Pontins Hemsby

Having read the reviews on this site prior to going to Pontins Hemsby, I was a bit apprehensive. However on arrival to our appartment (Budget), I was pleasently supprised. Overall the apartment was fairly clean, however the sofa bed could have done with a bit of a dust.
We got our selves £5 worth of electric but used no more than £2 worth. This was used for lighting, heat and cooking as well as the tv hair straightners etc.
Overall i would say that this holiday was good value at £89.50 from pontins direct for two people and 4 nights 5 days.

We have just arrived home from this camp earlier today.I can honestly say this place is exactly as I remember it when my parents took us there 35 years ago!The overall holiday was quite good,mainly because we went out all day every day.believe me,the previous contributors comments regarding the accomodation are no exaggeration.our chalet,(used in the very loosest of terms),smelt as we opened the door and once inside the overwhelming smell of damp mixed with stale urine was quite vile.Without even unpacking we went to reception to ask about changing chalet and were told this was the height of the season and not possible.Not wanting to disappoint our children we went out and bought lots of cleaning products and spent the next two hours scrubbing the filthy pit.Among the problems we had were mould all round the bath,mouldy shower curtain,stained,lumpy sofa,dirty cutlery,crockery.Be warned if you are used to your home comforts this is not the place for you!!!just to add to our great experience the parking is so tight that someone kindly put a lovely big scratch down our car as they backed out.So finally if it was you and you are reading this,thanks very much for just driving off.I would wish something nasty to happen to you but staying at Pontins Hemsby is probably enough pennancefor any poor sod.Just to add ,dont bother complaining to the dut manager at the camp because you really get the impression she has heard it all many times before- which I dont doubt for one minute!!!

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, 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 & 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 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 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 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 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 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.