Reviews of Pontins Hemsby, Norfolk, England

on arrival staff were pleasant....

Overall Rating:

5/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

pontins

Submitted By:

Angela Dickson

Comments:

on arrival staff were pleasant.

the chalet was away from the recepton

the room was not very tidy or clean

but staff were polite

children entertainment not as good as used to be

Pontins in Hemsby is a dreadful,...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mrs A Norris

Comments:

Pontins in Hemsby is a dreadful, grubby, smelly hellhole. The chalet was filthy and smelly. Thankfully we had a full 7 days of good weather so we managed to stay out of the chalet for most of the daylight hours. The main entertainment hall stinks of hundreds of unwashed feet and body odour. It's a miserable place for a holiday and I'm determined to make sure everyone I know never goes there. How they justified charging us almost £500 I can't imagine. How anyone could be pleased with the level of cleanliness is beyond me. I'm by no means a clean freak and if I was very disappointed with the chalet then most people would be too. Believe me, the reviews that slate this place are by normal people. If you've booked already demand a refund. They won't update unless they are forced into it by lack of bookings. I waited all year for a holiday and this was the most disappointing holiday of my life by a long way. One day we were in the small children's play area and the member of staff that was supposed to be supervising everything was READING THE SUN. At one point a girl came out of the soft play area and showed the member of staff a red area on her arm where she'd bashed it while she was playing. The member of staff looked up and said 'oh' and then looked down again to her paper. This was the day before we left and I just kept thinking 'come on Pontins, do ONE thing right, impress me somehow before I leave this squalid dump' but no, they didn't. You can't move without being disappointed. They have no recycling facilities, they only sell white bread in the shop. Come along Pontins it's 2008 for crying out loud! Stop treating your customers like imbeciles.

Accommodation was very basic...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mr U R BROWN

Comments:

Accommodation was very basic & in desperate need of an update however it was clean & tidy.

I would like to comment on the senior management of Pontins Hemsby in particular the so called general manager,catering manager & life guard.

Myself & my family witnessed the said 3 engaging in all sorts of unsavoury fowl mouthed antics at the bar in the fun factory.

When i made some discreet enquiries was astonished to find out who these drunken foul mouthed idiots were.

If thats the sort of example set by the general manager its no wonder Hemsby Pontins has got such a bad reputation.

As well as the centre needing an update how about revamping the so called management?

An absolute disgrace!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, i know some of the people...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Miss V Irving

Comments:

Ok, i know some of the people that have visiting pontins think its a dunmp BUT i dont think it's that bad!

Yes the club apartment we stayed in was a bit dirty and very dated but i thought the entertainment and the staff were fantastic!

Ther is PLENTY of things for the children to do, listing some things:

Go-karts

Zip wire

H20 zone

Abseiling

Rockcliming

Quad bikes

Arcades

Crazy golf

Tennis

Fun bikes

and LOADS more that if i carry on i it'll take up too much room!

There is also a playarea for children aged 8 and below!

The evening entertainment was brilliant the bluecoats are amazing and VERY friendly like the staff!!

I will admit the restraunt is a bit dirty and the service is slow but you cannot tell me that that is the only restraunt like it that you have visited!! I agree with most people that it does need a makeover but apart from all that it is a REALLY GOOD place to go!!!!

Very friendly towards kids and adults! I must also say that we have been going for over 10 years and have had no problems what so ever this is the only time it has been like this (only a bit drty). I also need to say that the new year breaks are the best ones to go for!! Well planned and really entertaining on new years eve/early hours of new years day you get entertainment all the way through it and it is well worth the money!!!

I really enjoyed my stay at pontins, hemsby and would certainly go again!!



AND for the people that hate the place : not everywhere is perfect and at least you have tried it and not want to go again BUT please dont ruin it for others by saying 'dont go' or 'i would recommend you not to go' just because you dont like it , it doesnt mean to say you can spoil it for others that may be looking forward to going but their hopes spoilt because of the rveiws!

what a dump the chalets are...

