Being an untravelled citizen of the world, my holiday reviews will be few and far between, as for Great Britain, I’ve seen much of it, and I enjoy my little adventures, one place that I’ve been back to 3 times is Butlins in Minehead.
What is Butlins In case you didn’t know, Butlins is a family holiday resort, there are 3 situated along the coasts of: Skegness Bognor Regis Minehead. Created purely for families in mind, Butlins is full of activities for both adults and children with lots of entertainment, and situated next to the beach, makes an ideal family holiday.
Accommodation When staying at Butlins you and your family can choose what style of accommodation you wish to live in. There are many different types to help satisfy different needs, these are: Apartments Lodge cabins Luxury apartment Terraced Bungalows. Your accommodation will mainly depend on how many of you are staying, and whether or not you are self catering, or full/half board.. When staying self catering you will normally
reside in a the apartments situated very near to all the entertainment on site, your apartment will include a kitchenette and all the amenities required to prepare food. If you require half/full board, then the terraced bungalows are normally the best place to reside as they are near to the allocated restaurants where you take your meals. In my opinion the best deal is to go self catering, the apartments appear much nicer than the bungalows, they are nearer to all the action, and you don’t have to plan your day around mealtimes. For those seeking a bit more luxury, you can upgrade to a lodge or luxurious apartment.
Entertainment The main attraction at Butlins is the Skyline pavilion, situated right in the heart of all the action at Butlins, this large tented arena holds all the main entertainment and is free of charge to all residents. During the day the Redcoats help entertain the children on the stage by offering fun activities and teaching them interesting and fun skills, such as Juggling and Plate spinning. During the evening the large extravagant shows come out on display, which include disco’s for the children (often featuring Noddy), circus shows with daring acts and singing dancing shows performed by the Butlins own Cast. Anytime night or day you can be assured some form of entertainment will be available for the kids. Also available on site is: Ten Pin Bowling Pool/Snooker Funfair Arcades Soft play area Outdoor play area Cinema Go Kart Racing Lego play area Theatre Basketball court You can visit the surrounding shops, which include: Gift shop Joke shop Hairdressers Sweet and ice cream shop Supermarket Helping to make your stay more comfortable and exciting.
Bars and Restaurants Throughout the whole complex a large range of Bars and Restaurants are available with many different themes to suit everyone, inside the skyline Pavilion there is: A gourmet café bar A cocktail bar Burger King Harry Ramsdens New York restaurant And if all that wasn’t enough you can visit the Traditional style pub on site too. Available for the adults is a Night Club open till the late hours of the morning.
The Swimming pool A pool well deserving of its own category, this attraction is what will keep you the busiest. Appealing to everyone, the pool has indoor and outdoor baths (outdoor for summer months only). Inside there are two separate pools, one for the children that has a reasonable depth and fun slides with extra play activities. The pool for the adults is circular with a current flowing through for fun and relaxation. In the middle of this pool are the stairs that take you up to all the water slides, Butlins have 3 different types, and these are: Splash Bowl-This ride plummets you through at 30mph through a long and winding flume, then eventually drops you into a large bowl with a hole in the centre, after spinning round the edges of the bowl you are dropped through the hole into a separate pool. Black hole-through an entirely black flume you slide through sharp bends and over large bumps. Boat splash-In a small dingy big enough for two, you are sat at the top of a steep drop, after being pushed by the staff you plummet down picking up speed and then plummet upwards through the flume, then around its winding path at high speeds. And if all that wasn’t enough to satisfy you, the main pool has a wave machine, you must be a strong swimmer to feel comfortable with this ride, but it’s lots of fun.
The Red Coats The Red coats are what make Butlins famous, every single member of staff are dressed in red uniform, the Reds, as they are called, are the staff who entertain the children throughout the whole day in the skyline pavilion, there is always a handful of these guys available to play and talk to the kids whilst mum and dad watch from the café, they always appear upbeat and excited about their work and their aim is to help keep the kids entertained when there are pauses in the shows, and to help bring them out of themselves and really get the most out of the entertainment. The kids really look up to them, and can even have their photo taken with their favourite. All in all the Reds help make the atmosphere in there what it is, and ensure that all kids have a great time and are looked out for.
Prices Im sorry I cant be extremely specific as to the exact cost of the prices.(there is normally a brochure floating around the house). The prices will vary depending on the length of your stay. The different holiday stays are: Weekend stay (Friday-monday) 3 nights Adults £70 Children £35 Weekly stay (Monday-sunday) 6 nights Adults £100 Children £65 Extended stay (Sunday-sunday) 8 nights Adults £140 Children £100 (Please note these prices are an approximation, and can vary from season to season.
To summarise Butlins is a great place to go, I took my mate along last time and even though we should both be old enough to know better we spent the entire time acting like kids having a great time, it really does appeal to everyone, and I assure you, you won’t here the words “I’m bored” once. Well except maybe from Mum and Dad. The holidays are very affordable and you really get your moneys worth. Some activities are at an extra cost, but they are always reasonable.
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Advantages: Great fun, lots to do, well themed, brilliant location, very atmospheric Disadvantages: Expensive on site, get fat from all the drinking and junk food.
Trixie_Firecracker 12.05.2005 (12.05.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Butlins
Advantages: Lots to do, great fun family entertainment, good standard of accommodation Disadvantages: Limited choice of food outlets for self-catering guests
Jan 12th, 2003
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