recommend me a haven with good beach and pool

artichoke

HI

Can people list which havens they have been to with good beach access, and also have a good pool - I know people's definitions of good pool depends on what age their children are, and what they like to do in the pool...so some description of the pool facilities / depth might be useful.

I know that over the years as our kids confidence in the water has increased the types of pool we enjoy have changed... as you can see from my list below the types of pools have changed over our visits....I always pick the site for the beach access and the pool so a list of pool facilities might help others like me to pick the best site for their own needs:

so here goes:

I will start a list of comments of beach and pools at Haven:

Golden Sands Mabblethorpe

Beach - wonderfull, sandy beach, but have to cross over a minor road to get to it...

Pool - small - splash pool at one end for toddlers and small area of deeper water at other for "real" swimming. This pool was great when kids were toddlers but not big enough now they can swim properly.

Hafan Y mor, Wales

Beach - wonderful, pebble beach with some sand, but excellent rock pools for small kids to fish in, paddle in.

Pool - excellent large pool with splash zones, depth for swimming and flumes / slides

luvdeals wrote: »

I just came back from Hafan Y Mor a few weeks ago and the pool area is really good. It has a large wave pool with shallow area for small ones, a rapid area (not too strong) however no kids with swim aids allowed and another swim area adjoining this for kids. No pool is above 120cm so it's quite safe. It also has a family slide (still really good) as well as flumes. It had quite a large toddler area with a slide as well however I can't comment on that as my kids are a bit older now.

Haven Primrose Valley
We were at Primrose Valley (near York) last year and
the beach there was gorgeous and clean. You can walk right along it to another small seaside town which is a lovely so it is really pretty.

the pools: The site itself has two pools, one which is quite large and mainly for swimming in and another within the main complex which is quite big with all the usual slides and splash zones too. I would definitely recommend Primrose Valley as there was quite a lot in the vicinity for days out too (Flamingo Land was really good). I will def take the family back there at some point.

Perran Sands, Cornwall

Beach - wonderful sandy beach, lifeguards 9am - 5pm, beach is down a very steep sloped path. Excellent surfing.

Pool - a 25m approx swimming pool graduated 1.3m - 1.5 m. and a small splash pool for toddlers, plus one longish flume.

Haven Caister

DOZYMARE wrote: »

Pool: We have returned a few times to Caister Havens Holiday Park. The pool was large with a good shallow end. It also has a bubble pool which is great for adults and children - depth about 18 inches. They have a great slide but I think it is age specific, although our son aged 3 was able to go on it several times.

The beach is lovely and sandy however it does have quite a few dunes which you have to navigate to get on to the beach from the caravan site. Would not be suitable for buggies. Did see a seal off the shore though!

Haven Reighton Sands

ruthybabs wrote: »

Hi

The pool: Went there 2 years ago. The pool is basic but fine for what is a very small site. There are outdoor flumes but we never saw these open. The pool itself was rectangular, shallow at one end and slightly deeper as it went along.

There were changing cubicles at the poolside, but no lockers.

The beach is excellent though, a private cove down a fairly steep but walkable track. It is quite sheltered by all the cliffs so not as wild as the east coast can be! Nice clean sand and water, great for the kids. There is a tractor and trailer which ferries you up and down if you like which seems to be there 10-5 or thereabouts. (A treat in itself for small kids I guess.)

Haven Presthaven Sands

Tigsteroonie wrote: »

Pool's a bit basic though - I never saw the single flume open, and it was too cold for littl'un to be comfortable in. We ended up going to the Rhyl Sun Centre instead.

edited 2012 to add - we went to Presthaven Sands in late aug/early sept 2011 - lazy river was loved by the kids and the flume was open.


BlackPool Marton Mere

pools great - shallow enough for toddlers at one end and proper swimming for kids at the other.
Space Bowl great for taller kids.


If anyone can add to the list giving as much details about the pool as possible that might help others decide which Haven suits their family.



thanks for any info people can supply

art

DOZYMARE

We have returned a few times to Caister Havens Holiday Park. The pool was large with a good shallow end. It also has a bubble pool which is great for adults and children - depth about 18 inches. They have a great slide but I think it is age specific, although our son aged 3 was able to go on it several times.

The beach is lovely and sandy however it does have quite a few dunes which you have to navigate to get on to the beach from the caravan site. Would not be suitable for buggies. Did see a seal off the shore though!

artichoke

DOZYMARE wrote: »

We have returned a few times to Caister Havens Holiday Park. The pool was large with a good shallow end. It also has a bubble pool which is great for adults and children - depth about 18 inches. They have a great slide but I think it is age specific, although our son aged 3 was able to go on it several times.

thanks for this info - does the pool have a length type area for "proper" swimming as well? art

luvdeals

I just came back from Hafan Y Mor a few weeks ago and the pool area is really good. It has a large wave pool with shallow area for small ones, a rapid area (not too strong) however no kids with swim aids allowed and another swim area adjoining this for kids. No pool is above 120cm so it's quite safe. It also has a family slide (still really good) as well as flumes. It had quite a large toddler area with a slide as well however I can't comment on that as my kids are a bit older now.
We were at Primrose Valley (near York) last year and the beach there was gorgeous and clean. You can walk right along it to another small seaside town which is a lovely so it is really pretty. The site itself has two pools, one which is quite large and mainly for swimming in and another within the main complex which is quite big with all the usual slides and splash zones too. I would definitely recommend Primrose Valley as there was quite a lot in the vicinity for days out too (Flamingo Land was really good). I will def take the family back there at some point.

DOZYMARE

artichoke wrote: »

thanks for this info - does the pool have a length type area for "proper" swimming as well? art

They have an area for proper swimming. It is not a separate pool but it is huge and kids tend to stay out of it as it is deeper.

candygirl

Presthaven sands is fab, and right next to the beach:D:D:D

Tigsteroonie

candygirl wrote: »

Presthaven sands is fab, and right next to the beach:D:D:D

Pool's a bit basic though - I never saw the single flume open, and it was too cold for littl'un to be comfortable in. We ended up going to the Rhyl Sun Centre instead.

greenface

showing how long since i have been but is hafan y mor still accessable to the beach by cable car if so thats a journey in itself . The beach is a stunner pebbly with a shallow fall . and a sun trap. very quiet too from memory with so much going on @ haven

FatAndy

There's no cable car at Hafan-y-Mor unfortunately.

A word of warning re the beach, last time we were there the tide was right in so there was no beach. Well, technically there was but it was under water. The tide does go out very quickly though.

The time before that the tide was out and myself and two daughters had a great trying to catch fish and shrimps in the rock pools (unsuccessfully as we didn't have any nets and were trying to catch them by hand).

The pool there is great, and as we have privilege cards we get to go in an hour before it opens to 'the public' .


Two photos - one showing the beach at Hafan-y-Mor and one taken outside the pool showing the water chutes (the best feature of the swimming pool!).

artichoke

how about i collate every ones's veiws of each Haven's beach and pool into the top post - so that there is a record of people's opinions of beach and pool for others who might search for haven recommendations ?

haven entertainment is the same at all sites so it is the beach and pool information that people need to make a choice between sites..

and with the sun offers coming up haven recommendations are often asked for on here..
art

**Patty**

If you travel a couple of miles down the Nefyn coast from Hafan Y Mor there is a fantastic beach at Llanbedrog.

It is now owned by the National Trust but it has rock pools one side & lots of lovely sand the other. There is also a car park (for which there was a charge)

I believe the NT have also restored all the beach huts now as well.