Down By The Bay (Bideford Bay - Park Resorts Site)

Member Name: belfin

Product:	Bideford Bay - Park Resorts Site
Date:	18/10/06 (3033 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots to do, reasonably priced holiday, excellent staff

Disadvantages: The Hill

I've been dying to write a review on this site since we returned from our holiday in early July but as we knew we were returning again in October I thought it would be best to wait to see if things changed from early on til late in the season. There were a few minor changes along the way but only positive, as you will find out. Before I start I know that this review is going to be pretty long so I've split it into easy to find sections if you want to find anything out in particular.

***Background***

We've been going on this type of holidays since I was young and had always opted for Haven in previous years. The past couple of times we had been to Haven sites though, we found that kids' clubs times were being reduced and there were more and more costs coming into it such as nightly raffles for large toys etc that the kids pestered you into buying tickets for. When Bourne Leisure took them over it seemed that the things we loved about Haven were all evaporating slowly but surely and when some of the staff at one Haven site mentioned that Park Resorts had kept the old style that had once made Haven great, we decided to give them a try.

***The Location***

We love Devon and Cornwall, so when we saw the Bideford Bay site in the brochure, it wasn't difficult to decide that this was the one to try. The site itself isn't actually situated in Bideford, but is about 9 miles down the coast and the main gates to the site can be found in a lovely little place called Bucks Cross.

There isn't an easy way down to the beach from the site but nearby you can find some fantastic beaches at Westward Ho and Bude, as well as some lovely surfer dudes too. I have to admit that the views of both were lovely to look at.

***The Site***

When you arrive at the site you first see the caravan sales office on your right and arrows with Sparky the Rabbit on, point you down a narrow road to the bottom of a very steep hill. Before reaching the reception area there is a shop, which sells basics to the left. Coming past the reception there is limited parking in front of the Manor House, which is where the entertainment takes place. It all looked very pretty with hanging baskets along the front and you could often see the maintenance guys making sure they were watered and that there were no bits of stray litter lying around.

At the side of the Manor House there was a lovely outdoor heated pool as well as a beautiful small indoor pool with a spa pool for those who like to sit and let the bubbles relax them. Each of these pools were wonderful although we didn't actually go in the outdoor pool in October as it was a bit nippy by then.

As well as the entertainment spot in the Manor there is also a small amusements area with slots and penny drops as well as a few video games. This wasn't as obtrusive as in some holiday centres we have been in and it was quite easy to steer the kids away from them. Further on you can find a soft play area for the under 5's. This wasn't as big as some I've seen but my son had plenty of fun in it and made quite a few friends there. Also in the Manor were the Takeaway and the Restaurant where you could get anything from a simple cup of coffee to a full main meal. Prices looked pretty reasonable but we made all our own meals as we were in a self-catering chalet. I can say that the hot chocolate was lovely though but apart from that I couldn't comment on the food.

Behind the Manor House there lies a large play area for children with climbing frames, swings etc and also included an assault course for the more adventurous of you out there. Nothing too dangerous though and no broken bones occurred whilst my children were using them.

As well as the playground there is also a decent tennis court which is protected all round by high netting so no stray or wayward balls could cause damage to anyone in the surrounding area. A basic crazy gold course was also at this area and my son had quite a few games throughout our summer visit. The beauty of these facilities is that they were all free with only a returnable deposit to be paid for the balls in case of loss. In busy season you would probably be advised to book the tennis court but at the start of July they were pretty quiet and the girls had many a game at the drop of a hat.

***The Accommodation***

I'm not as keen on staying in caravans with our son, as he is 4-year-old and runs everywhere. As a result he always ends up banging into things and it looks like we've been hitting him round the head etc. Luckily, at this site there a large selection of chalets to stay in and we chose one from the Silver Range on both visits, which were very spacious and beautifully decorated. Sleeping up to 6, this accommodation has 2 bedrooms, one with a double bed and one with twins. Perfect for my bloke and I and then for the girls. There is also a pull out sofa bed in the large living area but we decided that it would be less hassle for us to just make up a bed at night using the large padded cushions on the floor for my son, rather than pulling out the mechanism every night. He thought this was an excellent adventure and we didn't have to worry about him falling out of a strange bed.

