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Haven and Parkdean are probably the biggest names in the UK caravan park market. Between them they've got more than 100 holiday parks, mostly in glorious coastal locations. Which is best? Our summary is that:
- Haven tends to get better reviews overall than Parkdean Resorts but Haven is slightly more expensive than Parkdean Resorts.
- Parkdean and Haven both have some small sites with just a few caravans as well as some huge resorts with lots of activities.
- The biggest onsite waterparks are at Haven's holiday parks, but Parkdean Resorts has some great swimming pools too.
- Parkdean has a lot more lodges and hot tubs than Haven and has a lot more locations around the UK
- About 20 Parkdean Resorts have direct beach access whilst about 10 Haven holiday parks have direct beach access.
- Haven and Parkdean have caravan parks in most of the popular holiday counties (Cornwall, Dorset, Devon, Yorkshire etc). However, if you want a holiday on the Isle of Wight then you'll have to pickParkdean.If you want a Somerset holiday then you'll have to chooseHaven.
All details are correct at the time of writing, but things do change all the time. Here's our summary grid before we move onto more details:
Things to consider | Parkdean Resorts | Haven |
Type of accommodation | Mostly caravans, lodges at 57 parks, | Mostly caravans, lodges at 11 parks, |
Choice of locations | 66 in 15 English counties, | 38 in 13 English counties, |
Evening and kids entertainment | Entertainment at most resorts | Entertainment at all resorts |
Dining options | Nearly all resorts have at least | Somewhere to eat onsite |
Reviews | Slightly lower than Haven. Range from 3/5 to 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor | Slightly better than Parkdean overall. Range from 3.5/5 to 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor |
Swimming pools | Varies - some have good size indoor pools, | Varies - some large waterparks, some smaller pools |
Number of guests | About 150 caravans (Church Farm) | About 250 - 1400 caravans |
Hot tubs | Yes, at 15 resorts | No, apart from a few at Perran Sands |
Near beaches? | 19 parks with direct beach access, others require a drive or walk | 10 holiday parks with direct beach access, plus 3 or more which are walking distance |
Facilities and activities | Huge variation. Some sites have lots of sports, activities and facilities - some have none. | Big variation. Some former Butlins sites |
Opening months | Varies by park - some are open 12 months, some are open 8 months | Mostly closed in winter |
Parking | Usually next to your caravan | Usually next to your caravan |
Fishing lakes | Yes, at 7 holiday parks | Yes, at 9 holiday parks |
Popular counties where they don't have parks | Somerset | Isle of Wight |
Camping and touring | At 24 locations (about a third of the total) | Touring at 18 locations (half of all sites) |
Glamping | Yes, at 9 Parkdean Resorts | Yes, at 2 Haven holiday parks |
Dog friendly | Yes, all parks. Plus dog agility courses at 7 parks. | Yes, except for Riviere Sands (Cornwall) and Burnham on Sea (Somerset). Dog agility courses (Bark Yards) at 5 parks |
Wheelchair accessible | Yes, some wheelchair friendly accommodation | Yes, some wheelchair accessible accommodation |
Cost | Generally a bit cheaper than Haven | Generally a bit more expensive than Parkdean (see our price comparison) |
Right, let's carry on to the detail! This is one of our longest guides so brace yourself!
Haven v Parkdean Resorts - which gets the best reviews?
Views like this may explain why Haven's Lydstep Beach Holiday Park gets such good reviews |
Parkdean Resorts Limefitt Holiday Park is another winner with customers |
Before I started researching this guide, my general impression was that Haven holiday parks get slightly better reviews than Parkdean Resorts. However, that was just a hunch based on looking at a lot of holiday parks over the years. In reality, it depends which park you visit. The highest rated Parkdean Resorts holiday park (Limefitt Holiday Parkin theLake District) scores 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor or 4.6/5 on Google Reviews - that's a total of 9.1/10. The highest rated Haven holiday park also scores 9.1/10 in total (Lydstep Beach Holiday Park in Wales). Meanwhile, the lowest rated Parkdean Resorts holiday park scores 6.8/10 (Parkdean Resorts Lizard Point Holiday Park) and the lowest rated Haven holiday park scores 7.5/10 (Haven Allhallows Holiday Park). To really get a better idea, we added together review scores for every single Haven and Parkdean Resorts site and ranked them. It took a long time but here's the list! Haven is in italics.