Overall Rating:

2/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

pontins direct

Submitted By:

Miss D Langton

Comments:

what a dump the chalets are rubbish and so dated its unreal the sofa beds are so uncomfortable the plastic matress sticks to you through the sheets the springs stick in your back the the club house was packed you could not get a seat unless you stood outside and waited about 5pm for a seat for the night [we did not drink on site at all went out all the time to richardsons site brillant site]the food well fish and chip shop charging 285 for a pie 150 for small tray of chips 80 pence for a fish cake [i have never seen one so small the whole site is rubbish dont go

After reading the reviews on...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Pontins

Submitted By:

Miss SJ Daniels

Comments:

After reading the reviews on this site i was dreading the holiday that my partner and myself had booked for us and our 2 children (aged 12 and 16 months)



But we were very pleasantly surprised- yes the chalet ( classic) was old and dated but it was clean, tidy and contained everything we needed for our week away



The on site entertainment was good, there was enough to entertain both of our children - swimming pool, little tykes play area, outdoor swing area arcades etc and the beach and arcades at Hemsby seafront were only a 10 minute walk away



The on site shop was handy, if a little expensive, and the evening entertainment was ok too -

my 16 month old loved the postman Pat show on the Saturday night



The only negative points really were check in on Saturday afternoon - it took us almost half an hour of waiting in the queue to receive our keys , and like a few reviewers have said the sofa bed isn't the most comfortable !



But we had a good holiday and would return there again, in fact we didn't want to leave on Saturday !

I went to this park with my...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

£15.00 Sun Holiday

Submitted By:

Ms M K

Comments:

I went to this park with my partner and two children. Having read the reviews, I was pleasantly surprised! Our apartment was a bit dated but it was clean and in line with what we required, and we had no problems with it.



There were a few minus points, though. The Fun Factory smells of sweaty feet. Yes, really! Also, if you return to the park later in the evening it can be hard to find a parking space. The service in the restaurant was slow (something that needs to be taken into account if you are in a hurry), and the on-site shop was VERY expensive. The Fun Factory gets packed (despite the smell of feet) and if you don't have a table by the time the bingo starts you might as well abandon all hope.



On the plus side, the swimming pool was clean, and the children loved it. The staff we had dealings with were pleasant and helpful. The site appears to have had a bit of a makeover recently, and the plants really do brighten it up.



We went to Pontins at Camber Sands earlier this year and I have to say that I found Hemsby to be far superior in terms of cleanliness and site layout. We would certainly consider holidaying there again.

Booked classic mid range...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

pontins direct

Submitted By:

Mr J Gale

Comments:

Booked classic mid range appartment. Was shocked on arrival mattress was so dirty had to cover with travel rugs from car before i dare sleep on it. Settee in lounge thread bear just a nightmare overall booked 4 night stay was greatful to leave after one night Dont risk it needs a lot of money and updating overall a nightmare. On arrival had to wait over 1 hour to book in and generally felt the whole complex was dirty and in need of much work to bring up to date.

Having stayed in Hemsby in my...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mr J Finday

Comments:

Having stayed in Hemsby in my childhood with the Belle Aire site, (just 200 yards from Pontins) I was looking forward to taking my family for a short break, to relive the fun I had as a child within Hemsby and Gt Yarmouth. Three and half hours driving from Humberside to Norfolk, we arrived at Pontins Hemsby. Arrived early so we had to wait until 4pm to get the keys etc. Had a short trip into Hemsby village which put us all in a good mood after having some fun in the amusements.



When we received our keys to the Chalet no. 35 on the park. We made our way towards the Chalet block. We were able to park outside the Chalet which I thought was a positive start. All of this pleasant attitude soon went away when we opened the door to the Chalet. Oh dear! A distinctive smell of damp could be sensed when the door was opened. The carpeted area had not been vacuumed, crumbs from the previous occupiers remained along with iron burns on the carpet. My two year old son opened the door to the shamelessly titled wardrobe in the main living space only to find a plate, which contained pieces of stale, chocolate cake, luckily I was able to get this away before he thought about taking a bite. Meanwhile my wife was opening the travel cot we had hired for our youngest son (6 months), upon opening this up we found yet again broken chocolate on the mat of the travel cot. These all indicate that the Chalet had not been cleaned prior to our arrival and the travel cot had not been checked prior to re-hiring to others.



