Marton Mere Holiday Park, Lancashire, England
Hotel Information
Hotel Description:
Set in it's own nature reserve, only a few miles from the bright lights of Blackpool, which Marton Mere confidently rivals with fantastic leisure facilities and an exceptionally lively programme of entertainment for the whole family. All this plus the gigantic backdrop of the world famous Blackpool Tower! loading...
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Marton Mere Holiday Park Reviews
" MOST DISAPOINTED "
Submitted By: deekeye
Stayed at Marton Mere on the August bank holiday weekend in my motorhome pitches were quite level and in good order but that is about the only good thing I can say about this place.I found the entertainment bar far to small to accomodate the amount of people there if you did'nt get to the bar area before 5 30pm bearing in mind the entertainment did not start till after 9pm you could not get a seat anywhere and if you have small children this makes it very hard indeed.Could not get to use the pool as people were collecting arm bands for pool use on the saturday for use on the sunday therefor pool fully booked.Very expensive site if you have children £5 for a helium balloon child lets go of string £5 up in the air I counted £95 worth of ballons stuck to the bar ceiling £7 50 for a photograph and the bar prices were as dear as any nightclub I have ever been to.I felt that the only reason this place exists is to extract as much money from you as they possibly can a two night stay in my own mobile home cost me almost £80 not value for money by any stretch of the imagination I certainly will not be going back here again take heed.
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- Date of Holiday:Aug 2009
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Prefect For Kids "
Submitted By: marta1234
FANTASTIC !!! Spent a week at Marton Mere this July. Didn't think it would be for me, how wrong could I be my 4 and 5 year olds had a ball. If they weren't feeding the ducks they were hunting for Brady Bear. Have read some negative reports here, all I can say is they must have gone to a different place. Staff friendly, Entertainment my children loved, accomodation spotless. Spent a day at the zoo with the discounted tickets brought from reception.Also a day at lake Windermere stunning ( only 45mins away) This park is one of Haven's best. It's a place for families and kids, if you want a romantic weekend away with champagne then I agree not the place. But we had a fab time and would definately recommend it to families. A1
Advice: Beautiful take a day out to the lakes
Activities: Blackpool Zoo
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- Date of Holiday:Jul 2009
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Haven holidays - marton mere - jamie bulger waiting to happen - don't go, read this "
Submitted By: United99
This story should put anybody off going to Haven, Marton Mere. I booked a caravan in Marton Mere with Haven to give my kids their first ever holiday in July this year (2009), one is 4 and one is 2, both girls. I should have been suspicious on the first day when my kids wanted to have a go on the bouncy castle. I was told by the guy that was attending it that it was past closing time and he had to deflate it as it took some time. No problem I thought as it would save £1.50 (nothing is free in Haven) and moved on up the park a bit. My kids then saw the trampoline, this consisted of 4 trampolines in an enclosed area with wire around it. The attendant rather surprisingly was the same guy who I had just talked to on the bouncy castle some 40 yards away, he took my money and then proceeded to go straight back to the bouncy castle. This meant my kids were unsupervised on a trampoline, I am trained in health and Safety and immediately told my wife I was taking them off as there were loads of kids just opening the gate and going in, some boys of about ten and they were jumping everywhere, meaning my kids were in danger for a ride they had paid for while others hadn't and there was no supervision. But far and away the biggest and most frightening thing about Marton Mere was on our penultimate night. In the centre of the site is a complex which Marton Mere and Haven call a family friendly "funworks". This is perhaps the worst description of what is essentially a place to extract money in any way possible without paying even lip service to the safety of its customers, especially children. There is a doorman at the entrance who checks you have a pass to get in and this is the last you will see of any security at all. It will be everybody who stays in Havens