- Parkdean Resorts Limefitt Holiday Park, Lake District. 4.5/5 + 4.6/5 = 9.1/10
- Haven Lydstep Beach Holiday Park, South Wales. 4.5/5 + 4.6/5 = 9.1/10
- Parkdean ResortsCrantock Beach Holiday Park, Cornwall. 4.5/5 + 4.5/5 = 9/10
- Parkdean Resorts Fallbarrow Holiday Park, Lake District. 4.5/5 + 4.5/5 = 9/10
- Parkdean Resorts Eyemouth Holiday Park, Scotland. 4.5/5 + 4.4/5 = 8.9/10
- Haven Thornwick Bay Holiday Park, Yorkshire. 4/5 + 4.5/5 = 8.5/10
- Haven Wild Duck Holiday Park, Norfolk. 4/5 + 4.5/5 = 8.5/10
- Haven Hopton Holiday Park, Norfolk. 4/5 + 4.5/5 = 8.5/10
- Haven Caister-on-sea Holiday Park, Norfolk. 4/5 + 4.5/5 = 8.5/10
- Parkdean Resorts Sea Acres Holiday Park, Cornwall. 4/5 + 4.5/5 = 8.5/10
- Parkdean Resorts Weeley Bridge Holiday Park, Essex. 4.5/5 + 4/5 = 8.5/10
- Parkdean Resorts Gateback Holiday Park, Lake District. 4/5 + 4.5/5 = 8.5/10*
- Parkdean Resorts Church Point Holiday Park, Northumberland. 4/5 + 4.5/5 = 8.5/10
- Haven Berwick Holiday Park, Northumberland. 4/5 + 4.5/5 = 8.5/10
- Haven Reighton Sands Holiday Park, Yorkshire. 4/5 + 4.4/5 = 8.4/10
- Haven Church Farm Holiday Park, Sussex. 4/5 + 4.4/5 = 8.4/10
- Haven Quay West Holiday Park, South Wales. 4/5 + 4.4/5 = 8.4/10
- Haven Penally Court Holiday Park, South Wales. 4/5 + 4.4/5 = 8.4/10
- Haven Hafan Y Mor Holiday Park, North Wales. 4/5 + 4.4/5 = 8.4/10
- Haven Greenacres Holiday Park, North Wales. 4/5 + 4.4/5 = 8.4/10
- Haven Seashore Holiday Park, Norfolk. 4/5 + 4.4/5 = 8.4/10
- Haven Devon Cliffs Holiday Park, Devon. 4/5 + 4.4/5 = 8.4/10
- Haven Riviere Sands Holiday Park, Cornwall. 4/5 + 4.4/5 = 8.4/10
- Haven Perran Sands Holiday Park, Cornwall. 4/5 + 4.4/5 = 8.4/10
- Haven Doniford Bay Holiday Park, Somerset . 4/5 + 4.4/5 = 8.4/10
- Parkdean Resorts Warmwell Holiday Park, Dorset. 4/5 + 4.4/5 = 8.4/10
- Parkdean Resorts Nairn Lochloy Holiday Park, Scotland. 4/5 + 4.4/5 = 8.4/10
- Haven Burnham-on-Sea Holiday Park, Somerset . 4/5 + 4.3/5 = 8.3/10
- Haven Seton Sands Holiday Park, Scotland. 4/5 + 4.3/5 = 8.3/10
- Parkdean Resorts Cherry Tree Holiday Park, Norfolk. 4/5 + 4.3/5 = 8.3/10
- Parkdean Resorts Lower Hyde Holiday Park, Isle of Wight. 4/5 + 4.3/5 = 8.3/10
- Parkdean Resorts Nodes Point Holiday Park, Isle of Wight. 4/5 + 4.3/5 = 8.3/10
- Parkdean Resorts White Cross Bay Holiday Park, Lake District. 4/5 + 4.3/5 = 8.3/10
- Haven Littlesea Holiday Park, Dorset. 4/5 + 4.3/5 = 8.3/10
- Haven Weymouth Bay Holiday Park, Dorset. 4/5 + 4.3/5 = 8.3/10
- Haven Cala Gran Holiday Park, Blackpool, Lancashire. = 4/5 + 4.2/5 = 8.2/10
- Haven Rockley Park Holiday Park, Dorset. 4/5 + 4.3/5 = 8.3/10
- Haven Seaview Holiday Park, Dorset. 4/5 + 4.2/5 = 8.2/10
- Parkdean Resorts St Minver Holiday Park, Cornwall. 4/5 + 4.2/5 = 8.2/10
- Parkdean Resorts Southview Holiday Park, Lincolnshire. 4/5 + 4.2/5 = 8.2/10
- Parkdean Resorts Wemyss Bay Holiday Park, Scotland. 4/5 + 4.2/5 = 8.2/10
- Parkdean Resorts Kessingland Beach Holiday Park, Suffolk. 4/5 + 4.2/5 = 8.2/10
- Parkdean Resorts California Cliffs Holiday Park, Norfolk. 4/5 + 4.2/5 = 8.2/10
- Parkdean Resorts Whitley Bay Holiday Park, Northumberland. 4/5 + 4.2/5 = 8.2/10
- Parkdean Resorts Breydon Water Holiday Park, Norfolk. 4/5 + 4.1/5 = 8.1/10
- Parkdean Resorts Todber Valley Holiday Park, Lancashire. 4/5 + 4.1/5 = 8.1/10
- Parkdean Resorts Ocean Edge Holiday Park, Lancashire. 4/5 + 4.1/5 = 8.1/10
- Parkdean Resorts Landguard Holiday Park, Isle of Wight. 4/5 + 4.1/5 = 8.1/10
- Parkdean Resorts St Margarets Bay Holiday Park, Kent. 4/5 + 4.1/5 = 8.1/10
- Parkdean Resorts Cresswell Towers Holiday Park, Northumberland. 4/5 + 4/5 = 8/10
- Haven Primrose Valley Holiday Park, Yorkshire. 3.5/5 + 4.4/5 = 7.9/10
- Parkdean Resorts Regent Bay Holiday Park, Lancashire. 4/5 + 3.9/5 = 7.9/10
