I Return To Pontins! - Worst Rated Holiday Park In Wales?

Welcome to Pontins, the notorious holiday park that has gained notoriety for all the wrong reasons. In this eye-opening video, we delve into the depths of one of the worst-rated holiday parks in the world, Pontins. Brace yourself for an unforgettable journey filled with surprising encounters, dilapidated facilities, and the tales of disappointed vacationers. COST - I paid 99 for 4 nights!
I Return after a year and see what's changed Let's find out!
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[@WalkWithMeTim]

BEST Rated Holiday Park In The UK? 👉kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4OYkH6aotakmJI

[@LKBRICKS1993]

The entertainment has improved it was 15 years ago the last time I was at pontins I went to Brean sands.

[@lennonhart219]

Yesss Tim more of these thank you

[@holliegrace5259]

I have went to that best rated one and it is lovely you get 4 meals a day all drinks and swimming golf any way more

[@stuartibbertson2009]

got to be butlins

[@stevejelly3161]

Hi Tim...... good video and knowledgeable. . It kinda feels that the "spirit has gone" these days ??? . I maybe wrong but i think that the "ethos" was :- . Just based on fun ... (so the apartments were cheap) . (this is crazy)....... But it was the guests made the fun in participating with the holiday staff.... (a bit like "Hi-De-Hi) . And the unwritten rule was that the guests cleaned the apartments ready for the next family ... ... Butlins and Pontins were very successful for decades after the war but then came "Jumbo Jet" holidays with guaranteed sunshine. ... ... THANKS FOR READING

[@juliefrost8079]

This looks like one of those tours around Chernobyl

[@timfuller7113]

Except I’d actually want to go to Chernobyl

[@martinmowbray4304]

Chernoble would be cleaner. 😂😂

[@tipples]

Lol

[@smalrast]

Only worse, are you sure it's not an open prison?

[@smalrast]

Are you payed to stay?

[@Remonyyork]

Utterly depressing. I feel sorry for anyone who books a holiday there. The place should have been bulldozed years ago.

[@noobtube838]

So your feeling sorry for me? I used to go to Pontins Pakefield in Suffolk every half-term, absolute horrible.

[@Michelle-wk4ek]

Need’s condemning

[@Michelle-wk4ek]

It’s a new game the kids/adults play is called pillow fighting ha

[@amazingcoolboy212]

@@Josh19998 Some people can't afford anywhere else. That being said there definitely are nicer low-cost holidays available for the similar, if a little bit more expensive, prices…. and if there aren't I think I'd rather stay at home.

[@bradley-xc7jl]

​@@dans.channel. yes they do. But there's better holiday for your money than here.

[@johnlindsay2415]

How they get away with selling family holidays like this is a disgrace, how it continues to operate is beyond me, surely no one would pay for this.

[@vickywilliams8320]

Its alright by local councils because it isnt permanent dwellings . The mould has been all over the place since the 60s

[@Ploop-pt3im]

@@vickywilliams8320 it’s not mould it’s “culture”

[@Cxrinae]

You'd be surprised. To some people on incredibly small, or no income, this is like a luxury holiday to Dubai, lol.

[@newforestpixie5297]

If you’ve recently been released from a modern prison you’d be challenged by this overwhelming disintegration , a sense of hopelessness , the general lack of comfort & maybe the poor choice of menu but at least here nobody notices if you’re not back by lights out .

[@CheshireCat6639]

💯agree

[@thewhitebackground]

This is sad. Imagine a family thinking that they’d have a nice holiday here. :(

[@yancyarrechea]

That’s bad

[@gregwilldoitllc]

Why anyone would pay to stay in what looks like a rundown council estate is madness. Me and my family went to Pontins breen sands a few years ago it was absolutely disgusting. We cleaned the room for over 2 hours before it was clean enough to get bags out of the car. Pontins needs to shut all their doors for good!!

[@davidbird7979]

We went to the same site 2 years ago? It was so disgusting inside and outside it was like a war zone, we booked for 5 days but only stayed 2 nights !! It was so noisy with northerner's pissed playing loud music all night long. And the whole site was Filthy. It would be Ideal for Housing Asylum Seekers it reminds me of the old army Barracks I was stationed in.

[@jezzat3778]

@@davidbird7979 Weird southern elitism and refugee slander bloody hell youre a walking stereotype

[@TheComputec]

@@davidbird7979 Pontins at Breen Sands was a former US army base in WW2

[@jamara3330]

@@davidbird7979 It would not be deemed good enough for asylum seekers but is ok for paying guests. It is now closed and housing edf workers.

