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Nodes Point Holiday Park – Location, Facilities and Reviews 2024
Nodes Point Holiday Park has lodges, caravans, glamping, camping and touring for caravans
**Nodes Point Offer: 7 nights from £199**
**Parkdean Resorts Black Friday: 1000s of holidays from £69 + up to 30% off 7 nights (expires 04/12/23)**
Nodes Point Holiday Park is one of four Parkdean Resorts caravan sites on the Isle of Wight.
If you held a gun to my head and screamed "Which Parkdean Resorts holiday park would you recommend on the Isle of Wight?" then I would go for Nodes Point. I would also question your attitude but let's not focus on that.
Nodes Point is an excellent choice if you want easy access to a beach, an indoor swimming pool and a bit of family entertainment. Don't stay at a holiday park like Nodes Point if you want to avoid people (go for an off-grid glamping place or a self-catering cottage in the South Wight or West Wight and then visit some isolated beaches).
Nodes Point is an excellent holiday park but it's usually more expensive than Thorness Bay Holiday Park, which is another Parkdean Resorts site. It also has some disadvantages over Parkdean's Shanklin holiday parks which are called Landguard and Lower Hyde.
We are going to look at a family holiday at Nodes Point from seven utterly fascinating angles including:
If you held a gun to my head and screamed "Which Parkdean Resorts holiday park would you recommend on the Isle of Wight?" then I would go for Nodes Point. I would also question your attitude but let's not focus on that.
Nodes Point is an excellent choice if you want easy access to a beach, an indoor swimming pool and a bit of family entertainment. Don't stay at a holiday park like Nodes Point if you want to avoid people (go for an off-grid glamping place or a self-catering cottage in the South Wight or West Wight and then visit some isolated beaches).
Nodes Point is an excellent holiday park but it's usually more expensive than Thorness Bay Holiday Park, which is another Parkdean Resorts site. It also has some disadvantages over Parkdean's Shanklin holiday parks which are called Landguard and Lower Hyde.
We are going to look at a family holiday at Nodes Point from seven utterly fascinating angles including:
- Review scores of Nodes Point
- Prices at Nodes Points compared to other holiday parks
- Beaches and free attractions near to Nodes Point
- Onsite facilities at Nodes Point
- Choosing the best accommodation at Nodes Point Holiday Park
- Advice for getting the best price on the Isle of Wight ferry with Parkdean Resorts
- Money saving advice for a holiday at Nodes Point holiday park
1. Review scores of Nodes Point Holiday Park
Nodes Point gets slightly better reviews than the other Parkdean Resorts Holiday Parks on the Isle of Wight. That has been the case for the last few years.
We added together the scores on TripAdvisor, Google reviews and Reevoo to come up with a score out of 10 for each resort. The Reevoo score is the one which appears on Parkdean's own website. Calculating the average score required me to dust off my GCSE Maths textbooks (Ed: or perhaps you just used a calculator).
As you can see, the difference in review scores between Nodes Point and Lower Hyde is miniscule.
We can dig a little deeper into the Nodes Point reviews to find a few common themes:
We added together the scores on TripAdvisor, Google reviews and Reevoo to come up with a score out of 10 for each resort. The Reevoo score is the one which appears on Parkdean's own website. Calculating the average score required me to dust off my GCSE Maths textbooks (Ed: or perhaps you just used a calculator).
- Nodes Point - 4/5 on TripAdvisor, 4.3/5 on Google Reviews, 8.4/10 on Reevoo - average score of 8.33/10
- Lower Hyde - 4/5 on TripAdvisor, 4.3/5 on Google Reviews, 8.3/10 on Reevoo - average of 8.3/10
- Landguard - 4/5 on TripAdvisor, 4.1/5 on Google Reviews, 7.8/10 on Reevoo - average of 8/10
- Thorness Bay - 3.5/5 on TripAdvisor, 3.9/5 on Google Reviews, 7.4/10 on Reevoo - average of 7.4/10
As you can see, the difference in review scores between Nodes Point and Lower Hyde is miniscule.
