After we’d finished at Alton Towers for Oktoberfest, we headed to Drayton Manor Hotel for an overnight stay before our visit to the park the following day
The Hotel
The hotel itself is right at the front of the resort with ample parking for plenty of vehicles. On the subject of parking, we were allowed to leave the car in the hotel car park while we visited the park the second day, so staying in the hotel means you don’t have to pay for parking too, which is an added bonus!
Being a 4 star hotel, it does have a bit more to offer than what Splash Landings did, with that being only 3. In the rooms we got a fridge and a very comfortable double bed, as well as all the things you’d expect such as a kettle and TV.
The rooms here are of a more classy approach than what they were at Splash Landings, but Splash Landings is a themed hotel, where Drayton Manors isn’t. There are odd pieces of artwork dotted about showing you the parks history and photos of the rides, but other than that, it did feel set apart from the park.
Just a side note as well, but there is a mini golf course on site, costing £2 per person, and it’s a great little course if very different from any I’ve ever played on. It only has 12 holes, but it’s built using bricks and wood as obstacles and hole 4 is a nightmare! It doesn’t collect your ball at the end too, so you can go round a few times if it isn’t busy!
Dining was excellent on the evening we stayed. Though a bit on the pricier side, the quality and service were excellent and much needed! Breakfast was included and the following morning we headed down to find a good variety of food and drink on offer, from hot food, to cereal and fruit. Plenty to go at!
Drayton Manor Zoo
The zoo is located just after the carousel inside the park itself, and offers plenty of different species to see. It’s laid out very well and doesn’t have too many branching paths so you’ll definitely be able to see everything to zoo has to offer!
The only niggle I had with the zoo is that all the enclosures are built using wire mesh, which is probably great fro maintenance and safety, but its a nightmare for taking photos through! Maybe it’s just me as I’m still an amateur at using my DSLR, but I did have trouble focusing in on the animals, rather than the mesh!
During your travels, you’ll see allsorts ranging from Tamarins and Gibbons, to Fishing Cats, Northern Lynx, Sumatran Tigers, Red Pandas and Meerkats. There’s also an indoor section comprising most of the zoos reptiles and amphibians. All the enclosures were clean and tidy and the animals looked in great health too!
Though I do feel that Chessington’s enclosures are better designed and themed, for the most part, I think Draytons Zoo is better laid out and isn’t split up as much as what Chessington’s or Flamingo lands zoos are.
We’ve visited the zoo twice and thoroughly enjoyed it, particularly the big cats they have here as you can usually see them lounging about in the enclosures!
It’s certainly worth a visit, and will only take around an hour or so to get around so doesn’t eat into the very limited open hours Drayton Manor has!
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