My 12 yr old son and I have just returned from a 7 night stay at Combe Haven and I have to say we enjoyed it very much.
We arrived late afternoon on the Friday and were directed to the Live lounge to collect our keys. A five minute wait in the queue and we were given a warm welcome and a bag full of free books for some holiday reading. Good books too!!
Made our way to our standard caravan which was a bit off the beaten track but this suited because it meant we were a distance away from the main complex so not noisy late at night.
Caravan in very clean condition and everything as it should have been. No bad smells or unsightly surprises. Unpacked, freshened up and made our way up to the main building to check out what was on offer in the way of entertainment. I say up to because if you are based towards the back of the site it is a very steep climb up to the entertainment complex, something you should take into account if you have difficulty in walking or are in a wheelchair.
If you're taking kids to Combe Haven they'll have a great time. The Funstars are excellent with the younger children and you'll have enjoy seeing the kids having a good time. Later in the evenings they had a live band which were good. but try to get there early as the seats go fast. Afternoon entertainment included a wrestling show and Panto (Dick Whittington) as well as the usual bingo sessions.
The bar staff are very nice, friendly and efficient and allways wish you a pleasant evening.
I've read a bit here about queues for the pool but although we didn't use this facility I can honestly say that I never saw large queues outside the pool.
If you're into the arcade side of things then be prepared to spend a lot of money to win small prizes. Not good value for money amusements as you have to collect tickets from the machines which you then take to exchange for a receipt which you then take to exchange for your prize.
Eating out there is the 'Mash & Barrell" in which we found excellent service. They do a meet and greet breakfast for the kids where they have breakfast with the characters of the park. (Rory, Bradley & co)
There's also Papa John's pizza who do a delivery service to your caravan & a Burger King which I'd advise anyone to stay away from. Fast food this is not. The staff in BK gave the impression they didn't want to be there and couldn't care less about serving you. A 15 minute wait was quick.
Around the site there's plenty to do with the sports hall and all weather football pitch although the pitch & putt was not available and the nature reserve turned out to be a bed of reeds with the obligatory traffic cone thrown in.(But let's be honest, you ain't going for the nature reserve are you?!!!)
Security on the site is very good, we never once entered a building without being asked for our passes even when they got to know us and security vans patrol throughout the night.
All in all the pro's outweighed the con's by a distance and we were somewhat dissapointed when the week came to an end.
Don't be put off by previous comments on here as I'm sure that they represent only a very small percentage of the holidaymakers who come to Combe Haven.
People usually only highlight the bad side and don't bother when everthing's ok.
I'd have no reservations about recommending Combe Haven to anyone.