Pontins Prestatyn anyone been?

pinklady.82

I was just wondering if anyone has ever been and if you could tell me what is it like? And what the facilities are like? I have a 7 year old and a 2 year old.
ManyThanks

sweetme

I have, but it was about five years ago. From what I remember it was ok. Not the cleanest though, we just used it as a base and spent our days out and about.

girl28

Worst holiday ever read trip advisor

hunty571

We went last year, it's very basic, the apartments are very 70's. The swimming pool, arcade and shops are as you might expect.

The beach is very close, and a family pub 5 mins walk away.

We didn't upgrade, so can't comment what those apartments are like.

You have to buy tokens for electric, and the tv had terrible signal, and there seemed to be a lot of concrete around when you get further into the site. Concrete steps, very sharp edges etc.. if you have kids running about it can get a bit mad.

supergran2007

Hi

Few years since we have been,( about 5yrs), but fortunately it was just us ( no kids/grandkids, as is the norm nowadays!) otherwise we would have come straight home!
It was VERY basic, out-dated, dirty. Everything felt( & smelt) damp and generally unpleasant.:eek::eek::eek:
We, by no means expect too much ( have several stays per year on Sun hols- without upgrading-and Travelodge sale rooms etc ) so we certainly don't have unrealistic expectations!!
But I can honestly say this is one of the only sites we have stayed at that we would never go back to.
We spent as much time as possible off-site, and the time we did spend there we stayed in bed watching tv (sofa bed in lounge) with 2 fan heaters going as the chalet heating was worse than useless & it was absolutely freezing!!

Hope this is helpful, and you find a good site for you and your LO's:)

happymumof3

Hi we went to Pontins in Somerset in October half term last year after booking with The Sun.

I agree that the accommodation is very basic, and as its such a huge site its bound to have problems... we didn't get our key in our pack so had to wait for someone to come and unlock our door for us... then the TV was broken so someone had to come and replace, and the grill didn't have a grill pan in it, but they managed to find one for us to use. The toaster packed up after we used it twice, but then I just grilled the toast for the rest of the week.

But to be fair the entertainment was good (kids loved it), the swimming pool was good (kids loved it), crazy golf was good but muddy (kids loved it), and there were a couple of good playgrounds for the kids too so all in all although I got a bit stressed about the slight lack of space and things not being quite right, the kids had an amazing time!

I think for the money we paid we couldn't complain. Also, our electric ran out when we were there, we went to the main reception and they gave us a £5 card for free (they wanted to charge us but I told them there was nothing when we booked to say that we would have to pay for any extra, so they just gave us it)... All in all we had a lovely week away, the kids had an amazing time, and we only left the parc to go to the local shop to buy extra supplies!

emma.cook3

We have been for the last 2 years. The accommodation is very basic and dirty. Take antibacterial wipes and your own bedding. The pool is old but fine and you can leave your stuff on the tables around the edge which is good. There is a lovely new playground near the entrance but for some reason they built it right next to the road and didn't put a fence around. Food is really expensive.
But
Llandudno is lovely and the is lots of lovely countryside around the area. betws y Coed (cant spell it) is gorgeous. And there is always rhyl- bit rough but lots to do.
Keep your expectations low and treat it as a base and you will have a great holiday

Pippajo2000

Not been down there for a couple of years but it's close to such a beautiful area - the Snowdonia National Park. Seems to be very varied reports about standards with some people loving it and others hating it. Your 7yr old will probably love it - kids aren't so bothered about accommodation!! Make sure you check out what's included and not on the web site.
Might also be worth looking at Presthaven Sands and also the other caravan parks in the area - I think Park Dean have some and there are some smaller private parks dependent on what you are looking for. Good luck!

millerose

We went to Pontins Prestatyn on a Sun Holiday in August 2012 for those £15 Holidays. We were 2 adults and 2 children (7 and 5).

We upgraded to Club (the top accomodation) for about £100. This included unlimited heating and electricity, passes, free newspaper everday and towels and bedding. We felt this was worth it because with the Sun deal you have to pay your service charge and passes anyway and in the basic accomodation your heating and electric is metered and you have to buy cards etc.

