Mersea Island Holiday Park

View prices & book 8.3 33 reviews
Indoor pool
Tents on site
Mersea island
View of the pool

  • Dog-friendly site with beach access on the Blackwater Estuary, Essex
  • Colchester half an hour’s drive; Curve Water Sports 45 minutes
  • Playground and indoor pool; restaurant and bar; evening entertainment
With expansive sea views, direct access to a private sandy beach on the Blackwater Estuary and heaps of on-site facilities, Mersea Island Holiday Park has plenty to commend it – to both humans and canines. Your four-legged friends should enjoy accompanying you on long walks (or perhaps on your paddleboard?) as you explore the Essex coastline. Sea water too chilly (or choppy) for you? Weather not playing ball? No worries: the on-site indoor swimming pool has a large area with deckchairs, plus floor-to-ceiling windows and a glass roof letting in plenty of natural light so you can feel like you’re outdoors even when you’re not. The kids will probably spend most of their time in the pool, but should you be able to drag them away from the water, there is an outdoor adventure playground with swings and climbing structures, not to mention a humongous grassy area where the entire family can kick a ball around or have a game of cricket. Adults are not left behind, either, as they gather for drinks or a game of pool at the Muddy Duck Clubhouse. This is also the spot to grab a bite to eat – whether a pizza or a burger – and to catch the evening entertainment, which includes bingo and live music, as well as outdoor cinema nights from late July to the end of August. There’s a food shop on site, and more supermarkets (plus restaurants) in West Mersea (10 minutes’ drive).

Campground type

Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 2
Mobile homes for rent 30
Tent sites 30
Open now
Opens July 4
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Breed-specific legislation (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • Group bookings of 3 or more units (e.g. tent, caravan, RV or accommodation hire) traveling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Group bookings of 6 or more adults are not permitted (couples and immediate family members excepted).
  • Single-sex bookings of 3 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No bachelor/bachelorette parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Commercial vehicles (vehicles used for work-related purposes, carrying goods or fare-paying passengers) and sign-written vehicles are not permitted on site.
  • Reception is unmanned after 5 p.m.. Please inform the park while on your way there should you expect to arrive after this time so that the team can provide information about your unit/site.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 21 or over.
  • Bookings must not consist of more than 3 different households.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, Jul 4 to

Open from Fri, Jul 3 to

Away Resorts
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Reviews

  • 36%
    10
  • 9%
    9
  • 30%
    8
  • 12%
    7
  • 9%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 0%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 3%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
10
Value for money
9
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
5

94% would recommend this campground to a friend

85% would stay here again

What customers say

Beautiful spot, great sea views, close to the beach. Friendly, helpful staff (especially Alex!). Clean site, nice clubhouse/shop/pool. Basic facilities, but clean showers with good hot water. Some found pitching tough, with occasional toilet issues and WiFi problems.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 4
Arrival date (latest first)

Good camp site

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
7
Value for money
8
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
4
Customer service
5
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
6
Wifi
3
Scott M.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Nice pitch size toliet/shower are nice basic
Nice view of the sea/beach

Disliked Ground bit stoney/ dry but that can't be helped

Recommend to friends Visit again

A lovely family friendly site with everything you need and more!

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
8
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
3
Shanice H.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Camping area has an amazing view, was peaceful, had toilets, water station, showers and washing up area (all inside) right next to the pitches and multiple to chose from. We’re always cleaned and toilet paper kept well stocked. Swimming pool was warm and only a handful of people at a time in there which was lovely!

Disliked Lots and lots of thorns in the grass area outside the tents, caught the kids a few times but hey that’s nature but definitely something to be mindful of!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great for camping near a beach…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
9
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
Anonymous

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Great for camping near a beach

Recommend to friends Visit again

Well worth a visit

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
9
Value for money
9
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
5
Customer service
7
Child friendliness
6
Cleanliness
6
Wifi
4
Reece B.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Lovely Views from the tent, friendly at the bar and pool. Genuine nice break

Disliked Little more options to eat

Recommend to friends Visit again

We camped for 4 nights which was really nice, even though there…

Overall

6 out of 10
Location
6
Value for money
6
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
6
Customer service
6
Child friendliness
6
Cleanliness
6
Wifi
No rating
Sharon N.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked We camped for 4 nights which was really nice, even though there isn't much to do we made the most of everything. The swimming pool was great, popped to clubhouse for hour in the evenings, had some lovely walks etc, the facilities were fine nothing bad at all. Would go back again but maybe for a shorter time.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Overall a clean and lovely site but probably won't come again.

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
1
Facilities / Activities
3
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
8
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
1
Cara H.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Pros-
So beautiful
There's a beach.
There's a indoor pool (cold tho)
Showers
Washing up
Drinking water
A park
There's a country park next door with another awesome park!
There is a shop on site.
Outdoor cinema -Tuesdays and Saturday/Sunday in summer holidays
Cheap

Disliked Cons-
Very windy
Entertainment area is tiny and only on at weekends.
Ground is hard and crumbly so bring decent pegs.
There is a restaurant but only serves food at the weekends.
Swimming has to be rebooked and no lifeguard.
If the tide is in you can't get on and off the island so you have to check 'the strood' and tide times. It's 1.5hour each side of high tide roughly is safe.
There no super market on the island just small express shops.
Only non electric pitches

Recommend to friends Visit again

Location Friendly staff Large pitches Views Swimming pool…

Overall

6 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
7
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
5
Wifi
10
Amanda L.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Location
Friendly staff
Large pitches
Views
Swimming pool

Disliked Toilets and showers very basic.

