Eating at Butlins

[ruralwanderer]

I've got a Butlins holiday booked but having never been before, am flummoxed by the dining options. Is it possible to go to Butlins and eat on a self-catering or pay-as-you-go basis or must you book a dining plan? If you must book a dining plan, which one do you go for and why? Thank you!

Yes you don't need a dining plan but we had the premium plan last year. I thought it was good value and decent choice for the kids and adults.

We never book a dining plan, there’s plenty of places to buy from so that you can eat when it suits you

Fab, thank you! 😁

We had cooking facilities in our silver apartment, took our own food and ate out once.

Check you have cooking facilities in your room unless you plan to eat out all the time. The cheeper rooms have no facilities for cooking. Some don't even have a fridge. We get the food hall dining package it's brilliant price and good range of food. It's very loud and feels like a school canteen but you get what you pay for. There are nicer restaurants you can pay for or get a premium dining package- a couple have playgrounds right outside so would be a nice place to chill and eat. Very different vibes in the food hall. But one of my kids is feral I'd hate to ruin everyone else's experience of a nice restaurant at the food hall we fit in

We went last year and didn't have self-catering as we stayed in the hotel, but I was also overwhelmed by the options when booking.

We went for the cheapest food court option and I wouldn't recommend - we thought the breakfast was great, but the food at dinner was disappointing. That being said, it seems the same food goes out to the Premium dining plan as well, so food is the same but the atmosphere/drinks options better (no alcohol in food court..). We ended up filling up with the breakfast buffet and then just eating a sandwich or something on the go for lunch.

We had mixed feelings about the on-site restaurants - Papa Johns was great for a lunchtime buffet, but the grill restaurant food tasted the same as the food court to us, but cooked to order instead of buffet style. If you have self-catering, it could be an option to go to those restaurants 'a la carte', but for me, not having to do the same cereal/toast for breakfast is part of being on holiday.

All that being said, we only went for 3 days and were not expecting to be blown away by food, so really depends on what you/your family need. But hope that is somewhat helpful!

Thanks so much everyone, I'm feeling reassured that my ravenous tribe will not go hungry on their weekend away due to my not buying a dining package