Butlins Resort, Bognor Regis

Butlins Bognor Regis



I have been on 4 holidays to Butlins, and experienced every resort Skegnes, Minehead and Bognor (2).

This review is based on my stay at Bognor.



Overview of accommodation:

Standard is ok usually the best if you are short on cash or if you are with a group of mates and won't be spending a lot of time in your chalet/room. Silver is above ...
...book in advance at the Butlins shop on site because you get half price deal plus 10% off when booking at the shop. We have paid for gold for 4 people (2 adults and 2 children) £451 for 2 weeks in late June.



What to do onsite there is so much to do on site I am not sure where to begin so here goes.



Overview Eating/drinking onsite
In general the food on site is excellent if a bit ... more

Butlins Bognor Regis

I have been on 4 holidays to Butlins, and experienced every resort Skegnes, Minehead and Bognor (2).

This review is based on my stay at Bognor.

Overview of accommodation:

Standard is ok usually the best if you are short on cash or if you are with a group of mates and won't be spending a lot of time in your chalet/room. Silver is above average larger rooms with TV. Good for families. Gold is my personal favourite, large spacious rooms with a good size lounge and a huge kitchen area with breakfast table. There is plenty of kitchen work top space so that 2 people can easily be preparing 2 things at once. Helpful if you have children. Gold and Silver are ideally suited to families. Deluxe having never stayed in deluxe I cannot say, but my wife being the curious type, has managed to have a tour and they are exquisite but fairly pricey

Types of accommodation:

Standard: As the name says this is your basic accommodation. Basic beds with the minimum of facilities. If you can afford it then upgrade as the beds not comfortable (I may be biased as I have a bad back)

Facilities: colour TV, shower or bath, tea + coffee

Occupancy: Maximum 5, minimum 1

Silver: some people seem to think that this is the best type to go for. Rooms are cut above from silver. Décor of the room is lovely and cosy. You get a laundry/maid service, which is very handy. They usually come every 2 days.

Facilities: TV shower room, lounge, kitchenette (cooker, fridge, microwave and toaster). Towels are not provided

Occupancy: Maximum 6, minimum 3

Gold: This for me personally is the best accommodation there is. Large spacious rooms with a very comfortable double bed. Lots of storage in wardrobes there is housekeeping just like in silver.

Facilities: 28" TV, DVD player, 2nd TV in master bedroom, Shower room, lounge, Kitchen (cooker, fridge, microwave, toaster, personal safe, hair dryer and tea/coffee facilities, storage room for child's buggy etc. Towels are provided.

Deluxe: These are self catering lodges and if you want the restaurant option then you will have to pay extra for these. They are even more spacious than gold and have a balcony or terrace. You also get your parking space.

Facilities: 28" TV widescreen, DVD and VCR, 2nd TV in Master bedroom, shower and bath, housekeeping, personal safe, hair dryer and tea/coffee facilities, Towels are provided.

Extras: complimentary bottle of wine and chocolates, free DVD's and videos

Price: I am not going to put prices down as they vary so much depending what time of year you go to what accommodation your choose and to when you decide to book.

The best way to do it if you can is to book in advance at the Butlins shop on site because you get half price deal plus 10% off when booking at the shop. We have paid for gold for 4 people (2 adults and 2 children) £451 for 2 weeks in late June.

What to do onsite there is so much to do on site I am not sure where to begin so here goes.

Overview Eating/drinking onsite
In general the food on site is excellent if a bit pricey, we always go self-catering and there is a supermarket nearby where you can buy your groceries. Personally I believe the restaurant food is mediocre, I mean it is clean restaurant with lots of space and a good variety of food. The food is not bad it is just a bit bland nothing exciting but then what do you expect for a buffet style 3 course meal at Butlins!

The food at other eating establishments is a bit better than the main restaurants. Skyline Café make excellent paninis. Your usual burger King as expected need I say any more…! In all if you want very good cuisine then eat away from the site or bring your own.

Please not: If you go self catering you can still use the onsite restaurants you just have to arrange through reception and you pay extra

Eating and Drinking:

Swinging Sheliagh - Irish themed pub with music and drinks karaoke nights, which are a lot of fun. Normal pub hours.

Jaks - Over 18's, adults only bar. They sometimes have bands here and comedy nights. Great for the singles and the adults who have put the children to be. Can be a little bit too "young if you know what I mean. If you are in your 30's, you are surrounded by people nearly half your age. This is open from 10pm till 2am. Only starts to fill up properly after 12:00am

Hot Shots Sports Bar - Lots of TV's plus a big screen; catch up on football plus a variety of other sports. Sky sports 1 and 2 I think. There is tenpin bowling and American pool tables. This is open from 10am till midnight.

Bar Rosso - This is a Greek themed cocktail bar and serves a variety of drinks and snacks.

Harry Ramsdens - Fish and Chip shop, excellent fish a and chips. Prices are about average for Harry Ramsdens.

Sun and Moon Pub - Average pub drinks are expensive, they sometime have special nights like curry night that we enjoyed.

