dining

A NORFOLK COASTAL CLASSIC

Posted on May 5, 2026

Blending tradition, variety, and year-round family-run excellence on the Hunstanton coast...

 

Located on the beautiful North West Norfolk coastline in Hunstanton, Searles Leisure Resort is one of the region’s most established and well-loved family-run holiday parks.
Known for its welcoming atmosphere, wide range of accommodation, and strong sense of tradition, the resort continues to attract families, couples, and holiday home owners seeking a classic British seaside escape with modern comforts.
Set against the backdrop of Norfolk’s sweeping coastline and famously sunny microclimate, Searles offers a complete holiday experience where guests can relax, explore, and enjoy a wide variety of on-site facilities and activities.

 

A TRUE FAMILY-RUN COASTAL RESORT
At the heart of Searles is its identity as a long-standing family business. This heritage is evident throughout the park, from the warm welcome guests receive on arrival to the ongoing focus on quality, care, and consistency across all areas of the resort.
The park is also a significant local employer, with up to 250 staff members working across the site depending on seasonal demand. This workforce plays a vital role in maintaining the resort’s high standards across accommodation, entertainment, dining, maintenance, and guest services.
This strong team structure ensures that whether guests are staying for a weekend break or a longer summer holiday, they benefit from a seamless and well-supported experience.

SEARLES LEISURE RESORT offers a traditional seaside escape on the North West Norfolk coast.

A WIDE RANGE OF ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS
Searles Leisure Resort offers one of the most diverse accommodation selections in the region, catering to a wide variety of holiday preferences and budgets. The resort features 153 holiday hire units, including well-appointed lodges and comfortable holiday homes designed to provide a home-from-home experience close to the sea.
For guests seeking a more flexible or traditional outdoor stay, Searles also offers dedicated touring and camping facilities, including pitches for tents and tourers. These areas are popular with returning visitors who enjoy the freedom of outdoor holidays combined with access to resort amenities. In addition, the resort provides camping pods, offering an elevated camping experience that bridges the gap between traditional camping and lodge-style comfort.
These are particularly popular with families and couples looking for something a little different while still enjoying the outdoor environment. This mix of accommodation types ensures that Searles appeals to a broad audience — from first-time campers to long-standing holiday homeowners.

A complete holiday experience where guests can relax, explore, and enjoy on-site activities.

LEISURE, ACTIVITIES AND ENTERTAINMENT
Searles Leisure Resort continues to enhance its guest experience with a wide and varied programme of activities designed to suit all ages and interests. Among the most popular recent additions are outdoor cinema experiences, which offer guests the chance to enjoy films under the stars in a relaxed and social setting.
This has quickly become a highlight of the seasonal entertainment calendar. Another standout activity is laser clay shooting, which adds a more adventurous and unique offering to the resort’s leisure programme. These experiences reflect Searles’ commitment to providing more than just accommodation, focusing instead on creating memorable and engaging holidays.
Alongside these, the resort continues to offer a full programme of family-friendly entertainment, ensuring there is always something happening on site throughout the season. Looking ahead, Searles is also developing a new range of safari-style bell tents, which will introduce a fresh glamping option to the park.
This addition reflects the growing popularity of experiential outdoor stays and will further diversify the resort’s already extensive accommodation offering.

SIDNEY THE SEALION AND HIS FRIENDS are always ready to make every guest smile, bringing fun, laughter, and unforgettable holiday memories at Searles!

A RESORT THAT CONTINUES TO EVOLVE
While Searles has a long and proud history as a traditional seaside holiday park, it continues to evolve in response to changing guest expectations.
Recent operational developments, including improved team facilities and enhanced infrastructure, have helped support a more efficient and guest-focused environment behind the scenes. With up to 250 staff working across the resort, this investment in people and systems plays an important role in maintaining the high standards for which Searles is known.
However, at its core, the resort remains focused on delivering enjoyable, high-quality holidays in a relaxed coastal setting — something it has done successfully for generations.

THE RESORT CONTINUES to invest in enhancing guest experiences across all areas of the park.

OWNERSHIP AND LONG-STAY APPEAL
In addition to short breaks and touring holidays, Searles is also a popular destination for holiday home ownership. The resort offers a dedicated ownership community, with a strong sense of belonging among owners who return year after year.
The introduction of a dedicated sales showground further enhances this offering, allowing prospective owners to explore available options in a more structured and accessible way.
This focus on ownership helps strengthen the resort’s long-term community feel and ensures a consistent base of returning guests who are deeply connected to the park.

DIVE INTO FUN at the swimming pool facilities, where guests can splash, relax, and make the most of every moment of their holiday.

