Before I had kids, I always imagined holidays abroad with future children. I dreamt of days lazing by the pool watching the kids jumping in and out. I thought of the excitement of the plane, and the airport. I thought how much they’d love endless ice creams.
In 2022, when Marfs was 8 months and Ida was 2 and 8 months, I realised holidays abroad with kids are very different to what Instagram led me to believe.
We found our girls had an attention span of 1 hour, MAX. This meant that we did one hour on the beach, one hour at the pool, one hour in town and everything was done. The sun cream application was relentless. Maybe they were too young for an abroad holiday but I think it’s scarred us!
We went to Corsica. A beautiful place surrounded by hills just desperate to be climbed. Not by us though. Despite having the backpack carrier, it never happened. Having all the things we love to do out of reach was tough.
We realised on this holiday that holidays are no longer holidays for us unless the kids are happy.
That’s why we go to Butlin’s, Centre Parcs, and caravan parks. The kids are happy here. Happy kids, happy us.
What’s great about Butlin’s?
Butlin’s has everything your kids could want – granted at 100 decibels too loud. Arcades, shows, rides, soft play, games, balloon animals, people dressed in Pepa Pig suits, toys, bowling, painting, crafts, swimming. Everything. And 90% of it is included in your holiday price.
This means you can let them ride the carousel until they’re green in the face. It won’t cost you £3 a time! Whether your kids are 90cm or 150cm, Butlin’s has suitable fun fair rides.
I always find it quite claustrophobic, but one thing people like about Butlin’s is that everything is in one place. You don’t have to drive to different activities. If you’ve got a two year old who plays hide and seek under the footwell every time you have to get in the car, then this will be good news.
The beach is also in walking distance. If you do want to venture out of the Butlin’s Bubble, you can stroll over to see the seaside. At Bognor there was a coffee shop and places to get food. You could easily spend the day there. It was so hot when we went and we didn’t have shade, so we just did a little walk instead.
A Butlin’s holiday is cheap. For us, including food, it was £370 out of term time. In half term it will be more, but not holiday abroad prices. When we went to Bognor, both girls got sick bugs so each had two days of being unwell. If we’d spent £4,000+ on this holiday we’d have been gutted. Because it was so cheap it wouldn’t have mattered if we spent most the time in the room, or if we called the holiday off and went home.
What you need to know before you go to Butlin’s
- Take a reusable water bottle. At Bognor there is a refill station in the tent by the stage
- Pack dried foods, fruit, and snacks where possible, the prices in the shop are hiked up
- Loop earplugs might be a good idea if you get overstimulated easily. Buy some here
- If it’s summer, pack a portable fan. That tent gets so hot
- Swim in the afternoon when it isn’t quite so busy
- If possible, when the kids are in bed, leave your partner at home with them and go for a walk by the sea. The fresh air outside of Butlin’s is like self care
- Pack comfortable shoes. You’ll be doing lots of steps or at least lots of standing
- Take shade with you if you’re going to have a beach day
- Give yourself a mid-day break. The kids will probably need it, too. We went back to the room for an hour each day around lunchtime to decompress and recharge. You could eat lunch, play a game, or just watch TV. One of the days I just had a sleep!
What are the rooms like at Butlin’s?
I have two tales of Butlin’s rooms.
The first, Butlin’s Minehead. We had an apartment that clearly hadn’t been cleaned properly. Hairclips on the floor and a can of cider under the bed! There was also a hair on the shower head and I felt like I just couldn’t get clean in that bathroom. I felt cleaner not showering! The room was also really light. I took a blackout blind which helped.
In Minehead, we went for a walk to find some really nice villas by a lake. If you can, look for these. The block we were in had lots of signs up saying about renovations in progress — much needed I’d say. It literally smelled the same as it did when I went as a kid 25 years ago.
However, Butlin’s Bognor in the Wave Hotel was a totally different experience. The room was spotless. We had a maid service twice, too. The room was SO dark. The bunk beds room had no window so it was really dark.
The main room had heavy floor to ceiling curtains. Really rate it. Our friends stayed in the Ocean Hotel and they said that was nice, too. I think Bognor is just more modern than Minedhead. Another friend stayed in the Wave hotel but it also had a kitchen. This might be a good idea if you want to eat at Butlin’s on a budget.
What’s not great about Butlin’s
- It’s loud
- You can’t walk anywhere without passing the arcade or a ride on
- There’s hardly any water fill stations
- It’s hard to get a decent healthy meal
- You start to get cabin fever if you’re a naturally outdoorsy person
Would I go again?
Yep. It’s such a cheap holiday and it really, really pleases the kids. When the girls have a nice time, we do.
It’s so set up for kids with activities and shows that really keep them gripped.
I added a few affiliate links in this post. If you buy through the links, I get a small commission — thank you.
Fromthemotherside 
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