Butlins Skegness

As their adverts say: 'Kids love it at Butlins'. It is fantastic to be able to let our baby walk about everywhere without a risk of getting run over; to allow her to eat without feeling self-consious about making a mess! Yes, the accommodation is basic, but fairly clean - given the price, i feel that one cannot really expect anything more! The few extra quid for the gold accommodation is worth it, in may opinion, for the more spacious accommodation & little extras. Our ground floor appartment had french doors opening onto a large lawn which was great for the kids. The choice of drinks in the bars is limited, especially in the way of decent wines & draught beers, and the coffee is terrible - but bring your own and you are sorted!! The food for silver accommodation is indeed only just bearable. WIth hundreds of tables and about a dozen counters all seriving different foods, it is certainly not a peaceful experience! However, it is plentiful and their is a reasonable choice. Even in some much higher-class places one is sometimes not offered kippers for breakfast! There were lots of high chairs & the staff were happy to store our baby milk in a fridge for us. All in all, we didn't go hungry, and at about £8 per day, what more can one expect? We did not go to any of the big entertainment venues, but enjoyed the trampolining, fencing, archery, Bob the Builder's yard, pool, kids soft play, bowling etc. My wife enjoyed the spa. Although the treatments were nothign to write home about, they were reasonably priced and the surroundings were nice. It is a shame to have to walk through amusement arcades on the way to and from places, as this seems to lower the tone of the whole place. That aside, we had a thoroughly relaxing and enjoyable break and wil be back!

I went to Butlins for my First time in June 2006 with my 3Children a Friend + my Mum & Dad.... We had a fantastic Time. Fun was had by all of us :) Ive just returned from my 5th holiday there since then :) 2of which were adult onlys and most recent at the Skyline Caravan Park. Going again for Christmas but booking Silver as Prefer this to Gold. I love it at Butlins & return every month... I think i love it more than the kids hehe

We arrived at 2.30pm as instructed by the guy at the booking centre to be told that the cleaners were in and we would have to wait until 4pm. Whatever the cleaners had been doing, it certainly wasn't cleaning out accomodation!! We found soiled tissues under the bed, pubic hair round the loo, the kitchen was a filthy, greasy, disgusting mess. The furniture was all grubby, the carpets looked like they were from a scrapyard portacabin and the TV, (Which had 4 channels) had a screen the size of a postage stamp. The only decent facility in the place was the pool, but unless you went at 10am, the changing rooms were a nightmare and the slides had hour long queues. The food was average to poor and it was a fight to find a cleanish table. We felt like Bourne Leisure Ltd had their hand in our wallets from the minute we arrived and had a thoroughly crap time. Wouldn't recomend it to our worst enemy.

We visited Butlins whilst on a roadtrip down memory lane so really, we couldnt fail to enjoy our time there remembering the holidays we'd had as children. Unfotunately there is a 'however'! We booked onto an 80's weekend break and the only half board accommodation available was the standard rooms. We therefore went mistakenly expecting a very basic standard. The room was entirely below any normal standard and exceptionally grubby. The room was damp, the windows constantly covered in condensation, woodlice in the bathroom, mildew on the walls and there was barely room to swing a cat! In order to walk round the room, my sister had to sit on the bed, otherwise you couldnt get round. You are asked to strip your own bed on departure. Out of principle we didnt do this but aside from that, we wouldnt have risked seeing what caused the crunching sounds below the sheets! That said, there is very little reason to remain in the room thank goodness. We spent a day at the spa and the the other day exploring the camp. As it was an adult break, the fun fair was not open, nor did we see any redcoats which was a bit disappointing. Its a shame Butlins is so keen to shed its holiday camp image because in my opinion, thats what it did best. The accommodation certainly didnt fit with the upmarket image they now attempt to project.

I have just read youall you reviews on Butlins, I am disagreed with them all, but i only go to the adult theme breaks, which are out of this world, no kids for 3 nights, and the entertainment is bar one, were else can you go and see 6 live bands sometimes more each evening, wonder from club to club, have no admission charges, and dont need a taxi home,. Yea the silver accommation is miles better, but further from the skyline and the entermaint, and you know us girls and heels!! think they ought to provide these men on bikes with trailers to take us home at 3 am, there is no place on earth you go and 6000 people are all enjoying theres sleves, and you see no trouble what so ever, not like the local town on a sat night, i think this is as there is a good mix of age groups. the drinks are pricy, but have a few in your aparments before you go out and start the night in style, yea the food is not brilliant, buy you get plently of choice and always something you like, even if you make your self a sandwich. So i for one are a big big fan off butlins, and want to spead the work, but dont need to as these weekends are booked from year to year, but before you go slagging the place off visit it and see what i am going on about!

