Tinka, it seems that most of your gripe is about our typical british weather...

ATB,J.

It was half the weather and half the accomodation/facility standards..we just figured if we were going to get rained on, we might as well get rained on at home...!!!! Holiday parks might be great elsewhere, I have nothing to compare to, whereas my hubby had been to one previously and he was disappointed with this one....

I think it's always best to check a place out by asking people who have already been. We've been to good and bad places in the UK, and I agree that it's very disappointing if the place is awful.
About the weather- well that is just typical of Britain, you can't guarantee what the weather will be like, but if you get good weather, then Britain is such a wonderful picturesque place.
Cornwall can be a great place to holiday

I have lived in coastal Cornwall for 15 years and have never known fog like we have had in the past week. You were very unfortunate. However, you had only to drive 10 miles inland each day and it was gone. It was only a coastal fog and it did clear today. You also had a lovely weekend I believe (according to workmates the fog didn't come in until Suday afternoon)

I am sorry you were disappointed but it really was not Cornwalls fault. No one should book a holiday here expecting good weather at any time of the year. This is the UK mainland!

Where did you stay? I assume its local to us.

If you holiday in this country then you have to go prepared for all weathers. I know it is disapointing when the weather is not great but there is not much you can do about it apart from grin and bear it.

We love our holidays abroad but every now and then like to stay in this country. We just go with plenty of games etc in case we have to stay in.

Why didn't you complain whilst you were on site? Personally I think £150 is very cheap for a chalet bungalow on a holiday park - as they say you get what you pay for.

Pippa

Our previous good luck must have lucked out as we have had great weather holidaying in the UK previously including locations such as North Wales, Devon and North Yorkshire...We were staying in Polperro and didn't get there till nearly 7pm on the Saturday and the fog/low cloud was already starting to set in around the late afternoon on the Sunday.. the day before yesterday we went to Fowey, Charlestown and Megavissey, we had a half hour of brightness in Fowey about 11am and then fog all day including going back to Polperro and eating out in Looe, it just didn't lift and hearing that the fog would soom be replaced by rain wasn't a great forecast.....
I don't think a complaint would have got us too many places,(they can't do much about the weather) I don't believe any of the other chalets were any different to ours as you can plainly see into them all when you are driving through the complex and they all looked the same. I have been speaking to one of my friends tonight who has stayed at a few caravan/chalet sites in the UK and she was quite surprised at the standard..really simple things like putting an electric plug near a mirror when youwant to do your hair! These chalets sleep up to 6 people - how?! In the bathroom, there was 1 very small shelf, where on earth are you expected to put your toiletries? as there was no cabinet and the chalet was tired and a bit grubby in places, the sliding wardrobe door didn't fully open so you couldn't get your clothes in!.....what do I expect for £150?!
At least we only paid that, if I had paid £350 a week a few weeks ago for that chalet, I would have complained straight away but again where would that have got me?....needless to say will not be recommending this holiday park!

You were very close. All of the places you visited were coastal and when there is coastal fog you would be better to go inland. Chances of getting it another time is pretty unlikely given my experience.

I can't help with the accommodation but to say the price you paid was almost as cheap as camping. If the van you booked had a price of 350 a few weeks ago you did choose and book an economy caravan. One would expect an economy van to be tired and showing its age. Did you ask maintenance to attend to the wardrobe?

I can deduce you booked an economy van because any higher grade accommodation easily carries a price of 600 in peak summer weeks, not 350.

Keswisk, we choose a chalet bungalow which was meant to be one of the "superior" ones.....the only difference between the one we had and the best ones was ours didn't have a patio area or patch of concrete to put down some plastic chairs to enjoy the fog! I have just checked their website and the top price for our accomodation in the summer weeks July 22nd to Aug 26th was £595!!!!!

We`ve holidayed many times in Cornwall, and had good and bad weather, OK, if it`s good it`s great and if it`s bad we moan a bit, but in the UK it`s a lovely surprise to get good weather all the time. We`ve not stayed in chalet accommodation because we take our own caravan with us, so we`re never let down in that department, but £150 seems very cheap, even in early September, I`ve seen more expensive accommodation.

I have to agree that for what you paid there can be little argument. A broken wardrobe door can happen anywhere and that is why they have maintenance on site. Tired, a bit grubby in places and no electric socket by a mirror, really shouldn't be something to throw your teddies in a corner over when the charge was 150.

The weather is fine here now, no sign of rain. The fog has lifted. Its a real pity you missed the rest of your holiday.

Please do remember, when you harp on about the fog to your mates that this is mainland Britian not continental Europe.