The kitchens had a kettle, toaster, microwave, electric cooker and a small fridge with a reasonable freezer compartment. As well as all these gadgets there were a good selection of pots and oven dishes. The dinner set was plain but in good condition and came with mugs - much to our delight. The cutlery tray was full of all the normal selections and there were a couple of different knives for cutting bread, cheese etc and the obligatory wooden spoon. I would say that if you have a favourite cutting knife at home or a whisk etc that you like to use then it's not a bad idea to take it with your as the knives weren't the sharpest.

Both bathrooms we had were identical. They were around 7 feet square with a toilet, sink and a shower. This meant there was plenty of room to get ready without banging our elbows at every turn.

***The Summer Holiday***

We arrived in the first week in July, in the middle of the heatwave. Travelling all the way from Arbroath means it is quite a trek to Devon so we left the night before to give us peace from the constant "Are we nearly there yet?" from our son. Luckily he slept most of the way. After spending a lovely morning in the lovely picturesque town of Bideford we headed to the site to see what awaited us. We were going for the whole week option of Saturday to Saturday but there are options of short breaks available for either Friday to Monday or Monday to Friday.

Booking in is meant to be from 4pm but luckily we were able to get in around 2pm - I think this depends on what type of accommodation you book and what time of year as in high season I would imagine it will take the cleaners longer to get round all the caravans and chalets. I also think they took pity on us when we said how far we had travelled. With the heat and nighttime travelling we must have looked a right state by then. Because of this early booking in we didn't have to wait in any queues in the Manor like the majority of later arrivals but instead were given the one set of keys from Reception and paid £5 returnable deposit for a second set. We find getting a second set of keys is really handy for us now that the girls are 17 and 14 as they are often in and out getting swimming things or going to the teenagers clubs available, so this saves them having to text us every 20 minutes to see if they can get in, if we are out with their brother.

When you arrive you get a welcome pack that has all the details in there that you'll need for your weeks holiday. You get a safety guide, which tells you all the rules about the swimming pools and the children's clubs and also gives you some useful information about using the appliances in your accommodation. The map of the site will show you where your accommodation is in relation to the facilities and where you can park. There are leaflets giving you information on how to re-book if you enjoy it and how to go about buying a holiday home if that's what you want to do. The information about the facilities such as opening times and how to hire equipment are on another flyer and you find that you can also book some activities at a small extra charge such as Sea Jet Racing or Archery. There is also a sauna on site that can be booked in half hour sessions.

The most important part of the welcome guide though is by far the entertainments guides. There are 2 included - one for everyone and a special one for the Mix club for the 12 - 16 + year olds. These gives times of all the free events that take place throughout the week and you can attend as many or as few as you want. You will probably find out though that once your kids go to the clubs once, they won't want to set foot anywhere else all holiday. More about the clubs themselves later on.

All our bedding was already in our chalet despite the earlier arrival and we set about getting unpacked and having a bite to eat before the first evening out. One good idea is to get your shopping bits and bobs from supermarkets in Bideford, Bude or Barnstaple on your way there, which are all a little bit away from the site but the little shop on site is pretty expensive and doesn't have the best of ranges. Luckily we did this before arriving at the site so we didn't have to rush out for bread or milk.

***The Entertainment***

The entertainment at night all takes place in the Manor and there is something different on offer for everyone. At the start of the night there is a short bingo session or a quiz if not enough people turn up for bingo. We avoided the bingo like the plague, as it is just not our thing. We always tried to make sure the kids were ready to go out earlier though so that we could get good seats and my son usually spent most of the bingo time in the soft play area with one of his sisters watching over him.