[@chompchompnomnom4256]

£9.50 Sun Savers holiday lol it was cheap enough to just about make it value for money

[@emeraldgreen1973]

This reminds me of an urban exploration video of an abandoned holiday park.I'd say that would still be cleaner than this.😂

[@johnpekkala6941]

Indeed when I saw the place I immediatley got Proper People vibes of visiting a site falling apart from being abandoned for at least 10 years only this place is still running. At least some stuff got fixed up but sooo much more to do to get that place in proper condition includig replacing the around 60 year old appliances like that yucky stove and stained down lamps and also fixing the broken windows and worn down paint.

[@douglasrobinson3386]

I agree

[@Dekedence]

I think the Pontins video from last year was my first watch of this channel ... and I got the exact same vibe.

[@Luke-jx3mj]

Yep. It's like some post apocalyptic relic.

[@DarkStryder360]

The eerie silence, the left abandoned atmosphere, and the squawk of the seagull. Genuinely creepy!

[@32bitpins73]

I used to stay here quite often as a kid in the 90s. It was always a place to go for a cheaper family holiday, you knew it wasn't luxurious but some of my fondest childhood memories were formed at this holiday park. Such a shame to see how rundown it has become.

[@MDM1992]

Ahh yes the fond memories of a pontins holiday, never leave without at least one injury and a good old fashioned scrap 😂

[@ohthechitchat]

Honestly it looks like some kind of social housing for offenders.

[@BasedinReality1984]

Don’t give the government any ideas. Although funnily enough they would probably renovate the whole place if that happened. Those boaties do ike to complain

[@gybod9166]

@@BasedinReality1984 Muppet.

[@Tuck-Shop]

​@@BasedinReality1984 That's all they do do. Claim and complain.

[@5688gamble]

@@Tuck-Shop Wait until the UK declines further and you wish to leave desperately, then the natives will accuse you likewise!

[@Tuck-Shop]

@@5688gamble I am a native here. If we decline then the migrants will migrate elsewhere. They don't have loyalty to this country.

[@Remonyyork]

I’ve just priced that up for a 3 night stay in late July (just out of curiosity! 🤣) Basic apartment. £171. Even if Pontins paid ME £171, I would not step foot in that place. What a dump. Absolute shysters charging people to stay in that s***hole. It’s outrageous.

[@DonnyRP]

I thought you would get a 3 month stay for that price.

[@sinner9017]

And that's properly without the electric 😂😂😅

[@oldskool8441]

@@dee9917 Just to the right of the space-bar you will see a little dot, this is called a full stop. To the left, just after the emoji icon, you will see what we call a comma. 👍

[@scottking869]

​@@oldskool8441 and if you look straight ahead your see a prick

[@DonnyRP]

@@dee9917 7 nights in that hell hole!??? You must be crazy.

[@poppydrury1376]

how they accept a guest and can’t even clean the mark off the door is beyond me 🫣😂

[@hypahnova954]

being from north wales. whenever you’d hear someone going here on holiday, everyone would pray for them of a night

[@bcdave91]

In the 1970s as a kid, I always looked forward to summer holidays -- Butlins, Llandudno, Silloth, Whitley Bay, etc. Awesome places (at least in the 1970s) that I still remember. I feel sorry for people (especially the kids) saving up for a holiday and ending up in a dump like this.

[@patsanters2741]

@@verona8144 But again your most probs a snob and had an easy life ^ when you have had tough life its not hard on you them things . Although i am for cleanliness and can clean it yourself although know u should not need to when first walking into a room booked .

[@tonycasson5675]

Yep I'm from and live In Whitley bay loved growing up in my hometown summers were hot and packed with tourists.

[@bcdave91]

@@tonycasson5675 Great town you're from. I loved visiting Whitley Bay -- the caravans, the lighthouse, the beach, etc. It was our regular holiday spot when I lived in the Scottish borders near Kelso. Dad would pack us up into the Hillman Minx and we'd drive down to Whitley Bay for a day -- or if we were lucky, for a week in the caravan park. I'll have to get back and see it sometime.

[@IndiBrony]

@@tonycasson5675 Just down the road from you in South Shields! Whitley Bay still has a few things going for it and I love taking trips up there. Here in Shields if you're not on the sea front there's basically nothing. King Street is depressingly empty. Still, can't complain too much - Marine Park, the curry houses on Ocean Road, The Dunes and the fair still provide a way to unwind on a day off.

