Butlins, Pontins or Haven. Opinions please.

[KEAWYED]

I'm looking for a weeks break at Easter and my 6 year old son thinks these parks look brilliant.

So which do you recommend and which actual parks.

Thank-you

hello

I've done Haven and Pontins - both in Wales. Was disappointed with Haven - thought it would be better than it was. Stayed in a freezing caravan (and it wasn't the cheapest ones), there was a small fair which you have to pay for all the rides. Although the entertainment shows for the kids were good and it was on the beach which was good.

Done Pontins a couple of times, the first time thought it was okay. Would advise paying the extra and going for the top range apartments though. The entertainment wasn't as good as Haven (the shows were too late really for my DS who was 6 at the time). The communal bars etc also needed a drastic revamp/clean. On the plus side there was more to do for the kids, ie, driving school, activity stuff which wasn't too expensive.

I know friends who have been to Butlins and say its really good. So if you could afford it I would go for Butlins. I also know someone who did one of the Havens in south wales I think and they said that was really good too

Hope that helps.

I went to a Pontins near Torquay a few years back and it was dirty and the facilities were rubbish, it looked like it hadn't been upgraded since the 5os. We used it as a base.

I don't want that again I want to be able to enjoy the stuff on site.

I have sent for brochures for all of them but I have heard Butlins is mega expensive but if it's worth I'll look into it.

Thanks

It probably isn't that much more expensive if all things are included. Don't think I'll be doing Pontins or Haven again.

Haven Primrose Valley is good huge flagship park so fairly modern and updated with lots to do. Been I think 4 times, maybe 5. Never had a bad caravan, or any problems.

If you book Haven holidays when they are o offer at half price it works out cheaper than a Sun holiday. I have one booked for end of May, nicest caravan for under £100 monday to friday break. HTH.

you can use tesco vouchers to book butlins.
we have booked 5 days for 3 of us using vouchers and only paid £13 cash, thats a silver apartment plus half board.

Extras: arcade rides, machines, fairground.

Depends how you approach it I guess, my DS has his own money which he chooses how to spend, and spends it much more wisely if it it his own.

Acitivies such as archery you book and pay for per person and session, last year haven did activity passports which were very good value.

We spend very little whilst there. Have one tea out, do others in the Caravan.

Swimming pools, beach, walk around the lake, etc all free and fun.

i have been to butlins and haven parks several times with dd now 5yrs, but my sis stopped at a parkdean site in croyde, devon and that was much nicer. Very similar to the others but caravans much nicer, better quality than haven and the sites a re a bit smaller, but still have all the usual things like indoor pool, childrens entertainment etc.
I was staying in woolacoombe at the time with dd and we visited my sis as its only the next bay along and we were impressed.

we went to haven seashore great yarmouth last summer and it was much better than I expected. The caravan was fine (we went for superior, only 1 up from basic) the park was clean and had a basic pool and playground as well as the usual arcades etc.

Free were the pool, playground and all daily kids clubs and evening entertainment.

You had to pay for the arcades, bike hire, "courtesy" bus ten pin bowling etc so we just didnt do much of that. The beach was accross the road from the site and the town about a 30 min walk.

We also went to butlins in bognor regis in october and stayed in the hotel half board. Hotel very nice and food lovely.

Free was the pool, much bigger and better than haven and soft play areas, adventure play areas, funfair, most of the daytime and evening entertainment. There was also a fridge in the hotel room so we took cheese and crackers etc for snacky lunches.

you had to pay for bike hire, arcades, craft classes etc.

We have to go in school holidays and paid around £650 for a week at haven self catering probably spent about £1000 including petrol day trips and food. The butlins break cost us £500 for a long week end (3 nights) and included breakfast and evening meal staying in the shoreline. We spent about £20 while we were there ebacsue so much was free.

They were both great holidays, I would go againt o haven for a week because of the space and how relaxing it all was. Butlins would have been a little claustraphobic for a week and was more of a non stop holiday than haven.

The entertainment was of a much higher quality at butlins, at haven is was okay for a few evenings but very basic.

Thank-you everyone. I'll look into them all.

If all else fails we have got the tent!!

I would not recommend Haven, so i agree with singlemum,caravan's are so cold,not alot to do, i hated it! pontins not to keen on. Butlins is much better.

Gosh, so Butlins is the nicest of the bunch??? I'd never have thought it. Haven't been to any but that's useful t know.

i would rather eat my own arse that go to butlins, my son worked there over the holidays and we visited a couple of times - its like a POW camp with a merry go round.

cafeteria - like school

urgh

By far the best is to stay at the Hotel at Butlins. The food there is actually quite decent.