After bingo or a quiz it is the time for some fun for the younger members of the family. This could be simple games for them to take part in, organised by the fantastic Teamstars (more about them later) or a show, starring the Parks mascot, Sparky the Rabbit with his friends Sparkles the Rabbit and Naarky the Naarkvark who looks a bit like an evil dog. The shows we saw included a version of the Emperor's New Clothes and Jack and the Beanstalk. Also in the show was the narrator Pipsqueak the Mouse and his singing family.

The little girls all love Sparkles of course and the younger boys love Sparky who is pretty cool. All the more mischievous and older kids seems to love Naarky who is always up to tricks but always gets his comeuppance at the end of the show.

Later on in the evening you could be treated to a singing and dancing extravaganza by the Teamstars, a visiting cabaret act of a comedian, magician or singer, or some dancing to the resident band, who this year were a duo called Catch 22. Some evenings you also get treated to an adult game show and I was lucky enough to get nominated to take part in. I say lucky and it was a laugh but you can't be shy if you get chosen to join in. I had to be a Caribbean style human version, Splat a Rat and along with 2 other men had to stand up when my name was called and wait for one of 3 children to hit me on the head with a balloon. Luckily, the children weren't too vicious and I had a large sunhat on to protect me although I did manage to burst one of the balloons on the hat and the little girl almost ran away in fright. Party dances get everyone up on the dance floor and at the start of the week you may feel a fool doing them but by the end of the week you relax and realise that everyone else is doing them too. The favourite seems to be DJ Caspar but my son loved one called Luke the Spook too and my 14-year-old daughter showed us all how to do the Court of King Caracticus at double speed.

The other part of the evening's entertainment includes certain sponsored competitions. These are the chance for those budding stars to get up there on stage and perform in front of an audience. There are 3 age groups - 11s and under, 12 to 17 and 18s and over - and they take part on separate nights during the week. To take part in these you have to go to auditions in the afternoon of the appropriate day and you can set up your own music etc. There is also another sponsored competition of darts, which takes place during the day. These competitions are held for 14 weeks of the season and each weekly winner gets asked back to return for a free Monday to Friday break at the start of October to take part in the Park Finals. At this point I'll say that this is the reason we had a second break in October as my daughters decided to surprise us by entering in the 12 to 17 age group and won the free holiday. I'm not sure who was more nervous, them or me!!!

Most nights the club is open til around midnight and it's amazing how many kids are still dancing about at the end of the night. At least it means they sleep a bit longer in the morning.

The drinks weren't as expensive as in some holiday sites we've been to. There were a lot of deals on for house doubles, pitchers of beer and buying bottles of alcopops. The soft drinks were still quite expensive though so we could see where they made their money from.

***Things to do during the day***

I briefly mentioned the kids clubs earlier and these are in 2 age groups. The Sparky Krew Club is for children aged 11 or under and activities range from making posters with lots of glue and glitter involved to going on mini beast hunts. Children under 8 have to be accompanied by an adult at these sessions, which run twice daily. As you can imagine it would be very difficult for 2 members of the team to look after dozens of children in busy season so this is for their own safety. I really don't mind attending though as they are always lots of fun and it's a good way of getting to know other people to have fun with on your holiday. The activities are generally aimed at kids aged 5 - 11 but younger ones can join in by getting a badge and a postcard to colour in throughout the week too. These postcards are filled up with stickers of the Sparky Krew team as the week goes on.

The Mix is for those older kids who want to escape from mum and dad for a while and they go off to take part in slightly more advanced things such as Killer Darts, Quick Cricket or Swimming. There is also a chance to learn how to become a DJ and how to make a movie. My daughters loved taking part in all the events and on the rare occasion in the summer when it wasn't so nice outside, indoor activities were always on standby.

For the adults who can get away from the kids there are activities for them too. You can take part in the Darts sponsored competition if you think you're good enough or participate in friendly and full of fun quizzes or pool matches. As well as the indoor activities there are also some family games that are organised outside so there really is something for everyone. Most things don't overlap so you have the chance to have a go at everything.

