Pontins Camber Sands

2 readers found this review helpful

Cons:
- Apartment stank of smoke and the carpets stank of cat pee.
- Apartment was full of ants.
- Immediately outside the apartment were (not kidding) hundreds of dog-ends. There's obviously no litter patrol or attempt at regular cleaning.
- Exteriors of all the accommodation blocks are unmaintained, paint peeling, dirty.
- The kids' karting area is run down and unsightly.
- The cafe/restaurant is dingy with low lighting. There is tinted film on the windows and the dark ceiling/pastel decor makes it murky.
- All the common areas are very well-worn and could do with a good clean and refurbishment.
- Since the camp was only half full the upstairs ballroom was closed and the adult and kids' entertainments condensed into one. Most evenings the adult entertainment was provided by the campers - talent contest, quiz, and so on. A real cheapskate programme, Pontins!
- No printed entertainment programme was given out on arrival. We had to ask about this, and the only one available was posted on a board just outside the toilets. Smelly! - and cheapskate, again.
- Bluecoat performances lacklustre. No personalities stood out; the characters in costume (Captain Croc (no comment!) etc.) were more memorable.
- The PA / music in the ballroom was set at a deafening level all evening, every evening. To rub it in, the PA in the 'Queen Vic' wasn't loud enough to be heard at the back and couldn't be turned up louder because of 'health and safety'.
- Overall, the place is run down and hasn't had anything spent on it and Pontins are pinching pennies on maintenance and entertainment. It stands out a mile.
Pros:
- We took the half-board option and the food was varied, well cooked and plentiful.
- The pool was great. Clean, warm, the changing area was bright and spotless.
- Bluecoats were presentable and enthusiastic.
- Restaurant staff were helpful and positive.
- The beach and sand dunes are lovely and Rye, quite near by, is very pretty. But you could go to a B&B instead and get the same.

2 readers found this review helpful

Omg !! where to start, arrived through the security gate and straight away felt depressed, i have never stayed anywhere as awful as this, run down, dirty, smelt rank, mouldy shower, looked like it had never any cleaning materials, cutains hanging like they had been swung from. The smoke alarm was found on top of the curtain track and not even working !!! which will be reported. The chalet itself was to bad for words the cooker was shocking, the fridge had bugs in there, the seats where filthy. had to prop up the bed with an egg cup !. All in all our 1 night was an experiance and an education in itself, the only 1 good thing was the duty manager (martin) and the majority of staff tried to be helpful.

2 readers found this review helpful

Every year we go to camber Pontins and every year its the same old same old, but you only get what you pay for , and let's be fair Pontins is cheap if your prepared to shop around for a good deal , the last 4 years we have gone Classic , the chalets are basic and clean enough , the club house is fun in the evenings if you like a few beers and a good laugh , the arcade is expensive so steer clear if you have children. the swimming pool is OK, but nothing special.
If like me you was born in the 60s and went to Pontins every summer then this is for you if you love to Reminisce , what Camber needs a new look or a very expensive makeover .. but what ever the state its in i still love going each year with my kids

Costing £60 for 3 nights Fri-Sun plus an extra £5 supplement for a ground floor Basic chalet, we arrived on Friday at 7.30pm with my husband and 2 toddlers under 5.
Grim was my first impression on entering the delapidated looking camp, depressed, on entering the chalet.
Mouldy shower cubicle, thread bare carpets, the whole place smelt rank.
By Satuday the kids had covered all the available (basic) activities, and by Sunday morning we decided to book out early, vowing never ever to return again.

3 readers found this review helpful

Was allocated Pontins Camber Sands through the Sun deal and in total it ended up costing £100. Like a lot of people after reading the reviews I seriously considered whether to lose the money and just go elsewhere but in the end my husband persuaded me. I must admit when you drive up and see the faded dated main building I was extremely worried which was made even worse when walking into the building there were people outside booking alternative accommodation.
We got our room key at 4pm after a smooth check in and I was suprised to find that the chalet wasnt that bad. Don't get me wrong they are dated however it only cost £100 for 4 nights so I think it was value for money.
A lot of people have complained about the pool but I thought it was great as I they have 2 pools, the main one and then a really shallow pool and when I say shallow my 6 month old could stand up and it came up to her waist so it was fantastic for her and kept her entertained for hours. The entertainment was what you would expect from any holiday camp whether it be pontins or butlins and the entertainment staff were great.
The only thing i didn't like was the restaurant or rather canteen however this wasn't a huge issue as there was a chip shop just outside the main gates which served good food and a lot of variety however it doesn't open on a Wednesday but when we found this out we asked the security guard where else we could get food and he provided us with menus for places that deliver which is what we did.
They are currently in the process of redecorating the chalets inside and out so this should improve things.
Overall had a great time on site and if you drive would recommend going to hastings as they lots to do including a sealife centre (their own version), arcades, fun fair, shops and lots more.