- Parkdean Resorts Sandy Bay Holiday Park, Northumberland. 4/5 + 3.9/5 = 7.9/10
- Parkdean Resorts Crimson Dene Holiday Park, County Durham. 4/5 + 3.9/5 = 7.9/10
- Parkdean Resorts Holywell Bay Holiday Park, Cornwall. 3.5/5 + 4.3/5 = 7.8/10
- Haven Golden Sands Holiday Park, Lincolnshire. 3.5/5 + 4.3/5 = 7.8/10
- Parkdean Resorts Ruda Holiday Park, Devon. 3.5/5 + 4.3/5 = 7.8/10
- Parkdean Resorts Cayton Bay Holiday Park, Yorkshire. 3.5/5 + 4.3/5 = 7.8/10
- Parkdean Resorts Trecco Bay Holiday Park, Wales. 3.5/5 + 4.3/5 = 7.8/10
- Haven Kiln Park Holiday Park, South Wales. 3.5/5 + 4.3/5 = 7.8/10
- Parkdean Resorts Grannie’s Heilan’ Holiday Park, Scotland. 3.5/5 + 4.3/5 = 7.8/10
- Haven Haggerston Castle Holiday Park, Northumberland. 3.5/5 + 4.2/5 = 7.7/10
- Haven Lakeland Holiday Park, Lake District. 3.5/5 + 4.2/5 = 7.7/10
- Haven Presthaven Holiday Park, North Wales. 3.5/5 + 4.2/5 = 7.7/10
- Haven Cleethorpes Beach Holiday Park, Lincolnshire. 3.5/5 + 4.2/5 = 7.7/10 (previously called Haven Thorpe Park)
- Haven Combe Haven Holiday Park, Sussex. 3.5/5 + 4.2/5 = 7.7/10
- Haven Craig Tara Holiday Park, Scotland. 3.5/5 + 4.2/5 = 7.7/10
- Parkdean Resorts Looe Bay Holiday Park, Cornwall. 3.5/5 + 4.2/5 = 7.7/10
- Parkdean Resorts White Acres Holiday Park, Cornwall. 3.5/5 + 4.2/5 = 7.7/10
- Parkdean Resorts Challaborough Bay Holiday Park, Devon. 3.5/5 + 4.2/5 = 7.7/10
- Parkdean Resorts Heacham Beach Holiday Park, Norfolk. 3.5/5 + 4.2/5 = 7.7/10
- Parkdean Resorts Southerness Holiday Park, Scotland. 3.5/5 + 4.2/5 = 7.7/10
- Parkdean Resorts Tummel Valley Holiday Park, Scotland. 3.5/5 + 4.2/5 = 7.7/10
- Parkdean Resorts West Bay Holiday Park, Dorset. 3.5/5 + 4.1/5 = 7.6/10
- Parkdean Resorts Romney Sands Holiday Park, Kent. 3.5/5 + 4.1/5 = 7.6/10
- Parkdean Resorts Summerfields Holiday Park, Norfolk. 3.5/5 + 4.1/5 = 7.6/10
- Haven Blue Dolphin Holiday Park, Yorkshire. 3.5/5 + 4.1/5 = 7.6/10
- Parkdean Resorts Carmarthen Bay Holiday Park, Wales. 3.5/5 + 4.1/5 = 7.6/10
- Haven The Orchards Holiday Park, Essex. 3.5/5 + 4.1/5 = 7.6/10
- Parkdean Resorts Pendine Sands Holiday Park, Wales. 3.5/5 + 4.1/5 = 7.6/10
- Parkdean Resorts Manor Park Holiday Park, Norfolk. 3.5/5 + 4.1/5 = 7.6/10
- Haven Marton Mere Holiday Park, Blackpool, Lancashire. 3.5/5 + 4.1/5 = 7.6/10
- Parkdean Resorts Sundrum Castle Holiday Park, Scotland. 3.5/5 + 4.1/5 = 7.6/10
- Haven Allhallows Holiday Park, Kent. 3.5/5 + 4/5 = 7.5/10
- Parkdean Resorts Newquay Holiday Park, Cornwall. 3.5/5 + 4/5 = 7.5/10
- Parkdean Resorts Withernsea Sands Holiday Park, Yorkshire. 3.5/5 + 4/5 = 7.5/10
- Parkdean Resorts Bideford Bay Holiday Park, Devon. 3.5/5 + 4/5 = 7.5/10
- Parkdean Resorts Sandford Holiday Park, Dorset. 3.5/5 + 4/5 = 7.5/10
- Parkdean Resorts Ty Mawr Holiday Park, Wales. 3.5/5 + 4/5 = 7.5/10
- Parkdean Resorts Vauxhall Holiday Park, Norfolk. 3.5/5 + 4/5 = 7.5/10
- Parkdean Resorts Skipsea Sands Holiday Park, Yorkshire. 3.5/5 + 4/5 = 7.5/10
- Parkdean Resorts Coopers Beach Holiday Park, Essex. 3.5/5 + 4/5 = 7.5/10
- Parkdean Resorts Brynowen Holiday Park, Wales. 3.5/5 + 4/5 = 7.5/10
- Parkdean Resorts Naze Marine Holiday Park, Essex. 3.5/5 + 3.9/5 = 7.4/10
- Parkdean Resorts Valley Farm Holiday Park, Essex. 3.5/5 + 3.9/5 = 7.4/10
- Parkdean Resorts Camber Sands Holiday Park, Sussex. 3.5/5 + 3.9/5 = 7.4/10
- Parkdean Resorts Thorness Bay Holiday Park, Isle of Wight. 3.5/5 + 3.9/5 = 7.4/10
- Parkdean Resorts Torquay Holiday Park, Devon. 3.5/5 + 3.8/5 = 7.3/10
- Parkdean Resorts Sunnydale Holiday Park, Lincolnshire. 3.5/5 + 3.8/5 = 7.3/10
- Parkdean Resorts Highfield Grange Holiday Park, Essex. 3.5/5 + 3.8/5 = 7.3/10
- Parkdean Resorts Sandylands Holiday Park, Scotland. 3.5/5 + 3.7/5 = 7/10
