Latest news with #Pontins
Daily Mirror
21-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Huge blow to Butlin's and Pontins as UK's best holiday park named
Brits looking for their next staycation have been urged to 'look past heavyweights' like Butlin's and Pontins after both were snubbed in the league tables for the UK's best holiday park The UK's best holiday park has been revealed - and it's bad news for the Red Coats. With the cost of living crisis still grappling cash-strapped Brits, many of us are ditching their fortnight abroad for a much more affordable staycation. In fact, data from last year showed a whopping 52 per cent of Brits were opting to holiday in the UK instead of jetting off to the likes of Spain and Greece, with 34 per cent planning for at least two staycations during 2024. Now that the school summer holidays are just around the corner, swathes of households will be searching for a last-minute break to escape the city and relax. As a result, consumer brand Which? has ranked all of the UK's holiday parks - arguing you might want to 'look past heavyweights' like Center Parcs, Butlin's and Pontins. Despite attracting around 1.5 million visitors a year, Butlin's was dealt a huge blow in the league tables - ranking fifth to last. The resort, which has three sites across the UK, scored an overall customer score of 67 per cent. Travellers gave Butlin's a meagre two stars for its value for money, food and drink offerings, and overall customer service, and three stars for its dog friendliness and variety of free facilities. When it came to the 'quality and variety of children's activities', Butlin's received a much more respectable four stars. However, it was Pontins that came scraping in at the bottom - with a 56 per cent overall customer score. "The furnishings were extremely tired, the chairs and beds were incredibly uncomfortable, and the grounds within the complex were mostly overgrown," one visitor scathed. Another agreed, fuming: "It is cheap to book and entertain children. However, the facilities available and prices were below par when actually at the resort." Taking home gold, with an impressive 87 per cent customer score, is Potters Resorts. The adult-only, all-inclusive park has just two locations (one in Norfolk and one in Essex) and prides itself on its 'award-winning hospitality' and 'West End-quality evening entertainment'. Operating for more than 100 years, visitors spent around £110 per person per night - and was hailed for its good value for money (remember this price covers your food and drinks too). "The facilities are excellent," praised one recent traveller. "Activities varied and well organised. Entertainment was outstanding. The all inclusive deal was very good value. Food superb and plentiful." UK's best holiday parks and resorts rated Potters Resorts Forest Holidays Bluestone Wales John Fowler Holiday Parks Hoburne Holidays Hoseasons Waterside Holiday Group Warner Leisure Villages Centerparcs Haven Holiday Parks Parkdean Resorts Butlin's Park Holidays UK Away Resorts Largo Leisure Parks Pontins *Which?'s league tables are based on 2,255 responses from 1,717 Which? members and the general public. The survey was carried out in February and March 2024.
North Wales Live
12-07-2025
- North Wales Live
Holiday park voted worst in UK as Center Parcs, Haven and Butlins all rank lower than winner
A survey has unveiled the top and bottom UK holiday parks for 2025, with household names like Haven and Center Parcs being outshone by smaller operators. The survey gathered insights from 1,700 Which? members who rated their stays at various UK holiday parks and resorts. Participants evaluated aspects such as park cleanliness, accommodation quality, the range of free activities available, and the overall value for money of their trip. Leading the pack with the highest "customer score" was Potters Resorts, known for its all-inclusive holidays at two locations in Essex and Norfolk. Although predominantly an adults-only destination, Potters welcomes children during the summer holidays in Norfolk. It achieved a stellar 87% customer score, earning five stars for both facility and accommodation quality, and a perfect score for the diversity of complimentary activities. Despite being the priciest option in the Which? survey, Potters' cost includes all meals and beverages, a variety of activities from pickleball to archery, and 'West End' standard evening entertainment, which earned the resort a four-star rating for value for money. Forest Holidays secured the second spot, with an overall customer score of 80%. The brand boasts eight parks in England, three in Scotland, and two in Wales, offering rural locations and unique accommodation such as log cabins and treehouses. Customers praised the quality of the accommodation and cleanliness, although they only awarded three-stars for value for money. Another top performer was Bluestone Wales, nestled in the scenic Pembrokeshire. Bluestone provides luxury lodges