April 2021 by Storyteller677865
Just come back from a wonderful 4 night stay at this park. Everyone we met was so friendly, including staff and other visitors. The staff though were brilliant. The fun stars were so enthusiastic and you can tell they can?t wait until the park opens fully so they can entertain the families. I was actually surprised by what was open. We were able to get a meal and a drink outside the Mash and Barrel. Papa Johns was open for takeaways as was Cooks. The security guys were great. Richard saw us sat at the mash and barrel and radioed through to ensure the staff knew we were there. He and Perry made a good team, both really friendly and although we?d never been to the park before it was like talking to old friends. It?s important to have a good security team when you have children with you as it allows you all to feel safe as a family. Unfortunately due to current restrictions there was no entertainment allowed, however, that didn?t stop the seaside squad making random appearances. The sight of DJ Ned locking Polly and the funstars in the bowling Green started my son laughing which turned into a real belly laugh when Polly chased Ned who was running at full speed to the safety of the site shop. Seriously if the funstars can provide so much joy for the children with all the current restrictions in place I can only marvel at the fun they?ll have when restrictions are released. As for the accommodation, we were upgraded from a standard to a deluxe van at 64 Lakelands. The van itself was sealed when we arrived and on entering it was spotlessly clean so well done to the cleaners. It was very centrally located which was great for us as our children have restricted mobility. This is one of the reasons we thought we would try the Orchards as it?s a very level site making it quite disabled friendly. Hopefully we will return when restrictions are lifted. Thank you to everyone there for making our short break so enjoyable.
April 2021 by Kelly P
Been twice now, first time there was a punch up around the pool with a group of very rowdy travellers, gave it the benefit of the doubt and returned the following year only to find even more travellers the second time stealing from the shop and fighting the staff outside, smashing bottles, littering and mouthing off at everyone. If this is your thing book it up otherwise avoid.
March 2021 by 62255nati
The price looks very reasonable, and the booking process so far is very straight forward, but cant comment on park or caravan yet as we haven't been there yet. However though we booked the caravan on haven, it's really hard to find a contact point for enquiries regarding the caravan or the orchards park itself. Wondering if wifi is available inside the caravan as we are looking to purchase a week worth of internet, and what the connection is like. We also wanted to know if there is facility to leave our bags at as we will be arriving earlier than the check in time? It will be great if someone could answer the above enquiries or provide a contact point (email or phone number).
November 2020 by Eve P
We had never been to The Orchards before we had a weeks stay caravan was lovely bybthe fishing lake but felt miles away from clubhouse I had passes and got booked into the entertainment each session. There was 1 in house production and 2 go solos by the ents team both were brilliant and the live acts in between were top quality. I enjoyed Bingo too and was lucky enough to win twice! The daytime entertainment was ok quiz, halloween party, experimental etc the staff are trying hard in these times! Lauren the manager in the live lounge is always full of energy in the box and leading the chair party dances. You can tell it is majority owner site some owners were waiting at frontbif que and spreading themselves and coats etc over 5-6 tables to save them for their friends which was hardly very fair when we had all stood outside in the cold and rain! Theres a big issue with larfe grouos of kids/teenagers i assume owners children as all knew each other! Flying around on scooters etc despite signs saying it was not allowed they were buying 2l bottles of pop shaking them throwing them in the air and letting them drop exploding etc all this around other guests near the shop/park my son was very nearly hit by one as it came down the kids found this hillarious and told me F**K OFF when i asked them to be careful near the smaller kids! There wasnt a security guard in site outside and there were large groups of around 12-15 kids definately against government guidelines!This happened more than once! The language from them and adults in the ques etc was horrendous completely inappropriate! The pool i managed to book 3 sessions i only swam once it just wasnt very clean lots of stuff on the bottom of the pool plastic a plaster and a lose tile was what i retrieved and we were the first morning session around tge doir to the office poolside tgerecwas visible dirt piles in the corner Although the numbers in the session were good The whole park looked a bit run down caravans could do with a clean outside etc theres a bit in the middle of park that looks horrific so avoid staying park west! Clacton pier and the curve water park are well worth a visit off site Overall id maybe return but only for a weekend
October 2020 by Rich123420
We rented a holiday caravan for a week, family of 5 (Covid free and temp. living together since March). Booked a table for lunch at the onsite restaurant THE MASH and BARREL, on arrival the Manageress required proof of us living at same address. We are staying in the same caravan on site, and booking form wasn't good enough, FFS!!! We asked if we could have lunch outside, taking advantage of the lovely weather and to avoid mixing with the very few people dining inside, to be told by this "job's worth" dining inside only!! Mad person..... Your loss, short trip by car to pub/carvery outside the park, more value for our money and got to dine together too!!!
