Haggerston Castle Holiday Park, Northumberland, England
Hotel Information
Hotel Description:
Our outstanding facilities include a golf course, large boating lake and children's favourites including bouncy castle and trampolines. Haggerston Castle also has a play area for children with special needs. Your dining choices at this superb caravan Park include a Chinese restaurant, Burger King and the Castle Cafe. loading...
Nearby Hotels Viewed by Other Travellers
Rating: 6 / 10
Macdonald Cardrona Hotel
Cardrona, Scottish Borders, Scotland
Distance: 71.7 km / 44.6 mi
Rating: 9 / 10
Express By Holiday Inn Newcastle Metro Centre Hotel
Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, England
Distance: 71.7 km / 44.6 mi
Rating: 10 / 10
Kings Manor Hotel
Edinburgh, Edinburgh & Lothians, Scotland
Distance: 71.7 km / 44.6 mi
Check Rates and Availability
Haggerston Castle Holiday Park Reviews
" DON'T BOOK UNLESS ... "
Submitted By: TheMack
I am reviewing the accomodation first but please read on for the reasons not to go...
We had a 4 day break in a Prestige van with entertainment passes for my wife, me and our son. The van was very good, number 74 TL and as it was an accessible caravan it had tonnes of extra space and a larger toilet/shower room. This was an unexpected benefit but to be honest my wife and I are very tall so the lowered sink and wash basin only caused us backache but our 5 year old son loved it.
Bedding: The beds had been made up (roughly) when we arrived but the quilts and pillows were so thin in both bedrooms we decided all 3 of us would sleep in the double bed and throw all the quilts on top to keep warm. There were heaters in the rooms but these were pretty much useless and had no affect. The DVD facility we paid for didn't work as a remote had not been provided but the staff brought one up for us when we called. Unfortunately the DVD player still didn't work so my son didn't get to watch any of the films he had brought with him. We didn't ask for a replacement but am sure they'd have brought us one.
Carpets and flooring were clean although upholstery had some grafitti on it.
The swimming pool was a bit of a joke as they allowed only 100 at a time for safety which is fair enough and they give you a pager to call you for the next session. When we got in we found only 15 or so changing rooms for what we found was way over 100 swimmers. Only 2 showers to do the lot of us and not a single person apart from my son and I washed before entering the pool.
The showbar was so smelly and dirty. The smell of stale alcohol was overpowering and only subsided when the facility filled up. Entertainment (not sure of thats the right description) was almost non existent. Bingo first then a DJ playted music for the kids to run around to making a trip to the bar very dangerous. One night there was a game show where a chap had to go around and get 100 kisses in 2 minutes and another to get a 100 people in a congo. Now with hundreds and I do mean hundreds of kids running about these 2 stunts were very dangerous. So we left.
The amusements are unavoidable and even though our son is just 5 he was taken in by it all and wanted to collect tickets for prizes just like the other kids. At one point I worked out it was costing about £20/hour to keep him suitably amused. We try only to spend a little time there but probably spent about £120 in the 4 days and collected 2111 tickets that gave my son 2 plastic motorbikes that felt and looked like they were worth about £5 for the 2. What a con!!! The only thing included in the package was the swimming pool already mentioned, everything else cost money and the value was very low.
Finally, the look of the place for a 5 star location was very poor indeed. Pathways were often covered in horse dirt and we found dog muck on footpaths around the funworks building lay there for the whole time we were there. Very dimmly lit, dirty and smelly. There only saving grace was that the staff were very pleasant throughout.
We had a 4 day break in a Prestige van with entertainment passes for my wife, me and our son. The van was very good, number 74 TL and as it was an accessible caravan it had tonnes of extra space and a larger toilet/shower room. This was an unexpected benefit but to be honest my wife and I are very tall so the lowered sink and wash basin only caused us backache but our 5 year old son loved it.
Bedding: The beds had been made up (roughly) when we arrived but the quilts and pillows were so thin in both bedrooms we decided all 3 of us would sleep in the double bed and throw all the quilts on top to keep warm. There were heaters in the rooms but these were pretty much useless and had no affect. The DVD facility we paid for didn't work as a remote had not been provided but the staff brought one up for us when we called. Unfortunately the DVD player still didn't work so my son didn't get to watch any of the films he had brought with him. We didn't ask for a replacement but am sure they'd have brought us one.
Carpets and flooring were clean although upholstery had some grafitti on it.
The swimming pool was a bit of a joke as they allowed only 100 at a time for safety which is fair enough and they give you a pager to call you for the next session. When we got in we found only 15 or so changing rooms for what we found was way over 100 swimmers. Only 2 showers to do the lot of us and not a single person apart from my son and I washed before entering the pool.