- Parkdean Resorts Lizard Point Holiday Park, Cornwall. 3/5 + 3.8/5 = 6.8/10
This cascade of numbers take a little bit of time to get your head around. Parkdean Resorts make up four of the top five holiday parks, which is a big win for them. However, of the 27 holiday parks which score 8.4 or higher, 17 are Haven holiday parks and just 10 are Parkdean Resorts holiday parks. You would expect it to be the other way round, as they are lots more Parkdean Resorts holiday parks than there are Haven holiday parks. If we look at the lower half of the table, 18 of the 19 holiday parks which score 7.5/10 or lower are Parkdean Resorts. In terms of consistency of review scores, Haven is better. The range between the highest rated and lowest rated parks is less severe (1.6 for Haven versus 2.3 for Parkdean). Review scores checked July 2022.
Which is in the best location? Parkdean Resorts or Haven?
How do Haven and Parkdean Resorts compare on convenience for a holiday and for easy beach access? There are nearly twice as many Parkdean Resorts as Haven holiday parks.So, there is more chance of there being a Parkdean Resorts near to you than a Haven resort. It doesn't always work out that way though. From central London, the nearest Parkdean Resorts isCoopers Beach Holiday Parkwhich is two hours drive. The nearest Haven to London isHaven Kent Coast Holiday Park, which is less than 90 minutes in the car. It was previously called Allhallows. Both Parkdean Resorts and Haven have some holiday parks right by the beach and others that require you to get in the car.
Parkdean Resorts holiday parks with direct beach access
Parkdean Resorts' West Bay Holiday Park is one of their 19 resorts with direct beach access
About a third of Parkdean Resorts have direct beach access, including these holiday parks:
- Challaborough Bay Holiday Park and Ruda Holiday Park in Devon
- West Bay Holiday Park in Dorset
- California Cliffs, Heachem Beach and Kessingland Beach in Norfolk/Suffolk
- Coopers Beach in Essex
- Trecco Bay Holiday Park in Wales
- Nodes Point Holiday Park and Thorness Bay Holiday Park on the Isle of Wight
- Camber Sands Holiday Park and RomneySands Holiday Park in Sussex/Kent
- Sandy Bay Holiday Park in Northumberland andBarmston Beach Holiday Park and Withernsea Sands Holiday Park in Yorkshire
- Grannies Heilan' Hame Holiday Park, Southerness Holiday Park and Camarthen Bayin Scotland
Haven holiday parks with direct beach access
Haven Reighton Sands is one of (at least) 10 Haven resorts with direct beach access
Haven's website lists10 holiday parks with direct beach access, plus another three which are within walking distance. Again, that's about a third of the total number. If you want a Haven holiday park with direct beach access, go for:
- Caister on Sea Holiday Park and Seashore Holiday Park in Norfolk
- Devon Cliffs in Devon
- Lydstep Beach Holiday Park,Presthaven Holiday Park and Quay West Holiday Park in Wales
- Perran Sands Holiday Park and Riviere Sands Holiday Park in Cornwall
- Reighton Sands Holiday Park in Yorkshire
- Cleethorpes Beach Holiday Park in Lincolnshire (previously called Haven Thorpe Park)
The three Haven parks which are considered within walking distance to the beach are Seaview Holiday Park and Weymouth Bay Holiday Park in Dorset and Primrose Valley Holiday Park in Yorkshire.
However, there are other Haven holiday parks which are exceedingly close to beaches which aren't included in that guide. For example,Haven Greenacres Holiday Parkin Wales is only about 10 minutes from the beach (it depends a lot on which part of the site you are staying in).Rockley Park in Dorset is also pretty close to a small bit of beach andThornwick Bay Holiday Park in Yorkshireis pretty close to the coast.
