Dovercourt Holiday Park — Attraction in Tendring

Just got back from a week's stay after seeing this holiday park advertised across the internet as the top place to be in the UK for families with younger children, 5 star shining reviews and recommendations from other people etc so we gave it a go..... I'm giving the stars for the manager and members of staff as everyone was polite and welcoming and attentive so I'll list the positives first

*The gold plus caravan with decking was clean and had what we needed for our stay *The park areas were clean as well as toilets and walk ways and all general areas *Laura the manager did manage to get our daughter's a complimentary Segway session for all the trouble we encountered

Now the negatives

*The arcades are run down and it's pay by card only except for 2p machines but the change machine was out of order. A lot of games didn't have buttons, some were switched off or had error messages and the Jurassic park game gun doesn't shoot properly. The gift shop and ticket exchange is poorly stocked with very cheap tat and only open a few hours per night when the kids would be in bed

*Check in isn't 4pm and you will be left in the car park waiting for a phone call or in a queue

*The swimming pool is FREEZING and you will shiver in it. The baby pool is warm but a death trap with a very slippy floor and someone's relative did fall and bash into the steps trying to get out. Our little ones slipped under the water and so did my husband trying to save them. Absolute nightmare! Not suitable for disabled people as it's steps in and out. You can't have a shower there and have to walk back to your van dripping wet. Hardly any cubicles or lockers for the amount of people and they don't open the doors until your session has started so then it's a mad frenzy with everyone pushing to get in and changed. You also have to book the pool the day before but it's hard to get through on the phone

*The caravan had some issues, two window locks jammed and someone came from maintenance and snapped them off. Very random..... The panel in the shower room falls off constantly when you use the toilet as the screws arent there any more and the small toilet lock shut my husband in the bathroom which was good and bad lol

*The beds are so uncomfortable, your bog standard cheap ones so I had aches every night. Pillows equally bad

*The site had a burst water pipe one day so we had to drive to a near by swimming pool to shower

*The entertainment is so loud you need ear defenders and my husband works in health and safety and measured the decibels and it far exceeded safe noise levels for children. Manager said they can't turn it down or people will complain they can't hear. They must be deaf

*The prices of food and drink will make you keel over, £3 for a can of pop, £5-£6 for a pint, £4 for a glass of pop and £12 stonking pounds for a plate of chips with cheese and gravy (yuk)

*Decided to do crazy golf on the last day but it was badly maintained, full of leaves and debris so we gave up half way round as the balls just got stuck all the time

*DO NOT- I repeat do not take your kids to the toy shop that's next to the stage unless you want to be bankrupt and majorly ripped off. £12 for a cheap bubble gun and £10 for a light saber that will probably last a day. Definitely go to the on site shop instead and get a toy for £3

Check out Dovercourt grill 5 mins down the road for amazing kebabs all freshly made by a lovely Turkish family who will do anything for you

Ipswich crown pool is lovely and warm with kids slides, a wave machine and sprinklers, only £20 for a family ticket for 1.5 hours swim time

Toby carvery Clacton sea front is lovely food with great staff and sea views

Avoid chestnut tree farm pub at all costs, the place needs closing down as it's a public health hazard

The hook chip shop opposite Clacton pier is another amazing place to eat, they do dairy and gluten free food

Overall this holiday had it's ups and downs, more downs than ups sadly and a bucket load of rain most days. I personally wouldn't recommend...

Had a good 4 days here. Everything was clean only the odd piece of litter floating around, nothing like what you’d usually see. Only let down was the food at the clubhouse. On arrival ordered 2 bowls of chips both undercooked, a tuna&cheese panini which came with no cheese & stale salad and crisps - got a refund no problem. Ordered a breakfast which came cold which indicated it had been sitting there for a while as other people on my table- theirs took 25 mins to bring out and was warm. Mine took 15 mins was a bigger breakfast & was stone cold? Asked to take it back and have a fresh one and it was brought back 10 mins later with new toast & eggs on the plate over the top to hide the original pieces of bacon I had already cut to eat the first time. This was an immediate put off that they couldn’t be bothered to just cook a fresh breakfast rather than heat up 1 in microwave that had been sat there for ages. I would’ve rather have eaten the plate of food rather than return it as I was hungry but that was a bit of a joke, it could’ve just been easily sorted but it seems the kitchen staff can’t be bothered or the rules on customer complaints are a bit too lax so I got a refund to save further disappointment & complaining further. Had a good time but yeah the food 100% let it down. If you stay here i would recommend to do a food shop instead.

The arcade could really have done with attention- half the machines were switched off or out of order. Only 3 of the 2P machines worked.

The entertainment i thoroughly enjoyed, staff were really good with that.

On-site chip shop was shut the whole duration, was told on the Monday it was shut until Thursday because it needed cleaning. How dirty can a place be that it takes 2/3 days to clean it?? Still didn’t open. Staff barely had a clue of what was what & what was going on to be honest. None of the entertainment was advertised, asked multiple staff members & then reception said to like a page called pod at dovercourt for updates. I think they should give you a leaflet or have it advertised on notice boards at the clubhouse.

The sandpark could do with a good clean up as there are little children playing in there but we found screws & all sorts in the top of the sand not even buried. So if they’re running around barefoot they could have an accident. it seemed like a breeding ground for mozzys as we’ve all been bitten multiple times.

I hope the management see my review & take it into consideration as it appeared it was just the general staff that took the wrap of things. The management didn’t have a system or some form of schedule/plan for the staff to follow. There were also no toilet checks done throughout the time at clubhouse. These things really need attending to as this is unfortunately what has...

This park would be the best park ever if Parkhoildays weren’t phasing out cash sneakily and ignoring everyone’s concerns.||Confusion on arrival if we check in at the restaurant or reception - but glad there is not an hour + queue like last year. || Arcades - you NEED to purchase a reloadable card - share data - to be allowed to play. - we arrived with our bags of change ready to play- and was restricted to what machines we could play on- my son won loads of tickets - you can not collect your tickets without purchasing a card - which we only discovered after winning tickets! Last year there was a really sweet lad working on the arcades all the time- he worked really hard - I’m guessing he was let go and replaced my these card loading machines. We found someone to show us how to use the card and she was pretty rude about us not wanting a cashless system. ||We got a card - and was able to top up using cash ( or would have boycotted) we then used this to purchase 2ps! The first time for 10 credits we was given 50p. The second time for 10 credits we was given £1.58p. This system gives no control over your money. All the games are now in “credits” so there is no information about the real costs for children to understand. - all parents were complaining and a few said they wouldn’t come back as arcades are for cash. ||The entertainment was a 100s time better this year! Even the queues to bar were a lot smaller. ||My son tried to pay for golf with his own money and was told he had to pay by card ( as he’s 7 he does not have a card) he just burst into tears - it was resolved but advised by the end of APRIL the whole site will be cashless!! When I expressed my concerns I was told it’s to support the governments cashless society by 2035!!! We did not pay with card so they lost out on 4 paying customers. ||We did Not pay to for soft pay & the climbing wall this year - as cash was refused. ||The shop & the staff are awesome. They also have concerns concerning the BAN of cash as most of their takings are cash spent by children.||We spent £250+ in cash - that’s £250 less they will get from us next year. We were willing to spend more but didn’t as cash was refused.||I think refusing cash will really affect peoples experiences. Especially those on UC who have their finances managed and questioned. ||Also noticed a huge increase in dog poo left on site this year. ||my best staff this year were the two gas people that fixed my boiler in record time - were polite - informed - friendly and funny - though the entertainment team have improved 100% and reception staff are...