The showbar was so smelly and dirty. The smell of stale alcohol was overpowering and only subsided when the facility filled up. Entertainment (not sure of thats the right description) was almost non existent. Bingo first then a DJ playted music for the kids to run around to making a trip to the bar very dangerous. One night there was a game show where a chap had to go around and get 100 kisses in 2 minutes and another to get a 100 people in a congo. Now with hundreds and I do mean hundreds of kids running about these 2 stunts were very dangerous. So we left.
The amusements are unavoidable and even though our son is just 5 he was taken in by it all and wanted to collect tickets for prizes just like the other kids. At one point I worked out it was costing about £20/hour to keep him suitably amused. We try only to spend a little time there but probably spent about £120 in the 4 days and collected 2111 tickets that gave my son 2 plastic motorbikes that felt and looked like they were worth about £5 for the 2. What a con!!! The only thing included in the package was the swimming pool already mentioned, everything else cost money and the value was very low.
Finally, the look of the place for a 5 star location was very poor indeed. Pathways were often covered in horse dirt and we found dog muck on footpaths around the funworks building lay there for the whole time we were there. Very dimmly lit, dirty and smelly. There only saving grace was that the staff were very pleasant throughout.
Advice: Northumberland is very pretty, you must visit Lindesfarne
Activities: Lindesfarne, Berwick (but only for the one day0
-
- Date of Holiday:Oct 2009
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" grubby "
Submitted By: toponymicloulou
i was 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.
-
- Date of Holiday:Sep 2009
- Board Basis:Room Only
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Best Caravan Park in the UK "
Submitted By: andalan
I cannot for the life of me understand where all these people who rate the site 1/10 are coming from. We had a fantastic week in August. We hired a privately owned caravan which was lovely. We had such a great time we have now bought our own caravan on the site and have been back almost every weekend since.
There is everything for all ages. You can have a quiet holiday if you want to or lots of activities and hustle and bustle if thats your thing.
Only issues to be aware of is the onsite supermarket is excellent but it is very pricey its okay for a bottle of milk or loaf of bread but wouldnt suggest you do a weekly shop there- so if you are self catering suggest you drive up to Berwick (about 8 miles) and shop at the Morrisons or Aldi there.
All in all its a lovely family site with something for everyone
There is everything for all ages. You can have a quiet holiday if you want to or lots of activities and hustle and bustle if thats your thing.
Only issues to be aware of is the onsite supermarket is excellent but it is very pricey its okay for a bottle of milk or loaf of bread but wouldnt suggest you do a weekly shop there- so if you are self catering suggest you drive up to Berwick (about 8 miles) and shop at the Morrisons or Aldi there.
All in all its a lovely family site with something for everyone
Advice: Beautiful Scenic part of the country
Activities: Bamburgh Castle, Holy Island are a must
-
- Date of Holiday:Aug 2009
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" amazing "
Submitted By: amyloo
well been going to haggerston for the last 8 years aand i just don't get how everyone is saying how horrible it is and the park and complex stinks well i really have to dissagree with them the complex is great very clean lots of amusments to keep you busy and the 2 main bars( showbar and carnabys) well they are also clean your always seeing cleaners comming to your table to get the rubbish and the empty glasses and the staff well they are really helpfull and the funstars are great with kids and always laughing with the adults and with bradley and the gang are great for entertaining the kids you have alot of food places you can eat at burger king,fish and chip shop,papa johns pizza and the royal garden chinese they are all nice.
the only down fall is you only get 45mins in the pool.
i have been there so many time i bought a caravan there 2 years ago and still go down as often as i can and stuff love it as much
the only down fall is you only get 45mins in the pool.
i have been there so many time i bought a caravan there 2 years ago and still go down as often as i can and stuff love it as much
Good for: City Breaks
-
- Date of Holiday:Apr 2009
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Best Holiday I've ever been on :) "
Submitted By: HavenLover
Well i have stayed at a few Haven parks and i have to Say Haggerston Castle has been the best. We usually stay at the smaller parks but we decided to try a bigger park this year. and i am glad we did! The park its self is Gorgous with 7 Lakes and a 'secret' walled Garden. There is so much entertainment for the kids including Little cubs, Club R&B and T-co. also lot's of live entertainment for the adults to enjoy throughout the two showbars at Haggerston. On the park there is lot's to do including Go Karts, boating lake, electric buggies, high ropes activities, climbing wall, bunjee trampolines, Funworks amusments arcades(which is massive), an indoor and outdoor heated pool. Also there is lot's of food places to enjoy a nice evening out or back in the ocmfort of your caravan. these include the aquabar, Burger King, Traditional fish and chips, Papa Johns pizza. The funstars are great with kids young and older and are a great laugh with the adults too. Overall i give this Park 10/10. Will definately be returning next year !!!! but please note i advise you to book your caravan through a private owner and not through Haven as it is so much cheaper and usually well looked after. hope to see you at Haggerston ;)
Advice: Brilliant Beaches nearby at Bamburgh and Seahouses. Also short car drive to Newcastle and Edinburgh
Activities: Holy Island, Bamburgh Castle, alnwick Castle, Edinburgh, eyemouth
Good for: Beach City Breaks
-
- Date of Holiday:Aug 2009
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Terrific Touring @ Haggerston Castle "
Submitted By: kerr's
we have just returned from a 5 day break @ Haggerston Castle and must admit that after reading the reviews we were unsure of what we were letting ourselves in for!