[@patsanters2741]

@@arianavallo Do Understand that also ^

[@nosmallo]

I worked as a temp cleaning at Pontins Camber Sands when I was a student. There were four of us assigned to a block (two to each floor) and we literally had a few minutes to do each room. We were told to wipe down the surfaces, empty the bins out and put a new bin bag in, give the bathroom an once over,clean any mirrors in the room and that was it. This was nearly twenty years ago, it looks as though not much has changed.

[@SirBelvedere]

Were the rooms ever deep cleaned ?

[@WalkWithMeTim]

Wow

[@peterwilliamskelhorn6675]

@@WalkWithMeTim my mum went there in the 70s and it was still the same then as now

[@peterwilliamskelhorn6675]

@@markfox1545 she told me how bad it was then and wouldn't be surprised that it hasn't changed. I did go on holiday in North Wales but to Talacre which is a lot cleaner

[@deanharding7730]

Was at camber sands pontins last year had to be moved room 3 different times and even the last was dirty and upstairs leaked everytime they had a shower plus steam coming frew there ceiling which ment water drops droppin onto the lightbulb hanging from the ceiling one of the worse places ever seen

[@officialsnufkin]

With video games such as Warzone fueling a rise in the popularity of gulags, Pontins are really missing a trick here by not renaming the park "The Soviet Prison Experience" and charging double.

[@teresabunce6741]

Alternatively, run it as a Hi De Hi experience. But where to find a Barry and Yvonne….or a Peggy Ollerenshaw??

[@alanarmitage]

They will be making more then double once the tax payer paying the bill once it’s full of asylum seekers

[@annabelbaker9805]

As someone who used to work in Pontins as a cleaner for the summer of when I left school, they gave us all a 5 minute tutorial on our first days and said go for it and left us all to it. We did have checkers going over our work but the majority we were left to it for the whole day which was a good 8 hours. Most of the facilities were old and we were given a list of rooms to do before we finish (average 8-10 per person) so had no time to actually give them a decent scrub 😅 it didn’t help that most of the customers left it a shithole and I think my worst room had sick in the sink covering all of the already dirty pans 👍😂

[@OmegaWolf-jk7te]

I don’t blame you for leaving that job.

[@Zoe-oj9bc]

Supplementary support crieterial even for 5 minutes would of been deemed satisfactory... Are you a homemaker? Didn't to you regardless of any preperqustion purposes think "Well I do have a mind of my own" It's best to lead with the left leg forward.... Take into consideration when you use derogatory phrases. Cleanliness is next to what?

[@1Thunderfire]

@@Zoe-oj9bc Guests should be leaving the rooms in a good and clean state. There's no excuse for leaving any room as an absolute craphole.

[@ellentheobald1376]

Did u chuck the pans away? lol

[@lizichell2]

It's hard to believe it's actually open. It looks truly abandoned

[@user-wl4uj7eb8s]

Absolutly disgusting , how on earth can they charge a penny for entry is beyond me 😢

[@johnmorris2858]

Then how can they begin to fix these issues without charging people money. Just fighting a losing battle like a lot of businesses nowadays 🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️

[@damagedheather]

Prestatyn is a beautiful and thriving historic town, and this hellhole is an absolute blight on its reputation. No idea if local authorities have any powers to intervene with the park but something desperately needs to be done.

[@johnmcdonald489]

The opening scenes I genuinely thought the place was abandoned and you were an urban explorer 😂

[@Alex-eo9rh]

It’s scary it’s so quiet and desolate that it almost looks like you broke into an abandoned building!

[@tmntleo]

This place isn't just disgusting, it's depressing too.

[@phoebs1316]

Remember when I went here as a child. Pool was shut the entire 5 days we were there. My mum didn't have a bed to sleep on cos they gave us a bed too small. Those of us who had beds, ended up sick after we got home cause they were so grim. Never again

[@MoodieCow]

What a nice surprise to see you pop up on my recommendations! Good to see you Tim, Esther x

[@DG-mi2mc]

You know you're in a classy accomodation when the TV is screwed down and has a tracker in it 😂

[@WalkWithMeTim]

Lol I know right

[@grahamalexander5800]

The tracker costs more than the TV

[@robthesamplist]

@@grahamalexander5800 Doesn't have a tracker its just to scare cash converter Colin off.

[@skywolfx76]

​@@WalkWithMeTim I'm surprised it wasn't one of those shitty "vintage" fat CRT bastard's you'd usually get haha

[@MrManBuzz]

​@@robthesamplist Yeah, I'd honestly be very surprised if there's a tracker in them. Not even like shitty TVs like that are worth much anymore to begin with.

