LEGOLAND Woodland Village is a new for 2024 resort at LEGOLAND Windsor. Similar in style to the Enchanted Village at Alton Towers Resort, Woodland Village features two accommodation options: a lodge or a barrel. The barrels form the ‘glamping’ portion of the resort, with shared bathroom facilities and a small sleeping area, whereas the lodges are self-contained accommodations with a private bathroom. This trip was only booked the day before, so I was able to secure a last-minute bargain and get a woodland lodge for £110. Not an insignificant sum by any means, but certainly the cheapest I’ve seen an accommodation option at LEGOLAND in quite some time! (The barrels were only £64 for the same night.)
The very first thing I have to say about the Woodland Village experience is do not arrive at park closing time! Having departed for the resort straight from work, I’d arrive at LEGOLAND Windsor 30 minutes after park close and, following signage for the Woodland Village, found myself attempting to drive down a road fully backed up with traffic heading in the opposite direction. A member of staff quickly rushed to my aid, assuring me that I was in the correct lane and everyone else was wrong. Unfortunately, none of the exiting guests got that message, and my first welcome to the resort was a sea of nasty looks and gestures from drivers who quite simply thought I was a lunatic driving the wrong way. The staff member eventually managed to move everyone into the single lane they should’ve been occupying and halted the cars to allow me to pull into the Woodland Village car park – oof!
However, that was just about where the unpleasantness ended, as, after managing to park my car right outside reception, I was greeted by a warm, pleasant space, filled with the sounds of chirping birds and friendly staff. Whilst I was worried that the arrival process would be a little cold- check-in is done entirely via kiosk – the staff in The Clubhouse couldn’t have been more welcoming, rushing to offer to take my photo as soon as they noticed I was on my own. Nearby, a deep pit filled with LEGO was being pillaged by children as they crafted their own miniature masterpieces whilst the canopy above sparkled. The Clubhouse really is a lovely place to be, doing justice to what was very intriguing concept art. The ceiling of the space is covered in a mixture of giant LEGO leaves, apples, and some non-LEGO foliage filled with fairy lights, with plenty of LEGO figures around to bring further life to the space.
Adjacent to reception is the Clubhouse Shop, here you’ll find a few unique items such as a plush of the resort’s mascot and a jute shopping bag alongside a range of resort-branded items and on-theme LEGO sets. Interestingly, during my visit, the shop was stocking the LEGO A Frame cabin set, a model that’s set to be brought to life during the expansion of the resort! Here, you can also pick up drinks and snacks, with other essentials such as pharmaceuticals and baby supplies available to purchase on request.
Directly outside The Clubhouse is the Forest Friends Play Area, a vast play structure that was getting a lot of use during my visit. There were stepping stones and trampolines, slides, and log bridges. It’s a fantastic area with so much for kids to do in-between park close and dinner time!
Having checked in at the kiosk, my room key was printed and was potentially my favourite ever key card for the simple fact that it was made of wood! I’ve never seen a card that wasn’t plastic before, and this was such a small but lovely detail. I’d struck gold for my visit, having been assigned a lodge in the nearest cluster to the Clubhouse: 1005.
The entire resort is divided into horseshoe-shaped clusters of lodges and barrels, with each cluster of lodges marked with its own giant LEGO minifigure and collection of LEGO woodland animals. Each area also has its own piece of play equipment, which, combined with the outdoor dining equipment at each lodge, is a fantastic idea, allowing kids to play safely whilst parents relax nearby.
The barrels are located at the furthest point from The Clubhouse and consist of two small horseshoe arrangements sharing the nearby bathroom block. The bathrooms are far closer to the barrels than I had anticipated, and there is also a path around the rear of the lodges that offers direct access to The Clubhouse from this area. With only 20 barrels, hopefully, these facilities won’t get too crowded.
The interior of a Woodland Lodge will be very familiar to anyone who has stayed in an Enchanted Village Lodge at Alton Towers. The layout of the space is identical and features a large bedroom area with a small children’s bedroom and private bathroom attached. However, whilst the Enchanted Village certainly brings more rustic charm with its Hobbit-esque aesthetic, Woodland Village brings big bold magic. The colours are as in-your-face and vibrant as you’d expect from a LEGO property, with bright yellow and green walls accompanied by cyan curtains. Above the bed is a large textured mural depicting minifigures in the great outdoors. The main living space is cheery and nice enough, but, for me, it’s the children’s area where this room really shines.
In the children’s area, three beds are available between a bunk bed and a pull-out bed. These are a decent size, and I, a 5ft 6 adult, could comfortably fit. But why would I want to fit? Well, in this room you’ll find a galaxy projector with multiple settings. The whole space is illuminated by a dazzling array of blues and greens and purples moving across the ceiling. A sticker on the light invites guests to sleep under the starlight, and it really does feel magical. I know galaxy projectors are nothing new, but I’ve never seen one in a hotel room before, and I loved it. Kids enjoying this room also get access to their very own TV, alongside a LEGO build table, with a small tray filled to the brim with bricks and two fixed base plates on which to build. This was situated on top of the padlocked chest that can be opened after completing a treasure hunt! I won’t share the passcode here, but I did manage to crack the code and received some very nice rewards! Inside the chest, I found: a LEGOLAND Woodland Village flag, a pop badge, a fantastic Junior LEGOLAND Ranger Handbook, and, to my great delight, an autumnal Animal Crossing LEGO set! I really did feel spoiled.
