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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Original poster

How bad/good are Haven holidays?

55 replies

NKF · 13/01/2008 15:54

A friend keeps asking me to go on one with the children. I'm tempted by the price but they look a bit, well, you know...

Even she admits not to leaving the cabin at night. Seriously, how bad are they?

OP posts:
lazarou · 13/01/2008 15:59

Hmmm, I wouldn't go again. I've been on a hoseasons one but we went out every day. depends where and when you go as well. We went off peak so it was quiet.

Original poster
NKF · 13/01/2008 16:19

Was it really horrible?

OP posts:
MrsArchieTheInventor · 13/01/2008 16:20

We've been on a Haven holiday to Berwick and another caravan holiday to Weymes Bay in Scotland, but I'm not sure who the operator was with that one. We enjoyed them but we also went out every day, and Haven at Berwick wasn't somewhere that was easily accessible if you didn't have a car. The caravans were nice, though we went off peak both times and it was absolutely fecking freezing in Berwick and we wished we'd taken spare blankets for both beds, but that was the only downside. The entertainment wasn't up to much, but like I say it was offpeak, and DP and I tended to prefer to stay in with a bottle of wine anyway as we were knackered from a day out running around in the fresh air. We're planning our 'summer' holiday to another caravan this year, and we'll probably go back to Scotland in late May or early June again.

Saying all that, I did go on a disasterous caravan holiday to Skegness with my sister a couple of years ago and I absolutely hated it, but that was more to do with what I wanted from a caravan holiday and the people I was with than the direct fault of the company that runs those holidays. If you don't like loud amusement arcades and loud fairgrounds and chinz then choose carefully as a lot of places are exactly that, especially in the high season, and it's a lot of money to pay for a holiday where you're confined to a caravan because you hate what's around you.

lazarou · 13/01/2008 16:21

It wasn't really horrible, but I felt quite stressed out and that i could have had a better time at home and spent less money. Xmas Grin

Mind you, any holiday with young children is stressful isn't it?

colditz · 13/01/2008 16:23

depends what you expect. If you don't want to use the nightclub, don't. I don't.

If you're expecting centreparcs, you will be bound for disappointment

myjobismum · 13/01/2008 16:31

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Chopster · 13/01/2008 16:32

I worked at one for a season. The night stuff is terrible, but the kids actvities were passable. The food is terrible - I was in catering and I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole. The onsite supermarkets are a rip off too.
The accomadation is ok, I lived onsite in a retired van and it was quite nice. I visited guests and their vans looked great.
I'd only really consider it as a base for exploring the area so you can prob go abroad for less. You def wouldn't want to spend much time onsite.

hertsnessex · 13/01/2008 16:33

we went to haven with our boys, friends and there 2 boys - iti was a laugh for 3 nights - but tacky. we went to one in norfolk. it was ok for a cheapy break, but not a holday.

Chopster · 13/01/2008 16:34

myjob - butlins is a lot better I'm afraid - been there for hol and the entertainment and leisure facilities were much better.

Original poster
NKF · 13/01/2008 16:35

Hmm. It's as I feared.

OP posts:
SheikYerbouti · 13/01/2008 16:39

We are going to Minehead Butlins with some friends in June, but oinly because DP got given a freebie by one of his clients

I'm quite looking forward to embracing my inner chav

myjobismum · 13/01/2008 16:39

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hertsnessex · 13/01/2008 16:41

it is certainly a case of 'embracing my inner chav' loving that commment!!!!

cx

myjobismum · 13/01/2008 16:42

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SheikYerbouti · 13/01/2008 16:43

tbh, a holiday is what you make it often

I never build them up uin my head, I just look forward to time off work and a change of scenery.

Don;t expect silver service and gourmet food, and high class entertainment, otherwise you will be disappointed.

I wouldn;t normally go anywhere near this sort of holiday because they are my idea of hell, but we ar going because we got a freebie, and we can take some friends, who we don;t see v oftenl so that in itself will be really cool.

