We have visited Butlins a few times, and this type of holiday isn’t really my vibe – however the kids love it so we do what we can to keep them happy! We first took the kids when my eldest was 4 and the twins around 18 months. We visited during a Christmas weekend and at the time it was quite good value and easy to keep them entertained. I don’t think we paid more than £400. Fast forward six years and we find the ‘cheap’ getaway doesn’t exist, we just paid shy of £1,400 for a long weekend there!
So if I’m not a fan, why did we return? Well, my son plays Rugby and Butlins host ESF sporting weekends so in a bid to make an effort with the other parents and to give our kids the chance to go away with their friends we grin and bared it on the condition that we stayed in the best accommodation available (we did visit last year but the accommodation was terrible).
Having been on our own as a family, compared to going as a group we definitely enjoyed being with people we knew. However there’s a few things we’ll change for next year….yes, we’ve said we’ll go again!!
Here are my top tips for visiting Butlins if you’re not a fan of Butlins:
Tip 1 – Go with friends or a themed kids sport event
Visit Butlins as part of a group, or an organised event. In our case, we attended the ESF Rugby Tour hosted by Tigers Challenge. The benefit of this is that you’re attending with your team mates and families. The weekend is organised and has more structure, and you feel safer to let the kids have a little bit of freedom because they’re surrounded by people you know.
Tip 2 – Westlake Chalets are well worth it!
It’s well worth paying the extra money to stay in a Westlake Chalet. When you’re back at the chalet you don’t feel like you’re at Butlins. There are large greens that the kids can play on, lakes and you get either a large balcony or veranda. It really helps staying in the quieter area away from the hustle and bustle of the complex. When we go next year we’re going to see if we can stay altogether in the same region so that we can spend time together without having to spend loads of money at the bars.
Tip 3 – Opt for Self Catering
Bypass the ‘Premium Dining’ and save yourself money by going self catering. There is a Lidl and Tesco just a short walk away. The evening food dining times were 5pm – 7pm, so we found we ate very early and by 9pm we were all hungry again so ended up spending more on food while we were out and about. If you do want to eat out you can find deals at lunchtime, a few of the restaurants offer ‘kids eat for £1’ and you’ve got Burger King and Papa Johns on site too. Off site opposite you also have McDonalds and Brewers Faye if you wanted cheaper options. The whole group that we went with said that they’d return on a self catering basis, bringing snacks and food items with them to cover breakfast and dinner, and eat on-the-go during the day.
Tip 4 – Set a budget for arcade machines
If you’re going to use the arcade areas, set yourself a budget. You can easily waste a lot of money on arcade games. We tried to avoid these areas, there’s plenty of free things to do while you’re there such as the fairground (although the last couple of times we’ve visited multiple rides have been out of action). There are parks and of course the swimming pool – just make sure to book your slot.
Tip 5 –
Wherever you go, make sure you set a meeting area where somebody from your party will be at all times. The kids want to have some freedom, especially when they’re with their friends. I really struggle not following them around but in doing so, the experience is really unenjoyable and stressfull. We would find a base and let the kids have a wonder in groups, checking in on them from time to time and asking them to pop back. This was the main benefit of going in a group with people you knew – safety in numbers! To be honest, someone always wants a snack, drink or money so they spent a lot of time with us anyway. I find it hard to relax in these environments, however by day 3 I was a lot less anxious and I know for next time what we need to do to make life easier.
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