Haggerston Castle Holiday Park

4 readers found this review helpful

All you Haggerston haters need to open your eyes.
Me and my family had a GREAT time! The entertainment was pretty decent, although it would have been nicer to have more out of house performers (i LOVE Diesel! ♥) as some of the funstars REALLY can't sing. It was all good fun though, the kids had plenty to do and the gameshow things were so funny. There weren't enough seats in the showbar to accomodate all the people that wanted to be there but it didn't matter, everyone was friendly enough to share tables with complete strangers.
The caravan we stayed in was fairly cold, but it WAS October. The fire gave a great source of warmth in the afternoon. The duvets were rather small and thin so i would advise you to take extra blankets, however the matresses were comfortable and the rooms were well equiped. The shower gives extremely hot water so take care with that also.
We found the site to be clean and child friendly, apart from all the birds, and there was no litter in sight! The food choice was also excellent. Although it can get a bit pricey.
There are many clubs and activities for children throughout the day and the surrounding area holds many fun family trips. We visited Alnwick castle and Gardens which you will need two days for at the least, it is a great place to visit. With Harry Potter and Robin Hood it is a very interesting place. Also visit the poisen garden for some nteresting facts. You could also visit the Holy Island for a day, just don't get caught out by the tides to get over the causeway.
Go along and have fun. It will all pass by quickly and if you look for the good things you will find them. If you go with a negative mind then you're going to see all the bad things. And to be entirely honest, I couldn't find that many problems.

7 readers found this review helpful

Well if your idea of a grand night out is to put on your best football shirt and argos bling, cut your hair "Raoul Moat" style, and then head to the bar for some beer, crisps and swearing, then this is the place for you. In the week I was there the pool had to be abandoned due to a "foreign object" they found floating in it, and on the last night my car was vandalised by one of the local ferral youths that spill out of the entertainment complex around midnight. I'm glad that I rented out one of the private caravans and not one of the Haven ones, because they looked awful. One day in the park out of a seven day holiday was enough. The remaining six days were spent leaving the park as soon as possible in the morning and using it as a base for exploring the local area, which is beautiful. If you stay in the park they try and nickle & dime you to death with all the local "activities". The staff seem friendly enough, although the staff in the food hall seem bored and disinterested. Probably deafened from the noise from all the slot machines.

4 readers found this review helpful

Terrible experience. The so called gold star caravan was disgusting. Dirty, dusty, smelled of damp and cat urine. Black mould in bedroom. Absolutely disgraceful. Plumbing was attrocious, everything leaked. Never go to haggerstyon again.

6 readers found this review helpful

Please Haven, do something about the Aqua Bar. The menus are disgusting and filthy as is the carpet. The food and service are not that good either although quite clearl some of the staff are very overworked particularly when there is only one lady doing breakfast for loads of people. Some of the tables on the decking area are broken and dangerous.
Please take pride in your caravan park.

5 readers found this review helpful

Customer Service are unhelpful, arrogant and forceful, they dont listen to you at all
Served by teenagers who act on with colleagues rather than serve you. Dont appreciate being called love or darling by an 18 yr old
Food is overpriced and utterly disgusting
Pool is barely heated
Cleaning standards are atrocious, cleaners sat smoking on the stairs of the caravan
Entertainment was cheap and nasty, Funstars were unenthusiastic and sarcastic
Awful Awful Awful....avoid it at all costs

8 readers found this review helpful

Stayed at the park for 4 days with my husband & 2 kids (3yrs & 7months). To say i was dreading it after reading the horrendous reviews is a complete understatement. beacause we were taking our baby I had reservations about booking anything less so we booked a delux caravan & I can honestly say i could not find fault at all, the place was spotless, the location of it was great ( "turnberry" ) far enough away from the entertainment but only a 10min walk. the accomdation had everything we needed. The facilities in the park were great for our 3 year old, he loved everything from the panto shows to the crazy golf & ten pin bowling. there is deff something for all ages & i believe you get what you pay for, book a standard you'll get standard book delux you get it.

