The Sun "£9.50" Holidays discussion thread

mattbroad

KatyGLeigh said:

Hi. I am trying to find out about Sun holiday refunds. Ours was cancelled due to Covid-19. We were due to go at the end of March 2020 to a Haven site but all the parks were then shut due to lockdown. We have had the second part of our money refunded by Haven but not the initial booking cost of £40. I don't know if this should be coming from The Sun or from Haven. I can't find any contacts online. Any advice?

Me too.ours was in Northern Italy. I am thinking that it’s probably only going to happen if you paid via credit card. I did so am going to claim that way.  

mattbroad

mattbroad said:

KatyGLeigh said:

Hi. I am trying to find out about Sun holiday refunds. Ours was cancelled due to Covid-19. We were due to go at the end of March 2020 to a Haven site but all the parks were then shut due to lockdown. We have had the second part of our money refunded by Haven but not the initial booking cost of £40. I don't know if this should be coming from The Sun or from Haven. I can't find any contacts online. Any advice?

Me too.ours was in Northern Italy. I am thinking that it’s probably only going to happen if you paid via credit card. I did so am going to claim that way.  

UPDATE:I contacted Barclayacrd Visa who sorted the refund very quickly.

bossasbury

It seems the Sun holidays are coming back this coming week. I have a query I hope somebody can answer for me.
I know you can book for three days Fri, sat, sun, or for a four day break which has to be Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs  does anybody know if you could actually book two and add them together but stay in the same caravan rather than check out.
Cheers

bazzyb

bossasbury said:

It seems the Sun holidays are coming back this coming week. I have a query I hope somebody can answer for me.
I know you can book for three days Fri, sat, sun, or for a four day break which has to be Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs  does anybody know if you could actually book two and add them together but stay in the same caravan rather than check out.
Cheers

You can book two back-to-back, but you have to do them as separate bookings so there is no guarantee that you will be able to get the ‘matching’ booking either side. 

That said, if you book early enough you have the best chance of getting what you want before breaks tend to get booked up. What I tend to do is book the mon-fri first for the week I want, then book the fri-mon after, this means that should the preferred when not be available I can always try the other weekend before or after to extend it to a 7 night break that way. 

As for staying in the same caravan, it is not guaranteed. Some sites will say you may have to change part way through, some will offer you the chance to ‘link’ your bookings for an additional fee to guarantee staying in the same one. 

I have been doing back-to-back bookings for many years and I have never paid the extra fee if there was one and I have never yet had to change accommodation part way through. I always contact them once I receive the confirmation and ask them to make a note that the bookings are linked but decline any additional fees to guarantee the same accommodation.

Ultimately it is in the park’s interest to keep you in the same caravan for both bookings, as it’s one less unit to clean. I would have thought even more so now that there is so much emphasis placed on additional cleaning and sanitising between guests. Just be prepared that there is always a possibility you may need to change. 

rach650

We are quite a large family and absolutely love the sun holidays. We have been on around 4 or 5 to a few different locations. We usually book the first day it goes live in the sun website as you have a lot more chance of getting the dates/locations you want, we have always got the destination and days we have opted for as a first choice. Our accommodation has always been amazing we have had an extra wide with 2 bathrooms caravan as our standard without having to upgrade but it’s luck of the draw, but we have always had great accommodation! I am glad we didn’t book at the beginning of the year due to our daughter’s GCSEs and A levels and really feel for people who have had problems getting their money back! We have never had any problems or issues with the parks we have booked with. I have always known about the extra service charges and things, some dates and parks have free passes you just have to have a good Shop around. If you compare the price of all the service charges and the 9.50 pp passes etc against actually booking with the park of choice you do really save a lot of money!! I absolutely love sun holidays and will continue to book with them! 👍

Cuidadosa

Has anybody got recommendations for Norfolk/Suffolk (but not too south) destinations to go with a couple of 4 year olds? Or places to avoid too!

bazzyb

Cuidadosa said:

Has anybody got recommendations for Norfolk/Suffolk (but not too south) destinations to go with a couple of 4 year olds? Or places to avoid too!

We've been to Great Yarmouth plenty of times, great for that age - plenty to do in the area, miles of beachfront, there's a Sea Life, Pleasurewood Hills theme park is reasonably priced and has good ride selection for that age.

As for places to stay, have stayed at Haven Seashore, Haven Hopton, Parkdean California Cliffs, Parkdean Breydon Water.  Happy with all of them, Breydon Water is really nice, very scenic.  California Cliffs is probably the best one if you want to be close to a beach.

kashworth31

We’ve been on a few Sun £9.50 breaks and been happy with accommodation  and have paid the extra fees for linen and entertainment. Always thought I was getting a good deal  until the last three years when we have booked directly a year in advance and have actually saved a lot of money this way. Booking directly gives much more choice about location and dates. So just check before you book that you can’t get it cheaper directly! 

redhead0114

bazzyb said:

bossasbury said:

It seems the Sun holidays are coming back this coming week. I have a query I hope somebody can answer for me.
I know you can book for three days Fri, sat, sun, or for a four day break which has to be Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs  does anybody know if you could actually book two and add them together but stay in the same caravan rather than check out.
Cheers

You can book two back-to-back, but you have to do them as separate bookings so there is no guarantee that you will be able to get the ‘matching’ booking either side. 

That said, if you book early enough you have the best chance of getting what you want before breaks tend to get booked up. What I tend to do is book the mon-fri first for the week I want, then book the fri-mon after, this means that should the preferred when not be available I can always try the other weekend before or after to extend it to a 7 night break that way. 

As for staying in the same caravan, it is not guaranteed. Some sites will say you may have to change part way through, some will offer you the chance to ‘link’ your bookings for an additional fee to guarantee staying in the same one. 

I have been doing back-to-back bookings for many years and I have never paid the extra fee if there was one and I have never yet had to change accommodation part way through. I always contact them once I receive the confirmation and ask them to make a note that the bookings are linked but decline any additional fees to guarantee the same accommodation.

Ultimately it is in the park’s interest to keep you in the same caravan for both bookings, as it’s one less unit to clean. I would have thought even more so now that there is so much emphasis placed on additional cleaning and sanitising between guests. Just be prepared that there is always a possibility you may need to change. 

We have done the same booked fri to mon mon to Fri, only downside is we had to downgrade to comfort from comfort wide because we are taking our dog, also cost us £80 for dogs instead of the £60 and 2x service charge. Really hoping we don't have to change midway as booked in is 7pm. Really wanted a prestige with balcony for dogs, gutted we have to stay in a tiny caravan but paying more. Especially when everyone else gets a free upgrade, that's going to get me peed off tbh. 

neilmorgan

Some of these breaks CAN be cheap if you are careful BUT 

I have no doubt there are some excellent places of offer but some of the accommodation and facilities can be well below standard. Check on tripadvisor or similar sites and try to weed out the fake reviews good reviews. 
I learned the hard way. Just because the Sun is effectively recommending them that doesn't mean they've vetted them.