Butlins Shoreline Hotel
Butlins..... a name to conjure with. Red coats, sing-a-longs, bathing contests, Ruth Madoc, all the usual clichés apply.But it has changed. We stayed in the Shoreline Hotel and although things didn’t start well -check in took over 20 minutes- we both agreed that the facilities were very impressive once we cleared this hurdle.
We had a lovely, quiet room with plenty of corners to hide young Tom around and a decent side view of the sea. As you can see from the Shoreline website, the rooms are very family-friendly. With Tom in the kids’ area, it was still possible to have the lights on at the other end and not disturb him. We had a fridge in the room and the restaurant has a microwave to heat food. The bathroom was clean and spacious and we had all the usual giveaways you would expect from a four star hotel in the real world.
|
| |
| Article continues below advertisement |
|
| |
And that’s the point, this isn’t quite the real world: it’s Butlinsworld. When I arrived on foot at the gate anyone would have thought I was a vicious intruder. And it was easy to take umbrage until I got into the complex and realised that this is what families want, a safe, guarded area where kids can run around freely. And run around they do. They love it. We chatted to several families during our stay and every parent agreed that although Butlins isn’t perhaps what they would have chosen for a romantic getaway, with kids it’s pretty unbeatable. Funfair, free shows, favourite characters running around waving enthusiastically.
Here’s an idea of what was available on a typical day for our 16 month toddler: breakfast with characters such as Bob the Builder, a swimming session just for parent and toddlers between 9 and 10, two great soft play areas, nursery for 2 hour sessions in the day, Bob the Builder shows, puppet shows and Tom’s favourite, a dance session with Angelina Ballerina. At Christmas time also there was a free pantomime. The only thing that cost extra was the nursery at £3.50 a session. Quite frankly, very reasonable. It was professionally run with a section for little ones and a big room for older ones. We felt very relaxed about leaving him there and he was perfectly happy.
For older kids there was: Archery, Basketball, Football, Netball, Short Tennis, Touch Rugby, Crazy golf and Bowling, to name just a few. Splash the ‘indoor waterworld’ was fantastic and with all its different areas, it’s hard to see how all ages wouldn’t love this.
It doesn’t stop there though. I was in my element on the first day when I found the on-site cinema and realised that The Departed, an 18 certificate, was on at 4pm. Thoroughly excited at having been granted a break I even turned up early tried to book a ticket. ‘Don’t be silly,’ the cashier told me, ‘it’s an 18.’ I duly gave way, came back later and sat in a cinema with three other people, each of us breathing a sigh of relief that we had no choice but to turn off our phones for three hours. Again, not for everyone, but fabulous when you’re a busy parent.
The evening meal did have some obvious discrepancies, such as the limited variety on offer for vegetarians but the breakfast buffet was great with lots of healthy options for both parents and kids. It is obvious that Butlins have made a real effort here, the atmosphere in the Shoreline restaurant is really relaxed and allows parents to have a nice meal. (Some takeaway food was available so eating when the kids are in bed is an easy option.) Here, as elsewhere on the site, we were constantly greeted by cheery faces always eager to help. I did look around for some truculence but I have to say that all I found was politeness and even enthusiasm. Very commendable in the face of what must be an incredibly busy day. Even this though is testament to the success of Butlins; the week after Christmas and it was crammed to the rafters. The site is so large, however, that even this doesn’t seem irksome. The large indoor section called Skyline can be a bit noisy and busy. Too many computer games for our taste.
All the same both of us were very impressed with so many things: the general atmosphere, the constant variety, the entertainment on offer and most of all a great room in which to hide yourself away when you got the chance. Overall Butlins offers a superb family break and, importantly, one that the kids will want to relive time and again.
Dave Fouracre aka DAVE THE DAD
2007
See Some of Our Editorial Hotel and Holiday Reviews
Find Out What some of Our Members Wrote in Their Holiday Reviews
Read Some of Dave's Other Reviews Here |
| |
| |
|