Of course, no LEGO hotel room would be complete without some builds, and there is one to be found in each of the spaces in the lodge, with an owl in the main living space, a woodpecker in the children’s area and a butterfly in the bathroom. The bathroom itself was very bright, clean, and nicely appointed with vibrant tiles and a fun design in the shower. Notably, there is only a shower for bathing, so some younger families may struggle. Also, and oddly, there is nowhere in the shower to put your toiletries, so the provided pump bottles just sit on the floor, which feels a little silly. It also boasts one of the fixed glass doors that promises a flooded bathroom at the end of a shower. However, I did really appreciate the small acorn stickers used to seal the fresh toilet rolls, as well as the LEGO branded hand soap.
The rooms cover all the essentials, with a hairdryer, kettle with coffee and tea, a safe, a fold-away cot, a fridge (always a nice surprise in a UK hotel room) and two fans. I couldn’t spot any air conditioning, so I believe these fans may be in lieu of that, which may be something to consider if booking a trip at the peak of summer. Both sockets and storage are plentiful, with both plugs and USB ports available on both sides of the bed. It’s also worth noting that there is only one mirror in the room and that this is in the bathroom. This wasn’t a problem for me as a solo traveller, but in a room that sleeps 5, this could be an issue when getting ready.
Notably, guests of LEGOLAND Woodland Village do not receive access to the LEGO Playroom at the LEGOLAND Hotel, nor do they get early ride access alongside the guests of the two resort hotels. Instead, a round of LEGOLAND Adventure Golf is included for all guests. This is perhaps reflected in the largely cheaper rates at Woodland Village for what is, in my mind, a better accommodation choice.
One thing I was nervous about at LEGOLAND Woodland Village was dinner at The Clubhouse. To be honest, I’d heard some horror stories. But, based on my experience, it seems as though these may have been teething issues following the opening of the resort. My experience was nothing like those things I’d heard previously. The staff were warm, friendly, and attentive, rushing to suggest their favourite things on the menu to me. I’m vegetarian and though the menu had more options for me than expected, all of the things that really took my fancy ended up being from the starters menu and it was no problem when I assembled a meal out of starters. I opted for the Forager’s Mushrooms (£7.50), Cauliflower Firecracker Wings (£8), alongside a bottle of Magners (£6.50). The Forager’s Mushrooms consisted of two slices of sourdough toast, topped with sliced mushrooms in a creamy garlic sauce. Creamy mushroom sauce is my favourite thing in the world, so this was perfection! The Firecracker Wings were four enormous cauliflower florets, deep fried and topped with fiery sauce on a bed of ‘crispy noodles’ that were really like crisps! I also really, really rated these. They were large enough to be filling, pretty spicy, and had a really great texture with a crisp shell and soft inside. In fact, the only disappointment of the meal was the dessert, ‘Tastes Like Home’ aka sticky toffee pudding (£7.50). The just wasn’t served with enough sauce to pass as sticky toffee. Dry sponge with a drizzle of toffee just isn’t going to cut it! In total, once Merlin Annual Pass discount had been applied, I paid £23.60 for my 2-course dinner with a pint. Certainly not a horrendous sum!
The resort’s entertainment is hosted within the restaurant, with seating available near the stage for those who aren’t eating dinner. Whilst I was eating (thankfully from near the back of the restaurant) I enjoyed watching the entertainment team tell a bedtime story, as well as calling all the children in attendance up on stage in order to swear to protect nature. I thought the effort put in to present on-theme entertainment was really cute, and the team did a fantastic job from what I saw.
The next morning, I’d return to The Clubhouse for breakfast. Like dinner, this was via a pre-booked time slot, so make sure to book if you want to eat at a prime time. The breakfast menu consists of two separate hot options, a full breakfast or pancake stack, accompanied by a continental buffet. The continental buffet was nothing to write home about, consisting of fruit, a small selection of cereal and mini croissants, but once again, it was the staff who shone at this meal. On ordering my pancake stack, my waitress insisted that I could have anything from the menu, so why stop at one main? Surely I could eat more! So, partially just to please my waitress, I ordered some individual items from the cooked breakfast – I’ll never turn down a hash brown! My pancakes were delicious and beautifully presented, with syrup and a selection of berries. The only issue I had with breakfast was the hot drinks. Filter coffee and a variety of teas are available as part of the buffet, alongside water, orange, and apple juices, but if you wanted any other form of coffee… well, the prices were pretty crazy! Even an Americano was classified as a ‘Premium Hot Drink’ coming in at an eye-watering £4.50. I believe this has been a recent move across all of the Merlin hotels, but it’s certainly unusual not to have access to a coffee machine at a breakfast buffet! Instead, I can highly recommend making a coffee in the room and enjoying it on your terrace!
Most importantly, however, is that whilst at breakfast, one of the resort’s mascots, Fox Costume Girl, appeared for a meet-and-greet set! Standing up in the entertainment area for photos, this chilled character meet again just added a little bit more magic to the stay!
Overall, I adored my time at the Woodland Village. Whilst the resort is very clearly new for this year and the planting in particular needs time to bed in, it is still just a very pleasant place to be. Nature is always going to be a winning theme, and it’s executed very well here with some of the cutest LEGO builds I’ve ever seen! The small details in the lodge made for a stay that felt magical, from the free gifts to the beautiful light projector.
But most of all, Woodland Village is a great place to stay because of the staff. Throughout my entire stay, I didn’t interact with a single staff member who wasn’t exceptional. Whether at breakfast, at a character meet, or even the housekeeping staff roaming the next morning, everyone was warm and friendly and did everything they could to make sure I was having the best time.
I’ll be back!
Speak again soon,
Claire
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coasterclaire.co.uk 