I want to start by writing this post by saying I am not taking writing this post lightly. However in the nearly 9 years I have written this blog I have remained honest throughout and so I share the rough with the smooth of family life.
I also need to point out that I have complained about our families stay directly to Pontins on the 7th August but as of yet I have heard nothing back about our complaint.
When we booked our first family stay to Pontins Prestatyn it was because our original holiday was cancelled to due to them lacking in the facilities to be able to open safely regarding COVID. Nevertheless we were excited to try somewhere new and having taken many holidays in the UK at Haven holiday sites and several at Butlins and Parkdean, Pontins was a new one on us. What’s more we were eager to get back to Wales after last years fantastic camping trip in North Wales.
Our holiday was booked for a Monday to Friday stay and when we arrived we were pleased that the site seemed to be making great effort with the COVID measures with even security wearing a face mask even though it was not expected in Wales at the time.
The site looked a little run down on arrival but we had expected as much as we had read the reviews online before setting off. However we were hopeful that the reviews online were OTT as most of them online about the site were immensely negative. However, for the price we knew it was not going to be the Ritz. We just wanted a clean base to stay.
We were queued up with social distancing to get checked in and thankfully there wasn’t a long time to wait. Although later that day it was circling the building almost all the way round.
The staff were pleasant and helpful and we were checked into room 445. We were directed around the site to the right chalet block. It was easy to find and the layout of the site is really well thought out and with lots of parking nearby it was great for unloading. However, thats where the greatness stopped.
On unlocking the door it was very clear the chalet had not been cleaned properly in months. There was also no way it had been cleaned prior to arrival with the amount of loose dirt.
The seal on our door proclaimed that if the seal was there after fully sanitising. However it was clear no one had sanitised it prior to arrival. I head back over to the check in team to let the staff know but with the check in queue around the building and not moving as quickly as before and the boys unable to get in the room after 30 minutes I admitted defeat and headed to the shop to purchase some cleaning products to do it myself.
After 4 hours of travelling and 2 tired kids I wasn’t prepared to wait another hour back in the check in queue when it would be easier and quicker to clean it myself.
After cleaning and finally allowing the kids inside they were excited. But we weren’t. We had expected basic. What we got would have been basic 10 years ago. Now it was old, broken and dated.
The mattresses were appalling with 2 of them being cloth and 2 being covered in plastic. All 4 were broken and offered no support at all.
The bathroom was grubby. Even with a wipe down with bleach and cleaning products there was a build up for grime that could only be removed from a proper deep clean. The toilet seat was wooden and had chunks missing, making it nigh on impossible to fully sanitise. The flooring throughout was sticky and even covered in tape holding the floor together in parts.
To top it off the thing I am most disappointed in is the fact at Prestatyn Pontins you are expected to pay for electric on a meter. This was not mentioned when booking and was not mentioned on the paperwork.
Obviously I don’t mind paying for these things if they need to be however I don’t like it being dropped on me when I arrive as this is an extra cost that should be disclosed at booking. It also made it almost impossible to do when you have a phone with no signal. I had to drive off site to get a signal to actually complete the transaction.
Since we had spent a large part of the day traveling we decided to take advantage of their take away service onsite. Normally you can purchase meals to eat in at the Beachcomber however with the COVID restrictions they were only offering a takeaway service.
The restaurant was well thought out for ordering and collection and was really well marked out. The food choices were limited with around 4/5 adult main options and 2/3 kids options which to be honest they had thought them through well with something for everyone. The kids could have the adult meals but just smaller options which I thought was great. The prices were also more than reasonable and the catering staff were really helpful and pleasant. On finally sitting down to eat we were immensely happy to discover the food was super tasty and were fantastic portion sizes so everyone ate well.
During our Monday to Friday stay we spent most of the time away from the chalet as it honestly quite depressing. Thankfully there is lots to do in the Prestatyn area particularly the beach there which was absolutely stunning. Oh and Red Boat Ice Cream Parlour was totally mind blowingly delicious! There is also Rhyl up the road with all you could expect from the seaside.
Back on site there are some fun things for the kids like the race track which you pay for but it is fantastic fun for the kids. There is also a crazy golf course which looked super.
Even with the good aspect of the holiday Pontins Prestatyn is dated and quite run down which is such a shame as the layout is good and I think with some investment in the chalets it could be such a gem of a holiday location.
Unfortunately the poor accommodation and the lacking aspect of ‘family holiday’ goes out the window once the lights go down as it is clear so many of the ‘guests’ like nothing more than to destroy the accommodation and anything surrounding it as several days we woke to find the public areas around the chalets strewn with rubbish, broken crockery and glass and the worst thing for me was seeing the hand sanitiser stations being thrown and destroyed all over the site.
On most family sites there is a quiet time that guests are expected to start being mindful of their activities and noise levels however at times here it really was like living on the shameless estate with shouting, swearing, singing and arguing all going on till the early hours. It would have been nice to have been give information on how to contact security or for security to regularly walk the site to stop this kind of thing happening or to stop the other guests having to report it in the first place.
All in all the site has some great things to offer and if investment was made into the chalets I have no doubt it could be a great site. However, for us we wouldn’t be rebooking anytime soon and in fact we actually came home a day early as we couldn’t stand another night and I just wanted to feel ‘clean’ which is a shame as the staff we met in the Beachcomber were lovely and the location was fantastic.
It would also have been nice to have been able to speak to someone regarding my complaint however a member of staff told me to complain via email when home which I did over 2 weeks ago and no one has got back to me about it yet. I am not hopeful that I will hear anything at all which is horrifically disappointing.
Awww it’s so annoying going on holiday, hoping for a refreshing break and ending up feeling stressed out and decidedly underwhelmed. The chalet does look pretty grubby and needs a bit of updating – the toilet seat in particular ! – bad enough in normal times but with Covid, you really need to feel that things have been cleaned. The other guests sound like a nightmare and the camp definitely needs to have security patrolling to keep you all safe. I really hope they get back to you. I’m sure the top management don’t know what each individual holiday park accept as normal, so you’ve actually done them a favour.
aww thanks Cheryl, I found it hard writing this post but I honestly felt so disappointed with the place and even more disappointed in the lack of support for guests onsite and then again when reaching out to customer services to voice concerns.
I think there are some amazing points to the park, the food was delicious, it was well laid out and the location to the beach was super so hopefully they will take on board the criticism and make changes for the better.