John Fowler Ilfracombe Holiday Park

when we arrived we had already read all of the reviews online and were feeling quite worried as to what we were going to find, on checking in staff were lovely and we were told that we had been upgraded from a chalet to a 2 bedroom apartment, yes ok this was up a flight of stairs and we do have a 2 year old but on opening the front door it was lovely, all nice and clean and cupboards/drawers full of everything we could possible need utensil wise, things were basic but did include a fridge/freezer, dishwasher, cooker, tele with freeview, mirror in bedroom, etc etc, the park itself was great, a shop on site that stocked all essential items, entertainment every night and they were brill with the little ones, 2 swimming pools which were both warm and suitable for little ones with a lifeguard, park on site as well which was basic but kept our little man entertained, sauna and amsements also on site and well maintained grounds all round park, really was surprised after reading all of the reviews, we also had a meal in the bar which was very cheaply priced compared to the rest of ilfracombe bars and it was lovely, we are going to try and go again next year through the sun as it was perfect for us, :)

Me and my husband took our 1yr old to this park, we were meant to stay for 4 days but managed 2. The chalet was dirty with dog hair all over the floor, smelt of dogs and stale fags, the sofa was filthy had holes all over it, think it had previously been used as a dog bed. There was clumps of dust all over the bathroom floor, no shower just an old bath with handles falling off. We found a screw driver and a marble on the floor which my little boy could have put in his mouth. The bedroom was damp, all the bedding felt wet, i dont think this place had ever been cleaned or hoovered. There was nothing for our little boy to do, the playground was a concrete block in the middle of blocks of chalets. I would never go here again.

2 readers found this review helpful

Went on a sun holiday to this park and to be honest I think it's only the unfortunate ones that get this park (this was all they had left!) that keeps the park open. I don't know how they can say this is a family park, it is not child friendly at all, our children were bored stiff at the park as there were no ball games allowed they had to cross the busy road to play on the field, they were not allowed to jump in the swimming pool and at the ages of 10 and 11 our boys are not really into foxy and his gang! The arcade was rubbish and shut for most of the day the pool didn't open until 10am then shut for an hour lunch time! Hello this is a holiday park in July!!!!! Oh and the shop shuts for an hour too! all the entertainment staff do is repeat the rules of what not to do! We had to pay £25 for clubroom passes which we didn't get and by the way if you do go on a 'sun holiday' don't pay for the clubroom passes as there is no need. I asked for 5 glasses of squash only to be charged £1 each for half inch of squash and tap water.
Thank goodness we had the gold accommodation because I think we would have checked out straight away, but even that was far too small for a family of 5, we were in 8m, our friends that came with us were given 7t which was up 2 fights of stairs with no safety gates and their children are aged 2 and 5. However I did find the reception staff Elsa and her mum very helpful, they got
me a kettle within 5 minutes and did offer us alternative accommodation, we were going to move but we would have had to pack up and drive another 3 hours so we decided to stay where we were. I have nothing against Oap's but the park was full of them and I think the park is more suitable for them than it is for a family! All in all I would not recommend this park to anyone and will never go back!

1 reader found this review helpful

Arrived to a chalet reminscent of 1950s. Generally clean but curtains in bedroom dirty and stained. No TV remote. Only one 13A socket in all of chalet with exception of kitchen. The put me up settee which doubles up as a bed had collapsed in the middle.There were only 4 of us staying but it states suitable for 6.There were only soft seating for 3 persons. The rest would have to sit all evening on kitchen chairs.
The childrens play area in my opinion was dangerous with no fence on the one side and a grassy bank running down to paving slabs below.
The park is situated way back out of town up very steep hills.
Booked for 5 days, only stayed for 3.
Do not recommend this site !!!!!

2 readers found this review helpful

Just returned from Ilracombe where we spent the worst holiday we have had,we stopped at John Fowler Golden Coast Manor House complex next to the main Ilfracombe Holiday Park.Golden it certainly Wasn't and if you expect it to live up to the name Manor House forget it
it ceased to be anything like a manor House years ago, we
stayed in something that was laughingly called an apartment and it actually resembled a poor student bedsit, inside the room there was distinct smell of damp and the overall appearance of the decor was one of desperate need of refurbishment from top to bottom, paint was peeling off the ceiling make do and mend repairs were obvious throughout and in the bathroom mould ran around the bath.in the living area kitchen facilities were adequate but having said that everything else was downbank from there, the so called double bed was nearer three quarter size and was so hard it had the comfort level of a park bench, the bed setee looked like it had been rescued from a skip and any springing had disapeared many moons ago and it was so bad if you sat on it you ended up in the sagging part in the middle we found it more comfortable to sit on the wooden dining chairs.We were due to leave on the Saturday(7Days) but left on the Friday not wishing to suffer any longer,what a relief to sleep in a decent bed.I would not wish to endure another day at this resort even if it was free of charge and having spoke to other guests we were not alone in our assessment. We feel sorry for anyone booked to go there and if you are thinking of going there you have been warned.we did not complain to the staff who were pleasent and helpfull as we thought they must sick of hearing complaints and the truth is they can only manage with what they are given and the management of John Fowler Holidays have let down the customers and staff badly

