Reviews of Pontins Hemsby, Norfolk, England

I was very shocked to read the...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2007

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mr A Williamson

Comments:

I was very shocked to read the reviews on this website as me and my family have visited Pontins Hemsby quite a few times and never had any problems... by the look of most of these reviews it seems like Some people go on holiday to do nothing but moan and complain and by some of the reviews it seems that some people thought they had booked at a 5 star hotel. A lot of the reviews made me laugh as I imagine the miserable faces as they walk around moaning about anything and everything and trying to get refunds,



My stay was good, it was clean, friendly and had lots of things for the kids to do. My kids spent most of the time in the pool where they were entertained and watched safely which gave me time to relax. The food was very nice and the entertainment was very enjoyable. The staff work very hard and are very friendly,



I will definitely be going again.

This site is like stepping back...

Overall Rating:

6/10

Board Basis:

Room Only

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2005

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mr P Crossdale

Comments:

This site is like stepping back into the 1980's - Little seems to have changed from my memories of this site as a child!



The budget accommodation does not appear to have been painted since this time and the carpet is in full need of replacement! Hemsby itself is also not the best resort to stay in - unless your ideal holiday consists of Chip shops and Arcades!



The entertainment on site wasn’t too bad to be fair but make sure you don’t book budget accommodation if you do visit! Also the site is a little walk from Hemsby centre - not the best if you have a pushchair!!!

If you would like a 1950's style...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Miss T Alderman

Comments:

If you would like a 1950's style holiday, this is the one for you.



All chalets (excluding Club - which we were in) were "Hi D Hi" style, flaking paint on exterior and shabby looking and as for the club house (main venue for family entertainment) was so disgusting we only managed (with difficulty and constant heaving) to stay in there for half an hour.



As soon as you approach the room from the amusements (also not very pleasant smelling) the smell is overpowering! It is a mixture of sweaty feet, damp and very musty. Even the children didn't want to stay in there, they couldn't stand the smell.



We had upgraded to Club (the best chalets on offer) and to be honest that was what I would expect as standard/basic accommodation. The kitchen wasn't very nice or clean and the bathroom was disgusting.



The bedrooms smelt of cats pee and the main living room floor was dirty and stained, dust was thick and everywhere, the curtains were hanging off of the rails and I could go on and on, the list is never ending!



We left a day early (only booked a three day break), and spent what time we had there off site and in Great Yarmouth. Thank heavens we were driving. If you were going to consider this holiday without a car, DON’T!

I don't know about a holiday...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2007

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Ms V Smith

Comments:

I don't know about a holiday camp it looks more like a prison camp, the chalet was dirty and felt damp.



The club house and bar was much the same. Parking on arrival was horrendous and it took 2 hours to obtain keys to chalet. The club house is too small to accommodate the capacity of people never able to sit down.



We never stayed on the camp after the second day we found a nice holiday camp up the road with great entertainment in the evening which was clean and friendly. We can only describe the experience at Hemsby as horrible.



A place we will never return to, it has put us off Pontins for life.

Booked a two night break...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mrs T Bartram

Comments:

Booked a two night break 03/09/07 to 05/09/07. Only stayed the one night in the end. Arrived expecting the worst after reading the reviews but still thought that as long as it was clean the kids (age 1 & 5 yrs) would enjoy it. What a mistake!!



On reaching our room we found it uncleaned, the carpet was very very worn out and covered in bits and stains. The bath was unclean with rust around the taps, the toilet cistern had been leaking and growing mould around it and the seat was broken. In the kitchen the fridge was dirty and there was stains of food running down the walls, there was tiny black droppings of some kind in the knife box draws.



Asked to be moved and was offered in total three other rooms but after traipsing around half the site to find them in just as bad condition, we asked if we could have an hoover and some cleaning equipment they sent the cleaner back into our first room and it was cleaned slightly!



We decided to have a night in the club house which the 5 yr old loved and no problems there at all. Then the restaurant! Steak meal £8.95 x2 . A fatty piece of meat burnt underneath and crunchy over cooked fries (not chips like advertised) . The staff (kids) never once can over to see if everything was OK. Only coming to clear tables when customers had left!



