Reviews of Pontins Prestatyn Sands, Denbighshire

Mon to Friday, first week in July - 6 of us in a budget room. First impressions - it's a prison camp! Concrete rectangles with windows in them, 2 levels, concrete steps up at each end.



On arrival we registered at the reception but had to wait in the "Fun Factory" until 4 pm to collect the keys - basically the entertainment area with an amusement arcade, stage etc, and with numerous bars selling 2 pints for over £7! Extremely loud PA, with a group of 18-25 year olds dancing about on the stage whilst trying to make the key collection countdown sound like a major entertainment event.. it isn't we just wanted our keys.



Anyway, we got into the room to be confronted by a hanging off wardrobe door directly in the entrance, filthy windows, especially the kitchen, stained / burnt carpet, worn out sofa bed with splits and tears in it ( we took an airbed and put it on top - if you don't you wont get any sleep! ), a turquiose bath suite, and plastic school-type stacker chairs with the coating picked off the legs - you'll recognise them from your youth.



However, everything (except windows) was clean, worked, and for less than £7 each a day we didn't expect anything other than somewhere to sleep. Once I got past the initial "oh no" I was actually quite happy with it overall. A quick trip to the local Asda at Rhyll sorted us out with a plastic shower and pipes to push onto the bath taps, and off we went. Only niggle we found was the smoke alarm.. right next to the door but even with the door and adjacent window open nd the cooker being as far away as was possible it went off every single time we used the grill for some bacon for breakfast. Far far too sensitive, and you could hear them going off all over the camp. Better safe than sorry though, and only a minor issue.



During the week we used the pool, which was excellent, and went to the "fun factory" only one night, while there was a karaoke on. Had a laugh but expect to pay £3.50 plus for each drink. Lots of stuff for the kids to do on camp, such as play areas etc. but most of your time will be spent off-site. I can recommend Electric Mountain and Llanberis - 60 mins drive and £20 for a family, but if you like "big stuff" then this power station is fabulous.



Beach near the park is far far better than the ones down the coast, it's all sand and no stones, the others are the opposite. Rhyll is a derelict disaster area with boarded up and burnt out hotels, closed shops etc., but get past those and it's a typical tourist beach resort with Chinese takeaways and amusements.



Do a bit of driving and spend minimal time at the the camp, and it'll be a good week - we all enjoyed it and I'd go back with the kids if I could have a proper bed this time!

We have been 2 prestatyn sands for 3 years now and i must say this has been the best year yet.We upgraded 2 club and were situated right outside the PGL tower .the appartment was larger than buget had better kitchen appliances and laminate floor which is easier 2 keep clean .the cleanliness of the appartmants could be better but please bear in mind these buildings are very well used so keep an open mind . my 2 boys are nearly 10 and very active and this year had out grown the blue coats this is where the pgl staff take over, they are a bunch of fun loving crazy people they have lots of patience when dealing with kids that get scared with heights .Alex got the thumbs up with my kids , he made them feel fantastic ,we were all sad 2 leave .pontins 810. PGL 1010

Just returned from this site after 4 night stay,on arrival security very good,had to wait at reception for the key to the appartment , stayed in classic,the appartment was reasonably clean apart from the windows they looked like they had never been cleaned.The park was fine apart from most of the things were closed,the shop was ok but a bit on the pricey side for some things,but two minutes around the corner was a little shop,Prestatyn was only 5 minutes in the car.Plenty of things for kids but not enough for adults.We tried this site but don:t think we will go back much prefere Haven sites

just got back off holiday, have a fanstatic time, room were clean, blue coats were friendly.

the kids really enjoyed it apart from the weather but thats england for you, i defo looking to book for next year.

We have just got back from Prestatyn Sands, Pontins. We booked the holiday with 2 other families. We thought that we were going to have a great time.

The first day we were told that some of the children were too small to go on anything, my friends 4 year old son was allowed on 1 ride. My son was 7 and was too young and was just slight of the 4ft guide line whereas my friends 8 year old daughter was old enough but was too small at 3an a half foot.

We decided to take them inside to captain crock adventure land, upon arriving there the children started to play in the ball pit and were told off for being too loud so we vacated, leaving the room empty so they had no children in the room. I was utterly annoyed so I went to complain at reception and it was basically like talking to a child who didnt understand, no apology or nothing.