Plus, we are only down the A39 from Minehead should it be truly dire

SheikYerbouti · 13/01/2008 16:44

Oh, no dpon;t be offended by mu inner chav comment!!!!!!!!!

I am by no means a ponce

It was meant tongue in cheek, I promise

Radley · 13/01/2008 16:45

We went to Thorpe Park in Cleethorpes last year in May and loved it so much that we have booked for 2 weeks this july.

Beach is not too far away (compared to Butlins in Skegness) accomodation was beautiful, v v clean etc, and the park itself was lovely.

Childrens entertainment tends to disappear at 9, but, by then our two are tired anyway.

Radley · 13/01/2008 16:47

Oh and forgot to mention,the reps and staff were very friendly and not over the top as I found with Butlins. I'd NEVER go on a butlins holiday again.

yorkishbirdy · 13/01/2008 16:48

We went to haven last year and found the place was disgusting, it was filthy - to the point that I felt there were rather a lot of flies in the resturant, went to the rest room to see hundreds all around a vent in the roof, clearly something had died there. I told the staff - 1 week later - no change or work done .

Having said that, I did not feel unsafe, we went out for the evenings etc and had a great time.

But we also went to a butlins the year before and it was lots better, clean, well kept, better staff etc etc. Of course that was reflected in the price difference too!

myjobismum · 13/01/2008 16:49

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SheikYerbouti · 13/01/2008 17:06

Oh god, don;t go there about pass ports

I had to b=get mine renewed and one for each DS last year and it cost £150

Bloody robdogs

We were lucky enough to go abroad last year, because my mum paid for us, but it ended up costing a fortune

Radley · 13/01/2008 17:33

yorksishbirdy, that sounds horrible. Which park was it?

Furball · 13/01/2008 17:37

we've been to Seaview, weymouth. nice little site, we only used the caravan as a base for local day trips so only used it for sleeping. It has a small pool with no changing facilities and don't quite know where the name seaview comes from as you cannot see the sea

ClareVoiant · 13/01/2008 17:39

we went to Haven last september, with The Sun holidays. We only went to Haven because we wanted to go to Perranporth in Cornwall. Usually we use those deals to go to wollacombe in devon and the wollacombe holiday parks are truely excellent in comparison!
Haven had its ups and downs.
-upgrades were rediculously expensive, we normally upgrade to the best available accommodtion as i like my home comforts.... but we couldn't afford to at Haven. However we were upgraded free of charge (for no apparent reason). so i guess that worked out ok..... and our caravan was nice, but blardy cold.

  • check in was a nightmare. you cant just rock up at the park at 10am or whatever and check in, so we spent the day loitering waiting for the 4pm check in with a toddler with a temperature and me feeling crap. we had especially gone down the night before and stayed in a travel lodge so that we could get to the park early and get settled (not a problem at independent caravan sites). We had to sit in the entertainment area with a thousand other people with our easy-jet style numbered card, then they call the groups of numbers out and everyone clambers up and forms a long queue. we finally got to the front only to be told our documents were down at reception (5 mins walk away) , where we had tried to get them from in the blardy morning. the reason for this was that we had been upgraded, so good and bad there then...
- The park itself seemed ok, the evening entertainment for the kids was the same show every night, though we only went twice as ds was poorly and we spent our first night there sleeping in a single bed on the childrens ward of Truro hospital after ds had had a fit on the dancefloor. The staff, however, were really good. Overall it was a real mixed bag, we didn't spend much time on the park itself during the day, and having to walk through an amusement arcade to get to the swimming pool, or the entertainment, was a pita. It was a cheap holiday and it was ok, though we probably wouldn't go back to haven again.
ElenyaTuesday · 13/01/2008 17:50

Did it once - never again.

Agree with Clare - check-in was horrendous and we didn't get all of our bedding. Then the bedding we did get was torn!!

The caravan was soooo cold and damp. And as for the noise at night - dreadful. And don't get me started on the racket made by disco-dancing seagulls on the roof at 6am EVERY DAY!