Sunday

28/04 - Holiday From Hell?


So I may well have just booked the holiday from hell. We decided to try the Sun (newspaper) £15 deal this summer for a short break with the kids, it works out at £60 + extras such as entertainment passes and linens (yes.. extra if you want bed linen!) which seems like a good deal and lets face it a holiday park is never going to be the holiday of a lifetime but it's for the kids, isn't it? Well.. we were a little late on the bandwagon.. it seems you must be an eager beaver to get the good sites and even within the time I was browsing places were disappearing so when I found one that wasn't a crazy distance from our house (2 hour drive is the maximum I want with the baby) I booked it quick. It wasn't until after the fact that I found the horrendous reviews online and am now rather nervous about the whole thing. The write ups range form 'amazing' to 'horrifying' so it's obviously a lot to do with expectations but the weekend we booked is the last of Summer and falls on Ella's birthday so I'd really rather it not be that bad. As a precaution I've booked a rather nice looking new Premier Inn by the docklands (did I mention it was in near/in Liverpool) for the last night which is her actual birthday so worst case scenario we take advantage of the awful kids entertainment and swimming pool for two days and then have a nice day in Liverpool but still.. I'm annoyed that they put so much pressure on you to book within that 10 minute window so you don't really have time to check the place out first. Another note is that they accept NO amendments and would laugh in the face of a cancellation request.. it's only £60 but bearing in mind I'll probably be forced to pay that again for the extras and paid another £40 (lucky there was a sale) for the Premier Inn it's getting to be a pricey weekend so I really hope it's not as awful as some say. For those wondering the park we're staying at is Pontins Southport.. I think the reviews are down to expectations.. some loved it but said it was very basic and others say it needs to be condemned.. I'm guessing if you're used to the Four Seasons it's going to feel more like a prison camp but I'm hoping that the kids will love it.. if you've been there let me know what you thought!

Khi

5 comments:

  1. Its ok overall, the kids clubs and kids entertainment is spot on really, treasure hunts, dances, games and the like, then there is the arcade and pool. The adult evening entertainment can be very cheesy but its not too bad. The rooms are nice but last time we went they were dirty! Chewing gum and sticky sweet wrappers, but they did clean it when we said... x

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  2. We've been to tons of Pontins, including the Southport one. It's not exactly glamorous but its alright, you won't catch anything from the bedding! Those complaining obviously haven't done caravan park holidays before! The kids daytime activities and nighttime disco-y stuff was great, the accommodation isn't anything too grand, bit grimy round the edges really which is to be expected since so many people come and go so quickly, literally one in, one out, but you'll be out doing things most of the time anyway. Besides, I imagine Ella and Milo won't notice/mind a broken bed spring or two! x

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  3. We went on one of the sun's holidays, but we were in a static caravan... it was a really nice holiday, we were near the sea side in Hull :) The trick is to go with really low expectations of everything, and try and find decent entertainment during the day... think shopping or an aqua life centre xx

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  4. We went to pontins every year since i was about 6 years old. They were the best holidays of my childhood. Granted i havent been there since i was 12 and im now 26 but i have extremely fond memories when i think back!!!!:)

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  5. When I was younger we went to Pontins practically every year from me being about 4/5. Me and my brother absolutely loved it! We started off by going to the one which used to be in Blackpool for years and had so much fun. We then tried one in wales and went back 3 times! I have so many memories from my holidays here. However, I can't really comment as I'm now 17 approaching 18 and haven't been for years but I hope you's all have a lovely holiday and don't let the reviews online put you off - like my mam always says (who runs a business) you see more bad reviews than good because if you have a good experience you're less likely to go and write about it where as if you have a bad experience then you want everyone and their dog to know about it! Once again have fun and enjoy:) fashion--geek.blogspot.co.uk xo

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