Another factor to consider on location is that Haven doesn't have any holiday parks on theIsle of Wight, whilst Parkdean Resorts doesn't have anyholiday parks in Somerset. They are both popular spots.
Overall, I am giving this one to Haven as the proportion of their holiday parks near the beach is marginally better. However, it's borderline so I wouldn't say it's a dealbreaker.
Which has the biggest holiday parks? Haven or Parkdean?
Parkdean Resorts' Trecco Bay in Wales is sometimes called the biggest holiday park in Europe |
Haven's Devon Cliffs Holiday Park is a huge site with well over 1000 caravans as well as these lodges |
Again, this very much depends on which resort you visit. The biggest Parkdean Resorts holiday park is Trecco Bay in South Wales. Some reports call it the biggest holiday park in Europe. Trecco Bay has a whopping 2079 caravans at the time of writing. (I counted them on a map because there wasn't an authoritativenumber online. Yes, it took ages!). The biggest Haven resorts, as far as I can tell, areHaven Devon Cliffs(1277 caravans) andHaven Hafan y Morin Wales (1377 caravans).Haven Craig Tarais also very big. Those numbers might be slightly off as I counted them myself! However, Parkdean Resorts and Haven both have some very small caravan sites. Parkdean's Church Point Holiday Park in Northumberland has just 150 holiday homes and caravans.Haven's Seaview Holiday Park in Dorset has about 260 caravans and other holiday homes. In summary, both Haven and Parkdean have got a mix of very large and relatively small holiday parks - and plenty in between. Don't assume there is consistency but try and figure out the size of a resort before you book by looking at the range of facilities or looking at a map. I like to view holiday parks from above on Google Maps with the satellite mode turned on, but that's just me!
Does Haven or Parkdean Resorts have the best entertainment?
Will you choose entertainment from Parkdean's Starland Krew... |
...or will go for the entertainment from Haven's Seaside Squad? |
The scale and variety of entertainment at Haven and Parkdean depends on the size of the park. Some Parkdean Resorts holiday parks are described as 'headliners' because they have bigger scale entertainment. At the time of writing, there are about 20 of these parks (you can find the list on this page of the Parkdean website). Most Parkdean Resorts offer bingo which is linked up with other holiday parks. They also run things like talent shows, comedians, circus style acts and activities that you get stuck into yourself such as pilates, crafts and karaoke. For children, there are kids' clubs for different ages at Parkdean Resorts including pre-school groups, 5-10 year old clubs and teenage clubs. If this sort of thing is important to you then I would head for one of the bigger Parkdean Resorts. They also have people dressed up as animals and that sort of thing. The busiest entertainment programmes for Parkdean Resorts are usually found atTrecco Bay Holiday Park in South Wales, Sandford Holiday Park in Dorset, Camber Sands Holiday Park in Sussex or Cayton Bay Holiday Park in Yorkshire. Meanwhile, Haven runs a similar sort of entertainment programme which is run in-house. For children, there are things like tots singalongs, sports days and a 'Seaside Squad' which provide entertainment. Bigger Haven resorts such as Devon Cliffs and Haggerston Holiday Park in Northumberland put on special shows including circus acts. These things are run seasonally so do a bit of digging if that's a dealbreaker for you. For grown ups, Haven have quizzes, bingo and 'West End style productions'. Again, head for the bigger Haven resorts if this is a priority for you. It changes each year buthere's the latest Haven entertainment lineup.
Does Haven or Parkdean Resorts have the best facilities?
As you may have gathered by now, the range of facilities and activities varies massively at both Haven and Parkdean Resorts. Some resorts have almost zero facilities (e.g. Parkdean Resorts Church Point) whilst others have enough to keep you busy for a week.
I wouldn't say that you can definitively say that Haven or Parkdean has a bigger range of facilities and activities. However, let's take a look at the resorts which have the most onsite activities and then do a side by side comparison of Haven and Parkdean activities at a couple of the most popular caravan parks.
Parkdean Resorts with the most facilities
Parkdean Resorts' Warmwell Holiday Park in Dorset even has a ski slope!
There are 10 Parkdean Resorts which the company highlights as being locations which offer 'activities for full-on fun'. The 10 Parkdean Resorts with the most onsite activities are:
- Warmwell Holiday Parkin Dorset - 8.4/10
- Southview Holiday Parkin Lincolnshire - 8.2/10
- Trecco Bay Holiday Parkin South Wales - 7.8/10
- Cayton Bay Holiday Parkin Yorkshire 7.8/10
- Ty Mayr Holiday Parkin North West Wales - 7.5/10
- Naze Marine Holiday Parkin Essex - 7.4/10
- Camber Sands Holiday Parkin Sussex - 7.4/10
- Newquay Holiday Parkin Cornwall - 7.5/10
- Sandford Holiday Parkin Dorset - 7.5/10
- Lizard Point Holiday Parkin Cornwall - 6.8/10
(Ranked in order of customer reviews, correct as of July 2022)
If you pick one of these resorts you can expect activities such as high ropes, bungee trampolines, bike hire, a sports dome which has archery and other sports, virtual reality experiences, minigolf and arts and crafts. You will also find that the bigger swimming pools tend to be at the bigger resorts, although that's not a definite rule. You won't get all these activities at the 10 parks listed above, but it's good started.