We can dig a little deeper into the Nodes Point reviews to find a few common themes:
- The location is praised as being a good one (I could have told you that already). TripAdvisor gives a breakdown of different factors and 'Location' scores slightly better than 'Cleanliness' 'Service' and 'Value'. I wouldn't say it gets a bad score in any area.
- Google Reviews gives a useful 'thumbs up' and 'thumbs down' to a number of keywords which appear regularly in reviews. There are lots of positive mentions of 'nature', 'service', 'cleanliness' 'location' and 'food'. The keywords which had more negative than positive comments included 'bathroom' 'sleep' and 'accessibility'. I wouldn't read too much into what an algorithm has churned out, but it's interesting nonetheless.
This useful review summary from Google Reviews shows areas where people have made positive and negative comments (Credit: Google)
For the purposes of balance, it's also worth taking at a look at similar holiday parks run by other companies on the Isle of Wight. There aren't any Haven holiday parks but there are four Away Resorts sites.
Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park in Bembridge is the most similar to the four Parkdean Resorts locations. It scores 4/5 on TripAdvisor or 4.2/5 on Google Reviews. It isn't on Reevoo but it scores 8.1/10 on Hoseasons. That gives it an average score of 8.16 which is halfway between Lower Hyde and Landguard.
The other three Away Resorts sites are The Bay Colwell, The Lakes Rookley and St Helens. The Bay Colwell has an indoor swimming pool and a beach nearby. The Lakes Rookley has an indoor swimming pool but it's 20 minutes inland. St Helens is five minutes inland, not far from Nodes Point. It only has an outdoor swimming pool. They are all decent sites but style themselves more as lodge and chalet parks than caravan sites.
Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park in Bembridge is the most similar to the four Parkdean Resorts locations. It scores 4/5 on TripAdvisor or 4.2/5 on Google Reviews. It isn't on Reevoo but it scores 8.1/10 on Hoseasons. That gives it an average score of 8.16 which is halfway between Lower Hyde and Landguard.
The other three Away Resorts sites are The Bay Colwell, The Lakes Rookley and St Helens. The Bay Colwell has an indoor swimming pool and a beach nearby. The Lakes Rookley has an indoor swimming pool but it's 20 minutes inland. St Helens is five minutes inland, not far from Nodes Point. It only has an outdoor swimming pool. They are all decent sites but style themselves more as lodge and chalet parks than caravan sites.
2. Prices at Nodes Point compared to other holiday parks
For our price comparisons, we usually look at the cost of a peak time holiday.
You can certainly get cheaper holidays if you visit midweek, outside of school holidays but the peak time prices are obviously when most people want to visit.
In our guide to the best Isle of Wight holiday parks 2024, we searched for a week's holiday for a family of four in August 2024. We looked for the cheapest accommodation available and didn't include extras such as bringing a pet or upgrading.
We searched in October 2023 and found the following prices:
As you can see, Nodes Point is the most expensive of the four Parkdean Resorts holiday parks on the Isle of Wight for the dates we compared. This is a pattern we have seen over the years. Thorness Bay tends to be cheapest with Nodes Point usually the most expensive.
We also looked at camping and touring prices on our comparison of the Isle of Wight's four Parkdean sites and found it was mid-table.
You can certainly get cheaper holidays if you visit midweek, outside of school holidays but the peak time prices are obviously when most people want to visit.
In our guide to the best Isle of Wight holiday parks 2024, we searched for a week's holiday for a family of four in August 2024. We looked for the cheapest accommodation available and didn't include extras such as bringing a pet or upgrading.
We searched in October 2023 and found the following prices:
- Thorness Bay Holiday Park - £869
- Lower Hyde Holiday Park - £939
- Landguard Holiday Park - £999
- Nodes Point Holiday Park - £1049
As you can see, Nodes Point is the most expensive of the four Parkdean Resorts holiday parks on the Isle of Wight for the dates we compared. This is a pattern we have seen over the years. Thorness Bay tends to be cheapest with Nodes Point usually the most expensive.
