Potters Resorts Hopton On Sea — Hotel in Great Yarmouth

Just returned from a 5 day trip with our local coach company. Coach journey fine no problems there. |W for true review and it is both good and very bad. |On arrival we located our chalet which was as we requested. On entering the chalet my first thoughts were quite dull and still stuck in late 70s sort of vibe. We noticed the bed first as it didn’t look fresh so to speak. With a closer look and quick sit on bed as folk do to test firmness etc. it seemed very soft. However I noticed there was a stain on the bed protector that’s put on bottom of quilt. Being a dull dark green shade not very welcoming. Anyhow I never usually pull the covers back fully to look at mattress but on this occasion I didn’t think the sheets look fresh so decided to pull back the quilt and underneath covers to reveal a very old dirty stained mattress that I would say was 5-10 years old!! |In closer look and with door open so sunlight came in we saw a horrible massive urine stain all way down centre of mattress spreading out to both sides!! |In this day and age this shouldn’t be happening especially at a so called 5* resort. We literally had gone into chalet , not opened our cases and returned straight away to where ou coach was parked as the resort staff were still there distributing the packs out to people arriving. I went to one of staff and asked if someone could go and inspect our chalet as no way were we going to sleep on a urine stained smelly mattress. The mattress protector too was very old and dirty looking. The lady then spoke to 2 other staff and went straight down to our chalet. We were in chalet L100. We followed so when she saw the mattress and heard our concerns she contacted staff to bring another mattress and fresh bedlinen straight away. We went to get our bearings on where things were and see where our meal table would be. This had initially put a damper on our wedding anniversary week away which was on the Tuesday next day. Once we returned yes brand new mattress and all clean fresh linen was done. The huge difference if mattress was plain to see. We noticed in the bathroom how dated that was but it was clean thankfully. Only complaint with bathroom was the shower curtains need to be longer so they actually sit inside the bath edge and the sops/shampoo bottle is in a ridiculous position when showering. This should really be on the back wall at side of the shower holder so it doesn’t scratch your arms while trying to shower. I’m 5’ and it was next to my shoulder ,too of arm. I did look to see old we cd remove it as we had our own shower gel with us. But no it was fixed. With the bulky hand rail literally sticking out where you stand for shower does make it very awkward. There’s a notice on the wall saying to prevent water spillage make sure curtain is inside tge bath when showering. This is impossible as the curtain needs either to be longer or lower the curtain rail so tge curtain does actually hang inside below top of bath. So the floor did get wet which meant tge bath mat had to be used to mop water on floor. Personally I think it needs a shower screen partly across bath to prevent water spillage. The shower curtains just are not fit for purpose. |Anyway we made best of the remaining days as it was our wedding anniversary holiday. |The other thing we noticed was on final day my sunglasses had dropped behind my bedside cupboard so I had to pull it forward to retrieve them. This was when I noticed the very thick layer of old dust and lots cobwebs on wall and skirting boards behind the cupboard. The cobwebs reminded me of a scene from great expectations. The carpet under the cupboard was a vast difference in colour to tge outlined carpet which can’t see the stripes as the dust is so thick. |Someone isn’t doing there job either on the actual cleaning side and also who goes to inspect each chalet to make sure they are being properly cleaned. It’s clean where you can see but away from the eye places weee not acceptable. For the money people pay and the 5* accommodation which is advertised I would only class this resort as 3. I guess the apartments within main building probably are the actual 5 rating. |So whoever is in charge over the domestic side of this resort seriously needs to go and check that the cleaning us up to standards of health and hygiene as this chalet would not have passed a health and hygiene check. Can you imagine if we hadn’t checked the mattress the smell of urine stained mattress would have smelled like once our body heat was there at night. This was at extra cost of upgrade too which in my eyes was seriously unacceptable and against what this resort advertises in their strict cleanliness and hygiene regime !! We both filled in the survey left on dining table on last breakfast morning. Also asked for someone in management to email myself concerning why this happened. ||Right ,now the good points. |Entertainment is excellent both in theatre and the garden bar. Theatre has their own staff who have west end experience in shows most certainly shows in their performances. We didn’t see first night as too tired and also the problem mentioned above made us feel like we wasted our money booking here. We had both our coach drivers staying in chalets both sides of us so they did know about our chalet problem. |Throughout the day there are numerous quizzes going on in the garden bar and the staff doing these were fantastic especially Rachael and the “Roger” story which quickly made an amusing scenario for rest of the week. The camaraderie of the staff here really does add a great vibe and the folk staying were all laughing heartily. Well done to the team who work within this area. Brilliant job. |Some of the. At staff need to smile and possibly just mention to new people stating for the week as to how the bar system works as there’s no signs on wall to say order your drinks from person sat in front of bar with a keypad taking orders. We stood like lemons thinking we had to order at bar while numerous bar staff did drinks in front of us but not one person doing drinks said….oh u need to go and order from tge person sat at table there taking orders. |Eventually a young lady with blond hair in only tail wearing glasses actually walked past and said hi are you ok? She did explain then how getting the drinks works and she did actually go and get our drinks to save us waiting any longer thankfully . So at this point we were quite annoyed over the mattress situation and then didn’t know how we could get a drink while mattress situation was being sorted. We had already made our minds up that we won’t be returning at this point. |We found out table for the week and met our waiter at teatime. Danny was our waiter all week. He was very helpful and looked after us with excellent personality and made sure we were happy with our good needs all week. I am type 2 diabetic so did have to be careful in choice if food so Danny did say and find out what certain oils were used for cooking. Olive oil was used on choices I asked about. He knows his job and is very good at what he dies. Very hard working and lovely personality. Well done Danny ! I myself have catering experience of 30+ so know what to look for and can honestly say the food experience of meals was very good. Shout out to the chefs too. Very welcoming catering staff in all areas in the restaurant we were in . If I were a mystery customer then this restaurant would get 10/10 from me . Gel stations provided going in and out was good to see as viruses can be passed on with folk using the spoons etc on the servers. |Next part was atlas theatre, well from security to bar staff very good and the entertainments excellent. Enjoyed the 3 shows we saw. |I joined the craft sessions which again were great. Hubby went to have a look at other things to do while I was at crafts. As a crown green bowler himself he did watch the indoor bowls that was going on this week but he prefers just crown green bowling for himself. |The staff in little shop onsite friendly and welcoming too. |I book a massage on back and shoulders at cii ok scof £44 which was really good. It helped a lot as I suffer with ra and osteoarthritis so did get benefit of having this done . Lovely staff and I would recommend this service . Shop is located by the swimming pool just out if main building. |The overall imagine of the resort dies remibd us of a scene in “colditz” when first arriving. It still has the dated look of a holiday camp back in the day. |The other thing we noticed was no biscuits in chalets to go with drinks like many other places provide. We bought a packet from their on site shop. |The beach was close to our chalet which we requested and tge quietness was what we needed to get a few days break away from town life. |Would we go again would probably be a “no” from us due to the issues with cleaniness a of chalet. |Another thing I will add and hope potters on sea , see this is the fact that mattresses provided in a place where numerous people will be using the same mattress ver a season should have better protection against things causing hygiene risks. |Matress protector of better quality. Another topper to further protect any risks of contamination getting onto mattress. Maybe a water proof base cover. |Cleaning of chalets isn’t just where eye can see . Those beds and cupboards need moving out at least twice a month to vacuum any dust building up as thick dust will end up with dust mites and bugs problems arising. ||The entertainment , food service and activities are what made holiday for us. |Extremely disappointed with chalet condition on arrivals. |Therefore our review is only a 3* rating for this resort. |I have done other reviews previously which have encouraged other people’s to get book places we’ve been |Photos will be added for proof that this is a genuine review|Excursions with coach was southwold on sea. What a lovely quaint seaside place to visit. Would recommend this. We didn’t go on Great Yarmouth one as wanted to have walk along seafront at resort and do quizzes and...

