To ask if you'd recommend Butlins holidays if you've been?

[lorettalemon]

My friend and I have been thinking of having a few days away but are on a bit of a budget and would prefer not to go abroad this time.

I haven't been to a Butlins before but the self catering options, to save a bit of money, fun activities and the fact it's not terribly expensive looks really promising. I've heard some people make quite snobby remarks about it and suggesting it's awful.

I'd be very grateful if anyone who has been can tell me what it's really like - is it as clean and smart as it looks on the website? Is the food in the restaurants and cafes nice? What sort of people go - as in could it be a rowdy party place, or is it a nice environment?

Thank you in advance!

No.

It's lovely at Spring Harvest (god week) but no idea what it's like normally

And the pub is empty

It's ok..don't stay in anything less than gold accomodation though or you will regret it. This is from personal experience of Butlins Minehead. Parts of it have been refurbished and are lovely but parts are quite run down. Basically, it's cheap and cheerful - as long as you understand this, you will have a good time

The kids loved it - the adults not so much .

I never knew I was a snob until I went to Butlins. I remember getting changed in the swimming pool changing rooms and the floor was ankle deep in water and floating plasters. We went home early

It doesn't sound like people have liked it too much unless they've taken kids along who might have enjoyed it??

The kids will have a great time. I hate places like that so I wouldn’t.

Great for dc, adults get to endure it. We will go back but I wouldn't go without dc.

Are you going with kids or two adults? I wouldn't do it if it were just adults, especially not on a specific adults only weekend which I understand are like the last days of rome.

We went this summer with our 5 year old and he loved it. Accommodation was fine, food was fine. It's not actually that cheap, but obviously cheaper than going abroad.

It's not cheap and it's not cheerful. It's full if drunk adults not supervising their kids.
Don't go on a theme weekend it's even worse.

We've been with kids, as well as to Pontins. They had a BLAST at both places. The accommodation at Butlins was better than the Pontins we went to (Cambersands - literally vile but may be changed..) I can't imagine going to either place as a grown up for a holiday without children.

Op are you planning on going with just a your friend? As in no kids?

If so I'm not sure why Butlins. You'd probably get a decent air BnB somewhere nice for the same price!

I took Dd to the term time breaks we did it once self catering and the next year half board in the shoreline hotel.

I think its perfect if you have young children and want a stressfree holiday, lots of age appropriate activities, everything is already included. And nothing was overwhelming and you aren't trying to fit too much in and walking miles everyday so you aren't shattered trying to get your moneys worth which is what I found it was like when we went to Disney.

When we went selfcatering it worked out quite expensive as we bought our food from the spar on site as we had travelled by train. If you are going by car then you can stock up normally. The silver accommodation was fine but it could be noisy outside when people were returning in the evening.

The hotel was magical for Dd, Billy bear has his own bedroom their that the kids can go and put him to bed and there was lots of character Interaction. She also got a card posted through the door on her birthday which was a nice touch. The rooms were nice and buffet style food was good.

If you have older children and are going during the school holidays then Disney isn't massively more expensive.

I looked at it, thought it’d be cheap and cheerful but actually, I thought it was bloody expensive and started looking at nice caravan parks that are much more reasonable.

Don't do it. It's not cheap either, you spend a fortune on extras as very little is included!

Oh if you aren't taking children I wouldn't go. It's a holiday for children not adults. I'd get a travelodge or Premier Inn and go to London or Edinburgh for a city break

Never been to Butlins.

We've been to Haven a few times with adult family (no DCs). It's cheap outside school holiday time and we've had no problems.

Kids will love it, so much for young children to do. If you can get a good deal give it a try. We have been a couple of times, when our DS were very young, stayed at Bognor in the hotel and once in gold self catering, it was fine.

Plenty of places to visit with or without children that are similar priced. I’d shop around.

we go to butlins minehead a week before christmas for their christmas celebrations,been doing it 6 years now and are going again this year

always been clean ,comfortable and very warm rooms,we have had silver rooms and one year got upgraded to a big 4 bedroom buglaow

cant comment on the restaurants as i refuse to pay 20 pound a day per person for food (kids eat like adults)so £80 a day

for example this year its only costing me £122 for 3 adults(even though hes still 15) and 1 child so 2 bedrooms

what i do is i leave it to november/early december to book as its always so much cheaper than booking in january ,we always get our food at the morrisons around the corner,but i think there is a lidls or alduis there as well

kitchen has always been well equipt as we cook all our food from scratch with plenty of space for groceries

ive 2 kids with complex disabilities and its never been to much for them or never came across rough type people,its all families

Went to skegness but stayed in the caravan park opposite. Private rental van was lovely but there was a constant, inescapable smell of shit, which was apparently due to the fact it is in between two sewage plants! No one bloody tells you this.

It was expensive and dirty. We went in the school holidays with dc and it cost as much as Disneyland Paris. In fact that was awful too, but I digress. Queues for everything, most activities fully booked, noisy, so noisy, and drunk adults incapable of supervising their dc. We had half board and that was an overpriced buffet. The pool was filthy and nothing seemed to actually work. All the staff we came across seemed very chirpy and were pleasant but didn’t seem to care about their jobs that much. The clubs were packed out and all kids activities spoiled by feral minions. Truly the worst 4 days I can remember.

Sorry if that seems negative, it might be very different with adults only during term time. Both dh and I have said the one holiday we would never do again is Butlins. There must be a better option?

We also had security staff walking up and down at night - felt like a prison.

I loved Butlin’s Minehead. Tbh honest you are going for the kids entertainment as if the kids are happy then I’m happy. I stayed in a silver bungalow as I didn’t wan to risk having elephants upstairs. I also went for the premium dining package. However, the is a big Morrison’s and Aldi right outside if you want to self cater