If you’re looking for a great value, all out family fun weekend – look no further than Butlins at Bognor. I have Just returned from a fantastic weekend of fun with my family as well as a number of good friends and their little ones. We all came away more than pleasantly surprised by the resort and what Butlins have achieved – a modern, all action, well-equipped facility but with the Butlins heritage still very much maintained.
I should say now, that this review is in the context of my visit being a very cheap 3 night weekend stay during term-time, which makes it such extraordinary value for the price we paid – and also, that we were upgraded on our eating plan because the basic restaurant was closed. That said, there are loads of positives about this place that still warrant a high rating in my opinion whatever price you pay and however you choose to eat.
Given the huge number of activities and things to do, the site is nicely compact and all accommodation is only a short walk to the main hub. All eateries we tried were clean, tidy with good food. A lot of effort has gone into landscaping areas and making the place look smart. But the most impressive thing is the huge number of things to do to keep the kids (and adults!) entertained all day, every day. Several reviewers bemoan the number of activities which are chargeable; but in my view that is unfair. You can easily have days of fun without spending an additional penny, for example: swimming in the well-equipped leisure pool (due to be replaced in 2019), the outdoor playpark, indoor soft play, excellent range of funfair rides inside and out, football pitches, puppet shows, regular stage shows in the skyline tent, and regular shows and events in either the Reds or Centre Stage areas all throughout the day and evening (the production of which, compared to the poor quality we’ve seen in European 5 star hotels, is of a very high standard). Then, there are several activities which need to be booked, but are still included in the price of your stay, including: arts and crafts, mini-fencing and circus skills to name a few. Of the additional charge activities we tried, we found these to be well run, with good facilities and good value (my 7 year-old daughter and I particularly enjoyed the archery).
We stayed in Atlantic Bay, where accommodation was surprisingly good for what we paid. Yes - it is simple, but we have paid a lot more and had some terrible experiences with flimsy mattresses and bedding; but our apartment here was great: excellent mattress and duvet, plenty of space in both bedrooms and a well-equipped kitchenette, complete with a little balcony area to eat. Another great aspect in my view is the staff: as you’d expect, a lot of the them are very young, but the vast majority of them are polite, knowledgeable and above all extremely enthusiastic. They are clearly given good training and support which makes for a very pleasant change given the indifference that many staff offer these days within the service sector. The cleaners work extremely hard to keep the place ticking over and clean, and all the assistants on rides and facilities do it with a smile. They’re all a credit to the Butlins brand.
I’d conclude by saying, it’s not perfection – everyone will be able to find little holes and faults – but you really have to look at the high quality and range of facilities you get for such a low, great value price. Billie Butlins’ original mantra was a week’s holiday for a week’s wages – well, I think at Bogor Regis, they have kept true to that, providing a modern, well maintained facility, offering deals like ours which make for a fantastic stay for a very small amount of money. This makes a great family break accessible to a lot of families who’d be priced out of other holidays or need to compromise on quality elsewhere. In my view it does all that, but also offers as much as you need and much, much more to meet whatever budget you have.
Great work Butlins!