The UK’s best and worst holiday park chains have been named in a survey by Which? – it also revealed the best place in Wales. Who? surveyed more than 1,700 people about their experiences of UK holiday parks over the past two years.
They were asked to rate their stays on 11 criteria, including quality of accommodation, customer service, cleanliness, facilities and activities and value for money.
An overall customer score was then calculated based on overall satisfaction and likelihood of referral. Well-known leisure park firms Pontins and Butlins have placed in the bottom five of the Which? list. READ MORE: The part of England where more people identify as Welsh than English
Pontins owns one site in North Wales, in Prestatyn, but this has been closed since last year.
Potters Resorts beat household names to first place with a customer score of 87%, followed by Forest Holidays in second place with a customer score of 80%.
Forest has a place in Beddgelert in Eryri (Snowdonia). The brand received four stars for the quality of accommodation, cleanliness, overall customer service, communication and the quality of facilities and activities.
Best place in Wales according to which? was Bluestone in Pembrokeshire. It had a score of 77%. It gets four stars for the variety of devices it offers, but only three for the amount that’s free, which may have contributed to its three-star rating for value for money. Still, its range of forest lodges and colorful terraced cottages have earned four stars, as have customer service and cleanliness. One said: ‘I can’t wait to go back.’
Founded in 1946, Pontins came last with a customer score of 56%. Pontins received a number of two-star ratings for customer service, quality of accommodation, cleanliness, variety of free facilities, quality of facilities and activities, food and drink and value for money. Its highest score of three stars was for communication and entertainment quality.
Long-time rival Butlin’s also found itself in the bottom five with a customer score of 67% – just ahead of Park Holidays UK on 66%, Away Resorts on 64% and Largo Leisure Parks on 64%.
Haven Holiday Parks – which has three sites in North Wales in Pwllheli, Porthmadog and Prestatyn – and Center Parcs share a customer score of 69%. The most visited brand in the Which? survey, Center Parcs, received mostly favorable reviews but was awarded two stars in the value for money category as well as the variety of free facilities on offer.
Survey respondents said they spend an average of £76 per person per night, the most expensive option not including food or drinks. It received four stars for overall customer service, communication, quality of accommodation, cleanliness, quality of facilities and activities, and quality and variety of children’s activities.
The Haven received a combination of three and two star ratings, including three stars for overall customer service, quality of accommodation and value for money.
Naomi Leach, deputy editor of Which? Travel said: “Holiday parks have been a mainstay of British holidays for decades, but with so many options to choose from, it’s not always easy to find the right one for your family.
“Our latest research shows that it’s worth looking beyond the big names, as smaller and independent resorts offer excellent value for money, great customer service and lots of fun on site.”
The results are based on an online survey of 1,717 adults – members of Which? Connect panel and public – conducted between March and April 2024. A total of 2,255 responses were recorded.
A Butlin’s spokesman said: “As the home of fun, it’s great to see that we score highly for activities and entertainment. We’ve invested over £50m in our three centers with new openings such as our Skypark playground and Playxperience indoor activity center to they have ensured that we continue to provide our guests with incredible holidays.
“It is disappointing that some scores are lower, but we would like to reassure guests that we are investing in these areas to offer them a better holiday experience.”
A spokesman for Center Parcs said: “Center Parcs offers unique family short breaks in the UK. We welcome more than 2 million guests to our villages a year and are 97% full year round.”
“We are proud of our consistently high guest satisfaction scores and over 60% of guests will book with us again. Our guests demand a high quality experience and we invest tens of millions of pounds in improving our villages every year to ensure we meet their expectations.”
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