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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Caravan / holiday parks

107 replies

Slightyamusedandsilly · 01/08/2025 10:25

For the first time in my life, I'm on a caravan holiday. Fairly upmarket (as much as they can be) one. Very clean. Quiet. Directly by a beach. Very middle class town.

My god, I'm SO bored. I'm not a fan either of package hols, but this is a whole different level of dull.

AIBU?

OP posts:
CandyCane457 · 01/08/2025 18:10

I don’t think the caravan is the problem, it’s your perception of the town. If you went to this town and stayed in a hotel, or air bnb, would you be any less bored? Or would you just be sat around in there as well, complaining that it’s too cold to go to the beach and you don’t want to be “tromping around” the town.
The issue is not the caravan, it’s the place you’ve chosen to go to. You clearly didn’t do much research beforehand to see if it would be somewhere you’d enjoy, and now you’re complaining.

CarpetKnees · 01/08/2025 18:10

RantzNotBantz · 01/08/2025 16:55

Kids don’t need sun / warmth on a good beach.

Get buckets and spades. Make castles. Make big birthday cakes out of sand and decorate with shells and seaweed. Dig a speedboat in the sand for them to sit in. Dig a network of channels and have them run back and forth to pour buckets of water in.

Play ball.

This

CarpetKnees · 01/08/2025 18:10

CountryQueen · 01/08/2025 17:11

Not being funny OP but you sound like the dull element of the holiday, not the caravan or the site.

You don’t want to play on the beach, you don’t want to go sightseeing, you don’t like the weather, you can’t relax and read and that’s the kids fault…..

and this

nomas · 01/08/2025 18:17

This sounds lovely. Could you PM me the holiday park name Op?

soupmaker · 01/08/2025 18:22

As PPs have said, you’re not doing it right. Caravan holidays with toddlers are brilliant if you lower your expectations, wrap up for the weather, only do lunches out, eat ice cream every day, do day trips and keep a bottle of wine in the fridge for after the kids are in bed.

deathlydull · 01/08/2025 18:29

So you’re blessed with a negative mindset and you hate sight-seeing? What could possibly have gone wrong?

Miyagi99 · 01/08/2025 18:36

You don’t have to stay onsite OP, we just use it as a cheap base.

UpDo · 01/08/2025 18:37

WonderingWanda · 01/08/2025 18:05

I think with toddlers you might need a more all singing all dancing caravan park to be honest. The Woolacombe Bay ones have loads of things to do including great indoor and outdoor heated pools, soft play I think one of them had bowling. Kids entertainment etc. I mean, from memory, most holidays are a bit shit with toddlers because they need watching and entertaining all the time so you can't relax, they don't travel well, can be picky eaters etc.

I tend to actively seek out quieter parks but my kids are older and into surfing, eating out etc so it's just a base for us.

In OPs case definitely. I actually liked a quieter park when mine were that age, but that only works if you're happy to make a lot of use of the beach and there's family friendly stuff nearby. Basically if you'll make your own entertainment. However, if that's not you then yep, the ones with the whole shebang on site will suit better. I hadn't heard of Woolacombe before but from the website, exactly that kind of thing.

ThePoshUns · 01/08/2025 18:38

Some people are able to make the best of things, some aren’t.

DappledThings · 01/08/2025 18:47

ThePoshUns · 01/08/2025 18:38

Some people are able to make the best of things, some aren’t.

I don't think OP actually wanted to. I think she decided before she got there she would hate it so deliberately didn't do anything while she was there and didn't engage with any suggestions or questions here so she can confirm it's not her type of holiday and she never has to do anything so ghastly again.

ThePoshUns · 01/08/2025 19:03

Exactly

Sirzy · 01/08/2025 19:25

Actually with kids cooler days are better for the beach. They can run around and enjoy it without it being packed, without it being too hot, without having to worry (too much!) about sun cream etc.

they can be kids running around and having fun in the sand with their parents!

(and I say that as someone who personally hates the beach but made sure we had great days there when my son was little!)

Createausername1970 · 01/08/2025 19:28

x2boys · 01/08/2025 10:59

Well your determined to hate every minute why not go home now?

Show quote history

This, in spades!

LadyCankleOfGrantham · 01/08/2025 19:31

I’ve just been on one, it was SO boring. And the park owners inexplicably took all the sunloungers away from the outdoor pool so couldn’t even sunbathe (not that we had the weather for it). Activities were extremely expensive for the kids - stuff which is available at an activity centre near my (expensive) home town costing 4 times as much. £4 for a small coke at the bar, which we ended up just sitting in as there was nothing else to do. Will never do it again. I’ve done it before mind, and had a good time so I guess it depends where you pick.

chipsewfast · 01/08/2025 19:33

The problem is with you. It's what you make it

Groovee · 01/08/2025 19:34

We used to use it as a base. Take board games for the evenings. Daily we used to travel about to visit fun things. My kids have fond memories of our few caravan holidays.

UsingAMansNameInAWomensWorld · 01/08/2025 19:53

You're the problem not the location

You don't want to do anything and you're whinging about the weather when the kids would be fine playing.

There's bound to be an adventure park or castle or something nearby to take them to

incognitomouse · 01/08/2025 19:54

Holidays are what you make them.

bellamorgan · 01/08/2025 19:59

Without the location none of us can help.

But it sounds like it’s a you thing not the place thing. The caravan should not be your 98% of the time place. You should be exploring and doing things.

Of course if all you normally do is lay by a pool in the sun and send the children off to kids clubs it’s not the holiday for you.

SkinnyOatFlatWhiteForMePlease · 01/08/2025 20:04

UsingAMansNameInAWomensWorld · 01/08/2025 19:53

You're the problem not the location

You don't want to do anything and you're whinging about the weather when the kids would be fine playing.

There's bound to be an adventure park or castle or something nearby to take them to

This.

DappledThings · 01/08/2025 20:05

LadyCankleOfGrantham · 01/08/2025 19:31

I’ve just been on one, it was SO boring. And the park owners inexplicably took all the sunloungers away from the outdoor pool so couldn’t even sunbathe (not that we had the weather for it). Activities were extremely expensive for the kids - stuff which is available at an activity centre near my (expensive) home town costing 4 times as much. £4 for a small coke at the bar, which we ended up just sitting in as there was nothing else to do. Will never do it again. I’ve done it before mind, and had a good time so I guess it depends where you pick.

Were you also locked in like OP?

SkinnyOatFlatWhiteForMePlease · 01/08/2025 20:06

bellamorgan · 01/08/2025 19:59

Without the location none of us can help.

But it sounds like it’s a you thing not the place thing. The caravan should not be your 98% of the time place. You should be exploring and doing things.

Of course if all you normally do is lay by a pool in the sun and send the children off to kids clubs it’s not the holiday for you.

Even with the location @Slightyamusedandsillyseems to dislike wandering around towns, shopping and sightseeing. Enjoys long walks but the children don’t. Not much to go on there 🙄.

user1476613140 · 01/08/2025 20:19

So what activities do you do with young DC abroad in hotter climes that you can't do here at the caravan?

user1476613140 · 01/08/2025 20:23

Sounds like you can't be arsed entertaining your DC on the caravan holiday which is not normally an issue on your usual foreign holiday as they're chucked in the holiday clubs so you can lounge around on the pool in peace and quiet. Kids are a bloody nuisance for some. Utterly spoiling a good holiday.

ButteredRadish · 01/08/2025 20:30

Caravan holidays are all I can afford. We relax, DC goes swimming/other kid activity on one of the days, the other days we go exploring the area.