7 readers found this review helpful

only ever stayed in the private caravans - ALWAYS spotless and prime positions. kids love this place, great site lovely surroundings, choice of bars mean you can have a quiet drink or be entertained, shop pricey but only 10 minutes up the road to Morrisons, great beaches, Berwick, castles etc all close by, new swimming area is much improved, clean and warm. staff always friendly.
can i suggest to you moaners that if you report a problem immediately and give them a chance to sort it out b4 you start slagging them off on here you might eventually have a nice holiday somewhere.
holidays are what you make of them - your kids are your responsibility, look after them and you entertain them.

2 readers found this review helpful

My first impression of Haggerston Castle.... Me, the wife and 3 children arrive in the car park at aprox 4pm to see a bodybuilder bench pressing his father out side the parks spar shop... my wife and kids where shocked to say the least....i was then shocked at the state of the caravan ,floor dirty with stains and cigarrette burns ,im glad i took my own quilt ,the ones there were awful ,worn and bobbly ,the pillows were awful ,the kitchen and toilet and shower room were clean ,the sofas collapsed when we sat on them the wood undernesth was broken ,they were awfully stained ,the entertainment area was grubby ,there was some sort of xmas tree there in september ,it was an ideal base for looking at the area ,we were not interested in the entertainment ,bingo etc ,i didnt see any good food there ,we did buy fish and chips the first night ,they were very good ,but overpriced ,we stayed there from the daily mail offer ,do you suppose we got the worst caravan as it was cheap ,but i talked to another couple ,they had blood on one of their pillows ,yuck .we did have a wonderful holiday ,but the caravan was on its last legs.

2 readers found this review helpful

this must have been the worst holiday experience ever.how haven associate this place as a flagship is beyond belief.the evening entertainment(or lack of)was a total let down,unless you count four or five twelve year olds in a competition as entertainment.
and another thing haven,when i want a drink i know where the bar is and dont need some spotty wee guy telling me when to go to the bar.
swimming pool is a joke,well the one you can actually get into.
the only free entertainment for kids(play park is closed)why?.
the shower block had no preasure the first two days and decided to pack in altogether on the third day.my wife spoke to the plumber that came onto site and she was told the showers would be out of commision for another two days.in the gents toilets there was what looked to be human waste in one of the hand basins.that was after the so called cleaner had tended to the cleaning.
thanks haven for forcing me to leave three days early.needless to say it was the first and last visit to this site,or any if this is the standards that your company now accept as the norm.
allan

1 reader found this review helpful

I found it less than ‘perfect for a family holiday in a ‘safe’ environment’ as the HAVEN web site declares, correspondingly I got a refund for the inconvenience, stress and anxiety as a result of my short break there. Short break? More like losing grip on reality!
On a 4-day visit, I had to change caravans once, had a sleepless night because a carbon monoxide alarm sounding and my daughter got injured in a swimming pool accident. After this incident we learned that HAVEN do not have a statutory duty to provide first aid so they do not.
The ‘new for 2010 swimming complex’ looks like the ‘hi-de-hi old one’ with a lid and some additional changing rooms.
So, if your aspirations for entertainment are limited to beer and crisps for the adults and slot machines for the kids, you will be entertained. If you don't mind paying cash to get your cash from a cash machine you will like that too as most of the hire equipment calls for a cash deposit. If your in the habit of replacing the bed in your childrens room with some tables and chairs and eating your Chinese takeaway in the ‘newly created restaurant ambience’ - you'll enjoy the on site Chinese restaurant. If, on the other hand you fancy half decent surroundings, use the restaurant at the golf course - but bring cash or your chq book – no debit or credit cards accepted.
The ‘new for 2010 swimming complex’ is the ‘hi-de-hi old one’ with a lid and some additional changing rooms.