***Teamstars***

I've mentioned this word a few times throughout the review and just realised that I haven't really said who they are and what they do. Here goes and I hope some of the members at Bideford this year manage to read this as it's praise all the way.

Teamstars are a group of individuals who are quite frankly off their heads. No disrespect meant at all there but I'm especially thinking of Scotty here - anyone who has visited this site this year will completely understand if they have seen him at party dance time.

These individuals are the ones who take care of the kids clubs and daytime activities, present the competitions and the visiting cabarets every night, spin the discs for you to dance the night away to, teach you and your kids the party dances, choreograph the shows they perform and make all the costumes for and generally do as much as they possibly can to make your holiday one to remember.

Now you would probably think that there would be absolutely loads of these people at a site that offers over 250 units of accommodation each week. In fact there were only 6 at Bideford Bay and I really don't know how they managed to get it all done with such professionalism and without collapsing in a heap after only a few weeks. I can only say that to do a job like that well, you have to enjoy it and this certainly shone through with all of these very talented people who made our stay the pleasure that it was.

I have to give them a brief name check as they all did such a wonderful job and the top name at the park was Emma P, who is the Entertainment's Manager. You would think that having top spot would mean that she stayed in the sidelines a lot but this was definitely not the case and she was a participant in all the shows. Standing assisting her in the role, as Assistant Entertainment's Manager was Scotty Doo or Scotty Big Botty, as he was also nicknamed by other members of the team. His energy and enthusiasm inspired us all to join in and have a great time as well as being a fantastic singer himself.

The other 4 members of the team were Amy-Lou, Diddy Donna, Deano and last but by no means least, Philip Flop. Amy-Lou was fantastic with the little kids and was the main one who looked after the little ones at the Krew Club. She was also the main female vocalist in the shows. My son thinks she is lovely along with Diddy Donna who as well as being great with the kids, helped organise all the moves for the shows and designing the costumes. That saying about all the best things coming in small packages was certainly true for her. Deano was slightly less manic at times but did a fantastic job looking after my teenagers at the Mix as well as helping with lights and sounds at all the shows. Lastly we have the baby of the team, Philip Flop, nicknamed after a French footwear joke. This was his first season as a Teamstar and I have to say he was a bit reserved the first time we were there although he had only been working at the site for a couple of weeks at that stage. When we returned in October we saw a bit difference and all for the good. His confidence has come through and he was really getting into all the activities and has definitely leapt from his shell.

The shows they put on for us this year were Class of 89, which took us back to the 80's where they performed lots of songs and sketches for us. The Inventor was a trip back in time to when various household items of today were first made. My son is still singing The Invisible Man song from it now. As well as the shows that are more adult based, the Teamstars are also responsible for helping Sparky, Sparkles and Naarky get ready to perform. It must be really hot under all those lights for them in their fur and costumes.

***The Return Visit***

I've been to other Finals weeks when Haven used to do them and I have to say that they have all been very good. However, as we had such a brilliant time in the summer we were really dying to get back to this site and see all the Teamstars again. We decided to add on an extra night at the start of the week and this was done for only £25. We also upgraded from a bronze caravan to a silver chalet again and this also cost us an extra £25. We felt this was more than worth it for the extra space and an extra day's fun. We arrived early again and went for a cup of tea in the café as the morning kids club started. Immediately we were greeted by warm welcomes from the members of the team there and Amy-Lou and my son did one of those reunion scenes that usually get slowed down in movies. She remembered him immediately and shouted out his name as soon as she saw him. Awww bless. After saying hello to everyone and doing some fun things we decided to go up to reception to see if we would be allowed our keys early. They were really helpful as check-in time should still have been 4pm and this was only 11.30am. We were given keys immediately and found that our accommodation was just across the road from where we had been initially. Easy to find and reasonably close to the entertainment complex.

