The Sun £20 Holidays. Holiday Park Review thread

rebekah_cardiff

Hi,

Im staying in Haven Perran Sands in august and devon cliffs in may.:T..Has anyone stayed there? Im just wondering if their nice sites?. :j

Thanks in advance!:D

gingefam

Thriftkitten wrote: »

Hi I like the look of Duinrell, without sounding dumb would it be a mad drive from calais? just want to avoid flying if poss!!!

Hi Thriftkitten - no it is not a mad drive at all. Took us 3.5 from Calais to Duinrell (not speeding madly) but 4 hours back - no idea why.

Very easy/clear roads, very flat, not hugely busy. The only real sticking points was going through Rotterdam/Den Haag. We needed a sat nav for that although the Keycamp directions sent us the right way. We paid a toll (? about 5Euros to use the toll tunnel to the north of Antwerp. This knocked a considerable amount of time off the journey - it was not referred to in the Keycamp instructions.

If you dont have a satnav try using www.viamichelin.com for inter European driving. Really good clear printable directions.

We travelled from South Wales - stayed overnight at the Travellodge at Ashford (£9.00 rooms - worth breaking your journey) and paid extra to use the Eurotunnel. This worked well for us. We drove south Wales to Ashford one day and Ashford to Duinrell the next. On return we drove back in one day - took about 8 hours but wouldnt have been possible without using the Eurotunnel.

I have put a looooong review of Duinrell on Tripadvisor - may give more info.

It is a fab place.

gingefam

Thriftkitten wrote: »

Hi could anyone tell me if they have driven to Durinell from Calais and if they would recommend it with 2 kids as a single mother and first time driving from Calais I'd like some tips and advice please.

Have just replied on your other post. It is a long journey - stongly suggest breaking at Ashford if you are coming from Cornwall. The Travellodge is ideal. If get it for the £9.00 deal break your journey both ways.

Another option if you dont want to fly is the ferry to the Hook of Holland from Harwich. Quite expensive for me as you have to book a cabin if travelling on the overnighter - but only about 30kms at the other end. More ferry less driving. Would work well on the return journey as given the ferry times you would get longer in the Park.

Alternative option - use the flight checker to get cheap flights from Bristol to Schipol - then get taxi. Duinrell rates is 55 Euros one way. Can easily manage in Duinrell without car - (need to cycle to beach) - but kids wont let you leave anyway......

gingefam

rebekah_cardiff wrote: »

Hi,

Im staying in Haven Perran Sands in august and devon cliffs in may.:T..Has anyone stayed there? Im just wondering if their nice sites?. :j

Thanks in advance!:D

Devon cliffs is lovely - but massive. The pool and entertainments are great. If you have any choice over where you are staying ask for a quiet spot close to the entertainments/pool area. Need to be nimble to get down to the beach.

Rachie_B

rebekah_cardiff wrote: »

Hi,

Im staying in Haven Perran Sands in august and devon cliffs in may.:T..Has anyone stayed there? Im just wondering if their nice sites?. :j

Thanks in advance!:D

We went to Devon Cliffs last July,just as the kids broke up for summer
They loved it,big site with lots to do

x

Ellie_B_2

I would recomend these holidays to anyone. My husband and I (and even the dog!) have been on many in the last 6 years and you really can't get better value for money, even including the service charge and entertainment passes, you're looking at a 4 night break for around £80. The standard of the caravans we have been in have been really 'good - you only get the basic model if you take a dog, but they are well equiped - would recomend you take your own bed linen (that's just personal choice - a bit funny about things like that!!).:T

chattykathyblue

Is there a quick way of finding out which parks are dog friendly?

TIA

starcat_2

Hi Tia,
there isn't any really quick way to check if the site allows you to book a dog - the guide to amenities does usually have the dog icon if they're allowed, but it's best to look on the parks website and check first how much they charge for dogs and which accommodation is available to pet owners. I really recommend taking the time to do this, as if you find out after you've booked that they don't allow dogs then there is no way you can un-book!

I have been to various sites over the last few years, and all have been great with a superb standard of accommodation, and there hasn't been the 'chav' element as someone suggested. I guess it is luck of the draw, we have been very lucky in all accounts, weather included. When all is said and done, you are getting a very good deal at a very cheap price, and if it's your sort of thing you will love it.

Do also bare in mind that some breeds of dogs aren't allowed, and that pets do have to be well behaved ( I wish they would state this about children!) and on a lead at all times, and you shouldn't leave your dogs unattended in the caravans. That in mind, you and your dog should have a wonderful time!

We have been to Haggerston Castle, Cresswell Towers (both Northumberland coast), Southerness and Auchenlarie (Solway Coast) and they charged between £20-£30 per dog when we booked.

Julie

queenbeeno1

Just got back from our Sun break here and I cannot recommend this place enough. It cost us just £60 for all four of us NO additional Charges at all. Electric was meant to be metered but we did not pay a penny!Chalet was basic but adequate, site clean, entertainment everynight at no cost, no charge for pool and just 2 miles from Looe. Beautiful area and friendly staff. Have been going on these breaks for 5 years now as they make a nice getaway for the kids, who love it and a great opportunity to see the UK. We have never paid less than £100 when all the extras are added in, and this was one of the best sites we have ever been to. Will be booking again next summer!:T

Message To the person who said that the sites are full of chavs thanks to sun breaks - I am not a chav and neither are my family, we just cut our cloth to suit budget. :mad: These promotions mean many of these places can stay open. The amount they charge usually is over the top for whats on offer. I would not go to a holiday park and pay the sort of prices they ask at peak times, especially when we can go to center parcs for less.

snaphappyone

Haven Devon Cliffs - Love this site (handy for us 50 miles away), Havens showcase site and always well invested in. Massive so loads of entertainment if you like that sort of thing, our children are young enough to love it. Big indoor/outdoor pool with slides etc, but very busy and quite noisy (they have a really nice and dead quiet pool for owners if you can find a way of getting in there!). Nice Spa if you fancy a treat. Beach is nice, although sea-weedy if the tides aren't with you. Have always had a lovely caravan, often been upgraded which is always a bonus. Would highly recommend, but perhaps not if you like a quiet life.
East Devon is beautiful and there is so much to do around Exmouth. I would recommend a day at Bicton for young children and you can go there with Tesco clubcard deals. Plenty of other beaches around if you fancy a change.

Parkdean Challaborough bay - Stayed here in May. Very pleased with our break, a nice contrast to Haven Devon Cliffs as the small site was quiet and peaceful. Had an upgraded caravan which was clean and nice, we appreciated the extra room. We couldn't have got much closer to the entertainment and beach, both within 20m. Really handy to have the beach so close. Nice staff but limited facilities. We had the childrens entertainer to ourselves when we went in the day and didn't go to the evening entertainment 'til the last night, which I regretted as our 2 year old loved it. Nice pool, again, very quiet. Will definately go back.
We went to Pennywell Farm and our 2 year old has been having imaginary trips there ever since.

Parkdean Mullion, Cornwall - Weren't keen on this one. The caravan was pokey and quite grubby, just not that new I guess. We had our travel cot in the sitting room as no other space. The site was small with not a lot going on. The pool was ok. No beach on site, but lots of lovely coast nearby. A really nice part of cornwall to investigate, but we won't be staying at Mullion again.