Holiday Accommodation Question

fozmcfc

I'm not quite sure, why this is in consumer rights, the holiday forums, surely would be more appropriate.

But as I'm here, I'd say, that these £9.50 holidays in The Sun, should really be looked into.

From what others have said here and a couple of friends have said, they are like budget flights, when you add all the extras, that 99.9% of us need/require, the cost isn't anything like the headline price.

piglet25

I'm looking forward to my Haven holiday in August, I'm certainly no chav and I'm certainly looking forward to not having to share my holiday with people whose noses are somewhere up their own backsides
I haven't booked a Sun holiday, but a few years back when we did it actually worked out costing more with upgrades etc than booking direct with the park itself ( Pontins - never again ) so it sure does need a good looking at

barbiedoll

We booked a Sun holiday at a Haven park, several years ago.

It wasn't a "chav magnet", although most of the guests, like us, weren't from the upper echelons of society. They were ok though, we had no problems from them.

The caravan was mostly ok although one of the bedrooms had a wet patch on the floor, which materialised into a proper puddle if we stepped on it. It was also freezing, the bedding provided really wasn't up to the job, we all huddled into the same bed to keep warm. We have always taken extra duvets/blankets when we have stayed in a caravan since.

We didn't have to spend much on passes, electricity etc, it can depend what park you go to, some are much more expensive in that respect. Our son was quite young so we hadn't planned to spend all night in the bar anyway. When we did go to the bar on our last night though, we did find that we were overcharged. We spoke to a couple of other families who had noticed the same thing, this was solved by asking for a receipt when we paid the bar bill.

There was a bad storm on our second night and a tree broke in half and landed on a neighbouring caravan. Hardly Haven's fault though! :eek:

I would say that if you do have any moans about the accommodation, say something whilst you are there. When we arrived home, we received a letter from Haven, asking if we enjoyed our stay and stating that they realised that not everyone was comfortable with mentioning issues when there. I did write back and tell them that the caravan had a leak and I stated that the bar staff need monitoring. They sent me a reply with a voucher with some money off our next stay. I think it was around £25 or so, but better than nothing.

Enjoy your holiday, if the weather is good, you won't care so much about rusty handrails and the like!

flashnazia

piglet25 wrote: »

I'm looking forward to my Haven holiday in August, I'm certainly no chav and I'm certainly looking forward to not having to share my holiday with people whose noses are somewhere up their own backsides
I haven't booked a Sun holiday, but a few years back when we did it actually worked out costing more with upgrades etc than booking direct with the park itself ( Pontins - never again ) so it sure does need a good looking at

To make myself clear, I did not say all people who book there are chavs. I thought that was obvious as I did say I've booked there myself. I hope you enjoy your holiday.

Pollycat

flashnazia wrote: »

To make myself clear, I did not say all people who book there are chavs. I thought that was obvious as I did say I've booked there myself. I hope you enjoy your holiday.

You said this:

flashnazia wrote: »

I tend to avoid uk sites like Haven etc as they tend to be chav magnets. There's a reason why these holidays are promoted by papers like the sun.

flashnazia wrote: »

I am also one who cannot do five star abroad but generally find holidays at these resorts are ruined by chavs running amok. That's why I now avoid these types of sites.

Yes, you did say you had been but you also said you now avoid them.

Your first post added absolutely nothing to this thread.
Did you really think - as the OP has already booked and spent an additional £130 - that she wanted to be told that (in your opinion) her holiday may be 'ruined by chavs running amok'?

I'm sure when she asked what she might get in advance, it wasn't that.

Morglin

Mrsfrobnitzz wrote: »

Well it's actually the photos I've seen. Derelict rusty steps, dirty mattresses and broken/rotting window frames and damp in the apartments....

Sometimes the Sun breaks let you upgrade, and that is usually the best bet, as the standard Sun holiday lets tend to be the older (and crappier) vans on the site.

