The brief was to come up with a fun, yet relaxing, lively, (but not too lively!), affordable, comfortable and, most of all, enjoyable weekend break for a family of four and two grandparents.

No pressure there then...

Thankfully the weather was already on our side when we set off for the Cotswolds, and the pretty village of South Cerney to be precise, for a good old-fashioned family weekend at Hoburne Cotswold.

The park, which offers a mix of static caravans, wooden lodges, camping and touring, is in a beautiful part of the country surrounded by lakes, many of which offer watersports, nature walks and man made beaches.

As we drove through the Hoburne gates, we were pleased to see there was a lake inside too, complete with paddle boats and an inviting outdoor pool.

Check-in was friendly and relaxed – check!

And we went off in search of the three-bed Carolina lodge, which would be our home for the long weekend.

I had worried a little about the size of the accommodation for four adults and two kids, but I needn’t have.

Three bedrooms, a bathroom and an en-suite adjoined an open plan lounge and kitchen and a deck with garden furniture and a barbecue.

And there was plenty of space around the lodge for the children to play games, feed the geese and make friends with the neighbours.

Hoburne, if you don't know already, is home to Sammy Seahorse and his friends and after a leisurely afternoon by the pool and a barbie, we popped down to the clubhouse to catch their show.

Clubhouse doesn’t really do justice to the entertainment complex, which also has a snack bar, pub/restaurant, and show area where the nightly ents and prize bingo take place.

The entertainment starts at six, with plenty to keep the children amused, and then later changes to cabaret singers and acts.

It wasn’t long before we were up and doing the Sammy Wiggle (!) encouraged by the staff and nanny’s surprise £30 bingo win had us giggling all the way back to our lodge.

During the rest of our stay we made good use of the play parks, we ambled around the lake, and spent many happy hours in the outdoor and indoor pool (although sadly the indoor pool’s slide was out of service).

Food-wise, we had a Sunday carvery, which was good, and we bought lots of sweet treats, gifts and ice creams from the well-stocked shop.

Our only real disappointment came on Sunday afternoon when staff in the entertainment complex seemed scarce and the tables weren’t cleared of rubbish and leftover food for a couple of hours.

Apart from that, the park was impeccably clean. The lodge had all mod cons and nothing was broken or faulty, as is often the case in holiday park accommodation.

When it was time to go home, everyone, big and small, agreed they had had a great time and would love to come back.

So summing up, Hoburne Cotswold fulfilled its brief – and then some.

Cotswold Wildlife Park well worth a visit

A great place to visit while you are in the Cotswolds is the Cotswold Wildlife Park, near Burford.

We spent a fabulous day visiting the penguins, camels, giraffes and mightly rhinos, with highlights being the Madagascan Walkthrough exhibit, which allows visitors to get a real insight into the lives of these fascinating creatures.

I half expected the cheeky little mammals to strike up “I want to move it, move it!”

But they were content to perform by jumping all over each other – and us – as we explored their enclosure.

In and around the Walled Garden area of the Park, we also found many other primate and small mammal species and the incredible Wolverines – the Cotswold Wildlife Park is the first UK zoo to successfully breed this species.

The train ride was fun and the adventure parks - which were being significantly developed while we were there - were exciting for all ages.

It’s a great day out.

Factfile

Hoburne Holiday Parks celebrated its centenary in 2012 and has seven Holiday Parks across Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, the Cotswolds and Cornwall.

A short break at Hoburne Cotswold during the remainder of the 2014 season starts from just £125 for a two-bedroom caravan or £312 for a three-bedroom Carolina lodge.

For further details or to book call 0844 288 2012 or visit hoburne.com