Butlins, Bognor Regis Review

First I would like to state the staff are fantastic...now for my rant.



Accommodation: Well we had the basic chalet. BIG mistake. Very small, dingy and dirty. Kind of place you don't want to use the bathroom. I know 'you get what you pay for' but honestly I've seen 2 star hotels in greece that are better!



Food: please don't go full or half board if you care about what you eat. Dining in the zoo (main restaurant) is a truly shocking experience. We had dinner there the first night...and never visited it again. The food is reminiscent of a bad school cafeteria from the 70's. The noise is unbearable an the cleanliness of the place leaves a lot to be desired. We ended up eating out the for lunch and dinner and skipping breakfasts despite it being paid for.



Pool: Ok I guess. Becomes extremely busy and was a little concerned with the colour of the water. It did not feel clean.



Amenities: Your kids will love it there. And that is the point right? Well the thing is you could do it all in a day trip and save yourself the trauma of an overnight stay. Swimming, Bowling, on the rides, watch a show home. There's really no need to stay for more than one night. The beach at Bognor is lovely at low tide though. Bognor itself is suffering from the usual British seaside resort neglect. It's as if it's stuck in a time warp. I'm sure it was quaint 30 years ago but now it's just dated.



So here's the problem...You can pay more for the premium accommodation and eat out...but for that money you can go abroad and eat decent food. So I'm struggling to justify a holiday at Butlins. Day trip yes, Holiday no.



And if I'm perfectly honest our biggest problem was with the other guests. It may sound a tad snobbish but if you feel more at home in a Centre Parcs or Potters then Butlins will make you think you've been deposited into the middle of a very tacky channel 5 soap about teenage pregnancy, health issues and basic lack of manners and literacy.



But...you're kids will enjoy it. So a bit of a paradox...