We booked to go to Lakeland through the Daily Mail Deals and booked a luxury plus Caravan. It was after that I read the reviews and had a panic. But after a chat with a friend decided to go open minded. We were travelling South to Lakeland. But we stopped at Kendal to do a food shop and arrived with 45 minutes to go before check in. The Park is at the end of a road and easily sign posted.

The drive up to the main gate goes past the football/Basketball area and some Caravans. There was a member of staff close by the reception to welcome you and explain where to park and then invites you to use the facilities. You then drive past reception and Spar. We headed into the Bar for a drink and check in is easily sign posted the way through the arcade and to the Live Lounge. At check in you join the queue which moved quickly and the staff were full of info and had a map ready for you to drive to your designated caravan.

The Mash and Barrel is a large area with TV screens and a mixture of sofa 's, high tables and chairs and normal chairs and tables. The service was fine and quick when we were there and we got some side dishes one night which were cooked to perfection and other diners were clearing their plates.

Heading to our Caravan in the Windermere section of the park, be aware that some areas are one way only. The area was very quiet with not much noise heard from outside. There are skips nearby the vans for your rubbish. We found our van very easily and were surprised to find we’d been allocated a 3 bed van with a toilet and separate shower which was handy when someone wanted to shower and someone else needed the loo. The lounge/diner area was very spacious and the fire was very warming as the spring mornings were very cold.

The kitchen had the basics which were fine but I’d recommend that you bring your own chopping board and knife and bring a large pot as the pots were very small and also a baking tray as the one we had was too small. I’d also recommend a small fan heater to put in the hall from one of the bedrooms for some warmth.

The pool was ok for the size and as we think the park wasn't full, there was space for everyone, but it’s just a plain pool. The bowling green outdoors was £5 refundable deposit and £2.50 per set of bowls. Golfing was £10 per family and £8 refundable deposit. You can also hire the large go karts to explore the park and there is 10 pin bowling at the back of the arcade for £2 per player.
The arcade games often give tickets which can be exchanged for prizes. It’s advised to go to the ticket muncher and change for a voucher. Prizes are then claimed at the prize booth but we found a lot of things out of stock.

We found all staff to be pleasant and helpful. The shop was more expensive than buying locally at home. The maintenance staff were excellent when our electricity tripped. They arrived within minutes of phoning them and sorted our electricity right away.

All in All, we were impressed and very happy with the holiday we had and would recommend the park as a base to explore the south Lake District to anyone.

Never ever again. £70 wasted, gutted. First and last time at a Haven site. Looked and felt like a refugee site. Free for all pitches, cars and tents all over the place. Overbooked, packed in like cattle. New shower blocks smelly and not cleaned enough. Nappies left on floor. Ground terrible, damaged most pegs. Lager louts at 1.30 am shouting and fighting. Security, what security??? Poor restaurant quality, we all got the runs, terrible cleanliness. Roof leaking too. Don't camp there!!!!!!!

We stayed in a friends Caravan on the edge of the park, for a week, and so catered for ourselves, and loved every single minute. The park was kept extremely tidy, the children's entertainment staff were absolutely brilliant and earned every penny, Brian you are truly a STAR.... All the entertainment staff were great, my grandson who is two and a half cried and did not want to leave. We did eat in the onsite bar and the food was of a good standard and value for meoney. We had a great week, the new swimming pool is lovely and kept really clean, there is plenty to do in and around the park, and the Sticky Toffee Pudding which you can buy from the factory nearby is a must.... The only complaint we had was how hot it was in the evening in the lounge bar, we had a great time and cannot wait to come back again... We are even looking to buy our own caravan there....

We visited Lakeland (Haven Holidays) at Grangeoversands for the first time. We used the touring site which was cheap but a bit of a shambles, it lacked basic management decisions and proper organisation on a day to day basis.
The touring caravans section warden is a really nice bloke who tries hard to make the best of a bad job but he is badly let down by his managers (are there any?)who dont seem to support him in his job at all. Some of the "customers" would be proud to even reach the proud status of "Chav" and they no doubt contribute to the feeling of neglect at this place. Spitting in sinks, poo (looked like it) on floor in toilets, a man having a jimmy riddle in broad daylight into a fence outside his tent, loud swearing and rowdiness,kids everywhere running free late at night, clusters of friends huddling caravans together in a territorial manner, caravans and tents straddled all over the field in a mish mash, copious "dog logs" and the total absence at long periods of any security staff or supervisory staff, are a few of the points I noted, and i wasn't looking for faults, these things hit me without looking too hard. The field is a shambles and the pitches are allocated on a "freeforall" basis when the warden is not present which seems to be quite often (is he part time?).Add to this rumours of a caravan raided and items stolen and you have a recipe for anarchy for which Haven will charge you around 40 quid a night for a tent in April. My advice is don't go there until they shape the place up a bit and allocate pitches clearly and offer some support for customers who seem to just turn up and pitch where ever they wish some of the time. I was asked by 4 separate incoming campers if I was the warden. When I replied no they said ah well we know what to do and proceeded to use any pitch that was available...SHAMBLES!!!!There isn't even a decent tap to fill up water containers let alone somewhere sensible and hygenic to deposit waste water which is remote (removed from) from fresh water supplies. The staff here are on basic minimum wage and I think they are heroes to make this place work even at 10 percent efficency, Haven should give these people medals for the shambles in which they are expected to work. This could be a first class touring site with a little operational intervention, planning and not much money spent, so come on Haven as well as the new swimming pool spend a few quid on the touring site which could be so fantastic. Some hints for spending are tarmac roads and paths, divide up the touring field into proper designated pitches, have "hi vis" security patrolling occasionally in daylight hours and after dark, level the touring field and cut the grass now and then, give the warden proper back up and enforcement authority to deal with idiots, ask customers for feedback to target ongoing spending, if you try to improve things the "pack them in" mentality will disspear and you will attract more happy customers in the long run who will possible buy statics from you!!

Stayed in a 'silver' level caravan, and it was cosmetically better than the same 'silver' we stayed in last June in Cornwall, but had the same old problems plus a bit more!

Haven don't seem to think their caravans need windows that seal properly, or in the case of our caravan, some windows had handles missing or broken! Talk about a security risk.

Check-in was poor too as the receptionist told us we had to wait at least another hour as a mistake had been made on the letters re: time. Her problem not ours in my opinion.

5 Day camping at Lakeland. Last minute booking using the Haven website. 38 pounds for 5 days camping including fun works passes.

The camping area was clean, tidy, well maintained with very clean toilets and shower areas. The sun shone during our stay and the families around us were pleasant company.

The site itself was large but kept a personal feel about it.

The staff seemed happy in their work and the kids entertainers were fantastic. Evening entertainments was geared towards the children, happy kids happy parents.
The outdoor pool was excellent, with a small indoor pool for when the clouds come over.

We only ate once in the complex for breakfast, the service was swift and with a smile, the food was hot, tasty and value for money.

All in all this short break was FANTASTIC and value for money. We will be back.