Mersea Island Holiday Park

The trip to Mersea pontoon for crabbing was a real highlight. It was a chilly April day, but the 13-minute drive was worth it and we caught plenty. We stayed in #17 The elms, and with the site quiet we had the pool to ourselves on Thursday, then shared it with just one other family the next day. An extra hour in the pool would've been nice since the time went fast. There’s no lifeguard, so we brought our own noodles, floats and small pool toys. The shop was low on supplies, luckily we’d packed lots from home, and Tesco or coop is about a 10-minute drive away. Phone signal was weak and the free WiFi was VERY slow, though that didn’t bother us much on a family break. Don’t count on it unless you can hotspot or pay for service. We had a great few nights away from everyday routine and I’d happily come back and recommend it.

The pool was warm and very clean, and getting to the beach was easy. Staff were friendly too. We had no mobile signal or WiFi, which helped us relax, though my son missed YouTube. We really enjoyed our stay.

We spent four days and three nights here over Halloween weekend and half term with 25 members of my family. The staff across the site were welcoming and really friendly. It was a lovely break from the usual routine, with open space where you can unwind and enjoy being away from the outside world. Already looking forward to booking another trip.

The site is clean, peaceful and has lovely views. Our friends own a caravan here and love it, and we’ve always enjoyed visiting them. Renting one ourselves, though, was a letdown. Although we paid for four days and three nights, check-in wasn’t until 4 PM on the first day and we had to leave by 10 AM on the last. Earlier check-in was available for an extra fee. At first the caravan seemed fine, but the beds were a different story. The mattresses were flat and uncomfortable, one bed sloped to the right, and another had no duvet. There weren’t any sink plugs either, so shaving was nearly impossible. We reported that and were told they’d need to speak to the technical team, but no plugs showed up all weekend. The place was dirty and didn’t look properly cleaned. The fridge smelled, the freezer was unusable because it was iced over and needed defrosting, and there were cobwebs in the oven and elsewhere. Outside, the veranda hadn’t been swept and the old, broken chairs weren’t fit to use. We complained, but nothing meaningful was done. Some other caravans looked nice as we walked around, though I can’t comment on how clean they were. It feels like we got the worst one on site.