Haven Prestayn review/good local pub restaurants

MKS

We booked to go to Haven Prestatyn next weekend. Since booking, I have not read many positive reviews. Has anyone been there lately and if so, what is your viewpoint. We will only be using it as a base, so do not need the entertainment etc, just a clean place to stay. Also, does anyone know of any good pub restaurants locally. TIA

mrsJef

Hi there,

we've just got back from Presthaven sands haven site and have had a brilliant time! The site is one of the nicest i've been to and like you we used it as a base and pottered off to Rhyl for the day and to a local castle etc. We were really lucky with the weather and had taken food with us so picknicked on the beach most lunchtimes & ate in the caravan most nights although did have fish n chips on our last night as a treat! The indoor pool was lovely and i believe has been renovated this year, the outdoor pool was not open yet. The kids entertainment was actually good (not normally my thing!) and started quite early so could pick and choose what bits you watched. I think some of the facilities are quite expensive-mini golf & some fair rides but amusement arcade & a pocket full of 2p's kept mine amused quite happily! The caravans get REALLY cold at night though so take extra covers & jumpers as we all slept in clothes & 2 x duvets every night! When we arrived they gave us the wrong caravan keys so gave us a free upgrade to a brand new caravan which was much bigger that we have ever had before so if anything is amiss when you get there-dont keep quite just ask for a different van! LOL

Hope this helps and that you have a lovely time! X

freakybacon

If like us you are a seasoned "sun £9.50" holiday warrior, you will be aware that static caravans can be a bit cold out of season. For this reason, its worth investing in a couple of cheap electric heaters. We also have our "camping box" containing such things as tea towels , kitchen roll, toilet rolls, basic cleaning stuff such as a disinfectant spray, washing up liquid, tea, coffee, dried milk, and we always keep sachets of salt/pepper/ketchup from fast food places for our camping box. You can usually buy stuff like this from the on site shop but its top money and limited choice.

When you get there and are allocated your chalet/caravan, send the elder female(s) of the party in to inspect the accomodation before you unpack. If they are not happy for whatever reason- reject the accomodation. There is always alternative accomodation and it is imperative that the females are happy or you will never hear the last of it. You are on holiday for a good time and you need good memories- not of leaky toilets!

Have a good time- we have been to several Haven sites & they have been on the whole pretty good.

drsmum

myself,OH and 11 and 5 year old went to preshaven sands last July,We had a great time,park was clean and tidy,entertainment was good for 5 year old ,bike hire was a great hit with both kids,beach was also very clean and we had a lot of fun there.
We also had day trips to Chester Zoo,Greenwood forest park,Rhyl and surrounding towns.
Only things we didnt like were Mash and Barrel food and chip shop,although we tend to eat out or in caravan(we shopped in Morrisons in town).
We have been to about 10 different Haven parks and this was probably one of the best.
Hope you have a great holiday

MKS

Thanks to all of the above posts - very reassuring. We do take a 'camping box' as above, as well as our own linen, duvets and pillows (just in case!) mrsJef and freakybacon, thanks for the tip if there is a problem with the caravan. drsmum - thanks for the info on Morrisons. We aim to do the same , eat in caravan/local pub restaurants etc. OH is into photography so will spend most of the time off site.

We are 'seasoned Sun holidayers' and have been extremely lucky with the parks that we have been to. Manorbier park, near Tenby, had the cleanest caravan ever. Cleaning materials stayed in the car, as did duvets, pillows etc. Washing up liquid, sponge etc etc all supplied. International park, near Paris, was also very good. Everything was very clean, except the coffee stained mugs. Quick trip to the Carrefour sorted that one out with a few 1 euro mugs. Will be taking them back with us when we return in September!

kristi

:money:Hi, I live in Rhyl so can recommend a few places. Just round the corner from Haven is a Crown Carvery which is delicious!! Its £3.59 each in the week (bit cheaper for kids) and its all you can eat. You will probably pass it on your way in its called The Bells of St Marys, if you dont see it on your way in, if you head to the main road from Haven, turn left at the end and head to the dual carriage way, its literally on your right.

