never..my only frame of reference for Butlins up till now was a certain TV series in the 70’s which i believe was supposedly set at a Butlins holiday camp. I have to confess i was not a massive fan of the show, that sort of slapstick benny hill type humour was always a bit lost on me. Shame on me as a brit i know…
I have to say, as a kid, they did always look like fun places to go. My parents, though, were more into travelling across France and camping close to beaches and lots of “jollie chateaux” so the chances of my visiting one as a kid was very unlikely.
But recently we got the great news that our family and my blog have been chosen to represent Butlins as Butlins ambassadors this year. So we rather incredibly get to go and have a break and review one of their three sites. When i found out i ordered their brochure and once the children saw the pictures of the pool, the water slides, the games, the shows, cbeebies characters, the hotels, the food…….there were some VERY over-excited kids in our house.
To be honest it couldn’t have come at a better time for us. I blogged a couple of weeks ago about last years attempt at a camping holiday and just how hard that sort of holiday can be with young kids. Because realistically you would look at the age gap i have from number 1 kid to number 5 and think its not that much. Just under 8 years. Which in the grand scheme of things isnt that much..it didnt ‘feel’ like much time between babies!
But actually having a nearly 10 year old all the way down to a toddler can make holidays at best a bit of a juggling act and at worst a week when you return home with relief and silently wonder to yourself why you bothered. Organising activities, days out, food, sleeps, down time to suit kids with such drastically different needs is a challenge when you are in the comfort and familiarity of your own home. Moving that all into a compact “on holiday” version can add a whole heap more stress on top.
Which is why when looking closer at what Butlins has to offer im starting to get a little inner squeal of excitement going….because it looks like it will be a break that I will get to enjoy as well as the kids! Lets face it when the kids are happy, entertained (by someone else!) and (with my kids anyway), burning off a LOT of energy..it going to be a winner for all of us.
Just look at some of the images i found when i googled ‘activities at Butlins”
No wonder the kids are excited, there is a couple of them i’d like to have a go at!!
So im interested to hear about other people’s Butlins experiences. We are likely to be going next year, plenty of time to work up the excitement. We have yet to choose a location. My son is very keen on the Bognor Regis site, mainly i think due to its hotel that has its own ‘gaming room!” haha.
If you are interested in finding out what Butlins has to offer just click on the heart 🙂
I’ve been to butlins a few times, frequently as a kid and a few times as an adult. Mostly it’s been when it’s been a church conference ‘spring harvest’ which is a bit different, but the swimming pool kept me entertained for hours as a kid. Also been when it’s just standard butlins. I have to say it’s not somewhere i’d be in a rush to go right now as it is quite ‘manufactured’, and like you, i’m a bit of an up a mountain or on a beach kind of lady, but I can see that when my little one is older and we have a few in tow I would look into it as an option, mainly due to the ammount of things to do. For those of us for whom centre parcs is a little pricey during school hols, I think it’s a great place….if you can get past any cultural snobbery and go with the butlins flow !! Oh and take a few bikes – great for getting around on.
Looking forward to hearing your review of the great red coat land.
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thanks hannah. im really looking forward to letting my kids burn off some steam. i think both sort of holidays have their merits dont you?
Yes I am learning quickly that this is might be true ! ( And if you get to go to the hotel in butlins, no cooking or stacking of dishwasher either……bliss.)