Searles!!

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Rob

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Well................

Just had the bank holiday weekend at Searles in Hunstanton

Now im led to believe this is supposed to be a five star site ??

Toilets were clean but dated and nowhere near five star.

Nice enough pitches but very close together and the place was packed.

Clubhouse and bars didnt seem too bad , had a few beers there but no food. Also piazza area looked good.

Swimming pool seemed very murky and not over inviting (my daughter convinced the wife to go in for a dip albeit a short one!!)

Thing that really annoyed us (for some reason as usually pretty easy going) was the use of our pitch as a walkway to the toilet block?? It was fenced and hedged off from each side however a constant stream of the same family deemed it a pathway?? 40 quid a night too!!!

Oh yes nearly forgot to mention about the gypsy fraternity on site too........my daughter made us and a few around us on the train laugh by asking why they needed to be there as they camp out all year round for free??

Anyhows........wont be rushing back to this one , but do really like Hunstanton and surrounding area.

Rob
 
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We have stayed there a few times but not for a couple of years.

Never had any problems but my wife and daughter said the same about the pool.

I always stay clear of campsite pools. I reckon it's all the kids who put the "p " in pool.
 
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Hmm. That place is my version of the seventh layer of hell. I can't tell you how much I hate it.

5 star site? :rofl: That's like saying Fray Bentos pies are michelin starred cuisine :rofl:

'ow much?!?!?!? :Eeek:

I would rather stay at home than be forced to set foot there.

I quite like Hunstanton though (y)
 
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We had wild gypsies grazing the pitches and some ponies on the beach

Irrespective of where it is for 40 quid a night and a boast of being a five star site i did expect a little more.

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There is a new site under construction on the 149 on the way to sunny hunny , might be your answer. Pine cones is its name , what it's going to have I do not know.
 
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Star ratings for sites don't mean anything as they award them themselves. Even hotel star ratings only refer to the range of facilities available and not their quality.
 
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We go to Searles 5 or 6 times a year and our 2 kids 10 & 8 love it ! The toilets are clean,and the staff are friendly,it does get busy at bank holidays as do most places.The outdoor pool is the better bet as the indoor one is heavily chlorinated. You can fish,play golf,tennis,swim etc it's great for kids..Its location right on the front is good ,supermarket ,chip shop restaurants on site couple of bars loads to do.
We like it because if you get a hot weekend we can be there in under two hours and when the camping field is open it's £20 a night for 4 of us plus the dog including leisure passes that for me is very good value for money .
It was voted the best independent campsite and rightly so in my opinion,it does it as well if not better than some of the Haven ones.

Vlad
 
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Agreed Vlad leisure facilities are pretty good

20 quid a night is good value....40 however is too dear in my opinion
 
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Never, ever go in a murky swimming pool. The bugs that can live in swimming pools can cause ear and eye infections amongst others.

No excuse for a campsite to have a grotty pool.

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Agree about pool , no excuses. All other facilities looked good.

One other thing.......£10 a day to fish a really small pond with only 8 pegs is over the top.
 
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Chris said:
I always stay clear of campsite pools. I reckon it's all the kids who put the "p " in pool.
Click to expand...
I knew a chap who did that as a hobby......He clocked up over 1,000 pools. (y) Took me years!. :)
 
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Norfolk is a great place to visit ,I have been to searles overpriced and over rated further inland try the old brick kilns.
 
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On a bank holiday...what can you really expect!

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We tend to go out of season to Searles ie not during school holidays if we can help it now that Robert is an adult.

They sometimes have good deals for some of the school holidays so look out for offers, we never pay full price.

At least they dont charge exorbitant sums for the childrens activities (we always found Haven full of extra activity charges) and put on a wide range of activities so parents do have to worry about bored kids.

With a lot of sites now charging per person rather than per pitch, Searles is becoming for larger families a "cheap option". And yes totally agree many have no regard for other peoples private spaces or pitch areas but from our experience this happens at most "crowded" sites.

The staff are always very good to us, we can take the boat out with ease and no hefty charges. There are things to do whatever the weather that are close by so with my disabilities this site has really suited our needs. However sometimes it has to be said, the other guests lack of respect from property including the toilets and showers can be hard to accept at times.

We have seen lots of things we never expected over the years at Searles including one family whose children would use their pitch as an outdoor toilet. At least when people complain at Searles the staff take the time to investigate and take action where they can.

Please when you are able to, try it outside the school holidays it can be a very pleasant experience
 
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I just couldn't pay £40 a night to stay anywhere, I was a bit miffed at having to pay £8 last week, I know money isn't like it used to be but £40 that's a third of my weekly pension for one night not even b&b , it's crazy money.
 
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Like most of the big holiday campsites, they do have a fantastic location. Direct beach access, I believe?
We tried it once when tugging. The pitch was a dreadful squeeze and only manageable by unhooking our X5 from the van and letting the Powrtouch mover do it's stuff. Whoever said caravans outfits are 'easier' cos they 'bend' in the middle, hasn't spent much time manoeuvring a 13 metre beast. Searles site their pitches in clusters, like a horseshoe shape, so not very helpful in this respect, but I guess less of a problem to motor homes.
I guess the price reflects the location and to include indoor pool use reflects this. Shame it looked icky. Think it was ok when we were there 5 years ago. Clientele were a bit 'Ryan, git 'ere naaaaahw!' Prefer Kelling Heath to Searles any day, but in fairness you will need to part with more cash e.g. an adult pass to their leisure centre is £11/day or £20/3 days etc. Very nice though (no gypsies lol). Best value is out of season.
Currently feeling very smug, having booked a £5/night 3 day bank holiday break (including hook up and leisure passes for 6 of us) in Caister. (y) Plenty of lovely cheap and non tacky things to do such as the local lifeboat centre, NT walk and museums, crabbing, ice-creams and general beach fun at Gorleston.
Last place I tried too, as everything else was booked solid (except Haven, for £200 :eek:). Thank goodness the bank holidays are almost over!
 
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What to expect on a bank holiday would be what i would expect on any other day of the year Judgemental ??
The £40 a n
Are the toilets better any other time of year?
Is the pool water slightly cleaner at the start of June?
Do people not run across your pitch to get to the toilet in the middle of May for example?
Does the £10 peg fee for fishing become less of a P take at the end of July??

Should i go on ???

Rob
 
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£40 a night was expected due to bank holiday i might add

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ok we live in norwich so its an easy quick drive to searls if we are taking the grandkids . hunstanton is a lovelly coastal area BUT over the last couple of years or so we have noticed major price rises especially bank holidays not only that but for some reason gypsies have decided they want to holiday in the same places now to be fair anybody who has been to vauxhall holiday center in gt yarmouth will no that they have great entertainment great for children but they also now have a gypsy problem again on bank holidays ' My surgestion is if u want to visit norfolk go to a lesser known site not 5 star . there really are some great ones. By the way im not actually against gypsies just think they often dont do thereselves any favours eg little consideration for others
 
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