Haven Resorts with the most facilities
Devon Cliffs is one of Haven's biggest and best equipped holiday parks
Haven doesn't provide a definitive list of which of its parks have the most facilities and activities. However, in my opinion, the six Haven holiday parks with the most things to do are:
- Hafan y Mor Holiday Parkin Wales - 8.4/10
- Devon Cliffs HolidayParkin Devon - 8.4/10
- Primrose Valley Holiday Parkin Yorkshire - 7.9/10
- Craig Tara Holiday Parkin Scotland - 7.7/10
- Haggerston Castle Holiday Parkin Northumberland - 7.7/10
- Cleethorpes Beach Holiday Park in Lincolnshire (previously called Haven Thorpe Park, which presumably led to people turning up expecting rollercoasters) - 7.7/10
(We've ranked them in order of average customer reviews)
Side by side comparisons of facilities are a bit tricky. We're going to compare the highest rated Parkdean Resorts holiday park on the list above (Warmwell Holiday Park in Dorset) with one of the highest rated and bigger Haven holiday parks (Hafan y Mor in Wales):
Facility/activity | Parkdean Resorts Warmwell Holiday Park | Haven Hafan y Mor Holiday Park |
Places to eat/takeaways | 4 food and drink outlets | 9 food and drink outlets |
Bowling | Mini 10 pin bowling | No |
Arcade | Yes | Yes |
High ropes course | Yes | Yes ('aerial adventures') |
Fishing | Yes | No |
Playground | Yes | Yes, 9 playgrounds |
Bungee trampolines | Yes and interactive trampolining | Yes |
Arts and crafts | Yes | Yes |
Mini off road cars | No | Yes |
Mini golf | Yes, Jurassic Crazy Golf | Yes |
Segways | No | Yes |
Evening entertainment | Yes | Yes, 2 venues |
Dog agility course | Yes, called 'woof parks' | Yes, called 'bark yards' |
Swimming pool | Indoor pool with flume and waves | Large indoor waterpark with multi lane slides and other features |
Ski slope | Yes | No |
Nature trails | Yes | Yes |
Soft play | Yes, with big slide | Yes |
Boating lake | No | Yes, with pedalos |
Climbing wall | Yes | Yes |
Pool tables | No | Yes |
Sports court | Yes, indoor sports dome | Yes, multi sports court |
Bike hire | Yes | Yes |
Roller rink | Yes | No |
Shop | Yes | Yes |
We've done our best to make the list above accurate but things change and go out of date (and we may have made the odd mistake). Please do your own digging if you are particularly keen to do one activity.
As you can see, Hafan y Mor and Warmwell both offer a lot of activities - but they don't have the same list. For example, Warmwell has a ski slope but Hafan y Mor has a boating lake and a more impressive swimming pool.
Which has the best swimming pools? Haven or Parkdean?
Another factor to consider is the swimming pools offered at different resorts. For some people, a good swimming pool is the main reason to stay at a holiday park rather than a self catering cottage. See our guide to the best swimming pools at holiday parksif that's a priority for you. Again, it's a question of each resort being different. Some Haven and Parkdean Resorts just have an outdoor pool or a basic indoor pool which is just a rectangle full of water. Some Parkdean Resorts don't have as swimming pool at all, although that's quite unusual. Other Parkdean and Haven holiday parks have an impressive waterpark with slides and other entertainment. Overall, I would say that the very best waterparks are at Haven holiday parks but it's not as simple as that. We've picked out some of the best swimming pools at Parkdean and Haven caravan parks:
Parkdean Resorts with the best swimming pools
At Parkdean Resorts, the resorts with the biggest and best swimming pools include these four:
- Splashland at Trecco Bay Holiday Parkin Wales has waterslides and other features
- Vauxhall Holiday Park in Norfolk has a tropical themed swimming pool
- Ruda Holiday Park in Devon has an indoor swimming pool with flumes
- Holywell Bay Holiday Park in Cornwall has an outdoor pool with a very long waterslide
One of Parkdean Resort's best swimming pools is at Vauxhall Holiday Park in Norfolk |
Parkdean's Holywell Holiday Park in Cornwall has a really long waterslide |
Haven holiday parks with the best swimming pools
The three Haven holiday parks with the best waterparks are:
- Splashaway Bay at Craig Tara in Scotland had a refurbishment in 2015. It has a three lane slide for racing as well as flumes and a lazy river.
- Splashaway Bay at Hafan y Môrin Wales had a £3m refurbishment in 2017. There's a four line slide for racing as well as swimming lanes.
- The Shore Waterpark at Seashore Holiday Parkin Norfolk opened in 2019 at a cost of £6.5m. It's got flumes, a tipping bucket and swimming lanes.
Haven Hafan y Mor has one of the best holiday park swimming pools in the country |
Craig Tara Holiday Park has had millions spent on its swimming pool |
Is Haven or Parkdean Resorts cheaper?
