Having spent 2 weeks in England this years I am already thinking of next year, so I requested a Haven brochure and oh my word couldn't get over the price of most of them and that they charge a lot more over the weekend. Has anyone stayed in any of the parks and are they value for money? We are thinking of the South of England and am now searching to try and find some nice parks. Any ccomments would be gratefully received. Thanks Olive
Haven Parks
- Thread starter Olive1
- Start date
Damian
Moderator
The first question is,what kind of site do you want?
Do you require all singing, all dancing type, or do you want quieter type of site.
With Haven sites you get everything, and I mean everything, including things you dont want.
They are very busy, very noisy, etc etc etc.
If you can answer the first question, more ideas can be given which may be of help
Do you require all singing, all dancing type, or do you want quieter type of site.
With Haven sites you get everything, and I mean everything, including things you dont want.
They are very busy, very noisy, etc etc etc.
If you can answer the first question, more ideas can be given which may be of help
Olive, Got to be abit careful here as I dont want to infringe the rules......
Haven are a specialist holiday firm with all the bells and whistles which a) accounts for the prices and b) may not be up to everyone's taste.
I loaned my van to my daughter and her family 2 years ago for a holiday at the Burnham site. On arrival I was shocked at the supposedly "Euro pitch" dimensions, situation and surface condition. This was a touring pitch and was in a very cramped area which also served the tent pitching area.
Their (Havens) priority obviously is biased towards the many statics available to hire.
It was a very wet period and there were many muddy pools to negotiate to and fro. But my most uncomfortable observation were the overflowing rubbish skips and I do mean overflowing. In fact rats were observed. Reporting this to the reception office turned out an utter waste of time....
Of course I dont know what it is like now having never been back (no supprise) but if this is the type of holiday you prefer be careful which site you choose and try to get a recommendation before booking.
My daughter is still borrowing my van but has now used the Seacroft site at Cromer which is a carvan club site and run with the standards you would expect from CC. As well as being within walking distance of Cromer has a heated pool and entertainment facility with bar and restaurant which again, if this is your taste, is excellent value for money. They also have a similar site to this in Devon called Hillhead which I have never seen.
You need to book these sites for peak periods as soon as bookings open in December as they are very very popular and are very full during school holidays.
Hope this helps,
Cheers
Haven are a specialist holiday firm with all the bells and whistles which a) accounts for the prices and b) may not be up to everyone's taste.
I loaned my van to my daughter and her family 2 years ago for a holiday at the Burnham site. On arrival I was shocked at the supposedly "Euro pitch" dimensions, situation and surface condition. This was a touring pitch and was in a very cramped area which also served the tent pitching area.
Their (Havens) priority obviously is biased towards the many statics available to hire.
It was a very wet period and there were many muddy pools to negotiate to and fro. But my most uncomfortable observation were the overflowing rubbish skips and I do mean overflowing. In fact rats were observed. Reporting this to the reception office turned out an utter waste of time....
Of course I dont know what it is like now having never been back (no supprise) but if this is the type of holiday you prefer be careful which site you choose and try to get a recommendation before booking.
My daughter is still borrowing my van but has now used the Seacroft site at Cromer which is a carvan club site and run with the standards you would expect from CC. As well as being within walking distance of Cromer has a heated pool and entertainment facility with bar and restaurant which again, if this is your taste, is excellent value for money. They also have a similar site to this in Devon called Hillhead which I have never seen.
You need to book these sites for peak periods as soon as bookings open in December as they are very very popular and are very full during school holidays.