Most entertainment was for gamblers or alcoholics but nothing much on in the form of entertainment itself, we dont drink and the arcades were boring. The kids complained they were bored.

Anyway to top it all off when we complained yet again on wed, no luck and on thurs we made formal complaint when a blue coat told my child he was too loud, he is deaf and shouts a lot any way, she could see his hearing aids. Then we were told it should have been a shut down week so most activities were closed but we were not informed or offered a change of week.

We left a day early and the kids were fine about it, they wanted to go, i'm going to write and complain. Hopefully i might get an answer or apology for our spoilt holiday.



Sorry it was long, Tinkers x

I am only giving a 1 because there is no zero or minus to give.

Well myself and my sister in law booked with Pontins to go and watch my neices dance on 25th April. We were booked Friday until Monday.



Due to the state of the room AND them saying we would be charged to upgrade i took a blow up bed, own pillow, sleeping bag, plates, cutlery, microwave and even took my own cleaning things to clean the place so we could atleast use the sink and bath.



The carpets were sticky, there was blood on one of the curtains, bath was disgusting but hey the loo was clean. Food on the plates and that much dust the kids were fighting over who had the biggest pile.



Two of the other ladies from our group complained and got £10 in electricity and got moved rooms with a charge of £10 each. We were told there were no other rooms except the ones these other two ladies had left and when i saw the cleaner coming from one of their rooms for the 2nd time i was disgusted to see the colour of the water he poured down the drain AND THIS WAS A SECOND CLEANING.



The drinks were over priced so was the food and the staff just laugh like they are used to hearing what your saying. Its pathetic.



The lady who runs my neices troop was biten so badly the bites became infected and she had to seek medical advice on her return home.



We were utterly appalled and after complaining again we were told by the staff they had been taken over and the new owners are fully aware of the state of the place they are hoping the new owners are going to clean it up a bit. My advice would be demolish it and start again.

ive been going to pontins for the past 29years for the darts what a great 4 days we have.chalets we stay in are clean got everything in them we need.a holiday is what you make it.as long as you have a bed,bath,cooker+fridge for your beer what else do you need.ive got 4 kids they love it there.

Well, we have just been back for a long weekend and what a change! It was much quieter than in October, but our Club apartment bathroom could have been cleaner. The underneath of the toilet seat left a lot to be desired! There was crockery for 3 instead of 4, not enough towels. All minor, but annoying things.

The main change was in the activities. WHERE HAVE THEY ALL GONE?? Since October, the fencing, aeroball, rifles, soccer stars, raft building, water polo plus more have been taken off! Granted the sessions are longer now, but you have to pay for them ALL so it can be expensive. The programme we were given didn't run as planned and the management really need to replace the carpet in the Lunar Bar. It still smells of wet dog!

I checked out the budget accommodation whilst there and can't believe what people are expected to stay in. Black plasticky floors, worn, rusting fridges and a TV that looks as though it belonged on Antiques Roadshow.

The kids enjoyed it, but I think that is the last time we will go there.

On the plus side, the Bluecoats and the PGL staff especially were great with the kids.

The swimming pool could do with being open later too. 5pm close is too early.

Or is it a ploy - finish activities early to get us in the BAR??

I have just returned from a Holiday from hell at Pontins Prestatyn. Having been to Brean Sands in the 80,s I was confident things would be similar, with our 2 Grandchildren aged 7 & 5 yrs. The cleanliness of the chalet was a disgrace and dirty. The Bathroom appeared not to have been cleaned since last Summer. Thick dirt was lodged behind both taps of the Bath ,the soapholder had flaked paint droppings from a hurried ceiling artexing. We were not even in Budget accommodation but Classic ,God only knows what Budget must be like. Whilst at one of the only free things at the Camp i.e. the Swimming Pool, it was difficult to breathe as all the windows were masked with condensation and all windows closed. It appeared to me that the whole Camp has been geared towards Snooker. I certainly would not return if the Holiday was free. To cap it all the 7 yr old "lost" his wallett with £17 in it .Was it handed into Lost Property? what do you think!

After worrying about arriving later than expected, we called ahead as we were worried about not getting access to the entertainment. We were assured this would not be a problem, and then arrived two hours earlier than we had anticpated. Access Denied. We quoted name of CS manager who had assured us everything was OK even if we were a further 2 hours late and the bouncer took great joy in laughing in our faces.