1 reader found this review helpful

Me and my husband (24&27 yrs) stayed at a camp adjoining ilfracombes holiday site where we stayed in the manor house room (425) i have to say the room was lovely with huge windows overlooking the coastline and was very clean, our only complaint was the size of the bed ( we are not big people and this bed was small, not a standard double) and it would have been nice to have some nets as the windows of the room covered half the wall, it was a little open. Splitting hairs aside the building we were in was nice, the main site appeared run down in places and if i had a child i would have been dissapointed with the entertainment available to them some nights.
It seemed that some nights the only entertainment available to the kids was to meet one of the foxy club and have their picture taken, no games or chances to win goodies couple this with a female stripey that had a voice high enough to break glass!!
All the trivial stuff aside if ur staying in the manor house or gold apt then ull be fine, but the entertainment is not top quality and very repetative, its ok for a base but i wouldnt bring children here as there just doesnt seem to be enough on site for them to do! Grest value for money if u want a bed for the night !!

1 reader found this review helpful

May 2011
Upon opening the door to our allocated 'chalet' we were met with the smell of damp. There was a very old fridge which kept opening by itself the cooker was ancient. No cupboard space to put your food or work tops. The sofa sunk right down. The bathroom had mould on the walls a bath that was scratched and had rust round the plug,and no shower so we were unable to bathe etc.The toilet cistern worked sometimes, snd the taps moved when you touched them. Bedroom had mould down the wall and water ran down the windowsill. My sister and I ended up(after complaining but getting nowhere by phone and letter) staying with my nephew in his apartment in woolacombe. Luckily this was not our first Sun holiday we have had several really good ones with them.

5 readers found this review helpful

we came home from a holiday of yours a day early at illfracombe i have never been so disgusted in all my life we were ment to be in gold and it was more like a poor bronze it was not clean very small for six people i had to complain about the settee bed, the fridge, the bin, i have 3 children under 6 there was no safety sockets the safety latch in the childrens bedroom window was broken we were in room 5M the light in the bedroom didnt work there was a huge crack in the sink in the bathroom the dishwasher smelt awful the tv was a joke how is 9 chanels free view the site its self looked like a dump the shop was basic the entertainment was appouling the entertainers swore on stage they wasnt welcoming and it was ment to be family site i got somethings changed but not for the better and the staff wasnt aproachable we paid good money to come and felt like caged animals i have taken photos and im going to health and saftey and reporting this on your site when speaking to one maintinace man he laughed saying that is the best it gets on my booking form it said recently built luxury accomidation that is faulse advertising im going to trading standards our holiday was ruined and we only get one a year as were on a low budget my children were very a sad even the amusements wernt open till late and full of young teenagers running riot which was very frightening to my 2 year old in one word disgrace (you should be ashamed)be warned everyone

3 readers found this review helpful

i booked for a short break with my partner and her daughter and 2 grand children aged 6 and 4.after i had booked and paid my step daughter told me she had stayed at a holiday park in Ilracombe a couple of years ago,they only stayed a few hours and then returned home because the place was a disgrace.i realised i had booked to go to the very same place.when we arrived she couldn't believe her eyes,the place had been transformed.we arrived early but we were given the key to our maisonette straight away by the receptionist who was very polite and helpful.we turned the key of our accommadation and was pleasantly surprised.a very clean, nice sized lounge ,a small but fine well equipted kitchen and one bedroom with two single beds.upstairs there was two more bedrooms one double bed and two single beds and a reasonable sized bathroom.outside there was large lawned areas and ample parking that was close by.the indoor pools were a delight and the entertainment was superb even thou the there were very few guests.the staff and entertainers carried on as if the room was full.Bar prices were very reasonable.everyone was very helpful.its worth saying that you do need a car as the town centre is a fair distance but Tescos is just up the road.Would i go back to John Fowlers Ilracombe Park ,YES I WOULD.

2 readers found this review helpful

Just come back from a 4 night, 5 day stay at this John Fowler site. The room smelt a little damp and it was in need of decor (some of it very basic like replacing a rotten skirting board in the bathroom)and apparently this was in an upgraded chalet because ours wasn't ready upon arrival (thankfully I say). The entertainment was a little cheesy but the amusements kept my 9 year old happy. Where our chalet was there was greenery out the front which helped as my son made lots of friends and it was a good safe area for them to play in (as the park area was tiny). We had an enjoyable holiday but I feel this was down to the gorgeous weather we had for the whole week, if it had rained then I think we would have struggled as the accomodation was not up to a standard were you could stay all day. Come on John Fowler, all that needs doing is some basic maintenance in both the accomodation and the surroundings and it could be a much nicer place as the location is great.