caravan park's aim to go there to the fun pub at night as they advertise family fun and profess to have entertainment for children. Now I have been to these type of places before and it is a good idea to have a place where parents can have a drink while their kids are entertained, it helps you to unwind after a long day of entertaining the kids. I would hope though that usually there would be some form of safety in place for children. On this night we had enjoyed the usual woeful entertainment from the X-factor rejects when myself and my wife decided to leave to put the kids to bed. My eldest Kirsty, was at the front of the stage watching the entertainment while my youngest was with us at our table, perhaps 15 feet from where Kirsty was. I went to pick up Kirsty and apparently when I had left the table for the short walk to get her, my youngest, Jodie (unnoticed by me) had followed me, my wife was clearing the table so didn't mind as I was only a short distance away in a bar full of people, what could possibly happen. I told Kirsty we were going and turned to see what looked like a 4 year old carrying a child which looked like my Jodie. It was a bit dark but I realised that it was my Jodie (2 years old remember) and as I realised this the 4 year old girl dropped my Jodie (who stayed on her feet) and started swinging punches at her right there about 3 feet from me. I cannot tell you how shocked I was at the sight of a 4 year old girl punching my daughter with closed fists right in the face, right there in the middle of the floor. She managed to get 3 or 4 punches in before I could react, I then pulled my Jodie away and rather angrily demanded to know where the 4 year old's parents were. She would not reply and at this point it appeared that her sister was also standing there and she was slightly older. I asked her where her parents were and she replied that her sister was sorry and she wouldn't tell me either, at this point I suspected that I had seen the girl before and that her parents might be sitting behind me. I went to this couple and asked if the girl was their daughter, they replied no but that this same girl had tried to hit their daughter the night before and another girls daughter the night before that. She was able to point out the mother of the child and I confronted her about her daughter. I might as well have been talking to a deaf mute as the mother was either too drunk to reply or indeed simply didn't care. My wife shouted at her if she had heard of Jamie Bulger but again it was like talking to a wall so as both my kids were visibly upset I decided to leave and report this to the manager in the morning. On retrospect I should have made a bigger fuss at the time but being a normal parent unlike the mutant who was the mother of the 4 year old, my priority was my children and they were very upset especially Jodie who had been hit in the face 3-4 times. The whole time this was going on the show went on, there are ABSOLUTELY NO STAFF ON THE FLOOR TO PREVENT ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAPPENING. Noone approached me to establish what had happened as there are no staff there, nor were there any there on the other nights we were there. I did not sleep that night as I was absolutely furious that this could happen and it was my intention that we would leave first thing the next day and I would talk to the manager for a full refund.
The next day I went to the reception and demanded to see the manager as my daughter had been attacked in the complex the night before. The receptionist stated that someone would be with me in 5 minutes. After half an hour (I kid you not) of sitting waiting I went up to the reception again and demanded to see someone straight away. At this point the receptionist said "Oh, has noone seen you yet?", I was furious as I was sitting not 3 feet from the desk and he knew perfectly well noone had been to see me. At this point I was brought into a private office where a woman introduced herself as Jill Armstrong, Customer service manager. I told her of what had happened the night before and that I was thoroughly disgusted with the lack of staff looking out for incidents such as this and that as our holiday had been killed stone dead I wanted a full refund as we were leaving on the conclusion of this meeting. Ms Armstrong stated that they did not issue refunds for things like this and that it was the parents responsibility to deal with this. I asked if she was accusing me of not looking after my child and she said no, she was saying that "I should have took it up with the parents of the 4 year old". I said that I did and got nowhere and