haulfrynholidays.co.ukAvis 

My fifth stay at Haulfryn Praa Sands.
I was once a resident in Praa Sands for thirty years knowing how busy Cornwall can be I choose to stay slightly off season.
It is a truly stunning, peaceful and immaculately maintained site.
The staff are friendly and very helpful.
On this occasion I did have a few issues in the unit.
On reporting my issues to the manager, he immediately dealt with the matter in a very helpful and reassuring manner.
I will definitely continue to book and stay on this site.
I honestly don’t think there is another site in Cornwall which offers the above standards, alongside the beautiful beach and cliff walks within minutes of the site.
There are also other facilities in the village which are unobtrusive and fit the picturesque setting which all add to giving a total chill vacation.

Absolutely do not care about their owners, greedy company, increasing site fees by a ridiculous % with zero investment in the site, not even a full time site manager anymore, intermittent access to facilities we should have full access too. Over 60% of site owners raised complaints but nothing changes. Do not buy a caravan or lodge with this company.

On the morning we were due to set off for our main holiday of the year, I got a missed call and answer machine message saying not to set off until we had spoken to someone from Finlake! Panicked, I rang them fearing our holiday had been cancelled, and was told that the hot-tub in our top of the range lodge had a massive leak and would be unavailable during our stay. This was one of the main features of the venue, and we were given the option of a partial refund or cancellation, from which we chose the former. We were staying for seven days and had been looking forward to the break all year!

On arriving at our lodge, the setting was stunning - a wood cabin with balcony overhanging the unspoilt forest, truly beautiful.

As we settled in we found a few problems. First, after a quick shower upstairs we found the bath wasn't draining - the plumbing seemed to be blocked. Second, we'd brought a dvd with us to watch (we'd been looking forward to this for a while, as we had no dvd player at home and had been counting down the days!) and we found the dvd player wasn't working. This was a disappointing first day, despite the setting!

The next day we went to talk to the folks at reception, and they sent people over later that day to take a look. We got back from a day out to find a note that said they'd fixed the bath, but the "dvd player kaput - sorry". Looking at the bath, it was covered in sand from previous visitors, and after giving it a wash it still didn't drain that well..

A few days later we ordered food via the venues' site. You add dishes to your basket, choose a time-slot then checkout. Our time slot arrived, and nothing. Payment was pending in our bank account, so it looked like it had gone through, but nothing. I tried to call someone but it was too late for reception and the restaurant option on their hotline sends you in circles! We eventually gave up and ordered the same again to a later time slot, by which time the children were ravenous! This time the food did arrive, but it was past 10pm (the original time slot was 6pm, my children are 1 and 5). I spoke to the delivery person, and she said it happens sometimes, and to go to the restaurant in the day if the transaction clears. Great..

Mid-week, we found we had an unexpected visitor in our lodge. In the title of the review I mentioned rodents, however I've learnt a lot about shrews since this holiday, and technically they are small mammals! They are so fast it's hard to tell what they are, and our initial assumption was mice. We called reception and requested a human mouse trap, and the next day we had bagged ourselves a furry critter. It's understandable that this was outside of the venues control - when you plonk a cabin in the middle of the forest, you're going to get a bit of wildlife - but it's something to be aware off. Within a day we had caught two shrews, which we promptly released into the wild. Apparently most shrew visits are due to misadventure, they don't mean to stay and they can't find their way out. Plus there tends to be easy pickings around the kitchen, and when you have to eat every few hours, you can't afford to be picky! Unfortunately my wife wasn't as impressed by our small furry friends, and was wanting to go back home by this stage.

The final miscommunication occurred on our penultimate day - I got a call from reception saying that some employees where coming around to take a look at the hot-tub. This was great - we thought we might get to relax on the balcony on our last night with a glass of chilled white under the stars and the forest canopy. But no, nothing had been done when we got back from our day trip, I called reception to ask what was going on and it turned out it was just a visit to check what part was needed for a supplier, there was no plan to fix it that day or during our visit..

A final word - it's worth noting that in the initial call when being told the hot-tub was broken, I asked if we would be able to stay in a similar property, and was told they're probably all booked up. This seemed feasible, as it was still the summer holidays. But clearly no one actually checked, because for five of the seven days we were there the (identical) neighbouring property was unoccupied.

Final final word - we still haven't seen our dvd :( guess I'll buy a dvd player just for this dvd. Not sure why the venue couldn't just replace it..

We stayed at Devon Hills, Paignton. Lodge was dirty and we had to give it a good clean. Nothing on site exept an expensive pub/restaurant.
Swimming pool still not rebuilt after fire some years ago. The keyless entry system was temperamental.
Good bits it was quiet and peaceful most of the time. The view was exceptional. The site itself was clean and well maintained except for the pool area.

Horrible experience
Took my 95 year old mum to this park as an early birthday present. So wished I didn’t! Nowhere was I warned how the park wasn’t suitable for less mobile people, I even had to drive to the parks pub as walking was a no no. On our arrival the welcome email had a map of the park, with a shop..swimming pool..fitness centre . Cafe..In reality the whole lot had been burnt down so the only thing there was a reception with a few bits of food for sale. And a pub. The lodge we booked was a comfort one…all I can say I wouldn’t want to see an uncomfortable one. The duvet had holes in it, the dining chairs were stained, the kitchen draws and cupboards were peeling, the blinds were broken,the toaster had to be changed as it didn’t work, the microwave had to be replaced as that didn’t work, the water wouldn’t drain from the bathroom sinks, the outside veranda was filthy as were the seats. And that’s what they call comfort!! Apparently I have nothing to complain about as this is totally acceptable. You have been warned.

Well all I can say is we've booked again for our 3rd year we stay at pra sands holiday park. It's absolutely beautiful amazing and the staff are A*+, caravans are always beautiful pet friendly and the so much going on. Would recommend for anybody to stay here we have booked again for end of July for 2 weeks and already pre booked for next year. Can't wait.