I’d never organised a big group holiday before and didn’t know what to expect - but my pre-school group came up with the idea of organising a short break for all the Mums and kids to have a few days away together before they started school.
So where to start? Fifteen Mums, twenty-two pre school children and four babies looking for a toddler-friendly holiday for not too much money!
It was actually my Mum who suggested a caravanning holiday. My immediate thoughts were of chilly nights, a trek to the showers and trying to keep the kids amused on a windswept beach. But a bit of investigation soon changed my mind about exactly what’s on offer if you take the kids to a Haven Holiday Park.
The reality is super comfortable heated accommodation with well-equipped kitchens, spacious living areas, two or three cosy bedrooms and, most importantly, a loo and a shower with unlimited hot water. And absolutely masses to keep the kids happy.
We went to Caister Holiday Park near Great Yarmouth. Our four night mid-week break gave our kids a fantastic holiday without too many bigger kids around. They had a whale of a time in the heated indoor pool – and some of them even booked lessons in the Learn2Swim programme. There’s ‘Little Cubs’ club just for 1-4 year olds, a bouncy castle, crazy golf and kiddy cars – not to mention the beach, which of course they loved!
The early evening shows were brilliant and it was great for all the Mums to get together and enjoy a glass of wine whilst the kids were having a good time. All the children have become besotted with the Haven characters – the girls all fell in love with Anxious the Elephant (she’s pink and wears a spotty dress!) and the boys can’t get enough of Rory the Tiger.
And organising the group proved remarkably easy – I contacted the Groups Team at Haven’s Head Office and they were just incredibly helpful. They sorted out the admin problems and collecting payments and provided loads of information to make our stay more interesting.
What’s more the cost was really reasonable. You can get a Group Discount from as few as 5 units of accommodation so it really helped to make the holiday affordable.
Caister is going to be a regular fixture on the Playgroup calendar – and with my son starting school in September I’ll have to see if we can arrange a similar break during half term for parents and children from school!
Caroline James
Back >