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Martello Caravan Park (Essex, UK)
by noddy
It is my opinion that this place is right up there with all the war zones in the world.Untill a short while ago i had a van on this site,lets see whithin a few yards in all directions,found many sheds broken into,found open sewr pipes where vans have been removed,broken electrical boxes (LIVE) broken glass left on the floor from busted ... caravans.The site is dirty and run down,As a child i remember going to walton with mum & dad and the martello was the place to be i would say now its the place to stay away from staff are unhelpfull and just plain greedy with the worst customer service i have ever seen.P/S to all those owners who rate this site try to get your van taken off and then see how you feel.My first granchild is due any day and i will never take her to this place to visit nevermind holiday.Outside the site exerlent place to be great for kids and adults with familys.My advise is stay away from the boundairys of the martello and have a great time.
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Perran Sands Haven Holiday Park (UK)
by Mummy_to_2
This May we had a week long break in this Haven park.
Perran Sands is located near Perranporth, Cornwall.
We choose Perran sands we all love Cornwall and had been to area many times before even with the near 5 hour drive.
It cost us £221 (Booking in Nov)staying in a self catering standard 2 bed roomed chalet in mid may for ... 3 adults and 3 children. This included a Saturday premium, linen and fun works passes.
According to the Haven write up......
'If you love Cornwall's highest dunes, widest bays and biggest Atlantic rollers, then look no further.
Surfers and Para gliders are in their element here. Complete with their wetsuits, they're always out there, having a wild time. This is a lively Park with a great holiday atmosphere and something for everyone including the chic attractions of Newquay, St. Ives or Padstow. Why not try staying in a Yurt or a Super Tent, unique to this Holiday Park?'
The park has a spar, burger king, papa johns café bar, sports bar, the Fun works complex( which had recently had a re vamp), crazy golf , football court, bike hire and surf school . It also has the usual caravan sales site, reception and cash point. Overall the Complex is quite small for the size of the site although its not really a problem.
We arrived at 3pm and although we could not book in until 4pm the staff gave us our passes so we could use the facilities immediately, we decided instead to go and eat at Burger King as we hadn't yet eaten. Four o'clock arrived and we were booked in and given information packs and a site map, it was all very easy and the staff we helpful and pleasant.
We were based in the chalets which were directly behind the complex amongst sand dunes. The chalet also had a working TV with free view, radiators, microwave, table chairs etc. The bedrooms were basic but good the chalet contained a double room and a twin as well as a sofa bed in the lounge area-all were tidy, the bathroom was also cleaned well and contained a bath instead of a shower which was VERY convenient . One thing to note though- we later found out they are planning to demolish the chalets for more caravans.
As we had arrived in the late afternoon and had eaten we decided to check out the beach instead of going off camp etc. There are two ways to access the beach a steep path and ramp or via the sand dunes, now as we had a double buggy and a 4 year old we took the path option. Walking down the path gave us an amazing view of a beautiful beach it is properly one of the nicest beaches in the UK just flat sands. I have to admit though that the walk back up was a killer as it is VERY steep almost vertical very hard with a buggy. We did later realize that the sand dune way is a lot easier although buggies wouldn't make it.
By the next morning I had had enough of the moaning and caved in to take the kids swimming. The swimming pool is in the main fun works complex. Upon entering you are asked to remove shoes and place them on shelves (we put them under the buggy instead). The changing rooms were quite small and unisex but nothing was a major problem. There are three pools a under 2's, a kids one and the main larger pool (as well as a outside pool but it was closed), for me personally these pools weren't big enough for the size of the camp although it wasn't that busy when we went I can see it being a problem in high season. There is also a flume ride which was open but wasn't used by us. One small problem we found was that we had to pay to use the lockers which I found annoying as the first time we went I left all the money in the chalet!
We later decided to go into Perranporth itself to have a shop around and fill up the car. Perranporth is situated about 1 mile from the park. The park also has a footpath directly into Perranporth. The town contains a Co-Op, cost-cutter, boots as well as the usual tourist and pasty shops as well as possibly the best chippy in the world. It also has a lovely big beach with caves etc. One thing I did find was that petrol prices are HIGH!!
As we were self catering we travelled to Newquay to the Sainsbury's there as the on site spar was very expensive and not very good value for money. Truro also has an Asda and Tesco with petrol stations.
We went to the entertainment every night from there on and it included some really good, fun things including bingo, a panto of Aladdin (early much) and fancy dress competitions etc all held in the live lounge which looked great although as usual the bar was uber expensive. The kids all got to meet the 'fun stars' and characters as well which they loved. We also let them play in the Fun works complex as it has a soft play area as well as bowling and the usual 2p machines, we also had a photo picture done of them in the 'Van Gogh painting workshop' machine. I think out of everything we done letting them loose in there was the most expensive thing of the week, but then they always are.
For the rest of the week we didn't really stay on the park except for the morning swims we had we decided on visiting places as much as possible these included
- Newquay, the blue reef aquarium and zoo (discount leaflets were available in the haven reception)- 9 miles
-Healeys cider farm- 3 miles
-Eden project - around 25 miles
-Bodmin gaols- 25 miles
As you can imagine these were NOT cheap for example the Eden project cost me the best part of £40 to get in and that's with under 5's free!
I did end up spending far to much visiting places but the kids loved it and that's all that matters, although next time I will be saving up for visits to all these places. There are also a lot of English heritage and National trust places near-by such as Tintagel castle and Trerice, also towns such as Boscastle and Port Issac ( film set of Doc Martin).
Overall I found this site brilliant although we didn't really seem to be there during the day we did use the facilities and spend a fortune on the site mainly haven souvenirs and swimming lockers!! The location of the park is great and as there was so much to do around we did find the price we paid very good value. I have already booked another holiday there for the end of the year/season and ive only been back one day, considering my previous experience of haven im surprised and my faith in haven has been restored.
***Be aware that if you live in Wales the return toll price is around £8!!!!!***
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Perran Sands Haven Holiday Park (UK)
by greatestalbums
Perran Sands Haven Holiday Park is literally situated within walking distance (approximately a half-mile) from one of the finest sandy beaches in the UK. There is a steep hill to negotiate getting down to the beach, however, during the peak summer months a mini-bus is provided to get you there and back again.
The on site ... facilities accommodate the needs of a wide-range of visitor, from football pitches and a crazy-golf course, through to an extensive nightlife catering for those that prefer to stay on 'base' and not go far. To do so, however, is a shame because the local town, Perranporth is a must-see. It's a typically quaint Cornish town bustling with tourists from June-September. Also worth a trip is the only pub on a beach anywhere in England, The Watering Hole.
Haven has a range of caravans and chalets that these days come complete with DVD players, flat-screen TVs, microwaves and extensive cooking equipment. It's recommended though that you take warm clothing for the cold evenings, because even with heating in the caravans, it still gets chilly late at night.
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