To our surprise we had the best five days we could have had anywhere in the uk, as stated in many reviews 'Chav City' I can assure you we are far from chavs and i could honestly say the normal families far out weigh the 'chavs'. People have to remember that it is all about the children, my children, 12, 9 and 3 loved Bradley Bear and friends.
Our evening entertainment schedule ran as follows:
* 6pm - Head off to Carnaby's for Bradley and Friends, childrens disco (Tip buy one of the big kids cups, cheaper to refil or fill with juice b4 you go out for the rest of the stay)
Later on in the night would head in to the showbar for excellent entertainment the magician was amazing and more than we coulkd have expected for a holiday park. Kids loved the high School Musical show, wrestlers and game shows.
Swimming pool is great but you only get 45min slot which isnt enough to get changed too, outdoor pool water is lovely and warm. Facilities in touring section were great and unexpectedly clean, kids loved the fact that horses and ponies passed thru and swans come right up to park.
Weather wasnt good but once you are in the entertainment complex there is no need to go back out until headed back to accomodation.
One thing i was not happy with was being treated like a second class citizen in the chineese resturant seemed to be if you had young children you were put up a huge flight of stairs into what could only be described as a dark navy blue walled victorian bedroom, this resturant isnt part of haggerston even though on the grounds i would suggest heading into Berwick for something to eat to suit every budget wether it be Greggs on the town benches or the award winning eateries, and for desert head to the old fashion sweet shop the kids thought they were having a trip back in time (The olden days was mentioned the whole time)if you have the chance to escape from the husband and kids i would suggest you head to the spa on site for a shiatzu massage
Dont take any notice of the other reviews go with an open mind and you wont be disapointed,
The Kerr's
To our surprise we had the best five days we could have had anywhere in the uk, as stated in many reviews 'Chav City' I can assure you we are far from chavs and i could honestly say the normal families far out weigh the 'chavs'. People have to remember that it is all about the children, my children, 12, 9 and 3 loved Bradley Bear and friends.
Our evening entertainment schedule ran as follows:
* 6pm - Head off to Carnaby's for Bradley and Friends, childrens disco (Tip buy one of the big kids cups, cheaper to refil or fill with juice b4 you go out for the rest of the stay)
Later on in the night would head in to the showbar for excellent entertainment the magician was amazing and more than we coulkd have expected for a holiday park. Kids loved the high School Musical show, wrestlers and game shows.
Swimming pool is great but you only get 45min slot which isnt enough to get changed too, outdoor pool water is lovely and warm. Facilities in touring section were great and unexpectedly clean, kids loved the fact that horses and ponies passed thru and swans come right up to park.
Weather wasnt good but once you are in the entertainment complex there is no need to go back out until headed back to accomodation.
