UK’s best and worst holiday parks named — Center Parcs and Haven not in top 3 | UK | Travel
UK’s best and worst holiday parks names, with Center Parcs, Haven and Butlins all ranking lower than winner (Image: Forest Holidays)
The best and worst holiday parks in the UK have been named in a survey released by consumer champion Which?
The latest survey of their readers put Potters Resorts at the pinnacle of UK holiday parks for 2025, with an all-inclusive offer that’s dazzling guests and outshining the likes of Haven and Center Parcs, despite being pricier.
The poll involved 1,700 of its members who have provided ratings on numerous aspects of their holiday park experiences, from tidiness to accommodation quality, activity options and overall bang for their buck.
Potters Resorts has clinched the crown for “customer score”, boasting a sterling 87% approval rating. The Essex and Norfolk resorts, predominantly for adults except during the summertime when kids are welcomed in Norfolk, earned top marks for both premium facilities and lodgings as well as a diverse array of complimentary activities.
Potters Resorts have two locations including the beautiful Hopton-on-Sea in Norfolk (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
While Potters stands as the most costly choice among those included in the Which? survey, the price tag is inclusive of all meals and beverages, a host of activities like pickleball and archery, plus ‘West End’ standard evening shows, which has warranted a four-star commendation for value for money despite the cost.
Forest Holidays secured the second spot, boasting an impressive customer score of 80%. The company operates eight parks in England, three in Scotland, and two in Wales, offering unique accommodation options such as log cabins and treehouses.
Customers praised the quality of the accommodation and cleanliness, although it only received a three-star rating for value for money.
Pontins – who were bottom of the list – have closed locations including Camber Sands in East Sussex (Image: Adam Gerrard)
Bluestone Wales also emerged as a top contender, nestled in the scenic Pembrokeshire countryside. Offering luxury lodges and cottages, Bluestone scored highly for its quality accommodation.
Despite earning high marks for children’s activities and entertainment, it also received a three-star rating for value for money, resulting in an overall score of 77% and third place in the list.
Pontins, however, found itself at the bottom of the chart once again, having also ranked last in 2024. Currently, the brand only has one holiday park open to guests, the adults-only Sand Bay Holiday Village in Weston-Super-Mare.
Their other two parks in Burnham on Sea, Somerset and Pakefield, Suffolk are temporarily closed to accommodate construction workers.
With a mere 56% customer satisfaction score, Pontins earned just two stars in most areas. Despite being the most affordable option, customers still felt they were not getting good value for their money.
Holidaymakers have slated Pontins’ Pakefield park on Tripadvisor, with one guest declaring: “Worst place I have ever visited, chalet was old unkempt and dirty, holes in sheets, beds pushed together with terrible matress and pillows, to shower you had to keep pushing a button in, it leaked all over the floor”.
Another dissatisfied customer voiced their grievances, stating: “Rooms are shabby and quite dirty. Dirt on the baseboards, cobwebs in the corners and behind doors, our shower curtain had pink mold growing along the bottom seam, clearly not laundered between guests.”
Yet, amidst the negative feedback, some holiday-goers positively remarked on their stay at Pontins. A satisfied visitor shared their enjoyable experience, commenting: “We went beginning of October had a brilliant week! Food was great, swimming pool was really good and for the price you really can’t get any better!”.
Center Parcs in Elveden Forest — their parks received high scores for quality but were described as ‘expensive’ (Image: Center Parcs)
The entertainment provided by Pontins also received accolades from several reviews, including an enthusiastic appraisal: “The Bluecoats show Vegas was amazing! They are all so talented and are always doing some activity or joining in on the dance floor and having a laugh or chatting with people.”
In a broader survey, Largo Leisure Parks, which operates six parks across Scotland, were placed at the bottom, scoring only 64%. However, this ranking should be taken in context as it is based on the experiences of a limited number of 30 respondents who visited their locations.
A spokesperson for Largo Leisure expressed disappointment but pointed out that the survey in question involved only 30 people over a year ago. “Whilst this is of course disappointing, this relates to only 30 people who were surveyed about Largo Leisure over 12 months ago. On both TripAdvisor and Google Reviews, where we have thousands of reviews for each of our six Scotland holiday parks, all of them are rated 4.3 or above out of 5.”
They highlighted their strong online reputation: “We regularly get 5 star reviews on both TripAdvisor and Google reviews and we would encourage people to take a look on both to see a true reflection of the guest experiences at our parks. We are very proud of our track record for providing exceptional holidays for our guests but we never stop trying to improve. We are enjoying a busy year across all our parks and if people read the online reviews they will see why.”
Away Resorts have 25 family-friendly resorts including one in Newquay (Image: William Dax / SWNS)
Meanwhile, Away Resorts, with the same score as Largo Leisure, boasts 25 parks across the UK, including coveted locations in the south-west and the Isle of Wight.
Despite offering a variety of accommodation options, Away Resorts received a mere two stars for value for money. They also faced criticism for customer service, yet managed to secure three stars for cleanliness and quality of accommodation.
Center Parcs, the most popular holiday park provider in the survey, scored 69%, putting it on par with Haven. Despite high scores for its facilities and accommodation quality, it received low marks for the range of free activities and overall value for money.
It ranked as the third priciest option, following Potters and Warner Leisure Villages, which cater to adults only.
Pontins at Sand Bay near Weston-Super-Mare (Image: Rowan Griffiths)
A Which? member commented: “Very expensive for what it is. Accommodation excellent, apart from the oasis pool, everything was extra. Staff were very helpful and the children enjoyed their stay. I will not be going back.”
Haven, with 38 parks across the UK, matched Center Parcs’ score, but earned three stars for value for money. However, Which? readers gave them a two-star rating for food and drink and the variety of free activities available. You can read what one visitor to Haven thought here.
Best and worst holiday parks in the UK ranked
| Provider | Customer Score |
| Potters Resorts | 87% |
| Forest Holidays | 80% |
| Bluestone Wales | 77% |
| John Fowler Holiday Parks | 77% |
| Hoburne Holidays | 75% |
| Hoseasons | 74% |
| Waterside Holiday Group | 74% |
| Warner Leisure Villages | 71% |
| Centerparcs | 69% |
| Haven Holiday Parks | 69% |
| Parkdean Resorts | 68% |
| Butlins | 67% |
| Park Holidays UK | 66% |
| Away Resorts | 64% |
| Largo Leisure Parks | 64% |
| Pontins | 56% |
