i am a 32 yr old married woman with 3 children. 2 of my children have disabilities including adhd, a...
i am a 32 yr old married woman with 3 children. 2 of my children have disabilities including adhd, aspergers and joint hypermobility. i love shopping, eating out , photography , pets and my pc!
Member since:22.03.2005
Reviews:12
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I have been going to Butlins since I was 8 yrs old. i am now 32! We go there every year at least twice. We go to Minehead in Somerset and its a sea sideresort with stunning countryside and views, lots of things to do outside the camp (if you get time). The west Somerset railway, Dunster castle and the beach to name but three. There have been a lot of changes to the camp over the years, and its certainly not hi-de-hi like people might think. We always go half board as self catering just does not make financial sense. For a weekend break for a family of 5 Friday to Monday you are looking at around £250- £300 that’s with accommodation, entertainment ,breakfast and evening meal. The meal times are flexible breakfast from 8.30am-10-30am and eve meal from 4.30pm-6.30pm. My kids always love the half board as it gives them a little responsibility to choose their own food. They can eat as much as they want as it is a buffet style restaurant.
The range of food is great and the kids eyes pop out at the amount of puddings and drinks they can have! (always making sure they eat a main meal first!) for breakfast there is a choice of cereals,
toast, full English breakfast (as much as you can eat!) fruit juices, fruit, yoghurts, tea, and coffee. Even kippers if you like that sort of thing!
The evening meal consists of a traditional fair if you like the roasts! cuisine from around the world, the chip bar for fish and chips, pizza, sausage rolls etc, soup, rolls bread, salad, vegetarian, just about something for everyone. the only down side to the restaurant if you have kids, is finding a table, keeping it, navigating yourself and the kids around a very busy popular place! and waiting to get the food. the restaurant is very bright and fashionable with a radio playing softly in the background. we love it.
The accommodation is ok considering the amount of traffic that flows through the very old chalets year in and year out. In half board accommodation its literally the rooms you sleep in plus a bathroom unless you choose the half board apartment which has a kitchen and diner, but to be honest we have never bothered for the small amount of time spent in the accommodation. The downsides is there is no fridge so you can either hire a fridge on site which costs about £15 for a weekend break with a small deposit, or take powdered milk for any cups of tea or coffee you might want. Also there is a t.v in the main bedroom which when you are trying to get ready for a great night, out the kids often bug you there’s nothing to do and end up invading your space watching t.v! The decor is good, and modern, but if the chalet walls have been repaired they do not make a very good job of it!!
Now, on to the entertainment. this varies a lot depending on the time of year you go. In the main summer season there is always all the venues open and the highest quality of entertainment around. There are puppet shows on throughout the day in the skyline, also circus shows, pantomimes, game shows, quizzes or sometimes just the red coats entertaining the kids with fun and games whilst parents sit and relax with a nice cuppa. Also in the skyline there is fox kids, a soft play area which the kids love, only problem is the height restriction which sometimes is enforced harsher than others, co-inciding with busier times. Outside there is the all weather multi sportscourts for playing football, basketball, netball etc and in the kids clubs they run training etc. There is archery, bowling (for a small cost) pool, cinema, and lots of side show stalls which the kids always want because of course you have to pay for them!
There are 2 funfairs, one called bobs back yard in the theme of bob the builder, where there are free little rides for the toddlers, including a bumpy slide, aeroplanes, cup and saucer and a small train, the kids love that one! then on the sea front there is the "big" fair for the slightly older children, with the trabant, waltzers, a small pirate ship, cage, and the traditional merry-go-round. there are go karts for a charge and you can hire bikes, pedal carts etc. there is a nursery for little ones if you want to get some time out with the older kids to go swimming.
i have to mention the swimming pool separately as it deserves the mention alone. The pool is magnificent with the master blaster rollercoaster on water ride, the space bowl, flumes, spas, bubble jets, wave machine, rapids, a separate pool for serious swimmers, and a play area for the youngsters with small slides and water cannons. the only downside to the pool is the changing rooms can be busy and it can be hard finding a space to get changed and then a locker that works to put the clothes into! the swimming pool is obviously popular so it can be really busy and queues for the big water rides can be horrendous!
There is an outside pool for the summer which is nice and shallow for the kids with just basically splashing around fun, nice and colourful the kids love it.
Now onto the evening entertainment! what can I say! its great, they have several venues to choose from all with something different. There is centre stage, they usually have 3 main acts on all with variety, starting off with a game show or something similar, then a live show like a panto, followed by a visiting act like a group or a singer, usually taking off someone like Britney Spears etc, with discos in between all the acts its a long night for the parents and the kids, and if your a drinker there will be a huge dent in the pocket from drinks behind the bar as its very expensive!
Then there’s reds which is classed as home of the red coats, with similar entertainment as centre stage, but with red coats. The skyline, where there’s usually puppets shows, visiting acts, such as the out of Africa which was superb show of strength and co-ordination from some very fit half naked black men! There’s a karaoke bar, which has sing star but that’s adults only, and then there’s jumping jaks which is adults only opens at 10pm. Great if you have really little kids (under 5) as you can hire a childminder on site so you can go out!
There is a great atmosphere at Butlins, we love it all of us, if you are looking for an action packed holiday to tire yourself and the kids out totally then this is it Butlins has it all. i love being a kid again for a weekend!
Be careful of the full price offers in the brochure, always look online or in the paper for the best deals. check out the prices for half board, self catering is very often only around £20 cheaper, the food you get in half board is well worth the money as the restaurants such as pizza hut, burger king, bar rosso and skyline cafe are hugely expensive. Since going half board we have found the kids don’t ask for the ice creams, sweets etc as they are sooo stuffed from brekky and their eve meal. we have definitely decided that self catering is not worth it. Always check out the entertainment guide and plan the days, as it can be frustrating to have missed a really good show! The disadvantages we have found is, the entertainment although very good can be repeated a lot, so if you have been already once in the year you may well find there are shows you have already seen, and if you don’t like crowds Butlins may not be for you.
The venues are always packed and people fighting for seats, so you have to get into the venues early to ensure seating. Take plenty of spending money, its amazing how much is spent on side shows, coffees, and alcohol!! other than that enjoy! It’s a great place for all the family!
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Hiya, I have only been to butlins onece or twice, but never with my kids! You made me realise that the kids will probable love this. I will give it a go
vickiuk 27.03.2005 23:08
Good review I haven't ever been to Butlins myself, but to be honest with you I'm trying to pluck up the courage to go abraod as the sun, sea and sand sounds and looks more appealing to me.
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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
Mar 26th, 2005
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