Hope this helps,
Cheers
Many thanks for taking the time to reply after thinking about your comments we think that perhaps these sites are not for us as also the price put us off. I have made enquiries to Woodlands Grove which seems very good and have been following them on facebook. We would like some activities for our children (esp the six year old) and a swimming pool is a must if staying for a couple of weeks. We stayed at Callow Top in Derbyshire this year and at weekends was busy but during the week was a bit quieter however the facilities never seemed to be over run and we never had to wait for showers etc. The forum is great for gettting advice and I really appreciate that people take the time to answer your queries. Many thanks. Olive
Hi Olive, We went to Hoburne Bashley, Hampshire (near New Forest, Christchurch, Bournemouth, etc) with our three grandchildren 12, 8 and 5. They loved the swimming pool, spending 7 hours over three days in it! Would have spent longer if I'd been able to hold out! Children's entertainment great, and pitches lovely, with hedges in between. Lovely and clean site. Now booked to go to Hoburne Cotswold next week with said children. Prices are more expensive usually in school holidays, but this site seems very reasonable. Thoroughly recommend.
Hi we had an extended holiday earlier this year, up to now our breaks have been local to us ,West coast of Scotland etc so we dont do "Haven" type parks however we stayed at a site in Brean somerset which when we arrived made us apprehensive, on site pub, statics and next to a theme park, the tourers however are in an area of their own very quiet, well kept and no noise, it does have a pool etc and free tickets to the park which we didnt use ,just the two of us and the dog and yes the dog was issued with a ticket to the park, but we wouldnt let him go.
The other site we visited was Searles in Hunstanton again similer site pool etc.we asked for a quiet pitch and were allocated one at the far end, we originally booked for one night and stayed 4.
Brean was about 20 mins from the pitch to the sandy beach Hunstanton was about 2 minutes we may have been lucky with the times we visited or it may have been the novelty factor but there were quite a few of us older visitors who decided to stay longer as well as young families whose kids seemed to have a ball without disturbing anyone at both sites.
The other site we visited was Searles in Hunstanton again similer site pool etc.we asked for a quiet pitch and were allocated one at the far end, we originally booked for one night and stayed 4.
Brean was about 20 mins from the pitch to the sandy beach Hunstanton was about 2 minutes we may have been lucky with the times we visited or it may have been the novelty factor but there were quite a few of us older visitors who decided to stay longer as well as young families whose kids seemed to have a ball without disturbing anyone at both sites.
i have used Haven sites a few times, not because i like them.... i dont, but for the kids.
Decent swimming pools and the early evening entertainment.... but... you have to go with an open mind and not expect ccc or cc type sites. These are highly commercial sites out to make as much money as posible.
One upside is thay many are located next to a beach and have private access to the beach.
If you like Bingo then these types of sites are a haven( scuse the pun) for Bingo players.
The pitches are usually small , often a long way from the entertainment complex .
I have found the toilets often dirty , especially in the morning after the night before .. if you get my drift.
Some of the people.. mmmm if you like tracksuits tucked in to socks,fake burrberry baseball caps and hordes of teens getting drunk ( and adults) as fast as possible, greasy fish and chips and dont mind being pitched up next to a family of ... er people with no visible means of income other than your taxes and have lived that way for years.
Some of the wildlife can be quiet interesting to watch.
I have used 4 different Haven sites on a regular basis but i dont like them but SWMBO does, and the kids love them. ( i know whats good for me.)
Decent swimming pools and the early evening entertainment.... but... you have to go with an open mind and not expect ccc or cc type sites. These are highly commercial sites out to make as much money as posible.
One upside is thay many are located next to a beach and have private access to the beach.
If you like Bingo then these types of sites are a haven( scuse the pun) for Bingo players.
The pitches are usually small , often a long way from the entertainment complex .
I have found the toilets often dirty , especially in the morning after the night before .. if you get my drift.
Some of the people.. mmmm if you like tracksuits tucked in to socks,fake burrberry baseball caps and hordes of teens getting drunk ( and adults) as fast as possible, greasy fish and chips and dont mind being pitched up next to a family of ... er people with no visible means of income other than your taxes and have lived that way for years.
Some of the wildlife can be quiet interesting to watch.
I have used 4 different Haven sites on a regular basis but i dont like them but SWMBO does, and the kids love them. ( i know whats good for me.)
Philspadders said:
Heh! heh! heh!
you've confirmed what I've always suspected. I bet the wildlife are more active after the pub closes :O)
We must just have been lucky, what I will say that both sites the toilets were clean and in particular Searles they are cleaned/checked on a 45 minute scheduale.
