Osea Leisure Park is crowned first five-star park in Essex

Osea Leisure Park has been handed the highest rating from VisitEngland, making it the first park in Essex to receive this level of recognition for two on-site facilities, The Park and The Meadows.

The Maldon-based resort is located in Osea Road, which connects Heybridge to the tiny and private Osea Island where Olly Murs married his wife Amelia Tank this summer. 

The Maldon-based resort in Osea Road (Image: Osea Leisure Park)

The island is well-known for attracting popular celebrities including singers Rihanna, The Weeknd, George Ezra and Sean Paul.

Stormzy even recorded the entirety of his album This Is What I Mean on Osea Island in a "free atmosphere" where he "prayed every morning" during its creation.

It is also famous due to multiple films and television series being filmed on the land. 

Films include The Woman In Black and Essex Boys and the television series The Third Day. 

The park 'never stands still' (Image: Osea Leisure Park)

Having successfully grown its offering, including its iconic pastel beach huts located on the Blackwater Estuary, recently quadrupling the number of staff, doubling the size of the Deckhouse bar and restaurant and building up the Meadows glamping site, Osea Leisure Park was hailed by VisitEngland for "never standing still".

The park began its story pre-Second World War in 1933, when it was opened by Mabel Speakman to pea and fruit pickers for camping. Now, marking its 90th birthday, the resort has been transformed into a leading business run by Mabel’s great-granddaughter Janie Robinson.

The VisitEngland assessor commented: “Osea Leisure Park never stands still. A number of ideas and plans are in place for the future, and it is most encouraging to see the continual development and enhancement of the park and facilities with the management team and Owners being very much aware of the ever changing market and increasing guest expectations.”

The popular beach huts (Image: Osea Leisure Park)

The award-winning independent park offers luxury camping facilities and touring as well as access to a range of outdoor activities including sea and freshwater fishing, the use of the beach, swimming, cycling, boating, kayaking and more.

Janie Robinson, Managing Director of Osea Leisure Park says: "Since I took over Osea Leisure Park 20 years ago, it has been our mission to turn our resort into 'the best holiday park' using traditional values in a modern world. Our team has always gone above and beyond to ensure every visitor who comes to our park makes memories that will last a lifetime. We are very proud of what we have achieved, and we can’t thank our team enough for the contribution each and every one of them has made in helping us achieve Five Star status.”

As well as glamping and touring, Osea Leisure Park also offers ownership of new and used holiday homes, lodges, static caravans and beach huts, as well as Saltmarsh Point - an exclusive development of 33 privately owned luxury lodges.

The park 'is clearly at the top of the game' (Image: Osea Leisure Park)

A spokesperson for the British Holiday and Home Parks Association, the UK park industry’s representative body, said that Osea Leisure Park could take a real pride in its achievement: “Five stars is the highest possible grade awarded by Visit England and is a valuable indicator to guests and holiday caravan buyers of the high standards they can expect to enjoy.

“Visit England assessors look not just at the quality of the park’s facilities and accommodation, but also at the friendliness, hospitality, and warmth of welcome extended to visitors.

“In all these respects, Osea Leisure Park is clearly at the top of the game, and the five-star grading is a credit both to the business owners and their team.

“The park’s participation in the David Bellamy Blooming Marvellous Pledge for Nature Scheme, organised by the Association, also suggests that nature and wildlife benefit from the same VIP treatment as their guests. Keep up the great work.”