We've been taking our five-year-old daughter to Bluestone every year since she was born, sometimes more than once a year.
And as I drove away on Friday morning, with the snow-covered Preseli mountains in the distance, there really wasn't any doubt in my mind that this had been the best Christmas visit yet. It was a combination of two things: the first was just how lovely the place looked and felt. I'd go so far as to call it magical, and that's not just me putting myself in a five-year-old's shoes.
And the second was seeing it all in the context of the effort that must have gone into creating that magic this year, and the challenges that will have been overcome — for one thing, part of Bluestone is still a field hospital to help ease pressure on local hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic.
From the tiniest shop to the largest multi-national, the efforts of businesses and their employees this year have been nothing short of magnificent. And when you have an entire resort, consisting of 500 acres, 350 lodges, an entire village, a large indoor swimming pool and several other large play areas to deal with, well, let's just say it probably takes a fair bit of work to get it right.
The theme for Christmas at Bluestone is usually Kingdom of the Elves. But, with so much of what makes that possible now off-limits, this year's theme was Christmasland. The magic starts in the lodge, where a Christmasland Chronicles book was lying on the table. And I don't mean a leaflet, I mean a quality, hardback book with plenty inside to set the tone and get the kids' imaginations off and running: "A tale of wonder, a tale of joy, about the dreams of one young boy, who took a pencil in his hand and sketched a dream of Christmasland."
The Serendome is now the Snow Globe, stunningly decorated with lights, trees and snow, while the village is now the Reindeer Village. Those familiar with the talking Rudolph from the Dinner with the Elves show will now find him looking over the playground and pub in the centre of the village, occasionally letting out a loud snore or sleepy groan. When night falls, he kicks off the Rudolph Light Show, when the whole village glitters with lights and music.
But the jewel this year is the Toymaker's Trail, which transforms the Nature Trail in woodland on the edge of the village into a neon-lit wonderland of nutcrackers, elf workshops and the most gorgeously-designed displays. Whoever put it together deserves a medal. It's enchanting.
Then there are all the little extra touches that bring Christmas to life for the children and make you forget you're visiting in the most difficult circumstances: you can book elves (who'd normally be in their Kingdom, of course) to deliver a present to your lodge (they come in masks and ham it up as they always do!) and you can also catch Father Christmas and his postal elves travelling the resort so the kids can deliver their letter to Santa.
The resort's restaurants and pub will, since Friday, December 4, have to adhere to new Welsh Government rules which mean they cannot sell alcohol. But the Blue Lagoon remains open, though numbers are limited (which is no bad thing if you don't like a crowded swimming pool at the best of times) and there's no wave machine to avoid people getting too close to each other.
So Bluestone at Christmas is still a lovely place to be, despite the challenges. But how they've managed to make it even more so this year really is special and I for one would just like to thank them for it.
You could win £1,000 for Christmas by filling out our fun survey and entering your email address to join our free Secret Elves Club — you can do it here.
