To choose Butlins over Centerparc??

[Butlinsorbust]

Am I? I have fond childhood memories of Butlins ( had very young WC class parents, not much money but we had a few long weekends at local Butlins, the only time we stayed anywhere over night when we were kids ).
looking at a half term break at CP versus Butlins the prices are MAD at Centerparcs, plus so many activities seem to cost £!£ extra.
DP - bit of a holiday snob- is nixing Centerparcs in price but won’t go to Butlins!

I don’t think our kids will
care, pool? Check! Buffet food? Check! Room to run around, check!

Am I BU to go ahead and take the kids to Butlins on my own?

Bognor do not have caravans

Go for Butlins! You and the kids will love it. Ignore the snobs who say they wouldn't go. Stay in the nicest accommodation you can afford and you will have a brilliant time. The entertainment is great for all the family. Pool and slides fab and then you've got the fairground rides etc. If it all gets too much go off site to the beach. My kids are now older teens and we haven't been for 6 years or so but they still remember those as their favourite family holidays. I also remember it with huge fondness. We used to go to the hotels on the bognor site but I have heard v good things about the refurbished facilities at minehead and Skeggie. Oh but take your own wine as theirs is a bit crap!!

I had to work really hard to get my dh to come to butlins the first time.... he'd only been cp. That was 18 years ago and he's never wanted to return to CP! Been most years since then or sometimes twice a year if we can get a cheap break!

My son is 9 and likes both - he’s all about swimming pools really.

I can enjoy either but probably prefer CP because of the setting.

My teenager won’t do either Butlin’s or CP, but will do Bluestone in Wales, which is all of our favourite of “activity” type holiday places.

Centerparc anyday

Grew up in Sussex and used to do daytrips to Bognor, so definitely no snobbishness - but when we stayed at Minehead I wasn’t impressed with the room quality or cleanliness, and the food was a bit shit (I’m vegetarian, and Pizza Hut was the best option we could find). Room was dirty, beds were hard, sheets were thin. We were supposedly in a gold apartment. Just didn’t feel very high quality.

I also didn’t rate the accommodation in Centreparks, but that was admittedly a while ago, and we were in the cheapest lodge. DS would adore the pool though, so perhaps I should look at the European ones. Or a Eurocamp.

There's also Forest Holidays, more like centre parcs than butlins but not as expensive (not as cheap as butlins/haven though). Haven in primrose valley was really good, but I'd compare have and butlins for activities for your kids ages.

For what you are wanting from your break, Butlins will fit the bill. Think what you could do with the money you would not spend, as it were.

I totally would! I take my family to a traditional English seaside town every year, Blackpool and Yarmouth for the holiday win. Save CP for later.

I think that Centerparcs and Butlins are very different types of holiday. They are completely different concepts. I think going without your DP is a good idea if everyone is happy to do that.

Around 2012 we decided to try 4 nights at Butlins Skegness instead of our usual CP weekend. The accommodation was ok but we found it over crowded and the whole place had a drab, ugly and neglected feel to it. The pool felt cramped, dirty and depressing next to the CP pool. Our (young) children enjoyed the shows, but there were groups of parents who were very drunk and loud and it didn't feel like a nice or particularly safe environment. The beach was beautiful. We ended up leaving a day early as we'd done everything and the children wanted to go home. They asked us to book CP next year!

We also enjoyed a more recent weekend at a Forest Holidays, although more as a base to explore the wider area as there is very little to do on site.

So do I!

You can always give it a go, but if your DH isn't keen don't take him.

It also helps that you have found memories from childhood and can probably look past some of the less shiny aspects of it.

We love center parcs, but it is really expensive and the food in the restaurants is poor (we just cook and bring food with us).

The best thing about Butlins and haven and others is the evening entertainment. When I first went to CP I spent ages trying to find the entertainment hub and find out what acts were on. Finally realised the entertainment was a pancake restaurant and a quiet evening looking out if the windows at trees. I can do that at home

Have you looked at Bluestone park in Wales. Similar to CP but cheaper so might appeal to your husbands snobbery 😀

I took my 3 oldest kids to Butlins at Skegness when they were 3,2 & 6 months old. DH worked. We had a whale of a time, I say do it.