One thing i was not happy with was being treated like a second class citizen in the chineese resturant seemed to be if you had young children you were put up a huge flight of stairs into what could only be described as a dark navy blue walled victorian bedroom, this resturant isnt part of haggerston even though on the grounds i would suggest heading into Berwick for something to eat to suit every budget wether it be Greggs on the town benches or the award winning eateries, and for desert head to the old fashion sweet shop the kids thought they were having a trip back in time (The olden days was mentioned the whole time)if you have the chance to escape from the husband and kids i would suggest you head to the spa on site for a shiatzu massage
Dont take any notice of the other reviews go with an open mind and you wont be disapointed,
The Kerr's
Advice: Good Family holiday, didnt feel deprived of my oversea's holiday which surprised me
Activities: Berwick town centre,
-
- Date of Holiday:Jul 2009
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Horrible holiday at Haggerston "
Submitted By: lindaw
Well where do I start?! We should have arrived home today from Haggerston Castle but we left early and came home yesterday as it was a holiday from hell. Over-priced, dirty, the list is endless. We took our 14 year old son who is disabled to Haggerston as we thought it would be fun and lots of activities for him. We went for the best caravan (Platinum) and were right beside a lake with swans and cygnets, the caravan had a verandah with patio furniture and looked the part until we got inside.......... The place stank! The beds were supposed to be made(they werent) and towels provided(they werent). We had travelled 5 hours in the car and my son was desperate to sleep, therefore I phoned reception and told them, the lady was lovely saying someone would be round in 5 minutes, 3 hours and 4 phone calls later 2 cleaners turned up with towels and pillow cases, I had already made the beds as got fed up waiting. Worse was to come when we discovered faeces in the toilet, we honestly wanted to pack the car and return home. Platinum caravans are almost £900 per week so we dreaded to think what the cheaper caravans were like. Luckily I had taken cleaning stuff with us and cleaned the bathroom, all cutlery, dishes, bread bin etc. We ventured to the entertainment at night. Stayed an hour, it was a joke. £1.90 for a small bottle of coke, the lager tasted off, the whole place was dark, dingy, smelly. We are not snobs and have stayed at Havens Craig Tara in Ayr 7 years ago with our 3 children and that was bad enough but Haggerston is a total dump. I will be writing to Haven to complain but I dont think they will care judging by the attitude of the staff when we phoned regarding the linen etc. The 4th phone call we made my husband was told that they were really busy, the cleaners were flat out and if we wanted to go out the cleaners would let themselves in as they had a key! Forgot to mention we found a dirty sock under the table in our caravan, we left it there.........There were birds of prey on show £4 for a photo or £3 if you used your own camera! Outside the "funworks" building stank of dogs dirt and the buckets were over flowing with cigarette ends, my husband is a smoker and he was disgusted. Whilst there it rained heavily and there was flooding in some areas inside the entertainment, we received a letter yesterday apologising for the weather! We had to laugh or we would have cried! Please save your money and stay away from Haggerston Castle.
Advice: Stay at home, dont go
Activities: Eyemouth 15 miles from Haggerston
-
- Date of Holiday:Jul 2009
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Brilliant Holiday "
Submitted By: Mr. D Blackie
Just came back from a weeks holiday at Haggerston Castle on monday and i am really confused as to where everybody is getting these 1/10 reviews, i cannot fault the park anywhere!
There was 6 of us (2 Adults, 2 Teenagers, A toddler and a baby) and we were staying in the Platinum spec caravans and we were all highly pleased with the quality of the caravan. Lots of room, nipping clean, comfortable beds and couches in the living room and a full kitchen facility for the self-catering. Couldn't find a bit of dirt anywhere! Our caravan was situated in an area called 'Milk Fields' which is further back in the park from the central complex, so its a little bit of a walk but nice and quiet all around the area. The only minor problem we had with our caravan was that on the 5th day there we had troubles with the boiler and couldn't get any hot water through, but we called up the main reception and they had somebody sent out within half an hour to take a look at it and diagnose the problem and get it sorted.
The main complex was brilliant, lots to do for the whole family! The only fault i can really point out is that its quite pricey everywhere you look, but the holiday is worth it. Only went into the Aquabar once for breakfast but the food was lovely, a nice selection to choose from and good portions. Sometimes went to eat at the on-site Burger King and Fish and Chips and all the standard of the cleaning and food there is great! They also have an on-site Papa Johns Italian which also does deliveries to your caravan for an extra £1 on the price of the food so you can call them up instead of having to walk down to the main complex if you were like me and were based in the more outskirts area of the park, and a chinese Resteraunt which is further out towards the quieter end of the park. Never got around to trying either of them but from what i heard the food was ment to be lovely. Around the main complex everywhere you look theres slot machines and arcades so plenty of stuff to do if you want to pass the time, along with lots of pool tables which is where i spent most of my time. The indoor and outdoor pools are great, always kept at a nice temperature and felt like you were in a large warm bath, and once again was kept very clean and is well supervised with lots of lifeguards. Only minor downside to the pool was that there isn't alot of changing rooms so you may have to wait a little bit to get a free changing room but you still get a good 45min in the pool. The entertainment throughout the park is great aswell. Carnabys is brilliant with the Funstars entertainment and all the characters for the kids. Although you do seem to get alot of people walking around with over-priced large balloons (Spent about £9 on 2 large balloons) but the atmosphere is great, tables kept nice and clean with plenty of staff going around making sure that there isn't any empty glasses left lying around so its kept to a good standard. The sports bar is also nice for if you want to catch the football or cricket and have a couple of drinks. My favourite bar out of them all though was the showbar, which holds host to about 3 different acts a night whether its musical, a comedy show or activities to get people from the audience involved. Plenty of tables aswell so you'll always be able to find a place to sit.
