Butlins Bognor Regis, West Sussex, England

Hotel Information

User Rating:
6.5 / 10
(95 User Reviews)

Hotel Description:

Butlins Bognor Regis basking by the sea, this Resort is an ideal base from which to take off and explore the historic Sussex coast that was once home to pirates, shipwrecks and smugglers.
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Butlins Bognor Regis Reviews

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" As a previous Butlins devotee who was... "

As a previous Butlins devotee who was repulsed by the filthy conditions 8 years ago and vowed never to return , I am writing to say what a difference!
We have just returned from a mid week break in the new shoreline hotel and can honestly say it was the best short break our family has ever taken. The hotel staff were polite and went out of their way to please(thanks for the unexpected free upgrade to a deluxe suite!).The hotel was well designed and spotless, in fact the whole site seemed to be being permanently cleaned. The restaurant in the hotel was brilliant , we were given a free bottle of wine when our meal took longer than 15 minutes to arrive, without complaining.
My only regret was that we didn't study the activities program and the kids werent organised enough to join in with all their free activities.
I would throughly recommend Butlins, it really has changed for the better.

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  • User Rating:
    10 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:Apr 2008
  • Board Basis:Bed & Breakfast
  • Tour Operator:Butlins

" oh yes this place is the best. it has... "

oh yes this place is the best. it has everything, you want to go to a holiday park go to butlins? on these reviews it says all there was were children running around. I have to add that butlins is BASED around children! The restraunts are fab! The accomadation was absoluty fantastic , we went as a group of 2 familys so we had 2 kitchens and there was enough room for everything. All the right appliences. The kids would just get up and go out and leave a note.They would be back for breakfeast and then we would go for a long walk along the beach to get away from the arcacde and all of that.The free funfair was a bit disspointing with only 4 rides, but the other butlins have more and are a bit more satisfying for the free funfair. The swimmingpool was great the kids were in there everyday! We could not get them out.

I havnt seen better entitaiment in my life! We were so close to Chico. Our young 7 year old had fun in all the shows. Everywere was so clean aswell!

Ok butlins is a bit rusty in places, but it really was a great little get away from everything. The kids were never board, Maybe the could tone the arcade down a bit. You feel like ur in Blackpool, but butlins forever! x

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  • User Rating:
    9 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:Feb 2008
  • Board Basis:Self Catering
  • Tour Operator:Booked Independently

" We stayed at Butlins Bognor for 4... "

We stayed at Butlins Bognor for 4 days at the end of March in self catering Silver Accommodation. Prior to arriving i had read a few online reviews and was somewhat apprehensive! I resolved to make a written contribution on returning from the holiday.
Our stay was great. The children, in particular, thoroughly enjoyed their time, the accommodation was fine and the facilities, food outlets and entertainment pitched well for all children below 12. It was excellent value for money and the staff made an effort to make the stay enjoyable. The Aladin panto, Barney + play areas were excellent.
We have stayed at all the Butlins resorts and what comes through is a company that still has a fantastic ability at entertaining children of all ages, in comparison we have found Center Parcs more costly, less fun and with less to do for the under 7s.
If you are looking for a place that focuses on entertaining children and is excellent value Butlins is very hard to beat. Where issues do arise eg a dirty room, frustrating as it can be, these need to be seen in the context of the great time that is on offer for the children.

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  • User Rating:
    9 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:Mar 2008
  • Board Basis:Self Catering
  • Tour Operator:Booked Independently

" frist time with kids to bultins at... "

frist time with kids to bultins at bognor we went standerd half board room very nice basic room newly painted it was cheaper to book two rooms for a family of 5. food pently of it and good choice pently to keep kids busty. only problem was not all the staff spoke english hard to ask any thing. site has magor work going on but no problem to guest overall very good hiolday

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  • User Rating:
    8 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:Feb 2008
  • Board Basis:Half Board
  • Tour Operator:Booked Independently

" very good palce for the fmaily to go,... "

very good palce for the fmaily to go,
always got good entertainment and everything to offer for all ages in the family, the themed weekends are excellant and you have a great choice of food, and entertainment all day. very child friendly, staff very polite always want to help and up for a laugh.
a good family place and welcomes young and old people.

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  • User Rating:
    10 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:Mar 2006
  • Board Basis:Half Board
  • Tour Operator:`butlins website

" Booked this holiday dea cheap from... "

Booked this holiday dea cheap from the sun and with no hassle. What a fantastic palce for all of the family.

