Review: Tots Week at Butlins Bognor Regis - part 2 (food, facilities and a small gripe)

For part one (getting there and accommodation) you can click here.

Facilities and activities

After we settled in, I asked Issy what she wanted to do and was met with "SWIMMING!!!!" So we grabbed our cossies which I had packed at the top of our case and headed to the pool, which was exactly the same - but older - than I remembered it as a kid. The changing rooms and pool area itself was clearly a bit tired, but there were signs saying they are about to build a new one, good news for future customers. Issy loved the pool and even braved the big slide with some friends she made on our last day.

After swimming we decided to visit the outdoor fun fair area as I'd heard there were dodgems (my fave!!) but unfortunately Issy and most the other kids were too short for many of these. How she needed to be over a meter to sit next to me in a dodgem car when she's been on them at every fun fair ever, I'll never know! Thankfully there were smaller indoor rides for the little ones and a soft play which kept us entertained on those rainy days or breaks between shows/activities.

I signed Issy up for numerous activities including mini-bow (archery) and balance bikes which she loved so much we did three times! There were also drop in sessions for crafts and Playdoh modeling, which were very popular. Show wise we loved Playdoh 3D and Mister Maker, but would have liked the option to chose which timing of Mister Maker we were allocated on arrival.

We avoided anything with an extra cost except for ice creams both onsite and on the beach, just a minutes walk from the main gates. It's worth mentioning how lovely and clean the beach was, but those seagulls are rife and a fair few kids lost their ice creams to them! Also the pebble dip onto the beach is quite steep so not very accessible with very little ones/pushchairs. The beach provided a very welcome place to escape, splash and chill away from the noise of the big white top at Butlins, which sometimes did get a bit much. There was also a lovely reading corner with beanbags and lots of books where you could just go and escape for a few minutes.

The food

We opted for the premium dining plan which meant we could have breakfast and dinner every day in The Deck located just outside our hotel. I wasn't sure what to expect as it is buffet, but the first night I was pleasantly surprised with the food being tasty, fresh and nicely presented. There was something for every taste and squash, tea, coffee and hot chocolate was included. Fizzy and alcoholic drinks were extra but reasonably priced.

After a cracking nights sleep, breakfast was well received and again really nice. Fresh fruit, cheese, made to order omelettes, breakfast toasties, pancakes and a full English on offer meant we could skip lunch and just go for an early dinner. Unfortunately on the second night the rather relaxed vibe from dinner had gone and it seemed like a bit of a free for all with it taking a while for food to be replenished. Due to this we decided to try out the trade in available for premier food guests where you give up dinner at The Deck in return for vouchers to use at any of the other outlets such as Papa Johns, the pub or Brian Turner's restaurant.

We opted for the pub which was great and we managed to get a three course kids meal & drink, plus decent steak, pudding and a pint for me which only cost £1.50 extra. It was so chilled with a play area outside, not to loud music and comfy seats. We enjoyed it so much that we had our final nights meal there too. The food package looks expensive on paper, but we found it a great way of eating out at times that suited us with no surprise costs at the end of the meal.


The bad


I've mentioned elsewhere how lovely most of the staff were and Issy really took a shine to a few of them, but unfortunately there's always one. In our case two.

Many of the redcoats are rather young and with their power did come a bit of rudeness. We found when queuing for character meet and greets they forgot that we were at a break for kids and kids don't always play ball when made to queue for ages. On one occasion we were a few from the back of the queue and I stood where another mum had stood to take a photo of Issy with the characters when I was blocked and ordered to stand elsewhere by a red coat. I moved just as my daughter was ordered out of the way before I could take her photo. When I said this, they told me it was my fault and to just go and buy the professional photo as "it is only £10!"

I explained I didn't have £10 for a photo and she rolled her eyes at me. The mum who had been behind me said she didn't mind Issy going up again but the red coat refused. Issy cried so we left. Customer service were fantastic and rectified it so we could have the photo, but it did leave a bad taste in my mouth.

This attitude was noticed by other parents too who noticed children being refused their photo with characters who were "on their way backstage" unless they wanted to go have them done by a professional and pay for the privilege. It may seem like a small thing, but remembering it's a tots break wouldn't have gone amiss.


The end

All in all we loved our little five day break and Issy was very sad to leave. I was sad to be returning to washing up and a mountain of clothing to be cleaned! We certainly would consider returning again as I think we had fantastic value for money, but would certainly go for one of the hotels again. Special shout out goes to the reception team at The Wave who were just delightful and great with the kids.

Have you ever been to a Butlins? What did you make of your visit?