[@liz4387]

You're a brave man staying here! I cant believe the place is still open. The only word I have for it is grim!

[@powerglory4022]

My wife booked us a surprise holiday here about ten years ago. The surprise became shock when we arrived. We lasted about forty minutes before we left and found a nearby hotel for one night returning home the next day. The place was disgusting, rundown with rubbish everywhere. The room was much like the one you reviewed only far dirtier, with mismatched furniture and office chairs in place of dining chairs. My wife and two daughters were in tears at the thought of staying there. How anyone would want to stay there is beyond me.

[@peterhagan8454]

in the day 70s as a kid with sister and mum n dad brilliant pace, quite nostalgic looking at its tired weathered look now

[@GlenFair]

Back in the 1960s this was a race track! And they had greyhound racing. They basically just paved over the track and built chalets either side. The camp opened in 1971 and hasn't changed much since.

[@annehubbard3337]

We used to go to the racetrack regularly with our horses in the 60's to the harness racing, it was brilliant. so many wonderful memories of our holidays down there.

[@amazingcoolboy212]

Pontins is the only holiday you go on where you excitedly count down the days until you go home.

[@quas392]

to be fairly honest this would be better served as emergency accomodation than a place you'd go to for fun....

[@debbiebarwick7693]

I also made the mistake of booking camber sands a few years back based on my teenage memories, i then read the reviews and had to book last minute somewhere else so as not to disappoint my grand daughter ! Absolutely horrified that these places are allowed to stay open and are not closed down by the local council on Health and Safety grounds at the very least !!!!

[@davidsmith4178]

I have read a lot of comments on facebook from people who have booked and have had their holidays cancelled by pontins, presumably because so few people have booked. Having worked there just over thirty years ago I was going to go there and get a day pass to see what it is like now. I think I'll just not bother cleaning my flat for three months, then stick my head down the toilet instead.

[@ianwilliams3872]

🤣🤣🤣

[@wentoneisendon6502]

🤮🤣

[@SurhamCheese]

Fred pontin would turn in his grave to see what has become of pontin's now 😢😢😢

[@tammymilda2169]

I feel like it would be impossible for the staff to maintain that place, especially given the kind of clientele they must get

[@Kris.G]

Surely that's why nobody bothers to fix those kids' areas. Utterly depressing.

[@cabbagenjam]

Tidy Weekender! Best weekends of my life happened here. I know you're out there!

[@adammidderigh4150]

How they cannot even have a member of staff hoover a room before check-in blows my mind.

[@jamesgravil9162]

Gotta make a profit somehow.

[@wildwine6400]

Pontins looks like a council estate. The accommodation look like council flats and the entertainment buildings just remind me of old labour clubs

[@wendykelly8551]

Yes it does....

[@ohthechitchat]

@@johng7304 people don’t generally choose a council estate for a holiday?

[@soundscape26]

It looks like a prison camp with flashy colours.

[@wendykelly8551]

@@johng7304 appears .... I'm not rich..... and live in council home.... your assumptions are way way off.. assumptions are not a good thing....

[@wendykelly8551]

@@johng7304 I wouldn't go there no because it's filthy and run down and broken. And some council estates do look like this that's a fact... not all but some... his comment was correct.. he said it looked like a council estate and it does look like some in big cities that's a fact..he never said anything bad about it just that it looks council....And it as stated does ..absolutely nothing would get me to spend money to stop here...

[@weebenny24]

Hi Tim, me and my uni mates went this week (Monday) for a laugh just to see what the place was like and if it was really that bad in person, we were booked in till this upcoming Friday. And we left today. Honestly the place is a utter shambles and how on earth it is still operating to paying costumers is an outrage

[@chrisw9643]

Tim is literally awesome 👍

[@MargaretUK]

I wouldn't stay there if they paid me £99 for 4 nights! It would make a great setting for a scary video game, just throw in a few zombies and you are good to go. You're a brave man Tim, not only going back to Pontins, but also telling us about your dirty fridge at home 😮 If my hubby did that he would be in so much trouble! 😀

[@Dekedence]

What surprised me most is that in a year that skatepark isn't fixed and untouched, yet this time around Tim peeked in and the actual ramps inside look like they're in great condition. It's such a waste.

[@salathon8227]

If you want to see pontins with a load of zombies thrown in, head there for a tidy weekender. There are hundreds of zombies roaming around by the Sunday 🤣🤣🤣

[@darkduane1]

I worked there for a couple of years and lived onsight for four months in that time. Staff accommodation was known as Beriut because they were terrible places to be, this was 15 years ago. It was a run down poor excuse of a holiday park back then and it's even worse now.

