Butlins Skegness

[MrsBop]

Well after another brilliant holiday to Florida it's time to rein in the spending and save for a mortgage however I (selfishly) would still like a holiday every year so I'm thinking because we like jam packed fun filled holidays Butlins sounds like a good idea, reviews on trip advisor have scared me though so has anyone actually been? Is it as bad as they say? Is it mega busy? Be honest

To add we did Haven when DD was 5 months and loved it but most things are off site there so would prefer everything to be in one place although if Butlins is as bad as they say then we'll happily do Haven for a week. We have. DS who will be 9 and DD will be 5.

 

[C_baby]

I haven't been to the Skegness one for at least 20 years but I have been to Minehead a few times in the last three years. I would say Butlins is very similar to Haven, I've never had an issue and have loved it everytime. They're both good if you're happy with a basic base and not too fussy about it being super modern accommodation wise I would just be weary about paying too much as it can work out a bit pricey for what it is in the summer.

 

[beth_terri]

We've been twice. It's been lovely both times! We've stayed in ground floor gold accommodation both times so I've no idea what the silver or standard are like, but I cannot complain about gold! The entertainments good, the foods good,and we've gone both in Easter hols and term time weekend. Neither was TOO busy. X

 

[mummylove]

My friend went last year with her husband and 2 kids she loved it and so did the kids

 

[MrsBop]

Thanks everyone, we're looking week before summer holidays start in July, quoted £1200 for gold accommodation and premier food, not sure if that's expensive or not lol? Cheap compared to Florida lol! I'm so excited I want to go now!

 

[beth_terri]

Whoa!!!!!!! We've never paid over £300 lol xx

 

[MrsBop]

Whoa!!!!!!! We've never paid over £300 lol xx

Oh that's not good then lol thanks hun, my quote was for 7 days if that makes any difference and they wanted £440 (I think) for food and £100 for Saturday booking so that's £540, still almost £700 for apartment though - hmmm will have to have another look, who do you book with?

 

[beth_terri]

Whoa!!!!!!! We've never paid over £300 lol xx

Oh that's not good then lol thanks hun, my quote was for 7 days if that makes any difference and they wanted £440 (I think) for food and £100 for Saturday booking so that's £540, still almost £700 for apartment though - hmmm will have to have another look, who do you book with?

We just booked on the buntlines website. We didn't get the food package though so I suppose that's where the biggest difference is coming from. And we've only booked when they've had an offer on x

 

[Emma&Freya]

I LOVED Butlins, esp Skegness.

My Mum and Dad are taking Freya in October when Ive had baby Mia (was planend before I found out I was pregnant) Im mega jealous because its truly amazing, especially for the kids

 

[amytrisha]

Butlins is AMAZING, we've been every year for the past 5-6 years. We've been to Minehead but we go to Skegness more often.

It's brilliant honestly, you really won't run out of things to do. The waterpark is great, plenty of slides, there's an outdoor pool, loads of clubs for the kids, tonnes of shows on all day/night, a nightclub for the adults, a free funfair on site, arcades, bingo, duck pond, beach on site - literally everything is there.

I'd suggest going self catering though, it'll knock a lot off your price and the restaurants that all-inclusive use you can pay to go in anyway. I'd take a few bits with you as well because the shop there is pretty expensive.

I'm 19, with no kids & I'd go to butlins just me and OH! Its a really good holiday IMO, I'm jel too!

Enjoy

 

[Mumof42009]

I'm off to Butlins at Skegness the weekend so will let you know what it's like. A friend of mine booked her holiday through a travel agent and it worked out cheaper than off Butlins website.

 

[Sunrise]

We've been twice. The first time we stayed in a silver self catering apartment, would not do that again the apartment was pretty grotty. We'd chose gold instead if self catering. The second time we stayed in a room with the standard dining plan. The room that we had was made up of two bedrooms and a small bathroom. The room was adequate and clean but the walls were paper thin so you could hear next door very easily. The other niggle with the room was that apart from the bathroom sink there wasnt anywhere to wash cups and bottles etc, didn't feel very hygienic washing baby bottles next to the toilet!

The entertainment for toddlers and pre-schoolers is excellent, IMO that is who Butlins caters for best. The indoor splash world is very good and we went every day. There is a fairground where a lot of the rides are free (although a lot arent as well!). There is a main skyline pavilion where they have character shows and such throughout the day as well as cafes and bars etc etc. The evening entertainment is a bit hit and miss we found although kids do seem to enjoy the earlier redcoat entertainment. Whilst we were they they had comedy shows, tribute acts, pantomime and a sesame street show. The entertainment team work really, really hard. There are of course extras that you can pay for on site such as high ropes, cinema, bowling, crazy golf etc.The beach is very easily accessed and is fantastic, a really nice sandy beach.

We did not really enjoy the standard dining atmosphere and if we decide to go again we would go for the premium dining however from what I can gather I suspect the food for both is very similar. The standard felt more like a school canteen for us.

ETA: If you can aim for a mid week break as we found that comes out cheaper. Don't think we would want to do a full week, after four days or so DH and I were ready for home.

HTH!

 

[shellideaks]

I'm off to the Minehead one on the 22nd of this month for a week.

For the 4 of us, it cost around £550 (My dad paid for me and Max, Parker goes free and we had to pay the other £180 for OH). That's in Silver accommodation with premier dining included. I know the premier dining costs extra, we usually just go standard half board but my dad paid the difference so makes no odds to me lol.

Your quote sounds quite expensive, I've found if you book way in advance you get it a lot cheaper. My dad booked our holiday around October time last year, he also gets extra discount because he goes every year and has some sort of loyalty card. You could see if someone in your family has one of those and get them to book for you?

 

[shellideaks]

We did not really enjoy the standard dining atmosphere and if we decide to go again we would go for the premium dining however from what I can gather I suspect the food for both is very similar. The standard felt more like a school canteen for us.

Just wanted to say, apparently premier dining is a lot better. The staff actually cook a lot of what you want in front of you. Stir frys with lots of ingredients, omelettes etc. You can pick what you want and they'll make it there and then. My dad has raved about premier dining and said he'll never go back to standard half board. I do agree it feels like a school canteen!