Butlins Accommodation WWYD?

[ButlinsHelp]

I'm in the process of booking a break at Butlins Bognor Regis for me, DD (3), DS (will be 4 months) and my mum for later this year but struggling with which accommodation to go for.

Option 1: 3 bed not on ground floor with balcony
Option 2: 2 bed ground floor with patio.

Pros of the first option is that we have more space and my mum and DD each get their own room, but it would mean traipsing up and down stairs with the two little ones and a pushchair (though could leave that in the car) every time we go out.

Option 2 means we wouldn't have to do that - but does mean mum and DD would need to share. My mum is ok with that if needed and said she'll go with what I prefer.

Option 3: 3 bed ground floor but no outside space. I like the thought of having outside space so not too keen on this option!

There is a price difference, but that's not a factor in the decision - and I'm paying so it doesn't effect my mum either.

Wwyd?!

Option 3. I'm put off by going upstairs all the time with the kiddos and pushchair which you'll definitely need. We have previously booked a patio and never really used it.. you won't be home much.

There's so much to do at Butlins that when you go back to your chalet you'll probably just want to sit down rather than playing outside. I'd go for option 3.

P.s. the car parking could be a good 5 mins walk from your accommodation.. so it's not likely to be convenient to be popping back to the car for the pushchair or your extra stuff (in my case, my air fryer!)

Ground floor. You don't want a 3yo anywhere near a balcony just in case!

Take the balcony. Because the 3yo can't run off.

By the way, we are Butlins converts, after turning our noses up at what we expected the clientele to be. We're about to book our third stay at Bognor, but we always take the top accommodation, the 3 bed Wave hotel apartment on the top two floors. Big kitchen , huge balcony , three big bedrooms. Large hall area for all your toot. It's marvellous, huge set up. If price isn't a factor book this.

Option 1 or 3, with a slight preference for 1. You won’t spend much time on the patio. We use a bike lock to lock the pram on the ground floor under the stairs. Upstairs means you won’t be disturbed by children running around in the flat above you, when you are trying to get baby to sleep.

Option 3. I’ve been to Butlins several times, never had any outside space and not missed it. We spend so little time in the apartment, although tbf I think it’s lashed it down every time we’ve been anyway!

We Love Butlins, so much to do for the little ones. And assuming you are going out of school holidays won’t be over busy.
We nearly went again this year but decided on a Haven in Cornwall instead.

1 or 3 but I would be wary of being on the ground floor as you don’t know what the people above you will be like. I wouldn’t rent to be taking a pushchair up more than one flight of stairs though.

Thanks for everyone's thoughts! Food for thought. We've used outdoor decking on previous breaks (eurocamp/haven) to eat or sit in the evenings when DD has been in bed - but I guess we could do without if it means mum/dd not having to share.

Definitely ground floor. Those stairs to upstairs apartments are hideous. Also agree with pp about not having a balcony with a small child , those doors don't have a proper lock on them iirc.

I would book the hotel. Wouldn’t stay in a chalet.

Thanks for everyone's thoughts - we went for option 3 in the end as other family are now joining us so needed the 3rd room.

In case anyone's still watching this thread, I have another question. We're not planning on getting a dining plan, but will probably eat out a few times. Will there be any issues getting into any of the places on site? I've seen a couple of reviews that said some of them were booked out for those on the plans between 5 & 8. And do we need to book shows etc in advance or will we be able to do it all there? We're going on a bog standard mid week break so out of school holidays and not a tots break, so I'm hoping it'll be quietish...

Not sure about food as we always book the dining plan. So much cheaper than eating out especially the cooked breakfast.

for the shows you will need to book the big shows in advance. Booking opens 4weeks before your stay and you’ll get an email then book everything on the app. The smaller shows are usually in venues that don’t need booking. And things like soft play/paid for activities can usually be booked when you’re there.

We normally do mid week tots breaks and it has happened to us a few times that we can’t get into the restaurant we want, but something else has been available. We have found wait times in restaurants were really long too and personally we don’t really enjoy eating in them. We have waited 45 mins sometimes for food to arrive. The dining plans aren’t value for us personally because we aren’t big breakfast eaters. With little children I have found it easiest to cook simple foods in the flat and get on-site takeaways.

We booked a 3 bed comfort ground floor apartment;it was huge and although the outdoor space was communal there was plenty of it and it was safe for the kids to play outside.We went to minehead and got a visit from the ducks daily including a mama with her ducklings.