[@WalkWithMeTim]

Wow

[@xgtwb6473]

Beirut ahahaha hilarious

[@kanei8521]

The room is such a rollercoaster of emotions. The grotty living area then into a seemingly spotless bathroom. And then you look closer at the bath and come crashing right back to reality realising that is grotty as well.

[@donbunson5031]

I was there throughout the 80's 90's and 00's. The 80's were the best years with a lot of entertainment staff. They had a huge snooker hall and separate children's theatre upstairs. They had a TV channel with live Christmas morning content from remote camera teams going into peoples chalets. They had childminding services and would alert you to crying babies you had left back in the chalet, yes really. They had a huge board with 'baby crying in' on it and would post the chalet numbers up of chalets with kids crying. It has been going downhill year after year from the first year I went.

[@hoffwell]

The state of that apartment could be sorted in under an hour with a sponge/cloths, bottle of spray bleach and a hoover. Old fashioned looking isn't that bad, considering the price but crumbs and stains are unforgivable and easily and quickly sorted. Can't believe that huge place is ever full, considering the reviews online. Even if they just focused on keeping half tidy they might get repeat business and be able to raise prices.

[@shirleymcalister6719]

I agree. It just needs a good scrub. Itching to get my marigolds on just looking at it! Nothing wrong with "old-fashioned" a lot wrong with "not clean."

[@littleblackpistol]

It's been used for a long whole by events organisers for rock and metal festivals among other things. Hard Rock Hell is one that used to use it and sell the rooms as part of a ticket package. So you'd get hundreds of people staying there looking to spend the weekend totally wrecked on alcohol there several times a year. And even some of them would complain about the filth and the fact the rooms are apparently very cold.

[@maskedavenger2578]

That place is asking to be taken over by someone like Haven & flattened & re landscaped & filled with static caravans & lodges . The place should of been bulldozed after ,they finished filming “ Holiday on the buses “ back 50 years ago . Looks like it’s being allowed to run down ,with as little money spent as possible ,going through the motions . The only reason it did better back in the 1960 ‘s is because back then the only competition it had locally was a a rough dive of a campsite called the Robin Hood camp ,it might even still exist . The Butlins camp near Pwllheli N / Wales was a bigger & much better camp ,in a better location now a Haven Holiday park

[@stir47]

I'm kind of a nostalgic old guy. I'd stay at a place like this, wander around, poke into the nooks and crannies to get an idea of how things once were. This time of the year would be ideal for me, not good weather, but also not a lot of guests.

[@pheart2381]

You might need a hard hat!

[@stir47]

@@pheart2381 I'll make sure I pack mine if I go.

[@vikinginspace4881]

You might need a hazmat suit!

[@stir47]

@@vikinginspace4881 Perhaps I could rent one if needed when I got there. It does seem much cleaner than my own house.

[@A-small-amount-of-peas]

In the early 90's my Dad's new job was so well paid that we were booking a family holiday to Florida, unfortunately disaster struck and he was made redundant a few months before we were due to go so while he found a new job my folks collected vouchers in a newspaper for a cheap Pontins holiday even though they didn't need to as we could have easily gone without a holiday but we had fond memories of Pontins Brean Sands as infants. They quickly became a distant memory when we arrived at Prestatyn Room was not ready when we arrived, no apology, waited 2 hours, finally got a chalet, no electricity, told we would have to buy a token which costs more money and not mentioned in the brochure while my Dad sorted that my mother discovered the room had not been cleaned or the bedding changed as well as a hole in the wall in the bathroom. This was the early 90's and reading reviews today it's incredible to see complaints similar to mine. I'd like to say it's Pontins management but I've had great experiences at other sites growing up but Prestatyn is being run by the most incompetent managers ever. The ONLY saving grace for my Dad was he only gave me and my sister money on the first day and I figured out one of those 10p tipping machines in the arcade had an alarm that went off when you bashed the glass, if you bashed the wooden frame with your fists the 10p's would fall into the trays and the alarm would stay quiet. Me and my sis made about £30 over the weekend doing this while my dad wondered why neither of us were pestering him for money

[@connortheandroidsentbycybe7740]

£30 for 2 kids in the early 90s? Yous were basically millionaires!

[@stevewelsh8560]

twice in the 70's we went to Pontins, we loved it, but I suppose that was at the height of original holiday villages, they were bustling with people, facilities were plentiful, and amenities were spot on, I was a child that was easily pleased but even so, they seemed like paradise to me, shocking to see them in the state they are today, sad to see.

