Butlins

We went on a 4 day/3 nights weekend break in September. First time we have ever been and both my boys (2+ & 11) loved it; especially the Splash Waterworld. Our Gold Accommodation was adequate and had 3 bedrooms, 2 of which had 2 single beds in each. Didn't give it more than 7 as there was a wet patch on the carpet just outside the kirchenette/living area. Probably from leak. Also was disappointed that they didn't provide enough towels for us, even though they would have known there were 4 of us staying there. The food at the Yacht Club offered enough variety every day we were there for us to not be bored. Granted that some of the activities had to be paid for but the price is comparable to what you'd expect to pay 'outside'. My eldest went for archery (which turned out to be free), go-karting and quasar laser, all of which he really enjoyed. He also thoroughly enjoyed the Brainiac live show. It can be rather expensive with all the arcade games, sweets and numerous tat/disposable toys that easily lure the children. That's why Spalsh Waterworld is a money-saver as it is free and you can pratically be there for hours; if the kids let you leave that is. Also it is great that when you have had enough of being in water, the rides outside are free.

We have just returned from a week self catering at Butlins Skegness.
We felt that is is definitely worth the money to upgrade to the best standard of accomodation you can afford although it is worth bearing in mind the standard accomodation is sited closest to the facilities.
The entertainment is fantastic for kids and adults with something on all hours of the day. This is a great park for all ages even teenagers who are quite often hard to please.
It is worth making the most of the free entertainment available and making the most of the beach and pool.
We found it very expensive as they have thought of everything possible to make you part with your money.
The spa is lovely and they do offer childcare in the nursery.

We have just returned from a week self catering at Butlins Skegness.
We felt that is is definately worth the money to upgrade to the best standard of accomodation you can afford although it is worth bearing in mind the standard accomodation is sited closest to the facilities.
The entertainment is fantastic for kids and adults with something on all hours of the day. This is a great park for all ages even teenagers who are quite often hard to please.
It is worth making the most of the free entertainment available and making the most of the beach and pool.
We found it very expensive as they have thought of everything possible to make you part with your money.
The spa is lovely and they do offer childcare in the nursery.

We have just returned from a week self catering at Butlins Skegness.
We felt that is is definately worth the money to upgrade to the best standard of accomodation you can afford although it is worth bearing in mind the standard accomodation is sited closest to the facilities.
The entertainment is fantastic for kids and adults with something on all hours of the day. This is a great park for all ages even teenagers who are quite often hard to please.
It is worth making the most of the free entertainment available and making the most of the beach and pool.
We found it very expensive as they have thought of everything possible to make you part with your money.
The spa is lovely and they do offer childcare in the nursery.

We have just returned from a week self catering at Butlins Skegness.
We felt that is is definately worth the money to upgrade to the best standard of accomodation you can afford although it is worth bearing in mind the standard accomodation is sited closest to the facilities.
The entertainment is fantastic for kids and adults with something on all hours of the day. This is a great park for all ages even teenagers who are quite often hard to please.
It is worth making the most of the free entertainment available and making the most of the beach and pool.
We found it very expensive as they have thought of everything possible to make you part with your money.
The spa is lovely and they do offer childcare in the nursery.

We stayed in May earlier this year with our family. There were 6 adults in total and two children under the age of 2 years.

We stayed in the 'Gold' apartments and to be honest they were a little bit dissapointing as the decor was dated but on the plus side we had a bathroom for each bedroom. We specifically asked for a proper cot before we got there and were told that the cots would be in the rooms upon arrival but it turned out that they only hired out travel cots and we had to go and collect them.

On the whole it was a nice stay, plenty to do but expensive when you added up the price of eating out and other activities that weren't included in the price. Could have done with more verity of place to eat as it was mostly fast food places.

Would probably go again but the distance of travel is off putting for as. 9 hours drive is just a killer!