Like i say, the only minor fault i had with the park is that its quite pricey and you really need to keep check on your money otherwise you'll be wondering where it all went. But other then that, it was a brilliant weeks break and would love to go back again! So don't listen to all these reviews of like 1/10 or 2/10 as i don't have a clue where they're all getting it from, the park was lovely and clean, friendly and helpful staff and all round pleasent atmosphere!
Fun times to be had by all :)
There was 6 of us (2 Adults, 2 Teenagers, A toddler and a baby) and we were staying in the Platinum spec caravans and we were all highly pleased with the quality of the caravan. Lots of room, nipping clean, comfortable beds and couches in the living room and a full kitchen facility for the self-catering. Couldn't find a bit of dirt anywhere! Our caravan was situated in an area called 'Milk Fields' which is further back in the park from the central complex, so its a little bit of a walk but nice and quiet all around the area. The only minor problem we had with our caravan was that on the 5th day there we had troubles with the boiler and couldn't get any hot water through, but we called up the main reception and they had somebody sent out within half an hour to take a look at it and diagnose the problem and get it sorted.
The main complex was brilliant, lots to do for the whole family! The only fault i can really point out is that its quite pricey everywhere you look, but the holiday is worth it. Only went into the Aquabar once for breakfast but the food was lovely, a nice selection to choose from and good portions. Sometimes went to eat at the on-site Burger King and Fish and Chips and all the standard of the cleaning and food there is great! They also have an on-site Papa Johns Italian which also does deliveries to your caravan for an extra £1 on the price of the food so you can call them up instead of having to walk down to the main complex if you were like me and were based in the more outskirts area of the park, and a chinese Resteraunt which is further out towards the quieter end of the park. Never got around to trying either of them but from what i heard the food was ment to be lovely. Around the main complex everywhere you look theres slot machines and arcades so plenty of stuff to do if you want to pass the time, along with lots of pool tables which is where i spent most of my time. The indoor and outdoor pools are great, always kept at a nice temperature and felt like you were in a large warm bath, and once again was kept very clean and is well supervised with lots of lifeguards. Only minor downside to the pool was that there isn't alot of changing rooms so you may have to wait a little bit to get a free changing room but you still get a good 45min in the pool. The entertainment throughout the park is great aswell. Carnabys is brilliant with the Funstars entertainment and all the characters for the kids. Although you do seem to get alot of people walking around with over-priced large balloons (Spent about £9 on 2 large balloons) but the atmosphere is great, tables kept nice and clean with plenty of staff going around making sure that there isn't any empty glasses left lying around so its kept to a good standard. The sports bar is also nice for if you want to catch the football or cricket and have a couple of drinks. My favourite bar out of them all though was the showbar, which holds host to about 3 different acts a night whether its musical, a comedy show or activities to get people from the audience involved. Plenty of tables aswell so you'll always be able to find a place to sit.
Like i say, the only minor fault i had with the park is that its quite pricey and you really need to keep check on your money otherwise you'll be wondering where it all went. But other then that, it was a brilliant weeks break and would love to go back again! So don't listen to all these reviews of like 1/10 or 2/10 as i don't have a clue where they're all getting it from, the park was lovely and clean, friendly and helpful staff and all round pleasent atmosphere!
Fun times to be had by all :)
Advice: Definatly worth it!
Activities: The Showbar
-
- Date of Holiday:Jun 2009
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Fantastic holiday "
Submitted By: Tootle
I have to admit to feeling nervous after reading some of the reviews on here of people's holiday experiences at Haggerston Castle & didn't know what we'd be faced with, but we've just come back after a fantastic week........thouroughly enjoyed it.
We stayed in the Platinum range caravan & as soon as we stepped in we loved it. It was spotlessly clean & very very comfortable & well equipped. We were placed at the back of the park (14 Milkfield) next to the golf lodges & it was really quiet, which was perfect for us as we had our 2yr old & 11month old daughters with us.
We can't fault the staff throughout the whole park either. They were very friendly, helpful & nothing was too much trouble.
I do agree with other people's comments on the park being very expensive.......especially the convenience store & drinks at the bars.......but we just travelled to the local Morrisons a few miles away for shopping which was no fuss.
The Funstars show with Bradley Bear, Anxious, Polly etc was fully enjoyed by our 2year old (& me if I'm honest) ;)
We went horse riding twice around the park, which lasted about 30-40 mins, which cost £10 per person & U got a free photo.
We were sad to see our week come to an end & I can't wait to go back as soon as we can.
We stayed in the Platinum range caravan & as soon as we stepped in we loved it. It was spotlessly clean & very very comfortable & well equipped. We were placed at the back of the park (14 Milkfield) next to the golf lodges & it was really quiet, which was perfect for us as we had our 2yr old & 11month old daughters with us.