[@keithmartin1328]

Looks like it hasn't been updated since the 70s, caught in a time warp😊.

[@Starkalicious07]

Stayed here about a dozen years ago for a music festival. Spent the whole weekend blasted, so slumming it wasn't an issue, but it was clearly a dreary place. My favourite feature of the chalet was the big red switch on the wall which allowed you to have either the cooker on, or the shower on, but not both at the same time.

[@littleblackpistol]

Hard Rock Hell? My nephew went to one back in 2009 or so .. said he was so glad he had a hotel outside the camp as it looked dire back then,

[@urbanculturedispatj]

Only time I've seen these Pontins busy is when we had massive raves there. Pontins Camber sands was taken over by ravers a few time a year, feel sorry for anyone having to clean up after that 🤣

[@Urbanplann]

Good to do these videos to actually hold the company accountable! The state of the site still though is shocking!

[@frankwilson3265]

@andrew jenkins All they need now is Olive and Blakey wondering around as zombies, moaning "' 'Ere Arfur" and "I'll get you Butler" in anguished pathos, and the effect would be complete.

[@hazederyanotha2404]

My parents took me here a few times as a kid, this would have been between 2005-2010. I never really realised how Ropey it was as a kid and have no doubt that it’s went down hill further in the last 15 years but seeing it now just reminds me of a big council estate with all the flats and rubbish.

[@kirkyx3170]

Oh good lord, I’ve actually booked this place and our holiday is supposed to be end of May here… I’m now hunting for another hotel or place to go!! I’m so glad I’ve seen this video before I actually hyped the kids up for a holiday and ending up hunting for somewhere else on our first day of the holiday! I can’t even imagine letting my kids step foot in the apartment it looks so run down and dirty!!

[@Soarific]

Surely you have half a brain and look at photos and reviews before booking a place? 2 stars out of over 5000 reviews on trip advisor should be the giveaway.

[@Fatroose]

Be better off booking a caravan instead of Pontins. Robin Hood camp just down the road

[@hypahnova954]

why would u ever book here😭😭

[@pgmasterson1163]

@@Fatroose Agreed, had a lovely time at The Beach Caravan Park at Llandulas which is not too far away from this place, part of Thornley Leisure Parks.

[@AngieG64]

I would lie and get your money back. 😅 Angie

[@cphilips502]

Out of everything, I'm most surprised that none of the facilities were open at all. It may be early in the season, but it is past Easter and officially the 'season', but these things didn't look anywhere close to being ready to open. So, not surprised by the mess and rubbish strewn everywhere, it was probably the result of guests making their own entertainment out of sheer boredom 😁.

[@WalkWithMeTim]

Could be right

[@ghamandlupin]

Not surprised? Nah. If it's open for any amount of visitors at all the place should be spotless.

[@Dekedence]

It's this aspect of Tim's videos that always gets me. As a kid, I've done these kind of budget holidays ... and without the rose-tinted glasses, I look back knowing they weren't The Ritz but they definitely weren't as grim as this. It looks like an abandoned living museum of holiday's past. I don't think a single one of Tim's visits has had those water-shooter games open, yet there they are ... busted up, algae-water and coin-slots taped up.

[@JimBobSr]

When I went there, about 14 maybe 15 years ago, it really wasn't half as bad as it was there. It was nothing like that. Kids were out playing, it was clean, and we had nothing to complain about, hygiene wise. The night activities were lively, and it was very fun. My neighbours were nice for the week, and there was a lot to do.

[@kamilianos]

I spent 1 night there, completely unaware what it was going to be like …. We stayed for 5 nights just opposite the road in a nice apartment but we had to move out somewhere else for 1 night. This was convenient but it was shocking, as described.

[@Trektrendy]

How upsetting to see such a decline, and poorly looked after site. Thanks for sharing mate, can’t say I’ll be rushing there on my next UK holidays 😅

[@ThesecitydaysUkblog]

Too much slumming it for the luxury KZbin channel. 😅

[@arserobinson7118]

I'm Welsh. My relatives went there back in 2008, said the rooms were very basic and a bit shabby, other than that they said it was good there. It looks like it's gotten way worse because of Britannia's neglect.

[@pheart2381]

It might help if someone took a binbag and cleared up the discarded clothing and etc.

