*getting desperate*
Only been on one. It was meant to be two nights near Mablethorpe. Came home after one night. Weather was atrocious (which didn't help), but caravan was squalid and when the rain got so bad it flooded the rats out of their holes and I saw one about the size of a Yorkshire terrier we decided it was time to go home.
Sorry and all that, but I really can't recommend it.
Hmm bit grim but ok for a couple of days if the weather is ok, caravans can be ok but not exactly spacious... 😐
It's not called "shaven" Haven for no good reason 😉
Have an option for a "prestige" caravan. I'm accepting of the accommodation on that basis, it's perhaps more of a review of the entertainment etc I'm after - it seems to be a cheaper centre parts yet with more for the kids?
FFS Stan, book a Gite in Britanny somewhere near the beaches, cheap but great family holiday.
centre parts
Fnaar, fnaar.
Can't drive there rockape
Out of interest - got a link for me to show mrs K?.
It's in no way like Center Parcs, we take our touring van to the Lakeland site, and it's pleasant enough. I think the sites vary enormously.
- it seems to be a cheaper centre parts yet with more for the kids?
Are your kids big fans of slot machines and effing and blinding yobs with smudgy and probably mis-spelt tattoos?
If so, they will have a whale of a time.....
Ok for a £10 for 4 day collect the tokens cheap deal thing from the local newspaper
Full price? Nah, if your careful with the weeks (Dutch school holidays are slightly different to UK) you can get a week at somewhere like Duinrell in Holland for similar price, including ferries
that's what we have done with our 4 year old daughter the last few years - April £10 each midweek Haven break followed by a week in Holland towards the end of the summer holidays (wife is a teacher so we tied to school holidays)
To be fair the Havens we have been to have both been fine, in Weymouth and Torbay, but I wouldn't want to pay full price (ours ended up about £65-80 for the 3 of us for 4 days with linen, entertainment packages etc) and I guess you always risk getting a good or bad site/van. Best to probably check places like tripadvisor before booking, and I guess it's like anywhere, certain resorts attract certain types of people, other resorts may be quieter
Entertainment, we generally don't bother, we tend to use it as a cheap base to explore the local area (again where Duinrell scores high loads to do on site and all around) but the kids disco at Haven kept little one entertained for an hour each evening, rest sounded and looked dire
"prestige" caravan
IME,that was the caravan without the fleas, ants or bed bugs. Never again. 😕
Sigh.
At this rate it'll be two weeks spent decorating the house, followed by evenings getting pissed on a deckchair in the garden.
Why can't you get a ferry over to France, or Le tunnel. We used to do it young kids and had some great hols!
Kryton YGM
Been to a few when the children were younger- bit rough and ready but they enjoyed it and that means we did too
It's no centre parks and we only did long weekends but it was fine
Not sure where you are but we go to west Wales, (Cardigan bay/newquay area) really nice and u can nice cottage for what u would pay for a haven van, also riding at nant yr Arian not far 🙂
I'm not a fan of centre parks, to many middle class people complaining about *whatever* they can, people who holiday on the cheap because they have to often have more fun because it will be the only holiday they get, so whilst they may be poor they certainly [s]get pissed[/s] have fun.
(Based on some Brittany holiday park in France some 10 years ago, so my opinion may not be valid.)
You just need to Google French cites and see what you can find that suits your budget. It a really lovely part of the world. We used to stay by a big lake with a beach and drive to the beaches 45mins away for the day every few days.
You don't need a holiday camp to keep the kids entertained.
we had a week on the Haven in Gt Yarmouth 3 years ago, it was basically a free holiday funded by Tesco club card.
It wasn't too horrific, however I'd not want to actually pay to do it - much better ways of getting a cheap week away.
Oh, and the clientele were as you'd expect - girls with more tattoos than teeth, and blokes who only put their fags down to whack their kids.
We had a week at Hastings, the clientele were exactly as described above and we just used it as a base to explore from. Unfortunately our 'prestige' caravan was cold, damp and drafty so we came home a day early.
We've since had far better holidays renting holiday cottages, you can get quite good deals if you look around (houses that have appallingly external colour schemes etc)
We did Great Yarmouth (California Beach) on Tesco points too. As previously stated, it wasn’t too horrific. Good pool and play ground and the kids liked having a dance in the club. The site traffic was quiet so they could run about and ride their bikes safely.
Caravan was OK if a little basic, but for a freebie it was fine. Nice part of the world too.
Not sure I’d want to pay a lot of real money for it though.
Haven Holidays - any good?
going there (Mablethorpe) in August...not my choice but the wife insisted on a summer weekend family holiday...more for the kids.
my "holiday" will be the weekend after when i head down to BPW with my friends.
House swap with another STW'er?
Good idea. There was a thread from bloke looking for a few days in London the other day, I wonder what his place is like....
The one at Filey is fine. Has varying clientele from 63 plate merc drivers to those who turn up in a bus. We've been a fair few times but got lucky with a privately owned caravan. I would never and I repeat never stay in any of the lower grade caravans.
We did haven a couple of times down in Exmouth, we avoided the facilities on site, and booked pretty last minute, we had an issue with the caravan we were given and within an hour we were offered an alternative.
When we holiday with the kids we tend to save money on accommodation as it's literally somewhere to sleep and eat breakfast before we head out for the day.
The luxury apartments at hafan y mor at pwhelli aren't too bad, they've just done them up nicely.
The rest of the park isn't something we go for as we don't like socialising or loud music and we've no kids, but it was a nice cheap base to explore the area.
Woo Hoo!
For a couple of hundred quid more than Hoseason's we've just found & booked a 4* all inclusive in Ibiza (Cala Longa). Probably only a touch above the same clientele TBH but who cares, their's sun and sand.
The catch is a 6:00am flight out but we'll cope, that'll do me.
We did a 6am back in April to tenerife. We were round the pool for 12 noon. Well worth it!