Haven Holidays – MNers feedback thread – non testers – add your top tips for family holidays with toddlers for a chance to win a £100 voucher. NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

This thread is for the three lucky MN families who are going on a Haven Holiday across the Easter period.

Haven say "At Haven you'll find plenty to keep all the family happy and some things we think you might not expect including climbing walls, fencing and archery. We also have some exciting new activities with professional players from the BBL Basketball team teaching ball skills during the school holidays. But when the big kids are at school our parks are just great to take your tots.

This year we have some lovely new interactive sessions with the Seaside Squad, our very own fun loving characters. All parks have heated pools many with flumes, water slides, lazy rivers and space bowls and plenty of additional fun like Aquajet Racers and Water Walkerz.

At Haven it's not just about activities... there's plenty of green space to run around and many parks have beautiful nature walks and trails to explore and access to some stunning coastal walks."

For more information: check out the new Haven pages on Mumsnet

Testers are visiting Seton Sands, East Lothian during w/c 31 March, Hopton, nr Great Yarmouth during w/c 4 April and finally to Kiln Park, Tenby during w/c 21 April – check back to this thread to find out how they are getting on.

We have asked testers to add feedback at least three times - before they go, when they are there and when they get back home.

Non testers: Haven would love to know your top tips for holidaying with a toddler in tow – add your tip to the thread and you'll be entered into a prize draw where one lucky MNer will win a £100 Love2Shop voucher.

Please note tips and comments may well be used by Haven on their pages on Mumsnet as well as possibly elsewhere (including on social media, in the press etc). Your MN name will not be used.

Testers – please share on this thread your overall opinion and experience plus your responses to the following questions.

Before you go

Where are you going? How far it is from your home? Who is in your group? Have you ever been on a Haven holiday before?
What are you looking forward to most? What are the DC looking forward to?
How was the booking process?

On holiday

How is it? What's the weather like?!
Describe your accommodation
What else are you doing outside of the park?
Have you been to the pool?
Have you done any of the activities?
What's the food like?
What activities have the kids enjoyed?

When you are back

Overall opinions from you and others in the family

How would you rate/ describe...

Food
Accommodation
Activities
Things to do for adults
Things to do for children
Would you return/ try out another Haven park?
What did you think about the value for money – especially compared to other family holidays?
Any other comments?

Please also do add a review on Mumsnet to the Self Catering pages

Thanks
MNHQ

PS prize draw for the £100 Love2Shop vouchers: Monday 29th April 2014
PPS have 'highlighted' the testers posts on this thread so we can see them!

[TheHoneyBadger]

non-tester

loads of little snacks and activities for the journey - one of those overpriced magazines with activities in was always a good distractor for traveling. i traveled solo with my son when he was a toddler and sometimes on very long journeys and loads of food and a magazine always did the trick really.

otherwise i'd say the key thing is to pick somewhere child friendly where you won't be stressing and trying to control their every move for fear of tutting or endless danger and you won't feel confined to your room/apartment/tent/whatever after dark as children will still be able to be out with you.

it is worth, imo, traveling far further to be in a place that's welcoming to kids and where accommodation, food and cost of living is really low re: spend loads on a flight to spend little and have a great quality experience once you're there.

[letsgetreadytoramble]

Pack an 'emergency toddler bag' to keep in the car at all times, filled with spare clothes, including hats and gloves, first aid kit, snacks, nappies, wipes and bottles of water. In the excitement of being on holiday and out of routine it's easy to forget what you need to take with you for the toddler when you're out and about, and emergency provisions in the car save a frantic search for a Boots when you're on a day trip 30 miles away from your accommodation. Ahem.

[justaweeone]

Hi
I am one of the very lucky testers and we are going to Hopton tomorrow!!
Will post more later.

[mrscumberbatch]

My top tips for travelling with a toddler would have to be to have low expectations haha!

Only go somewhere that you aren't ruled by a schedule, take a few distractions. Crayons and Lego minifigs were our favourites.

Going with friends or family can be nice so that you can get an hour of peace... That said, make sure they are people that share your parenting ethos or they'll drive you barmy!

