Pontins > Reviews > Not as bad as it is made out

Author's product rating:   

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Good

Advantages:	Good family holiday
Disadvantages:	not enough on site

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

We are just back from Pontins Southport and to be honest I really did not want to go as I had seen a holidays from hell type of programme the week before we were due to go and it looked really bad like a concentration camp the rooms look horrible and it completely put me off.

But I went got all pack and left early on the Monday morning as we were staying Monday - Friday, as we had booked it through The Sun newspaper for £9.50 collect a tokens holiday and I must admit the programme that I had seen was so completely different from the place.

We did not arrive till about 5.30 as book in time is not till 4.00pm but you can arrive earlier if you want and use their facilities.

Reception
We parked the car and then went into the reception to book in, quite well organised all the welcoming packages were in a tray and we just had to tell them our name, did not have to wait long and there was no queue. On our pack was a map of the site and she told us where our apartment was and how to get there. In the welcome pack were information leaflets, a programme of what was on and where and money of vouchers for things in the park, for drink at the bars, food, stuff purchased in the shops. And of course our key to our apartment (no: 602).

Apartment 602
We did not take any of our luggage out of the car, as I wanted to see what the apartment was like first and if it was that bad then we would not have to re load the car. So up we went to our apartment and opened the door and to my amazement it was fine. Once the door is opened you have a reasonable size living room that has an table and 4 chairs, a double sofa bed and unit with a tv on top another unit that look like a wardrobe without doors and the an opened planned kitchen. The kitchen has a cooker, fridge, bread bin, kettle and all the cutlery and crockery you need with pots and pans as well. The kitchen has white unit's a with a grey marble worktop, which was clean.

You then had a bathroom with a shower and a small bath a sink and of course a toilet with 1 roll of toilet paper, the only problem we had with the shower was that it is like the ones you get in the swimming pools it only stays on for a couple of minutes then it goes off.

Then there is a bedroom with two single beds and another door less wardrobe, we had to take the bedding with our sun package and it was really clean and white.

As we lived in the budget apartments we had to buy electric cards which cost £1 and you can get from reception we only used 1 the whole time we were there, but we did not do any cooking there so that is probably why.

We could have upgraded if we wanted to, to either the Classic or the club, but we did not bother.

Shop/Bars/Food
The reception is in the main area, with amusement arcade, where a lot of our money went, some of the machines give out tokens for the kids to collect and exchange for gifts.

Londis shop - Is right across from reception, where is sells just about everything you can think of prices for food and drink items are not to bad but the toys and pontins merchandize are a bit expensive.

Lunars bar - this is next to the amusements, only in it once to watch the Scotland match as it has a big screen.

Downtown Diner - This is really a burger joint, prises were not to bad when you consider what you spend in the likes of KFC Burger King etc husband got a chicken wrap one night before we went back to our apartment which he said was really good, but this is only open at night time.

Captain cod - This is a fish and chips shop, which was also only open in the evening, prices are not to bad either.

Queen Victoria Pub - Drinks in here where quite reasonable, food prices I though were not to bad but I was not impressed with the food, only eat there twice eat out the rest of the time, they do have a kids menu which is very reasonable prices either £1.99 for Postman Pat's menu for £2.49 for Dennis the Menace menu and both menu's had drinks included.

Fun Factory - This is where the bingo is played in the early evening, where the blue coats entertain, they have stuff for the kids first where the Pontins characters come out and entertain the kids (Captain Croc, Chuckles the monkey, etc) then there is entertainment for the adults this was ok not great.

Also in the Fun Factory was a bar and Tricks N Treats which sold hats, masks, jokes toys, toys that light up etc, some of the prices where a bit expensive though. And Casey's Whistle Stop - this was also only opened in the evening and sold food and drinks such as hot dogs.

Little Croc's Theatre - This was next to the main area, it had a number of activates for the kids but my little one did not go and he is only 2 and we felt that there was not much for him to do there.

Other things to do
H20 zone - this is the indoor heated swimming pool we did not go to this so not sure what it is like.
Crazy golf
Laundrette
Hire shop - did not go to this either but this is where you we able to hire the golf clubs and the go karts and bikes.

The Area
Southport is only a 5 minutes drive from Pontins and there is plenty of shops and amusement arcade at the front with a miniature railway museum and the pier. Southport also has a Pleasure land which we did not go to as being pregnant I could not go on any rides and my little one is to wee for most of them and there was no point paying to get in just to look.

Blackpool we went to Blackpool for the day as it is only about 1 hour drive and it is easy enough o get to. We also went to Liverpool for the day we went into Ainsdale Village to get the train and after 9.30 it only cost £3.60 for my husband and myself return.

To sum it up Pontins Southport is a good place to go, but I would say that you really do need a car, as I do not think you could sati on site all day every day. He drink was expensive but the money of vouchers do help the food was not that great. Did not think there was much to do on site during the day.

The apartments are clean and comfortable not the Ritz but what we paid for it we did not mind as we really only used it as a base to sleep.

I would recommend it to others and yes I must admit I would go back again.

I hope this review helps and I would say do not listen to the holiday from hell type programmes, as I am not going to again. The holiday is what you make of it and if you never paid much for it then you expectation cannot be high.