that it was Haven and Marton Mere's responsibility to look after its residents, that they had a duty of care. She stated "Thats not the case, I mean if someone was attacked in Tesco's, would Tesco's assume responsibility?." I replied that "Yes they would, I work in the Northern Ireland Civil Service and if someone is attacked in one of our buildings then it is the responsibility of the Civil Service as there is a duty of care, that is exactly why we have security". I pointed out that although this is a public bar for families, it is still serving alcohol and they should have security on the premises. This fun pub has no security anywhere within, as I said the only security is on the entrance to the complex which is nowhere near the fun pub and does not at any time come in to the pub to check. Ms Armstrong continued to prevaricate and deny any responsibility so at this point I demanded that she ring the police and tell them to come up. She stated that "No, it is not my responsibility to report this, it is your's as a parent", I have to say at this point I was dumbfounded by her attitude and again demanded that she ring the police. Again she refused and at this point said she would go and get me their number and I could ring from where-ever the nearest phone was. I was amazed at this, it sort of suggested that not content with hitting us as parents for every possible piece of revenue through hourly photos with characters and your kids (£7 a pop) and bingo tickets at £2 a go, they were also reluctant to waste the price of a phone call on us poor parents whose daughter could easily HAVE BEEN KILLED ON THEIR PREMISES the previous night. I got up and asked her "Have you ever heard of Jamie Bulger, because you seem to be very confident that you are in the right here, my child could have been killed on your premises last night and you couldn't care less. I mean how many punches to the face does it take to kill a 2 year old". She had no answer to this and I didn't hang around to hear anything more anyway. It would be my advice to anybody with children TO AVOID THIS PLACE LIKE THE PLAGUE, THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU IN ANY SMALL WAY AND YOUR KIDS ARE NOT SAFE EITHER ON THEIR OUTDOOR OR INDOOR ENTERTAINMENT. THEIR STAFF ARE COLD AND UINCARING AND ARE ONLY THEIR FOR THE MONEY, MS ARMSTRONG ESPECIALLY IS PROBABLY BASKING IN THE GLORY OF SEEING OFF ANOTHER DISSAPOINTED CUSTOMER AND PROBABLY GETS A WEE BONUS FROM DOING IT. I WILL BE TAKING THIS TO EVERY PAPER WHO WILL LISTEN AND WILL NOT REST UNTIL THIS PLACE HAS BEEN CLOSED DOWN OR INDEED UNTIL THEY ADAPT SOME BETTER PRACTICES AS REGARDS THE SAFETY OF CHILDREN.
The next day I went to the reception and demanded to see the manager as my daughter had been attacked in the complex the night before. The receptionist stated that someone would be with me in 5 minutes. After half an hour (I kid you not) of sitting waiting I went up to the reception again and demanded to see someone straight away. At this point the receptionist said "Oh, has noone seen you yet?", I was furious as I was sitting not 3 feet from the desk and he knew perfectly well noone had been to see me. At this point I was brought into a private office where a woman introduced herself as Jill Armstrong, Customer service manager. I told her of what had happened the night before and that I was thoroughly disgusted with the lack of staff looking out for incidents such as this and that as our holiday had been killed stone dead I wanted a full refund as we were leaving on the conclusion of this meeting. Ms Armstrong stated that they did not issue refunds for things like this and that it was the parents responsibility to deal with this. I asked if she was accusing me of not looking after my child and she said no, she was saying that "I should have took it up with the parents of the 4 year old". I said that I did and got nowhere and that it was Haven and Marton Mere's responsibility to look after its residents, that they had a duty of care. She stated "Thats not the case, I mean if someone was attacked in Tesco's, would Tesco's assume responsibility?." I replied that "Yes they would, I work in the Northern Ireland Civil Service and if someone is attacked in one of our buildings then it is the responsibility of the Civil Service as there is a duty of care, that is exactly why we have security". I pointed out that although this is a public bar for families, it is still serving alcohol and they should have security on the premises. This fun pub has no security anywhere within, as I said the only security is on the entrance to the complex which is nowhere near the fun pub