[Bubbles85]

Non tester

We took our nephew on a beach holiday. We definitely had to plan in lots of play park visits in the day to keep him entertained and quiet time so he wasn't too overstimulated at bedtime.

[MyNameIsInigoMontoya]

Non-tester. Take a good pushchair, a shade/mosquito cover if you are going somewhere hot or bug-y, and a blanket. Then you can easily do naps in the pushchair wherever you are, or even put them "to bed" in the pushchair (with a long walk to help them drop off if necessary) so you can still get out in the evening.
This was invaluable for several of our holidays so we could eat at the resort's (outdoor) restaurant with the other adults or walk to restaurants in the village, even if the DCs needed to sleep.

[Stripytop]

Non testers: Haven would love to know your top tips for holidaying with a toddler in tow – add your tip to the thread

Having had caravan holidays for years to Devon & Cornwall with my two as babies, toddlers (now 8&10), there are a few things I would like to share that have worked for us:

Car with a massive boot! As big a possible. If you even think you might need it - take it.

Wetsuits with lycra sunsuits underneath. Kids never get cold even in the rain and can stay on the beach for hours. Decathlon do brilliant cheap snorkel suits that zip up the front, get beach shoes too and the kids can practically live in these outfits for the whole holiday. make sure they fit tightly though or they won't stay warm.

don't bother with beach clothes - (terry towelling stuff) it's just something else to carry around.

Keep blankets and childrens neck pillows in the car all times along with books for yourselves. Go the long way home from the beach and if the kids fall asleep, park up and enjoy a quiet read till they wake up.

don't mess with the routine! feed and sleep on time, be more relaxed about what and where, just don't let them get tired or hungry.

Avoid anywhere with those little rides that cost £1 (sorry haven). It'll bankrupt you, there'll definitely be tantrum and it's a waste of all your lives. use google to find out where the local parks are instead.

Story cd's in the car - look out for free ones in the sunday papers or in charity shops.

[justaweeone]

Looking forward to our break this weekend. Need to decide which mumsnet scarf to pack!! :-)

Where are you going?
We are off to Hopton in Norfolk

How far it is from your home?
We chose a site that is only about an hours drive away as myself & DH are at work today and schools don't break up until this afternoon.

Who is in your group?
It is myself, DH, DD 16 & DS 10. DS is so excited about the activties. I am looking forward to a large glass of wine when we get there. It's been a looong term!!

Have you ever been on a Haven holiday before?
No we havent but have been on mobile home holidays before both in the UK and Europe

What are you looking forward to most?
Relaxing!! Family time with some fun activities and some good old sea air

What are the DC looking forward to?
My DS is really looking forward to the activities that we have booked as well as the swimming pool. My DD is looking forward to a break from GCSE revision before she knuckles down for the rest of the Easter Hols

How was the booking process?
Easy,also it is great to be able to pre-book the activities online

[honeyandbutter]

Non testers

Mine my DCs were younger we used to pack them each a little bag with a notepad, stickers (packs you can get from the poundshop), mini colouring books and pencil colours for the journey.

I used to also get kids story and music CDs from the library. They are free! This used to keep them entertained in the car. We'd also have games (which we still use) such as spot the blue/red/black car on the road. I also had a bag of snacks for the journey, grapes, raisins, mini bags of biscuits, water, sandwiches etc. Mine were always hungry!

Also pack books and board games for evening activities and their favourite toys. We used to take a first aid kit too just in case. I always managed to pack extra clothes too (better to take more than you need).

Another good tip is to take a few empty plastic containers. If you have bed and breakfast you can always pop in a few croissants or rolls in them when no one is looking! Ideal for when DCs are peckish.

We always had a little holiday notebook with a list so we didn't forget anything.

Have fun to all the testers!

[katyk81]

Non tester.
My tip for travelling with toddlers would be to be organised from start to finish- it may not sound very relaxing but it makes for a much more pleasant holiday for everyone.

