Haven Weymouth Bay (Haven Holidays in general)

Member Name: numummy

Product:	Haven Holidays in general
Date:	16/10/08 (465 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Reasonable sized caravan, some entertainment and some activities

Disadvantages: Not the highest standards in anything, by a long way

Before...

It took some persuading by my husband, that going anywhere with an 18 month old, and a six month old was a good idea. However, I was convinced by his argument that a change is as good as a rest, and also by the Haven website, that we would be able to manage quite well, and our needs would be catered for.
We booked a week or so in advance, and paid a little more for a Superior Plus 2-bed caravan. We also rented a high chair and a bed guard, but opted to take our own travel cot for the littlest 'un.
I was looking forward to taking the children in the pool, and was pleased that there was a soft play area for our eldest. I was aware this was situated in the middle of the arcade, as I had read lots of DooYoo reviews (sadly after I had booked), that pointed this out.
The cost including rentals was around £170 for 4 nights.

Arrival & Accomodation

So, on arrival, the park looked quite inviting. Quite bright and modern though a large part of it is dedicated to a sales office. The reception/activity area was smaller than I expected, but size isn't everything! We couldn't check in until 4pm, so there was a bit of hanging about, which isn't brilliant with two hungry little boys but the check-in process itself was swift. I couldn't tell you much about the staff. They made little to no impression!

The caravan itself was a reasonable size. It had a ramp entry to one door, but the other door was steep steps. Not fab when this was the only door you could lock from the outside.

In terms of the decor - this was pretty dated and a bit tatty, but I hadn't exactly expected the Ritz, so wasn't surprised. I was disgusted with the smell of the carpet, and suspicious staining around the loo seats. (I had packed bleach and Dettol wipes just in case). The oven was clean, the cupboards and fridge were all fine, and the TV reception was fine. The beds were grubby looking, especially the fold out sofa beds, and the sheets were stained. The bath and shower were ok.

We didn't experience any problems with the utilities in the caravan, and it was easy enough to warm. A fireguard would have been welcome, but in terms of capacity and facilities, it was fine.

Restaurant

We ate in the Oasis restaurant on the first night because we were a.) starving and b.) tired. There weren't many people there, so seating was plentiful. The table was sticky and so was the highchair, but this is the norm in many places so I always take wipes with me! The menu options for veggies were limited, and I didn't think there was a lot of variety for little ones. The Annabel Karmel offerings are probably welcome for many, but my eldest has never liked her ready meals (which is what I suspect these are) so we opted for fish fingers with potato wedges and veggies. My husband ordered chicken tikka, and I went for the only vegetarian option I saw - the veggie burger. And then we waited. And waited. And waited. After 30 minutes someone came to tell us there was no tikka so my husband chose a burger instead. By this time, the children were fractious and getting fidgety and I suggested heading back to the caravan where I could get something down the eldest quickly. My wise husband wanted to wait. So we waited some more. Nothing. Other people who had arrived later had their food but we were still waiting, and so was another party who had arrived at the same time. I sent hubby to check. They had lost our order. I almost lost my temper. I advised the other waiting table to chase theirs and they did - the barman said the chef couldn't read the ticket so hadn't done anything with it!

After an hour our food arrived. My eldest was so desperate for his dinner he nearly choked as he rammed it in. I wasn't happy that there were chips instead of wedges, but was so relieved to be able to feed him, I didn't bother saying anything. There was a drink with the meal, but I just gave him water, as I didn't think all those additives at bedtime were a good idea!

The meal cost £21 including drinks, so needless to say, we were unimpressed, as were our fellow diners, who told me they had changed caravans twice.

Big thumbs down Haven!

Facilities

We used the indoor pool twice, and I was disappointed with both it's size and the cleanliness. The mildew around the showers looks horrendous and is so off putting. The changing area was mixed and small. This could really do with an upgrade, and at the very least a good clean and paint job. Yuck.

The soft play area might be good for aged 2+, but for our eldest, it was completely unsuitable, due to the steps. It's also TINY, and is really a bit of a joke to be honest.

The arcade is the usual array of machines for either gambling or trying to win bits of tat. We didn't spend much time here, as its not a place for families in my view.

The changing area was really off putting as it seemed very dirty, and is in the disabled toilet, which I always think is unfair when there is only one disabled loo.

The outdoor play area is ok, but more suited to older ones really, and it can't be accessed with a buggy as it's at the bottom of steep steps.

We tried the PAWS club twice. This was a bit of a joke. The two girls, whilst nice enough, were more interested in talking to each other about what was playing on MTV, and did nothing special to engage or encourage the couple of children in attendance. The 'explorer day' consisted of colouring and sticking, with some building blocks to play with. And the 'music day' provided some instruments to play with at will, plus more colouring and sticking. It would have been nice if the children had been entertained a bit more, as under 4s can struggle to occupy themselves if not guided - but then I guess thats what the parents are there for right??!!

I can't comment on what went on in the evening, as we stuck to our usual routine, of getting the little ones bathed and to bed before 7:30. Maybe I missed something amazing, but I suspect not!

All in all, I was disappointed with the facilities, and they certainly don't live up to the boasts that Haven makes about catering for families. Maybe if families want to put up with dirt, wait for poor food, fritter away money in arcades and not a lot else! There was little to occupy our eldest, and nothing for our youngest.

Weymouth & Area

We popped into Weymouth and as seaside towns go, its ok. It is a bit run down but due to receive a makeover due to the impending olympics. There is an M&S, a tiny Next, and some other well known stores. There is also a Prezzo where the staff couldn't do enough for us when we went in for an early dinner & we had a great meal.

The sealife centre was good with penguins, otters, seals, turtles and sharks. We spent a couple of hours there but some of it was closed off as it was out of season and raining. I don't know how much we paid to get in, as I forgot to ask hubby! Sorry!


After...

Would I do it all again? Well, overall we had a nice break - partly because our expectations weren't that high to start with, and partly because we just enjoyed our time away as a family. I don't think that Haven did anything that contributed to our enjoyment, we just made the best of things. So no, I probably wouldn't want to do it again, but I'm glad we did it.

Summary: Save up and try Centerparcs