Parkdean Resorts Cresswell Towers Holiday Park, Northumberland — Local services in Great Britain

Disgusting  Health and safety issues!

I am writing this after just having stayed at Creswell towers , we stayed for 3 nights but left very early on our last day due to it being so horrendous. My husband and I bought our two young children. I can honestly say that this was the worst holiday we have ever had. As soon as we arrived to our caravan at Millennium gardens we noticed an unpleasant smell , then immediately noticed that the carpet outside the bathroom was soaking wet leading to me and my children's and husbands socks becoming very wet, as well as finding several dirty brown stained sheets in my little boy's bedroom, to be honest I am unsure this caravan had even been cleaned as when I wiped the table there was dirt on the cloth . Reception stated they would send a maintenance man .We were then told that the toilet cistern was leaking and to not use that toilet and that they would enquire about getting a new toilet installed.  However this did not solve the issue of having dirty toilet water soaked carpet which unfortunately reached our bedrooms and our bedding as the carpet in our bedrooms was also made wet from having to walk through the wet carpet outside the bathroom , in the night I woke up several times due to having toilet watered soaked bedding on my bed which for obvious reasons was highly unpleasant and unacceptable to expect this level of hygiene to be deemed acceptable especially given the current pandemic . Shortly after our boiler broke meaning we had no hot water to wash our dishes, again very unhygienic , especially with two young children and the current pandemic! After having a very bad nights sleep I contacted reception to report this and to ask for us to be moved, I was informed by the reception team that unfortunately all of the caravans were fully booked but she would "see what she could do". We then received a call stating we could move to another caravan at dale view, which was bigger than the one we had stayed in but the upholstery was ripped, we went to see it and although it was dated and there was no toilet roll we thought it was better than staying in a caravan with a wet carpet and no hot water. We then swimming in the indoor pool; the water was very dirty, the facilities unclean and blaringly load music was playing; we decided not to go swimming the following day which we were disappointed about as we paid extra money for entertainment passes.

Unfortunately my husband fell ill on the second day with severe stomach cramps followed by both of my children complaining of stomach ache , on the last night I too woke up with stomach cramps and severe diarrhoea which I still have ; we strongly believe this is due to the unhygienic toilet cistern leaking and being forced to come into contact with unclean toilet water . Due to the uncleanliness of the caravan we have also  had to wash and sterilise everything we took with us again , and with two young children you can imagine the additional inconvenience this caused. Quite frankly I am appalled that they have allowed a caravan with this issue to be given to a family as this is a severe health and safety issue , we have returned home feeling very ill, tired, feeling disrespected  and angry that we have paid money for to stay in a resort where they clearly do not care about their clients wellbeing or health .

I am a key worker for the NHS and I have worked very hard this summer hoping to have a nice holiday with my family, unfortunately this has not been the case!. I asked for a refund and they stated she would refund us for the early arrival check in  and to contact the sun holidays to enquire about being refunded for the extra money we paid to be upgraded. We were contacted by their customer service stating they reviewed the case and they feel they did everything correct And resolved it all for us ..what an absolute disgrace . ..PLEASE DO NOT BE TEMPTED , we are seeking...

