Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Holidays

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

Flip

Original poster

Haven/Butlins/Centerparc etc

14 replies

lunavix · 03/02/2005 14:46

Been nosing through the brochures and Haven, in particualr, seems to have a lot going on for toddlers. Baby aqua, dave benson phillips, a baby (1-4years) activity club (not a nursery which is all a lot offer) and we're thinking possibly doing this for ds's 1st birthdy - 2 or 3 days on holiday spoiling him.

Anyone been to any of them, or have any suggestions?

OP posts:

Original poster

lunavix · 03/02/2005 15:05

Anyone?

OP posts:

hayleylou · 03/02/2005 15:06

my mum works at Centre Parcs in Wiltshire do you want me to ask?

nailpolish · 03/02/2005 15:08

we took dd1 to hagerston castle (haven) last easter. it was absolutely and utterly brilliant. she and we had the best time ever! we went at easter and got a great deal. it helped the weather was fab. she was 18mths at the time btw.

Original poster

lunavix · 03/02/2005 15:12

hayleylou - that'd be great thanks

Nailpolish - it looks great in the brochure! I'd never really heard of haven, and had picked up all the companies and the most a lot of them offer is a rather expensive nursery. I don't want to just fob him off, I want him to have a holiday too. They seem to offer the most, did you do the baby aqua thing?

OP posts:

mummytummy · 03/02/2005 15:27

We've been to Centerparcs and it was brilliant. We hired the bikes with the baby trailer at the back for DD1 when she was just over 1 and she loved it. There was also parachute play, and a tumbletots type thingy going on, and there was baby swimming.

hayleylou · 03/02/2005 15:39

I have just spoken to mum and she said the best thing you can do is to go to their website www.centreparcs.co.uk, choose a possible site and then look under what to do! it tells you all about kids stuff etc. To be honest I used to work there but a lot has changed since I was there, but I still love it.

Angeliz · 03/02/2005 15:41

nailpolish, we went to Haggerston Castle twice last year

nailpolish · 03/02/2005 17:43

no, we just did our own thing really. at nightime there is a caberet thing for families - go early and get a good seat because we went every night and dd1 could hardly contain herself, i mean, she was so excited she was nearly drying when the disco started!

its quite expensive to eat in the restaurant, nice for a treat one night, there is a supermarket onsite but expensive too but there is a safeway really close by.

if you book online its usually got the best deals.

there is a lot of arcades, which give a bad impression, but lots of other things to do like the pedalos.

i need to go now but ill be back later - i can give you a few tips if you like

please go! you will love it

nailpolish · 03/02/2005 17:44

CRYING not drying!!!!!!!!!!

RTKangaMummy · 03/02/2005 17:49

haven hastings is very close to the town tip

Skribble · 03/02/2005 22:51

Hi all,

The paws club at Haven is activity sessions but you stay with them. I used to work at one of the parks when it was a Butlins and we had a full creche facility. Now there is an indoor soft play type area at most of them and some of them had a toddler play area ours used to be sponsered by little tykes. It wasn't as popular as the creche as you had to stay there as well, might be replaced by the Paws area now.

There are some good half price offers just now for haven. I think from May to half way through July. It is overpriced for the school holidays though so avoid these if you still can.

Juliehafrancis · 03/02/2005 22:58

We went to Hastings in Haven last year and it was awful! Would suggest to think twice about going there. I know Centre parcs is fantastic for everyone and if we could afford it we would definetely go to anyone of there sites every year. Not been to butlins but have had good reports about the Minehead one,

HTH
Jules x

nailpolish · 04/02/2005 07:30

the best thing is this farm thats really close by, just 5 mins down the road. its very clean and well laid out. you go into the main shop bit and theres an indoor bit with the rabbits, toy tractors etc that even little 1 yr olds can play on. baby rabbits and goats etc. then outside there is a farm trail sort of thing where you go around a walk (its not too long) theres shetland ponies, baby sheep and calves, ducks (that you can feed with the seed they give you) and a playpark thats excellent. they have a great tearoom as well. it was the highlight of our holiday. its called conundrum farm

at haggerston its worthwhile paying extra for the gold caravans. you get a good location, all linen provided (otherwise you have to take your own) a microwave etc. they have a bit more space too, for playing inside. you can also hire travel cots - the one we got was a good mamas and papas one. we took dd's own sheets and blankets for her cot so she could feel familiar in her cot.

the 2nd bedroom doesnt usually have space for the travel cot, they expect you to put the cot in the lounge or you r own room, but we just put the 2 single beds on top of one another and made room so dd could have her own room

conundrum farm

conundrum farm again

RTKangaMummy · 04/02/2005 12:41

Juliehafrancis

Sorry I think that I didnt make it clear what I meant about hastings

I meant the haven was close to the town rubbish tip where the garbage is taken.

It is NOT close to the town centre

Flip