THE NORFOLK COASTAL EXPERIENCE
One of Searles’ greatest strengths is its location. Hunstanton, often known as “Sunny Hunny,” is one of the East of England’s most popular seaside destinations, offering traditional charm, sandy beaches, and stunning sunsets over the Wash.
Guests staying at Searles benefit not only from the resort’s facilities but also from easy access to Norfolk’s wider attractions, including coastal walks, nature reserves, and nearby historic towns and villages.
This combination of resort-based amenities and regional exploration makes Searles a strong all-round holiday destination.

 

A LASTING COASTAL FAVOURITE
Searles Leisure Resort continues to stand out as one of Norfolk’s leading holiday parks thanks to its combination of scale, variety, and strong family values. Its ability to balance tradition with modern guest expectations ensures it remains relevant in a competitive and evolving holiday park market.
From its wide range of accommodation options and diverse activity programme to its strong sense of community and coastal location, Searles offers a complete holiday experience that appeals across generations.
As it continues to evolve, one thing remains unchanged — its commitment to delivering memorable seaside holidays in one of the UK’s most iconic coastal settings.

Searles Leisure Resort
01485 534211
www.searles.co.uk

A WIDE RANGE of accommodation ensures Searles caters for families, couples, and returning owners alike.

Serving Up Success

Posted on September 14, 2016

Serving Up Success

Switched on park operators are upping their game to compete in the lucrative food and beverage market…

When Cofton Country Holidays in South Devon embarked on a major redevelopment of the leisure facilities on site, a key aim was to improve the restaurant and bar areas. Pic: Fruition Creative Services.

When Cofton Country Holidays in South Devon embarked on a major redevelopment of the leisure facilities on site, a key aim was to improve the restaurant and bar areas. Pic: Fruition Creative Services.

The UK’s restaurant scene has never been so appetising. In fact, a study by OpenTable found that the average British person spends over £4k on dining out each year – that’s a quarter of the average annual income. The study also revealed that Brits eat out 1.5 times on average per week and spend up to £53 per meal. We are now seeing the evolution of industry trends, fuelled by the population’s growing appetite for eating out.

Increasingly, all-day eating is becoming the norm. Set meal times are a thing of the past – people want to be able to grab a bite to eat at any time of the day in a casual and informal environment.
Many restaurant outlets are also stepping up their investment in the coffee market, driven by our thirst for coffee outside the home. Even fast-food operators are improving their offerings to get in on the highly lucrative coffee shop culture.

SWITCHED ON

Now switched on park owners are upping their game to compete in the increasingly competitive food and beverage market place. South West Holiday Parks has teamed up with an award-winning Devon restaurant business as part of an overhaul of its leisure facilities at Coast View Park.

The park, located in Shaldon, underwent a major refurbishment to make way for a brand new restaurant, pool, gym and spa facility. The new ODE&Co; restaurant opened earlier this summer and welcomes park guests as well as the general public. “The park wanted to move away from the traditional ‘hi-de-hi’ style holiday venue, to offer guests a more high-end lodge park with improved facilities,” explains Sales and Marketing Consultant Jim Gandon. “The new restaurant is one of the main elements of the renovation project and the response we have had since it opened has been amazing.”

Visitors to the 120-seat venue can enjoy sourdough pizza cooked in a wood-fired oven from an open kitchen and prepared with impeccably sourced ingredients including organic flour and 100% buffalo mozzarella from Laverstock farm in Hampshire. ODE&Co; also takes advantage of the fresh seafood available on its doorstep, serving local catch, crab, lobster and grills. Locally sourced beverages include craft ales from Two Beach Brewing Co, organic and bio dynamic wines, local ciders on draft and soft drinks.

“Catering facilities can really make or break a holiday park, that’s why South West Holiday Parks felt it was essential to get advice from the experts before investing in the new restaurant,” says Jim.
“The park’s location is a hotspot for tourists and Tim Bouget, owner of ODE, is a renowned chef, so it’s a perfect fit.” The restaurant has panoramic views of South Devon coast from the newly created inside and outside seating areas. The restaurant will also offer take away and delivery services using electric vehicles.

BALANCING ACT

We are now seeing the evolution of industry trends, fuelled by the population’s growing appetite for eating out.

We are now seeing the evolution of industry trends, fuelled by the population’s growing appetite for eating out.

It’s important to remember that the quality of the food needs to be reflected in the design and layout of the restaurant, to create the ultimate dining experience for customers. When Cofton Country Holidays in South Devon embarked on a major redevelopment of the leisure facilities on site, a key aim was to improve the restaurant and bar areas.

The park worked with design company Fruition Creative Services to create a welcoming environment for guests in the bar and carvery area on the ground floor and the breakfast server on the upper level.

“There are two elements to the design process that need to be addressed in all projects,” explains Mark Green, Director at Fruition Creative Services.
“What it looks like to attract customers and how it functions to ensure customers have nice time and come back or stay longer.

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