The line of gently, swaying palm trees meant one thing – we were entering the English Riviera, heading to Hoburne Devon Bay, just outside Paignton and looking forward to exploring some of Devon’s loveliest beaches and countryside.

Devon Bay sits within a sheltered valley looking down towards Goodrington Sands.

Hoburne has a variety of resorts, large and small, quiet and more lively and we quickly realised that there was a lot to enjoy at Devon Bay.

A quick drop off at our Platinum caravan revealed we had everything we needed to relax after our adventurous days, including a fitted kitchen, en suite master bedroom and flat screen TV.

There is a range of caravan accommodation on offer at the park and Devon Bay has also introduced hot tubs with some of its Platinum Plus accommodation.

After a couple of hours in the car the children very itching to plunge into a pool.

The question was, were they going to go for the indoor pool with the flume? Or the outdoor pool with its lovely, relaxing sun loungers made just for weary parents?

Both, obviously.

Devon Bay is a large park, very well kept with lots of green areas, play areas and sports courts, as well as places to sit and just soak up the views.

As well as basketball and a mini football area, there is a nature trail to explore on a summer evening, and if you get a few minutes’ peace, a perfectly relaxing sauna and steam room.

Anyone who knows Hoburne knows it is also home to Sammy Seahorse and his chums and a trip over to the main entertainment complex revealed our now older girls still know the ‘Sammy anthems’ they joined in with when they were little.

Food plays a big part in any family break and we enjoyed a lovely evening meal at Brasserie 1912, which has a wide menu offering everything from steaks and pub favourites to fish dishes and glorious puds.

There is also a convenience store, launderette and takeaway too, if you want to enjoy your evening meal watching the sun go down from your caravan’s sun deck.

We spent a long, sunny weekend at Hoburne, but there is plenty to keep a family occupied for longer, both on and off the park.

Fact file

A 2019 holiday at Hoburne Devon Bay starts from £239 for up to six people sharing a Platinum grade holiday home in May for three nights. To find out more about this holiday, or any of Hoburne’s seven holiday parks, please visit www.hoburne.com or call 01425 282358.

Holiday homes are also available to purchase at all Hoburne holiday parks, visit www.hoburne.com/ownership for more details.

Some of the attractions we visited nearby:

Splashdown Quaywest

Who can resist hurtling down raging rapids in a rubber ring? Or staring into the eyes of the devil as you plunge down a 65ft, near vertical drop and into a black hole on the highest, fastest flume in the UK?

Not us!

Splashdown Quay West is the UK’s largest, outdoor water park and is on the seafront at Paignton, just follow the screams of delight/terror.

We had two, fun-filled hours of scaring ourselves silly and laughing like lunatics.

-And that was just the adults.

There are cheaper tickets on offer if you go later in the day, wet suits for a £5 returnable deposit and picnic areas inside where you can kick back and enjoy something to eat in between the thrills.

A definite highlight of the trip!

Kents Cavern

Kents Cavern looks pretty unassuming from the car park, but what lies beneath it is absolutely fascinating.

Britain's most important prehistoric cave system, it was used by ancient humans as far back as 500,000 years ago, including Neanderthals and early, modern humans.

We joined a tour and even the youngest children in the party were kept mesmerised by our amazing guide as he showed us rock formations, told fascinating tales and showed us remains of animals which once lived there including mammoth, woolly rhino and sabre-toothed cats.

Kents Cavern also has a woodland trail quest, a nice shop and cafe and great views over the Ilsham Valley.

We would highly recommend it.