Marine Holiday Park

Our caravan made good use of the space: a roomy living area, a medium kitchen, a toilet, and two small bedrooms with two beds each. There was a little patch of grass alongside it for playing and a small park nearby. The main facilities were a long walk away, with a cafe and very nice staff, a bigger park, sports area, pool, arcade and entertainment. The pool disappointed me. The one-hour time slots seemed fair, but by the time we got in, we felt we’d already lost some of that hour. The lifeguards checked people in but didn’t seem to watch the pool. It was shallow enough in most places that you’d scrape a knee on the bottom, with only a small deep end. Kids were jumping in from all directions without looking, and two nearly landed on me. The entertainment was alright for younger children, but older kids didn’t have much besides the sports cage. There was an arcade, but it cost extra and most machines weren’t working when I went.

We had beautiful weather all week and enjoyed our stay overall, though we usually head out each day and I think kids might get bored if you stayed on site the whole time. We were in a bronze plus 3 from Monday to Friday, and it was one of the smallest caravans I’ve ever stayed in. The parks weren’t great for the kids, especially the older ones. The cafe menu had an okay range at decent prices, and drinks in the club were similarly priced. If you’re on the far side of the park, it’s a long walk to the club and cafes, with hardly any parking nearby. Our caravan happened to back onto a car park, but some people had to haul their luggage a long way because you can’t always park nearby. The pool was an okay size; we’d spend about half an hour there before getting ready for the day. We shopped at Home Bargains, Aldi and Sainsbury’s before arriving, since the shop on site is tiny. They check bags for drinks at the club entrance, as you’re not allowed to bring them in. The kids’ entertainment was good, with the performers interacting with them instead of just showing things on a screen like at Haven. We didn’t stay later, as the listings said there’d be a singer and that didn’t really interest us.

My friend and I had a lot of fun here, though the caravan felt small and the bedroom was a bit claustrophobic. On the second day, my friend cut herself on the pool floor. We told the lifeguard, hoping for a plaster or something helpful, but she just said to use wet tissue to clean up the blood. It still stung when my friend got back in the water. The site could have used more activities, but we enjoyed ourselves overall.

We had a great last-minute break at Marine Holiday Park. The kids loved the pool and would happily have stayed there all day, and the kids’ club and evening entertainment were brilliant. The caravan was clean and just right for us. If you plan on cooking a few meals, bring your own sharp knives, as the ones there were flimsy, and the frying pan was very small. We definitely recommend breakfast at Mermaid cafe. Looking forward to planning another stay.