It was my boyfriend's 21st birthday, and instead of an expensive party, which would last a few hours, he decided that we should go away for the weekend to Butlins, which would be cheaper, and would last longer.
We booked our break online at www.butlins.com, and the process was really quick and easy to do.
There are some rules you have to abide by, such as no pets, no groups under 18 etc.
Our holiday, for 2 people cost us around £120.
Seeing that the dinner, bed and breakfast option was cheap, we chose this instead of self-catering.
We wished that we hadn't after our first evening meal at the Ocean Drive Restaurant.
It wasn't terrible, but it certianly wasn't that good either. Kind of reminded us of school dinners, but a lot less healthy.
Meals are kept warm in heated cabinets, so came to us a bit colder than we would have liked.
However, the breakfasts were acceptable, and we had a nice plate of bacon, eggs and sausages, which kind of resembles what you might get at home.
The accomodation we booked comprised of a double bedroom and a shower-room. We chose Silver accomodation, as it was only £5 p/p more than the Standard rooms.
We were glad we did, as looking through the windows of the Standard rooms, they were not very nice!
Our room had a comfortable bed, a wardrobe with plenty of hangers, two bedside cabinets with small drawers, a large window with curtains, and a sideboard with drinks making facilities. It also had a TV, and enough plugs to plug in a phone charger, mp3 charger and a hairdryer.
Although the decoration was a bit shabby, it was clean and didn't smell, and basically it reminded me of a university dorm room.
There was nothing 'wrong' with the accomodation, and it was fine for us to use as a base, and also for when another couple came round for drinks with us in the evenings.
The shower-room contained a toilet, sink and cubicle shower.
The facilities at Butlins will please some people more than others. The swimming pool was good fun, and when quiet it was nice to spend time in. The flumes were entertaining, and gave us something to do in the daytime.
The bars which we went to were very expensive - around £18 for 4 drinks.
However, we overcame this problem by visiting the Tesco's next door and buying some cheaper alcholic drinks to consume in our room.
The bars were not very busy, and quite boring really, but this could be because it was September, and not really a busy time of year.
Whilst in Minehead, we also went out to explore the highstreet, and spent some time browsing the shops, which didn't have much to buy, but some different stuff to look at anyway.
One night, we went for an Indian meal in the highstreet, which was much better than the Butlins food!
Our overall opinion about the holiday was that it is great if you have the right company - which we did - and if you just want a cheap get away break with a bit of light hearted fun, this is good for you. The fairground rides were all free, so this was a bonus, especially as they were so quiet, with no queues.
If you were expecting something a bit more luxurious, you would be disappointed with Butlins, but we are the sort of people who enjoy most things, no matter how much it costs or how posh it is.
We had a fantastic weekend - away from the parents, away from work, and some quality time to spend with eachother! Perfect, even if the room was basic, and the food was poor! Of course, we managed to find an alternative to the provided food - Butlins has a Pizza Hut and a Burger King, although this isnt my favourite kind of food, it was better than the other option!
Give it a go - if you dont enjoy it, you went with the wrong people!