New for the 2019 accommodation range are the Alton Towers Stargazing Pods. Let’s take a look!
Alton Towers firmly believe in the full family experience. From such attractions as Cbeebies Land packed full of child-friendly rides to the adrenaline-fuelled rides for grown-ups and older children alike.
This family-aimed motto has spread firmly into the parks accommodation sector.
The Alton Towers Hotel is more a grown-up accommodation, the indoor water park Splash Landings hotel is fun for all the family, the Woodland Lodges and Treehouses are more an indulgence of luxury and the Cbeebies hotel is catered to the young ones.
The brand new 2019 season at Alton Towers brings in a new addition to the park with the introduction of the Stargazing Pods.
These glamping-style pods are catered to the inner explorer in all of us.
Allowing people to stay for the night in the Staffordshire countryside in their very own pod as they become one with nature and explore the constellations of the night sky.
Alton Towers Stargazing Pods
Work began on site July 23rd, 2018 and the area now contains a total of 102 Stargazing Pods that will be open for 149 days during the season.
This type of accommodation is within the most affordable tier of Alton Towers overnight stays priced at £88 (Off-peak) and £123 (Peak Times) at the time of writing this article.
With plenty of money saved on accommodation, you can treat yourself to theme park entry and even fastracks without breaking the bank!
These reasonably priced pods can sleep a total of four people and there are showers/toilet facilities on site.
Nearby Tipis will provide live entertainment and will include pop-up bars. Working on a bed and breakfast style format the overnight stay includes a breakfast bap and a hot drink.
It was clear to see the main purpose of this particular accommodation is family-friendly fun. The whole space was complete with greenery, children’s play areas and telescopes littered around the site.
You can imagine families sitting outside, soaking in the rare British sunshine with the children playing on the open grass around the park. It’s nice to see the pods didn’t come with built-in TVs or any such luxury as guests would have to go back to nature and embrace that long-lost tradition of face-to-face conversation.
This bare-bones accommodation allows for the sadly dying art of face-to-face conversation and to relax in the beauty of the countryside surroundings.
It has a very festival-friendly atmosphere to it.
With the pods being reasonably priced you can imagine people staying for multiple days and being within earshot of one of the UK’s best theme parks you just can’t complain about the location but you can complain about the pods.
To me they’re very basic in how they’re built and with how they’re set-up you wouldn’t expect to pay more than £50 for something like this. It’s a shed at the end of the day so pricing vs what you get in return really does need to be addressed immediately.
Whilst staying in the pods guests can also enjoy restaurants and entertainment in other hotels at Alton Towers during their stay.
Who Made the Alton Towers Stargazing Pods?
Weighing 1 tonne each the pods themselves were constructed in County Armagh in Northern Ireland by Hawthorne Forest Products.
Each pod takes approximately one day to complete.
The timber used in making the pods is sustainably sourced European Whitewood from managed forests in Finland.
For every tree cut down a new one is replanted and each piece of timber used in the pods can be traced back to its forest of origin.
Over 10,000 square meters of turf has been laid down around the site and 8,000 meters of cable has been laid for the pods lighting, fire alarms, and pathway lighting.
There’s certainly no need to worry about finding the toilets in pitch darkness one night.
All trees planted on site are native to the area. Just walking through the site during construction we saw a variety of wildlife about.
It’s safe to say these minimalistic pods will provide a nature-friendly environment.
Alton Towers Stargazing Pods Interior
With the pods being very minimalistic there really isn’t a great deal to say about the interior. The pods have two single beds and a double bed at the back, full WI-FI access and heating in addition to under-bed storage.
It does feel as though the pods are ust an escape from the outdoors and a place to rest. They serve no other purpose other than to sleep or to escape from potential downpours.
They’re very bare bones in their design and feel very cheap in their construction.
The main focus of the area is to indulge people in stargazing and being one with nature and the outdoors but they just don’t look particularly comfy or inviting on the inside.
Stargazing Pods Overall Thoughts
The Stargazing Pods are a welcome addition to Alton Towers but pricing needs to be addressed. I feel the price range accommodates to people with lower budgets if you’re staying at the resort but I don’t agree with paying more than £50 to stay in a shed.
It will be interesting to see what kind of live entertainment will take place under the Tipis when that is all setup and on a nice evening with the stars out it would have been nice to see them from within your pod.y.
It’s certainly the type of accommodation where the people you are with will either make or break the stay.
I did wonder why the roofs themselves weren’t transparent to add to that stargazing element though.
An AR interactive roof segment to the PODS would have been another level of epic entirely!
Physically naming the constellations you are seeing in front of your very eyes with AR tech overlays.
Once my delusions of pod grandeur took an Oblivion-style nose dive I carried on with this review.
The only issue I had with the pods would be the fact that the telescopes are in the middle of a grassy area. On a rainy day, this would render stargazing obsolete.
This same grassy area surrounds the pods so muddy feet will be an issue upon entry into the pods. Little log stepping stones to each individual pod would solve this issue (for the adults at least).
How to Book a Stargazing Pod
As far as a summer vacation goes you can’t go wrong!
The pods are a quirky little addition to the Woodland Lodges section but make sure you shop around for the best price, you certainly don’t want to be overpaying.
For more information or to book a stay in one of these wonderful pods then CLICK HERE
If you missed our exclusive sneak peek inside the upcoming Alton Towers Dungeon then CLICK HERE
