Haven holiday I'm so worried :-(

Laura2411

Hi Everyone We are going to riverie holiday park in Cornwall through haven,
We are going good Friday for 7 nights in a standard caravan self catering and it will be our very first holiday my husband and I have never been on holiday together and our 7 year old son and 5 year old daughter Can't wait to go, I was hoping this would be a really special first time family holiday but now after reading all about haven I'm really worried

Trouble is funds are really bad at the moment and we are really worried about how we are going to manage, I have read loads of reviews about the haven holidays and it seems like everything in the clubs in the night costs a fortune...like kids drinks, sweets, glo sticks,

Just wondering anyone can give me your honest opinion on the park and could just give me some advice as to how money we would need to take also I'm really worried the standard 3 bed caravan is going to be awful as everyone seems to upgrade this is something I can't afford to do

Sorry to bother you all, Its just I was really excited about going and now I am just worried our holiday is going to be ruined

tanith

Your holiday will be what you make it , when my children were young we used to do caravan holidays and sometimes we only had the same money we would of had at home.. take food with you and don't shop in the camp food shops, we used to take something to tide us over the weekend with maybe one/two evening meal out at a local eatery then did a supermarket shop for the rest of the week.. we took picnics if going out for the day and the kids knew they would only get one ice-cream/treat per day.. we also didn't use the camp entertainment much, we preferred either going for a walk on the beach or to a local town and exploring.. Now my kids are all grown up the tell their own children how much fun they had on our cheapy caravan holidays when they were kids... so don't worry you will have a great time..

spadoosh

Still be excited.... your going on holiday. Ill swap work for a week with going to haven?! Remember alot of the people writing the reviews are possibly expecting too much, pompous idiots, etc etc. People will always go out of their way to complain not so much to compliment. And remember a holiday is what you make of it chances are most of the bad reviews are because their party had big fallings out. Don't expect 5* treatment but make sure your caravan is clean and tidy. Its a self catering holiday so you are allowed to buy your own stuff, go off site in evening and supply your kids with shop bought goods.

Make sure you enjoy it instead of spending a week worrying about it kinda forcing yourself to have a bad time.

carbbit

I often take glowsticks and other bits and pieces with me for our little one if we go on holiday. Poundland do a pack of 20 slim ones or a pack of 3 bigger ones.

jcr16

ahh my post just disappeared.

we stayed in haven. we had a 3 bed silver. we went in the oct as was freezing so next time were go gold or higher with somewhere with central heating. the caravan itself was clean and tidy and nice.


The laundrett was alot of money, so take more clothes than need be. the shop on site was expensive, but we went to the local asda and got the food there. as for meal's. we have one meal in the restuarant which was nice, maybe a bit dearer than normally pay. but then we only had one meal out as we cooked all our meal in the caravan.

as for entertainment, we used the free facitiles like swimming, play ground, beach was close by.

a holiday can be as expenive or as cheap as you want it to be. you don't have to stay on site and you don't have to do somethign every day or night which cost's.

I'm sure once your there you will enjoy it.

spotdogkez

Hi

I have been to quite a few Haven sites in my time with the family. The parks do vary. My favourite is Devon cliffs. I have never been to Riverie myself, but know someone who has and they really enjoyed it. The standard of caravans can be a bit hit and miss and we now don't go for the standard caravan but upgrade to the Deluxe. At the end of the day with all the facilities on site (the clubs, swimming pool etc) you won't be spending much time in the caravan. View it as a bed to sleep in.

Food and drink can be expensive on site. To combat this we have packed lunches most days and cook in the caravan most nights. The kids drinks etc are expensive, to get round this we take in bottles of branded drink (ie coca cola) ought from a supermarket and Walkers crisps (as this is what they sell on site. Also bars of chocolate. At the end of the day we have never had any problems. They sell chocolate and crips in the camp shop (although at slightly inflated prices) and I have seen people take these in. On the Devon Cliffs site they have a Papa Johns pizza, a Burger King and a chip shop as well as their restaurants - so the choice is wide.

Personally, our kids have to save their pocket money to spend on holiday and then things like the arcade (this is where a lot of money seems to disappear), ice creams, and snacks other than their general meals for the day they pay for themselves.

