MY family of five spends December flitting between holiday parks and comparing all the festive fun they have on offer.
You might think it comes at a high cost because of the time of year – but I found a seasonal staycay in Christmas week for less than £50.
Over the last decade, we’ve checked out Center Parcs, Butlin’s, Parkdean, Away Resorts and independent Ribby Hall over the festive season – but Haven has pipped them to the post.
This year, it has an incredible offer that allows a family of four to stay in Dorset for £50 at the start of the school Christmas holidays.
There are nine Haven sites staying open for the festivities this year and they all seem to have brought in a bargain break for two nights from December 21-23.
It’s an absolute solstice steal – the best price I found was at Rockley Park near Poole where a two-bed caravan cost just £49.
My family of five head to Norfolk to stay near relatives every winter and this year a bronze caravan over the winter solstice at Haven Seashore near Great Yarmouth is just £155, half the price we paid for the same accommodation at Twixmas two years ago.
That’s partly down to the Haven price promise, where you can get money back if the cost of your break drops after you book it.
It was incredibly straightforward to get our holiday price adjusted when I saw that our break was now £15 less – it was all done through live chat and took only a few minutes for the bot to find the new price for our break and change the amount we still had to pay to reflect that.
I’ll keep checking between now and the start of our break as it’s possible I might get even more off if the price drops again.
We absolutely loved the festive vibes at Seashore two years ago, with twinkling lights around the park, a Christmas tree provided in each caravan and a panto (Jack and Beanstalk this time around) on the entertainment schedule.
The waterpark has a couple of flumes and a splashpad to keep our boys busy and we had a delicious Sunday roast in the pub restaurant for about £120 for 12 people, thanks to the amazing food and drink deals like two main meals for £20 plus kids eat for £1. We can’t wait to go back this year.
My top tip for making the most of any festive break is to book any activities you want to do as soon as you can.
A trip to Santa’s grotto or Christmas crafts can be booked on the Haven app 12 weeks in advance, while swimming pool slots are released four weeks before your holiday.
If you have some festive must-dos, you don’t want to leave it to the last minute and then discover everything is fully booked.
What’s great about Haven is that you just pay for the bits you actually use, like adding in a dishwasher for £10 – it’s the opposite of a package deal where you pay a set price for everyone on your booking, even if none of you want to go in the pool or visit the entertainment venues.
There’s an option called Haven Hideaway for people who just want to book a caravan and not use any of the on-site facilities.
That can save you a fair amount on your holiday and it’s perfect if you’re visiting family or friends for the festive season and just want to use your accommodation as a base.
You can pay extra to choose your check-in time or where you want to be on the park.
And now you can even fork out for extra amenities in your accommodation like a washing machine or dishwasher if you love a few mod cons and your caravan doesn’t automatically come with them.
It’s tricky when Christmas falls on a Friday as most resorts have that as a changeover day, so all the normal midweek and weekend breaks need to be adjusted to start and finish on a different day.
Haven has used that to sneak in an extra winter solstice school holiday break for next to nothing.
Some of the other UK holiday parks have introduced a similar two-nighter, but at a premium because it’s during the school holidays.
The cheapest break in a three-bed lodge over the same period at Center Parcs is £879 at Woburn Forest.
Cottages at Ribby Hall near Blackpool start at £438 for the two nights.
If you’re not a Haven fan, your best bet for a cheap pre-Christmas getaway is at Away Resorts, where you can start your break on any day of the week.
A stay for December 21-23 starts at £110 for a value two-bed caravan at Whitecliff Bay on the Isle of Wight or a three-bed chalet at St Ives Bay in Cornwall.
Butlin’s doesn’t offer a two-night break over the festive period.
For a seasonal solstice staycay at a sensational price, you can’t beat a happy Haven-mas this year.