I have just returned from Butlins at Bognor Regis and I loved every minute of it. Our 2 young children did not want to come home.

For the money I paid I can’t believe the value I got! The room was lovely and very clean and a maid came in and cleaned it every day, the food was nice, the entertainment was fantastic the shows were brilliant and the redcoats were brilliant with the children and very entertaining.

I will defiantly be returning there next year.

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  • User Rating:
    10 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:Mar 2007
  • Board Basis:Self Catering
  • Tour Operator:Booked Independently

" We have been going to Bognor Regis... "

We have been going to Bognor Regis Butlins for 6 years. We always go on July for my birthday, there’s 8 of us that go ages ranging from 8-89, we always stay in Gold apartments and they are fine for our needs.

We go half board and I do agree with some of the comments about the food hall, it is abit mad and having to put your bread in that stupid toasting machine does drive me mad, the food is plentiful l and there is a good selection, you can pay an extra £10.00 to have ground floor accommodation so no horrible stairs to climb.

Once your through the main gates you enter the butlins experience it may not be for everybody but my three children love it although my 15 year old is getting a bit tired of it now. We have never really had any problems apart from a bedroom full of ants but that was dealt with quickly, the children feel safe to play on their own and there’s no traffic to worry about.

Good points

No cooking
No cleaning
Friendly staff
Lots to do for kids
Clean indoor pool
Good entertainment
Lovely town and beach just outside

Bad points

Cold outside pool has seen better days
Expensive we always spend a fortune
That bloody toasting machine!

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  • User Rating:
    9 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:Jul 2007
  • Board Basis:Half Board
  • Tour Operator:Booked Independently

" We have just returned from our... "

We have just returned from our Butlins holiday at Bognor Regis Park. Arrival date 22/10/2007 leaving date 29/10/2007, staying at Oyster Bay village, Lobster Drive, Room 101. This was our first visit to Butlins. First I must say the facilities for the children were very good, with plenty to do and we felt safe letting them go off on their own at times.

The accommodation however, was a disappointment. I have never spent time in such a filthy, dilapidated and smelly holiday accommodation in all the years we have holidayed. The first night on opening the microwave we were greeted to a plate of smelly bacon and sausages. The kettle was so covered in grease it was unusable. Unfortunately we had to wait until the next day to complain as it was late. The lady in the office was pleasant enough but never apologised, but assured us she would personally see to the thorough cleaning of the apartment, and replace the kettle.

Our complaints included the lack of comfortable seating. Also the one sofa was so used; you sank into it and couldn’t get up without help. The apartment slept 7 but only sofa room for 4. We were a party of 5, 2 adults, 2 nine year olds, and a 12 year old. We were told there were no sofas left and any way a 3 seater would not fit in the room. We arrived back from our day out, the beds had been made and nothing else done. My husband had to return to the office to collect a kettle.

All the windows had mould all over the frames; our foster son suffers from asthma, so this was a health hazard. Every morning I woke up to the smell of mould and swollen eyes. The bathroom, there was mould growing in all the cracks and crevices. The taps were rusty; the toilet seat loose, which eventually broke off halfway through the holiday. he kitchen sink was tea stained. The oven had lots of food debris and the glass door was covered in cooked on grease. All the taps dripped and were hard to turn off. The amount of water wasted is a disgrace due to drips. My grandson found a brown bug in his bedroom. The living room curtains were stained with brown stains. The windows were filthy as was the TV screen. The floor in the living room in front of the sofa was uneven and even had a hole under the carpet which caused us to trip and twice I fell over due to this.

The beds were however very comfortable. The wardrobes were archaic and dilapidated in the boys bedrooms with 2 hangers. The dressing table in our bedroom was covered in stains and varnish missing and anyone could see should have been skipped years ago.

There was a hole in the wall behind our bedroom door. The paint was cracked and gaps all around the front door. Sellotape on the living room wall. The painters hadn’t taped anything off to paint; resulting in paint on windows light switches and wall lights. The wall lights had gaps around them. Walls had lumps and bumps, badly fitted pieces of wall board to obviously cover up something. All the doors had holes, paint drips and scuffs on them.

