Hoad Meadow Alpaca Retreat

Liked Dan, Stacey and Eva are so friendly and accommodating. It was our first ever glamping trip and we're glad we picked this beautiful, peaceful, rural and fun setting. Our children enjoyed the freedom of biking around, seeing the animals and playing in the park with Eva and other children. It is a safe and secure campsite. We had pizza and cheesy chips on our first night which were delicious! We only booked one night but we loved it so much we stayed a second night. One of our favorites were Derick the snoring pig, so funny! At night you can buy wood for the fire pit, sit and relax till late in the warmth of it.
We have put Apraca retreat on our list for a visit every year.
Thank you so much!

Disliked Nothing to dislike! I have read some comments about the composite toilets and open top showers. The toilets are cleaned regularly, it's only some users that don't follow the instructions to use them and make a mess. Dan is quick to clean up after.
The one star review is not a true representation of this lovely campsie, very unjustified in my opinion.
It is an eco friendly site, the facilities make it even more unique. If you like the outdoors and camping then this is the place for you.

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Liked My family liked the animals especially the alpacas. Their fur was so soft it was like a stuffed toy.

Disliked The condition of the toilet is not good. My children hesitated to go.
There was no light in the showers. We can’t take the shower after dinner at night.

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From the manager: We’re glad your family enjoyed meeting the animals, especially the alpacas, who are always a highlight for children. We’re sorry you felt the toilets and showers let the experience down. Our compost toilets are emptied and cleaned daily and are part of the eco-friendly, rustic style of our site. We understand they are different from conventional facilities, but most guests find them clean and quirky once familiar.

Lighting is deliberately kept minimal at night to reduce disturbance to wildlife and protect our dark skies. However, we do recommend guests bring a torch for late showers, as part of the off-grid camping experience. We are also reviewing options for subtle solar lighting to make it easier for families in the evenings.

As a small, family-run retreat, we constantly balance sustainability with comfort, and feedback like yours helps us make improvements while staying true to the eco character of Hoad Meadow.

Liked Good sized pitches, child safe as no cars in the camping area & gated in.
Kids loved their time here, & close proximity to the animals.
Friendly owners.

Disliked Toilets- compost toilets which were very very basic & filled up for too quickly, need to be constantly monitored. Showers very basic.

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Liked Picnic tables by pitches ,nearness to Folkestone

Disliked Toilets are awful dirty , way too few for busy bank holiday weekend . Compost toilets can be very clean and not smell these were neither . Floors and walls had not been cleaned . They were housed in an old caravan which was very uncared for .
Showers , wooden fence between the 2 units was very old , no hooks very exposed in poor weather , no clean flooring , gravel !
Only drinking water tap was at Washing up sink .
Whole campsite felt uncared for in need of a refurb .

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From the manager: We are very disappointed by this 1/10 review, which we feel is unfair and not representative of our site. Our compost toilets are our main facilities, but they are emptied, cleaned and stocked with sawdust daily. Clear instructions are provided to keep them fresh, and many guests praise them as clean, eco-friendly and unique. The caravan you mention houses the units but is maintained and painted — rustic, yes, but far from “uncared for.”

The showers are private wooden cabins, simple but functional, with improvements planned to add more hooks and flooring. Water taps are available and labelled on site, including by the washing area.

Over the same bank holiday weekend, families commented on the friendly welcome, safe space for children, green setting and relaxed atmosphere. We are a small family farm and campsite, investing continuously to improve, and believe your 1/10 rating doesn’t reflect reality or the experience of the majority of our guests.

Liked What a lovely place with lovely people. So welcoming. And very peaceful

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Liked Absolutely loved this place, super easy to book, easy to find. A really friendly welcome with everything we could have asked for. We had the best time seeing the animals and stargazing late into the night.

Disliked Not a dislike at all, just some feedback - we couldn't find any information about firepits at the time of booking, they have firepits available to rent.
We were unsure what was available, if we weren't so last minute I could have called to check so it's not a big deal, but maybe this could be made a little bit more clear on here.

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Liked Très pratique pour aller prendre le tunnel.
Des animaux sympas pour les enfants.
Très bon marché.
Herbe bien verte.
Sort de l ordinaire.
Propriétaires très accueillant
Sympa pour les enfants.

Disliked Il s agit plus d un terrain de camping que d un camping. Sanitaires très sommaire et sale le jour où nous sommes venus ( je passe les détails. (Les toilettes sèches c est très bien mais propre ce serait encore mieux). On attend aussi pas mal les véhicules passant sur la route. C est dommage car le concept est très sympa et les propriétaires vraiment très accueillant.

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From the manager: Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re glad you enjoyed the animals, the greenery, and found us welcoming and affordable.

We are very sorry, however, that your experience was not as positive as it should have been. Clean and well-kept facilities are important to us, and we regret that on the day of your visit the standards were not as they should be. We have since made improvements to ensure our eco-friendly toilets are properly maintained at all times.

We also understand that being close to the road can sometimes mean traffic noise, though it does make access to the Channel Tunnel and local attractions much easier. We are continuing to explore ways to reduce any disruption for guests.

Your comments are taken seriously, and we truly hope you’ll notice the improvements if you choose to visit us again.

The Hoad Meadow Alpaca Retreat Team

Liked Animals
Pitch’s
Owners
Great security

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Liked Fantastic site!! We throughly enjoyed our stay. The owners are brilliant people and go above and beyond to make you feel welcome. Great for kids, and lots of happy animals to welcome you!
We’ll definitely be back, don’t miss this amazing place!

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Liked I loved this place so much. The animals, the atmosphere, the safety and security, I loved that we could rent a fire pit and I loved the outdoor showers!! Loads of space, swings etc for kids. On the Saturday night they put a Disney film on for the kids. There’s a pizza van on site to get pizzas/ chips from in the evening. We had such a wonderful weekend here. The hosts are so helpful and lovely! Thanks for a great stay!

Disliked I didn’t love the compost toilets but that’s mainly because other people were using them incorrectly at the time we were there. They were really clean and toilet paper was regularly restocked and someone was often in there checking them over.

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