We went here with our 2.5 year old and 4 month old and had a lovely weekend. We booked half board in gold accomodation and paid with Tesco Clubcard deals so it was effectively free! I would not say that the gold accomodation was anything special at all - really very basic (not anything like as nice as the basic accomodation somewhere like Center Parks) but it was OK - clean, warm etc and you arent in your rooms much anyway as so much is going on. The restaurant and food was great - all you can eat and delicious. There are 3 restaurants for each type of accom - standard, silver andgold and all serve the same type of food just the environment and other diners differs! They had food themes each evening ie italian, indian etc, a carvery and an option for kids. The restaurant was great too (and the other clientele relatively normal if you get my drift). The entertainment is great though - characters for the kids - Bob, Pingu, Fireman Sam, Barney etc plus good acts in the evening. Was quite impressed with that. The pool is amazing - great flumes and slides. We would definitely go back although maybe just go for silver accomodation and upgrade the dining to get the nicest restaurant. Red coats were great too, very professional and friendly. All in all a lovely holiday for the kids and if they are happy you can enjoy yourself too.

just returned from a week at Minhead butlins and i must say we had a fantastic time. We have four children who have now deceided that they are to old to come on holiday with us, so we thought we would try butlins on our own!! We were quite worried that the place would be over run with board children (after all it is a family park)but there was so much for the children to do all the time this was never the case.we were surprised at the number of couples we met while we were there. The first part of the week was a "family entertainment week" and thats just what we got. there was loads of red coats on hand with happy dispositions that just lifted your mood soon as you saw them. There was plenty of places you could enjoy as an adult without feeling you should have brought the children. we eat in the yatch club which is their premier dinning facility and we couldnt complain about anything. the food choice and quility was amazing, it was hot and you could go back as many times as you wanted. (I put 1/2 stone on by the time we got home!)There was a good selection of childrens meals and even a ice cream machine they could help their selves too. There was loads of familys eating in there, plenty of high chairs and the staff were only to happy to help carry food ect for mums carrying babies or small children. We stayed in the delux accomedation which felt like we were in a suite in a hotel. There was a bottle of wine, fudge and toiletries in the bathroom, for us when we arrived. We had trouble getting the bedroom TV remote to work so we rang houskeeping, and within 5 minuite there was a repair man at the door ready to fix it. The weekend of the week we stayed was an adult only break and what a transformation! Childrens play areas put away and tempary bars erected, we wondered what we were in for. the theame of the weekend was the 70's and by 2pm the place was swarming with people in every type of 70's costume. we sat on our patio and just watch it was like stepping back 30 years!! over the weekend we were entertained by original 70's bands along with tributes to several more. we expected to see drunken people all over the place and expected the sort of scenes you see on TV of bad towns on a Saturday night. but there was non of it just 5000 people all in fancy dress enjoying themselves, yes a lot of drink was drunk but the atmosfere was just great, everyone just wanted to have a good time. we never saw any trouble and lots of people comented on the fact that they had never felt so safe going out for an evening. All in all we had a fantastic week and to make it even better we paid for the whole week with tesco vouchers so it didnt cost us a penny. we will certainly be going back.

This is my idea of a nightmare holiday but i can't argue with the fact our children loved it. So many things to do and get involved with. Our children loved the swimming, shows and getting up and having a dance. It must be popular because the place was packed and no child seemed miserable. I do think this place is more child friendly than parent friendly though and not as relaxing as i would of liked. I came back feeling like i needed another holiday. The children still talk about it a year later and sing all the songs! so overall it is a hit. Good value for money, especially with all the offers floating about and service was pretty good.

Well we go every year and have a fantastic time it's our kids most favourite place in the world even better than Disney. The chalets can be variable and the trolleys are a nightmare so this year we bought a caravan which is the perfect option for us. If anyone is interested in hiring it email me enquiries@butlinsholidaycaravans.co.uk

You are talking to a Butlins girl here, a former Beaver, someone who was in the talent contest and loved every bit of those 2 weeks in Skeggy with the extended family...but having taken out boys aged 6 and 11 for the past few years, the attraction has started to wane. I disagree with the lady who said there was lots to do for older kids, although her child may have different interests. My boy spent most of the time playing snooker with his Dad as the Archery and Fencing were booked. My younger son is no longer enraptured by Bob the Builder so that was a challenge too. On the plus side the food was plentiful and the staff very friendly. On the minus, I found it to be a pocket raider and when the kids start tapping my purse, I know they are bored. Bring back the Red Coats who had a little sparkle! I did compare our stay with an old programme in case I was just getting nostalgic and there genuinely was more to entertain all ages of children in the 60s and 70s. I also object to the amount of junk food there. the smoking ban has been good because now you can smell that the place needs a good clean rather than it just being smoked up. Sorry to seem negative. We really thought that this would be an ideal break for all of us but it doesn't work. Bring back the Old Tyme Dancing and I'll be a Butlin's Beaver any day, but I won't be going back I'm afraid.

