Pontins Blackpool

4 readers found this review helpful

Ok i may only be 16 but im fed up of reading bad reports about pontins blackpool so thought i should share my experinces!! Me and my family just cant get enough of pontins! Our family consists of my mother who is a single parent, myself and my three year old sister so as you can imagine its hard to get a holiday that pleases us all! We first went to pontins July 07 for a week and when we first arrived we cringed at what we had chosen as a family holiday...how wrong were we! The exterior may be shabby but it is made up tremendously by the fabulous entertainment and work of the bluecoats. I am a very fussy eater but the selection of 'normal' food left me with a choice! Its just like school, you get a tray and help yourself but there is also a salad bar with cold meat and an omlette station where you can have your own omlette made. The enetrtainment every night is amazing and the bluecoat shows are first class! We have since visited Oct 07, July 08, Sept 08 and April 09 and are intend to spend our third summer break here in the coming July. Usually taking a friend with me, my mum trusts to leave us at the enetertainment at night when my little sister gets tired and knows we will be safe withtin the park. The entertainment at night begins with bingo but an additional kids club called 'Croc Gang' in another venue is a saviour to parents and kids alike, no kids want to sit through bingo! Croc gang is also run by bluecoats, games are played and Uncle Russ the magaician puts on a small magic show in which the kids are involved and can win balloon prizes. After bingo there is a kids party time in which some of the pontins characters come out and play games and do party dances. Sometimes there are two cabaret acts, the first being mainly for the kids. I have seen a gameshow type cabaret in which the kids are involved, a kind of circus act and most recently a new bluecoat kids show, 100% Kids, which was first class (as usual!) Then later there is a cabaret which is usually a singer/s, comedy acts, dancers, magaicians, or a bluecoat show, all of which are amazing and incredibly entertaining. Then its time for Boogie With The Blues, another session of Party Dances with the bluacoats for the kids who made it this late or the adults who want a bit of a laugh. Yes, many of the bluecoats are still here here at this time and there is always at least 2 present on the dancefloor during the little disco breaks between the entertainment which is unlike my experience at many Haven holiday camps which i have visited. Lastly one of the bluecoats stays in the box for the late night disco which runs until about 2 in the morning or until it gets really quiet. During the day, if your not out at the many attractions a bus ride away in Blackpool (or you can walk which we have done before!)there are many activities run by the bluecoats all day. The chalets are basic, but what do you expect? Your not spending your day in there! They are clean and comfortable to sleep in. The bluecoats are definately the angels in disguise at this centre their dedication and hard work is clear, they are very talented and iv seen some work till 2 in the morning and be out at 9 or 10 the next day with the guests. Thats what i call dedicated! They must be so worn out but they never let it show, they are always all smiles and ready to go! :) We really love it there and one day i hope to spend some time as a bluecoat as it looks amazing fun! I would be PROUD to work for pontins and am excited about my summer holiday already and im just back! :D x

4 readers found this review helpful

What a big mistake, staying in an outside toilet with windows, thinking that it was a holiday chalet, well the holiday blurb called it a chalet. We thought that we would be charged for over occupancy as we shared the room with several hundred ants, fortunately the staff turned a blind eye to this, as it could have cost us a fortune.
I honestly believe the people who gave this place a score of more than one are employees, or else hit the wrong button. When my son went to bed he thought the bedding had been deep-fried as it smelt of chips. The carpets were absolutely disgusting, with a covering of goodness knows what that had not been disturbed by a vacuum cleaner in a long time. It was so dirty that we had to wipe our feet on the way out. As for the food if you were very selective in what you chose it was pleasant and edible, the drinks bar was a joke, as was the breakfast "juice", 1 part juice 100 parts water. It is high time that Pontins Blackpool was totally reburbished ,no, demolished and rebuilt. It is in an ideal position, it is just a pity that it is of such a low standard.
THIS PLACE IS NOT A HOLIDAY PARK IT IS A TOILET.

2 readers found this review helpful

We went to Pontins recently having never tried these sorts of holidays before and all i can say is that its not all bad. The worse things are the chalets which are very very basic but if you dont expect much then you wont be dissapointed and to be honest you are out most of the time so its just somewhere to sleep. The chalet had clean bedding and clean bathroom but everything else about the rooms needed updating. Take an extension socket as there are not enough power points in the rooms.Take teabags/coffee etc as these are not provided unless you are in Club accom. The food was good and there was a wide choice on offer each day. Plenty of entertainment for kids and the evening entertainment was cheesy but ok. Staff were friendly and dealt with our queries promptly.
The only other thing i would say is checking in is chaos as loads of people try and check in for 4.00pm. My advice is either get there in the queue really early or arrive for 5.00 when most people have been dealt with.