We can't fault the staff throughout the whole park either. They were very friendly, helpful & nothing was too much trouble.
I do agree with other people's comments on the park being very expensive.......especially the convenience store & drinks at the bars.......but we just travelled to the local Morrisons a few miles away for shopping which was no fuss.
The Funstars show with Bradley Bear, Anxious, Polly etc was fully enjoyed by our 2year old (& me if I'm honest) ;)
We went horse riding twice around the park, which lasted about 30-40 mins, which cost £10 per person & U got a free photo.
We were sad to see our week come to an end & I can't wait to go back as soon as we can.
-
- Date of Holiday:Jun 2009
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" pleased and surprised "
Submitted By: meme101
This is the third holiday i have been on with haven and have always found that for the price it is worth it for me. The accomidation(stand+ caravan) was clean and plesent good shower and eqipment throughout although the tv was small and reception not so good.If i went again would take a free view box as i missed having more than 5 channels when the kids were asleep. The site was well cared for and clean and i did see a lot of staff members cleaning constantly. I have always ound food on site to be expencie and in the interest of saving money i checked online and found there was an asda and morrisons close by so we did stop near the site and pick some things up, this i would suggest. As for teh entertainment it was fab - the children loved the shows however i would mention that the place gets crowded and to get a seat you have to go early as the room is not the largest and we went out of season. Check in was something i feared after reading reviews but was very surprised to find it took less than 10 minutes and the staff were very efficient. The pool also is small with not many changing rooms so there is usually a q waiting to go in. Now to the amusemnets- these are fine but expensive and i limited my daughter by taking up a bag of change and dividing it between the night we were there some machines are in poor condition so i would say keep your eyes open for broken bits cause it can take time to track someone down for a refund. One more point whilst i am someone who likes to have a drink and party i dont like to do this with my children in to and do not like my children around drunk people i did look around while watching the show with my daughetr at 6pm and was floored by the amount of drink on the tables. This is nothing to do with the camp but i did personally find it slighty shocking so would like to pass it on as i did find it put me on edge to begin with although must say the staff are ever present.
Advice: it is amazing check out bamburgh castle it is amazing
Activities:
-
- Date of Holiday:May 2009
- Board Basis:Room Only
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Reasons not to go to Haggerston Castle "
Submitted By: jack161102
Finally got round to writing up a review. Please take seriously and bear in mind, whilst you read this, that we have a wheelchair-bound disabled child ! We paid £348 for a 4 day during the Easter Holidays. Arrived at 4pm to a full car park, no signage or directions as to where you "book in", had to park hundreds of yards away, went to the main reception area, told to go to the main building where we had to literally push our way through the amusement arcade and into the bar area where they had set up a makeshift booking-in area which consisted of two desks put together. Queue was horrendous. Took us 1 hour 43 minutes to get served (timed it as I could see me having to write a review within 10 minutes of our arrival !!) . The bar area was dimly lit, chairs that were available were stained, the place smelled really musky and the carpet was filthy. Got given the map showing the location of our caravan and one key. Why only one key ? “We keep the other in case you lose yours”. Ok, fair enough. Headed off to our "state of the art" caravan (prestige apparently), and found someone else had been given our caravan. Checked their key and ours and both worked. Back in the car, had to find a parking space again, went to the main reception (no way were we queuing again for another 1+ hour) where they told us to wait....and wait.....and wait. 37 minutes later (yep, timed it again !) they came back to say that the occupants of our caravan were not willing to move and that they were going to give us a caravan of the same "quality". Back in the car, entered our substitute caravan and oh my god ! Carpet was damp and stained, whole place smelled of p*ss, crockery was dirty, bedding and seating were stained (yuk !) - remember this was £348 and a "Prestige, top of the range caravan". Also, no ramp for our childs wheelchair. Back in the car, find another parking space, back to the main reception. Complain. And wait. And waited some more. 26 minutes later, I start to make a fuss in full view of other holidaymakers. They usher us into an office. There is nothing wrong with our caravan they say - "it was cleaned this morning". I proceeded to advise that we made it clear at the time of our booking that we required a caravan with wheelchair access. "We don't provide caravans with wheelchair access" they say. We'll, what is the point in being here, I replied to which they responded "Not a lot, probably". Sums up their whole attitude. Ok, I said, give me another caravan of the standard I expect and noted in your brochure and I’ll just carry my child in and out of the caravan. Sorry, they said, we are fully booked. Well, we’re not staying in a filthy caravan so I’d like a refund please. “We can’t authorise refunds from here – you’ll have to contact our Head Office”. As it was now after 6pm, their Head Office was closed. Summing up, left house at 2pm, arrived at 4pm, left at 8pm and was back home for 10pm - the same day. Next day, I contacted their Head Office, they said contact the Haggerston Castle resort direct. Contacted Haggerston Castle “Yep, no problem, we can deal with the refund for you…….”. How long will it take, I asked (it was paid by visa) – “Well, we need to send you out a disclaimer form for you to sign, once we receive it back it will take @10 days to process”. Brilliant, I thought. They had the form there all this time, could have given it to me when I was there, we now have to wait probably up to 2 weeks for a refund and we had no Easter holiday for the kids. Remember, this is how they treat kids with a disability. Thanks Haven !