and cottages, also earning high marks for the quality of accommodation on offer — go here to read what one visitor who drove 2.5 hours to stay there thought. While they scored well for the variety of children's activities available and the entertainment, they also received a three-star rating for value for money, resulting in an overall score of 77%. Pontins found themselves at the bottom of the chart once again, having also come last in 2024. The brand currently has just one holiday park open to guests, the adults-only Sand Bay Holiday Village in Weston-Super-Mare. Their other two parks in Burnham on Sea, Somerset and Pakefield, Suffolk are temporarily closed to accommodate construction workers. It closed its site in Prestatyn in 2023. With 56% for customer satisfaction, Pontins earned just two-stars in most areas and, despite being the cheapest option, customers still felt they received poor value for money. In a scathing Tripadvisor review, one customer didn't hold back about their Pakefield park experience, stating: "Worst place I have ever visited, chalet was old unkempt and dirty, holes in sheets, beds pushed together with terrible mattress and pillows, to shower you had to keep pushing a button in, it leaked all over the floor." Another visitor expressed dissatisfaction, noting: "Rooms are shabby and quite dirty. Dirt on the baseboards, cobwebs in the corners and behind doors, our shower curtain had pink mold growing along the bottom seam, clearly not laundered between guests." Not all feedback was negative, as some holidaymakers enjoyed their stay, with one reviewer commenting: "We went beginning of October had a brilliant week! Food was great, swimming pool was really good and for the price you really can't get any better!" Entertainment at Pontins also received commendations, with a guest remarking: "The Bluecoats show Vegas was amazing! They are all so talented and are always doing some activity or joining in on the dance floor and having a laugh or chatting with people." Largo Leisure Parks, which operates six parks in Scotland, found itself at the lower end of the satisfaction scale with a score of 64%. It should be noted, however, that this rating was based on a relatively small sample size of just 30 respondents who had visited their parks. A spokesperson for Largo Leisure commented: "Whilst this is of course disappointing, this relates to only 30 people who were surveyed about Largo Leisure over 12 months ago. On both TripAdvisor and Google Reviews, where we have thousands of reviews for each of our six Scotland holiday parks, all of them are rated 4.3 or above out of 5. "We regularly get 5 star reviews on both TripAdvisor and Google reviews and we would encourage people to take a look on both to see a true reflection of the guest experiences at our parks. We are very proud of our track record for providing exceptional holidays for our guests but we never stop trying to improve. We are enjoying a busy year across all our parks and if people read the online reviews they will see why." Meanwhile, Away Resorts scored similarly. It operates 25 parks in locations such as the popular south-west of England and the Isle of Wight. Away Resorts received just two stars for value for money, in spite of offering a broad selection of accommodation including caravans, glamping options, and luxury lodges. The company also had unsatisfactory ratings in customer service but earned three stars for cleanliness and accommodation quality. Center Parcs, the most popular holiday park provider in the survey, scored 69%, putting it on par with Haven. Despite high scores for its facilities and accommodation quality, it received lower marks for the range of complimentary activities and overall value for money. It was the third priciest on the list, following Potters and Warner Leisure Villages, who cater to adults-only breaks. A Which? member commented: "Very expensive for what it is. Accommodation excellent, apart from the oasis pool, everything was extra. Staff were very helpful and the children enjoyed their stay. I will not be going back." Haven, with 38 parks across the UK, matched Center Parcs' score, although they did receive three stars for value for money. Which? readers awarded them two-star ratings for food and drink and the variety of free activities available. You can read what one mum thought of Haven here. Best and worst holiday parks in the UK - ranked Provider Customer Score Potters Resorts 87% Forest Holidays 80% Bluestone Wales 77% John Fowler Holiday Parks 77% Hoburne Holidays 75% Hoseasons 74% Waterside Holiday Group 74% Warner Leisure Villages 71% Centerparcs 69% Haven Holiday Parks 69% Parkdean Resorts 68% Butlins 67% Park Holidays UK 66% Away Resorts 64% Largo Leisure Parks 64% Pontins 56%
Wales Online
12-07-2025
- Wales Online
Holiday park voted worst in UK as Center Parcs, Haven and Butlins all rank lower than winner