Time to complain, I telephoned the front desk regarding the above and was told that someone shall attend immediately. A lady attended with a new plate, however, no sign of an apology. A new travel cot was granted all be it after more complaints. There was no offer to move to another Chalet. The evening entertainment was a joke, good job I had whiskey at the Chalet to help me sleep on the sofa bed which seemed to have been left over from the fifties or perhaps the Spanish Inquisition. To say this was uncomfortable is a tad of an understatement. We could feel each spring sticking into our backs, however we stuck with it and lasted the night. The next day we were off site all day and returned in the evening to find I could not park anywhere near our designated filth box or as Pontins called it a Holiday Chalet.



From the previous evenings episode of springs being dug deeply into our backs "restful" nights sleep we had decided to both sleep in the small bedroom our two year was sleeping in. With my wife top and tail with our son and me in the other lumpy "bed" we tried to sleep, however, being very uncomfortable we remained awake all night. The following morning we decided to leave 'Cell block H' or Pontins as the signs told me, a whole day early and head for the comfort of our own beds. Upon checking out I asked to speak to the Duty Manager, although she was helpful and very apologetic, the only excuse was to say they have contracted agency cleaners to attend to the Chalets. Obviously there is no checking of the Chalets before they are occupied by hopeful guests.



Even now as I sit under the glow of my computer monitor typing this edited review I can feel the pain in my back from that sofa bed. My advice to those reading this is to believe the reviews on this site, these are not exaggerated grumblings from people who thought Pontins would be 5 star, these are very accurate accounts of the state of this park. If you must really stay at Pontins, Hemsby and if you can fit them into your car take along a vacuum cleaner, Bleach, Disinfectant and any other cleaning fluids you feel necessary you may just need them!

myself,hubbie and 4 kids stayed...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mrs M Patrick

Comments:

myself,hubbie and 4 kids stayed at pontins hemsby from mon - fri. I wasnt expecting the ritz judging by other reviews so was pleasantly surprised to find a nice clean chalet waiting for us. The only problem we had was with the sofa bed which was extremely uncomfortable and was probably best left to just being a sofa. everything else was great, cooker was spotless and so was kitchen and the bed linen was too. kids beds were comfy they had pine bunk beds.



Reception staff were very friendly and helpful, they let us know we could get a refund on any electric cards we didnt use and had a high chair delivered and man come to adjust our telly within 20 mins of us reporting it.



The entertainment was great, blue coats were stars, brilliant with the kids , they helped me find a lost little girls mummy. The club itself could use a new carpet, it did smell terribly of feet!



Facilities were good, food in the restaurant was lovely and piping hot, we used the coupons given to us in our welcome pack and got two adult meals for £10, kids were £3 and they got drinks and fruit included. The chip shop on site we thought was over priced and not very good quality.



Overall we had a great holiday, but the holiday park could do with re-carpeting and redecorating in the chalets and some new sofa beds! They were painting and potting plants at the entrance which looks lovely, here's hoping theyre planning on doing the whole park. I would holiday there again as i thought we bagged a bargain and the kids loved it.

We booked a 3 night weekend stay...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

rainbowdreams

Comments:

We booked a 3 night weekend stay at Pontins at Hemsby after seeing the promotion in the sun. When we arrived, we were very disapointed at how dated it was. The Carpet in the complex was from the 6o's and worn, there was not much for younger kids to do. The only VERY BASIC INDOOR pool they had was closed!!! And that would have been the only plus thing there if it had been open at all. The chalet was infested with ANTS! And had cobwebs everywhere and the bathroom sink still had toothpaste in from the previous holiday makers, the toilet was leaking and was water all over the bathroom floor. We were moved to another chalet but wasn't until midnight and that chalet was no better, the toilet systen was hanging off and had ciggarette burns on it, the bath was mouldy and rusty! We were offered a 3rd chalet, but as we were supposed to be on holiday we didn't want to spend it moving in and out of chalets!!! we only ended up staying one night and couldn't wait to get out of there.!!!

