Haven Holidays
Reviews and Complaints

I have been bringing my family to haven for years as I always enjoyed the piece and quiet.

Unfortunately this year you have let yourself down and even when I called security regarding serious obnoxious music constantly even up until 12 midnight last night.

When called the security they was as much help as a wet paper bag to carry a ton of bricks saying there's nothing we can do.

I'm due to stay here until Monday 1st July but I think we will be leaving in the morning.

And I don't believe i will be returning again and advising friends and family that golden sands is no longer a family friendly place. I also EXSPECT a refund from Friday 28th of June until Monday 1st July.

This has been probably the worst holiday experience I have ever had and yes I will be taking to social media ect to review how bad golden sands has gone

Yours LORD Lee J Smith

in august 2024 booked a fishing holiday for may no mention on website fishing lake can close. on route there having to take a van and car with all gear in and pick up over £80 worth of bait get a text half way into journey that lake would be closed all weekend no offer of a refund no help finding another lake spent hours on phone trying to find another lake said lake was 25 min from where we were staying so a lot of back and fourth driving the meant to soaking holiday turned out to be an absolute nightmare

The caravan was a shambles, dangerous and shouldn't have been let. Good Friday to Easter Monday , in my son in laws name, Mr Kieran May, . Photos will show the faults.One fault actually caused me to burn my hand on a metal toaster, which was not the originally for that cooker! Skirting boards, trip hazard, shower door wouldn't close, extractor fan for shower didn't work, main exit door handle had to be replaced, wallpaper hanging of wall, cupboards with no veener on. Broken clothes airer,and generally unclean. Some repairs had to be done while we were there, they were so dangerous. I have complained by email twice and had no response!

22/3/2025
while staying at oak meadows 6 at the above park my wife trapped her fingers in a faulty wet room door(pics enclosed)the door wasn't fitted properly(no door stopper/lock or catch) trapping my wife's fingers between the door & the wall/frame, resulting in breaking 3 of her fingers(pic enclosed) leaving her in extreme pain & discomfort, also several health & safety issues & access to pots & pans(pics enclosed) we want compensation for my wife's injury as this led to my wife not being able to take part in most of the activities we had planned on & off the park. i hope this explains this clearly. i have tried on numerous occasions to send this complaint to Haven complaints with no success. also my wife has recently had her leg amputated, extremely difficult now she has only the use of one hand. the caravan was advertised as a disabled caravan

Stayed in a GOLD caravan on this site from 1st November to 4th November, the caravan was OK, nothing special, it wasnt until we checked the paperwork when we got home we noticed towels would be provided. There were no towels in the caravan. Noise was also a problem, what appeared to be a youth club was billeted in several different caravans around the site, in particular a caravan opposite ours containing several teenagers. They were banging about and playing with what looked like pellet guns all evening and until 1am. For £269 it was a bit of a disaster, we have stayed in BRONZE a few times previously this year and got a much better deal.

I am writing to complain about the appalling state of the facilities in the touring area at Haggerston Castle, as well as the site itself.

We stayed from the 3rd to the 6th of May in our small camper van and throughout the whole weekend found the toilet and shower facilities in an unusable state. To put it plainly they were stinking, often with blocked and un-flushed toilets. The floors were very dirty and this made the showers also unusable. There is insufficient ventilation and drainage of toilets does not work. In addition the very old floor tiles mean that the grouting is always dirty so as soon as the floor gets wet dirt rises. This type of flooring is unhygienic and should have been replaced many years ago. Additional effective extractors are required to deal with the smell and toilets should be replaced with efficient flushing toilets and improved drainage.

In addition, the key code locked door frequently jammed and so there was no access to the toilets. This had a great impact on the elderly women that I spoke to whilst stuck outside the toilet. Both made clear that they were unable to walk as far as the other block and were greatly distressed.

After some rain, not a great deal, many of the pitches became flooded as there is little or no drainage on the site. The van 2 along from us had an awning and in the middle of the night two young children in the awning were floating on their airbeds. Access to the door of the ladies toilet was impossible without wading through several inches of water. Adequate drainage is a must on a site for touring. It was difficult to get in and out of our van without stepping in deep mud. All this without excessive rain.

We visit many caravan sites a year, mainly in Scotland, and have never had a problem of this kind. Toilet and shower facilities on other sites are usually maintained to a very high standard. If you would like, I can suggest some sites that you could visit.

