Hafan an OK time, may come back for Mor (Hafan y Mor Holiday Park)

Member Name: cmh4135

Product:	Hafan y Mor Holiday Park
Date:	17/06/09 (512 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap break which was acceptable; reasonable facilities

Disadvantages: Expensive in my opinion if you pay full price; dated accommodation

We picked up a Bank Holiday weekend break to Hafan Y Mor for the princely sum of £99. Accommodation was in a 2 bedroom "comfort apartment" and, having read many reviews after booking I wondered whether I'd made a huge mistake. Thankfully not.

Our accommodation, whilst basic, was clean and large enough for 4 (although 6 would have struggled). The apartments were, in effect, chalets and we had a ground floor (as opposed to first floor) chalet which, thankfully was on the end of a "C" shaped block of around 24 such units. The units themselves were paired such that there was a communal entrance to a pair of apartments. This thankfully was not too much of an issue as our neighbours were quite quiet but I can imagine it would be less attractive if you had a party crowd next door! Noise in the apartment was OK - we could hear the "elephants" above us but that was really it. Again you could be unlucky and, if noise is an issue for you then I'd suggest going for a caravan rather than an apartment.

The two-bed apartment comprised a double bedroom, a twin bedroom, shower room and the open-plan kitchen/dining/living room. One of the two sofas in the living area could be converted into another double bed if required. We were not expecting heating in the bedrooms but there were electric fan eaters provided.

Kitchen equipment was basic, a fridge, freestanding cooker, kettle and microwave, but it was adequate for a holiday of this nature. The kitchen was reasonably stocked with equipment and, although there were a few "make do" moments there was nothing that I really felt should have been provided but wasn't.

The shower was a puny affair (although surprisingly clean) but the loo made up for it with the loudest flush known to man!

If I were to make a complaint about the apartment it would be that there was nowhere to dry wet swimming stuff (and the heated towel rail in the shower room didn't appear to work). A combination of chairs in front of the fan heaters had to suffice!).

Although I was happy enough with our accommodation (particularly for the price paid) I did hear numerous complaints about some of the other "apartments". These seemed to revolve around the basic apartments and I must confess that some looked far from good. It's worth noting that security in these units is not at all good (a tug of the windows would get you in) with the units only being partially double glazed. Don't bank on leaving any valuables in the units!

Facilities at the Haven Park were also surprisingly good considering some of the reviews out there. The pool, which for most will be the main attraction, was large and warm. Granted some of the decorative bits were looking a little tired but there was nothing worse than your average local pool. The giant slides and chutes appeared well maintained and life-guards did their best to stop dangerous play. For toddlers the splash pool had its own mini-slides and pools so they didn't feel that left out. Non-swimmers were not that well catered for in terms of places to sit and watch.

Changing facilities were limited at peak times but we never had to wait more than a couple of minutes. There were also plenty of lockers. The floor of the changing area was, however, constantly wet, and not just damp, but puddles! This didn't feel that hygienic and made changing with a child very difficult, particularly as there were no seats in the changing rooms.

The play facilities were also very good with several parks aimed at different ages. All equipment was in good order and we saw staff checking it each day. The largest playground was very good in particular and offered some excellent climbing adventure. The site plays host to several five-aside pitches which were very popular.

As seems to be the case with these places there were many opportunities to try, with the aid of a nagging kid, to end up spending a lot of money. Go Karts, trampolines, amusements, bouncy castles, bikes and boats all conspired. Thankfully, the geography of the park helps and it IS possible to steer away from these places with a young 'un. I suspect older kids might be harder to distract! Prices seemed, to me, to be high (eg £10 for an hour on a bike).

The entertainment was acceptable - certainly not great, but adequate. Provision for younger children was good (although not for the very young). I'd guess that children from about 4-8 were the target for the early entertainment. The layout of the family centre was such that visibility was quite limited from the majority of seats and so the children (and the parents) had to have the confidence to go to the dancefloor on their own in most cases.

One HUGE advantage of this park over some others is that it's easy to steer the kids away from the amusement arcade. You don't have to walk through it at all! As our little one was asking to go to bed by about 7pm I can't comment on the adult entertainment although I do know that there were two options at all times (one in the adult centre, the other in the family) and the variety seemed quite good.

The daytime kids clubs were again something that, with a (not quite) 3 year old we had limited experience of. The youngest club was aimed at the under 4s and really only comprised a box of toys that were tipped out for an hour a day. I thought that more could have been done even with such a young age group. The club from 4-9 was better with crafts and activities throughout the day. It rather depends what you want from a holiday though. For us, this trip was an experiment to see whether it would suit us. I suspect, absent incessant nagging, we're more likely to do our own thing rather than partake in this kind of activity. I appreciate that others may feel differently.

The beach "on-site" is extremely tidal and so you may find that you hardly see some of it! It's not the best beach in the area but should satisfy the kids. A five minute trip in the car will take you to some superb beaches (particularly at Llanbedrog).

Eating is limited on site with a Starbucks, Burger King and Fish & Chip shop providing the quick options and a pub-style eatery for restaurant-style dining. We did try the fish and chips - they were reasonably priced (around £6 a head) but the fish was poor. I can't comment on the other eateries as we ate off site (or self-catered).

There are a couple of convenience stores on site which stock everything that you might need. Again I was surprised that these were not more expensive given the captive audience. Prices were slightly higher than a supermarket but not extortionate.

The layout of the park was quite good with most areas being within walking distance of all accommodations.

It's probably worth noting that, whilst the break fell during a school half term much of the park accommodation was taken by participants (and their families) in a huge football tournament. As such the park was relatively quiet by day as many people were out at the tournament and, it appeared, most were returning as we were heading back home for the night. It may, therefore, be the case that we struck it lucky and, had it not been for this tournament the park might have been considerably busier (and therefore less enjoyable).

I think overall I would have been disappointed had I paid the brochure price of £425 for this 4 day break, but at £99 it was good value. It worked for us as a base but, with a child who was in bed by 7.30 at the latest we didn't really get that much out of the entertainment that might have been on offer.

The stay has however proven to me that I should set my prejudices aside about places like this - for the right price I'd be happy(ish) to do it again (if only for my son!).




Date of stay: May 2009

Summary: Better than some reviews would have you believe!