Haven's Thornwick Bay in Yorkshire was a cheap holiday park in our price comparison |
Parkdean Resorts' Sandy Bay Holiday Park in Northumberland is good value |
My hunch - before writing this guide - was that Parkdean Resorts is generally cheaper than Haven holiday parks. Of course, it depends on the grade of accommodation you choose and the dates you pick. To do a price comparison, we looked at the price of a week's holiday for a family of four in August 2024. We included 10 Haven resorts and 10 Parkdean Resorts. The parks we picked are those that appear in our Top 10 guides to Parkdean and Haven, which include a range of locations around the UK. This seemed like a fair comparison as Westcountry holidays tend to be more expensive than those in the north of England or Scotland.
Parkdean v Haven price comparison
Prices at 10 of the best Haven resorts for a week in August 2024
- Haven Thornwick Bay Holiday ParkinYorkshire - £658
- Haven Doniford Bay Holiday Park in Somerset - £710
- Haven Rockley ParkHoliday Park in Dorset - £758
- Haven Lakeland Leisure Park inThe Lake District, Cumbria - £773
- Haven Hopton Holiday Villagein Norfolk- £890
- Haven Seton Sands Holiday Park inScotland - £952
- Haven Hafan y MôrHoliday ParkinNorth Wales - £1068
- Haven Perran SandsinCornwall - £1083
- Haven Devon CliffsHoliday Park inDevon - £1228
- Haven Lydstep Beach Holiday ParkinSouth Wales - £1268
Average price: £938.80 Prices at 10 of the best Parkdean Resorts for a week in August 2024
- Parkdean ResortsTodber Valley Holiday Park in Yorkshire - £519
- Parkdean ResortsOcean Edge Holiday Park in Lancashire - £579
- Parkdean ResortsSkipsea Sands Holiday Park in Yorkshire - £699
- Parkdean ResortsEyemouth Holiday Park in Scotland - £699
- Parkdean Resorts Sandy Bay Holiday Parkin Northumberland - £719
- Parkdean ResortsSt Margaret’s Bay Holiday Park in Dover - £749
- Parkdean ResortsWeeley Bridge Holiday Park in Essex - £799
- Parkdean ResortsCalifornia Cliffs Holiday Park in Norfolk - £939
- Parkdean ResortsNodes Point on the Isle of Wight - £1049
- Parkdean ResortsWhite Cross Bay Holiday Park in the Lake District - £1059
Average price: £711 So, based on this limited price comparison, Parkdean Resorts is about £227 cheaper than Haven for a week's holiday in August. That works out as 25% cheaper. Of course, this is just one set of dates and was for the cheapest accommodation available. You might get different results for different dates or group sizes. Also note that Haven was actually cheaper for some locations including Norfolkand the Lake District. (Notes and caveats. This is the price for a Haven holiday which includes use of the swimming pool and other activities. You can just pay for a Haven Hideaway and save yourself about £100-£200 but it's not a fair comparison as Parkdean Resorts includes access to the swimming pool in all its holidays. You pay extra for a lot of activities. Price searches carried out in late 2023).
Which has the best accommodation? Parkdean Resorts or Haven?
Both Parkdean Resorts and Haven offer an impressive range of types of accommodation. It's easy to find it overwhelming! Let's split our comparison into caravans, lodges, glamping and camping/touring.
Caravans at Parkdean and Haven
Haven has a five level grading system for caravans. This one is bronze.
Most of the accommodation at both Haven and Parkdean is caravans which are somewhere between 10 and 14 foot wide. Most sleep 4-6 people. Haven has a clearer With Haven, there are five grades of caravan accommodation which goes Saver - Bronze - Silver - Gold - Signature.Read our blog about what the difference is. Some Parkdean Resorts have three grades of accommodation which goes Standard - Superior - Premium. However, this isn't adopted across all 66 Parkdean Resorts. You need to use a bit of detective work to figure out the differences between caravans (orread our blog about it). For example, it's possible to see which Parkdean Resorts caravans are new this year which is a really useful piece of information.
Lodges and hot tubs at Parkdean and Haven
Parkdean Resorts have hot tub accommodation at 15 sites - including this one in the Lake District
If you want to upgrade from a caravan then you can go for a lodge.Lodges can be twice as wide as the narrowest and cheapest caravans. However, you're more likely to find a lodge at Parkdean Resorts than Haven. By my count, only 11 Haven holiday parks have lodges whilst 57 Parkdean Resorts have lodges.
One big difference is that Parkdean Resorts has lodges withhot tubs at 15 of its holiday parks, whereas Haven just has a small number of hot tubs at one resort (Perran Sands in Cornwall). If you want a hot tub holiday with Parkdean Resorts then your choice includes:
- Fallbarrow Holiday Park and White Cross Bay Holiday Park in the Lake District.
- Ruda Holiday Park in Devon
- Sandford Holiday Park and Warmwell Holiday Park in Dorset
- Tummel Valley Holiday Park in Scotland
- Landguard Holiday Park, Lower Hyde Holiday Park, Nodes Point Holiday Park and Thorness Bay Holiday Park on the Isle of Wight
- Carmathen Bay Holiday Park in Wales
- Cayton Bay Holiday Park in Yorkshire
- Coopers Beach Holiday Park in Essex
- Southview Holiday Park in Lincolnshire
- Cherry Tree Holiday Park in Norfolk
You can see more details of each of the Parkdean Resorts holiday parks with hot tubs here.