Holiday park voted worst in UK as Center Parcs, Haven and Butlins all rank lower than winner A new survey by Which? has revealed the best and worst holiday parks in the UK, according to visitors, with Potters Resorts taking the top spot, Pontins once again scoring badly and a Welsh resort doing very well too The Pontins near Weston-Super-Mare is the only one in the holiday park chain currently open to the public (Image: Rowan Griffiths ) A survey has unveiled the top and bottom UK holiday parks for 2025, with household names like Haven and Center Parcs being outshone by smaller operators. The survey gathered insights from 1,700 Which? members who rated their stays at various UK holiday parks and resorts. Participants evaluated aspects such as park cleanliness, accommodation quality, the range of free activities available, and the overall value for money of their trip. Leading the pack with the highest "customer score" was Potters Resorts, known for its all-inclusive holidays at two locations in Essex and Norfolk. Although predominantly an adults-only destination, Potters welcomes children during the summer holidays in Norfolk. It achieved a stellar 87% customer score, earning five stars for both facility and accommodation quality, and a perfect score for the diversity of complimentary activities. Despite being the priciest option in the Which? survey, Potters' cost includes all meals and beverages, a variety of activities from pickleball to archery, and 'West End' standard evening entertainment, which earned the resort a four-star rating for value for money. Forest Holidays secured the second spot, with an overall customer score of 80%. The brand boasts eight parks in England, three in Scotland, and two in Wales, offering rural locations and unique accommodation such as log cabins and treehouses. Forest Holidays clinched second place (Image: Leicester Mercury ) Article continues below Customers praised the quality of the accommodation and cleanliness, although they only awarded three-stars for value for money. Another top performer was Bluestone Wales, nestled in the scenic Pembrokeshire. Bluestone provides luxury lodges and cottages, also earning high marks for the quality of accommodation on offer — go here to read what one visitor who drove 2.5 hours to stay there thought. While they scored well for the variety of children's activities available and the entertainment, they also received a three-star rating for value for money, resulting in an overall score of 77%. Potters Resorts have two locations including the beautiful Hopton-on-Sea in Norfolk (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto ) Bluestone Wales in Pembrokeshire came third in the list (Image: Western Daily Press ) Pontins found themselves at the bottom of the chart once again, having also come last in 2024. The brand currently has just one holiday park open to guests, the adults-only Sand Bay Holiday Village in Weston-Super-Mare. Their other two parks in Burnham on Sea, Somerset and Pakefield, Suffolk are temporarily closed to accommodate construction workers. With 56% for customer satisfaction, Pontins earned just two-stars in most areas and, despite being the cheapest option, customers still felt they received poor value for money. In a scathing Tripadvisor review, one customer didn't hold back about their Pakefield park experience, stating: "Worst place I have ever visited, chalet was old unkempt and dirty, holes in sheets, beds pushed together with terrible mattress and pillows, to shower you had to keep pushing a button in, it leaked all over the floor." Another visitor expressed dissatisfaction, noting: "Rooms are shabby and quite dirty. Dirt on the baseboards, cobwebs in the corners and behind doors, our shower curtain had pink mold growing along the bottom seam, clearly not laundered between guests." Not all feedback was negative, as some holidaymakers enjoyed their stay, with one reviewer commenting: "We went beginning of October had a brilliant week! Food was great, swimming pool was really good and for the price you really can't get any better!" Pontins - who were bottom of the list - have closed locations including Camber Sands in East Sussex (Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror ) Entertainment at Pontins also received commendations, with a guest remarking: "The Bluecoats show Vegas was amazing! They are all so talented and are always doing some activity or joining in on the dance floor and having a laugh or chatting with people." Largo Leisure Parks, which operates six parks in Scotland, found itself at the lower end of the satisfaction scale with a score of 64%. It should be noted, however, that this rating was based on a relatively small sample size of just 30 respondents who had visited their parks. A spokesperson for Largo Leisure commented: "Whilst this is of course disappointing, this relates to only 30 people who were surveyed about Largo Leisure over 12 months ago. On both TripAdvisor and Google Reviews, where we have thousands of reviews for each of our six Scotland holiday parks, all of them are rated 4.3 