[@Electrowave]

@@pheart2381 Or a bulldozer

[@salnaturile8653]

The owners (Britannia) are known to plough almost nothing back into maintaining their properties, in fact it seems to be their business model. I guess all it would take is one serious accident or even fatality due to neglect and the place would be closed down by HSE , but until then it limps on like a patient on life support.

[@thewhitedoncheadle8345]

what does you being welsh have to do with anything 🤦‍♂️

[@SciFiFemale]

@@thewhitedoncheadle8345 Because it is in Wales, maybe!

[@Swinhoe749]

Went here about 20 years ago, sad to see it’s gone downhill as it was a great holiday for kids! 😔

[@Morhan_Jehnez]

My mum hissed and groaned at all the dirty kitchenware and stray hairs in the bedding and bathroom lol. Great video as always, Tim!

[@bunkaiking]

Before brittania bought pontins, it was no were near like it is now. Families used to visit a particular park many times a year because of the characters of th staff who worked there. Staff, management, and owners who cared. Never had much money to spend on the parks, but they had character. Its a shame. I worked for 15yrs at one as a manager and i am thankful for the experience and people I got to meet and work with.

[@dominicedwards-wilds4333]

@@sammydingdong4540 I believe Brittania bought out Pontins after they went into administration. I could be wrong though

[@DRT1089]

Ah Britannia group, that explains it all. They can't get the basics right. They don't care, none of their hotels are clean either. Sad because I remember pontins in the 90s it had a much better reputation then.

[@TheEyez187]

In the good old Hi-Di-Hi days!! The show and the parks probably sharing some of the comedians!! :D

[@TheComputec]

You are not wrong about Britannia. Every hotel or facility they buy is basically left to go to ruins. Staff morale must be terrible. I've stayed in two of their hotels (Yorkshire and Fylde) and had I known in advance they were Britannia owned I would have cancelled before checking in I'm not sure what their plan is but they seem to focus on places that are already past their prime, but then they don't seem to re-develop any of them...

[@douglasrobinson3386]

Hi Tim, you mentioned Holiday on the Buses, that was probably the last time this place looked clean, I am sorry but anybody that books there for a holiday must be barking mad I don't care how cheap it might be

[@streamlinebot6583]

I don’t usually comment, but this is worth a mention: I watched your ‘worst pontins in wales’ video, and I liked your channel. I then watched one of your other videos - ‘should you stay at a haven holiday park?”. This put the idea in my head to book our first ever week at Haven Riviere Sands in Cornwall. We had a lovely time on our first Haven holiday, and we will certainly think of doing it again next year! Many thanks for your engaging channel, and please keep up with the great content 👍 ++

[@WalkWithMeTim]

thanks , sorry for delay

[@MrPinkYeetPatrol]

What a miserable place, Makes me sad thinking about all the people booking a holiday there and getting all excited just to get there to that. Especially the kids, Every year when I was a kid me and my family would go to a much MUCH better condition Haven holiday park and we always loved it. So many of my best memories were made there. Don’t think the kids would remember this dump. Also love your vids man, Would love to see some more footage of the arcades if you get the chance, Would be neat to see the differences from Place to place. The arcades are always my favourite parts of going these places. Just back from a holiday park today which was pretty lackluster in the arcade department😐

[@darth6466]

Looks more like an urban exploration of a recently abandoned site than a current operational hoilday park

[@prykey8674]

Good video as always Tim! Such a shame these places get so run down. Was good to see your comparisons from a year ago!

[@jadedarlington7899]

It’s so sad to see this. I came to this exact Pontins every year when I was a child, and it was never like this. I’m shocked at how much this has deteriorated. It’s important to note we stayed in the club apartments, which are very different to the one you have stayed in - they’re chalets with sliding doors and much nicer inside (from memory, anyway). Sad to see a place I loved as a child so poorly looked after!

[@garyshethers9834]

Pontins Prestatyn closed yesterday,but maybe a bright future for Pontins is happening: R.I.P Pontins Prestatyn 1971 to 2023.

[@philanthropist1241]

They treat the public with complete contempt. The fact that people still visit there amazes me. I can see a retail park replacing the "resort" in the very near future

[@beardedveteran7234]

There's already a retail park in the town centre about 400 metres from the camp site.

[@jamesgravil9162]

"I can see a retail park replacing the "resort" in the very near future" Why? Brick-and-mortar retail is dying. Everything is online these days.

[@CharlotteH_]

when i was younger, going to pontins was the highlight of my summers. i’ve got so many happy memories with my grandparents at these kinds of places. it’s a shame.