Cleaners eventually appeared and I pointed out the filth which they had a stab at cleaning. The windows were cleaned and the cooker. They also found a larger sofa so we could all sit down in comfort.

The boys didn’t find some of the red coats very helpful on one occasion they had lost there money in the slots and when complaining to a red coat were told they were scamming.

When we booked on line and looked at the photos of the apartments they were basic but pristine. I feel this is false advertising when in fact they are not fit for human habitation. When talking to other holiday makers they were suffering the same bad habitation, but they seemed reluctant to complain, I feel if everyone complained something would have to be done about the bad state of the park. Even the grounds are run down and not visually appealing. We left 2 days early as we were becoming too distressed in the apartment. We are still waiting to hear from Butlins after I wrote straight away.

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  • User Rating:
    1 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:Oct 2007
  • Board Basis:Self Catering
  • Tour Operator:Booked Independently

" Thought I would relive my youth and... "

Thought I would relive my youth and go to one of the soul and Motown weekends at Butlins. With the promise of live entertainment this seemed like a good idea. I had seen the reviews and as they were mixed decided to give it a go. What a mistake that was.

The room was a silver deluxe and allegedly recently refurbished. All the contractors that did this room are appearing soon on house of horrors and rogue traders!!!

Main room had a hole in the floor for starters, there was a hole in the bathroom wall about 6 inches round, the taps would not turn off and kept running for hours, the toilet seat was loose and skidded sideways when you sat on it. The bedroom stank of urine so we used the main room pull out sofa and it was unclean and not cleaned while we were there. This was only the beginning of the problems.

The metal supports that held up the walkway to the upper level had large holes rusted into them and some were not fixed at the base. Not my idea of safety. None of the electrical appliances were safety certificated which is required by law. When we complained we were told that they were fully booked so they could not move us and would get round to the repairs as soon as they could as there was a bit of a list, no surprise there.

The food was not bad at all to be fair and there was plenty of it but there is always an element of "must eat 10 portions" with some people so you need to get in early for the meals. However, the price of the drinks in the bars is obscene, £8.70 for a pint and a brandy and coke - remained fairly sober for most of the weekend.

Unfortunately the entertainment was as dire as it can get. 75% of it was rejects from the x-factor and now I know why they failed. Without being too rude about them it was more like a karaoke most nights. There was one bar playing northern soul all night which was ok but they had a limited collection of tunes. A large percentage of the crowd were only there for a piss up or hen night etc so they were not really interested in the music that much. Enough of them complained about the type of music being played and Butlins caved in and changed most of the entertainment. What did these people expect from a soul and Motown weekend? Jazz maybe?

It transpired that our room was smack in the middle of a hen party of 28 women and we were woken up every night by them singing and arguing at full volume at 2 in the morning. Two of them were even kicked off site because they were so bad.

The weekend was so bad that we left a day early and would not advise anybody to go there ever as it is unclean, unsafe and Butlins do not seem to give a stuff once they have got your money. I only rated it a three because of the food.

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  • User Rating:
    3 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:Sep 2007
  • Board Basis:Half Board
  • Tour Operator:Booked Independently

" We wanted a no hassle break with... "

We wanted a no hassle break with three young children under two. Snobbery perhaps stopped me even thinking about Butlins but a look at their website my 2 year old was enthralled by the huge waterpark. We had a three bed silver apartment with a separate lounge. It had everything you needed including microwave, iron and fridge and a welcome pack of essentials. We were pleasantly surprised by the size. The decor was something that your granny might like but the beds were comfy and it was clean.

The great thing about this place is the amount of entertainment and its all free. So you wander about checking out shows looking at displays and not feel like you have to stay as its all included in the cost. The food was fine and plentiful and lots of baby food too.

The beach is right outside. I would definitely recommend this for a family with young children. Its safe everyone was friendly. Its an institution.

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  • User Rating:
    7 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:Sep 2007
  • Board Basis:Half Board
  • Tour Operator:Select

" Me-12 and my family my mum-33,my... "

Me-12 and my family my mum-33,my dad-39,my sister-11 and my 2 little brothers-2 1/2 and 5 months stayed at butlins bognor for 4 nights in a silver terrace apartment.