Booked a 3 night stay to celebrate a 30th Birthday with family. We were 5 adults and we booked two twin bungalows and one single bungalow.

The bungalows: The twin bungalows had two rooms with 2 single beds each. The mattresses were extremely soft and springy. Not very comfortable at all for us. Although our friends on the bungalow next to us said their mattresses were comfortable. We couldn't understand why we couldn't have 4 adults in one twin room if there were 4 beds.

The radiator on the toilet is always on (the thermostatic valve doesn't seem to work) and that seems to keep the whole bungalow warm, which during the time of our stay it was already quite hot! We were given two toilet rolls for the duration of our stay, which eventually ran out by Sunday night. They don't clean the bungalows on Sunday, so this is when restocking the room becomes problematic if you run out of loo roll.

The entertainment: They have lots of activities for everyone to keep busy, such as archery, air rifles, archery, segways, crafts, pool, bowls (just to name a few). The activities on the daily itinerary doesn't need to be booked in advance, You just show up and queue. The activities that would require equipment to be hired need to be booked and the equipment collected at the sports kiosk. Most of the activities last between 3 and 10 minutes - the rally karts is only 5 laps and is a small circuit so the faster you do a lap, the less time you have in the activity.

There are still other things that you have to PAY for to use in the resort such as the pool tables, the arcades and the bowling. The majority of these are £1 per game and the bowling is £4 per person.

