Haven Golden Sands

Less said the better about this place. middle of nowhere, damp accomodation, horrible beer, terrible foodbut the bands were great

We went on a short break to Haven this year having taken advantage of one of there £95 per weekend offers, we ended upgrading our caravan which cost a minimal amount, but I’m so glad we did as on the weekend we went it was absolutely freeeezing! and luckily our caravan boasted the luxury of extra heaters.
The Caravan was pleasant and clean when we arrived, but on further inspection there was limited cooking facilities, eg, an oven with no shelves.
The park itself seemed clean, but in all honesty, there wasn’t a lot to do! There were amusements, which can entertain for a while I suppose but are not easy on the budget, a small play park and a fair which cost quite a lot per ride. (around about £2.00 per person to ride on the ‘teacups’)
Food wise, on the site there was nothing open during the day apart from the bar — which was spacious but had a very off putting odour. We had lunch here one day but were hugely disappointed with the weak tasteless coffee, tuna melts which were nothing more than canned tuna in stale bread — certainly nothing melted! and standard greasy fried chips. urgh.
The saving grace for the place was the indoor soft play area for children, my daughter loved the slide and ball pool and this was the best part of our haven experience!

this is a nice holiday site. the beech was just a 5 min walk from our caravan. the seal scantury was 3 min walk away. the entertainment was great and kept all the guests happy. the bar was good the prices were not to bad. the staff were very helpful. we did go in early april as the park was opening but it was a great holiday. the caravan was nice and big and hed everything in it you could need.

You go to Haven usually for the entertainment. You can always guarantee great cabaret and of course the Zoo club characters — Rory, Bradley, Anxious, Ned, Polly, Greedy and Merlin. You never know when you are going to bump into them and they really are the magic for the kids.
Golden Sands is nowhere near my favourite of Haven parks. For a start it is such a faff to get to if you don’t have your own transport. Once getting off the train at Skegness you have a 2 hour bus journey to Mablethorpe and then another 15 minutes ride on a rickety old mini-​bus to the Golden Sands park itself.
The layout is so bad because certain areas seem to be fenced off and it is a ¼ mile walk from the entrance to reception then back on yourself to the laundry for your linen then another ½ mile walk back on yourself to find your caravan.
Luckily we were right near the entertainment complex but there was only one entrance to that so you had to walk all the way round the building.
There is a total lack of cleaning staff at the park as all the public areas are filthy. The floors are all sticky to walk on especially in the public toilets. I had to hitch my trousers in the loos as I wasn’t sure if the big puddles in there were water or something else. This was for the whole of our week long holiday.
There was also a lack of dining at Mablethorpe. Other parks we have been to have a Burger king/​Pizza place and a fish and chip shop as well as Pub meals but there was just a take away Fish and chips which I didn’t think very much of — Very expensive not many chips and very greasy.
The pub meals meals were nice I have to admit and we enjoyed the carvery. They also had great Hot chocolate. However like all the other public areas the floors and toilets in the Pub were disgusting.
The supermarket on the park is also really good. Everyone says they are expensive but I don’t find the prices any different to in the local Sainsburys or Tesco so I don’t need to bother struggling taking my own food as you can just get it there.
They have a great selection gifts and souveneirs. I always love to buy lots of stuff with the Haven characters on.
One thing that Haven can’t control however is the weather and it rained the whole time we were there. That meant that everywhere was so muddy. It seems that our caravan was stuck in the middle of a muddy bog but I won’t blame them for that.
The thing that saved the holiday for us was the entertainment. The Funstars really know their stuff and Thank God for the PARTY DANCES! All the shows were excellent although we did get a bit fed up of magicians every night but it was better than sitting in a freezing cold caravan. The adult entertainment was hilarious and very entertaining.
Oh and I forgot to mention that if you are visiting Golden Sands, don’t forget to visit the Seal Sanctuary. It is only across the road and well worth it as it is like a TARDIS. It only looks small on the outside but goes on forever on the inside and they have so much more than just seals. Well worth a look and for all the family not just kids!
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I was rather dubious about visiting the Haven resort, it was the first time I’d visited a holiday park, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.
The site is well laid out, there is a central complex, with the caravans arranged in a grid system around it. The main complex is rather dingy, but it seemed to have a large variety of things going on & certainly appeared to be a large attraction for a lot of people. The only part that we visited was the soft play area, which was a generous size & well equipped — it certainly kept my daughter busy for an afternoon.
The caravans were basic, but clean & comfortable with everything that we need for a short stay. We were lucky in that we were on the edge of the site so a ten minute walk from the (stunning) beaches, but even from the other side of the site, the beaches were still only a short distance away, definitely within walking distance.
The only complaints that I had were that the reception staff, who were the first contact for any enquiries, weren’t terribly helpful & were unable to answer the most simple of questions. Also, there was no variety in terms of restaurants & cafés, in fact there were no restaurants or cafés. There was a take-​away facility on the main site & pub that served food just off the site, both of which provided a chips with fried something or the other, not a salad or veg in sight!