We had a three night break at...

Overall Rating:

2/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2007

Tour Operator:

Sun £9.50 holidays

Submitted By:

Mr A Green

Comments:

We had a three night break at Pontins Hemsby - we don't like to moan but feel we need to share what we found.



General

The park was old & tired and not at all well maintained - everything was a little shabby -even bearing in mind that we visited at the end of season. All the staff we came across were both friendly & approachable although they did all seem a little weary. The security guard on the gate was a great source of information & always cheery.



Accomodation

The chalet was comfortable, clean & tidy and was not a bad size, although a little basic. We upgraded & do wonder what was on offer for the basic package.



Local area

Hemsby was to all intents & purposes closed for the winter & was a typical small seaside town, lots of souvenir shops, take aways & amusement arcades. There were two fantastic looking crazy golf courses & all four of us spent ages on the fun slide at the small 'amusement park' at the back of town - in fact we were asked to leave when it closed for the night. The beach was great & sandy with a half sunken pill box great to 'explore' and sand dunes to climb up & roll straight back down again.



Catering

The onsite shop was the usual mix of souvenirs, essentials & ready meals - nothing exceptional either way - although the instore 'bakery' had a good variety at most times.

The fish & chip shop was only open 1 night out of three - due to a gas leak on the last night it was closed.

The take away booth / counter had electrical problems and kept 'tripping out' again to the point that it was hardly available on the last night.

The park restaurant ran out of almost everything half way through the last evening, with little choice in the shop as a result.

We were left with no option but to travel offsite in search of food on this last night - fortunately we found a half decent chinese take away a little down the road - thanks go to the security guard at the main gate for that.



Fun & games

We enjoyed the crazy golf - even though it was badly in need of repair. The swimming pool was very basic, but clean, tidy & functional. There were some good bits with the quad biking, cycle hire, climbing wall & tennis being very popular. Amusements, entertainment, bars, pool & games etc were of the expected standard - but everything was just a little tired.



Summary

Apparently this park does not reflect the standards at other Pontins & we have since been advised by other holidaymakers that Hemsby is a site to avoid in favour of others. We managed to have an enjoyable break but do not feel that our hosts did that much toward it. On the whole we prefer caravan accomodation & only settled on this destination as we booked late & little else was available. We won't rush back.

Having read reviews on this site...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

PONTINS

Submitted By:

Mrs D Timms

Comments:

Having read reviews on this site before our 4 night stay at Pontins, Hemsby we were a little sceptical to say the least. Especially with our little Girl who we were concerned would be bored. However, we are pleased to say that the negative comments we read on this site bear no resemblence to the break we had. Ok the accommodation may be a little basic but what do people expect for such low prices?! It was very clean and came with shower, bath, fridge and cooker! All of which were extremely clean!! The Chalet had also been newly decorated. The Park itself has a small amusements aracde, on site laundrette, play area, indoor swimming pool, go karts, and other activities. Plenty for the kids and Adults alike! Also the Evening Entertainment was excellent for children. The Bluecoats kept the yound children very entertained. All staff were very friendly. Definitely a good place to take young Children and great for easy access to Great Yarmouth etc. Hemsby Beach and amusements are a short walk from the site. For a nice Carvery try the Castle Freehouse in Caister. We would definitely consider booking with Pontins again......which we may be doing very, very soon.

hello i am ben from southend, i...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mr B Ward

Comments:

hello i am ben from southend, i was on holiday at pontins in hemsby for a 5 day break, i have been before in one of the lowest chalets and i really did not like it, i went again in the next one up and it was ok, then at the end of june till the 4th july i was in clup, i think the club is the best for a lot of reasons:

1- you get tea bags and coffee.

2-you get towles for your showers,

3-you get a good little welcome pack which contains a little bottle of washing up liquid, a washing up sponge, a towle and a clothe,

4-good range of telly channels. i.e freeview.