Advice: Don
Activities: The sight of leaving Haggerston Castle ?
-
- Date of Holiday:Apr 2009
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" touring van review "
Submitted By: turnbull
We have just returned from our Easter break. There were a party of 3 touring vans in total. We linked our booking references in advance, with the theory of being placed close together, however, when we arrived on Bank Holiday Monday, to total chaos, we found this not to be the case. The older guy in the touring check in was very pleasant, but hadn't been given the check in list for the pitch numbers, so there was a massive queue waiting. I would estimate roughly 10-15 vans waiting on the single track road. There is only one road down to the touring area and it was completely choked. Once we were allocated our pitch everything else was fine. We would recommend the super pitch for a little extra space for awnings and parking. Shower and toilet blocks were clean and well maintained. The entertainment block was questionable. The kids loved the amusement arcade. We tried all 3 bars and found there were too few bar staff, even the staff were complaining. We also could not make sense of the queue system. 3 staff serving insisted on only one long queue which started about 3 meters back from the bar, filtered back right through the tables, where people were trying to watch the show. Not ideal really!! There was a fabulous live band on the Tuesday night. But the bingo was taken far too seriously, and people who were in the bar drinking were asked to stop taking, we were actually told by one of the staff, if you must talk please whisper, bit of a cheek we thought. The bingo also lasted far too long. The take aways were ok, but we had been before and knew that the chinese was limited in choice and charged £8, for a carton filled with whatever you liked from their limited buffet table. It also involved waiting in queue upto 45 minutes. We drove towards berwick for a take away, its only 5-10 mins in car and cost us 13.50 for three people instead of the £24 we would have paid on site. The take away is on the first road off the A1 heading into Berwick. Its a couple of minutes down the road on the right with blue windows and was delicious. Overall there was plenty to do on site and the staff were friendly. We took our Westie who loved it too, although we stuck to the dog walking rules we found many didn't, consequently quite a bit of dog dirt lying around. We felt many of the small issues we had could have been resolved by employing more staff.
Advice: Ideal location to explore North Northumberland
Activities: Visit Chillingham Castle, we were more than surprised by its content, gardens and ghost stories
-
- Date of Holiday:Apr 2009
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Disgusting "
Submitted By: claireiow
Don't buy a caravan here! My uncle bought a caravan here. The staff were all nice and helpful. Now they have been reeled in. They are trapped! The are treated terribly buy the staff. The maintenance team and caravan maintenance is non existent. Ask any owner on this site and they will tell you the same. They all need to get together and form a committee, and air there complaints, or write a letter explaining the problems. Also explain if nothings down, they will legally take action against this site to get funds back!!
People waiting up to 6 months to get window fixed. My uncle has been waiting months to get the flag stone fixed.
He reported the problem hundred of times to the people in reception and noting was done.
This site is one of the worst you can come to to buy a caravan...
People waiting up to 6 months to get window fixed. My uncle has been waiting months to get the flag stone fixed.
He reported the problem hundred of times to the people in reception and noting was done.
This site is one of the worst you can come to to buy a caravan...
-
- Date of Holiday:Mar 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Haggerston Castle - 5 Star Dump "
Submitted By: Astraea
We just returned today from a four night stay with the view of purchasing a caravan and pitch at Haggerston Castle , it was a truly dreadful experience. The caravan we were given was a standard plus rating, we took along our two Yorkie dogs, apparantly you can't have anything of a higher rating if you do take your doggy with you. Fair enough,maybe some dog owners don't treat their holiday accomodation with very much respect , but we do and found to our dismay upon arrival we had to pay the price by being presented with a grubby, smelly, draughty and well hammered caravan for having our two small dogs with us, to add insult to injury we had paid an extra £20.00 for each animal too.
Upon entering the caravan for the first time we noticed at once an unclean smell and could see how grubby and ground in the front seating area was.Instead of beige upholstery it was a dark grey except for the parts which were hidden beneath where the lift out bed was. The carpet was hoovered but did smell, particularly of old urine in places as did the seating.