Camping and glamping at Haven and Parkdean
Haven (pictured) has camping and touring at about two thirds of its holiday parks, whilst it is more like one third for Parkdean Resorts
Both Parkdean and Haven offer glamping, but only at some resorts. With Haven, you can choose from Yurts, Safari Tents, Geodomes and Supertents. Thetwo Haven resorts with glamping are Perran Sands Holiday Park in Cornwall and Seaview Holiday Park in Dorset. At one stage, Burnham on Sea had glamping but they aren't currently available. Parkdean Resorts currently has glamping at nine different holiday parks in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Norfolk and on the Isle of Wight. Touring is available at 18 different Haven resorts. Camping is available at 8 resorts. We've got a separate guide to camping and touring with Haven.Parkdean Resorts has 24 holiday parks with camping and touring. Whilst that's a similar number to Haven, it is a smaller proportion of the total number of parks.
Which is more dog friendly? Haven or Parkdean?
Haven and Parkdean Resorts both make a good effort to be dog friendly - but some parks are more dog friendly than others. Dogs are allowed at all of the Haven holiday parks, except forHaven Riviere Sands Holiday Park in Cornwall and at Burnham on Sea Holiday Park in Somerset. Of course, if you don't like dogs (or perhaps a family member has a fear of dogs) then these two are good choices. Haven also have five holiday parks with 'Bark Parks', which are dog agility courses. These are Golden Sands Holiday Park and Cleethorpes Beach Holiday Centre in Lincolnshire (previously called Haven Thorpe Park) as well as Hafan y Mor Holiday Parkin Wales, Caister on Sea Holiday Park in Norfolk and Kent Coast Holiday Park(previously called Allhallows). Meanwhile, Parkdean Resorts allows dogs at all its parks but it has dog agility parks (called 'Woof Parks') at seven resorts. You'll find Woof Parks atNewquay Holiday ParkandLizard Point Holiday Parkin Cornwall,Cayton Bay Holiday Parkin Yorkshire,Sandford Holiday ParkandWarmwell Holiday Parkin Dorset,Camber Sands Holiday Parkin Sussex andTy Mawr Holiday Parkin Wales. These are generally the bigger Parkdean Resorts holiday parks. Both parks have some restrictions around certain breeds of dog in their parks. Parkdean Resorts says in its terms and conditions that'Some breeds of dog, including those listed in the Dangerous Dog Act are not allowed'.Haven has a similar policy ('We don't accept dogs listed under the Dangerous Dogs Act which are: Pit Bull Terrier, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and Japanese Tosa')
Parkdean Resorts has these woof parks at several of its holiday parks
Other notable differences
Haven gives you the choice to get a cheaper holiday without any facilities or activities included. They call this aHaven Hideaway and it means that you get access to the restaurants but you can't use the swimming pool and you can't sign up for the paid-for activities. It is about £100-£200 for a week during peak season, or much less for a short break on a quieter time of year. If you just want accommodation then you might find Haven is cheaper than Parkdean Resorts, which includes entertainment and facilities for anyone who books directly with them.
Conclusions - should I go for Parkdean Resorts or Haven?
Overall, Haven scores better than Parkdean Resorts on customer reviews. But keep in mind that there are several Parkdean Resorts which score better than a lot of Haven parks. The overall range in reviews is bigger for Parkdean Resorts than for Haven. It may be relevant that Parkdean Resorts merged with Park Resorts a few years ago. When two big companies come together you can end up with quite a big range in what the sites are like in terms of size, facilities and quality. As a comparison, Center Parcs in the UK gets very consistent reviews across its sites as they were all built under the Center Parcs brand, whereas the range of review scores for Center Parcs in Europe is quite wide as some of them were Sunparks which were rebranded.
On price, Parkdean Resorts appears to be the winner. Overall, Parkdean Resorts is 25% cheaper than Haven in our price comparison but we found several examples where it was the other way round. We only looked at one set of dates so don't read too much into it. Haven also has an accommodation only (Haven Hideaway) that makes it a very similar price. On location, Haven and Parkdean Resorts are neck-and-neck in terms of the proportion of their holiday parks that are right by the beach. Parkdean wins on numbers, but not on percentages. On swimming pools, Haven has a few 'flagship' pools at Hafan y Mor, Seashore and Craig Tara that I would say are better than any swimming pools offered by Parkdean Resorts. Accommodation is an interesting comparison. Both companies have invested a lot in recent years. Parkdean Resorts has far more resorts with lodges and hot tubs for those who want to upgrade. However, I find Haven's caravan grading system much easier to understand. Parkdean has more glamping sites but the two companies are basically head to head on touring and camping.
Images are from Haven and Parkdean Resorts. Review scores, prices and facilities are correct at the time of writing - as far as we know! We did most of this research in July 2022 with price comparisons from November 2023.