or above out of 5. "We regularly get 5 star reviews on both TripAdvisor and Google reviews and we would encourage people to take a look on both to see a true reflection of the guest experiences at our parks. We are very proud of our track record for providing exceptional holidays for our guests but we never stop trying to improve. We are enjoying a busy year across all our parks and if people read the online reviews they will see why." Meanwhile, Away Resorts scored similarly. It operates 25 parks in locations such as the popular south-west of England and the Isle of Wight. Away Resorts received just two stars for value for money, in spite of offering a broad selection of accommodation including caravans, glamping options, and luxury lodges. The company also had unsatisfactory ratings in customer service but earned three stars for cleanliness and accommodation quality. Away Resorts have 25 family-friendly resorts including one in Newquay (Image: William Dax / SWNS ) Center Parcs in Elveden Forest - their parks received high scores for quality but were described as 'expensive' (Image: Publicity Picture ) Center Parcs, the most popular holiday park provider in the survey, scored 69%, putting it on par with Haven. Despite high scores for its facilities and accommodation quality, it received lower marks for the range of complimentary activities and overall value for money. It was the third priciest on the list, following Potters and Warner Leisure Villages, who cater to adults-only breaks. A Which? member commented: "Very expensive for what it is. Accommodation excellent, apart from the oasis pool, everything was extra. Staff were very helpful and the children enjoyed their stay. I will not be going back." Haven, with 38 parks across the UK, matched Center Parcs' score, although they did receive three stars for value for money. Which? readers awarded them two-star ratings for food and drink and the variety of free activities available. You can read what one mum thought of Haven here. Article continues below Best and worst holiday parks in the UK - ranked Pontins, Away Resorts, Park Holidays, Butlins, Center Parcs, and Haven have been approached for comment.
Daily Mirror
12-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
UK's best and worst holiday parks named — Center Parcs and Haven far from top
A survey of 1,700 holidaymakers has revealed some of the best and worst of British holiday park breaks A survey by Which? has revealed some of the best and worst holiday parks in the UK for 2025, with well-known brands such as Haven and Center Parcs losing out to lesser-known providers. The survey was completed by 1,700 Which? members who were asked to rate their experiences in UK holiday parks and resorts. Respondents were asked to rank details from the cleanliness of the park to the quality of their accommodation, variety of free activities on offer, and the overall value for money of their holiday. Topping the chart for "customer score" was Potters Resorts, which offer all-inclusive holidays at two resorts based in Essex and Norfolk. While it's an adults-only resort most of the year, children are allowed during the summer holidays in Norfolk. Potters scored an impressive 87%, with an impressive five-stars for quality of facilities and accommodation, and a perfect score for the variety of free activities on offer. Although Potters is the most expensive of the parks included in the Which? survey, the price includes all food and drink, activities that range from pickleball to archery and evening entertainment which is described as 'West End' quality, netting the parks a four-star rating for value for money. Forest Holidays came in second, with an overall customer score of 80%. The brand has eight parks in England, three in Scotland, and two in Wales, with rural locations and accommodation such as log cabins and treehouses. Customers gave positive feedback for the quality of the accommodation and cleanliness, although they only got three-stars for value for money. Another winner was Bluestone Wales, which is set in picturesque Pembrokeshire. Bluestone offers luxury lodges and cottages, also scoring highly for the quality of accommodation on offer. While they scored well for the variety of children's activities on offer and the entertainment, they also scored three-stars for value for money, giving them an overall score of 77%. Pontins are yet again at the bottom of the chart, having also come bottom in 2024. The brand only has one holiday park that's currently open to guests, the adults-only Sand Bay Holiday Village in Weston-Super-Mare. Their other two parks in Burnham on Sea, Somerset and Pakefield, Suffolk are temporarily closed in order to house construction workers. Scoring just 56% for customer satisfaction, Pontins scored just two-stars in most areas and, despite being the cheapest option, customers still felt they received poor value for money. In a Tripadvisor review of their Pakefield park, one customer said: 'Worst place