Following on from my recent review of our 4 night mid week Summer break last month I promised a separate review for the accommodation. I found my review was getting a bit long and although the holiday itself was fantastic, I did have a few niggles I needed to share.

First impressions were great. The apartment itself had a cosy feel to it and felt perfect for us five girls. Minutes after we arrived there was a knock at the door, it was housekeeping checking we were ok and bringing treats for my birthday. Chocolates, biscuits and balloons, a lovely touch and we suddenly felt as though we were on holiday:

 

 

Overall the gold apartments are lovely. They are clean, modern and have everything you need for your stay. Three bedrooms: one of which is a double, two twins, a reasonable sized open plan kitchen/ diner (complete with microwave, kettle, dishwasher and everything else you would expect) and living space with TV. The daily room service and lovely arrangements of towels really gives you that holiday feel too:

 

The only downside was the one very tiny bathroom….it really was tiny you can see the floor space in this photo:

 

 

Luckily I was only sharing it with my Mum and 3 little ones but had my Husband and Dad come too it would have been a nightmare. As it was with only a shower to wash the girls with, we were forever flooding the bathroom and as you can see there’s not much floor space to manoeuvre around.

Having previously stayed in a four bedroom gold apartment, I would advise if there’s more than two adults on your trip to consider opting for that one to make you more comfortable. There’s a whole lot more extra space and 3 bathrooms (still no bath though).

See my previous review:

 

 

 

Another niggle is the wifi/ Internet access. In this day and age and especially for families with young children who go to bed reasonably early, wifi really should be free. You do get 15 minutes a day free or can pay £15 per device for a 3-4 night stay but personally I think it’s a bit steep and should just be included.

Also a word of warning. On your last day check out is at 10am but the cleaners may come in earlier and move all your stuff. Don’t leave your valuables out.

My Mum had to leave on Thursday evening so I loaded up most of our belongings before she left to make life easier for myself in the morning. Juggling 3 kids is difficult enough without managing bags too. I decided to go via the car on the way to breakfast to drop my camera bag off though and am so glad I did.

After a leisurely, delicious breakfast we arrived back at our room just after 9.30am. I was very organised and had planned to pick up the last of our bits, change Daisy’s nappy & heat a bottle of milk for her and make sure they all used the toilet before leaving the room before 10am. What we found instead though was the door wide open and all our belongings shoved in the hall (thank goodness the big camera bag was in the car). The beds had all been remade, the toilet rolls had all been removed and the microwave plate was in the dishwasher….. nightmare!

I did complain at reception that I felt as though I was being kicked out but was assured that I wasn’t. However, this was not a good way to end what was a really lovely break. Having never experienced this before at Butlins or anywhere else I wasn’t happy and would hate to think this was common practice. It really shouldn’t be.

Overall our family have enjoyed Butlins for short breaks and can recommend the gold accommodation. The three bedroom apartments have a cosy feel to them but with three little ones, we personally prefer the space and layout of the four bedroom apartments. Next time I would make sure my belongings were all packed up in the car before going to breakfast though.

 

Karen x

I received 4 nights stay in a three bedroom gold apartment as part of my role as a Butlins Ambassador. However, all views and opinions are honest ones reflecting the views of my family & I.