Haven Riviere Sands - anyone been?

[stellar]

we're thinking about booking our summer hols but can't decide where to go

we're on a budget (being 2 adults and 4 kids) so are looking at haven half price hols.

we went to perran sands last summer and stayed in a eurotent which was great fun but the site was a bit too big and busy for us.

we were thinking about riviere sands but don't know anyone thats been there - and if its similar to perran sands we might as well go there and stop in a tent again cos it works out cheaper

I know a lot of people like Devon Cliffs but it is a bit more expensive.

any thoughts?

thanks

Stella xx

Hi Stellar - no experience of Rivere Sands but have been to Devon Cliffs and found it very overcrowded and too many people for the facilities. Have you tried Rockley Park in Poole, Dorset? We enjoyed that one and there is lots to do around it.

we'd love to go to Rockley Park but it is way out of our price range - we only have about £500 to book a 2wk hol

thanks anyway

Stella xx

I've just been looking at the Haven website and I'm quite stunned at how much it costs for a week in school summer holidays!! I've got two pre-schoolers and we've always gone in May or June during school term and paid just a fraction of this. Not looking forward to next year when we have to stick to school holidays

we're quite lucky in that our schools break up 1st week of July so can just qualify for the half price hols and we struggle to afford those prices - how others can afford to take their kids away during the main school holiday period is beyond me

We've been to all three. (Devon Cliffs is quite a lot busier than the other two, I think, and good for older children and teenagers.)

We still had all the entertainment/facilities that we could have wanted at Riviera Sands but dh says it's a smaller site than PS . I think you probably could draw comparisons between RS and PS; they are similar in that they both have lovely beaches - RS is particularly lovely.

What time of year were you thinking of going? We've only been Summer/late Summer and stayed in the caravans, so no experience of camping there. I thought the beach at Riviera Sands was so stunning; absolutely breathtaking, although a bit of a climb down to it from the site as I remember, with all our little children and stuff.
It may be easier now (we went there around Sep 03). Cornwall is so beautiful though, St Ives is across the bay and a lovely place to visit. All in all a wonderful place for a beach holiday if you're lucky with the weather.

We seem to have been on loads of Haven holidays over the years - been going on one or two short breaks a year since dd was born and she's 6 now!
They've been ideal holidays for us and affordable if you can pick up a deal.
When I look back, a lot of the sites are quite similar though and I really have to stop and try hard to remember the differences between them!

They are great holidays for families but I agree they can be so much dearer in school holiday times - as we discovered once dd started school and we became more constrained by term dates. As we'll now have to pay more anyway for our holidays, I think we might start venturing abroad with the children now they're older - there's only so much 'Rory the Tiger' anyone can be expected to watch in one lifetime!!

I think RS was one of the best Haven sites we've been to though

ooh thanks for that TinyGang

our kids will be 8y, 6y, 4y and 16m in the summer - well beginning of July when our schools break up and holidays are a bit cheaper

we really loved Cornwall - was the first time we'd been last year - and we're returning more for the beaches and scenery than for Rory and gang iykwim (and not forgetting those yummy cornish pasties LOL)

Now I've had your recommendation I think we'll book that one and give it a try

thanks again

Stella xx

Have fun Stellar - fingers crossed for a mini heatwave for you all! If it's the beach you're after you won't be disappointed. Know what you mean about those scrummy pasties..

We've been to St Ives Bay Holiday Park which isn't far from Riviere Sands. TG is right - the beach is fabulous. And there's a Lidl nearby too! We had a great holiday in that area when dsd was 6, before dd arrived - in the days when surfermum was just surfer!