Parkdean Resorts Valley Farm Holiday Park, Essex — Local services in Tendring

For a family holiday spot, this camp is way up in the top 5. Very friendly staff and brilliant entertainment team, headed by the amazing Joseph. The negatives: - We arrived at Valley Farm at around 1845hrs, knowing that reception was supposedly open until 1900hrs – although later finding out in the Welcome Pack it should have been open until 2000hrs. Anyway, we found reception well and truly closed and so headed to Security, who allocated van number 272. On opening the door to that caravan, there was a distinct musty smell! There was also substantial damage to carpets work tops and all the sofa's were badly stained and the arms were black and shiny! We returned straight away to security who were extremely sympathetic, but added 'as reception had gone off for the night' there was nothing they could do, except run some sheets over to the caravan to cover the stains! I asked if a call could be made to the accommodation manager. The reply was, “I can try, but whether they answer, is another matter!” I'll do my best the lady said. We sat on the floor of the van for an hour with the 4 children. We received a call back from the security lady who said, “I've spoken to her and she assures me you are in the correct grade of accommodation and theres nothing that can be done until the morning!” At this point I said, “I'm not at all happy about this. Apart from the stench, Reception should have been open until 8pm. Could you get the manager to call me directly?” Long story short – half an hour later we did get a call back from security to say they had managed to relocate us! It was a beautiful caravan! Phew, at last! We unpacked by 2130hours and our break began! Other minor irritants! My daughter booked swimming on one day. We joined the queue – only to be told we had to go to the outdoor pool as they had the full quota for indoor swimming! My daughter told them we had booked ages ago. “Well, we don't have bookings anymore,” came her reply! All fine, but a simple remedy would be to not take bookings, then we would have queued earlier to ensure admittance to the indoor pool – or at least honour the bookings that had been made before deciding to change the rules! On another occasion – we were directed to the outdoor pool as the indoor pool was reserved for owners only! Although I can see owners should be allowed certain benefits, there was only one other family in the outdoor pool and hardly anyone in the indoor pool. I think even the most unsympathetic of owners wouldn't have objected to us being taken in from the rain! SCOOPS Ice Cream Booth – It was open, then it was shut. Then it was open for another hour and then shut! We asked, what times do you open during the day? “Well, we don't really have set times. If we're busy we open. If not, we close!” One day, we found it open! From the menu board that was lit up next to the serving hatch, my daughter asked, “Can we have the 2 waffle cones for £10-98 deal please?” “That offer isn't on today. They're £5-99 each!” My daughter bought one at £5-99 My other daughter asked for 2 milkshakes, showing on the menu as £5-49. She was charged £11-98! I told the server that it should have been £10-98. The shocking reply was - “That price board is nothing to do with us. It belongs to Scoops!” I said, “Shouldn't you turn it off then?” An annoying guy kept coming over her radio asking how busy she was. I'm guessing it was time for another closed session! Then a manager arrived. I told him, about the pricing discrepancies. “Oh, haven't they updated the board?” he replied. “I'll get them to turn the pricing board off,” he added, as he walked off. I'm assuming Health and Safety didn't permit him to walk into the kiosk to turn the damn thing off! Also, apparently due to a delivery blunder, there were no pancakes, only 4 sauces, no fresh cream, no chocolate ice cream and the donuts were frozen! I said, it would be easier to tell us exactly what we can have, rather than what we can't have! lol! I think with a few managerial changes and some staff training, this camp would be...

I want to share a disappointing experience at Parkdean Resorts’ Valley Farm, especially since my parents are residents in their 70s and deserve respectful, compassionate treatment. The ongoing ground rent increases and perceived mismatch between costs and standards add to the frustration.

What happened (recent example) Date: 26/08/2025 I took my friend and their 5-year-old to the caravan for a brief visit, but we were prevented from using the swimming facilities. The staff’s communication was poor, first about passes and then about a certificate they claimed was needed for the caravan. I believe the individual trying to help was Sam. Not an effective communicator. There was no proactive outreach to my elderly parents to clarify the situation or help solve the issue. As a result, we were penalised by not being allowed to use the pool, leaving the 5-year-old distraught and upset. This incident reflects a pattern of inconsistent communication and access to amenities. another being they changed my parents doors which didn’t need doing. The job left the door facing the wrong way the wheelchair needs going into. Plus was installed horrendously. Did they bother to fix the issue that didn’t need fixing NO. so now there’s always a gap in the main door.