With dismayed children we retreated to our Caravan that stank of canine, A begrudging cleaner came in the morning and hoovered and sprayed air freshener which lasted 2 minutes. The rest of our break was living with this stench (I am not exagerating).



Everything about the camp itself was horrible, albeit the kids still managed to have fun.



Outside of the camp is a totally different experience, the beach was nothing short of breathtaking and the surrounding dunes. The local villages has great shops and lovely pubs.



The camp itself was a nightmare - try it for yourselves, go in and have a look. There was no security and keys were left in a bowl on reception - grab a set and have a browse for yourself.



I would have given this dump a 0/10 if it wasn't for Prestatyn itself redeeming this anti-haven.

Whilst this wasn't really habitable, it wasn't as bad as I was led to believe. The skirting boards in our Chalet was filthy and the floor hadn't been swept in some time. The Linen was spotless however, and astonishingly, so were the mattresses.



The Staff outside the Reception area were very friendly, and made us feel at home. The staff behind the reception were nothing short of a disgrace, laughing at customer’s woes, and not going to any lengths to hide it. They must be allowed however, as the Manager often joined in.



Avoid the on-site shop like the plague, they know they have you trapped, and the minute you see a bottle of Pepsi at £2 you'll know what I mean. Prestatyn Town is only 5 minutes away - thank goodness.



Overall fun was had by all, and would go again. I know it was cheap so can't expect too much, but I don't think I should of had to clean the floors.



Avoid offers in leaflets given when checking in - 3 for 2's sort of thing. If you take them up - you just paid 50 times what the goods cost them, and fell into the marketing trap they want you to. Take everything you can with you, that you think you'll need, because dare you forget it, you will be firmly punished by their tariff regime.

The 5 would be for the chalets. Very basic, very dirty. The staff were lovely, all young and friendly. Loads to do for children, all free. The crazy golf was the best I have seen and free. The pool was dirty and no slides. The shows were good and the hoy bingo was fun, if they still do it. The beach wasn’t great, a lot of jellyfish. It’s a base, great to stay and sightsee Wales.



I would recommend booking Haven. Its 5 mins away from this site, much cleaner and better pool. If Pontins put some money into doing up their chalets and pool. They would give haven a run for their money.

First time at Pontins. Was dreading it and on arrival wondered what we had come to. Rows and rows of chalets. Booked Club Class which was ok, but still basic. Dread to think what Budget was like. Clean and bedding spotless, but very small with horrid plastic dining chairs. PGL staff lovely to the kids. Queues to book activities long at times.



Food in Beachcomber diner nice but the eateries all close far too early including the chippy which closes at 7pm. The sofa bed was a nightmare to sleep on with it's springs poking through. Asked for another but none arrived.



Evening entertainment ran late persistently which lead me to think that it was a ploy to get you to spend more at the bar! Drink availability limited i.e no rose wine! Lunar bar smelled like a wet dog. Sticky grubby carpets galore!



Hire of bikes and Go-karts extortionate-£8 for 30 mins!! and my daughter injured herself on a faulty one. Had to report it twice before anything was done. However, the kids loved all the activities available and the PGL and Bluecoats did their best to ensure they had a good time. And if the kids are happy then so am I!

We paid almost £400 for 3 nights self catering in club accommodation expecting top of the range, instead I thought that I'd arrived on the Chatsworth estate set in shameless.



The accommodation was very basic and small, looked like a council estate, very dated. Food typical canteen style. Entertainment limited. Not much to do if your under 3 and over 6. Could do with a complete re-vamp, stuck in a time warp. Lacking Cinema, Bowling Alley, Funfair, but maybe I'm comparing to much with Butlins.



Could not have stayed longer than 3 nights as we were seriously lacking sleep due to noisy teenagers waking us up about 5 times in the night till 4 in the morning shouting and playing football, also bit boring doing the same thing every night i.e arcade, entertainment if you can get a seat. Soft play area. Very under staffed.



Would I Stay here again, definitely NO. I would rather camp out in my back garden. Good Points, Beach Close. Bad points, price, accommodation standards, lack of entertainment and food.

I have just returned from a week at the site.



The accommodation was very clean and tidy. The staff were all very helpful. There was plenty to occupy yourselves with. We were a family of 4 ranging from 17 - 52. We had the 2 bed budget accommodation on the first floor.



The entertainment was brilliant especially Nikki and Matt, they did not want us to leave on our last day there.



We would definitely go back again.



Well done to all the staff.