I have only once stayed in a Haven site when the kids were with us booked for 4 nights stayed for two woken up at 2 am to a domestic apparently hubby had been caught in the throes of passion with another woman by his wife and she was not happy, obviously she had no sense of humour
I have only once stayed in a Haven site when the kids were with us booked for 4 nights stayed for two woken up at 2 am to a domestic apparently hubby had been caught in the throes of passion with another woman by his wife and she was not happy, obviously she had no sense of humour
Parksy
Moderator
Was the site Unity in Brean?Derek the Second said:
We've never stayed at a Haven park but we often stay at commercial sites and Unity is one of the best that we've visited.
It's an easy tow down the M5 for us so we often go there and use the site as a base for exploring Somerset and visiting friends in the area.
It can be pricey during peak periods and school holidays but I'd recommend a visit, look for special offers which are frequently available. Earlier this year Unity offered free weekend touring pitches with ehu for those who wanted to try the site for the first time and perhaps the offer will be repeated next year.
http://www.hru.co.uk/home
We've stayed at Haven sites from Berwick down to Gt Yarmouth and always found them really good value whether we go ourselves or with the grandkids.
If you join their Freedom Trail (free) you are given a card to have stamped for each night you book and after only 14 nights, throughout the year, you can book a three night break for only £1 per night or upgrade to an EHU pitch for only £3 - can't beat that for value.
Have just looked at Scarborough again and we can have 5 nights, without using freedom trail book, for only £33.
This includes passes to entertainment if you want it and the swimming pool is free all day.
Yes, you may come across some roudy types, but that can happen anywhere. To be honest we've met some lovely people on site and the facilities are always as expected - clean and usable - even for snobs who prefer not to use "commercial" sites.
On all of the sites we've used the pitches are generous and quiet enough at night time - that's why we continue to go again and again, and don't be put off by the advertised prices as when you book on-line there is always a good discount applied before you click on confirm.
Off now to book up for September and October.........
If you join their Freedom Trail (free) you are given a card to have stamped for each night you book and after only 14 nights, throughout the year, you can book a three night break for only £1 per night or upgrade to an EHU pitch for only £3 - can't beat that for value.
Have just looked at Scarborough again and we can have 5 nights, without using freedom trail book, for only £33.
This includes passes to entertainment if you want it and the swimming pool is free all day.
Yes, you may come across some roudy types, but that can happen anywhere. To be honest we've met some lovely people on site and the facilities are always as expected - clean and usable - even for snobs who prefer not to use "commercial" sites.
On all of the sites we've used the pitches are generous and quiet enough at night time - that's why we continue to go again and again, and don't be put off by the advertised prices as when you book on-line there is always a good discount applied before you click on confirm.
Off now to book up for September and October.........
I fully agree witht he above posting (Lada). I have just returned from my first Haven holiday to Caister park.
The touring park was slightly seperate from the main holiday park and chalets. It was always clean and tidy and we found the touring caravan and campervan users to respect fellow campers in a similar manner to the CC and CC&C sites that we generally use. The toilets/ showers were new and always were managed, they were cleaned early morning and several times during the day and access was controlled and limited to touring park users by keycode.
I am not a great fan of Haven (too many people and much too busy) but the grandchildren loved the facilities and would like to have stayed longer, it certainly made the holiday easy for my wife and I anyway. We did not find any problem with noise at night and we put the children to bed well before the pubs/ shows finished.
The touring park was slightly seperate from the main holiday park and chalets. It was always clean and tidy and we found the touring caravan and campervan users to respect fellow campers in a similar manner to the CC and CC&C sites that we generally use. The toilets/ showers were new and always were managed, they were cleaned early morning and several times during the day and access was controlled and limited to touring park users by keycode.
I am not a great fan of Haven (too many people and much too busy) but the grandchildren loved the facilities and would like to have stayed longer, it certainly made the holiday easy for my wife and I anyway. We did not find any problem with noise at night and we put the children to bed well before the pubs/ shows finished.
Facebook
Twitter