Well Ciao, I'm all for change, but usually it makes things better, not worse? Anybody ever get thei...
Well Ciao, I'm all for change, but usually it makes things better, not worse? Anybody ever get their money from Ciao.com, or were those couple of months of torment all for nothing?
Member since:27.10.2005
Reviews:57
Members who trust:119
We have just booked a three night break through the Sun Newspaper holidays, this will be the fourth year we have participated and I felt it was a good time to share our experiences.
For anyone who has never heard of this scheme, the first step is to collect the different numbered tokens in the Sun Newspaper. First time collectors will need seven tokens, those who have booked before need only six as you will receive a priority booking form shortly before the offer begins. There is also an option to book your break online, but again, this is only for those who have booked before and not all parks are included. Half way through the offer, the newspaper will have a 'pull out' which shows all the parks available, numbered and seperated into areas, little icons show what facilities and entertainment is avaliable and any service charges and entertainment costs you will incur. This pull out also holds the booking form. If you recieve the priority booking form, this information will also be in it (in glorious colour!) along with a bonus starter holiday token to pass along to family or friends.
In this years choices, there were 178 parks to choose from. The dates to choose from begin in February 8th and continue through until May 30th - these cost £9.50 per person, June 2nd until July 18th - these cost £15 per person, September 5th until November 28th - these cost £9.50 per person. Three night breaks always on a Friday to Monday and four night breaks on a Monday to Friday. However, not all the parks are avaliable on all of these dates, so when you book, they ask for a choice of four different parks and four different start dates. If you are a previous booker you obviously have more chance of getting the dates and parks you require as you do not need to collect as many tokens so can book sooner. Booking through the internet is the best choice as the booking is immediate, and you can keep changing the choices on your form until you get the parks and dates which suit you best.
There are many icons to show what is at each park and there is a detailed key at the front of the pull out/ brochure. These include: indoor pool, outdoor pool, beach within 400 yards, childrens club, entertainment, cafe / takeaway, sauna, jacuzzi/ spa, amusements, shop, snooker/ pool, tennis, squash, golf, crazy golf, gym, bars There are other important symbols which show which parks do not charge the optional extra price for entertainment or service charge and which ones have all day, top quality entertainment for families. Any award the parks have been given is also shown (i.e David Bellamy conservation award, Rose England award). As you can see, these symbols are important for choosing your destination and show that the holidays aren't just for families with young children, you can also get quiet parks with more mature activities.
When you book you send payment with your form or pay by credit/ debit card if booking online. You only pay the £9.50 per person at this time (even if it was a £15 holiday)and please note - this must be for a minimum of four people, even if there is less. This may seem like a bit of a catch, but the price is still very cheap, and excellent value if you choose a top park, such as a Haven site. Any costs for service charges and entertainment, and for the extra if booking in the £15 timeslots will be billed by seperately by the park, usually when the confirmation is sent through. These service & entertainment costs can vary, obviously the Haven and Pontins sites usually offer better services and are therefor fairly expensive, for example, Haven Devon Cliffs charge £5.75 per caravan per night for service charge and up to £9.50 per person(for the week)for the entertainment. These costs can all add up, but still much better value than booking direct through Haven.
All our experiences have been good ones. Our son is four now, so we have always looked for swimming pools, beaches and play areas on site. Our first at a John Fowler Park was the most basic. We had first floor apartments in Ilfracombe, which were small and quite old, but clean and good enough for putting our heads down for four nights. On this holiday we visited the neighbouring town of Woolacombe, which is more thriving with a better beach. So the next holiday we booked at the Golden CoastHoliday Park situated in Woolacombe itself. The Park is quite large so there is more chance of getting your booking. The accomodation was a static caravan. Next we tried a Haven site, Marton Mere near Blackpool. From this we noticed that the holidays are a little more organised and the caravan accomodation and entertainment a little more 'up market'! Our caravan was only a few years old and a bit smarter. The sit also boasts an outdoor wet zone and good quality activities. although some need paying for. Also, you have Tiger Rory and his crew to entertain the children which is a bonus. The problem at this site is the travel to the beach at Blackpool. We booked a Haven site again, this time at Hayle, Cornwall. Although a smaller site, the caravan was again fairly new, we also had a nice surprise, being allocated an eight birth, with an extra two foot in the width, which may not sound much, but definately makes a nice difference! Also the site is a short walk to a gorgeous beach.
So, unfortunatley I can't give you a review on all the parks, but I'm working on it! But my conclusion is, these holidays are excellent value, especially if you choose a good park. I know Caravans are not the best way to live, but for just a few nights they are more than suitable and all the ones we have stayed in have been clean and comfortable. Sometimes we have been able to go on these trips twice a year, as well as other holidays in between, now, we couldn't have done that by paying £400 for a full price caravan holiday! I would wholehartedly recommend these holidays to anyone, especially those with young children.
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Jan 18th, 2008
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