Recommend to friends Visit again

On the beach, good weekend events…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
5
Wifi
No rating
mark w.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked On the beach, good weekend events

Disliked Alot of litter around

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful views of the sea, and nice site with all the facilities…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
9
Value for money
10
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
8
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
2
Lauren G.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Beautiful views of the sea, and nice site with all the facilities we needed. The singer on the Saturday evening was a highlight. The food truck had a good selection of food and the milkshakes, cocktail and mocktails were delicious.

Kids loved the pool, which is small but not too crowded as you have to book a 1 hour slot to go in. Nice water temperature and liked the deckchairs around the side too.

The shop is small but well stocked and the staff are helpful and friendly.

Disliked Random policy for pitches which said we could only have one tent - we only have 3 small tents rather than one big one, all still fit within our pitch boundary. It seems crazy that some people can have a massive 10 man tent but three small tents aren't allowed.

WiFi was free but very poor signal, and mobile phone reception fairly non-existent. Good for tech free time but bad for co-ordinating with the friends who had also booked a pitch.

The grass where tents are pitched is full of thistles which was not so comfortable for those who were sleeping on roll mats rather than raised camp beds.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Have recommended to friends and would definitely return.

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
8
Accommodation
8
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
7
Anonymous

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Staff very friendly and helpful, really welcoming.
Club house, shop and pool were small but well stocked, clean and well organised.
A great place for a little holiday.

Disliked The fact they stated at booking that we could not put up more than one tent and then when we asked in person they agreed we could. Our tents are very small and take up way less space than most big ones.

Recommend to friends Visit again


Features

Leisure on park

Bar or club house Beach access Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site cafe On-site restaurant On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Playground Recreation room/arcade TV room Takeout Tennis Watersports

Amenities on park

Bath available Car parking by site/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Free wifi Grocery store Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundromat Local produce Off licence Parent & baby washroom Payphone Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Restrooms Shower available Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue grills allowed Barbecue provided Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Peaceful

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump station Electric car charging point(s) Propane/gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Medium (26-50 sites)

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Seasonal sites

Location

Mersea Island Holiday Park

Fen Lane

East Mersea

Colchester

Essex

England

CO5 8UA

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

51.7903°N
0.9842°E

Nearest transport

Bus
4.1 mi Brightlingsea Road
4.1 mi Colchester Road
4.1 mi Colchester Road
Rail
4.4 mi Alresford (Essex) Rail Station
4.7 mi Wivenhoe Rail Station
5.5 mi Great Bentley Rail Station
Ferry
1.8 mi Point Clear Ferry Landing
2 mi Brightlingsea Ferry Landing
13.5 mi Burnham on Crouch Ferry Landing
Airport
19.5 mi London Southend Airport

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

Residents at Colchester Zoo (25 minutes) include cheetahs, elephants wolves and Komodo dragons. The Australian Rainbow experience puts you right in the middle of an aviary populated by colourful lorikeets, or you can feed the giraffes or explore the Dinosaur Realm. After visiting the zoo, head into Colchester (half an hour) to see the well-preserved 11th-century castle, which now houses a museum displaying Ancient Roman mosaics, Celtic coin hoards and medieval armour. The fortress sits on the edge of Castle Park, where you can picnic on the grass by the banks of the River Colne, play miniature golf or watch a game of cricket. At Curve Water Sports (45 minutes) you can have a go at paddleboarding or wakeboarding in a calm, enclosed body of water – no waves or currents to worry about here. There’s also an inflatable adventure course with climbing structures, trampolines and slides.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Brightlingsea 1.5 mi Estuary N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
West Mersea 2.7 mi Sea N/AGoodN/AN/A
Jaywick 5.6 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Clacton Beach Martello Tower 6.7 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Clacton 8 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

firstsite 7.7 mi

Colchester Castle Museum 7.8 mi

Colchester Zoo 8.1 mi

East Anglian Railway Museum 13.4 mi

RHS Garden Hyde Hall 19.5 mi

National Trust

Bourne Mill 6.7 mi

Flatford: Bridge Cottage 11.7 mi

Thorington Hall 13.3 mi

Coggeshall Grange Barn 13.8 mi

Paycocke's 14.1 mi

Cycle routes

Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.

Other

Cudmore Country Park - East and West Mersea - Cudmore 0.8 mi

Brightlingsea 2 mi

West Mersea 2.5 mi

Brightlingsea - Colne Estuary - Crab and Winkle Path 2.9 mi

Mersea Island Circular 3.7 mi

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Nearest campgrounds

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable campgrounds.

Want to know more about camping in Essex?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Mersea Island Holiday Park have a swimming pool? Yes View all features
  • Is Mersea Island Holiday Park dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Mersea Island Holiday Park? Residents at Colchester Zoo (25 minutes) include cheetahs, elephants wolves and Komodo dragons. The Australian Rainbow experience puts you right in the middle of an aviary populated by colourful lorikeets, or you … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Mersea Island Holiday Park?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  11:30 a.m. –  5 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Mersea Island Holiday Park? From $51.59 (for 2 nights, 6 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.