The best and worst holiday park chains in the UK have been named in a survey by Which? – which also revealed Wales as the top location. Which? asked more than 1,700 people about their experiences at holiday parks across the UK over the past two years.
They had to rate their stay on 11 criteria, including the quality of the accommodation, customer service, cleanliness, facilities and activities, and value for money.
An overall customer score was then calculated based on overall satisfaction and likelihood to recommend. Big name holiday parks Pontins and Butlins scored in the bottom five of Which?’s list. READ MORE: The part of England where more people identify with being Welsh than with being English
Pontins owns one branch in North Wales, in Prestatyn, but this closed last year.
Potters Resorts beat household names to top the charts with a customer score of 87%, while Forest Holidays came in second with a customer score of 80%.
Forest has a location in Beddgelert in Eryri (Snowdonia). The brand has been awarded four stars for the quality of accommodation, cleanliness, general customer service, communication and quality of facilities and activities.
The best location in Wales according to Which? was Bluestone in Pembrokeshire. It had a score of 77%. It got four stars for the range of facilities it offered, but only three for the number of free facilities, which perhaps contributed to its three-star value for money. However, its range of woodland lodges and colourful terraced cottages got four stars, as did its customer service and cleanliness. One said: ‘Can’t wait to go back.’
Pontins, established in 1946, came in last place with a customer score of 56%. Pontins scored a range of two-star ratings for customer service, quality of accommodation, cleanliness, variety of free amenities, quality of facilities and activities, food and drink and value for money. The highest score of three stars was for communication and quality of entertainment.
Old rival Butlin’s also featured 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 tied with a customer score of 69%. The most visited brand in Which?’s survey, Center Parcs, received largely positive reviews but was awarded two stars in the value for money category, as well as for the range of free facilities on offer.
Respondents to the survey said they spent an average of £76 per person per night, making it the most expensive option not to include food and drink. It was awarded four stars for overall customer service, communication, quality of accommodation, cleanliness and the quality of facilities and activities, and for the quality and variety of children’s activities.
Haven received a mix 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 staple of British holidays for decades, but with so many options to choose from it’s not always easy to know which one is best for your family.
“Our latest research shows that it pays to look beyond the big names and opt for smaller and independent resorts that offer excellent value for money, great customer service and plenty of on-site entertainment.”
The results are based on an online survey of 1,717 adults – members of the Which? Connect panel and members of the public – conducted between March and April 2024. A total of 2,255 responses were recorded.
A Butlin’s spokesperson said: “As the home of entertainment, it’s great to see us scoring highly for activities and entertainment. We’ve invested over £50 million across our three resorts with new openings such as our Skypark playground and Playxperience indoor activity centre to ensure we continue to deliver incredible holidays for our guests.
“It is disappointing to see some scores drop, but we want to reassure guests that we are investing in these areas to provide a better holiday experience.”
A Center Parcs spokesperson said: “Center Parcs offers unique short family holidays in the UK. We welcome over 2 million guests to our parks each year and we are 97% full all 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 every year we invest tens of millions of pounds in improving our villages to ensure we meet their expectations.”
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