no but i have booked with weststarholidays and they seem resonable in cost

Hi Magda,

I stayed on a site last year at Brean Sands that has now been taken over by John Fowler and the site itself is very well kept and has organised entertainment throughout the season.

What I would say to you though regarding Haven is that it may be worth doing a search for privately owned caravans on Haven sites. I booked a short break at the Presthaven site but was strongly advised by a member off HT to change to another park. We decided to change to Rockley Park at Poole Dorset. The site was very well kept and the club, bars, restaurant were very nice having been recently done out, it is rated as a 5*. We were I have to say very dissappointed with our accommodation and ended up being moved to a much nicer caravan but we were very limited with our choice of caravan as we took a dog with us. The privately owned caravans on the site looked beautiful and you still get the passes for the club, entertainment etc. You would just need to search first for which Haven sites have good reviews.

Hope this may be of some help to you

Shell

Hi there
We went to Fowlers, the Ilfracombe holiday park, a few years ago, I'm afraid it wasn't very good needed a good refurbishment. May have altered since then
Regarding Haven. We found them very dear, as a previous person suggested said book direct with owners of caravans on the parks. A lot cheaper, very often the haven passes are included in the price. Just write in the address as caravans at haven and you will get the actual Haven site address plus addresses of owners of caravans on the sites. They often have their own websites. We booked direct with an owner on one of the sites last year. Saved around £200, and the vans are a bit more homely and cosy, not so basic.
Dawn

The John Fowlers in Ilfracombe has just completed a large number of brand new luxury chalets and is adding more next year.

I also hear they have refurbished the reception area and other areas of the park, but am not sure of the finer details.

hi
I stayed in a john fowler park in bude about 5 years ago, i cant remember the name of it, but it was great, really good kids entertainment etc and much cheaper than some of the other parks were, although i dont know if they are still cheaper.

Hi there
Hate to be a party pooper and this is my opinion only but we stayed at Ilfracombe last year and swore not to do John Fowler again. The Ents staff were poor (almost had to beg them not to sing and had to leave on their cabaret night it was so bad) and the on site shop was really poor and expensive.
We sat in the no-smoking section and could not breathe for all the smoke: thre security guard was sitting smoking in the non-smoking section and was rather terse with us when we asked him to stop.
The food was poor (chips or chips - they twice ran out of fish and chicken and burgers in the week we were there: we knew that as the no-smoking section was by the serving hatch).
We go to Haven now and although not perfect just seems more 'polished'. However each to their own and it may be better now. The pool was good and there was plenty of space for the kids to play. The 'chalet' was actually a tiny terraced 3 bed house right at the back of the park!

hi, well, 5 of us (adults) stayed at john fowlers at St Ives Holiday Park and had a great time. Clean, spacious chalet, clean site and staff lovely. The entertainment was a bit mixed, but you dont get top class cabaret at these prices ! the drinks were cheap and that made up for it.
This year we're going to Ilfracombe, and we've seen good and bad reviews but, based on our experience, the price makes it work ! If its only a base to sleep in, we'll be happy. Last time we got a lot more for our money than expected and ended up spending much more time at the park than we had planned. Have a great time, wherever you go !

merlinsgirl - that's good to hear. As I said, my post was my opinion on that one holiday. We've been on couple of Haven holidays and they were like chalk and cheese, so shows how things can vary.
Let me know how Ilfracombe is now once you've been. Maybe I was just grumpy for a week!

It would be good to hear how your holiday goes in Ilfracombe. I live here and have always wondered whaat it is that attracts people here