Context you should know: My parents are residents who use the caravan about 7 weekends a year (roughly 14 days in total). Despite this, the quality of service and consistency of policy enforcement remains poor.

Why this matters: Elderly guests and long-time residents deserve clear information, respectful handling of issues, and reliable access to advertised amenities. Frequent pricing changes (ground rent) without corresponding improvements in service create frustration and a sense of being treated as cash flow rather than valued guests.

What I’d like to see improved: Transparent, predictable policies for residents and visitors, with proactive communication from staff. Clear verification processes that are consistently applied and communicated to all guests, including residents who use the caravan regularly. Accountability for poor decisions and better training in empathy, guest welfare, and service recovery. A real commitment to guest welfare over revenue, with ongoing improvements that match the price we pay as residents. Consistent, dignified treatment of elderly guests and their families, with respect and patience in all interactions.

Food is awful - over priced and puts wetherspoons as a Michelin restaurant. £20 for fish and chips for adults that was more like child size. And watery unflavoured carbonara. (Pics inc)

Final thoughts: There are many reviews that echo similar concerns about Valley Farm. If you’re considering a stay or are a resident like my family, proceed with caution, ask for explicit policies in writing, and request proactive communication from management about any changes or requirements. Don’t be lulled by smiles that don’t translate into attentive, respectful service or reliable access...

My husband and I took our 2 year old boy for a long weekend staycation to Clacton and stayed at Parkdean Valley Farm.

We booked the basic 2 bedroom caravan - it was fit for purpose and gave us a good base for exploring the local area. On reflection we should've booked a slightly larger caravan as we were a little cramped (especially as we booked a highchair for the little one that took up some of our living space).

The caravan was clean on arrival, all facilities within were in good working order and our beds were comfy enough - my husband found himself in the twin room a couple of nights and found the beds on the smaller side and kept rolling into the bedside unit between the two beds (the twin room is definitely one for the kiddos).

The site itself is well layed out - there are facilities such as a small Amusements Arcade, Bar/Restaurant, Showbar for entertainment, indoor and outdoor pool, small NISA shop, icecream serving hatch, playground and fish & chip shop.

We didn't use the pools, but they were rather popular looking at the queues of people waiting to get in for a dip.

We used the Showbar a couple of times. We booked onto the Milkshake Morning session on the Saturday. The session was run by James and KC who greated us very warmly. It was lots of fun for younger children; there was a dance tutorial, singing, a craft activity (it was a little beyond my toddler, but fun nonetheless) and a story. The whole session was a combination of pre-recorded pieces from the Milkshake presenters, interspersed with interactions with our two charismatic and very enthusiastic hosts on site. We enjoyed this as a family very much.

On Sunday night we got to the Showbar for 5pm so our son could have a bop at the Tots Disco and watched a bit of the StarKrew Show hosted by Lottie. She was very engaging and warm; she would not look out of place on Milkshake (or their rivals CBeebies).

We didn't get a chance to eat in the Boathouse Restaurant, but the food looked delicious. On both Sunday and Monday mornings we grabbed a coffee (they serve Costa Coffee - yum!) and let our boy run off some energy in the small softplay area. The area is for under 8s and was quiet on the Sunday, but less so on the Monday (last bit of a runaround before check out time - I know that's why we were there).

The outdoor play area for under 12s is well maintained and has plenty of play equipment.

We also enjoyed the Amusements Arcade too - there's a good variety of games to play and our son mastered putting coins into the slot; a big leap in his hand-eye co-ordination/fine motor skills.

The site itself is a good base to explore Clacton-on-sea; it's a 10 min walk to the beach, 20/25 min walk to the pier and 30 min walk to the train station.

Overall we had a fabulous stay - I would definitely recommend this site to family and friend.

Thank you Parkdean...