1 reader found this review helpful

How can you possably want to goto pontis, the place is visabley run down, and in bad state of repair.
No wonder they anounsed a big refurblishment to come in 2009 and the closeure of one of their parks. It looks tolaty tatty, no flower beds just worn away patchy grass, and very out dated sheds that are so small you cant swing a cat.
They now have a price checker comparing other camps
http://www.pontins.com/pricechecker.
And to me it is totaly wish wash
They are saying you can stay at pontins for far less than butlins.
Well excuse me but no you cant, and Butlins parks are far nicer with well layed out chalettes nice gardens and yes plenty of flower beds with no patchy going dead grass
Pontins doesnt have any day time entertaiment at all.
you have to pay for all they extras, plus the lec unless to go top notch gold ( club )
Well at Butlins all ents is in the price plus you get the fun fair and day time ents kids clubs soft play areas trampolines and yes you also get the lec icluded, you can aslo park your car on site.
If you ask me, or any one i know who has had expiriense of both, i know which resort they would choose hands down, and it wouldnt be pontins

1 reader found this review helpful

I went to Pontin's Blackpool for the Starquest Talent finals in November 2007, after spendind countless holidays at Pontin's Pakefield in Suffolk.
It was brilliant! I have to say I have never spent a whole main season week at this centre, but for this special break we were spoiled! The entertainment was absolutely first rate, the bluecoats were brilliant, and the food and accomodation were great.
We had no problems what so ever and my only regret was that we couldn't stay any longer!
Sarah Milner, Brighton.

1 reader found this review helpful

Went on Friday 31st oct
Second time we've been with our 2 young kids and both of them love it. so that is all that matters. On the whole it was ok/good, service from reception was excellent after a couple of hitches with our booking, we werent given vouchers with our welcome pack, but when we went back we were given them no questions asked with an apology. With the food its what you pay for is what you get and we had some lovely meals, the omlettes were excellent, as was some of the mains like chicken curry and chicken kievs. Breakfasts were okay nothing more, drink choices for dinner was poor tea or coffee when the drinks bar shuts an hour before end of service. Some of the people serving food could have been happier but some were nice.
Accomodation, relatively clean, kids slept every night and all night so cant complain there, was missing our cot we ordered when we arrived in our chalet and when I went to ask it was dealt with immediately (I heard it go out on the staff CB's when I was walking past another member of staff, and was very pleased when I arrived back to find it there before me, EXCELLENT complaint handling by the staff. The main thing that matters was the chalet kept my family happy and safe and again thats the main thing (bed was lousy)
regarding the complaints regarding the planes, dont moan. I bet the majority of you have used planes and that you wouldnt be moaning if it was you flying over someone else's chalet in a Jet on the way to your holiday also you must know they have to land? We enjoyed listening to them. More to the point do your research on your holiday before you book. If you google earth Blackpool pontins, you'll see a runway at the edge of the park (so you do the maths).
Park itself, bit run down, except the dune conference center but needs a lot of investment soon should the park continue being in business. Kids loved the playground outside the QV (except glasses and bottles had been discarded in the protective bark around the frame, this is obviously stupid incapable patrons, like the ones who vandalise the camp)
Amusement arcade could have done with a couple more 2p machines in, my son (only 3) likes putting money in machines and I aint trusting him with 10p's yet!!
An excellent member of staff in there, kept fixing the pacman machine in there each time it broke down (every 30 seconds) without complaining once, so on the whole excellent staff.
My biggest problem with the park is:
The price of the beer for the choice and quality you recieve.
Fosters £2.80 (kronenbourg the other option) Taste awful. Flat
J Smiths £2.60 Tasted of nothing
Strongbow and guiness were ok at best
Glasses streaked with lipstick marks on them. If I was pontins i'd look for a new drink supplier for a better choice of drinks and clean beer lines at least once a week and purchase some quash (lipstick remover for glass rims and some Renovate solution.
So on the whole, looks negative but for my family and I we've had 2 nice weekend breaks there, the kids love it, the staff are friendly and helpful, my little boy was crying when we left, that is the biggest sign of a good time anyone could recieve.
Booking next week for in the new year sometime.

1 reader found this review helpful

We arrived for halloween expecting a great value holiday. What we got was totally different experience to say the least, before we got to the chalet a jet whizzed past 50 ft above our heads. Our friends chalet / sh** hole had medication lying on the floor and dirty towels.
The reason for this when we asked the staff was they had 1600 fully paid and under informed guests and were running late, we could have checked in at 4pm but did not arrive until 6.20pm.
If you take your car you will have to leave it off site and park some distance from your chalet or risk it being clamped without being informed upon arrival. Please belive everything you read in these reviews anything above a 1 is by a PONTINS employee.
Please save your money because this is a dirty,stinking sh** hole of a holiday park should be or already has started to be used as a landfill.

3 readers found this review helpful

I went to pontins july last year and I am going again this weekend. I thought i would add my reveiw because there was soo many bad ones....
Basically yes, it looks like a prison camp and the facilities are outdated, but what on earth do you expect??
I paid 3.5k for a holiday in the Maldives and expected a good holiday, I paid 60 pound for Pontins and expected exactly what i got!
I dont expect anyone to have paid more than 100 quid each to stay so what are you winging about?
Its somewhere to bed down for the night and you can go into Blackpool all day everyday, ive stayed in a lot worse hotels in Blackpool for more money.
As with every holiday you make the most of what you have got so ignore these people who pay pennies for a break and expect the ritz. Its cheap and cheerful and if your with good family and friends it really doesnt matter.

I read some awful reviews of this place on this site, all i can say is these people that have written them must have stayed at a completly different site. I found the room immaculate, the staff extremly friendly, the food wonderful with lots of choice and more than enough to keep my three kids occupied day and night.
So please, don't let the bad reviews put you off comming to this place, i for one will be booking again.

just arrived back from a weekend at pontins was thinking twice about going after all the bad reviews i read but went along anyway and could not believe how wrong these people were i could not fault a thing the room was clean and tidy the food was good the entertainment was brill had a really good time would defo go again with out a doubt so please dont let other peoples bad reviews put u of one bit like it nearly did me.