Also if you go further down the road there is Talacre Beach which is really nice, there are a few small arcades and a gorgeous beach with a lighthouse (you will come to a roundabout and a sign saying beach, first exit)

Further down again is Greenfield Valley which, again, is lovely. You can walk up through the ruins of the old factories and fishing lakes through the forest. There is also a small farm there which doubles as a museum of the old farm houses and victorian school which are laid out as they would have been then!

www.greenfieldvalley.com

Depending on how old your children are Rhyl is good for younger children as there is only a small fair now. the promenade is lovely and the beaches too.

If you need anymore ideas pls ask

Kristi x

MKS

kristi wrote: »

:money:Hi, I live in Rhyl so can recommend a few places. Just round the corner from Haven is a Crown Carvery which is delicious!! Its £3.59 each in the week (bit cheaper for kids) and its all you can eat. You will probably pass it on your way in its called The Bells of St Marys, if you dont see it on your way in, if you head to the main road from Haven, turn left at the end and head to the dual carriage way, its literally on your right.

Also if you go further down the road there is Talacre Beach which is really nice, there are a few small arcades and a gorgeous beach with a lighthouse (you will come to a roundabout and a sign saying beach, first exit)

Further down again is Greenfield Valley which, again, is lovely. You can walk up through the ruins of the old factories and fishing lakes through the forest. There is also a small farm there which doubles as a museum of the old farm houses and victorian school which are laid out as they would have been then!

www.greenfieldvalley.com

Depending on how old your children are Rhyl is good for younger children as there is only a small fair now. the promenade is lovely and the beaches too.

If you need anymore ideas pls ask

Kristi x

Thanks Kristi. Will give the carvery a try, sounds a good bargain. Thanks for your couple of ideas, we will go to these. OH likes photographing lighthouses, as well as waterfalls (I think that there may be some of these in the area as well). Greenfield Valley sounds interesting. It will be just the two of us going, so any other suggestions/local beauty spots etc. would be appreciated.

MKS

Kristi, if you have anymore ideas etc that would be brilliant, as a local you probably know the best places to go.
Thanks

kristi

Hi again, for waterfalls there is Dyserth Falls which isn't very far at all, pm me for directions if needed. It is a lovely walk up the falls and there is a lovely pub at the bottom of the falls called The New Inn, lovely food and popular.

If you want to go further afield there is Swallow Falls in Betws Y Coed which is about an hour away.

Also by the Talacre roundabout there is a pub called The Lodge which does very nice food.

If there is anything else pls ask. BTW Morrisons is in Rhyl, the only supermarket in Prestatyn is Iceland I think.

Kristi x

MKS

Thanks, Kristi, have pm'd you.

MKS

Had a lovely weekend. Thanks to Kristi, through her pm our own travel advisor (seriously she should offer her services to the Tourist board, her ideas, directions and even parking costs were spot on!).
We more or less followed her itinery. We went to Dyserth waterfalls and had a lovely walk. Rhuddlan castle was also good as was St Asaph, all very pictureque - just the thing for my OH's photography. Swallow Falls at Betwys Y Coed was also good. Was also advised to visit Talacre beach and see the lighthouse. Had a great walk along the beach as the tide was out. They were actually power washing the lighthouse at the bottom and painting the railings at the top of it, so OH got some unusual pictures! Also visited Penmon in Anglesey where we were told to look at a Wimbrill by several of the birdwatchers who were there! We are not into birdwatching but evidently it was the first time in a couple of years that they had sighted one there! Had a good meal at the Bell of St Marys at Talacre, very popular place. Went to the Lodge the next evening but they had only a very limited menu due to earlier demands, so went on the the New Inn at Dyserth. Excellent meal, first time have had a 'lamb Henry' - absolutely lovely meal and very reasonable. Didn't end up having time to go to Greenfield Valley. Excellent weekend, mainly due to Kristi. Thanks.