We had our visit stay in the beautiful Big Blue hotel in Blackpool last February pre-covid. Things have altered a fair bit since that stay therefore I thought I’d share an updated review from our more current visit last weekend. I hope this is relatively helpful to those wanting to book a stay or already have one booked.
You can also watch our room tour video over on Tik Tok or our Instagram.
We have always booked our stays online via their website, link HERE. There are two choices when it comes down to paying which include pay now or pay on the day. Both of which I believe have free cancellation up to a week in advance. If you are a season passholder you do receive a 10% discount still. Booking is very easy to do.
By all means, this is not the cheapest hotel in Blackpool to stay at. However, you are paying for the overall experience of your stay and it is 100% worth the money. In some cases like ours, the local Travelodge was £20 cheaper than Big Blue which meant in the long run for us if we couldn’t find a free parking space it would be reasonable as it also includes breakfast. We paid £102 for a last-minute stay with it being pay on the day (naturally more expensive) and breakfast included. If you are looking for a guaranteed good stay and experience you are generally better staying at The Big Blue because it is fab quality for your money.
Car parking is £8 a night which includes the morning of parking in the car payment of your first-night stay to noon the following day. If you stay for longer than one night it will be £16 for two etc. We quite like leaving our car in the car park as it always feels a tad more secure than leaving it out of view in another car park, however, if you are looking for cheaper options there are a few free streets to park on in the surrounding area.
You must be wearing a face mask within communal areas such as reception and the corridors to and from your room. There is numerous hand sanitisers around the communal areas as well as a one-party in the lift rule.
Checking in is quite comparable to how it was pre-covid. You head to the reception to check-in and pay if you have decided on that option of payment. You are given your room key and asked if you’d like to book a table for dinner which we have done but via the online booking system and book a table for breakfast.
The rooms haven’t differed all that much since COVID but the room quality is superb. The beds are exceptionally comfortable and so big it’s difficult not to get lost during the night. In your room, you get your normal tea, coffee, hot chocolate, sugar, milk and shortbread biscuits, which Ant can tell you guys, they are delightful.
If you phone up prior to your stay or by pot luck you may end up with a park view window. Every time we have stopped here we’ve always had a view of the park which is always delightful to wake up to. The curtains are blackout which means no light seeps in the morning which makes your sleep so much better. Every room has an aircon unit which is always fab for those warmer evenings.
The bathroom is lovely and spacious with a lovely bath and an immense power shower. They also leave some toiletries in the room such as shower gel, shampoo and conditioner and a bar of soap. All of which is helpful in case you forget yours. There’s a heated towel rack as well.
Within the room is also two bunk beds for those who have children, of course, we’ve never used them but they do have a TV at the bottom of them which is fab to keep the children amused. There’s also an ironing board and hairdryer in the room too. Not to forget the wardrobe with hangers. It’s the perfect place to stay if you are attending any events or on a business trip but great for those who love Pleasure Beach.
This was the time we have sat down for evening dinner at The Big Blue and we surely were not disappointed either. Pricing is to be anticipated in such a high-quality hotel. The food standard was remarkable. We opted for the bar menu rather than the main menu as we are quite selective eaters so if you don’t see anything on the menu just ask to see the bar one instead.
You have to pre-book a table in advance we done it during the day via their website, link HERE. But it is worth sitting down and have a nibble to eat. If you don’t fancy anything food then you are able to go and sit down in the bar area without the need of pre-booking and orders are taken from your seat rather than the bar.
After the best night sleep, we’ve had in ages. We headed down to an early breakfast which was delightful. The way things work has altered since the whole pandemic came in. It is an all you can buffet the same as before. However, some foods are pre-packaged such as fruits and pastry items.
The cooked foods are behind a screen with someone serving you what you ask for. All you have to do is stand and tell them what you want, they collect the plate for you and do the serving of the foods. You can ask for however much you want and however often you want it whilst you have your table.
As for the drinks, there is a table full of apple juice, orange juice and water that is pre-done for you to simply pick up. Hot drinks are the same as the food where you order through the person standing there and you tell them how you want them.
Cereals are also available and are pre-boxed with milk in the milk servers you usually get for you to pick up.
As always the food quality was lush and we couldn’t fault the new COVID safety that has been implemented.
It’s as easy as checking in. There is a box available to drop your key into or you can speak to reception to do so. You can also collect any wristband needed for the park at the reception which makes getting in a lot easier. You can pay for extra time to park your car or you leave by noon.
Heading into the park is so much more straightforward when staying on-site. You simply head down the side of The Boulevard/Big Blue and there is a small door that is to the security checks and you are in. You now have to scan your tickets there too. This entrance means you enter super close to Skyforce, Steeplechase, The Big One and Icon. It helps to beat those hectic queues first thing in the morning as you get a head start on the queue lines.
OVERALL:
Honestly, it is wirth booking a stay in this hotel as it is well worth the money purely for the reliable experience. There is a considerable amount of perks to staying here such as the park entrance, secure parking, quality rooms, breakfast and so much more.
I’d love to hear if you stayed at this hotel before and your thoughts in the comments or across my socials.
Thank you so much for reading!