We also looked at camping and touring prices on our comparison of the Isle of Wight's four Parkdean sites and found it was mid-table.
The swimming pool at Nodes Point is a good size and has a four lane slide
We then looked at the price for the same dates at Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park which is owned by Away Resorts. The lowest price was £879, which is towards the bottom of the Parkdean prices. See our full guide to Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park for more wonderful waffle.
3. Beaches and free attractions near to Nodes Point
Nodes Point is in the East Wight, in a pretty village called St Helens. It is near to Bembridge, which is a posh part of the Isle of Wight renowned for sailing, men in red trousers, the UK's oldest phonebox and high house prices.
Generally speaking, the east side of the Isle of Wight is more developed and touristy than the West Wight. However, St Helen's and Bembridge are both pretty classy places and don't feel crowded. Sandown and Shanklin in the East Wight are much busier and are more appealing if you want a 'traditional' English seaside resort with bumbag-wearers hiring out deck-chairs.
Nodes Point overlooks the beach at St Helens, which is partly sandy and mostly shingle. The beach is dog friendly all year round which is either ideal or annoying depending on your point of view.
Behind the beach is a nature reserve called The Duver, which is owned by the National Trust.
The water at St Helen's beach is often calm and there's a watersports place nearby called Tackt Isle. It offers offers lessons and hires out boards that you can gracefully fall off. There's a café on the beach, which scores 3.5/5 on TripAdvisor.
Generally speaking, the east side of the Isle of Wight is more developed and touristy than the West Wight. However, St Helen's and Bembridge are both pretty classy places and don't feel crowded. Sandown and Shanklin in the East Wight are much busier and are more appealing if you want a 'traditional' English seaside resort with bumbag-wearers hiring out deck-chairs.
Nodes Point overlooks the beach at St Helens, which is partly sandy and mostly shingle. The beach is dog friendly all year round which is either ideal or annoying depending on your point of view.
Behind the beach is a nature reserve called The Duver, which is owned by the National Trust.
The water at St Helen's beach is often calm and there's a watersports place nearby called Tackt Isle. It offers offers lessons and hires out boards that you can gracefully fall off. There's a café on the beach, which scores 3.5/5 on TripAdvisor.
The beach at St Helen's (not the best photo, I admit)
Besides the beach at St Helens, there are several decent beaches within a 15 minute drive of Nodes Point.
Families often head for the wide open sandy beaches of Yaverland near Sandown and Appley in Ryde. Both offer easy pay and display parking as well as public toilets (best saved for emergencies) and somewhere selling a cone of chips. They are also good beaches for kite flying if they aren't too packed full of people.
If you don't mind a bit more effort, I would head for Priory Bay or Whitecliff Bay which are two of the most picturesque spots on the Isle of Wight. Squint a bit on a sunny day and you'll convince yourself you are in Greece.
Families often head for the wide open sandy beaches of Yaverland near Sandown and Appley in Ryde. Both offer easy pay and display parking as well as public toilets (best saved for emergencies) and somewhere selling a cone of chips. They are also good beaches for kite flying if they aren't too packed full of people.
If you don't mind a bit more effort, I would head for Priory Bay or Whitecliff Bay which are two of the most picturesque spots on the Isle of Wight. Squint a bit on a sunny day and you'll convince yourself you are in Greece.
Priory Bay, near Nodes Point, is one of our favourite Isle of Wight beaches
Free Attractions Near Nodes Point
Our guide to free days out on the Isle of Wight is a carefully nurtured compendium including dozens of ideas to offer you a cheap holiday. It is so popular that several other websites and magazines have copied our suggestions (Ed: not sure we can prove that...).
Here are some of the free days out that are within 20 minutes drive of Nodes Point Holiday Park:
More details on these can be found in our free days out guide. Of course, there are also plenty of excellent attractions you can pay for. Take a look at our guide for toddlers, children, teenagers and adults or our guide covering the area around Nodes Point.
Here are some of the free days out that are within 20 minutes drive of Nodes Point Holiday Park:
- Quarr Abbey is a working Benedictine monastery with tours, a woodland path and cute piglets (subject to availability). The café also does a lovely bacon sandwich.
