About Haven Blackpool Marton Mere
Location of Haven Blackpool Marton Mere
Haven Blackpool Marton Mere is really well located just a short drive away from the centre of Blackpool and its many attractions. It was too far to realistically walk but there is plenty of public transport options – with information provided in reception (including taxi prices). We found Haven Blackpool Marton Mere really easily but it didn’t look like Haven campsites we had been to before so at first thought we were at the wrong place.
First impressions of Haven Blackpool Marton Mere
I am not sure if Haven have had a fresh new look or it is this particular campsite – but let’s say it looks a lot less gerish and much more inviting. We were unable to check into our holiday home until 4pm but Reception very kindly checked to see if it was ready and took my mobile number to let me know if it was ready early. My initial impressions were that it was a friendly, helpful and clean place. There were plenty of flyers and information regarding local tourist attractions (including prices and discounts). There are a variety of places to eat with a couple on site and loads offsite. If you have forgotten anything or suddenly need anything there is an onsite shop and masses of shops in Blackpool’s centre (including pound shops for the thrifty among us).
When we were able to check in we were given the name of the lady behind the desk and a mobile number to contact her on in case we had any problems. I was a bit disgruntled to discover that I was expected to download an app to tell me what was on – and this furthermore required more internet to access the guide. The signal wasn’t all that great for downloading such a big file and by the time we accessed it everything was booked up for the children so they missed out! My advice is to download it before you leave – just search for Haven. We were also told we could use the facilities until 6pm – but apart from putting more money in the arcade or having a swim there wasn’t nothing worth staying for.
The Cost of Our Sun £9.50 Holiday to Haven Blackpool Marton Mere
Blackpool Marton Mere Holiday Village is a Haven holidays camp site and myself and my family visited as our £9.50 Sun Holiday. We went for a Friday-Monday break during the Easter holidays (but not the Bank Holiday weekend) and for a family of 5 it cost us a total of £125.85. This was broken down into £47.50 for the 5 x Sun £9.50 per person, £8.50 holiday insurance, £2.30 online booking card fee, £25.05 Utility Service charge and £42.50 for 5 x Entertainment and facilities passes. We took off the linen charges (£21) and took our own – but they provided it anyway. If we were to return I would also take off the Entertainment passes – bringing the cost down to £83.35. There was also the offer of upgrading our accommodation – £5 per person for Standard Plus (to have your beds made with the hired linen – again this was already done for us); Super Plus for an extra £10 per person; Premier Plus £23 per person but includes the cost of the linen – this has double glazing and central heating – an option that would have been a very good idea on an April break and something to consider in the future maybe).
Our Sun £9.50 Holiday Haven Blackpool Marton Mere Accommodation
As I say we stayed with the very basic budget and did not upgrade from our £9.50 per person – plus there were 5 of us. We were allocated a 3 bedroom caravan, which also had a pull out sofa bed. There were 2 single beds in 2 of the rooms (4 beds in total) and a double; we had a living room, kitchen, bathroom with toilet and shower and a separate toilet room. There was also a small separate cupboard with an iron board, mop and bucket, broom and dust pan and brush. We had a tv, dvd player, microwave, kettle, toaster and other kitchen items you would need to cook (including a baking tray which are rarely provided!) What I would say is that there was only one shelf (that was between the oven and the grill too). There were plenty of coat hangers and spaces to hang clothes but a lack of drawers for underwear. You will need to bring your own hair dryer and straighteners.
Ours had artificial flowers in vases, and touches of signs on the doors. We were delighted to find that there was tea, coffee and sugar provided in pots on our arrival. The toilets were sealed with a piece of paper to say that they had been cleaned – and there was also toilet rolls provided next to both toilets. I would say that despite heaters in every room and a fire in the living room it was very cold – in future I would make sure I had a dressing gown and slippers at the very least!
Entertainment at Haven Blackpool Marton Mere
The entertainment is all in one place near Reception – making it easy to locate. The holiday village really reflects Blackpool with plenty of flashing lights and places to spend money – with lots and lots of two-penny-falls (which the children easily win things on; my youngest got 16 tickets with one 2p and my 8 year old won a maze that fell off the end). There are also some prize every time machines. You have to walk through the arcade to get to the club, restaurant and swimming pool. I was glad to see that there were security checks to ensure that people had entertainment passes. We did not use the restaurant so cannot comment – but it looked very clean and friendly, with a boat theme. There was a small amount of WiFi available but you had to log in to access it. There was also a small ball pit area for very small children.
The Club at Haven Blackpool Marton Mere
The club was again very reflective of Blackpool itself – with plenty of opportunities to spend money! There were people walking around selling helium balloons, you could get your face painted, buy slush puppies, and all manner of things from the shop. There were lots of coloured lights and we never had a problem getting a seat. For us it was far too loud and in the short amounts of time we spent there, two of my children sat with their ears covered. None of the entertainment we found particularly entertaining and the children preferred to go outside to the play area.
The swimming pool at Haven Blackpool Marton Mere
The Swimming Pool only had the indoor part open as it was out of season. This basically consisted of one pool which went from 0.7m to 1.2m. During the swim sessions there were no extra toys etc and it was rather crowded so you couldn’t actually swim. Great if you had very small children and just wanted to build up their water confidence and have a splash around. The outside area had a few extra things again for small children but not a lot. There is a slide that ends up in a bowl – but this is only for those over 1.2m who are strong swimmers – but as I say this was closed. Personally I think if you want to go swimming you would be better to go into Blackpool and visit Sandcastle – the UKs largest indoor waterpark (again check heights/ages for what the children can go on). The changing rooms were unisex – making things much easier for families. Lockers were a refundable £1. The changing rooms had different sized cubicles, and were beautiful pastel colours and kept very clean.
Activities at Haven Blackpool Marton Mere
There was a good range of activities with a mix of free and paid for if we had known to book them in time – with a mix of pool, dryside, and ranger activities. It was also disappointing to see that those ages 13+ are only catered for in the summer months. There was also karts and adventure golf available to hire – again we did not take advantage of this.
We would definitely visit Marton Mere Holiday Village as part of a Sun £9.50 Holiday deal again. It was clean and friendly and a prime location for visiting Blackpool’s attractions. This was ideal for us as we would have never covered the attractions in one day and it would cost quite a bit to travel backwards and forwards to Blackpool.
Marton Mere Holiday Village, Mythop Road, Blackpool, Lancashire, FY4 4XN.
01253 767544