The best Haven or Parkdean resort

[Thismummyruns]

As the title states. OH has decided to take us on a last minute break. Best resort votes needed!

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MNHQ update: If you’re short on time, here’s a summary of the best holiday parks Mumsnetters are recommending on this thread:

😎Parkdean Vauxhall Holiday Park, Great Yarmouth

😎Parkdean Crantock Beach Holiday Park, near Newquay

😎Haven Kiln Park, Tenby

😎Parkdean Warmwell, Dorset

😎Haven Lydstep Beach, Tenby

😎Haven Greenacres, Porthmadog

😎Parkdean Kessingland Beach, Suffolk

😎Haven Marton Mere, Blackpool

😎Thornwick Bay, Yorkshire

😎Parkdean Nodes Point, Isle of Wight

😎Parkdean Ruda Holiday Park, Croyde Bay, Devon

😎White Cross Bay Holiday Park, Windermere

😎Primrose Valley, Yorkshire

For more inspo, check out our guides to the best Parkdean Resorts, the best Haven holiday parks and the best holiday parks in the UK, featuring more recommendations from Mumsnetters.

Which part of the country are you interested in?

Craig Tara has by far the best facilities of any we have visited. Haggerston castle was also good.

We have also been to Seton Sands, Whitley Bay, Oceans edge, sundrum castle, all great holidays but smaller parks with less facilities wise.

I have also.heard good things about primrose valley.

Avoid like the plague weymss bay and cresswell towers both absolutely filthy!

Small, low key but 5 min walk to stunning surfing beach, Parkdean Crantock near Newquay.

Warmwell in Dorset.

We love Haven at Tenby, such a pretty little town and fab beach/harbour. And Lydstep Beach just slightly up the coast. Small site, shingle beach and beautiful views.

Wouldn't do Parkdean again - we had a horrific stay in one, caravan wasn't fit to use as a dog kennel and their customer service was a joke. Plus it was all a bit "working men's club" in their entertainment.

Not Sandylands - absolutely awful. Depends on what you are looking for in a resort otherwise.

We went to green acres earlier in the year and it was lovely. West wales, there was lots to do in the surrounding area and we didn’t need to spend loads of money, we like being outside so spent a couple of days walking in the mountains and on the beach. The pool was basic, but clean changing rooms and everything else seemed to be pretty standard for a haven park.

Warm well in Dorset. Lovely cabins, great fishing lakes, ski slope, wave pool.

Deer so friendly they come up for petting.

It is a lovely park and the lodges are much better than the caravans you get on most parks, particularly the lake view ones.

We went to Kessingland in Suffolk, 20 minutes drive from Southwold which is absolutely brilliant, an old fashioned seaside town, not all amusements & candy floss, just lovely shops, a brewery, fantastic places to eat, a beautiful beach & pier, or if you want the other kind of seaside, you arent far from Lowestoft & Great Yarmouth. The site has indoor & outdoor pools, amusements, place to eat, chip shop etc.

I loved Marton Mere in Blackpool. It's set on a nature reserve so just a couple of minutes walk to that and of course handy for all the tourist attractions.

Craig Tara was ok, a couple of minutes walk to the beach. Ayr isn't the nicest place for outside visits but all the usual stuff to do on the site.

Another vote for Kessingland.
Good choice @Nat6999

Avoid like the plague Trecco Bay in Porthcawl Wales. Our holiday there recently lasted 2 hours after they refused to move us from the flea infested, filthy, stinking hole they called a caravan. Their customer service is disgusting as well.

Kiln park Tenby is beautiful and wish I'd gone back there again instead of trying somewhere new.

It depends very much what you want. We love thornwick bay, green acres and the three in Weymouth.

Less keen on haggarston castle and seton sands.

Craig Tara is fucking awful - full of dog shit and dog ends. Had to change filthy chalet because there was uncleaned spaghetti chucked up the wall. Next chalet was grubby and left much cleaner when we left, especially the bathroom (boak). Chef kept dripping sweat into the sausages, staff who couldn't care less. Pointed out a pile of vomit to a cleaner on a path who just shrugged - then the pigeons ate it! Grim.

Ooooh interested as we just booked up to go to Golden Sands in Lincolnshire!

(Haven)

Have had good experiences in the park Dean's on isle of wight. Particularly recommended Nodes Point for it's own national trust beach

We just came back from Greenacres. It was okay- nice site but the pool and arcades etc were tiny compared to the amount of caravans. We much prefer Caister over all the ones we have visited so far - the beach is just lovely there and the swimming pool has an older child sized slide which is nice.

The worst I’ve ever stayed in was Hopton. Hated the way the beach was sectioned off so you couldn’t really go for a long walk along the beach and there wasn’t any sort of town / eating out places within walking distance (unless I missed them!)

I would love to try one but on here the reviews are either amazing or a hole so haven't yet taken the risk. I looked at Rockley Park (Haven) but at £1k+ per week for a caravan that might be filthy I'm afraid to do it!

I would want to go to a coastal one and only use it as a base, not interested in arcades, entertainment or eating on site. Kids might try the pool but wouldn't be there every day. Any recommendations?

Parkdean Ruda in Croyde. It's the best I've been too. West Bay and Warmwell are also good, but given the choice it would be Ruda every time. We go at least once a year.

Warmwell was ok, if you use it as a base.

White cross bay in windermere was lovely, decent entertainment, plenty for the kids to do. Clean and friendly. It's also a good base to explore the lakes from.

I've only been to one but we loved primrose valley, it's such a good location right by a massive beach. We didn't do the entertainment stuff though so I can't comment on that, but it was quiet when we went and we loved it.

It depends on how many people you are, what you like doing and where in the country you want to go.

I could recommend places in the North East and Wales, as we've just come back / booked for these areas, but it depends what you like and how old the kids are. Haggerston, that someone mentioned above, has good activities for older children but our little one was too young for the formal activties.

If it helps, ParkDean are cheaper than Haven and have fewer facilities but will have the essentials, a pool etc.

I have been to haven at least once a year for the last 10 years and as much as I haven’t liked a couple of sites cleanliness has never been an issue except in one where we phoned them and a cleaner was there in 10 minutes and we got a partial refund.