How to Enjoy a Butlins Family Holiday

A veritable British institution, the Butlins chain was originally founded by Sir Billy Butlin to provide places where Brits could holiday with their families without breaking the bank. Manned by the famous Butlins Redcoats, there are now three resorts in the chain offering waterparks, bars, musical entertainment and sports facilities as part of all inclusive holiday packages.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Choose your Butlins resort. There’s a selection of three; Minehead in Somerset, Bognor Regis and Skegness, and they are all within a stone’s throw of a beach.
2. Choose your accommodation. Butlins offers self catering chalets, ‘Dinner, Bed and Breakfast’ options and even a hotel at the Butlins in Bognor Regis.
3. Decide what standard of accommodation you want. You can choose from Gold, Deluxe (not available at the Skegness resort), Silver and Standard accommodations. Gold offers the nicest standard of stay with relatively modern décor and a widescreen TV with DVD player. Standard rooms and chalets are the most basic, where towels are not provided and the fittings are very simple.
4. Stay in Bognor Regis’ Shoreline Hotel for the best rooms Butlins has to offer. It’s a newly built development on Bognor’s seafront with sea views, larger rooms, a lounge bar and hi-tech home entertainment systems.
5. Take your meals in Butlins’ dining rooms or in the Yacht Club if you’re a Gold accommodation resident. Breakfast and the three course dinner are ‘all you can eat’ and are accompanied by free tea, coffee and soft drinks.
6. Head to the Skyline Pavilion, a huge indoor arena, to find the hub of the Butlin’s resorts. It’s here you’ll find the amusement arcades, shops and many of the bars and clubs of the camps.
7. Let your kids run wild at the Splash Waterworld water park area of the resort or get them active with the range of sports facilities from archery and go karting to the less strenuous bowling. Younger children can take part in the nursery type activities like pantomimes and ballet lessons with Angelina Ballerina.
8. Be bold if you’re staying at the Minehead resort by taking part in their Ex More Adventures programme of activities that get you out and about in the Exmoor countryside – including horse riding and landrover rides.
9. Relax at night in the Butlins’ Reds clubs where you’ll find karaoke nights, live comedians and music tribute performances.

Tips & Warnings

• Adults can enjoy Butlins alone on one of the dedicated Adult Party Weekends that the camps organise. They’re themed weekends, for example 70s disco or a 60s festival.
• Security is sometimes lax at Butlins, and some parks have areas where the general public can walk in and out unnoticed.
• It’s best to avoid visiting during school holidays.