and does not at any time come in to the pub to check. Ms Armstrong continued to prevaricate and deny any responsibility so at this point I demanded that she ring the police and tell them to come up. She stated that "No, it is not my responsibility to report this, it is your's as a parent", I have to say at this point I was dumbfounded by her attitude and again demanded that she ring the police. Again she refused and at this point said she would go and get me their number and I could ring from where-ever the nearest phone was. I was amazed at this, it sort of suggested that not content with hitting us as parents for every possible piece of revenue through hourly photos with characters and your kids (£7 a pop) and bingo tickets at £2 a go, they were also reluctant to waste the price of a phone call on us poor parents whose daughter could easily HAVE BEEN KILLED ON THEIR PREMISES the previous night. I got up and asked her "Have you ever heard of Jamie Bulger, because you seem to be very confident that you are in the right here, my child could have been killed on your premises last night and you couldn't care less. I mean how many punches to the face does it take to kill a 2 year old". She had no answer to this and I didn't hang around to hear anything more anyway. It would be my advice to anybody with children TO AVOID THIS PLACE LIKE THE PLAGUE, THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU IN ANY SMALL WAY AND YOUR KIDS ARE NOT SAFE EITHER ON THEIR OUTDOOR OR INDOOR ENTERTAINMENT. THEIR STAFF ARE COLD AND UINCARING AND ARE ONLY THEIR FOR THE MONEY, MS ARMSTRONG ESPECIALLY IS PROBABLY BASKING IN THE GLORY OF SEEING OFF ANOTHER DISSAPOINTED CUSTOMER AND PROBABLY GETS A WEE BONUS FROM DOING IT. I WILL BE TAKING THIS TO EVERY PAPER WHO WILL LISTEN AND WILL NOT REST UNTIL THIS PLACE HAS BEEN CLOSED DOWN OR INDEED UNTIL THEY ADAPT SOME BETTER PRACTICES AS REGARDS THE SAFETY OF CHILDREN.
Advice: AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE ITS A DEATHTRAP
Activities: none
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- Date of Holiday:Jul 2009
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" fab fab fab ignore the negative reviews "
Submitted By: the stevensons
we have just got back from a fab 3 night stay at the lovely marton mere.before we went i looked on here at the reviews and was dreading it, ignore the bad ones as it really was a fab break away.
On arrival the reception was very helpful when there had been a mix up with the van we had been allocated, the owners had decided to stay on a few extra days but had not informed the booking in dept.we were then allocated a different van, in total only took 10 mins, very helpful. the van was in great condition, bigger than we thought it would be and was very clean. the van was in a great location, just a 2 min walk from the entertainment and shops ect.
after settling in we decied to go for swim but didnt realise they had a band/booking in system to guarentee you a swim so had to come back half an hour later. the pool was lovely and clean and heated and wasnt too busy due to the band/booking in system.
the outside splash zone was great for the kids, also clean and had a lifeguard on duty, the kids loved it and it was good that the adults didnt have to go in it if they didnt want too, we could just watch from the side on the sun loungers.
the kids playground was good for most ages, they have a little one for the toddlers and a larger one for the big kids,in a lovely grassy area and also has a fence around the whole entertainmet complex so is safe for the kids.
the arcade was at the begining of the funworks and you had to go through it to get into the bar, resturant, outside play area, swimming pool and show bar so make sure you take some change with you when passing through with kids.
The resturant/bar is nicly done out and the food is ok, not the best we have ever had but we were not expecting it to be, the drinks are not to dear and service was good.
we hired one of the bike/carts for 4 people for 1 hour, a bit expensive at £10 but a good laugh, my legs are still aching now!!!!.
The walk around the mere is very peacefull and lovely it took us about 1 and a half hours but we did have a 2 year old toddler with us.
on site shop had loads on offer but we did find it a bit expensive so ended up going to tesco which is just a 5 min drive away.
overall we had a great time and would recommend going to marton mere, we will be going back sometime very soon. as for the bad reviews, some people cant be pleased, i would just ignore them, you get what you pay for, its not a 5* hotel and isnt perfect so dont expect it to be.