I run a spreadsheet on my laptop of what we need to take for each person, toiletries, medicines, toys etc etc and can then amend as needed each year but the basics are always there. We also make sure we have plenty of snacks and drinks for the journey- with chocolate buttons for the last hour when the meltdowns happen. The children each have a backpack of toys and activities for the journey to keep them busy and we have music and story tapes for distractions.

We also have a bit of a plan in mind as to what activities we want to do when we are there, so we know roughly what we can do and how much it will cost. We then play it by ear but at least we are prepared for most eventualities!

[sharond101]

Tester : home now!! What we thought....

Food
Really nice. Basic family food but tasty and good portion sizes. Good value in the restaurant which we did not expect and yummy puddings.

Accommodation
Much more spacious than we had thought, 2 bedrooms with an en suite! Kitchen was well equipped and couch was super comfortable. Excellent shower!

Activities
Fantastic for children of all ages. The toddler classes were brilliant wspecially the water play one which my DS adored. The characters made the holiday for him. We didn't use any activity passes as he was too tiny for them (archery, trampolining, football, karting, fencing etc) and we were too old!! For kids over school age though the activities were perfect and I doubt if they would see much of their parents as the activities were always on.

Things to do for adults
Nothing very much except bingo and a show in the evening. We didn't get to that as DS had to go to bed.

Things to do for children
Lots and lots and lots. Entertainment as above. Playground, softplay, amusement centre, swimming pool, beach across the road, character meet and greets and lots of other children to get to know.

Would you return/ try out another Haven park?
Yes we would. The entertainment was so good we would return and hopefully when DS is just a little bit older he will appreciate it all the more.
What did you think about the value for money – especially compared to other family holidays?
I thought the price was maybe a little high for staying in a caravan but the cost of laying on such good entertainment programmes explains it.

Any other comments?
We really enjoyed our stay. The swimming pool is being upgraded next year and I think that will make it a first class resort. Our caravan wasn't as clean as we would have liked but otherwise standards were high. We felt very welcome except when we went to leave since as we were packing up our car two cleaning staff were lingering around our caravan waiting to get in to clean it despite it being 9.40am and we not having to check out until 10am.

[sharond101]

Some photos of our stay. One at the entertainment complex, another of the entrance and one of the caravan interior.

[sharond101]

Having fun and eating ice cream.

[sharond101]

The middle picture above is a bit fuzzy but my DS made the hat at an arts and crafts morning and the big cup we bought as a momento as it has one of the characters on it.

[FattyMcSaggyChops]

Non tester

My tip for Haven with toddlers and above:

Start a penny jar as soon as you know you're going and tell the kids that's their puggy money. Then once there explain once it's gone its gone. It saves you getting asked for pennies constantly everytime you walk through the arcades to get anywhere.

We used to do this as kids too. I'd always blow mine on the first night, it's a hard lesson to learn :)

Also, I took my own sheets. It just meant the smell was familiar for the kids plus I suffer from eczema so I knew I wouldn't break out.

Its also worth mentioning beforehand if you're allergic to animals. We didn't last year and within an hour I was wheezing although no visible signs of a pet in the caravan. They very quickly upgraded us (at a minimal cost) to one that was guaranteed as pet free. Great service haven! :)

Heading back to Berwick in June, we can't wait.

[IceNoSlice]

Non tester

If camping abroad:
Take a cheapie paddling pool for the decking outside the caravan so you don't have to trek to the pool all the time (but obv supervise kids closely when there is water in it.
In car DVD player for kids

[MaddAddam]

Non-tester. Just keep it really really simple and remember that it will NOT feel like a holiday before children (it took me a long time to get used to this) but it can still be fun in its own (tiring) way. The simplest holidays worked best for us with toddlers. Just camping by a beach or stream and taking it slow. Rather than ambitious plans to actually see or do anything.

[telsa]

non-tester - holidaying with a toddler - don't have high expectations in terms of rushing around to one expensive attraction after another. I remember my little DD sitting on a beach for hours just playing with a little rock pool. It was fantastic.