We arrived at 12.00pm on Monday at the gate where straight away we were greeted by a young cheerful blonde women who was foreign but spoke very good clear English and told us clearly to park in the South Car Park behind the Skyline Pavillion, she told us exactly what to do and where to check in. We made our way to the Skyline Pavillion and collected our key card straight away from a friendly man who had a lucky dip for all the children where my brother won a little bouncy ball which he was very happy with!! He told us we wouldn't be allowed to go to our chalet straight away, which was what we expected as it had told us on the Butlins website before we booked. In the 4 hours we had spare we had a burger at the Burger King...which was very clean but also quite expensive-but hey what do you expect on holiday it was near enough £15.45 for 2 kiddy meals of a cheeseburger,fries,coco-cola and free boys or girls toy and two Whopper meals of the same. So be prepared to spend a little more than usual!!

We had a wander round and picked up some essentials at the small convenience store outside the Skyline which didn't come to too much, we also went to the funfair which is free and has lots of good rides including dodgems, a big swing like thing for older kids and adults, a carousel and a few more rides.

When it was time to go to our chalet we collected our stuff from the car which we had to carry as we had not yet discovered the luggage trolleys. It was a bit of a walk and Butlins hadn't really thought the parking out to well as our chalet was the other side of the park from where we had been told to park our car and beware there are also these big gate things connected to the chalets which have no meaning whatsoever which you have to dodge out the way every so often and with 2 young children and lots of luggage it isn't very helpful. We arrived at our chalet which we had to climb up the big steps with two buggy's which was kinda our fault for booking a terrace apartment. But the chalet was nice and big and very clean. We had booked a chalet with 2 single beds, a bunkbed and a double bed. Mine and my sisters room had a little postcard each and a selection of lollipops which was nice of them!! They also gave us a starter pack of teabags, coffee, milk, sugar etc. and a dishcloth, teatowel and washing up liquid which was helpful and well thought out. On the first day the redcoats will also be going around the chalets offering free sweets and balloons and checking that you are happy with your chalet.

For the rest of your stay-Wow your spoilt for choice really there are loads of planned stuff to do like shows and photoshoots with characters like Bob The Builder and Angelina Ballerina. Some of the shows that I seen were Cinderella, Captain Pugwash and Mist-an amazing magic show all in the centre stage there are also various Kiddy shows like Angelina Ballerina dance classes and Billy Bear Picnics. Then there's Splash Waterworld and Omg it's great we normally spent from 10am-1pm in the pool it was that good, there's a massive blue flume and curly orange one and a fast green on there are also kiddy pools and a really scary space bowl-but please go on it you'll feel so proud of yourself afterwards even if it is your very first and very last time on The Space bowl. There's loads of jacuzzis, a massive pool with a wave machine, a kids area and rapids. There's also a really fun white slide which lots of people can go on at one time!!
The changing rooms are really clean and spacious and also family and wheelchair friendly and only 85 people every 45 minutes can go in the changing rooms so it doesn't get crowded, above the pool there is a waiting area where you can sit and enjoy an ice cream and take pictures of Splash Waterworld you can also visit the Kinex toy area which shows lots of cool models and you can make your own inventions too!! The waiting area also has a lift which is very helpful as its a big hike up the stairs for small children and elderly!! There's also a free funfair, bars, pubs, clubs, a parent and toddler room with loads of toys and activities such as painting and dressing up it also has a baby area which my 5 month brother found amazing!! There is also lots of Buggy Parks so its very buggy friendly lol!! There's crazy golf,parks a multi sports complex, gala bingo, a beauty salon, a gift shop, sweet and ice cream shop, clothes and make-up stores, arcades, 10 pin bowling, a convenience store, indian takeaway, burger king, bob the builder yard, indoor junior rides, a pizza restaurant, a massive adventure play area, centre stage, recording studio, internet cafe, outdoor pool and loads more...I'd definitely recommend Butlins Bognor Regis for family's but book nothing lower than a silver and have fun!!!

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  • User Rating:
    9 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:Sep 2007
  • Board Basis:Self Catering
  • Tour Operator:Booked Independently

" My first time at Butlins. Deluxe... "

My first time at Butlins. Deluxe accommodation? You have to be joking. The complimentary champagne provided was Lambrini (perry!), the floor had glass all over it, and the duvet's were disgusting (like bin bags). The rooms were like cardboard. Cleanliness - about 5/10. I have stayed in 4 star hotels for the price my boyfriend's gran paid and they were 10 times nicer.