October 2020 by Lizzyw1991
Me & my partner needed a getaway, so settled on this park. Don't get me wrong, the caravan was clean on arrival, sealed, but there was NO heating apart from the gas fire at the front! We was absolutely freezing! I didn't know our caravan had no heating, and surely around this time of year they would put you in a caravan that does have heating?! So was quite disappointed in that. The arcade was great, clean and lots of machines to use. We didn't use the restaurant. It's a shame that some parts of the park looked quite shoddy, like scrap yards.
October 2020 by JohnBond1234
Stayed here for a week with my family. The caravan was filthy! Stains on the bedsheets and shower head not fixed properly. Nobody following Covid rules! We was told a lot of the food on the menu was out of stock! Even when the food came it looked like it came straight from a microwave. The swimming pool slide was hardly a slide, more like a step. The entertainment / facilities were awful. Appalling site. Not worth your money at all!
October 2020 by Stephanie130
From the time we checked in it, seemed to take a lifetime, constantly driving back and forwards to the check in desk. As our caravan didn't have a seal to state it had been cleaned, finally someone turned up to do a five minute check wipe down. The caravan was comfortable, clean and tidy. But our neighbours who own the caravan next door, seem to think it was ok to arrive late and constantly use bad language which my children could hear., and to be honest loved the sound of their own voices. We felt we didn't have much privacy during the day because they were constantly outside the caravan and could see right through. We felt why should we draw our curtains. The arcades were wonderful clean and well controlled. The pizza delivery was quick and great. Overall we were their just for a long weekend and the childrens first experience of a caravan holiday
October 2020 by Steph85DB
Just got home from 7 nights at The Orchards. Had an OK time although a couple of things we were a little disappointed with. A week before out holiday we were offered an entertainment pass for £80 (we didn't buy), when we arrived I enquired about a day pass for swimming and we were told that we could buy an entertainment pass for the week for £40 half thee initial price (we didn't, we swam at clacton leisure centre) . The pool is small and the evening entertainment is sit at table only so not good for a 2 year old. Park is a little out dated and run down compared to other parks. Prestige caravan a bit tired and scruffy but it was clean. The site is nowhere near any outside shops or food outlets so you have to drive everywhere. 15 mins from Clacton where we spent most of our time. Track and trace to go in the shop? First time I have had to do that. We didn't spend much time at the site as was not much to do other than amusements. We wouldn't return to this park as it is so remote.
September 2020 by tombU2741IN
Been to many Haven sites and usually they are clean and tidy but this one isnt at all we had to move cavavan as the 1st one was filthy and next to a bungalow that had 4 scrap cars outside I think 1 was on bricks it was like a scrap yard. Dont be disappointed like we were book another Haven site I wish we had but we know for next time. Staff are friendly and helpful though.