I went to Butlins this year for the first time. The kids thought it was amazing. I loved the concept. I’m not sure if I would go again. Our apartment was so dirty, I was expecting it and took cleaning wipes but it just wasn’t a pleasant experience. If I could pay more for a clean room then I would go again in a heart beat.

Just read reviews from October for our nearest CP and they’re awful! Dirty, run down, overpriced, over crowded apparently… deffo not keen now!

We have been to Butlins Skegness this year twice and had a great time. The dcs aged 11,6 and 4 loved it. We booked Lazer tag, archery, rock climbing, soft play, pottery painting, design your T-Shirt. We shall wrong swimming to the funfair and shows. The apartment cooler have done with being cleaned better but the bedding, towels etc were spotless and the service great. CP is very expensive. Friends of ours went at the same time we went to Butlins and didn't enjoy it at all

Do you work for Butlins or something?

Having done both, Center Parcs is the low key, relaxed one for us and Butlins the crazy, chaos with busy days.

Stayed in nicest accommodation in Butlins, and have been cp many times and stayed in all different standards there. We prefer to self cater so this is not a negative for us

Butlins was a holiday where we were constantly on the go - rushing from one activity/entertainment to the next with swimming thrown in the middle. Kids love the evening entertainment and make other friends, they do more activities but we spend more time watching them rather than doing things with them - we don't mind either way.

Cp is a chilled out few days, lots of cycling and swimming, relaxing in the lodge, playing board games and the occasional paid-for activity.

Caveat for us is we go when majority of children are at school - kids are in private so we use the additional weeks tagged onto hols for both places so neither are as busy as peak holiday when we go

@MeinKraft oh, you’ve found me out! Of course I don’t bloody work for Butlins, otherwise why in earth would I be asking about it??
I’ve actually just seen a review of a Parkdean place in Dorset which seems really nice and not extortionate like CPs.

We never do these type of hols as DP is such a travel snob! Closest we’ve come to it is a Eurocamp in Brittany which was deemed okay because it was in a naice part of France…

I just want to go somewhere in the U.K., for 3/4 days, drivable, easy, that doesn’t cost five fortunes and where the kids will be busy
And as the weather will probably be rubbish, an indoor pool
would be a hit.

And if I can leave old moany bollocks at home, that’s probably best. DP usually ends up doing emails or taking calls in the middle of the day which can be disruptive… ie we’re sitting around waiting to do something while a Zoom is happening…

Caravan parks are also pretty good for entertainment

We went to Skeggy Butlins at the start of the month for DDs 3rd birthday. Got an awesome deal, stayed in a fairground apartment, which was basic, but fine as a base. New Sky Park is really good and aimed more towards older kids, fairground has had a bit of a revamp, but not really any 'big' rides, although some good medium sized ones. Pool is awesome and wasn't really overly busy on either of the days we visited. The shows are definitely aimed at smaller kids, but there might be more on in the evenings? We were back at the room by 8pm every night. Arcades, like anywhere, will cost you a bomb.
Never been to Centre Parcs, but been on a few Forest Holidays pre DC, and unless they're keen cyclists, or you pay a fortune on the CP activities, they might get bored? If you do fancy that kind of thing though, FH Nottingham is right next to CP, there's a 'Go Ape' really close by, you can rent segways, bikes etc, and most of the lodges come with a hottub as standard, which is nice this time of year
Now, for Haven, we've done a few of these both as and with kids. We stayed at the Blue Dolphin at the end of summer, I'll be honest, more aimed at toddlers. But, Primrose Valley, that is close by, is a good park for teens. Location wise, it's awesome. You're close to Scarborough with the sea life centre, the arcades, a 'horror' house, an awesome park that's lit up beautifully with Chinese lanterns. You have Bridlington where you can go on a pirate ship around the bay, awesome indoor mini golf, fab fish and chips. There's Flamborough Head, Filey and you're close to both Dalby and Keldy Forest, which have some stunning walks and scenery. I might be biased, it's our neck of the woods, and not massively far out Skeggy driving wise
If you want any more recommendations, let me know
Hope you have a lovely time, no matter where you end up

I think Butlins has a lot to offer but sadly for me, it's the other people that cause the main issues.

Kids left to fend for themselves. Boozed up by 2pm. Horrible fast food. Plus the whole please is dirty and run down.

I love CP but it is very expensive and everything costs extra.

I've been to both with the kids (aged 6-10)
We all enjoyed Butlins more than Centreparcs