Our review of Haven's Blue Dolphin Holiday Park, Filey
Overview
This is an independent review of Haven’s Blue Dolphin holiday park in Filey.
We chose this site due to the ratings and it comes out within the Top 5 sites within the Haven and Park Dean company listings as voted by guests.
Blue Dolphin is a very large holiday park which sits on the coast of Gristhorpe a short distance from Filey and is a short drive from local attractions. As with all our campsite reviews, this review will be posted across all our social media forums and a copy sent to Haven head office in Hemel Hempstead.
The price
Personally we think the price for the pitch isn’t cheap at £38 per night with EHU, however you have to factor in the fact that all the entertainment including use of the swimming pool is free and included as part of your holiday cost. If you would be the one to take advantage of such facilities then it works out as a sound investment, if not then it isn’t worth your hard earned pennies.
The Pitch
The pitches are well maintained and the grass is kept short (this is a big thing for me), the electric hook up is full 16amp so you can power any electrical appliance you wish.
The pitches are level and flat in most areas of the site so for tent campers this is a dream. We did notice quite a few of the pitches with substantial grass loss on the pitch spot, obviously we understand that this does happen with constant repeated pitching, however we also know that a company such as Haven can afford turf and can lay this given seasonal opportunities. Some of the pitches have had bare patches for more than one season, and this is evident. This is something that requires attention.
The setting and location
The holiday park is set in a beautiful location right on the coast and the sea can be seen from the site in places. There are multiple flower beds, trees and well maintained hedge rows throughout the site. The setting of the holiday park is good.
Shower, toilet and camping facilities
There are several shower and toilet blocks throughout the park, however the state of these are not to a standard we would expect in terms of cleanliness, they are cleaned once per day and to be honest after being cleaned they looked perfect, however with a few short hours they were absolutely filthy, and this is obviously down to the people using them, not flushing toilets, throwing toilet roll on the floor, leaving rubbish.
Based on the fact that this site gets busy and caters for hundreds of guests we suggest the the cleaning should take place twice daily and not just once per day. There are several pot wash stations and Elsan disposals thoughout the site.
The site is well lit during the hours of darkness.
The staff
The staff on this site are attentive and friendly, the booking in is seamless and the maintenance staff are brilliant and are happy to help you with whatever you need.
However we found the staff within the restaurant/pub rude and unprofessional. The staff were all of a young age and didn’t use basic manners like using the word “thank you”. We observed several of them clowning around in front of paying customers. The meals within this restaurant were sub-standard at best, there appears to be no quality control measures within the kitchen in terms of what is sent to the table we got the impression of a “that’ll do” mentality. We do not rate this restaurant at all to be honest. Poor food and poor service.
Entertainment facilities
The entertainment facilities at this holiday park are first class, Haven have really thought about keeping families entertained through their stay. There is numerous activities for the kids including soft play and indoor swimming pools, there are several outdoor play areas scattered throughout the park. Without a doubt the entertainment is this parks biggest asset.
Security
The overall security of this park is good, there are several security officers strategically positioned throughout different locations on the park and there is an out of hours manned line just in case you need them.
Site shop
The park has a convenience store which is situated near the entertainment complex, this is probably the best stocked campsite shop we’ve ever seen with an extensive range of products, it literally sells everything you’ll need and more, and the prices are good - no more expensive that anywhere else at todays prices!
Food
The food service on this park is very good (with the exception of the restaurant), there is an on-site fish shop, Papa Johns Pizza and a Burger King, all three of these establishments actually deliver food to your pitch which is an amazing service if you fancy a takeaway but don’t want to go and get it yourself.
Summary
Overall this holiday park is probably more suited to the younger families who want to keep their kids entertained throughout a summer holiday and it certainly ticks every box for that. In terms of the ones who want a quiet and peaceful break, then this may not be the site for you. Although the site is quiet throughout the night it can be quite noisy throughout the day. The site is generally well run, but again this is a huge site and commercialised for the masses.
Would we return?
YES but with our extended family.
Our score for this site:
Happy Camping!
Paula and Darren
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