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Haven Perran Sands

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  • Perranporth, Cornwall
     Cornwall, England
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Sarah the Expat
Sarah the Expat
First Reviewer
2 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
1
Review
4
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Editor Pick

Haven Perran Sands

Haven Perran Sands

Best Things Nearby:
It is about a 20-minute drive from Newquay or Truro and a 40-minute drive to St Ives or Eden Project.

Best Things About the Resort:
Beautiful views of the beach, a waterslide (called a "flume" here), and bars

Resort Experience:
An English holiday camp is my husband's idea of "roughing it," which I find hysterically funny given my upbringing on US state campgrounds with tents, campfire cooking, and pit toilets! He tells me this is a very typical "camp," so I'll describe it.

Your accommodation choices are mainly between a caravan (basically a mobile home) or a chalet (small apartment). Depending on how much you want to pay, you can get very basic caravans or gold-star ones that would impress in any US trailer park. My in-laws were in a gold-star caravan; we had a chalet.

Our chalet consisted of a living room/kitchen, a full bathroom, and two bedrooms. Cooking equipment, dishes, and cutlery are provided, and there is a stove, oven, microwave, toaster, electric kettle, and fridge/freezer for you to use--not exactly campfire cooking! The chalet was unheated, but there was a space heater in the living room, plus a TV. The camp provides you with bed linens, but you need your own towels, kitchen towels, washing-up stuff, and food of course. The best advice is to bring your basic cooking bits/spices like oil, condiments, herbs/spices, spices, etc., and then buy the rest at a local supermarket. There is one on site, but it's a lot of processed food.

If you can't be bothered to cook, there is a restaurant on site. We only ate there once for breakfast, and it was certainly nothing great. It’s better to make your own. There is also a Burger King, but you're doing yourself a disservice if you come all the way to Cornwall to eat crappy American food. Other amenities include a hire shop for things you might have forgotten, a bakery, a fish-and-chips stand, a launderette, and a gift shop.

As for the entertainment in the main club, most of it was incredibly cheesy, but it's family friendly and full of little kids running around way past their bedtime. Typically there will be a themed singing/dancing revue or a cabaret act, and there is a resident band that does everything from Britney to Van Morrison.

Outdoors you can hire sports equipment for the basketball courts, ride go-carts or bumper cars, or swim. However, English weather in May is not really conducive to outdoor swimming, so the indoor pool is nice. There are parent/toddler areas for the pool and a big waterslide ("flume").

Your other entertainment options are the two arcade areas on site, with lots of video games and slot machines to waste your money on. There are also pool tables, bowling, and air hockey tables if you fancy a bit of competition.

Summary: If you come here without kids, you'll want to get out nearly every day to find something to do. Holiday camps are a good bargain and more interesting than a B&B or hotel, but adults may find the family theme a bit boring or annoying after a while. We'll be back when we've got rug rats.

  • Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
  • Activities: Good
  • Amenities: Good
  • Unit Satisfaction: Good
  • Family Friendliness: Excellent
  • Service: Good

From journal A Typical English Holiday in Cornwall

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