To be scared we're off to haven *gulp*

[booomy]

DP has just announced his parents have booked a last minute caravan in a haven park. I know i'm being stuck up, but I'm really afraid it's going to be filthy! I don't know if i'm more upset about staying in a caravan or the fact I might see FIL in his pants on the way to the bathroom...

Haven merged with Bourne Leisure/British Holidays. Park Resorts was ex-Haven staff buying up Haven's smaller parks.

YABU unreasonable about the caravan park but not about sharing with your in-laws - caravans have little privacy.

We've been to 4 different Havens and each time the caravan has been clean. I can't say that tattoos and hooped earrings on other holiday-makers has any bearing on the enjoyment of our holiday. The one we enjoyed least happened to have the poshest clientele, but our lack of enjoyment had more to do with bad weather and dd1 not being well for part of it.

I have been to one. It was enough to put me off for life. Centerparcs all the way for us. I luffs it there.

I've just come back today from a week at Haven at Reighton Sands near Filey, and we also went to Elveden Center Parcs the week before that. The Haven entertainment was pretty crap and there was an air of quiet desperation around the 'Fun Stars'. Caravan was clean though and it was a good base for days out around the area. The beach was lovely as well. You wouldn't want to stay on site all day - there's not enough to do.

Center Parcs on the other hand, is fab.

We went to Greenacres a couple years ago and it was great. We had the basic caravan but spent most of the time out and about anyway (except for the last day when it poured down non stop) It was clean and not smelly and the swimming pool was nice as was the outdoor water bit. And it was right next to the beach. My kids loved it so much they're begging us to go back. We don't have tattoos, piercings or smoke. I didn't really notice many of the other holidaymakers there so they can't have been to bad if they didn't set off my judgypantsradar!

Pontins at Camber Sands was dire and that was about 15 years ago we went on a Sun holiday there. Is it still open? Urgh!

I agree with the Haven = fine/ Park Resorts = well dodge split. The pub bit at the Haven we went to was nice enough to go out to for a couple of hours (we're not 'entertainment' fans and DS isn't old enough to mither us to go yet). At Park Resorts it was, well, not.

I HEART Centerparcs though.

Centreparcs - more dollar though?

Oh dear god yes. Hence the Haven breaks in-between the CPs holidays!

Went to a park (not sure what company) in Selsey a few years ago. In a tent in the tenty caravanny area. Pluses: nice shower block, fab swimming pool, near to nice pubs if you get a taxi. Minuses: the bar/resto etc - not my tasse de the. Also the charming Shameslessesque family who arrived back from the evening entertainment at about 1 am and who made John Terry sound like Norman St John Steves.

Park resorts, absolutely awful
Centre parcs, expensive and didn't really enjoy it
Haven has always been fine, the kids always have a great time which I think is the whole point in going.

We are going next year, there will be 15 of us. This year we stayed in a villa in Tenerife but the children were bored. I've refused to go on a plane again untill the youngest two are a lot older

Never fancied Centreparcs. Some friends liked it some didn't. But friends who went to Butlins say that it was terrible. Skegness i think it was or somewhere near.

I'm pretty fussy and a bit of a snob when it comes to holidays but I took the kids to a park resorts near Yarmouth last August on a clubcard freebie and it was fine actually - better than expected and perfectly good bottom of the range caraven.

Been to Haven last few years. Which one are you going too?

I have been to Haven twice and will never ever go again! Good luck op even if I was offered a freebie I wouldn't go.
Can I just say in my defence that as a child my mum and dad had a touring caravan and we went all over the country, I loved it.
Haven is a recent experience since having my own kids.

I would rather eat my own arm than spend a week in a caravan with my in laws.

Sassybeast - finally a kindred spirit!!!

I have no experience but my DS (24) went to a Haven park about 3 years ago. It was a cheap weekend for him, his GF and another couple.

On first appearances he said it was fine but he rang me later and said the place was full of drunks, staggering about and shouting, covered in tattoos and lots of swearing.

Then he added in an undertone "and that's just the women."

We went to a Haven caravan in April and I worried about much the same things. We upgraded to the premier/luxury(?) caravan. Honestly it was spotless and had everything we needed. The entertainment/activities for the kids was fab. The pool was lovely. They loved it. Yes there were lots of football kits/tattoos. But there was a family friendly atmosphere and we saw no excessive drunken/rowdy behaviour. Although we were always back in the caravan by 9.30.

We had a 3 bedroom caravan just for us though. Wouldn't fancy sharing with wider family.

Oh and we've been to centre parcs several times and I think the caravan at Haven we stayed in was nicer than the lodges there.

Been to haven. Caravan spotless, had heating and an en suite!

The site is generally nice (Weymouth) but the pool changing rooms were grimity grim grim, worthy of a rant by ilovebabies

Use the park as a launch pad for visiting surrounding beaches etc and you'll ave a great time. Regardless of your an views kids love the evening entertainment.

We love haven we stay at caister, in the daytime we simply use it as a base from which to drive around and see other places. In the evenings we may eat there (pub or caravan generally) if we get back early enough, and may use the entertainment.

Never had issue with caravans, always taken cleaning wipes just in case but don't use them. If there's a problem then complain and ask them to correct it.

We went to haven in Devon a couple of weeks ago, just caught the end of the lovely weather and had a good sized caravan that had a great beach view. Everything was clean and lovely and we were right by a new beach bar which did fab food

Has anyone been to Haven at Berwick?

I went camping at a Park resort in the summer with a friend and my son. I wasn't particularly looking forward to it because well it's my idea of hell. I'd much rather camp in a field with just a loo & shower block. Well bugger me it was fun!

The entertainment was a total cheesefest, but my son bloody loved it. Loads of kids to play with and a horrendous arcade that made my ears bleed with all that noise. My son loved that too.

The so-called "rough" kids were incredibly well behaved, it was my little hippy boy that was running around like a lunatic (I blame the arcade).

The loos and showers were the cleanest I've seen at a campsite, but the nappy bins at the pool were overflowing and grim.

Was in a lovely area, and people were nice and friendly. We'll be going again!

Yes, I've been to the one at Haggerston Castle, I wouldn't recommend it. Pool is small and overcrowded, The Haven's I have been to in Wales and Devon were a lot nicer.

I've never been so don't know how it'll be. But why not wait and see, you might be pleasantly surprised.

As for "you can clean if it's dirty" , who the heck wants to go on holiday and clean up the previous occupiers' messes. Boak.