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Original poster

PGL family holidays - £££! Worth it?

18 replies

OnTheBrink1 · 29/04/2021 13:43

I’ve just been looking into a short activity holiday with PGL for the school holidays.
I have enquired about a 2 night stay. There would
Be me DH and 3 kids (KS2 and lower secondary school)
The price is around £1250 for 2 nights!
This is a lot but I appreciate that meals and activities for 2 days are included.
What do you think? Anyone been?

OP posts:
Original poster
OnTheBrink1 · 29/04/2021 19:05

Anyone??

OP posts:
SandysMam · 29/04/2021 19:08

A day at a crappy attraction is £100 for a family of 4, I’m not really surprised at that price really. £500 for accommodation, £300 for food and the rest for activities etc.
However whether it’s good value or not will depend on the quality of each of those things!

LIZS · 29/04/2021 19:09

They used to be pretty cheap. Accommodation is basic and food canteen quality

BigSandyBalls2015 · 29/04/2021 19:17

They must have put their prices up massively as that used to be a cheap weekend away.

Lifeispassingby · 29/04/2021 19:23

AN ex partner and I went on one in Devon about 10yrs ago, he took his son and I took my niece of the same age. It was really good fun but we were both outdoorsy people and happily took part in all the activities

sunsetsand · 29/04/2021 19:31

No, I'd book a travelodge in Chester and go to Bewilderwood, do the Crocky Trail and a day wandering round the city walls eat out each evening and have enough left over to do it all over again with the change! Grin

rainbowthoughts · 29/04/2021 19:32

Not a chance I would spend that on 2 nights away.

There is so much more available for your money.

FAQs · 29/04/2021 19:35

maybe one of these ? www.yha.org.uk/breaks/activity-breaks/activity-centres

AC12theletterofthelaw · 29/04/2021 20:12

God, that’s expensive. Personally, I’d go nowhere near them. There were huge issues last year when they refused to give parent back their kids school residential money that was paid in full. Schools had to claim refunds via their insurance.

willstarttomorrow · 29/04/2021 20:26

No not really worth it. Like most packages you are paying for someone to organise you. So unless you really want that you can do it cheaper yourself.

kelliefaggle · 29/04/2021 20:38

Not a chance I'd pay that. We went for a 4 nights and paid about £500 for 3 of us. Activities very good, accomodation not so -very basic, issues with heating/hot water and food was a major issue. It was canteen style and served to you, not awful but also not amazing. The issue was adults receiving the same portion as a child. Literally we had to argue with the staff to get more food, laughable.

Tarararara · 29/04/2021 20:47

We've been a few times, and are going again this summer (4 nights). Your kids will love it, 'best holiday ever' etc etc, BUT the accomodation is very basic, and the food is at best mediocre, so you might be disappointed at that price. You'd get more value for money if you went for longer.

PGL discount for early bookers (when I booked back in Feb my holiday was £299 child/£309 adult - plus free room upgrade, whereas same holiday today is £349 child/£389 adult, without room upgrade). But more importantly, they have always in the past discounted late bookings (I see they are already discounting May half term). I've just looked back at my 2018/2019 emails and the discounts go from 'parents half price', to '50% off', to '2 kids free per adult' the closer you get to the date of the hols. Obviously it's a risk to wait (and it might be with the staycation boom this year, they won't neec to discount) but if I were you, I would mentally 'book' the holiday but wait until much nearer the time to actually book with PGL. Now is the most expensive time to book a PGL holiday!

Original poster
OnTheBrink1 · 29/04/2021 20:58

@Tarararara

We've been a few times, and are going again this summer (4 nights). Your kids will love it, 'best holiday ever' etc etc, BUT the accomodation is very basic, and the food is at best mediocre, so you might be disappointed at that price. You'd get more value for money if you went for longer.

PGL discount for early bookers (when I booked back in Feb my holiday was £299 child/£309 adult - plus free room upgrade, whereas same holiday today is £349 child/£389 adult, without room upgrade). But more importantly, they have always in the past discounted late bookings (I see they are already discounting May half term). I've just looked back at my 2018/2019 emails and the discounts go from 'parents half price', to '50% off', to '2 kids free per adult' the closer you get to the date of the hols. Obviously it's a risk to wait (and it might be with the staycation boom this year, they won't neec to discount) but if I were you, I would mentally 'book' the holiday but wait until much nearer the time to actually book with PGL. Now is the most expensive time to book a PGL holiday!

That’s a really good tip thank you! Yes they say parents go half price this half term but then it says booking up to the 28th May? Half term starts 29th May so I don’t really understand that!
OP posts:
Original poster
OnTheBrink1 · 29/04/2021 21:03

@sunsetsand

No, I'd book a travelodge in Chester and go to Bewilderwood, do the Crocky Trail and a day wandering round the city walls eat out each evening and have enough left over to do it all over again with the change! Grin
This is what I am thinking.. must be so much more I can do for that money! With a travel lodge- how does that work with 2 adults and 3 kids? 2 rooms I guess with splitting the adults up into different rooms? Kids are too young to be in a room by themselves. Everything is booked this year obviously so finding something for a couple of nights is hard? Do you know what ages the bewilderwood is suitable for? My kids are aged between 9-11
OP posts:
sunsetsand · 29/04/2021 21:55

Try premier inn, I think they do rooms for 5.

Bewilderwood is for all ages do you can join in too. It's based on the books so if you buy those first they can read them before you go.

PGL sounds awful, mediocre food and arguments to get more Confused, basic accommodation with issues? No thanks.

Greenwood family park and Manley Mere are on my to do list. You could get 4 nights and do those as well as Bewilderwood and the Crocky Trail for that price as well as eating in restaurants every night.

2Rebecca · 29/04/2021 22:04

PGL holidays are great as Parents Get Lost holidays where older kids do stuff together. My kids enjoyed them, but without parents. If parents want to be involved it seems an odd company to choose

Original poster
OnTheBrink1 · 29/04/2021 22:20

@2Rebecca

PGL holidays are great as Parents Get Lost holidays where older kids do stuff together. My kids enjoyed them, but without parents. If parents want to be involved it seems an odd company to choose
I guess I was thinking this because one of my children lost both her Y6 and y7 long awaited residential trips both to PGL last year 😭 Just trying to give her the experience in whatever way I could I guess
OP posts:
eyeoresancerre · 29/04/2021 22:26

We did a 2 day one - dreadful food, couldn't do the activities we wanted as they said they weren't available. We paid £300 and felt ripped off.
However my son went with his friend to a PGL in Lincolnshire and it was amazing. The one we went to - not great.

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