REVIEW: Butlins during a Pandemic

We’ve come back home from a great weekend at Butlins Bognor Regis. Unfortunately, we are still very much in the middle of a pandemic, so there’s been a few changes that I’m going to talk about in this post.

First off I just want to talk about price. Ifyou follow us on Instagram you will see that I’ve said I’ve only paid £60 for this break and that’s thanks to the Sun holidays. I’ve explained how it all works here. 

This was my first time driving here as I usually get the train which is only usually just £10 for a return ticket. It’s a really easy drive from London. A few days before you arrive, you will receive an email telling you where you need to check-in.

Check-in was so easy, and I didn’t even have to leave my car. A member of staff gave us our key cards in a little information pack, told me all the info that I needed and then showed me where to park. Our accommodation wasn’t too far from the car park.

We stayed in a silver room at Oyster Bay, and it’s a very basic room, but it was clean. Although it was clean, I always like to go over it myself with my own cleaning products. This is something I’ve always done, and I suggest you do the same.

Activities.

Just over a week before we were due to arrive, I received an email informing me that I would need to pre-book certain activities.

You need to do this ASAP. I managed to book two pool sessions and a load of shows like The Little Mermaid Panto and Paddington at the seaside. Please note that you can book a maximum of 2 swim sessions pre-arrival and to ensure that every guest gets a chance to see a show, you’ll be permitted to book one of each show pre-arrival. Once you arrive, you will be able to book further swim sessions and shows if they are available.

The pool – Butlins have a new pool, and we finally got the chance to check it out. It’s lovely! The slides are so much fun, and surprisingly little miss got to go on most of them. You’ll be able to see what slides your child can go on easily thanks to the little height chart they have just before enter the pool.

Need to know.

• You must prebook.
• There’s a buggy park available.
• Lockers are £1 and refundable.
• Swimming sessions are 1hr 30 mins long.
• Swimming is included in the price.

The shows – The shows available will be dependent on when your Butlins Break is. We saw Paddington, The Little Mermaid, Billy & Bonnie, Penguins at the seaside, Teletubbies and a Take That tribute show.

Need to know.

• You must prebook.
• You’ll have to wear a mask unless you’re eating/drinking or if you’re exempt.
• You can order food and drink to your table using the B – Serve app.

Activities included in the price.

• Swimming
• The shows
• The outdoor fairground
• Soft play (currently closed)
• Little starts fairground
• The outdoor playgrounds
• Silent cinema

Activities that incur a charge.

• Face painting
• The arcade
• Tenpin bowling
• Pottery painting
• Go-Karts
• Bike hire
• Adventure golf

Accommodation.

As mentioned above, we went for a really basic accommodation which is the Silver room. You can see all the different types they have here.

Food.

Butlins now have a new app called B serve that you can download and order food and drinks to your table.

You also have restaurants like Papa Johns and Burger King at Butlins Bognor. You can find out more info about food here.

COVID precautions.

• You’re required to wear a face mask in all indoor venues, including the Skyline Pavilion, with the exception of medical exemptions, when eating or drinking at a table, or if under the age of 11.
• I saw staff cleaning regularly! It was really good to see! I even saw someone come round and spray down the playgrounds at intervals.
• There are plenty of signs and announcements reminding people to keep their distance.
• You are asked to remain in your seats during the shows to help maintain social distancing.
• There’s hand sanitiser around but it’s very strong. It’s probably best to bring your own.

Butlins is a little different now but still lots of fun. I think they’ve done quite well with keeping everyone safe. They clean the venues in between shows, and it must be hard work so I can appreciate all the effort the staff make. I also like the fact that nobody is forced to pay by card. I’m someone that never has cash but I think it’s quite ridiculous that most places have become cashless.

I have no complaints about our break! 3 nights for £60 is just brilliant and I’m hoping we get a similar deal in the future. We love Butlins and we would totally go back!

Check out our Instagram highlight for more lovely pictures and videos of our staycation. We have also been to Minehead and Skegness if you fancy check out those posts too.