After a long trip we thought it would have been a lot more people at camber sands, as we got our keys we was just given envelope and shown where to go, when we found our chalet, the top of the stairs were badley rusted and a hole, on entering chalet no doors on wardrobes - fire alarm hanging from ceiling, after a day or so sink drainer stared to smell, entertanment was ok but not as good as it has been, to put on shows in such a small bar felt very cramped ( luners ) tiles missing from ceiling and hanging out, no imfomation about upstairs bar being shut, after our holiday and time to leave we just put keys in a box on recption and no thanks or bye from any member of staff, we have had holidays here on and off for 12 years and this is the worst

The accommodation is falling apart, dirty, and massively outdated. It really is as bad as the reviews say, the people who wrote positive reviews must have gotten lucky with the few clean apartments left.
There were vomit stains on the carpets, mould on the curtains, the sofa bed was in pieces, the windows were covered in bird poo, mould on the window frames, rotten wooded frames, paint peeling off, toilet hadn't even been flushed let alone cleaned, I could go on and on.
Do yourself a favour and stay away, even though I complained there was no way the staff were ever going to be able rectify the situation without pulling the building down and rebuilding it, it really is that bad.

I have just spent half term at Pontins Camber and have come home feeling very deflated. The entertainmet in the camp was not as it said in the brochure. Seventy activites my backside. Curtains in changing rooms was disgusting, they were filthy dirty. Nothing for teenagers. Only one place to eat during the day, took one look and didnt bother, went to pub and chip shop along the road from the camp for meals.
Same games on every night. Star entertainment not on to 11pm, some of the kids entainment not on till 8.45pm.
Then walking back to chalet found a condom stuck to my shoe.
Welcome pack says refund on unused electric cards, not true had five let over no refund
On a positive note, it seems I hit the jackpot my room was clean and basic. Everyone else I spoke to had major complaints about theirs, mainly about dirty chalets.
But after all that I must praise the Bluecoats, they were great, very friendly and great with the kids.
I would not go there again until they cleaned up and reviewed their entertainment programme and improved the canteen and added more places to eat, plus open the icecream parlour on the hottest days of the years.

1 reader found this review helpful

we went on holiday here as part of the sun holiday offers and we were really unhappy as when we got there the room was filthy with bits of food ect left on the floor, mold on the curtains, a broken door on the boys room and a horrible sofa bed which dipped in the middle as it was broken. My partner complained and we were told someone would come but no one did until 10pm that night when we were in bed due to having tired boys and he said someone would come between 9 n 10am but no one came until 3.30 the next day. she hovered but it was still the same, To top the holiday off on Thursday morning my son picked up the teapot which we hadn't used all week as don't drink tea and there was this liquid in there with a white top on it was vile, The best thing was the beach and the zoo. never will be going back. We also had the electric coupon things and didn't use a single one as there was £5 on meter already and asked for money back and was told we couldn't as paid for them in the sun offer.

2 readers found this review helpful

I have just returned from a holiday at Pontins in Camber Sands. The holiday was due to start today and end Friday. I entered our apartment at 16.30hrs and drove away with a full refund by 17.30hrs. I have never seen so much filth in 1 place in all my life. All of the Walls had dried food smeared all over them. The bed had the bottom hanging off and the mattress was urine soaked.there was dried blood all down the door frame. A masses hole in the carpet, another hole in the side of the bath. Kitchen sink full of debris of some kind. The dinning room chairs was full of dried food. The light switches full of muck, all the mentioned are to name but a few of the filthy things in this apartment! The whole place needs to be closed down.
There was also a member of Pontins staff spitting in the grass as he was walking across the grass outside the apartments where the children was playing.
I did get a full refund, but waisted £50.00 in petrol traveling there and back and came away with 2 very disappointed children who was looking forward to their holiday!!!