The chalet/room was totally fine :). It was like a Butlins Silver chalet. All the Club appartments had patio type doors. We were in a 1 bed chalet with a sofa bed. The kids had a nice room with 2 comfy beds. The kitchenette had kettle, micro, ironing board, iron and all the everday essentials, plates knives etc. Pots and pans were a bit iffy - so take your own frying pan as they are non stick lol. It was clean, nice decor, no muck, smell or dents in the walls. The bathroom was sit down bath with a swimming pool type shower where you press a button and the shower works, nice new tiles, toilet and sink. We had a proper wooden dining table with 4 wooden chairs. The site was being upgraded and the club appartments/chalets had had a makeover. I cannot comment for classic or popular but I did notice that they were situated near the bar/club so there might be some night time noise from the discos.

In no way is it 5* but then again these holidays arent for staying in your room all day. It depends what you like and what you are expecting from a holiday. If you are an OCD nit picking clean freak then its a no no. It was clean, livable for us and we arent scrubbers. I would recommend if you went club to ask and pay £10 for a ground floor one as it backs on to the patio - grass area, so the kids can play out and not go down the rather steep steps and you can see them at all times. We will do that next time.

The swimming pool is a bit dated, its not your £1m pool, but it was split into 2 parts, a childrens shallow pool with a small plastic slide and a larger lane type pool. Not enough lockers so dont take valuables/money, small changing rooms and the showers arent great, but its free so enjoy. The kids liked this the most.

Upstairs in the receiption area there is a soft play area, with video games and slides, ball pools, little tyles cars etc for kids with a nursery nurse type of staff member. Parents can sit, read and watch. This is free, you have to stay with your child and sign them in and out. Great for cold and wet weather.

There is an outdoor playround for kids with crazy golf and climbing tower, along with the football field and goals.

The restaurant is an all you can eat or where you eat if you are half board etc. It was £5 per adult and £4 for child. Good choices, fish, sausage, chips, curry, meat, veg and a huge salad bar, desserts, cakes and icecream. Menu varies daily. Never ate breakast as we were self catering.

On site shop is a typical Spar type shop, average prices but take your own foods. The nearest Tesco or ASDA is about 15-20mins away. They dont do lottery! Good for missing essentials such as milk or bread.

The entertainment complex was fine. They had stadium type seating at the back when it was busy so everyone got a seat. Yes, it gets busy and people hog tables but if the kids are danicng at the front then you just sit on the stadium seats at the back and its fine. Good coin machines and arcade games. Had a few fast food places near the bar, such as hotdogs and pizza, popcorn etc.

Never went to the 'pub' on site but apparently it was okay.

If you turn left at the entrance and walk down the lane - you come to the massive beach, all flat and sandy and fantastic! only about a 10 minute walk. Prestatyn is about a 20 minute walk and there is a Lidl and various shops. They were in the process of building a Tesco so maybe thats built now?

Honestly I read Tripadvisor et al and was horrified :eek:. We had a great time. In fact far better than Butlins and you know why? with Butlins its all under one roof, so many rides, shows, clubs etc that you never leave the site and you are spending more money. We visited off site too - went to a clothing outlet, Prestatyn, Rhyll and a castle. We stopped off at Cheshire Oaks on the way home and ate in the cool 70s diner

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and the kids talk about it all the time more so than Butlins, with Butlins the kids go 'oh again....been on that, done that' but there it was different. The bluecoats are okay too and the characters are great and the kids stuff is really good.

millerose

BTW - they have altered the way CLUB apartments work this year. I looked on the website and for this year you no longer get free towels. The bedding you pay for now at £18 per 4 people. In CLUB you get a free breakfast on the day you leave.

Pontins will invoice you seperately and ask if you wish to upgrade, what it costs to do so and whats included. You will have to pay the park passes if needed and compulsory service charges.

sazziecee

It is very rough in my opinion, we had previously been to Haven Presthaven Sands and maybe this spoiled it for us, as even a bronze Haven caravan was more of a luxury than a Silver Pontins chalet.

We booked to sleep 5 of us, but the adults bed was a lumpy uncomfy pull out in the lounge, the bathroom was damp and freezing.

We came home a day early as I couldnt cope with the lack of sleep

I only used the pool once (OK) the arcade and the chipshop (expensive) though so didnt use all facilities