Burger king - well Burger King is Burger King enough said

Kebab/pizza shop - sells variety of food burgers, pizza's and kebabs, for those late night munchies

Skyline café - average café selling soft drinks and snacks

Entertainment:

Green Baize snooker club - snooker, table tennis and darts. Sometimes you will have to wait for a table to become available during busy periods. Best times to go are either at the end of the day between 5pm and 6pm or when it opens first thing at 10am.

I think it closes at 6pm which for me is a bit of a bummer would love to have a free game of snooker while enjoying a pint (bar inside) but unfortunately no. You have to leave you room card/key behind the counter sort of like a deposit

Reds - This is the showcase of Butlins where you can experience over bands and light entertainment for the younger generation

Centre stage - Here you can enjoy pantomimes, red coats have their own show which is good fun. We managed to see Rick Wallah (off X Factor) live he was brilliant.

Fun Fair - This is free to all young and old. Different rides including merry-go-round.

Fencing - There is fencing. Redcoats show you how to fence. Lots of fun for kids 5 and over

Archery - There is an archery lessons/social. Learn to shoot with a qualified instructor. Free

Adventure play area - this is height restricted (can't remember what it is) and is like a big ship where kids can play and generally tire them out so they don't wake up later in the evening

Gala Bingo - Bingo is great fun eyes down early I think starts at 1:30 and then there is a later one at about 3:30 and one at 7:00pm. The late show is the best as this is the busiest and where the most money.

Sports Arena - self-explanatory really. Tennis, basketball,

Crazy Golf - play a round of golf on the crazy golf course

Waterworld - This has to be one of the best attractions. You get to go on rides such as space bowl and master blaster and there is also a shallow beach area plus kids slides and a wave machine. Best times to go is probably 2 hours before closing as everyone is leaving to get ready for dinner.

Arcades/Slots - Plenty of arcade machines and lost machine to play.

Climbing Wall - This is great fun for kids as they can race each other up the wall. Adults are also welcome to have a go.

Tenpin - great fun for the family. Make sure you book in advance especially in the evening as sometimes you can have a wait of up to an hour if you do not book.

Other facilities

Nursery - Great place to let you little ones go and play, unfortunately adult supervision is required.

Quaser - laser quest type venue, great for groups to have a fun

Hire shop - Hire anything and everything from bikes, buggy's to bed guards and even high chairs.

Gift shop - sells Butlins souvenirs and general knick-knacks

Internet café - Surf the net and catch up on emails.

Sweetshop - sells variety of sweets

Alldays - Onsite mini supermarket, a bit like a Tesco's express. Quite expensive s

Spa - there is an onsite spa at Skegness and I have the most amazing back massage there. There are plenty of options to choose from. I was led to believe that the Spa is expanding to all sites, Bognor and Minehead, in the coming year

New for Bognor Regis:

Stylish new hotel with landscaped gardens on the seafront within the Bognor Regis Resort.
Contemporary design and comfortable, spacious rooms
Delicious menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner, enjoyed in relaxed surroundings
Superior and friendly service
A stay at the Shoreline includes full access to all the fun and excitement of Butlins
Disabled and wheelchair access throughout

Key features

Sea views or garden patios
Floor to ceiling windows
Lounge area with leather chairs
Home entertainment systems
Luxury king-size or twin beds
Separate kids area with TV and games console
En-suite bathrooms
Heating and comfort cooling
Privileged parking
Early Check-in
Lounge Bar for cocktails or a cool beer
Room Service

Taken from Butlins website (www.butlins.com)

As this hotel is relatively new I have not had any experience of it.

Bad points/experiences

Gold suites are quite a distance from the skyline building if you want to be closer then you will probably have to go with silver or standard. I took myself 20 minutes walking at a brisk pace to get a pint of milk and a paper.

If something breaks or is not working then report it to either relevant reception (standard, silver, gold or deluxe) if this is not resolved within the day or the next day then report this failure to the security office and it should be fixed very quickly. Our fridge leaked and we reported it 4 times eventually got narked off and went to security cause it was a Sunday and our reception was closed. We got a new fridge delivered within the hour plus we were chauffeured back to our accommodation!!

Drinks: Beers are average priced, cocktails are expensive, and bottles such as bicardy breezer are £3.10 a go!

What I thought of Butlins

First off do not go to Bulins if you want a quiet holiday away from the masses. Butlins is all about the kids. It is noisy with kids running round. There is always some type show or kids entertainment going on in the skyline building so it is always noisy with people everywhere.

This will be an amazing holiday if you have kids or an adult just acting like a big kid. It is all about fun and games and then watching a show or going swimming.

For me it is worth paying the extra for gold accommodation because it is just really comfortable with large enough space for 2 kids to run about plus you are in sort of little village block with a shared garden area. So kids can run about outside and make friends. I absolutely love Butlins and with a 2 year old and another on the way I can't wait for them to experience Butlins.

I would definitely recommend it. 

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