- Bembridge Lifeboat Station is open to the public on certain days. They also have a weekly test launch that is publicised on their Facebook page.
- Bembridge Windmill is free if you have National Trust membership.
- The Garlic Farm has farm tours (for a small fee), a small playground and plenty of places to buy things that taste of garlic.
- Brading Marshes is an RSPB nature reserve where you also might see red squirrels (don't blame me if you don't, they are very shy).
- There are some excellent coastal walks near to Nodes Point. My first choice would be a walk around Priory Bay and St Helens. Directions are provided by the National Trust. It features on our guide to the 10 best circular walks on the Isle of Wight.
- The Isle of Wight Bus and Coach Museum is a good place to shelter from the rain (Ed: I thought you said the sun always shines on the Isle of Wight?).
- Good playgrounds in the area include the seafront playground at Appley in Ryde, Puckpool park (also in Ryde) the Steyne Road playground in Bembridge and Sandham Gardens playground in Sandown. See our toddlers' guide for more playground advice.
More details on these can be found in our free days out guide. Of course, there are also plenty of excellent attractions you can pay for. Take a look at our guide for toddlers, children, teenagers and adults or our guide covering the area around Nodes Point.
Take a free visit inside Bembridge's lifeboat station
4. Onsite facilities at Nodes Point Holiday Park
Nodes Point Holiday Park has a decent range of things to do without leaving the site. Don't expect a Butlins or Center Parcs range of activities though - you will need to get out and explore to keep children busy.
Instead, you get an indoor swimming pool with a four lane slide, a playground, an outdoor sports court and an amusement arcade. There's an onsite shop, a restaurant/bar called The Boathouse and a bar called the Harbour.
There are also kids' clubs and activities, and some evening entertainment for grown ups.
Instead, you get an indoor swimming pool with a four lane slide, a playground, an outdoor sports court and an amusement arcade. There's an onsite shop, a restaurant/bar called The Boathouse and a bar called the Harbour.
There are also kids' clubs and activities, and some evening entertainment for grown ups.
Nodes Point has a few onsite facilities including an indoor swimming pool
5. Choosing the best accommodation at Nodes Point Holiday Park
There are about 20 glamping safari tents at Nodes Point Holiday Park...
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...but most people go for 20 foot wide lodges or 12 foot wide caravans
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The choice of accommodation at Nodes Point Holiday Park can be overwhelming. I needed a lie down in a cold room after being offered 27 different options with names like 'Pidford WFA' and 'Chillingham' (I discovered that WFA stands for Wheelchair Friendly Access or something similar).
The choice soon narrows once you select what type of accommodation you want, when you are visiting, how many bedrooms you want and whether you are bringing a pet.
The five categories, from cheapest to most expensive (typically) are:
The choice soon narrows once you select what type of accommodation you want, when you are visiting, how many bedrooms you want and whether you are bringing a pet.
The five categories, from cheapest to most expensive (typically) are:
- Touring and camping is the cheapest option at Nodes Point. You get access to water and a shared toilet block with showers. There is also a disabled bathroom. They've got electric hook-ups or standard pitches depending on what you need.
- Caravans make up the majority of the accommodation at Nodes Point. They are typically 12 foot wide and range from those for four people up to those for eight people. Generally, a six berth caravan has two bedrooms and space for two people to sleep in the lounge. An eight berth caravan has three bedrooms with two squeezing into the lounge. Some of the caravans at Nodes Point are pet friendly. They all have basics like central heating and double glazing but the more expensive ones have features like a veranda or ensuite. You can toggle the features that you are looking for on the booking pages. The more accessible accommodation are caravans.
- Chalets are similarly priced to caravans. There aren't as many of these at Nodes Point, but they have two bedrooms and can sleep up to six people.
- Glamping at Nodes Point is a lot more expensive than camping, but it's a lot more comfortable and spacious and everything is provided for you. There are about 20 glamping tents which have two bedrooms each. It's worth noting that you have access to shared washing and toilet facilities rather than private facilities in your safari tent.