I have ever visited, chalet was old unkempt and dirty, holes in sheets, beds pushed together with terrible matress and pillows, to shower you had to keep pushing a button in, it leaked all over the floor'. Another complained: 'Rooms are shabby and quite dirty. Dirt on the baseboards, cobwebs in the corners and behind doors, our shower curtain had pink mold growing along the bottom seam, clearly not laundered between guests.' However, there were positive reviews of the Pontins experience. One said: 'We went beginning of October had a brilliant week! Food was great, swimming pool was really good and for the price you really can't get any better!' And many reviews praised the entertainment on offer, with one saying: 'The Bluecoats show Vegas was amazing! They are all so talented and are always doing some activity or joining in on the dance floor and having a laugh or chatting with people.' The bottom of the list also included Largo Leisure Parks, a chain of six parks in Scotland, who scored 64%. However, it's worth noting they had a small sample size of just 30 respondents who had visited their parks. A spokesperson for Largo Leisure said: "Whilst this is of course disappointing, this relates to only 30 people who were surveyed about Largo Leisure over 12 months ago. On both TripAdvisor and Google Reviews, where we have thousands of reviews for each of our six Scotland holiday parks, all of them are rated 4.3 or above out of 5. "We regularly get 5 star reviews on both TripAdvisor and Google reviews and we would encourage people to take a look on both to see a true reflection of the guest experiences at our parks. We are very proud of our track record for providing exceptional holidays for our guests but we never stop trying to improve. We are enjoying a busy year across all our parks and if people read the online reviews they will see why." Away Resorts had the same score. They have 25 parks across the UK, including the popular south-west of England area and the Isle of Wight. Away Resorts got just two stars for value for money, despite offering a wide range of accommodation from caravans and glamping to luxury lodges. They also scored poorly for customer service, but received three-stars for cleanliness and quality of accommodation. The most popular holiday park provider in the survey was Center Parcs, which scored 69%, putting it neck and neck with Haven. While it scored well for the quality of its facilities and accommodation, it received low scores for the variety of free activities on offer and overall value for money. It was the third most expensive on the list, coming in after Potters and Warner Leisure Villages, who offer adults-only breaks. One Which? member wrote: 'Very expensive for what it is. Accomodation excellent, apart from the oasis pool, everything was extra. Staff were very helpful and the children enjoyed their stay. I will not be going back.' Haven, who have 38 parks across the UK, scored the same percentage as Center Parcs, although they did get three stars for value for money. Which? readers gave them two star scores for food and drink and the variety of free activities on offer. Best and worst holiday parks in the UK - ranked
BBC News
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Pontins holiday park stories from Hemsby to be told in podcast
A not-for-profit podcast company has appealed for volunteers to help tell the story of a popular holiday based in Norwich, wants to share memories of the former Pontins holiday park in Hemsby on the Norfolk project, called The Holiday Makers, was awarded a £23,700 grant from Historic England in February. Sophie Little, one of the founders at Soundyard, said the closed-down park was a "huge part of the village for many, many years". "It's all about working class history," she explained."We wanted to look at how Hemsby has changed as a result of Pontins closing, but also gathering stories of people who have worked in the holiday industry there."She said the team was looking for people who wanted to learn how to make a documentary and conduct interviews."The exciting part of this project with the volunteers is that it's their job to direct it," she added. Ms Little said Historic England had a grant designed for research about rural towns and coastal villages, which led to their Hemsby its height, Pontins had 30 destinations across now only has two: Sand Bay Holiday Village in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, and Pakefield Holiday Village in Lowestoft, Suffolk. Pontins in Hemsby closed in 2009 and its derelict buildings suffered an arson attack in 2018. Soundyard was set up in 2023 by former BBC producers Ms Little and Anna Perrott said the team hoped to teach people how to tell their own stories using software and by loaning hope to release the documentary by interested in taking part in the project, as either a volunteer making it or to share their memories, was asked to email hemsbyproject@ Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
