Accessible Parks at Seal Rocks

When we were offered the opportunity to stay in one of the brand new cabins at Reflections Holiday Parks Seal Rocks I have to admit to not knowing much about the area. Seal Rocks is a sleepy coastal town which has kept it’s charm and avoided the development that often ruins such a gem. Reflections Holiday Parks Seal Rocks is set across the road from the beach and from my observations it’s visited by families keen to connect with each other and nature.

We noticed that the kids and adults centred their interactions around nature rather than technology. We saw kids learning to fish, surf and exploring rock pools with their parents. It was lovely to watch the simple pleasures being enjoyed. We travelled with BJ’s beach wheelchair and also enjoyed these activities all within easy wheel of our accessible cabin.

We’ve stayed in many holiday park cabins in the last year and it was refreshing to find a contemporary design that blended with the natural surroundings next to our accessible cabin.

We were extremely comfortable in the accessible cabin and appreciated being able to park in front of the cabin (though the parking is not designated accessible parking so it’s a regular width space).

The cabin has a similar lay out to other Reflections Holiday Parks cabins we’ve stayed in which made it feel homely for us.

I loved the artwork of the local area which is featured throughout the cabin, it’s a lovely nod to the beauty of the area.

The modern kitchen is well equipped with a drawer dishwasher, lowered microwave and cooktop for self-catering. A corner store is the only food shop nearby so most families arrive with the groceries needed for their stay. Being the over-packer I am, I found I needed to move around some of the kitchen equipment to make room for our supplies as there is no pantry.

Main Bedroom

Access to the spacious main bedroom, and the super comfy queen-sized bed, is via a sliding door with a width of 900mm. Once in the room there’s space on one side of the bed to transfer easily from a wheelchair and ample room to move the bed if you have a preference for transferring from the other side.

AN LCD television is mounted to the wall of the main bedroom so if a family have varying viewing tastes there’s no need for a tussle over the remote in the lounge room.

Light switches and the air conditioner remote control is located at a lowered height. The bed height is 650mm and the clearance under the bed is 110mm.

The cabin has a total of three air conditioners (the lounge room and both bedrooms) so there won’t be any hot summer nights for kids staying in the bunk room. So many other holiday parks don’t air condition the bunk rooms. Although we didn’t need it, we appreciated the thoughtful design in this cabin.

Second Bedroom

The second bedroom is uncluttered with bunks, a wardrobe and side table. Double window blinds ensure you don’t have to wake up early if you are desperate for a sleep in. Shame double blinds aren’t enough to convince BJ that he should sleep later!

Accessible Bathroom

We were impressed with the generously sized bathroom which is fitted with a shower bench seat, a hand-held height adjustable shower and grab rails throughout. The toilet is fitted with a fixed back rest and measures 460 mm from the floor to the top of the seat and 435mm from the floor to the top of the pan.

Lever taps are fitted throughout and the bathroom sink is wheelchair accessible.

Cabin Facilities

When I was single I would never have believed how happy I’d be to have a washing machine in a cabin but we always like the convenience of being able to wash at night without trekking back and forwards to a communal laundry. It’s the little things that added to the comfort of our stay in this cabin.

As the main cook in our house I get excited when I see a lovely outdoor barbecue area because I can hand over the reigns to Hubby. I’m happy with barbecues every meal if it means I don’t have to cook. The kids also enjoy eating alfresco when the weather is good.

Holiday Park Facilities

The accessible cabin looks out over the playground (the other cabins have several stairs but do have ocean view) .so if you are visiting with children who are independent it’s an easy way to keep an eye on them.

The majority of the playground is not accessible due to the sand base but there is a solid base under the bird nest swing which I thought would be lovely for children with additional needs.

Amenities Block

If you are camping at Reflections Holiday Parks Seal Rocks there is excellent communal amenities. The amenity block is wheelchair accessible and there is a coded accessible bathroom facility.

The bathroom is spacious, has grab rails throughout and a shower bench. It’s equipped with a height adjustable hand-held shower, a wheelchair accessible sink and somewhere to put toiletries!

Recreation/Camp Kitchen

A few features set Reflections Holiday Parks Seal Rocks apart from other holiday parks. The design of the new cabins, the beautiful undeveloped surroundings and the recreation area and camp kitchen. I feel camp kitchen isn’t an appropriate name for this divine area of the park. If BJ wasn’t the type to be on the go constantly I’d have perched myself in this position and just soaked in the beautiful vista. But alas, he preferred walking the beach or four-wheel driving in his beach wheelchair up the rock ledge at the beach.

We did visit the area each morning and evening and were rewarded with impressive sunsets every evening.

This area is popular with families for its barbecue facilities, ample room for kids to play while their parents have an evening drink and an undercover area with a television for those rainy days. It’s an area for families to meet and mingle.

Julie Jones is the brains behind Have Wheelchair Will Travel, a family travel blog which features tips and tricks on accessible travel. Julie and her family stayed as guests of Reflections Holiday Parks.