Try a budget break at Butlins

What's the new-look Butlins really like? First-time visitor Kirsten Edwards finds out

Since its heyday in the 1960s and 1970s, Butlins has suffered a few image problems. In the 1980s it even changed its name in embarrassment to Holiday Worlds. But business is booming at the new, confident Butlins. A combination of the recession and the weak pound means that bookings are up and the future is bright.

 

Now, I'm one of those people who usually holidays in the UK anyway. Since having children, Simon and I simply can't afford to go abroad. Last year we self catered in Wales, camped in Norfolk, and stayed with friends in Scotland. The kids loved all of these holidays, and so did we.

 

I've never been to Butlins before, although I have been to Center Parcs, and I thought they might be similar. I went to the Bognor Regis camp with my sister and my children Tom, eight, and Lily, four, during the first week of the Easter holidays. The place was full to capacity, with lots of families and a healthy mix of ethnic groups.

 

First impressions

Whereas Center Parcs is all wind in the trees, water and space, Butlins is all crowds, chips and slot machines. No wonder kids love it. Dominated by the Skyline Pavilion, a huge marquee at its centre, the site is quite small and therefore easy to navigate (unlike, say, Glastonbury). Tom found his way around very easily, and by the second day was going off on his own to meet up with his new mates. 

 

Although there are more than 50 free activities included in the price of your holiday (for example, the funfair and Splash Waterworld), Tom (left) was mainly interested in the paid-for ones. Within 10 minutes of arriving he was demanding £1 to go on the quad bikes. Then he wanted £2.50 to play a football game, while Lily wanted doughnuts (£1 for five). Within an hour I'd spent £9 and hadn't even had a cup of tea. I realised that Tom wasn't going to be happy with the odd £1 for an ice cream so I agreed to give him an allowance of £5 a day for the rest of the holiday. He was over the moon.

 

Accommodation

We stayed in a room called Columbus' Quarters at the Shoreline Hotel. It looked over a car park, but we did have a partial sea view, which was lovely. The kids had bunk beds at one end, with their own TV, and our beds were at the other end, with the bathroom in between.

 

The room was clean and nicely furnished, and the breakfast buffet was a big hit with Tom and Lily, who helped themselves to hot chocolate, Coco Pops and chocolate muffins every morning. And I felt nostalgic for my lost youth as I paced the corridor every day to the strains of Kim Wilde, Sheena Easton and Terence Trent D'Arby.

 

Activities

Billy Butlin founded his first holiday camp in 1935 after a miserable holiday in Wales when he was turned out of his boarding house and forced to wander around in the rain with nothing to do. We were fortunate in that the weather was glorious and there was tons to do (for the kids anyway). A funfair, a climbing wall (£5 a go), bungee trampoline (£4.50), football, volleyball, trampolines and more. Tom had a go on everything. But the thing he most wanted to do was put coins into slot machines, of which there are plenty.

 

Lily (right) was cheaper to please, spending most of her time in the adventure playground or on the trampolines. Inside the Skyline Pavillion she enjoyed Bob the Builder's yard and the three-tier climbing/soft play area. She watched Barney's Super Dee Duper Sing-Along Show open mouthed, ran away from Titan the robot, and had breakfast with Billy Bear and Daisy Cow. She could have gone to a dance class with Angelina Ballerina but decided to watch Tom play football instead.

 

We queued up twice for Splash Waterworld, with its flumes, slides and bubble pools. I did attempt to swim but gave up as I kept crashing into people. I was glad I had my earplugs in because the noise levels were incredible.

 

Entertainment

The famous Butlins Redcoats are still around, fashioning balloon animals at breakfast, singing with Barney Bear in the morning, organising frisbee games in the afternoon, and dancing on Centre Stage in the evening. The queues for Centre Stage, the main entertainment venue, started at about 6pm. By the time we managed to get in there at 7.30pm, there wasn't a seat to be had. On the first night we caught the end of the Storybook Panto and had a drink before dragging Tom away from the slot machines to bed.

 

The second night we saw Circus Hilarious, which was actually quite good. I particularly enjoyed the running gag where the star of the show keeps injuring himself and rushing over to a woman in the audience to kiss it better. First his head, then his arm, then his side, then his crotch...

 

When he stumbled on dressed as Stevie Wonder singing ‘I just called to say where are you?', we all fell about. Unfortunately we missed out on all of the later night entertainment because we had to get the kids to bed, but we could have seen rock bands, a star of the X-Factor or a soul revival show on Centre Stage, or joined in the karaoke at the Swinging Shillelagh bar.

 

Food and drink

It's kids' heaven; chips, burgers, pizzas, ice cream, chocolate. All the bars offer a ‘family round': a pint of lager, a glass of wine and two cokes for £7.20. When we got home I cut up a few carrots, which the kids devoured. I think maybe their bodies were telling them something.

 

Find out more

A midweek break for a family of four during the May half term (25-29 May) staying at the Shoreline Hotel, Butlins Bognor Regis, costs from £155 per person. For more information - and special offers - visit www.butlins.com

 

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