My complaint:
It was a farce from start to finish, and what we discovered on the morning of our departure was nothing short of absolutely vile and a health hazard.
Firstly, checking in was a joke. We arrived around 11.30 am on Friday 14th April 2023 and although we were aware we couldn’t check in until 4pm we went to inform reception of our arrival. A man named Lewis I believe gave us a green express check in card and explained that at 4 we could go to the showroom bar and collect our welcome pack and keys. It is important to note at this point that we were two families of 5 booked at the same time under 2 booking references but all under one name and post code.
We spent the afternoon in the boathouse and enjoying the parks with the children.
Come 4 we went to our designated check in point only to be told both bookings had been lost. No bookings under ward s21 1dx could be found. We therefore went to speak to Lewis in reception who, to be honest, didn’t seem to have a clue. It transpired that one of our bookings had gone into the yellow pile but he needed to go and sort it out. I then received a phone call from Lewis asking if I had checked in! Obviously not because our bookings had disappeared! Lewis then explained there was a third ward booking so I asked him to check the booking references which he said he was doing. Eventually after 20 minutes of running around our bookings were found…..but despite the fact we had booked on at the same time, our vans were not near each other, yes they were in the same area but at opposite ends!
The caravans were far from clean! Dusty, grimy, greasy kitchen, toilet and bathroom. Make up stained pillows and bedding, rubbish left from the previous occupiers, a food covered bin lid, dirty cups and cooking dishes. It was vile. But by far the worst discovery was made on the morning of our departure. One of our children had been complaining of sick smell but we couldn’t understand why. We made the horrendous and potentially hazardous discovery when checking under the beds for rogue clothing items. A DISH BOWL OF MOULDY VOMIT! The thought that this had been festering away under the bed during our entire stay made us all feel nauseous and may explain why an adult sleeping in that room got a tummy bug. There is a picture attached. This was removed and placed underneath the caravan. ABSOLUTELY VILE!!!!
We were booked on to several free kids activities, although the word free should be used very loosely. Two of the free activities are actually just a ploy to get kids into the arts and crafts den to then be charged upwards of £9.50 to do pottery painting or sand art. These should not be advertised as free if any charges apply! We were booked on to Blues Clues only to arrive and be told this activity wasn’t on and we should never have been able to book on to it! The final booking was the afternoon showdown which was advertised as an afternoon of entertainment e.g. wrestling, panto, family fortunes etc. However it turned out to be a Starland krew appearance which lasted no longer then 10 minutes!
It was a very disappointing experience with potential health hazard concerns. Although this was one of the better parkdean resorts we have been to, the on site eateries are extortionately priced, the facilities are basic at best and the cleanliness of the accommodation was by far the dirtiest place we’ve ever stayed.
It’s just not good enough and has made us rethink booking with parkdean in future.
Suggested solution:
A full refund - nothing else will suffice. I do not want money off a future holiday because quite frankly this has put me off booking with Parkdean ever again.