Last year we arrived at our Haven caravan at Caister on sea. Friday 19th May-Friday 26th May. Ref [protected]. We were given the keys to our cravan but when we arrived it had'nt been cleaned. We complained to reception who got the cleaners to clean for us. We had to wait another hour and a half. we were very tired after a long journey and as i have a chronic illness i was feeling very tired. However we had to call the cleaners back as the shower room floor was covered in sand, and the fridge was very dirty and smelly. We were given a voucher for £35 as an apology and was told that when we booked our next holiday there we could choose our caravan and they would ensure it was ready for us and cleaned at no extra cost. I have recently re-booked a holiday at Caister for this year and chosen our caravan. However i see we have been charged an extra £90 on top of our fee for choosing the caravan we would like to stay in this years Stokesby 10 Ref [protected] 17th - 24th May 2024. I am very upset that we have been charged £90.

I have already sent a complaint and no one has replied we stayed at church farm in the 30th of October for four nights we had lorries coming and going day and night we were woken up at all times of the night I asked to be moved the manager said he had no were to move us to that was a lie as we looked on your site on the Saturday and there was still lots of caravans for hire the manager there is useless we were not the only ones to complain I spoke to others we should have been warned that you had trouble on the site or we should have been put some were else I hope you have the decency to at least reply to me we go on a lot of your holidays

Sunday 29th October asked to leave Kiln park touring site after less than 24hrs on site due to flooding.
Told will receive a full refund by “Dave”
Tuesday 31st, still no refund.
Went back to park reception to determine when refund will be received.
Told be reception staff that only a partial refund will be given.
Asked to speak to manager.
Manager: you will receive a partial refund for the nights not spent on park.

Me: we was told it would be a full refund. It is not the fact we had to leave as we know it is out of parks control, but telling our kids they have no holiday is just horrible.
Manager: I don’t know what you want me to do about that it’s not my fault.
Me: do you have children?
Manager: yes I have 2
Me: have you ever had to tell your child something and seen the complete disappointment on their face?

Manager: I have friends that can’t have children and I find you question very rude.
Me: 4 lost Babies and 2 years of IVF resulting in my 1 child, don’t talk to me about not being able to have children.
Dave appears from back office.
Manager shouting at the top of her voice: you are just [censored]ing rude.
Dave stood in front of me at this point and blocked my view.

We have just come back from church farm we have had hardly any sleep there we had lorries coming and going all night why didn't any one tell us before we got there that they had a problem and had to get lorries in all the time I did speak to the manger there and say why didn't they tell us before or better still move people away from that area he said he had no were else to put us such was funny as we looked for a caravan for our daughter the day before and there was lots he didn't want to know this is not acceptable as we go with you a lot and are very disappointed at what we had to put up with the lorries were pumping out 20 yards from our caravan and was making a loud noise the lorries in the night were one after the other Mrs G D Frost 54 Broomfield Harlow Essex cm202jz

Please could you reply to the below email, which has been sent @ 3 times to the Customer Service email address, but we have not received an acknowledgement nor a reply at any time.

Here is the contents of email to Customer Service on behalf of John Ward and myself, (slightly amended due to errors).

The Reception ladies Sara and Sue, were very polite, helpful and accommodating. So were the entertainment team staff,

I would like to raise the issues with you which we experienced on holiday at Seaview Caravan Park.

The Silver caravan we booked had a number of things wrong with it, which although it was still a nice caravan, we thought the price we had to pay, should have been checked and problems reported before we arrived or notify us on arrival as to when they would be rectified, please see as follows:

1. The front door was not hung correctly in the door frame - the gap was on the top left hand side, from inside the caravan, whereby we could see daylight through it around the top of the door - not noticed until the last part of our holiday due to the weather changing - not reported.

2. The outside security light was working - was fixed once reported.

3. Pulley cords to the kitchen window and bathroom window were broken - fixed when reported.

4. The Decking area was very dirty around the bannisters and flooring. Looked like it was jet washed due to the amount of water, when reported this was near the end of our holiday.

5. Some of the internal window handles needed to be tightened or replaced - not reported at the time, felt uncomfortable reporting these too.

6. Net curtains were scruffy and fraying in places - made mention to the reception staff but this was for future attention.

7. The heavy curtain at the front door only had a hook at either end so hang down in the middle - reported but was not rectified.

Outside Smoking Area by the Games Area/Clubhouse - observations

This area has seating, but is in need of an outside light for safety reasons, it would also be good to have an umbrella or open sided covering for the smoking area, especially when there is bad weather.

