Alton Towers Resort
The resort's original 1996 hotel, linked indoors to Splash Landings and the Waterpark
About this hotel
This is the Alton Towers Hotel, the first hotel built on the resort, in 1996, and the one whose themed family rooms, Moon Voyage and Arctic Explorer among them, show up on most booking sites. An indoor link runs to the Splash Landings Hotel and on to the Alton Towers Waterpark, which opened in June 2003 as Cariba Creek and runs all year. The Waterpark's headline ride is the Master Blaster watercoaster, which needs 1.1 m and puts riders between 1.1 m and 1.2 m on a double ring; Rush & Rampage also starts at 1.1 m, while The Little Leak pool and the Wacky Waterworks Treehouse cover small children. The hotel itself has the Secret Garden restaurant, Dragon's Bar beside the lake, the Atrium with evening entertainment and a games room. The spa that once sat on the old pool area closed at the end of 2023.
- Indoor link to the Splash Landings Hotel and the Alton Towers Waterpark
- Waterpark open all year, with the Master Blaster watercoaster from 1.1 m
- Themed family rooms such as Moon Voyage, with bunk beds behind a curved wall
- Secret Garden restaurant, Dragon's Bar by the lake and evening shows in the Atrium
- Accommodation car park right outside the hotel entrance
Our take
An indoor corridor from this hotel to Splash Landings and the Waterpark is the whole argument: on a wet day you go from bedroom to Lagoona Bay without a coat. I would book it for a two-day trip that mixes the theme park and the Waterpark, with children who are at least 1.1 m so the Master Blaster and Rush & Rampage are open to them. With smaller children only, Splash Landings sits even closer to the pools. For a calm countryside break the guest scores point elsewhere: the hotel averages 7.4 from 78 reviews, while several village inns nearby score higher. The spa closed at the end of 2023, so this is a base for families on the move, not for a pampering weekend.
- ✓Leave the car at the hotel during your theme park day: accommodation parking sits right outside the entrance, and the monorail from the car park beside Splash Landings takes you to the theme park gates.
- ✓A 2026 short break here covers the room, breakfast, evening entertainment, a round of Extraordinary Golf (nine holes) and parking; theme park and Waterpark tickets are not part of it and are added to the booking. Waterpark entry then runs on timed slots, so pick one before your room is ready.
- ✓Breakfast in the Secret Garden restaurant runs on reserved times rather than open seating, so book your slot when you check in instead of turning up at the door.
- ✓Riders between 1.1 m and 1.2 m must share a double ring on the Master Blaster, so pair a shorter child with an adult before you climb the tower.
- ✓In the evening the Rollercoaster Restaurant is 10 to 15 minutes on foot through the closed theme park and needs a reservation; book it before arrival.
Why we love it
- Bedroom to Waterpark without stepping outside, useful in Staffordshire's wet months
- The resort monorail starts from the car park beside Splash Landings
- Themed rooms that give children their own bunk area
Why guests love itFamilies with children aged roughly 5 to 12 get most from this hotel, because the Waterpark's two big rides, the Master Blaster and Rush & Rampage, both need 1.1 m. Below that height, The Little Leak pool and the Wacky Waterworks Treehouse keep small children busy, and Flash Floods outdoors has no height rule but asks for strong swimmers or a buoyancy aid. Themed rooms do much of the work: the Moon Voyage family room puts bunk beds for two children behind a curved wall, apart from the double bed, with a separate TV for the children. Evenings stay on site, with entertainment in the Atrium, a games room and Dragon's Bar by the lake. What families mention less kindly: slow dinner service reported at the Secret Garden, a breakfast that runs on booked times, and wall-mounted air conditioning that some find noisy. There is no longer a spa, so parents looking for a quiet treatment hour should plan around that.