Last year, I stayed at Haven, and really didn't like it, to me it all the awful features of Butlins (yards of coke, too many slot machines, too much junk food and tacky toys) but lacked all the facilities. The evening entertainment was very poor in comparison, and the lack of red coats meant that I couldn't relax in the evening, but there wasn't anywhere to sit close to the children of an evening either. Further, if you didn't get down there 50 minutes early - you didn't get in!

Yes, Butlins is cheap and tacky - but it is a holiday primarily aimed at children. They will have a great time. The kids clubs at Butlins are fab (I was disappointed with the Haven ones), the rides and everything else is fab for them - just take a good book! The only thing about Haven that was nicer was the area - it had a beach as opposed to the peble thing at Bognor, and the swimming pool and area was nicer than Butlins. But, I found Haven more expensive than Butlins too. Haven is just as tacky as Butlins, but just lacking in the facilities. I can put up with the tack as I know it is a holiday for the children, but if I am doing that, then I want it to be best for the children - and the facilities at Butlins surpass the facilities at Haven, for a similar price so I'd go Butlins over Haven every time.

Cheap and Tacky Never heard it described like that before.

i have been to butlins in skegness had a brillant week with my dd and dh would highly recommand butlins can be expensive but look into the privatly owned caravans just off site you get all access vouchers for butlins and not as expensive as staying in butlins accomadition. brother and sister in law and kids stayed with haven last year did not enjoy it nothing for the kids to do ages 8 6 3 also my brother in law and sister in law took there kids ( 3ds ages 15 13 9) to haven and found it very boring i try for butlins

Has anyone been to the Ocean Spa at Butlins? Wondering how the Spa compares with AquaSana at CenterParcs. Do they do general spa sessions, so use of the pools and sauna's, or just treatment packages?
Is WiFi included in the price when booking a hotel room?

Comparing CP (Executive Lodge) with Butlins (Gold Apartment). Butlins are more expensive by about £3 for a 3-night booking. Spa is cheaper (found the price in the Spa Brochure, £19 for a 2-hour session) but Spa looks a lot smaller.

I have just been looking at the Butlins website, very impressive and quite fancy staying at one of the hotels for a week around easter.

Have been at Haven in Wales, and to be perfectly honest, I was really disappointed. There wasn't a great deal happening there, within the resort. We spent a lot of time travelling around the tourist spots rather than spending time in the resort. Everything cost money. It wasn't inclusive in the true sense of the word. As for the accommodation, it was really grotty (chalet) and we ended up next to noisy neighbours the night before we left so we were knackered on our 6 hr journey home.

I agree with others, Haven is worse missing out on. Hoping that Butlins may prove to be more cost effective with lots of activities for all ages.

*worth

I would give Haven a huge miss. We only went there once, to a place in Cornwall. The whole place had a depressed rundown feel and the chalet was really grim. Really, really grim. Things like lots of mould in the bathroom, plug missing from sink, really stale-smelling smelly duvets(disgusting) but the very worst thing was that it was actually flea-infested. Only realised what they were after a few days when DH kept wondering what the bites on his ankles were. And I finally realised what the tiny little "flies" were that were jumping on and off 6 month old DS as he was lying on the floor. a that but also the fact that it took us days to realise what they were!

We went to complain and they didn't seem at all surprised but said they'd send someone round. We wasted nearly the whole day waiting in for them and by the time they came we'd just had enough - showed the handymen people the flea we'd caught in a jar, and said we'd be going home early that afternoon even though we had a 6 hour drive ahead of us.

I tell you, driving away from that place really did feel like escaping from Auschwitz, such was the feeling of relief we had. I still can't believe the blase attitude the staff had - all they said was "Well, we actually allow dogs in those chalets so unfortunately there is always a risk that they will leave things like that behind." Really really bad attitude. I wonder whether they ever refurbished those chalets. Thing was, our week was the last cheap week - after that it went up to something like 400 or 500 quid a week - for a flea-infested pit!!!!!!! Absolutely shocking.

I have heard Butlins is a lot better in terms of quality. Still the tacky holiday-camp atmosphere but then kids like that don't they. Have been put off all idea of those types of places though and now we just hire a cottage in Cornall with lots of facilities for the kids on site - much much nicer!

Keawyed, just had a thought. My DS keeps nagging me to go to Butlins too, but the price at Easter even for a short break was still putting me off. So instead we have hired a caravan in Staffordshire for 3 nights so that we can go for 2 whole days to Drayton Manor theme park/Thomas land using our Tesco clubcard vouchers for free entry. It works out as half the price as a 3 day Butlins trip for the 4 of us, and I honestly think they'll enjoy it better.

Recently went to Butlins Minehead which is on a beautiful stretch of coast with a sandy beach.

Accomodation was very good - we had an automatic upgrade from standard to silver plus.

The entertainment was generally very good but there are a huge number of arcade machines.

The swimming pool was good but the changing rooms filthy dirty, absolutely disgusting every time we went swimming.

On balance, much prefer Centre Parks but for the cost.