The outdoor pool was advertised on your email confirmation as being opened during good weather, when in fact it was closed. This was very disappointing, we came a day later last year and it was open for the duration of our 10 day holiday stay. This could be seen as false advertising. People were saying that Weymouth Bay Caravan site pool was open, but we don't know!

2022 the confirmation said the restaurant was open, it wasn't, very disappointing.

Restaurant - Sunday Lunch - this was chaotic on Sunday 17/9/2023, the weather was wet, the Iron Man competition was on, so many campers chose to have a Sunday carvery lunch. However, the kitchen ran out of supplies i.e. beef, turkey, gammon ham and had to close the service after they had taken the money.

I suggested that chicken could be cooked for people, which they did, bit late.

Surely, the person responsible for ordering Food supplies, does a stock take and can freeze meat and vegetables?

The restaurant/bar is only open until 20.00 hrs Mon-Fri & 21.00 hrs, this is ridiculous, given the amount of people on site.

1. The entertainment time was often changed from the advertised time, so we missed or arrived half way through.

2. The bar closed at different times throughout our holiday, mainly earlier than 11.00pm. At one point, during the DIY disco, one of the barman shouted at Tash (I think her name was) that the bar was closing in 15 minutes! It is very disheartening when you are not sure if it was worth getting ready to go out of an evening.

Bar opening and closing hours should be displayed and stuck to, we understand when the season slows down, but closing before 22.00 hrs. or before 23.00 really, when people are still buying drinks?

3. If you left drinks on the table and jackets on the chairs, to go out for a cigarette, the pot staff would take away your drinks, even if you had full glasses. At one time, I was sitting talking to someone else at the next table, and the drinks were nearly taken, I just turned round in time to ask them to be left. This isn't good enough, the pot people should be sure and look for coats or have beer mats that people can cover their drinks with.

We felt it was time to report on our bad experiences because it did put a dampener on our holiday and Afterall, it is not a cheap holiday, especially when you feel you are getting a little bit of luxury in a Silver Caravan.

We have had similar experiences over the last couple of years but thought to let it go.

This time we thought Haven should know before things got worse.

We did have a nice holiday but it could have been much better and wished it was more positive.

Thanking you, looking forward to hearing from you.

Shirley Drake

John Ward

Booking ref: [protected]

Accommodation: Apple Grove 55

We stayed at the Devon Cliffs holiday park this weekend for my sons Birthday.

Initially we arrived in the rain and tried to park our car to unpack but the surface next to the caravan wasn't suitable and as a result we skidded and my son fell over and was completely soaked through. Other vans had a patio, paving stones( or a Rock for no parking)

Then when we entered the caravan there was a big leek on the floor - we later discovered it was from the fridge which had been turned off and had leaked. (pics attached) We cleaned it up and asked to move caravans but were declined. Our payment to select a caravan was to be refunded and today has been.

The heater didn't work and my husband reported it however the very nice maintenance man didn't have a part for repairing it for us.

The children's room (twin) had a wet carpet? (no picture) and stains on the bedding. (pics attached)

We enjoyed the activities but after spending a lot of time on the pottery when returning on the last day the children's pieces hadn't been fired for collection? A lovely lady offered to post them this week but the children were very disappointed.

I look forward to your reply

Kind regards

Rachel

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to formally submit my complaint regarding our recent family break at Haven Rockley Park, Holiday Park, located at Napier Rd, Hamworthy, Poole, BH15 4LZ.

Holiday Dates: September 22, 2023 - September 25, 2023.

My family and I arrived at Rockley Park in the early afternoon on Friday, September 22nd. Upon our arrival, we were warmly welcomed at the reception hut located near the site's roundabout and were provided with our welcome pack. We proceeded to our designated accommodation, 57 Rockley Vale. Upon entering the premises, we immediately noticed a musty odour, suggesting that the property may have been sealed for some time.

We surmised that this could be due to it being used for families with pets. As we explored the accommodation, our children embarked on selecting their bedrooms. It was during this time that they called out in distress, having discovered bloodstains on a couple of duvets and the inside of one of the bedroom wardrobe doors. My wife and I conducted a more thorough inspection of the premises and determined that it had not been cleaned, let alone properly prepared for our arrival.