On arrival the reception was very helpful when there had been a mix up with the van we had been allocated, the owners had decided to stay on a few extra days but had not informed the booking in dept.we were then allocated a different van, in total only took 10 mins, very helpful. the van was in great condition, bigger than we thought it would be and was very clean. the van was in a great location, just a 2 min walk from the entertainment and shops ect.
after settling in we decied to go for swim but didnt realise they had a band/booking in system to guarentee you a swim so had to come back half an hour later. the pool was lovely and clean and heated and wasnt too busy due to the band/booking in system.
the outside splash zone was great for the kids, also clean and had a lifeguard on duty, the kids loved it and it was good that the adults didnt have to go in it if they didnt want too, we could just watch from the side on the sun loungers.
the kids playground was good for most ages, they have a little one for the toddlers and a larger one for the big kids,in a lovely grassy area and also has a fence around the whole entertainmet complex so is safe for the kids.
the arcade was at the begining of the funworks and you had to go through it to get into the bar, resturant, outside play area, swimming pool and show bar so make sure you take some change with you when passing through with kids.
The resturant/bar is nicly done out and the food is ok, not the best we have ever had but we were not expecting it to be, the drinks are not to dear and service was good.
we hired one of the bike/carts for 4 people for 1 hour, a bit expensive at £10 but a good laugh, my legs are still aching now!!!!.
The walk around the mere is very peacefull and lovely it took us about 1 and a half hours but we did have a 2 year old toddler with us.
on site shop had loads on offer but we did find it a bit expensive so ended up going to tesco which is just a 5 min drive away.
overall we had a great time and would recommend going to marton mere, we will be going back sometime very soon. as for the bad reviews, some people cant be pleased, i would just ignore them, you get what you pay for, its not a 5* hotel and isnt perfect so dont expect it to be.
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- Date of Holiday:Jun 2009
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Going Downhill "
Submitted By: scorer_uk
First off it's always a problem with Haven holidays. You book for a 5 day break and really it is 3 day break as you can't get in until 4 and then have to be out by 10 on your leaving day.
The standard caravan we used is standard, no microwave or toaster. Come on a microwave is £20 and £5 for a toaster. There was a huge stain on the floor and the oven door was broken, minor things but they shouldn't happen. I don't think we have ever been on a camp in the last 5 years and not found something broken.
The pool the kids were not allowed in the spa, but they always have been on other parks we have visited.
The entertaiment has really gone down hill, it seams to be an "Haven Mate" show. There was only one night were something different was on. All other nights the mates were either singing or dancing on the stage as your quality entertainment.
The haven mates spent more time selling crap merchandise (5 pound ballons, 7.50 photo's)than spending time with holiday makers. It seems to me that Haven is getting greedy.
The party dances for the kids they use to do them for about half an hour but now your lucky if they do 3 a night.
In summary Haven new slogan is "Get all the Money out from them"
The standard caravan we used is standard, no microwave or toaster. Come on a microwave is £20 and £5 for a toaster. There was a huge stain on the floor and the oven door was broken, minor things but they shouldn't happen. I don't think we have ever been on a camp in the last 5 years and not found something broken.
The pool the kids were not allowed in the spa, but they always have been on other parks we have visited.
The entertaiment has really gone down hill, it seams to be an "Haven Mate" show. There was only one night were something different was on. All other nights the mates were either singing or dancing on the stage as your quality entertainment.
The haven mates spent more time selling crap merchandise (5 pound ballons, 7.50 photo's)than spending time with holiday makers. It seems to me that Haven is getting greedy.
The party dances for the kids they use to do them for about half an hour but now your lucky if they do 3 a night.
In summary Haven new slogan is "Get all the Money out from them"
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- Date of Holiday:Jun 2009
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" in a wood FANTASTIC "
Submitted By: dave/amanda
We went to marton mare in may half term and take it from me if you have kids it's a win win win. there is a fun water section for the kids which is closed it where there is crazy golf orbit bumber cars and if your over 8 shooting . also all of these are closed in there is only one entrance adults can sit and have a drink at the patio tabel still in view of the kids knowing they have to walk past your to leave .