we had a fab week here. we were in silver accomodation and i must say we were plesently surprised , it was spotless! we had enough kitchen equipment and a welcom pack, the showerromm was really clean as were the bedrooms and living area .we found the house keeping fab my son actually had two accidents at night ( the matteress are protected)on both occasions we phoned housekeeping and they were absolutley fab, they came and changed his bed with no fuss whatsover, we couldnt of asked for more than that. my son was 4 at the time and had a ball he loved it as did we there was so much for him to see and do it was great. we didnt buy food in on site shop as it is expensive but there was a tesco about 5 min walk away. cant comment on take aways as we didnt use the on site ones. we will be going back.

We have stayed in lots of holiday parks throughout the UK, but unfortunately were disappointed with Butlins, it was more expensive tghe most park and not great for the money. The chalet was very basic and quite grubby. The children had a good time and there is lots to do in the local area.

Myself, my husband and our two (at the time) children aged 5 and 4 months spent 4 days at the Minehead resort and while we enjoyed the beach we felt that the actual Butlins resort was very dirty, expensive and poor value for money.

We stayed in a silver apartment which had a kitchenette. The two bedrooms were quite a good size and the living room was comfortable, however the bathroom was absolutely filthy and complaining to customer services made no difference. The kitchen area was also ill equipped with no can opener or proper utensils and a filthy microwave.

Overall we found the resort to be expensive too, with arcade machines the main attraction and a very small selection of fairground rides. When we did eat out it was erring on the expensive side and was nothing more than fish and chips or pizza available.

We had much more fun exploring Minehead itself and found a marvellous family pub on the seafront with great, reasonably priced food and a downstairs childrens softplay area which we spent most of the week at!

Maybe we went at the wrong time of year (May) but I suspect that Butlins just wasn't for us. My husband has vowed never to return to Butlins though we have visited Minehead and the surrounding areas since (Dunster Castle is great) and had a fabulous time!

So overall we'd recommend Minehead but avoid Butlins at all costs!

This was a fantastic holiday with plenty to do for the children. What I liked was once you got there most of the attractions were free so you didn't have to be the mean parent always saying no. The evening entertainment was plentiful and lots of choice. It will be even better this year with the smoking ban. We went self catering but weren't that organised which meant expensive purchases in the onsite shop. We are going again this year and will plan to have the essentials pre-purchased. The accomodation was good, we had everything we needed and there was an easy hassle free system for any problems or extra requests. I would never have gone here without children and was a bit apprehensive but we loved it and are going again.

An absolutely great week at a bargain price.

Actually I thought this was a money eater. You have to pay extra for so many things. THe bouncy castle, the crazy golf (which was very tatty) so many things which you would normally hope to get free. You're routed through the fruit machines all the time and your hand is never out of your pocket for ices, candy floss, etc. The service was very slow in the cafe. The pool however is great and if your kids like swimming it can be worth it for that plus the little funfair, and there are a few shows here and there. Kids are certainly not going to hate it, the girl loved the scary fairground rides but our boy wasn't sorry to go. Also for all that you're supposed to have redcoats around we hardly saw anyone, and the people on the food stalls, though willing, just didn't seem to know where anything was. In general I was rather disappointed, it was an expensive noisy and rather tatty place and the kids were just as happy elsewhere.

The Skegness Butlins holiday park is "fab especially for older kids" offering an "energetic action-packed weekend." "The kids can go off and do their own thing while you do yours" and "there's loads to choose from - swimming, cinema, shows, soft play - all included in the price." The accomodation is "basic but clean and perfectly nice." And it all comes at an affordable price: "Butlins provided the perfect weekend away of a budget."

Mumsnet tip: "Discounted breaks are common and can be substantial, be sure to check around before you book."

For a fun filled break with kids it is THE place to go. Loads for kids to see and do. All areas of the site easily accesable and child friendly.
Food service is speedy and good value too.