We identified the following issues:

1. Dust, dirt, and grime were present on nearly every surface, shelf, and picture frame. 2. The toilets were unclean. 3. The sink in the shower room was not sanitary. 4. The shower contained hair. 5. Flies that had been squashed and not cleaned were found on the ceiling in the shower room. 6. Cobwebs were observed on some of the windows. 7. Window sills harboured flies and tree debris. 8. The lounge floor had scattered rubbish and dirt. 9. Debris was present on the sofa. 10. The kitchen sink and draining board had not been cleaned. 11. Sticky tea marks were evident on the kitchen surfaces. 12. The kettle lid was broken. 13. The fridge had not been wiped down. 14. Dirt and grease were found on the hob. 15. Dirty grease marks marred the wall by the fire extinguisher in the kitchen. 16. The dining table was sticky. 17. A chair was covered in glitter. 18. Bloodstains were discovered on two duvets. 19. Blood was also found on the inside of a wardrobe door opposite the single toilet. 20. Dog hair and dust were present around the TV area. 21. Dust had accumulated on the main bedroom's bedside lights. 22. The main bed was damaged and had six missing slats. 23. The previous occupier's welcome pack and an Asda bag were left in the accommodation in clear view of any cleaner.

We lodged a total of four complaints regarding the deplorable condition of our accommodation. While cleaners were dispatched in response to three of these complaints, we found that none of the issues were rectified to our satisfaction, except for the mending of the bed slats.

Regarding the entertainment area, we noted that it was not adequately maintained. The Live Lounge exhibited signs of dirt, including dust and cobwebs on the light fixtures. Furthermore, we found that the Play Passes were outdated, reflecting the year 2022 despite being stamped with 2023. This suggests a need for annual updates.

Our visit to Rockley Park took place 15 years ago when our children were much younger, and it was a memorable and enjoyable experience. Regrettably, this visit failed to meet our expectations. The appalling condition of the accommodation and the overall lack of cleanliness throughout the site have left an indelible negative impression. This experience falls short of the high standards we have associated with the Haven brand over many years. We are deeply disappointed and left with a sense of disgust, and as a result, we have no intention of returning or recommending Rockley Park to others.

We will be submitting photographic evidence as an integral component of our formal complaint. Kindly anticipate a series of emails containing these photographs, as their volume necessitates such a distribution.

In light of the significant stress and distress endured by my family and me during this Haven holiday experience, we hereby request a full refund. Failing that, we regrettably must consider pursuing alternative avenues for resolution.

Yours Sincerely

Mr & Mrs Phillips.

The caravan was filthy,there was dirt all over the place the cooker was full of grease on top,the beds weren’t made properly in fact it looked like the cleaner had been laying on them and it absolutely stunk of [censored] n cannabis and extremely sweaty smell . There was utensils missing, cupboards where wonky. Was underneath electric pylon that was buzzing all day and was at the very back of the park. I was totally disgusted with it.i reported that there was missing utensils and was promised twice that they would be passed down to us (never was) , also I was told that they would get someone in to ozone the caravan , but that never happened either. I spotted a cleaner cleaning a caravan opposite and asked to speak with her supervisor, but instead another cleaning lady came along and offered to clean the caravan ( even she said it was filthy and stunk) .she gave it a little tidy up.every time you emptied the sink the water was discharging under neath the caravan so we had the smell of dirty water as well as everything else all week.

Me and my wife stayed at craig tara on monday the 25th of september 2023,we expected to stay until the 29th of september but we were so digusted with the state of the caravan.the curtains were all ripped cobwebs everywhere over all the light fittings and the vents were glogged with them,the blind was missing from the kitchen window the toilet seat was insecure and the whole place smelled.Iwent to the reception to complainand they told me that they would get the cleaners in,i told them not to bother iwasn't sitting in there with cleaners in in fact i was so disgusted i told them i was leaving in the morning 27/09/23.T he next day i went in to hand the key in and she didn't even say sorry for the state of the van in fact i got the impression she couldn't care less.I have photos but i do not know how to load them i know it was just a cheap holiday but it was all i can afford at the minute if you do need photo's i suppose i could get them to you

Having recently stayed at the Devon Cliffs site my husband and I were extremely disappointed with the accommodation provided for our stay in a 2 bedroom Silver grade van.

On arriving after a tiring journey we located out van and started to take our belongings into our "home" for the next 10 days. At first site we were not overly impressed with the overall internal appearance but having been travelling for quite some time just needed to settle ourselves and the last thing either of us wanted to do was start complaining right at the offset!

Looking around several things stood out straight away. The carpets in the lounge area were disgustingly dirty and I was pleased with myself for having taken slippers,

We went to drop the venetian blinds to gain an amount of privacy to find them caked in grime - this was a build up not just from the last week or so. See my tissue wipe from just one tiny area of the blind.

