“HOCUS POCUS!” my son shouts, swirling me around in bubbling water and casting pretend spells as he goes.
He is cackling with delight in his very own bubbling cauldron — OK, it’s a hot tub, but that’s the joy of a child’s imagination.
We’re at Sandy Balls holiday park in the New Forest, checking out the UK’s first-ever “haunted cauldron” hot-tub experience — as part of Away Resorts’ spooky getaways.
The special cabin-in-the-woods-style Knightwood lodge has been transformed into a Halloween haven, decked out with touches such as cobwebs and creepy crawlies.
Our stay comes as research reveals 63 per cent of Brits love Halloween more than ever, with 55 per cent now preferring it to Guy Fawkes Night.
I, for one, am part of those stats. Me and my kids — Jude, five, and Eva, three — along with my partner’s children, Ronnie, eight, and Hugo, three, absolutely adored our ghostly lodge.
But the scary fun didn’t end there. The haunted hot tub was just the start.
Away Resorts goes all out with its 31 Days of Halloween, offering spooky decorations, arts and crafts, and eerie entertainment for the whole family.
From a Trick or Treat treasure trail to a Franken-SLIME laboratory, the kids were kept busy with all kinds of festive chaos.
Even outside the lodge, the park was decked out with giant pumpkins and a glow-in-the-dark slime machine that the children could operate by pushing a big red “caution” button — naturally, they pressed it a lot.
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As night fell, skeletons projected on to huge screens gave us a proper fright while we sipped hot chocolates topped with cream.
Saturday night saw a giant fire pit at the centre of the park, where we bought marshmallows from a food van and toasted them.
A skeleton violinist played spine-chilling tunes as the kids danced under trees twinkling with fairy lights.
It was utterly magical, like stepping straight into a movie scene.
Then DJ Bones took over with a glow-stick rave.
Watching them go wild, I switched my hot chocolate for mulled wine — because let’s face it, parenting is thirsty work.
Food-wise, the on-site farm shop had everything from Halloween treats to the essentials . . . but it wasn’t cheap. I popped in for a few bits and somehow walked out £100 lighter on the very first night.
The kids, of course, were busy shoving Halloween sweets into the basket, while I grabbed necessities like tea bags, milk, bread . . . and booze.
With four youngsters between us, frankly, it was a survival essential.
But, of course, you can always stock up at home and bring essential supplies, like wine, with you.
Our lodge was kitted out with great cooking facilities and equipment, so we mostly prepared food at our lovely holiday home.
But, if you did want to treat yourself, the site has two restaurants: Aubrey’s Forest Kitchen serving pizzas, steaks and pastas, and the Woodside Inn for classic pub grub. Main meals averaged £18, beer £7, and prosecco £10.
There’s plenty for kids too — a free soft play directly across from the bar meant we could grab a drink while they burned off some energy.
Other highlights included ghoul school, pumpkin carving, and Junior Off-Road Land Rover Discoveries (£15 for 30 mins).
Terrifying and thrilling
The older children drove themselves while we sat in with the little ones — terrifying and thrilling in equal measure.
There’s also a great swimming pool, free to use, though it can get quite busy.
Beyond the park, the New Forest is beautiful. On the drive down, the kids loved spotting wild Shetland ponies and horses.
We also found cosy country pubs with fantastic outdoor play areas for the little ones.
Back to our stay, our lodge slept eight with two bathrooms, a king-size room, a bunk room, a cosy lounge with a smart TV, and outdoor seating with heaters.
After a day of spooky chaos, we all fell asleep watching Ghostbusters with hot chocolates.
Our only gripe? Our stay wasn’t long enough.
As we closed the door on our weekend, the kids begged: “When can we come back?”
After seeing what Sandy Balls did for Halloween, we can’t wait to discover what it has in store for Christmas.
Something tells me it will be just as magical.
GO: HAMPSHIRE
STAYING THERE: Two nights’ self-catering in a four-bed Knightwood lodge at Away Resorts Sandy Balls is from £327 in total, arriving November 11.
Sleeps up to eight.
A four-berth caravan at the site is from £161 for two nights, arriving November 3.
To book, go to awayresorts.co.uk.