August 2020 by adambailey74
Had a lovely week away at the Orchards with my family last week. The caravan was lovely & clean. The site was nice & well looked after with plenty to do. Considering the current Covid restrictions the place was run fairly well. The staff were generally friendly & helpful especially Summer who worked in the live lounge. She was so pleasant & helpful all week. Would recommend the site to stay at
August 2020 by jonathana154
So we arrived on the 31st for our sons first family break(5 months old) due to COVID haven?t had the chance to get away. Arrived within our time slot which was between 5-6pm which wasn?t ideal but just got on with it. Arrival was great and we were pointed to our caravan with the aid of the map on my phone that the app provided. Pulled up the to caravan and looked like a quarter of it was missing(see picture). Just looked smaller than others and previous caravans we have had. Opened the door and got inside which was all sealed to indicate it had been cleaned. First impressions were good, smelt nice and looked modern. Open the ?master bedroom? and could see that straight away the travel cot was not going to fit in there with us, the travel cot we have is a mini one as well so 100% no chance a normal size one would fit. Proceeded to look in the second bedroom which had 2 single beds which was obviously not going to work either. So our first thought was to try and move the bedroom around to fit the travel cot in but whatever way we tried could not get it to fit. This is all happening whilst our 5 month old son is being fed and changed by my partner and we are trying to put away the fresh and frozen food that we got before arriving. We are not pushing on 18:30/19:00, we then noticed bits of debris on the floor to the side of the sofa, dust on the sofa cushion, cobwebs between the sofa and the kitchen unit and hairs on the mattress in the main bedroom. I went to reception and asked if there were any other caravans that could accommodate a travel cot in the bedroom with us and was basically told that they can remove one of the single beds from the other bedroom so we can put the travel cot in there, one of us sleeping in there with little man and the other adult in the other room. I explained that I haven?t come on holiday to sleep separate to my partner and asked if there was anything else that they could do. The response was basically no as theft were fully booked and to phone head office. So I went back to the caravan and phoned head office. No answer, bank holiday! My partner then went to reception who was met by the same receptionist as myself who basically lied to my partner by saying she did not say the things to me about sleeping separate. My partner came back to the caravan upset and we were debating whether to leave and go home but decided to stay and try and make the most of it. Due to the lack of cleaning I checked in on my phone to say we had arrived at our caravan and let them know we he cleanliness was not good enough and it said I would receive a call back. 10 minutes nothing. I phoned reception and they send someone round within 10 minutes. 2 woman arrived who spoke with my partner inside the caravan(I was pushing baby around outside to try and get him to sleep) they said that the cleaning was not acceptable and someone would be round in the 5 to re clean the caravan. They could see my partner had been upset and we ended up explaining all of the above to them and they were shocked. One of the women(must be a manger) explained that she would check the next morning(today) to see if there were any other caravans available just incase people didn?t turn up and try to get us moved.(she didn?t have to but she obviously cares not like the reception staff) we thanked her for all of her help. We went for a wander to get some food, came back and the caravan was spotless. I am currently laying on the sofa(not a sofa bed) with my partner and my son in the travel cot in the front room. Let?s see what today brings
August 2020 by Scenic623467
We have come to the orchards before and have spent a numerous wonderful time. This weekend has been horrendous. There is totally been no social distancing. We have all worn masks in shops and arcades but we the only ones. No cleaning of the arcades and no one enforcement of masks. The caravan seemed cleaned and sanatised. But on closer inspection there was numerous spills and stains on the living room stools. Tonight we called numerous times to security about the young people making noise. We understand that we were all young but when there is the strong smell off drugs near our caravan then I feel security should have stepped in. Security said they can?t do anything till midnight. Let?s let the kids crack on with their drugs ? Such a lovely park in the past
August 2020 by 18TheGreenRoom
We have just returned from a fantastic stay at the Orchards. Our caravan was spotless and perfectly maintained. The facilities and park were well maintained, clean and rubbish free. Both the indoor pool and outdoor pool are warm and the booking system for the pools and restaurant worked well. The service in all areas was fantastic. Staff were warm, friendly and super helpful despite the difficult circumstances of the pandemic. Booking all the time slots for activities and dining was a bit stressful but it all worked out great when we were there and the staff did their best to be flexible with dining times. The beach is less than a minute walk away and is beautiful and clean. We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday here and would definitely return in the future. Well done Haven.
August 2020 by 816rubis
So we are due to arrive on Monday and have had an email to state because we booked back in January we are able to book pool slots. However we can?t book them until after 11.30 am on the day before we are due to arrive. We are a family of 6 that includes 4 children. And have been given eight slots in total. So 6 guests on a 4 night 5 day trip can only have 8 slots. So do we send the kids with no adults - varying degrees of swimming abilities and allow them to use the pool twice during our trip unaccompanied. Or do we book one swimming session for all 6 of us and only use it once therefore wasting the other other two slots we?ve been allocated. I don?t understand how they have decided to give us 8 slots - it just doesn?t make any sense.