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- Date of Holiday:May 2009
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" what a decline!! wont return "
Submitted By: scrumpy77
I have been a regular visitor to all the haven parks for 12 years but was very disappointed by our weekend break this month. The accomodation was the normal standard but the usual high standard of entertainment was terrible. The funstars didnt seem bothered. Usually they make every effort to get everyone involved in the evenings but it didnt happen. Normally the kids and parents get to do competitions which is entertaining, this didnt happen. There were a couple of comps for the kids, and when they won were given a measley 5p pack of sweets, none of the usual certificates and pin badges. It was a glorious sunny weekend but the outsdie water area was shut. We went for lunch of the patio outside the bar to find it taped shut and being sprayed with a highly odouress chemical which set of my sons asthma. The only good thing i can say is that the archery instructor was very good, taking time to make sure the kids enjoyed it. I never complain as haven has always been so much fun but I will not be going back. Could blame the lack of entertainment on the credit crunch maybe? Not worth the money anymore.
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- Date of Holiday:Apr 2009
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" marton mere "
Submitted By: clarecaz@hotmail.com
we went to marton mere last year, i can tell you it was not the most pleasant holiday experience. we arrived to find our caravan was being cleaned and not ready, we were handed another set of keys to find that it was dirty, the bins were full and there was dirty nappies out side of our caravan. the toilets on the site was coverd in wet toilet paper and poo. the swimming pool was closed due to someone throwing pool furniture into the pool. there was litter over most of the campsite and the so so helpfull people at the main reception could not give a dam. we also hired a bed guard and on taking it back they refused to hand back the promised deposit. overall i would never ever recomend anyone mentaly stable to book or stay there so be warned good people
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- Date of Holiday:Apr 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" HAVEN FIRST CLASS "
Submitted By: haven fan
We went to haven last july and we had a brillant holiday my children loved it and were in tears leaving our superior caravan was lovely and clean. Entertinment was very good for the kids and we went every night. The swimming pool was clean. We loved it that much that we booked for this july 2 days after returning from our last holiday. The rides in the park are the same price as in blackpool.
ANYONE WHO HAS ALREADY BOOKED PLEASE DONT WORRY SOME PEOPLE JUST LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT ANYTHING.
We have been to haven craig tara 5 times and blackpool once and going again this year I have never had anything to complain about
ANYONE WHO HAS ALREADY BOOKED PLEASE DONT WORRY SOME PEOPLE JUST LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT ANYTHING.
We have been to haven craig tara 5 times and blackpool once and going again this year I have never had anything to complain about
Advice: GREAT PLACE LOTS TO DO AND SEE
Activities: BLACKPOOL TOWER AND PLEASURE BEACH
Good for: City Breaks
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- Date of Holiday:Jul 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" had 2 caravans both were filthy and stunk "
Submitted By: lenagh
whent to marton mere holiday park on the 22 sept 08 with the vouchers from the sun newspapers.
first caravan was just a mess stunk of dirty toilets and just would not let a dog sleep in it.
whent and paid to upgrade to what we were told was a superior plus caravan the carpets were filthy and poo still in the toilets bits all over the work tops still and it stunk of stale fags.
we had to just put up with it coz our to young children were tired and twisty.
we went to the on site shop and bought all the cleaning products and cleaned it top to bottom.
when we went it was cleaner after we had stayed in it for 4 days with 2 youg children.
we complained and got asked if we went back they would give us a free upgrade i told them they could keep it
first caravan was just a mess stunk of dirty toilets and just would not let a dog sleep in it.
whent and paid to upgrade to what we were told was a superior plus caravan the carpets were filthy and poo still in the toilets bits all over the work tops still and it stunk of stale fags.
we had to just put up with it coz our to young children were tired and twisty.
we went to the on site shop and bought all the cleaning products and cleaned it top to bottom.
when we went it was cleaner after we had stayed in it for 4 days with 2 youg children.
we complained and got asked if we went back they would give us a free upgrade i told them they could keep it
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- Date of Holiday:Sep 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Other-
" The first caravan was filthy it had... "
Submitted By: Miss D Adams
The first caravan was filthy it had not been cleaned. There was dried on poo on the toilet seat the shower was dirty there was sugar on the worktop in the kitchen and there were saucepans missing. There was no bedding and we waited with our 4 young children until 9 pm for our bedding to arrive.