The free fun fair consists of about 3/4 rides. The food in the Ocean Drive is cheap and pretty much fried. The bread for toast in the morning is frozen. And do these people never eat? They eat like it is their last meal. It depressed me each day to see the same people eating heaps of chips or Yorkshire puddings! Food is either swimming in gravy or custard. Very much like school dinners.

I am 20 and would never go again. It is for families and kids. The Queen/Elvis tribute were okay, kinda screeched the songs and I'd give them 5.5/10. The red coats were friendly enough. The bar's are way over priced - £3.30 for a bottle of Becks? HA! That's nearly central London prices. The karaoke was amusing, and slightly painful. The swimming pool was freezing & dirty. In fact I got a terrible cough & cold the day after we swam. Bognor Regis is an ok town and one night to avoid all the lovely people in Butlins, we hired a DVD from Blockbuster. We also ventured to Brighton for a day out (so nice). The beach was quite pleasant at Bognor. Clean too. The internet access was erring on the side of expensive at £1 for 20 mins.

I don't think I'll do a holiday camp again, but at least I tried it.

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  • User Rating:
    2 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:Aug 2007
  • Board Basis:Half Board
  • Tour Operator:Booked IndependentlyButlins

" Butlins holidays are fantastic for... "

Butlins holidays are fantastic for the whole family we enjoyed it as much if not more than the children; ours are 5 and 7 and had the time of their lives.

The night time entertainment is also great for adults and the site provide a babysitting service so gives the parents chance to relax and have some fun.

We had booked the bed breakfast and dinner option and the food was very nice with a wide selection.

We booked a silver grade accommodation which wasn't the best although the standard of entertainment almost makes up for that, we would go back again.

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  • User Rating:
    9 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:Jun 2006
  • Board Basis:Half Board
  • Tour Operator:Booked Independently

" If you want a great time for kids,... "

If you want a great time for kids, Butlins is the place to go. However be prepared for basic accommodation. When we arrived we were allocated to our room- for silver accommodation it is very basic and I spent an hour cleaning the bathrooms. To be fair though when I showed the rep, the mildrew and dirt (toenail clippings on the floor, dust in the corners, urine on the toilet bowl rim) he did allocate us to another room and took by dirty cloth as evidence to speak to the person who was allocated to clean my room!

A for the food, the first day we had breakfast at Paap Johns to meet the characters- this is a waste of money in my opinion as the breakfast included in the price was just as good if not better (more selection e.g. kippers, more cereals etc) and the characters you meet, you can see them throughout the day anyway!!!

As someone else mentioned it might be an idea to take your own cutlery as the cutlery can sometimes be a bit dirty.

The red coats and all the staff are very friendly and even on a wet day they is enough in the skyline tent to keep my five year old occupied. Entertainment is a bit mind numbing for adults, but if you don't mind sitting with a drink and a good book/paper the kids will be thoroughly entertained.

Splash world is good however for some of the slides there is a forty five minute wait. First thing in the morning there is always a queue so we went around lunch time.

Also for the evening entertainment be prepared to start queuing from half an hour to forty five minutes for the show - this is to get a good seat (if you don't mind sitting at the back without a table then no problem!!)

Would I go again? Yes I would but only for a weekend.....allot of the entertainment is repeated during the day and even though my little one did not mind watching the skyline gang or Bob the Builder again and again for the sake of my sanity I a week end is just long enough!!!

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  • User Rating:
    6 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:Aug 2007
  • Board Basis:Half Board
  • Tour Operator:Butlins

" After reading some of the reviews I... "

After reading some of the reviews I was dreading my stay at Butlins, but after my stay I was glad I went.

We stayed in the Deluxe app. and it was clean and had everything we needed. Also very nice to park right outside.

There was plenty for our 2 children to do all through the day and several of the evening shows were good also. The only problem is that we did want to see some of the evening shows - Madness and the Queen tribute acts but they were on too late, a late night nursery service every night would be good not just one night.

The food hall was very clean and there was plenty of food to choose from, breakfast and dinner. The staff were very polite and helpful. We found that by going to eat as they opened it was not like a zoo as other people have mentioned. Yes you do get the odd animal that fills its trough as high as a mountain then leaves it - but they have paid for it!.

I would definitely go again!

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  • User Rating:
    8 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:Jul 2007
  • Board Basis:Half Board
  • Tour Operator:Booked Independently
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