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.
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.
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.
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.
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.