we went to John Fowlers in Ilfracombe last year and was not impressed. The chalet was ok, but very cold. It was extremley expensive and we were skint halfway through the holiday and had to stay in the very cold chalet. The beds are tiny and this was a bit of a pain for us. What I will say about the chalet we were in is that you can see straight through the bathroom windows in the dark! Beware of loitering poeple when your wife is in the bath!
The comment about the chips was right, we had the same problem but the worst problem for me at the site was that they cram you in to the area and if you stand up to get another beer, you knock drinks over on the nearby tables, it was that cramped!
Ilfracombe is ok, very hilly but the locals were very rude, we thought they would be pleased with our custom but they were all very unhappy and ignorant. I will add here that on our anniversary evening (the whole reason for the holiday) we was turned away from every resturant as they said they were too busy! It was a quiet season and they all looked empty!
Book a taxi if you plan to go out, very important. It is a long trek up a very steep hill to get back home and it is impossible with a pushchair.
I would recommend you spend as much time in Woolacombe which is a lovely place and is far more welcoming than ilfracombe.
Don't bother paying to get in to Tunnel Beaches, you have to pay in a very busy cafe and can be waiting for some time to pay, only to be dissapointed by a horrible beach that you can't even walk bearfoot in! (A convienient shop is within the complex where I had to buy some flip flops!)
The Aquarium is tiny and was gobsmaked to have had to pay.
Sorry to speak of all my ills for this place but it is best to be prepared than to be disapointed when you get there!

One last point, watch your change when you buy something from any shop or bar, we was short changed on a number of occasions and our neighbours at the site had the same problem. We considered contacting the police but it was a case of our word against all the residents of Ilfracombe

Have you considered looking into other chalet style holidays, e.g. Hoeseasons? I know of some great log cabins in North Devon, but a very different set up to John Fowler etc. They are set in secluded woodland with fishing lakes, and some have a hot tub or sauna. There is no shop, entertainment, pool, etc., but really relaxing and peaceful. They are in a really convenient location too - 15 min to WW Ho!, 10 min to Instow, 10 min to Barnstaple, 30 min to Braunton/Saunton. Peaceful and relaxing, I would definitely go back. They are well equipped too. I reccommend them. Bulworthy Forest Lodges in the Hoeseasons Chalets and Log Cabins brochure (or website I guess!) Hope you have a good time!

Hello Fowler vacationers

I've been going to Fowlers for my short holiday since my divorce in the early 90s. Always plenty to do when the children were small and loads for adults too. My prefered site was always St. Ives but this year we are trying Widemouth bay. I've seen it but never stayed there so here's hoping. Reason for the change my youngest daughter (now married) and her husband have a young dog and the Jouney to St Ives was just too long for her last year. Anyone out there know of any beaches around that area where we can walk said dog.

Kind regards
Val

Me and my family have just come back from a week at Trelawne Manor.
We had a really good time, the entertainment was excellent.
The only thing I found wrong was there was not enough for my 15 year old to do in the daytime apart from swimming, crazy golf and fishing. There are other things like pool and table tennis but there are only so many games you can play without getting bored.
The scenery is out of this world waking up in the morning you could see for miles.
Its very handy for visiting Polperro and Looe both very pretty fishing villages.
We hope to go back again next year.

We stayed at the John Fowler holiday park in Coombe Martin a few years back and could not fault them. We stayed at Sandaway Beach which is the smaller of the two parks in Coombe Martin and you had full use of both parks. The accomodation was clean and well presented and were equipped with everything you needed to prepare simple meals etc. The entertainment was okay not fantastic but heard better reports about the larger park although we never visited it. Staff were good and the food was hot and cooked properly.

Stayed in the big 10 berth lodge at st ives holiday village..

Lodge- Fantastic condition-- We think its a sub let.
Food - good and always hot.
Drinks- cheaper than other holiday parks etc
Entertainment- Okay.!
Facilities- Quite good.
Staff- Freindly and always there to help.

valeriel

We did Widemouth Bay with our two dogs in July last year. There is a website ran by the North Cornwall (I think) council/tourism which lists all of the dog restrictions. There is definately one within walking distance of the park, and you can walk them on one end of the main beach.
Kevin

We've stayed at the John Fowler site at Widemouth bay in a gold standard caravan. It was spotlessly clean, very spacious and comfortable and we couldn't fault it. The site was also clean and tidy, with a pleasant bar which did bar snacks and a good indoor heated swimming pool. We didn't sample the evening entertainment so can't comment on this. It is really well placed for sight seeing in Cornwall as there are a lot of places of interest within a short drive and the beach there is fantastic and popular with windsurfers that are great to watch. We get brochures from Fowlers now offering some great deals as we are return customers and if we go to Cornwall again we will book with them as they are good value for money.

We have all (I think!) of the John Fowler parks listed so if anyone would like to post a review, please do so HERE.

Thanks.

Pippy