Page 1 of What`s Pontins like?

Is it as grim as one might imagine or is it okay for a family holiday? (Suffolk or Somerset). (Ignore cost as I`ve got chance of a freebie!)

This item was edited on Tuesday, 11th May 2004, 18:57

I swear to god, ive got a picture of me from 1989 (id be about 10) stood outside pontins in prestatin, wales. If you hold it up while watching `holiday on the buses` (the scene when they first arive at the holiday park) the only difference between the piccy and the telly is me stood there in a pair of red wellies. It hadnt change a jot in nearly 20 years.

Although im sure its lovely now.............. ;)

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Aw, people can come up with statistics to prove anything, Kent.
Forty percent of all people know that.

We booked a week there a couple of years back (Southport), stayed one night and that was one night too many. Disgraceful place. Can`t comment on the southern Pontins, they might be better.

One of my mum`s friends used to be a dancing Penguin at Pontins in the South-East, I`ve never been to one though.

Butlins and Pontins, seems to ordered and, well, prison-camp like. (first impressions from Hi-De-Hi and their TV ads)

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Please visit ::soundalikes.com::

Think Stalag 17 full of hyperactive Barrymore wannabes trying to entertain chav families who`d rather be torching the place.

No seriously. It`s just like Butlins, but with blue coats rather than red. ;)

J Mark Oates

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I do not drink...wine.
And I do not smoke...sh*t.

Went 2 years ago , money a bit tight at the time so I thought what the heck its a cheap week away.. was absolutley horrible holiday... we ended up coming home after 2 nights.. when you first get there your all herded into the function room in the site bar waiting 2 hours with loads of bratty kids running round you and your luggage ,then having to wait in lines to get your room key ... site was horrible, room horrible ... blue coats really annoying ... would`nt go again if they paid me ...

went lasyt year for a week and came home early at the request of my 7 yr old. The place wwas ok it was the hordes of chav scum on the rampage till 3 in the morning

Thanks for the feedback...that`s a "no" then...even for nowt!

At the risk of becoming cannon fodder, I spent most of my childhood spending a week a year in one or other of the Pontins holiday camps and some were better than others. The main reason at the time was because they were cheap and my dad didn`t want to eat `Foreign Muck` while he was on holiday. I haven`t been to one of these camps peak time or mid week for a few years, but I know a few friends and reli`s that go to them at offpeak weekends on Special breaks and most have a great time.

From what I remember these places were geared at low end entertainment, with blue coats doing half of the entertaining and `guest` appearances from what seemed to be once famous comedy acts (eg Jimmy Cricket and Krankeys) and duo`s who wouldn`t look out of place in your average working mans club.

Also the thing with family holidays is that the family`s usually have kids in tow. And the camps have arcade areas, sports facilities and swimming pools to cater for them, but they also have clubs to keep the younger kids amused during the day. If you`re kids are happier playing on the X-box than running around with other kids there own age, then they will probably hate it. These are supposed to be a holiday for them to so they are encouraged to runaround under the supervision of whatever Blue coats are unlucky enough to be lumbered with them, so they tend to do it when they are unattended as well. Again, if you prefer to go on family holidays where kids are seen and not heard then maybe an exclusive Villa in some far flung destination is more your scene.

I`m also beginning to become a bit sensitive to the various `Chav Scum` type comments that are flying around these days. I`m not 100% sure what the definition of `Chav` is but it sounds more and more like middle class bigots having a pop at kids from working class or poorer backgrounds who don`t share in their sophisticated views. Being 39 in the next few days probably means I`m a bit old to fit into the `Chav` category, but being ex-cansell estate scum I`ve heard plenty of similar comments from people who have never been able to back up there generalisation with anything other than more generalisations.

I probably wouldn`t go to a Pontins camp again (except for a theme weekend), but thats because I enjoy travelling, taking in foreign cultures and tasting new foods. How many of those of you who are slagging of `chavs` go to Benidorm and Majorca behave like `Brits Abroad`.

This item was edited on Wednesday, 12th May 2004, 14:01