We have just returned from a four day break at ‘Planet Butlins’, Skegness. To say we were disappointed is an understatement. We paid over £800 for 2 OAP’s, 2 Adults and 2 children (13 and 8), in Silver accommodation on a half board basis for 4 nights. This has got to be the worst value holiday we have ever had. We were so disappointed that we left a day early, and how we stuck it for that long is anyone’s guess. Accommodation Far below average expectation. The beds were no more than camp beds with very thin uncomfortable mattresses. I had the worst nights sleep that I can remember. An average Travel Lodge is of a far higher standard than the Butlins Silver rooms, I shudder to think what the ‘standard’ accommodation was like. We had no electricity on the day we arrived and none for the last night of our stay. Food The half board meal package was an ordeal to say the least. On entering the dining hall; you first had to scour the massive packed room for a table preferably one which had been cleaned (highly unlikely), to sit all of the family together. Having secured a table, you then had to wait in long queues for the very poor quality food. However, we realise that this was mass catering on a grand scale, but I have had far better food in an average works canteen. Facilities These can only be described as a disgrace. There is very little outside seating space – mostly indoor bars and the very smokey Sky Line Pavilion which is no more than a large tacky amusement arcade with a number of junk food outlets (Burgers without chips or drink £5 !!!!!). The snooker hall was dirty with litter and bottles lying around and was very badly lit. We had trouble seeing the dart board and table tennis table as the light was so bad. The free fun fair consisted of about 6 rides one of which was out of order, and you had to queue for over 20 minutes to get on the rides. The Swimming Pool – queues to gain entry were horrendous, with further queues for locker tokens and changing rooms. Once in the pool, there was barely room to swing the proverbial cat, and our children were told there was a wait of over 1 hour to use the slides. I was appalled at what you had to pay for once inside the park. Cinema - £14 for a family ticket Bike Hire - £5 for 30 minutes Kids play area and trampolines - £1.50 for 10 minutes Spar - £20 for a swim and the use of the gym. Go Karts - £4 for 5 minutes. Night Time Entertainment Most of this took place in ‘CentreStage’ which people were queuing for one hour before it opened ! (why we don’t know), as it was little more than an oversized working mens club with acts to match. However the drink prices (at £3 a bottle for beer) did not match the surroundings. Unfortunately, the majority of people who holiday at Butilns Skegness, will probably never read this review as most of them looked like they could barely read never mind use a computer. Anyone who enjoys the TV series ‘Little Britain’ would appreciate a fly one the wall view of all of the Vicky Pollards, Fat Fighters and Lou and Andys on the camp.

This was our first trip to Butlins and we were a bit aprehensive as we had heard mixed reports before going. We have two kids - a 3 year old and an almost 2 year old and they were in candy floss heaven. The holiday had excellent moments but they were balanced out with terrible experiences. We booked a last minute deal and stupidly went standard half board. The accommodation was damp and very cramped and needed a good clean. We were also positioned in the middle of the nightime fun which meant the kids sleeping was fun to say the least - with very early morning alarm bell of the staff going to work and the bins being emptied. But had we spent a bit more, the Silver and Gold accommodation looked fab and we were told it was very clean and spacious. Both of these are away from the hub of the main attractions. The food was utterly horrible. We should have gone self catering and it would have been much better. It was chips with everything and when i asked for vegetables i was offered baked beans. The kids lived off ham sarnies, crisps and sweets. The staff in the buffet bar hardly spoke any English but were very friendly. We were blown away with the entertainment on offer. REDS was fantastic - for all ages. Brilliant as it was non-smoking as well. The Redcoats were fab and took me back to my youth working for Haven. Bob the Builder's yard was another big hit with our two with all the rides in there being free. Again the staff here were outstanding. The nursery was great although we never got round to leaving the kids as there was so much to do. The beach is wonderfully clean and so safe as it is so shallow and a long way out. Unfortunatly we need to rely on the British weather to make a full day of it! The swimming pool(s) are excellent but there changing facilities let it down - not enough cubicales and dirty nappies everywhere, though I would put the blame of the nappies to us holidaymakers rather than Butlins!!! On the down side of the entertainment, for what is billed as an all-in, there seem to be an awful lot of add-on's. Things like trampelines are extra and the bouncy castles, which i thought was a bit of a con. All in all it is a family holiday for the kids. Dont expect a nice dining experience and be prepared to pay out a lot on sweets/drinks/snacks/rides and ofcourse wine for the adults, and you will love it. My tips would be to go at least Silver accomodation, go self-catering and only go for 3 or 4 nights with young kids as a week kills them!!! Mine are still in bed by 6pm playing catchup and we got back a week ago!!!!!

family 0f seven 2 adults, one 13yr old and a10yr old and a 6 and 5yr old and a nine month old baby. Excellent for all ages, we stayed in a gold plus caravan which was beautiful and spacious.the red bar is a must for entertainment for the all family,learning to do the party dances with the kids and redcoats is brill, and adults can be kids again. splash world is a great pool with excellent slides and different areas(can wait for a long time for changing room when in peak period).the only down side to butlins we have found so far is, on the caravan park site very little to do and one pub,the shop is very small for the size of the caravan site.when self catering on butlins advise to have a good meal of butlins site as when eating out on butlins its very expensive and not much choice, If your looking for a holiday for entertaining the kids and your a big kid yurself Butlins is the place for you. we are going for 14 days next year as we loved the week there but it wasnt long enough.

