I stayed in England’s most easterly town that’s had a huge makeover
IF your Great British getaway needs a glow-up, look no further than England’s most easterly town.
Lowestoft in Suffolk has had a mega refresh, with millions of pounds poured into its seafront, caravan site and theme park.
When I headed there with my family of five, the town’s revival was apparent from the moment we rolled into Park Holidays’ Pakefield caravan park.
It is tucked away in a quiet patch south of the main town centre where it overlooks the sea and is surrounded by open fields.
And it has had more than just a lick of paint.
A £6million cash injection has seen the addition of a heated indoor pool, toddler splash zone, playground, arcade and bar/restaurant.
Wandering around the park, one notices an upmarket vibe.
The lobby has a high-spec finish and the attention to detail here is fantastic.
The luxe feel then continues in the new caravans, with large beds and master en-suites.
If your goal is to unwind, then you won’t be disappointed.
The park is less about pumping out late-night music than delivering holiday-site staples — pool, arcade, bar and karts — to a high standard.
The Coastal Bar and Restaurant hosts Saturday night entertainment for the whole family — which includes furry friends, with dog beds dotted around the terrace.
The spongy floor of the new pool felt lovely underfoot and made the splash area very safe for little ones, while the changing rooms were the cleanest I’ve ever encountered.
If you fancy heading out for the day, the lovely seaside village of Pakefield, near Lowestoft, is well worth a visit.
You can walk straight out of the caravan park on to the King Charles III England Coast Path.
Keep your eyes peeled for Salty Sauna, a mini wood-fired sauna that can be booked for public or private sessions.
If you wander along the beach up to Lowestoft, you’ll come to the Jubilee Parade pavilion, which is on the cusp of completion.
The two-storey restaurant-and-cafe complex includes a lift connecting the upper esplanade to the lower promenade, making access easier.
It’s set next to the futuristic Eastern Edge beach huts, which can be hired for the day.
Another spot that comes highly recommended by locals is the overhauled East Point Pavilion, an ornate glass Victorian-inspired venue that overlooks the sea and hosts concerts and makers’ markets.
And new art gallery Messums East is just about to open at the site of the old Post Office.
If you’re looking for more thrills, head to the Pleasurewood Hills theme park which sits on the coast between Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth.
Brothers Freddy, Spencer and Davis Stokes took over the site at the end of last year and have already installed three new rides, with a spinning coaster on the cards for later this year.
The park has something for everyone.
We stayed for most of the day and still didn’t make it round all the rides, despite there being next to no queues.
The chairlift that carries you from one side of the park to the other was a throwback to my childhood holidays, while my boys loved the adrenaline rides, including the 30 metre-high Riptide and huge, looping coaster, Wipeout.
As the easternmost point of England, Lowestoft celebrates welcoming the earliest sunrise to our shores, with its First Light beach festival in June.
Likewise, there is definitely a new dawn afoot for this coastal town.
GO: LOWESTOFT
STAYING THERE: Four nights’ self-catering at Park Holidays Pakefield is from £129 in total for a six-person Gold Caravan, for arrival on May 18.
See parkholidays.com.