They gym opens at 09.45am Mondays and Fridays , which to us felt that we were not allowed in on our checkout day (it usually opens at 07.45am and would use it for an hour before going for brekkie - which would have been perfect to fit in our last day)

The food: It was delicious. There are strick food times which will be displayed on the paper program they give you on check in day. The downside is that they don't give you snacks throughout the day, you have to buy them from the shop if you are peckish. But this makes you feel like you are not able to skip a meal time or you'd end up waiting too long for your next meal if you don't want to spend money on snacks!

The way the dinning rooms work, you will be allocated a table for the whole of your stay and a waitress too! (OUR WAITRESS WILMA WAS ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL) You need to head into the garden restaurant and register with the hostess who will let you know your table number and its location (which is very convenient as you don't have to worry about finding a table if it's too busy)

They will give you daily food menus with items from thenkitchen you can choose or you help yourself to the buffet on display.

They only serve juices, tea and coffee fro breakfast and the rest of the meals they will only serve you with wine upon request but NO other drinks. You need to order them from the bar and bring them to your table.

The check-in: When you arrive at potters resort you have to park your car by the reception carpark and check in, they will give you the information pack and your keys. Your all inclusive stay will start from 3pm. The reception team will let you know the location of your room and nearest carpark.

The check out: it really feels like you HAVE TO go eventhough they say you must leave you room by 10am and stay in the resort until 12pm.

We put our suitcase on the car by 8.30am and left some dresses on the bed so that the cleaning team were aware we were still using the room before 10am. We got back to our room at 09.50am and our dresses were on top of the cleaning trolley, the beds had been stripped and re-done, the toilet was covered in cleaning stuff and obviously we couldn't be there anymore.

Throughout the stay they provide you with water bottle in the fridges which is fabulous, however on the check out day you will NOT see ANY bottles in any fridge.

Demographics: mostly 70yo...

Accommodation: The room was underwhelming and it felt dated and basic, though very clean. For the cost, I expected more comfort and modern amenities. The walls are very thin; you could clearly hear people talking in the next room. A small fridge would have been a welcome addition.

Food: The food was a letdown overall, especially considering the price. It seems they prioritize quantity over quality. • Breakfast: Great for English breakfast lovers, with plenty of sausages, fried items, mushrooms, etc. The continental options were poor, with only 3 mini pastries (croissant, pain au chocolat, and raisin swirl) that lacked freshness. Lidl's pastries are nicer! However, the mini bread rolls were nice. Only one type of natural yogurt was available, alongside canned fruit and a decent cereal selection. Limited fresh fruit options, though the watermelon was surprisingly good. Only one type of ham and cheese was available (and only for 2 out of 3 days) -Highlight: Asking for smoked salmon was a win—I recommend doing this! Suggestion for the resort: Add a conveyor toaster to warm up pastries, expand yogurt options, include some cut fresh fruit, and provide nuts as toppings.

• Lunch: The buffet featured hot and cold options, but most hot items were unhealthy. The salad buffet was disappointing, with poor-quality ingredients. Seafood options were below standards only canned tuna, which was dry, and fake shrimps that tasted bland. Even Lidl's surimi is better! The olive oil provided for dressing was unpleasant. Suggestion for the resort: Add more fresh greens like spinach, higher-quality seafood, and decent extra virgin olive oil.

• Dinner: Definitely better than breakfast and lunch! The starters, like the duck leg and leek and goat cheese tart, were delicious. The duck breast was very tender, and the roast buffet had good options. Vegetables, however, were overcooked, and desserts were a major letdown. The black cherry sponge was dry and a slightly hard, with no cherries inside; they were only in the sauce on top. The rice pudding, unfortunately, was watery and lacked texture. The cold desserts were average, with the lemon meringue being the best. Shoutout: Our waitress, Beth (I think), was excellent—smiley, attentive, and efficient.

Activities: The range of activities is good, but the execution is frustrating. Queues can be long (sometimes 20 minutes in cold weather), and participation is limited to just 10 minutes per activity. Some activities, like ten-pin bowling and pool, require extra fees. Despite the limitations, I enjoyed archery, air rifle shooting, and wall climbing, though these felt more like teasers than proper sessions. Children's activities, like the circus workshop and bracelet-making, were well-organized and enjoyable. Gym and swimming pool were excellent. No queuing or booking was needed, making them the most accessible facilities.

Entertainment: If you enjoy quizzes, you'll be pleased—they run several throughout the day. The evening shows were enjoyable, but only if you're a fan of musicals.

Overall: The resort has its bright spots, like the gym, pool, and parts of the dinner experience, but it falls short of justifying its high price. The food and accommodation need improvement, and the activity structure feels restrictive. For nearly £200 per night, I expected a far...