[WowOoo]

Non tester:
get some new little toys from a pine shop for the journey there.
Also, lots of snacks.
last time we went on a self catering holiday we took a frozen meal out of the freezer. It was defrosted by the time we arrived (9 hr journey) No worries about first meal.

[xxmissbrightsidexx]

Non tester.

Pack your toddlers favourite toys/blanket/pillow etc to make bedtime more homely for them, think practically and take a,supply of rainy day toys/goodies in case of being stuck inside the caravan. Magazines/ travel dvd player/colouring books etc for the journey, nothing worse than a restless tot lol.
Most importantly just have fun :)

[IPokedABadgerWithASpoon]

Non tester - for toddlers (or bigger but wondering off types!) them brand them! Write your mobile number (including dialling code if abroad) on them or buy one of those special wristbands, scary enough losing your child somewhere that's familiar to you both and that you know the protocols for, even worse loosing them somewhere new

[aristocat]

Non tester!

My top tips for holidaying with a toddler in tow are -

• Take spare clothes for travelling which are easily accessible in case of accidents/sickness
  
• Let your child pack a rucksack of their own with their special toy/crayons/book/small toys etc
  
• We always use a DVD player for travelling and you can also use it whilst on holiday (take a film for grown ups too ... just in case)
  
• Take a good first aid kit with everything, more than you think you need!
  
• Research your area and check what facilities are available
  
• Don't forget the pushchair/rain cover
  
• We take breakfast items and chocolate/water bottles/snacks with us.
  
• Enjoy yourselves :)

[Britishdisneydiva]

Non Tester - My top toddler & family travel tip would be to pack an ample supply of re-sealable plastic bags.
These amazingly useful bags are super for saving 1/2 eaten snacks, wonderful for storing a wet wipes & terrific for storing tiny toys in! & because they're see through you'll always know where everything is at a glance.

[mercibucket]

non tester
top tips

take a small first aid kit - amazing how many plasters you can get through!

take those small packs of crayons you get free at eg pizza hut and keep in handbag for all occassions

[justaweeone]

How is it? What's the weather like?!
It is a lovely park,very well maintained with lots of hedging and trees. The park has costal views. The weather as been great,we had a very sunny Saturday and sat outside for most of the day. Lots of ducks that were very friendly. And all staff friendly and professional .

Describe your accommodation
Excellent,the mobile looked brand new and our main bedroom was an extremely good size with a tv,loads of storage and had its own loo off it.Twin bedroom was good with plenty of storage. Shower room a good size and kitchen and sitting room area open plan with contempary furnishings and sliding doors that opened out on to the decking. Also has the weather was a bit iffy on Sunday you could still sit inside but have the doors open so you were effectively bringing the outside in.
The decking also was enclosed which in the past we have found useful when the children were smaller has they could roam outside on to the decking but still be contained!

What else are you doing outside of the park?
We have only left the park once as there has been so much to do. We went to Gorleston on Sunday for a walk along the beach. We used the courtesy bus that is in operation due to the beach at Hopton being closed for costal restoration work which I believe that Haven are spending a vast sum of money on.

Have you been to the pool?

The children used the pool on Saturday, as they are older we were able to sit and watch them from the Boardwalk bar!

Have you done any of the activities?
We all did the target shooting as a family having boys v girls. It's great fun,but harder than it looks! Unfortunately the boys won. We also played adventure golf.
Both children also did aquajets and water walkerz .DH and DS did archery together.
Other activities that DS tried was fencing which he really enjoyed.

What's the food like?
The food was ok, I do think the menu could be slightly more adventurous and slightly better value for money. However it was well presented and the staff very friendly and professional.

What activities have the kids enjoyed?
It was my DS 10 who enjoyed the activities the most. There isn't as much for older children however my DD 16 still enjoyed the activities that she did. DS said that all the activities where 'awesome ' !

When you are back
We are back Monday :-(

Overall opinions from you and others in the family
We have never done a self catering holiday with so much to do? Even with other companies ie Eurocamp we tend to go to smaller sites with less on offer. However we all really enjoyed Haven at Hopton. And it has made us think that for some of our holidays we would consider a holiday with more activities on offer.