Three of the windows did not close properly,( two bedroom ones and one in the living area ) and considering to our dismay, that grade of caravan is heated by a single gas fire in the front living area only and we had hail storms most of the week, it was probably the nearest we have been to living in a walk in fridge.None of the three bedroom windows had any net curtains , so we had to keep the main curtains closed the whole time making the place even dingier than it was if that was possible.
I had to clean some of the pans and utensils before we could use them as they were still crusted in the remnants of food, the bottom plastic box in the fridge was sticky with food too, which I refused to clean and just lifted out and left in a cupboard until we left. There was no cover on the freezer box in the top of the fridge and so the food on the top shelf of the fridge froze up if we weren't careful, almost as frozen as we were due to the badly fitting windows actually.
The pillows were wafer thin and four stacked up would probably still not give you the thickness of even one, the duvets were no better. Thank goodness we were required to take our own bed linen as at least we knew they at least would be more than satisfactory.
The Park itself has a nice lake in the centre with lots of geese and swans and a ittle stable so the kiddies could have pony rides aroung the park, the only good things I can think of to mention.
The complex itself where the bars are situated is a real shocker as you walk in. It's just one huge, noisy,chaotic, money grabbing amusement arcade. The bars are quite dingy and mostly packed to the hilt,so don't have any visions of having a few quiet drinks 'cos it ain't going to happen.
The onsite food is something else...and I do mean something else ! We had fish and chips from the on site chippie on the first night,most of it went in the bin as the fish didn't smell right and it was all covered in too much grease, promptly afterwards later that evening were rewarded for our custom by upset stomachs. Following that episode we didn't touch anymore of the onsite food on offer at all. We noticed the staff in the chippie and some of the other takeaway food places there employed no more than kids and didn't this didn't instill any sense of confidence in their cooking skills to be honest.
All in all, I would say to anyone thinking of booking a holiday here, don't feel you have to be put off by our sad experience, you might get a fantastic caravan and not be knee deep in mud when you step outside it and not mind all the noise and bingo and the like, but if anything, please think carefully before sampling the fish and chips if nothing else.Somehow I don't think we will be buying into the new lifestyle at Haggerston Castle anytime soon.
Upon entering the caravan for the first time we noticed at once an unclean smell and could see how grubby and ground in the front seating area was.Instead of beige upholstery it was a dark grey except for the parts which were hidden beneath where the lift out bed was. The carpet was hoovered but did smell, particularly of old urine in places as did the seating.
Three of the windows did not close properly,( two bedroom ones and one in the living area ) and considering to our dismay, that grade of caravan is heated by a single gas fire in the front living area only and we had hail storms most of the week, it was probably the nearest we have been to living in a walk in fridge.None of the three bedroom windows had any net curtains , so we had to keep the main curtains closed the whole time making the place even dingier than it was if that was possible.
I had to clean some of the pans and utensils before we could use them as they were still crusted in the remnants of food, the bottom plastic box in the fridge was sticky with food too, which I refused to clean and just lifted out and left in a cupboard until we left. There was no cover on the freezer box in the top of the fridge and so the food on the top shelf of the fridge froze up if we weren't careful, almost as frozen as we were due to the badly fitting windows actually.
The pillows were wafer thin and four stacked up would probably still not give you the thickness of even one, the duvets were no better. Thank goodness we were required to take our own bed linen as at least we knew they at least would be more than satisfactory.
The Park itself has a nice lake in the centre with lots of geese and swans and a ittle stable so the kiddies could have pony rides aroung the park, the only good things I can think of to mention.
The complex itself where the bars are situated is a real shocker as you walk in. It's just one huge, noisy,chaotic, money grabbing amusement arcade. The bars are quite dingy and mostly packed to the hilt,so don't have any visions of having a few quiet drinks 'cos it ain't going to happen.
The onsite food is something else...and I do mean something else ! We had fish and chips from the on site chippie on the first night,most of it went in the bin as the fish didn't smell right and it was all covered in too much grease, promptly afterwards later that evening were rewarded for our custom by upset stomachs. Following that episode we didn't touch anymore of the onsite food on offer at all. We noticed the staff in the chippie and some of the other takeaway food places there employed no more than kids and didn't this didn't instill any sense of confidence in their cooking skills to be honest.
All in all, I would say to anyone thinking of booking a holiday here, don't feel you have to be put off by our sad experience, you might get a fantastic caravan and not be knee deep in mud when you step outside it and not mind all the noise and bingo and the like, but if anything, please think carefully before sampling the fish and chips if nothing else.Somehow I don't think we will be buying into the new lifestyle at Haggerston Castle anytime soon.
-
- Date of Holiday:Oct 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
loading...
Advice: Northumberland is wonderful but not haggerston unless you rent privately
Activities: The Cat Inn do lovely food, and the smoke house at Seahouses is fantastic