The best thing about Haven is the whole package. We go out during the day, can come back, shower and change and you don't have to go trawling around for somewhere to eat/drink. It is all on site and you use/pay for as much or as little as you like. The kids will absolutely love it. The entertainment alone is great for the kids - just make sure you get to the club early. If the entertainment starts at 6.30 - get there are 6.00 at the latest. What a lot of people do is just one of you goes down and saves a table. It is nearly always standing room only.

I hope you have a good time.

tinkerbellsmum_2

we have been to haven with 25 pound a day to send and still come home with money.
like the others have said buy your food in a supermarket before you go planning your meals before hand.
in the club just buy the kids cordial in a glass or do what we do buy there refill bottles then refill them in the carvan and take them with you.
theres lots free to do and you really don't need to spend much money if you are organised.
have fun hun

liney

We have done Haven lots of times and always check in, then head straight for the nearest Supermarket for picnic things, breakfasts and the odd evening meal as well as wine (!) I take washing up liquid and condiments, tea and sugar with me from home.

I always take a sports bottle for a drink out with me for our son, day and night without any issue. I don't buys sweets and candyfloss etc, but is there any reason you can't buy a multi pack and stick some in your handbag?

Our son isn't one for late nights so we are normally back at the caravan at 9pm most nights where we have a drink and sometimes a takeaway.

I personally don't find the bars that expensive, but we rarely eat on site as we prefer to scout out the local areas and they are generally cheaper.

I'm sure you will have a fab time and become a caravan veteran

hippygran

Just relax a bit, and look forward to your holiday!

We used to go on all sorts of (cheap) holidays with our kids, including Haven (which believe me was luxury - compared to some vans we stayed in!!). Tiger Club for the young ones at Haven was excellent - our family still remember the songs!

We even stayed in a friend of a friends van, which had no shower!! The 'public' shower was awful - I had to get hubby to de-bug it for me before use, and had to scrub it before every use! The toilet door had no lock on it (the kids thought this was great, as we all had to sing 'I know a song that'll get on your nerves' when using the loo, so everyone knew it was being used! There was nothing on the site, apart from a rope and tyre over the river.

Almost 20 years later, my lads still remember that holiday and how GOOD it was!

When we went somewhere that involved the 'cash cow situation', the kids took their own bit of savings, we topped up with what (little), we could afford. Then the kids counted it up, we divided it out on a 'spend per day' - and they knew if they spent that days allowance, no more was available till next day. If they didn't spend it, then there was more funds available next day! Kids are often very 'clued up' when the harsh realities of finance are made clear!

We also did take part in a lot of the entertainment at Haven (and Butlins), and yes stuff is dear - same system one drink, one bag of crisps and don't come back for more! I also limited myself to one drink. Obviously if the stay was long enough for me to need another drink, the kids got one too!

A lot of stuff is free at such places and your kids will have a whale of a time. Somethings (such as go-karts are extra). We would only let our kids do this kind of stuff only once per holiday, and generally it was kept as something to look forward to on the last day. This didn't spoil anything for them, because the week was spent with a degree of 'anticipation'. Every time we went past the go-karts the kids would say 'we going on them Friday, mum', and I would say yes.
Friday would come and by this time they would be bursting with excitement and enjoy it all the more!

The SINGLE thing both my lads remember most, was totally free (well once we had invested in a pound or so for the basic equipment - which lasted years!), and that was crab fishing off Barmouth Harbour. My two could spend a whole day doing this IN THE RAIN! from the age of only about 2 or 3! They were only allowed on the fair on the last day! They knew this and were totally accepting of it!

Your kids will just remember the small things like this, the quality of time spent with you, the feeling of happiness and being 'on holiday' - the memories of 'expensive' treats will fade much quicker!

So have a lovely holiday, you and your family, and I hope the sun shines on you!

Hippy x

headcrash27

It will be what you make it and even if the caravan is dated or not as clean as it could be your kids won't notice that and they'll have a great time. If you're not already aware of it check out the Tesco/Asda pricechecker thread at the top of the grabbit forum. You would be able to get lots of treats to take for the kids this way and all for free!

outdoor_girl_2

Your holiday will be fine i am sure. Yes, it is quite expensive to eat and drink at Haven but no more than anywhere else. As everyone else has said, use the supermarkets and cook in the caravan. The entertainment is usually good fun and there should be plenty for your children to do. Just see it as a week away to chill out and explore somewhere new