Budget Break

laura678

Hi


I just wondered if anyone can point me in the direction of a budget break for a few days in the summer holidays with 3 children. I am going alone with the children and won't be taking the car, so would need to be relatively close to amenities. I don't mind caravans or b&b's. I was thinking Brighton, IOW or Weymouth, although I really can't find anything budget. Everywhere seems to be costing more than I can afford this year. Any thoughts please?

barbarawright

What is your budget?

laura678

I was hoping to find something under £400 really. I've tried Haven too expensive really, Park Holidays are reasonably priced but I think they tend to be in places where they're not easily accessible by public transport.

oramgepekoe

laura678 wrote: »

I was hoping to find something under £400 really. I've tried Haven too expensive really, Park Holidays are reasonably priced but I think they tend to be in places where they're not easily accessible by public transport.

If you say which Park locations you are interested in and where you're travelling from then people could maybe suggest the easiest/cheapest way to get there by public transport. And also the ages of the children.

Shelldean

no idea of costs but what about Camber sands ( park resorts?) Train to rye then bus, easily doable with kids ( have done myself) buy plusbus ticket with the train ticket, to get you between the station and camp.
Also Pontins in Camber, lots of bad reviews but we've not had a problem, but haven't been for a few yrs.


Clacton Valley Park, is another park resorts we've visited via train. we walked from station to site, but it's longer than it looks, so we got a cab back, v reasonable price.


You've not mention this area but what about Dawlish Warren? Very easy to get to by train and great beach for the kids.




Am sorry no idea on the prices for any of these tho.


And if travelling by train make sure have a friends and family railcard to get best prices

Shelldean

oh and as I mentioned PlusBus tickets, many areas offer this service, means you buy a ticket along with your train ticket, and if you have a F & F card it's also discounted too. Covers the area around the station and often works out cheaper than a bus to campsite.




OOOO just thought Great Yarmouth has many sites? And One we've visited is Hemsby Holiday Village ( used Plusbus from Gt Yarmouth to Hemsby)

WestonDave

One problem you will face is that few owners will want to rent part weeks this early as it risks leaving the other part of that week empty - that being the case you may end up paying nearly a week's "rent" for just a few days.


Having booked myself for the summer I think your £400 budget is going to be a challenge - we got a cottage in South Wales for just over £500 but with travel from near Southampton it would be expensive (and isn't near public transport anyway). The big name parks tend to charge higher rates to cover the entertainment and the waterslides/pools etc.


That's not to say all is lost - pick some quieter locations and look for private rents on caravan sites etc - also look for smaller sites - those without internet booking may end up being cheaper if you make the effort to call as they won't be getting as much demand. Also if you don't find anything now, try later as some places will start dropping prices to fill vacant slots. I've found that sometimes August Bank Holiday week is a bit cheaper possibly because people think their kids need to be heading back to school.

PasturesNew

I've noticed on a lot of sites that the week commencing with the bank holiday weekend is usually noticeably cheaper than the previous 5 weeks. (Sat-Sat)

Staying less than a week during August limits your choices as those are the peak weeks of the year. A lot of caravan parks are virtually deserted outside of July/August and Easter week ..... so they're unlikely to take part bookings when there is the chance (right up to the last minute) that somebody might book for a whole week.