What is Butlins like nowadays........my dad always said they had barbed wire to keep people in [grin]

[Katymac]

Only joking.....but I wasn't totally happy at Haven (Mablethorpe & Minehead) but maybe I am too picky

We are looking at Bognor.....maybe the hotels?

What are they like - has anyone been?

Hi Katy, we go to Minehead a couple of times a year and love it!!! (just ignore the chavs etc and you will be fine) It is cheesy but the kids love it and we are busy from when we get up to when we go to bed (some days we don't even go back to the apartment from breakfast til bedtime! We are trying Bognor this year so am also watching this thread with interest. One of the things we really liked about Minehead was that even though it is a hell of a drive from Norfolk once we get there we park the car and don't use it again until we leave to come home as the town centre is only 1/2 mile up the road from the park if that and has some lovely pubs, shops etc so you not stuck on park the whole time if you don't want to be!

Thanks

Have you been to Haven?

Have a couple of friends at work that have been to the hotels at bognor a couple of times and they love it. It is so easy with the kids.

One of them booked it under duress as she pretty much the same opinion about it as your dad, but once there she had a great time! It is mostly about the kids, but happy kids, happy parents as far as I'm concerned!

I looked at going there last year, as I wanted an easy holiday (ie no cooking!) but dp wouldn't go!

Would a 12 yr old be OK to run around by herself - at Haven everything was accompanied

We went to Butlins at Bognor in Oct and stayed at Ocean Hotel - it was brilliant. I was looking down my nose about going but it was such fun for my 2 yo and we are planning to go back next year. Sorry - not sure if I would let 12 yo be unaccompanied as don't really know many 12 yo to say what they would do etc!

its blinking £££

blimey KM another holdoday?

August

I only get 2 weeks a year & if i stay at home I end up working

So away i go

Summer is Tesco vouchers hence Siblu & Butlins

i imagine if you werent keen on haven you wouldn;t like butlins either.
after the dc had been to butlins bognor with my mum and loved it we took the plunge and booked for minehead. it was the worst experience of my life. horrible place, so loud. evening entertainment was appalling and lots of drunk parents being toweed around by toddlers.
maybe i was just unlucky but i'm not prepared to take that risk again.
oh and we booked full board and the food was horrible, we paid to upgrade the food to the 'luxury' food hall and that was ok.

I'd rather gouge my eyes out with a rusty spoon, but there you go

[veteran of Pontins Southport '89]

I think 60/70's Southport is his reference point

My husband and I have been to the Butlin's at Minehead a couple of times for a music festival - yes really!

It was fine for the two of us but we couldn't imagine ever taking kids there - the whole place seems quite cynically designed to induce the maximum amount of 'pester power'. At every turn you're confronted with flashing games consoles, noisy fruit machines, expensive gimmickry, junk food stalls, sweeties, vending machines etc.

We found the accomodation quite grotty and unless you go self-catering the food on site is expensive and generally very unhealthy (all burgers, pizzas, hotdogs, chips etc).

On the plus side, there are some lovely places to visit nearby (i.e. outwith the 'compound'...) and thankfully we didn't see any barbed wire so managed to escape quite easily!

Haven't been since age 11 but going to Bognor with a group of girlfriends for disco inferno

I bloody hated it.

Went with BIL, SIL and their kids for halloween 2 years ago (Minehead).

Accomodation stank of fags (this was a gold apt so not the cheap end). Food, bearing in mind we had the superior food, was inedible. Seriously, it was utter rank.

Entertainment in great big rooms which held 400 people but only had 200 seats so loads of people sat on floor. Plus amusement arcades EVERYWHERE. Kids high as kites on blue pop. It was insane.

Plus PLUS it was not even cheap for what it was, prob about £450 for 3 of us for weekend.

You will probably be better off spending £50 or so on a sun holiday. At least if it is crap you won't have spent a fortune on it.

I would say Haven and Butlins are similar.

Butlins was fine for the 70's weekend and Soul weekend I went to, but the accommodation was shabby. We had curtains that didn't meet in the middle and a mirror on the wall so high that you couldn't see in it.

Hi Katy, it really depends on what you are looking for in your holiday. I have been to many Havens and also Butlins at Minehead and I have to say after Butlins Haven seems really quite dull the entertainment was to spread apart in the day but at Butlins it is almost none stop! I agree with purdyscot there is planty of room for pester power but we explained to ds that he had all the other entertainment and he could go on the arcade last thing every evening before we went back to the apartment and all was well! Have been very lucky with all accomodation and never had a probelem that the staff could not fix within half hour of reporting, also went in August half board and the food was edible butnot a huge amount of variety.( got repeated twice througout the week) Hope wherever you decide to go you have a good time, can't believe you only shut for two weeks a year you must be mad!

"Mad" hmm quite possibly

Thanks - sorry I didn't reply last night - things got quite hectic here