The sink tap fitting was so, so rusty and the handle rested on the back plate to the sink fitting. This finally stopped working just a few days later on the 17/18th September with us having to report it. I also spoke with the customer services agent on site and mentioned the numerous other areas of concern. To her credit she did offer to send someone to look around but to be honest everything that was wrong could not have been sorted in a timely manner and it was not something we were prepared to endure- it should have been in tip top order at the offset.

The main shower room floor was mouldy, see picture -we discovered the shower was reluctant to turn off efficiently. The radiator in this room was also very rusty and overall the room smelt musty and damp throughout our stay.

The window frame in the main bedroom was dirty/mouldy and we had no coat-hangers to hang clothes which meant we needed to ring and request some...

Needing to heat the van one evening we found we were unable to. The remote control had no back to it nor any batteries... Obviously not checked before we checked in... The maintenance person was quick to attend but the fire failed to work properly - we told him to not bother we would put the central heating on if needed going forward... The fire surround itself was again, overdue for a clean with droplets of dried food clearly visable.

Doors clearly showed large gaps which meant we prone to draughts.

So overall, we were very disappointed in your accommodation. We have stayed at other Havens sites over the years- the last in Coombe Haven which was in comparison a palace compared to this recent holiday and whilst we appreciate there might be some areas of concern this was totally unacceptable to anyone holidaying.

I am attaching numerous pictures taken showing the majority of areas mentioned in the above and would welcome you response.

Was dirty did do half the things it said it did staff didn't give a dam and looked like they did want to be there swimming pool was always shut early did have any activities for the older kids never did any breakfast even when the site said very poor left early because of it my son who is autistic/adhd was upset who has never had a holiday and to save to go here was a j

Hi

I recently visited the Flookburgh Haven site and booked a bronze caravan, holiday reference number [protected]. On arrival to the caravan we found that the fridge hadn't been cleaned and there was blackcurrant split all over the fridge shelves. There was also food from the previous guests still in the freezer (chips, ice lollies and ice cubes). Under the pull out bed there were crisps and a used medicine spoon so this had obviously not been cleaned either. The shower panel in the bathroom was also missing and the frame had been covered in duct tape to prevent us hurting ourselves on sharp edges. We immediately reported this in person to reception and we were offered another caravan of a lower standard as all other bronze caravans were in use or a £50 pound refund. It was arranged for a cleaner to be sent to the caravan to clean the fridge and the maintenance team contacted regarding the shower panel. The fridge was cleaned however we were informed that the shower panel could not be replaced during our stay. On return home I have read the terms and conditions under the haven cleanliness guarantee it states however that we are entitled to a no-quibble refund for the cost of the holiday. We would like this to be looked into please. I have not received the £50 refund at the time of writing this email. I have photographs of the condition of the fridge, shower panel and pull out bed.

We stayed at weymoth bay in a silver grade caravan it was not too standard we paid for the sofas was all stained and in tolet the flush did not work, We did go to reception and ask for a move thay said they was fulley booked they did offer to give it a clen dont think it would of maide a diffrerence'we also paid 35£ for a upgrade for a river veiw and we did not see it.so we ask for are money back its not good enough we drove all that way and did not stay as the caravan was not we paid for and came home .

I go ev month mon to Friday took mum to greenacers portmadog she’s 95 thou I would get silver van as next to best I thou well went on funny smell carpets filthy bedding really damp even thou weather was hot it was mon 4th sept to Friday xx thou diver was supposed to be good I paid all extras windows really dirty I had to clean decking as was muddy I never complain but I’m loyal customer and wasn’t happy I took mum for breakfast said I had to book. And was closed one day then took her for meal said I was to late at 2.30 yet staff were sitting down it’s hard at best times looking after mum but this was in called for webt this morning for last breakfast before we drove home I waited for someone to come ev he said you have to book I said forget it I spend a lot money on greemacets but this time was really disspointed esp in van please will you look o yo this for me I never moan but think I need to I’d like to come oct but I paid a lot money this time to be disspointed pat ralph mazzarella and mum I wanted to do somthing nice for her

Me and kids went on our first family holiday last weekend we booked swimming and it was terrible the lifeguards walk around in outdoor shoes the floors were covered in puddles and not once did I see anyone get a brush to move water away lil one fell twice and was walking super slow he also went unde water and lifeguard didn't even notice his sister had to get him and we have came home and I had to take oldest to a and e how whole foot was swelling up and his two little toes were huge he got prescribed antibiotics as he has got athletes foot off your swimming baths off a tiny bit dry skin he picked up infection at your swimming baths we were that discusted with how dirty it was we didn't go to our other booking for swimming while we were there x