked into the hotel, until the moment we left. And there was just so much for families to see and do that you will never have a dull moment during a break here.
Travel factfile
Dianne was a guest at the Drayton Manor Hotel for an overnight stay. An average price for a Short Breaks package in a standard room for 2 adults and 2 children (aged 5) is £306.
Themed rooms like the Viking room we stayed in costs from £386. There are short break deals across the Summer which include an overnight stay, tickets to the theme park and half an hour early access to certain rides.
There are also regular deals for the theme park and the hotel on Groupon here. You can book the hotel via the Drayton Manor website as well as on Booking.com here.
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