Sorry you picked a few dodgy days with the weather.
In the UK anytime we accept the weather for what it is, abroad it can be as bad/far worse or a lot better.
Holidays are more than what the weather behaves like, they are a break away from the normal routine of work/home.
Friends/family i know who live at various places around the world love the UK's diversity of climate
As for standards its very difficult to judge by the stars awarded even in this country, as others state word of mouth counts for a lot.
Ive holidayed in the UK all my childhood then abroad worldwide the last 20 years seeing such diverse standards & places that they all have there merits.
I am now an owner of a static holiday caravan located on a park, which i chose for my own needs, but also for others so that there was rental potential to pay the huge overheads annually.
Unfortunately price does count for what you get, ranging from peak season to offpeak, but no mattter what season you choose (we all have our reasons) you should still expect a certain standard for your money.
I only let out what i would expect to want myself & tell guests i do wish to know of problems that ive not picked up on however small.
Hopefully on your next holiday you will have a better standard of accomodation & also better weather.

Dave
http://uk.geocities.com/teakbank12_4_hire@btinternet.com

Sorry duplicated post (timed out)

It's a shame you cut your holiday short because of the weather, whatever the weather when we have holidayed in this country we've made the most of it. Better luck next time

I am disappointed for you that you did not enjoy your holiday but unless there was a serious health and safety issue where I was staying anywhere on holiday in the World I would never come home early

Holidays to me are too precious to give one up halfway through

No matter how depressing the weather I am sure there are plenty of interesting things to do in Cornwall

Plus your accomodation is only a place to sleep overnight in my opinion - again as long as it is not a health risk just put up with the bad decor etc and make the best of things

I live in the Midlands like you and it is pretty boring here as well when the weather is bad - definitely not worth coming home from Cornwall for !!

The Eden Project comes to mind when the weather is bad!!

There is also a mechanical music museum in St Keyne.

Pippa

Seems like the weather is a pretty emotive subject when it comes to living in the UK! Pippa, we did visit the Eden Project..it was on the list of things we wanted to do...but we mainly wanted a holiday by the sea so we could visit seaside villages and resorts so when they are covered in coastal fog it sort of defeats the object ....it wasn't just me, it was also my hubby's decision to come home..the holiday started off on the wrong foot and we couldn't get it back on track.....we're both disappointed but such is life and we'll put it down to experience. Some people would have put up with it and soldiered on, on this occasion, we didn't want to....I like living in the Midlands and I like my holidays anywhere I go in the world to be of a certain standard....I wouldn't not go to Cornwall again but I would be very cautious of where I go in terms of where I stay next time!!!!

I am lucky enough to live on the coast, not real seaside as I overlook Morecambe Bay so no waves but beautiful never the less today I cannot see anything, sea haze, visibility about 50yds ! You complain about £150 we have a touring van and unless we use a farm field site fees for the 2 of us are ususlly £20 per night which makes at least £140 per week that is using our own van, for the use of a patch of grass, so maybe you need to get things in perspective because in this life unfortunately you get what you pay for. sorry you didn't enjoy Cornwall it is a beautiful part of England.

Tinka 14 - I have been to Cornwall twice (only stayed in the County once)and have absolutely no desire to go back there again. Both me and my wife struggled to see what the fuss was about. We went in June outside of school holidays and it was packed. The roads offered no views due to the high banking and everywhere we went we had to pay a fortune in parking. None of the car parks offered short stays of say an hour for 50p or a £1 and no week long season tickets were available. All car parks seemed to require a minimum of £2 for an extended stay.

A lot of car parks are outside the villages so you have to pay to park for four hours before you know if there is enough in the village to keep you occupied for four hours, in most cases there isn't. So you spend an hour there, then drive somewhere else, find double yellows then another car park wanting £3 or so for another hour stay.

Eden underwhelmed us immensely. After reading their literature that it was a great 'day' out we arrived in expectation for about 10am. We were in a pub having lunch by 1pm having done it. The project is a great feat of engineering, but to argue there is enough to do for six or seven hours is pushing it.

I'll leave it to Londoners to enjoy their hols there and stick to the North of England and Scotland which offers all Cornwall does, without the horrendous daily costs.

I think you have, in many ways, missed the best of what Cornwall offers but I would agree that car parking is quite expensive, especially in the private car parks. Thats much of the problem, a lot are not owned by councils interested in local trade, but private individuals interested, obviously, in their own pocket.

Cornwall isn't about shopping, theme parks and entertainment. Its about making your own entertainment in enjoying peace and quiet. A boat trip from one fishing village to another, perhaps. Walking the coastal path, or inland the camel trail or bodmin moor (and enjoying its free parking), visiting the wonderful Scillies. Its about the open air and escaping the crowds not, IMO, joining them enmass.

I took a group of internet friends to Eden when it first opened and we had all manner of responses. One of our crowd saw enough green things there to last him a lifetime, but also marvelled in the architecture (as you did) He also commented that was enough Eden for him. Others don't see it that way. If you can attend during one of their special events it adds value. The skating, the nighttime, or the bedoiun stories are favourites of ours/our children.

I also love Scotland and wouldn't even try to compare it with Cornwall. They are two entirely different places. The lakes are beautiful; I would rate them higher than Cornwall, but I found when we went it was far more expensive to stay there. The whole of the UK have things to credit it, in fact, and its all personal choice coupled with experience.