Went back to our room looking forward to a good day in Yarmouth, then came the nightmare bed! Kids in a room with 2 singles small but ok, ours was the foldaway bed settee, which was bent and the springs were half broken. My hubby said he wouldn't let our dog sleep on that! We suffered the night and woke to neck and back aches which in turn ruined our day in Yarmouth. Decided to return home.



I swear on my kids life that this is no holiday camp. I will never return to any Pontins again. Bourn Leisure hols so so much better.

Went to Pontins in Hemsby with...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2007

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

pollyan

Comments:

Went to Pontins in Hemsby with open mind what it was going to be like, but I was very surprised the room was very clean we went in club class.



It felt very safe with the big fence round you had to get a ticket to get in and out.



The entertainment was great. They did all different sports the swimming pool was a bit dated but ok. The beach was a short walk away.

Originally booked to go to...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Room Only

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2007

Tour Operator:

Sun Newspaper Holidays

Submitted By:

Ms C Barber

Comments:

Originally booked to go to Pontins Camber Sands but after reading reviews, actually visiting the place and confirming that the bad reviews are true and reading more reviews decided to either not go and lose the money or change to a different park.



Decided to change to Hemsby in Norfolk which is nearer to home as we live in Suffolk and paid extra to upgrade from budget to classic as that was all they had available. We went with very low expectations and expected to return home early but were pleasantly surprised. First impressions as we entered the park were that the grounds and external buildings looked well kept. Checked in very easily by friendly reception staff. Drove to our chalet and was able to park the car in a nice parking area in front of our chalet block.



Our chalet was really clean the carpets, kitchen and bathroom looked practically new and the bed linen was spotless. I took lots of cleaning equipment with me in preparation but did not need to use it.



There is so much to do there, a weekend was not long enough. The staff on the site are all polite, friendly and helpful, even in the shop. I asked at reception if I could have another double duvet to put on the plastic mattress on the sofa bed and when we returned to the chalet later it was there.



The bluecoats and PGL staff are brilliant and work really hard and obviously love their jobs, it shows. There are so many activities to choose from, some are free such as swimming (nice pool) quad bikes, go-carts and some you pay for such as climbing wall, zip wire, raft building plus loads more.



To sum it up please dont go to Camber Sands go to Hemsby instead. We would defintely return.

After hearing many bad reports...

Overall Rating:

4/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2007

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mrs L Kelsall

Comments:

After hearing many bad reports on the budget accomodation at Pontins, I decided to book Classic. When we arrived at Pontins though everything looked faded and in need of paint.



Were given the keys to a chalet that hadn't been cleaned, but the girl on reception was very apologetic and we were given another chalet. This chalet was clean and basic, wouldn't reccomend the bed settee to anyone. I only lasted 2 nights on it then slept on single bed with my 2 year old.



Didn't see much entertainment during the day as would have depressed me if I stayed there all day.



The smell in all facilities was musty and damp, the grey carpet in the amusement arcade actually was supposed to be NAVY!!



The evening entertainment for the kids was fine, bluecoats did put on a good show and included all the characters.



Would visit Hemsby, Caister and Great Yarmouth again as the coast was beautiful but think I'll stick with Haven!

Arrived at Pontins Hemsby at...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2007

Tour Operator:

Accommodation2u

Submitted By:

Mr M Marrable

Comments:

Arrived at Pontins Hemsby at 11.30pm with my family five children 3 of which are under five.



On entering the chalet there were cigarette butts on the carpet, the carpets were dirty, the beds wasn’t much better. It smelt terrible even though the windows had been left open.



The bath was dirty, if you could call it a bath, it was just a bit bigger than a sink. There was no one to complain to other than the 2 staff at the front gate and we were told that there was nothing else available.



So after driving up from London we had no choice but to head straight back home with 5 upset children. We have complained since arriving home and requested a refund but the staff were not very helpful. I will now put this in writing. This is not worth rating.

If you think that £200 for a...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2007

Tour Operator:

Booked direct

Submitted By:

Mr N Wild

Comments:

If you think that £200 for a holiday is over the top then you probably won't want to go here.



I took my family, 6 of us in total, for 4 days and we all had a great time. The things that were a disappointment were out of Pontins control. Poor weather and traffic jams.