The week went by far too quickly with lots of people getting involved in all the various competitions. Each night the crew put on a special themed show, starting with songs from the Lion King, going on to a Spy night and ending with a UV show where they had sprayed UV dust all around the room and were wearing fantastic costumes which lit up as the lights went down. I know that a lot of extra work and late nights rehearsing took place to put on these shows as well as the others, which they did again for us too. It really was appreciated by everyone in the room though and on the Thursday night the Team came out to get final photos taken in front of the stage background that again they had been responsible for designing and making.

***Highlights***

Our 4-year-old son taking part and winning a Disco Dancing competition was fantastic. He was one of six under 11s chosen from the dance floor to get up in front of everyone and dance his heart out for 30 seconds on his own. The crowd cheered and clapped him on and the judges declared him the winner. He won a Sparky T-Shirt and a Certificate.

My bloke had laughed loads at my exploits on the game show in the summer so it was easy to set him up to take part in one on Spy night. He had to pretend to be James Bond, taking out the bouncer and entering the nightclub using a special gadget. He chose his mobile phone, which used the infrared - okay now I know you're thinking she's off her head. Impressing Miss Moneypenny was his next task and he had to do some funky dancing before sweeping her off her feet and giving her a kiss. Diddy Donna played a brilliant Miss Moneypenny and Philip Flop gave starring roles as the bouncer, coming out as a different themed one for each contestant. This was where we saw how much he had progressed in the time we had been away. After loads of laughing and cheering from the crowd, my bloke was pronounced the winner and got himself a medallion and a certificate for his troubles.

The best bit though had to be the competition that the girls were entering. The rehearsals had given them a few problems as their backing track had been too long and they had to cut a section from their performance. They needn't have worried though as they performed it pretty well and got a good round of cheers from the audience. We had been told that their would be 2 acts chosen to go through to the National Finals in Essex at the start of November and we sat anxiously waiting for the results of the judges, who were all experienced in the fame game. We couldn't believe our ears when the girls' number was read out and I don't think they could either. After all, they had only entered the first competition because they had enjoyed the first week's holiday so much that they had wanted to go back again. Their competition was on our last night so it was pretty emotional for everyone as we said our final goodbyes to all the staff who we felt had become our friends whilst being there.

***Prices***

Prices vary depending how long you go for and what time of year it is as well as the different grades of accommodation. Our week at the start of July for the silver chalet should have cost us £324 - not bad in itself for our whole family. We were lucky that we booked early though and got £70 off as a discount so our week cost us only £254. Who says that holidays are expensive? All the entertainment mentioned was free and the only extras were for the special bookable activities. The price in high season for the same accommodation peaks at £559, which is still pretty reasonable for the amount of things it includes and is for up to 6 people.

There are more expensive or cheaper forms of accommodation available so it is advisable to either get yourself a Park Resorts brochure or have a look online at www.park-resorts.com to see the latest deals available.

***Other Information***

Just a bit at the bottom, which I feel I should mention is that this site is on a steep hill and that there is a fair climb up to most of the accommodation from the complex. This didn't really make too much difference to us, but for those who aren't quite so good on their legs or have pushchairs to think about then I would advise a bit of caution when visiting this site. The car parking space at the complex is limited so you may not always be able to get easy access in the busy times.

***Final Thoughts***

The site itself was pretty good and the facilities were great with the tennis court, in and outdoor swimming pools and the crazy golf course. The kids' clubs kept them having fun all day and I find that if the kids are happy on holiday, then it means I can relax and enjoy it too.

What really made the holiday though was the staff and this is why this site gets the thumbs up from me this year. Everyone we encountered from the reception staff, the sales staff, the bar staff and the Teamstars were helpful, polite and friendly. This made us feel like part of a big family and we know this is something that can't be found anywhere.

I'm still waiting to hear whether or not the kids will be allowed time off school for the National Finals in a couple of weeks time but I will be interested to see how a different site compares. I must say that I have my doubts as to whether they can offer the same type of consistently good things we had on offer at Bideford. I can't wait to find out though.

This review also appears on Ciao with pictures too.

Summary: The way Haven used to be.