I used to own a static van at Haven on the IOW, some time ago, (not sure if that makes me a chav lol) and Sun bookers used to come there, out of high season, but the ones that didn't upgrade tended to get the smaller, older vans that were due to be replaced.

But, although it never works out at £9.50, once you add the extras, they are still very cheap, I imagine, compared to normal self catering accommodation, so if you intend being out and about a lot, it shouldn't be that much of an issue.

Same with chalets send apartments - upgrade, if you can, to avoid the basic ones.

Hope you have good weather.

Lin

flashnazia

Pollycat wrote: »

You said this:




Yes, you did say you had been but you also said you now avoid them.

Your first post added absolutely nothing to this thread.
Did you really think - as the OP has already booked and spent an additional £130 - that she wanted to be told that (in your opinion) her holiday may be 'ruined by chavs running amok'?

I'm sure when she asked what she might get in advance, it wasn't that.

I didn't know I wasnt allowed to speak or offer an opinion.
Not all opinions are to offer hugs and kisses. The op was worried about her holiday so I offered an opinion, like posting on TripAdvisor. Or is it better to lie and post that the caravans are gold plated?

The op may be OK. It does depend on the site and where the caravan is located. If you get a rubbish caravan or next to an inconsiderate lot ask to move asap.

Pollycat

flashnazia wrote: »

I didn't know I wasnt allowed to speak or offer an opinion.
Not all opinions are to offer hugs and kisses. The op was worried about her holiday so I offered an opinion, like posting on TripAdvisor. Or is it better to lie and post that the caravans are gold plated?

The op may be OK. It does depend on the site and where the caravan is located. If you get a rubbish caravan or next to an inconsiderate lot ask to move asap.

Of course you are allowed to speak and offer an opinion.

It's just a pity - imho - that you chose to take a side-swipe at the people who go to these holiday parks because they don't meet your obviously high expectations, instead of giving your opinion about the standard of accommodation and/or leisure facilities.
Even if your experience of those things wasn't all 'hugs and kisses', it would have been far more helpful than your first post.

ThumbRemote

Mrsfrobnitzz wrote: »

Hello, I'm really new to this and not even sure if I'm in the right place. But I'm hoping someone might be able to help me. I'm really worrying about the fact that I've booked to go on a Sun £9.50 holiday in May. We are going to Hafan y Mor in Wales and after reading some of the reviews on tripadvisor and the like I'm concerned incase the accommodation is poor
Although as a Sun £9.50 holiday I wouldn't expect the Ritz, but as anyone who themselves have booked a £9.50 holiday it doesn't actually cost £9.50! I've spent about £130 on it so far and in my mind that makes it no longer a 'bargain'...
Any tips/experiences about how to deal with this or to actually find out what I might get in advance?
Really appreciate any guidance.
Thanks Jane

At Hafan y Mor you're likely to be in a chalet. Most of them are old Butlins chalets, built in the late 1980s as the top of the range accommodation back then. These are exactly the same age and style chalets that are still in use as Standard Apartments at the Butlins sites in Bognor, Minehead and Skegness.

The ones at Pwllheli have probably had less maintenance and TLC than the Butlins ones, they're not in great condition but are quite serviceable. We went last May and stayed in them, and have booked again for this May (both 9.50 holidays) - so they aren't that bad. The unit we had was a little musty, there are stories of damp, but to be honest opening the window made it fine with us. Remember you've already paid their extortionate service charges, so don't worry about putting the heating on and opening the windows!

Also, Haven are a completely different company to Pontins. Haven want to provide a good holiday experience; Pontins don't care if you don't enjoy it, they provide a cheap and nasty holiday and if you don't like it then tough. If your chalet is too poor, go to reception and complain - they'll do what they can to assist.

And we've never found the Haven parks to be 'chav magnets', despite 5 or 6 visits a year. I suspect flashnazia has probably never been to one.

ThumbRemote

flashnazia wrote: »

I tend to avoid uk sites like Haven etc as they tend to be chav magnets. There's a reason why these holidays are promoted by papers like the sun.

How many Haven parks have you been to, and when?