Pontins Hemsby

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 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 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 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 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!

WE went here to celebrate the new yr. we found the accomadition basic but contained all we needed. The beds where made heating on and welcome starter pk on side. The choice of shops where excellent and very resonible priced. All the entertainment was in full swing, blue coats smiling singing and welcoming young and old alike. The entertainment was varied for all ages. New yr came in with fantastic stlye i would recommand to any one. specially drinkers/clubers the bars don't close lol. This is the place to be not a tear from a child could be seen. young r old your sure to have a ball, bring 1 bring all the hall isn't small.

What a disgrace this place is. I relly dont know where to start.
Filthy accomodation, furniture falling apart, total disrepair.
I could not even face having a bath as it was too dirty to even think about cleaning.
Touched the sink and it fell away from the wall.
Had to get a knife in the electric oven to prise open door but then could not face cooking in it. I have stayed in hundreds of hotels and apartments all over the world from the lowest budget and nothing compared to this place.
We slept one night and packed our things and left. A letter of complaint was answered with a waste of time reply. This has put me off Pontins for life

my partener and i went for a w/e prior to our main holiday in july,i have allready sent a letter of complaint to both hemsby and their main office,the whole place is a dump! it is not even basic.we complained how dirty and smelly it was but got no joy,the drinks in the bar were over priced, abottle of wkd blue was 3.40(they are a quid in a supermarket.none of the activities that were advertised took place,i am going back in july because i have allready paid and it is too late to cancel but if things havent improved i will demand my money back and not move from their office until i do!

Worst holiday i have ever been on.Not what it looked like on the website,chalet was dirty beyond belief,nothing to do at all for children (esspecialy a disabled one).came home early as i couldn't stand another night in that place.
STAFF WERE HONEST AS EVEN THEY ADMITTED IT WAS A DUMP.
Staff were polite and helpful.
pool was cold,site was untidy,food overpriced.........enough said

Having booked a holiday for this summer, we took advantage of the cheap weekend break offered as we had booked early. We upgraded to club which we have booked for July.
On arrival, I have to say, we were early, we were keys to our club accomodation. We were dissapointed to find it was dirty, and dated. Even the last occupants underwear was in the drawers.!! The 'complimentary tea and coffee' was 3 teabags and unknown brand coffee sachets. Not the description in the brochure and the small picture of accomodation - well that was nt taken in our chalet!
Much of the site was deserted although it was only the beginning of June.
We have a week booked this July, I know the grandchildren will be dissapointed.