This is the second time in four months we have been to Skegness Butlins. We go because it is not too far to travel, the accommodation is OK and the kids love it. We normally holiday in the carribean, so this is a big change for us, but if the kids are happy so are we......... We have 2 kids (3 years and 10 months). There was not much for the baby to do - but then again what do you do with kids that age? The 3 year old loved the skyline gang and the free rides. She also enjoyed the face painting and other shows. The arcades on site are quite expensive and get quite busy. I didn't rate the choice of food on site and its not cheap - we ate back in our chalet most of the time. I didn't like the fact that you had to pay for quite of a few of the kids things such as the bouncy castle and trampoline etc - thought this should hve been included in the price. In terms of the accommodation - we stayed in a gold apartment and it was good - it was clean and well equipped and there was plenty of room for us. Overall it was reasonable value for money and we will probably go again.

My family and I first stayed at Butlins Skegness in 1997 and despite some initial problems we had a good time. We then returned again in 2002 and have been back every year since and had a wonderful time every year. We are always very sad to leave and have had some of our best holidays here. The accommodation we have stayed in has always been excellent- new, well furnished rooms with plenty of kitchen-ware, storage space and general living space (we were in silver/gold self-catering). (On one occasion one of the sofas had a small split in the covering material, however, this had been noted by the cleaning staff and the sofa was replaced during our stay). The accomodation we stayed in is arranged in quadrangles and these over look grassy areas where children can play (they will arrange ground floor rooms if you have children). Beware that there are differences in accommodation standards and you do get what you pay for, the old accommodation is nowhere near as good as the new and you may be disappointed; it is, however, still functional and with the facilities that there are you will not need to spend much time in it anyway! Also be careful as there can be water shortages and we have been caught out with shampoo in our hair when there is either no water at all, no hot water, or rather more dangerously only hot water. However, this is only a rare occurence. The food in the Sun and Moon pub is excellent and speed of service has improved over the years, there is an excellent children's menu and non-smoking areas. The pub also usually holds a quiz once a week. There are plenty of places to eat on site- offering the traditional burgers to the healthy salad options. Self- catering families can either eat out, cook for themselves or eat (for a very reasonable price) in the half-board restaurants. The facilities on site are truly excellent - anyone who gets bored clearly is not making the most of it! There is a large swiming pool complex with and outdoor pool, a rapid pool, a wave pool and a larger area just for swimming (children's lessons and scuba-diving are held in here as well). There are flumes and water rides which are run with impeccable safety. The cleanliness of the changing rooms is much improved since the new system has been instated. There is also the Spa pool and health facilities, which we, as a family, feel has been a slight waste of a good quiet swimming pool (you have to pay) but may appeal to some. The beach is just outside the site, with masses of golden sand and usually the sea is not too cold either. Also an excellent beach stall where you can buy kites that fly amazingly! The best we've ever found! Donkey rides are also available and there is a small train the runs along the front. There are sports activities everyday for children and adults: football, archery, trampolining, fencing etc. There are tennis courts, snooker tables, table tennis tables, dart boards, crazy golf, (all equipment supplied) giant chess, draughts, kids play areas, amusement arcades, computing courses, pottery painting, bicycle hire and a fun fair etc. etc. The Red Coats are always friendly and are very good with children, there is nursery service available for very small children, as well programmes for different age groups up to teens with activities and competitions. The entertainment is excellent, especially for children with the Puppet Castle and the Skyline Pavilion Entertainment, there is a pantomine every week. The evening entertainment starts out as suitable for children and gradually becomes more adult throughout the evening. Sometimes the entertainment may not appeal to all but there is always a choice, and there is an adult only bar. Reds showbar is also non-smoking. The site also has a boating lake where there live a large number of happy and well fed ducks and for those interested in history there is the old Butlins chalet there which is now a listed building. It is also near Skegness town centre itself which has many attractions- well worth a day or an afternoon out, a regular bus service from the site can get you there and back. The whole site is exceptionally clean with no graffiti, the flower beds are well kept and it is a very safe site for children as people cannot get on site without a pass and there is next to no traffic in the main areas. There is plenty of free parking around the outside edges of the site and you can generally get a space close to your accommodation. Access seems good for wheel chair users and there is a dialysis centre on site. I would thoroughly recommend Butlins to anyone, it does not deserve the 'Hi-di- Hi' image a lot of people who have never vistited it have. It offers good value for money (you can get many discounts on the internet) and a brilliant fun packed holiday for all the family.