5-very comfortable and home welcoming.





on camp there is so much to do for the kids like:

1-mini golf,

2-quad bikes,

3-go karts,

4-tennis,

5-swimming,

6-quad bikes

and much much more.

for the older men and women in the mornig there is aqua fit wich is an exercize in the swimming pool to keep you fit.





in the evening there is bingo to start of the night going on to a bit of party dance, then there are 5 childrens charecters that come out of a night, then they do kids games, after the kids games there is a bit more party dances, then there is a kids show for an hour, then there is some more party songs, following on to the more older peoples show, then there is party songs with the blue coats up on stage helping you, then there are songs to end the night off with following with the last slow dancing songs to close off with.





there are arcades from 9:00am till about 11:30pm, there are some for the adults (over 18's), there are other machines were you win tickets to cash up and win gifts, in the arcades there is a room were the young children can go, there is a play erea in there and computers to play on and colouring in to do in there.





the food at the chip shop is nice but they do not do that much food and it is a bit too dear, £1.50 for a small portion of chips, i think that they could be a bit cheaper, the breakfast lunch and dinners at the on site restaurantare all very nice and you get quite a bit of food there but that is a bit dear aswell, if you could bring the prices down a bit you would have more people ordering more foodand drink, at the bar the drinks are dear there aswell, if you could also bring down the prices for that, then that would be better aswell.





other then the prices of food and drink every think else is perfect, especcially blue coat jayson and blue coat chris, i think you two are very funny and the best there, bluecoat michael should not even be working there because every time i saw him he was dancing with girls half his age and giving his number out to her they was dancing with each other aswell,





as i said everythink else is perfect, espescially for all the single boys and girls, all the boys and girls that go on holiday are perfect, like i saw a girl from canvey island called ronnie, she was perfect and her mum tracey was funny aswell, if only i could have spoke to her when i gave her 100 tickets, if she reads this i hope i can keep in touch, you can talk to me on msn my email address is ben_13_55@hotmail.co.uk,





enough said thank you very much for reading and i hope you enjoy a good break at PONTINS HEMSBY..

My partner booked this as a...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Sun £9.50 holidays

Submitted By:

Mrs V Olayemi

Comments:

My partner booked this as a cheap surprise holiday for us. I don't know who got the biggest surprise. We read the reviews so didn't have high expectation to begin with!



The reception block looked OK (if you like cheap and tacky) but for £15 per head what can you expect we thought. The reception staff were relatively friendly (they already knew our fate so was it pity)



Feeling slightly apprehensive we made our way to the chalet. We turned the key and opened the door..............



having read the reviews we thought we would be prepared.... nothing could have prepared us for what we were faced with.



The hovel (sorry chalet) stunk of stale cigarettes. The carpet was covered in stains as was the walls around the light swtiches. Athough someone had painted the ceiling! The chipboard box (opps the wardrode ) situated in the lounge has big holes in it, the draws were hanging off and out. The lounge/ diner also converted into the master bedrrom via a very tired and despicable pull out sofa bed, ( hence the wardrode, the shaving mirror and light) The dining table and chairs looked as if they had been salvaged from a reclaimation yard.



The bathroom was very blue and tired looking and didn't even have a shower. the bedroom looked like a throw back to the fifties with put up metal beds and a bedside cabinet that should have been burnt 30 years ago. Although the windows had curtains up , many of them were hanging by threads. The window over the front door to the lounge / dining/ master bedroom didn't even have any curtain. As hardened travellers we have found ourselves in many and various enviroments but this one, we feel, will never be beaten.

We stayed less that five minutes. Venturing back to the reception to check out, we voiced our complaints and admittedly were offered an up grade to have a shower in the bathroom. we were informed that none of the chalets had double beds. it took us ten seconds to check out.



To sum up this resort, please believe the reviews and don't under any circumstances bother to venture anywhere near this godforsaken place, stay at home ,light the bbq have some friends around and know that your time has been well spent.



The Sun should also hang their head in shame if they think that this is a suitable venue for their readers!