We stayed in a Classic apartment which could have done with a face lift, but it wasn't smelly etc. The sofa bed wasn't like home, but surely that's part of being on holiday. The kids fought over the bedrooms!



Get out and about, Hemsby is great. Get burgers from the little place near the beach, the people were helpful and the food was cheap. Go to Caesar's for the amusements. Loads of 2p machines will keep the kids happy and they get to collect the all important tickets to swap for rubbish prizes at the end of the holiday.



On the camp, play tennis, football on the sports field and go swimming. Let the kids mooch about as the security on the main gate is excellent and the guard seemed to always be happy, which can't be true. Maybe he is Father Christmas doing a summer job. Be careful of the Gestapo security in the clubs and pub though. I think the power may have gone to some heads.



I'm not going to go on and on. In the end I didn't pay thousands of pounds and expect to be in the Bahamas and got what I paid for, which was a great week spent with my family, not having to worry about what to do next. If you had a bad time at Pontins then I wouldn't go again as I think you may be aiming to high!

Booked holiday with large...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

Select

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2007

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mrs LT Osborne

Comments:

Booked holiday with large family, 30 of us altogether, through my sister in law who has been to Pontins before and had enjoyed her stay. The holiday was in memory of my father who recently passed away from cancer. The accommodation was very basic and dirty, but we persevered and just got on with it with many days off the camp site. The entertainment was not really up to a standard that should have been expected for the amount of money paid. A better time would have been had by going abroad. It was ran by mere kids.



The security is not as should be expected although there is 24 hour guard on the main gate. We were burgled on the last night, apparently there were three on the same night and the person had a MASTER KEY! Police are currently investigating and full complaints are in progress. The issues are:- Did the burglars make a copy of the key? Are children at risk of being taken in the night? How long has it been going on for? As only little things were taken, such as hats, camera, filofax and temporary tattoos. Probably an opportunist but where did they get a MASTER KEY FROM, we complained to Pontins reception who just gave us head office details to complain.



I am in the process of doing this at the moment watch this space for update of incident and please be extra vigilant when booking at Pontins. Keep all your belongings with you and ensure that your doors are locked and secured of a night. The staff were not really helpful.

Pontins at Hemsby is the worse...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

Room Only

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2007

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Ms V.M SMITH

Comments:

Pontins at Hemsby is the worse holiday camp we have ever been to. We had a

chalet for 6, it was dirty and damp. The entertainment was terrible, and so loud you couldn't hear yourself speak, adult entertainment on to late, not enough tables and chairs - loads of people standing. The whole place needs a good clean, staff unhelpful, checking in on arrival took over an hour.



Hemsby has put us off Pontins for life.

We went to Pontins in Hemsby....

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2007

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

pollyan

Photos:

Comments:

We went to Pontins in Hemsby. On approach to it , it did look like a prison camp but we had booked club class and the room was great, I must say it is secure. You have a man on the gate to who won't let you in or out unless you produce your ticket.



The room had patio windows and looked out on to a big grass square so the children could play safely. They had all sorts of sports to do . There was a lovely pub called the California about a 10 min drive away - it did lovely food. I would be going back next year.

Excellent. I thought it was all...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2007

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Miss S Walker

Comments:

Excellent. I thought it was all great. My kids loved it. The blues were great with them and so helpful. Even the bar staff were helpful.



The only prob I had was the very sticky tables in the restaurant but all in all fab!



I recommend going if you have a low budget and are a single parent or a low income family. Good entertainment for all, so enjoy.

We booked a 4 night stay at...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2007

Tour Operator:

Sun Newspaper

Submitted By:

Mr B Inckle

Comments:

We booked a 4 night stay at Pontins at Hemsby in Norfolk through the Sun newspaper offer after collecting tokens. The stay only cost £90.00, which included linen and a service charge.



The accommodation was classed as budget. Although the room was ready for a makeover, we found it to be clean and comfortable. The bed linen was fresh and clean and the bed was very comfortable.



On site facilities were good, with excellent entertainment in the club. The "Victoria" pub was good if you wanted a quiet night out where you could chat with your drinks. Drinks prices were quite high, but to be expected on a holiday site.



The Pontins staff were helpful and friendly. All in all the holiday was good value for money.