It was 3 days after our initial complaint that we were able to see a manager who sorted out a replacement caravan which unfortuantly was also dirty.
There was an amusement arcade which cost alot more than ones in blackpool. The entertainment in the showbar was basically bingo with an hour of something a night put on for the kids. It was very overcrowded and difficult to find a seat.
The swimming pool was small and quite crowded but we did enjoy it and the slide was good. The out door splash zone was nice. The nature reserve and views of the tower were also a nice feature of the park.
There was very little for young children to do and the advertised soft play area for the toddlers is not actually suitable for them. We found that the park was an ok base to go back to after a day out in blackpool ie the tower or zoo. But there wasn't much to do on the park.
I have been on Pontins holidays in the past and have had an excellent time and found them to be as advertised in the brochures.
This is the first time I have been on a Haven holiday. I personnally found the brochure to be misleading. It was a dissapointing holiday due to the problems with the dirty caravans.
It was 3 days after our initial complaint that we were able to see a manager who sorted out a replacement caravan which unfortuantly was also dirty.
There was an amusement arcade which cost alot more than ones in blackpool. The entertainment in the showbar was basically bingo with an hour of something a night put on for the kids. It was very overcrowded and difficult to find a seat.
The swimming pool was small and quite crowded but we did enjoy it and the slide was good. The out door splash zone was nice. The nature reserve and views of the tower were also a nice feature of the park.
There was very little for young children to do and the advertised soft play area for the toddlers is not actually suitable for them. We found that the park was an ok base to go back to after a day out in blackpool ie the tower or zoo. But there wasn't much to do on the park.
I have been on Pontins holidays in the past and have had an excellent time and found them to be as advertised in the brochures.
This is the first time I have been on a Haven holiday. I personnally found the brochure to be misleading. It was a dissapointing holiday due to the problems with the dirty caravans.
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- Date of Holiday:Aug 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" I had already booked to go to Marton... "
Submitted By: Mr P Eastwood
I had already booked to go to Marton Mere when I was cringingly reading the reviews on here. So I wasn't very excited about arriving and tried to go "the long way round" from Middlesbrough to Blackpool, but eventually arrived. We had booked 2 caravans for 8 of us and we dropped the first party off at their caravan, opened the door, walked in, had a look a round and decided that it wasn't too bad at all. It was clean enough, didn't smell, it was tidy and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. We then went to our caravan which was exactly the same, clean, tidy etc. Only differences really were that we had a bigger TV than our other caravan but didn't have a toaster and some other little essentials.
We had 2 kids with us and to be fair, their wasn't a great deal for them to do on the site. When we got chance to go to the swimming pool, we were turned away only to be told that someone had been sick in the pool and they were trying to clean it up. As you can imagine, we didn't go for a swim!
Marton Mere is about 3 miles from the sea front and the Pleasure Beach and was very easy to get to (just follow Blackpool tower!).
Overall, a clean and tidy caravan site and would definitely go again (if there were more things to do). I am now looking into buying our next Haven Holiday and enjoyed my time at Marton Mere!
We had 2 kids with us and to be fair, their wasn't a great deal for them to do on the site. When we got chance to go to the swimming pool, we were turned away only to be told that someone had been sick in the pool and they were trying to clean it up. As you can imagine, we didn't go for a swim!
Marton Mere is about 3 miles from the sea front and the Pleasure Beach and was very easy to get to (just follow Blackpool tower!).
Overall, a clean and tidy caravan site and would definitely go again (if there were more things to do). I am now looking into buying our next Haven Holiday and enjoyed my time at Marton Mere!
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- Date of Holiday:Aug 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Booked a superior plus caravan. After... "
Submitted By: Mrs D Joyce
Booked a superior plus caravan. After we had been given keys, we made our way to caravan.The curtains were hanging off and there was worse to come when we got inside. Every room was filthy. The floors were damp and there was basically a hole in the floor of the twin room where the vent should have been. The whole place smelled of a mixture of damp and cigarettes! What a nice start.