- Lodges are more spacious but they are (unsurprisingly) more expensive than caravans. A typical lodge at Nodes Point is 20 foot wide, which is a big jump up from a 12 foot caravan. Lodges are either two or three bedroom and sleep 4-6 people. Again, you can toggle the upgrades which include things like hot tubs, dishwashers and washing machines. They all have a veranda and most of them have an ensuite. I am a big fan of lodges, particularly if you are filling up your accommodation. The difference in price is significant during peak dates but can be much more modest off peak.
6. Advice for getting the best price on the Isle of Wight ferry for a Nodes Point holiday
The price of the Isle of Wight ferry is a popular topic of discussion amongst Islanders. Our non-scientific comparisons have found that prices have risen significantly in the last decade.
The good news is that accommodation providers like Parkdean Resorts get a 'trade rate' for the ferry which they can pass on to visitors. There isn't a fixed discount rate, so it's a little hard to tell you exactly how much you will pay or save. Standard fares for a car and passengers range from about £50 to £300 depending on how long you are staying, when you are visiting and whether you can dig out a discount code.
The usual advice is that ferries are more expensive around lunchtime than they are at the start and end of the day. Midweek is cheaper than weekends and longer breaks are more expensive than shorter breaks. I have never understood why the Isle of Wight ferry companies prefer you to stay for a short time rather than a long time but let's gloss over that.
At the time of typing, Parkdean Resorts only work with Wightlink. I would also check our ferry discounts page in case there is a better price available from the other car ferry provider - Red Funnel.
The good news is that accommodation providers like Parkdean Resorts get a 'trade rate' for the ferry which they can pass on to visitors. There isn't a fixed discount rate, so it's a little hard to tell you exactly how much you will pay or save. Standard fares for a car and passengers range from about £50 to £300 depending on how long you are staying, when you are visiting and whether you can dig out a discount code.
The usual advice is that ferries are more expensive around lunchtime than they are at the start and end of the day. Midweek is cheaper than weekends and longer breaks are more expensive than shorter breaks. I have never understood why the Isle of Wight ferry companies prefer you to stay for a short time rather than a long time but let's gloss over that.
At the time of typing, Parkdean Resorts only work with Wightlink. I would also check our ferry discounts page in case there is a better price available from the other car ferry provider - Red Funnel.
The Isle of Wight is cheaper if you book via Parkdean Resorts
7. Money saving advice for a cheap holiday at Nodes Point holiday park
- Generally, it is best to book big holiday parks like Nodes Point as early as possible. You occasionally find last minute reductions with Parkdean Resorts but my experience is that the best prices are available for early birds. This is often because the cheaper grades of accommodation get booked up months ahead of the more expensive grades. There's a risk you will end up paying for an upgrade you don't really want, such as an extra bedroom or a dishwasher even though you plan to eat out every night.
- If you are able to avoid school holidays then I would look at four night midweek breaks. There are some real bargains to be had here and upgrading to lodges is much more affordable.
- If you are limited to school holidays then there are sometimes bargains available during the last week of August and the first few days in September at Nodes Point Holiday Park. The weather is a bit colder but it can be a good saving.
- It is considerably cheaper to fill up a large caravan with eight people than to book two caravans for four people. We searched for a week's holiday in August 2024 and found that a caravan for eight people started at £1659 whereas two caravans for four people started at £1969 each or £3938 in total. There are obviously differences in the amount of space you will have (one was a caravan, one was a lodge) but the saving of £2279 is not to be sneezed at. The caravan for eight people has three bedrooms and just one shower, so make sure that you get on well with each other!
An eight berth caravan at Nodes Point is usually much cheaper than booking two caravans for four people
Review scores, prices and facilities are correct at the time of writing.
The-Isle-of-Wight-Guru-Don't-Blame-Us-Disclaimer™ All the information on this website is correct, as far as we know, but please do check details directly - and please contact us if you find anything inaccurate. Here's our full disclaimer.