The caravan was located under the trees, near to a large hedge and more trees. Willow Park 7. Opening the door it immediately smelt of damp dogs and stale tobacco, which wasn’t a good sign. When we entered the caravan to our dismay and horror, we discovered dried food remnants down the side of the units and around the rim of the swing bin lid. On inspecting the crockery we discovered dried food stuck to many of the pots, as if they had not been washed properly and put away. This was the same for the pans and the cutlery. On the light fitting directly over the dining table there was a huge cobweb, as if it had been there for ages undisturbed. At this point I was half way out of the door ready to go down to reception to complain. But sadly, the list of discoveries was not yet over! As my partner continued to freak about the dirt and dried food on the crockery and utensils, we were about to run the hot water in the sink to start washing them; only to discover there was no plug. But not to be halted from our required cleaning onslaught, with shoes sticking in places to the kitchen flooring, we wedged a sponge cleaner into the drain and filled up as best we could with hot soapy water and got to it! I then attempted to open the fridge with the hope of putting in our milk, but the door was hard to open ,as the integrated fittings had broken off from the outer door and they didn’t work in unison to open and it was difficult to grab hold of the door seal at the edge to open the fridge without a proper handle. I got back in the car and drove back down to reception to make my complaints. The young lady on reception was the same one that issued us with the keys just moments before. She was very apologetic and, although she said that she could get someone from cleaning to come first thing on Monday morning, there was little else offered in terms of the cleanliness issue.She did make a note of it on a piece of paper! She then managed to get hold of the maintenance men, who attended about 15 minutes later, with sink plug and, to commence their attempt at mending the fridge door, which turned out to be much more complicated and took over an hour to complete. Once we started to bring things into the caravan, we discovered a large pile of litter left abandoned on the shelves in the main bedroom. Furthermore, having discovered the amount of dirt behind the mattress at the head of the bed, my partner was so disturbed by it that they refused to sleep in that room as they stated they just would not be able to settle knowing it had obviously not been cleaned for some time. This affected our mood tremendously and the atmosphere was strained because of the feeling of unease about the cleanliness of the whole caravan. This was all brought to the attention of reception. We were never at any stage offered alternative accommodation. Furthermore, on the Monday no one from cleaning attended our caravan or made any attempt to contact us with any explanation of why it had been left in such a state. Sadly, after paying good money for the holiday, I feel cheated because it was spoiled right from the start. It could have been so different if the place had been cleaned like it should have been. We have stayed at the site before but had been in private caravans before. I am not swayed to attempt to stay in a site owned van ever again, if this is a sample of the cleanliness offered. Because we complained, yet had to clean things for ourselves before it was fit to even make a cup of tea, and never offered alternative accommodation or anything else for that matter, I feel that we should receive some kind of compensation for the way in which it spoiled the enjoyment of our holiday in general. If asked would I recommend the site…..based on our recent experience the answer would...

Review and rating for others. We wanted a relaxing few days to just switch off with some kids activities. For that it did the job.

That said, the caravan, whilst similar, was not the one we booked (slightly smaller living/ dining area).

It was well kitted out in the kitchen. But there were no cleaning products (washing up liquid, wipes etc) so had to go to the shop to buy and the prices are extortionate.

There is only paid wifi in the park and the prices are shocking. Not only that, but there is no phone signal. You have to open the door and stand right there or go outside to get a phone signal.

The couch was spacious in width and ok for short periods, but to watch a movie (for example) not great. Very hard and had to remove the back rests and use a pillow for depth.

The beds are more like glorified camp beds. Springy and not a very firm matress. Good for naps, but problematic for a nights sleep (a double bed to yourself, where you can sprawl and disperse weight would be ok) if you have back or hip issues I don't think they would be great.

Shower room, tight, but that was expected, but generally good.

The entertainment complex was not great.

Menu is more "pub grub" and was ok in the main. We went twice and my 2nd meal was overcooked.

Generally I'd say overpriced, but not ridiculously so.

The "entertainment" from what we saw, was pretty poor.

Bingo - it is what it is.

The kids entertainment starts at 7pm (usual winding down time for ours, but as it was a holiday, we went with it first night).

There were big standard games that some kids were living, hosted by a guy who clearly feels this is beneath him. Had a few rehearsed "quips" but ran out quickly. After about 30mins we gave up and left.

There is an arcade that is another money sapper.

Our child loved it and was keen to win tickets. And having accrued around 350 at a cost of around £25-30 he went to choose his prizes.

I've looked them up and to buy what he got would have cost £1.29

We went to 2 local beaches. One in walking distance, one we drove to.

Both similar, except the one we drove to cost £3 to park.

Ultimately, we went to switch off and relax and we got to do that.

Cleanliness is good, kitchen and washroom good.

Too many "extra" fees though and I can only imagine, if the evening entertainment is a big part of your stay it would get very tedious after 2 or 3 nights.

For what we wanted it would rate about 3.5 stars, but I think, as an overall "experience" 2.25 would be more accurate.

It's not awful,...