We returned to reception stating that we would not stay in the caravan. We were immediately given a caravan which was very clean but still had damp on the walls. A curtain was missing there and the lights were out in the bathroom and hallway. After complaing twice about the lights, we had to wait til thursday before they were fitted with new bulbs!
I cannot fault the entertainment as it was value for money and the staff were lovely. The grounds also were very clean and well equipped. However the accomodation was well below the standard it should have been.
After speaking to other hoildaymakers with similar problems, i have come to the conclusion that the staff cannot cope with the size of the park and they are basically cutting corners. After reading some of the reviews, it seems this is an ongoing problem.
MARTON MERE, SORT IT OUT!!
We returned to reception stating that we would not stay in the caravan. We were immediately given a caravan which was very clean but still had damp on the walls. A curtain was missing there and the lights were out in the bathroom and hallway. After complaing twice about the lights, we had to wait til thursday before they were fitted with new bulbs!
I cannot fault the entertainment as it was value for money and the staff were lovely. The grounds also were very clean and well equipped. However the accomodation was well below the standard it should have been.
After speaking to other hoildaymakers with similar problems, i have come to the conclusion that the staff cannot cope with the size of the park and they are basically cutting corners. After reading some of the reviews, it seems this is an ongoing problem.
MARTON MERE, SORT IT OUT!!
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- Date of Holiday:Aug 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" After reading several bad reviews on... "
Submitted By: gibba
After reading several bad reviews on this site I was dreading going to Marton Mere but it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be.The 'superior Plus' caravan did have a bit of a strange smell in the bedrooms,we had 5 pillows between 7 of us,no bin,not enough crockery and cutlery,not enough duvets and the water in the toilet ran continually for the 5 days we were there despite several requests for it to be fixed.However most of the other problems were immediately rectified by reception staff.Also whwn all the electric went off at 10pm(toaster blew them all) security did come out within 15 mins.
The evening entertainment venue gets so busy.If you get there later than 6.30 on some nights it is impossible to get a seat.Some of the shows though were actually good especially the Alladdin 3D pantomime.
The swimming pool only has about 6 changing rooms and we went on a rainy day and there were queues to get changed after we had been in the pool-it was really busy and not very clean.
The site itself does have the vans close together but not as bad as Cala Gran (the other Haven site near Blackpool.)
The fun star staff do work hard but are also constantly trying to flog expensive tat to the kids.
The evening entertainment venue gets so busy.If you get there later than 6.30 on some nights it is impossible to get a seat.Some of the shows though were actually good especially the Alladdin 3D pantomime.
The swimming pool only has about 6 changing rooms and we went on a rainy day and there were queues to get changed after we had been in the pool-it was really busy and not very clean.
The site itself does have the vans close together but not as bad as Cala Gran (the other Haven site near Blackpool.)
The fun star staff do work hard but are also constantly trying to flog expensive tat to the kids.
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- Date of Holiday:Aug 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Haven Holidays
" I do not recommend a Haven Holiday.... "
Submitted By: Mrs R STAMPER
I do not recommend a Haven Holiday. We stayed for 4 nights with my 3 year old and it looked so good on the website with lots to do. Then we arrived! Well we were shocked at what little there was. The outside playground was small and well worn. Everything but the pool and playground was to pay for (bouncy castle etc). That would not have been bad but there was little else for a child to do so we paid to go on them. The arcade rides for children were 3 times the price anywhere else. The kids club ran for 1 hour in the morning then the next activity was about 7oclock when young ones were wanting to go to bed. The caravan was filthy and some of the untesils did not work. The crockery was filthy, I had to wash everything before I could use it. We paid extra for a prestige caravan and did not get half the things we were supposed to. The staff at reception were not friendly but the Funstar staff were. I have been to rival holiday parks and they are 200% better and all activities and things to go on are in the price. I would not recommend a Haven holiday. Thank goodness for Blackpool!!!!
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- Date of Holiday:Jul 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
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