[@michaelcrook9596]

Had a family holiday there as a child in 1977 it was great back then, shocking it's become this

[@penguinnips]

Great video. Nothing on earth could get me into a place like Pontins. Also for how dirty and old everything is. It genuinely worries me just how bad that sink must have been for then to change it 🤢

[@aaabbb356]

Honestly....I'm ashamed to admit, these worst rated videos are my guilty pleasure Tim 🤣🤣 Please keep the filth coming haha

[@jonathanw844]

😮😂

[@christinagreaves7932]

Me too😊

[@CodingAbroad]

You’re like a bodyguard Tim, you took the bullet for us!

[@WalkWithMeTim]

lol

[@Trimethopimp]

Cool to see the old fire hose water game, those things were great

[@marccarter1350]

I thought these things were a thing in the 1950's. I am shocked to see these places still in use lol!

[@rosie-cotton4262]

Loved this, thanks for going back to check for improvements. We're big fans of the grimy videos 😅 and always appreciate warnings of where's best to avoid 👍

[@scottnichols3685]

Great video, as always, Tim! FYI…I purchased “On the Buses” after watching your video on Pontins last year. Very entertaining. I’m a huge fan of British comedy of all types. I am from the US but lived in London (49-50 Leinster Gardens, just north of Kensington Park) for a time, but never knew about these holiday parks. Hard to believe people still go there. The US had holiday parks long before my time but my parents told me about them. They were largely in upstate NY, and were ethnically-linked, ie. there were holiday resorts specifically catering to Greeks or catering to Jews or catering to Italians. Not the same as in the UK but definitely from the era before air travel was accessible to all.

[@cafsixtieslover]

Is that like the one in Dirty Dancing?

[@basylpeterjones]

Air travel has nothing to do with this, in the UK. Package holidays to Spain did not affect British resorts' holiday industry.

[@scottnichols3685]

@@cafsixtieslover Yup. 🎯

[@LumiSisuSusi]

I worked in a Jewish holiday camp in Upstate New York. I still exists and is Called Camp Kinder Ring (child side), Circle Lodge (adults side). It was quite lovely, though some of the boys cabins liked to use their ensuite showers as urinals....

[@vah1761]

I stayed here a few years ago. We joked it was like a prison camp 😂😂😂

[@LeeStewart]

I stayed at Pontins in Brixham in 1993 and it was very clean and well maintained. Now it's abandoned. A place where I had such great memories is now rubble.

[@BrianS5588]

A stain on top of the light, lipstick on the bottom of the cup and a random sock on the lawn - sounds like a short story competition or a party you are sad you missed! On one level it is depressing, yet on another level it has the allure of the ghosts of holidays past. I love the Pontins sign though, I took photos of the sign at Prestatyn in 2005. Going to get it out now!

[@nightie69]

Worked at Pontins Sand Bay in 1988 an adult only camp. The site, venues and accommodation were in a better state and in all honesty so were the guests. Admittedly as it had an older clientele we did have quite a few take their last holidays with us, as a death or two was quite common throughout the season. That year I also worked at Butlins in Minehead a totally different type of guest who would cause damage and drunken behaviour so it was a bit more lively. I still remember holidays in which there was a sign that would indicate if a child was crying in their accommodation (the staff called them sheds) as in those days Parents would leave younger children alone, hopefully asleep by themselves. 😮 a different time 😂

[@patsanters2741]

Was this the carry on films back in the day 🤣

[@TheEyez187]

Carry on Hi De Hi'ing!!

[@jeanettehodges5158]

We used to go pontins holidays as a family when I was young. Had great times and great memories

[@TheEyez187]

@@jeanettehodges5158 Likewise, all fond memories......... except for one nightmare that endures to this day, some 30-odd yrs later. It was at Pontins where i first played Ghouls and Ghosts in the arcade. As an 8yo I'm not surprised I didn't very well, but across consoles and pc sims and infinite continues I cannot beat that damned game, 48% of the way through at best, and I'm tbf an accomplished gamer. The game is so tough that when 12yo playing it on Sega it cheated me, I snatched the cartridge out and threw it at the wall (out of character anger) for it to rebound, break through my window and fall three floors on to concrete!!! .... and it still bloody worked afterwards; continuing to torment me. In fact if I die tomorrow, I'll likely become a ghost, unable to rest because of this unfinished business!! >XD Sorry for the rant [trauma]; mostly happy memories!

[@paulb4uk]

Reminds me of the time as kids we went the butlins in barry island i got hit on the head by the contact falling off the pole of the bumper cars ,the little pedal boat things were full of water so you got wet when you sat in them and it was very run down ,it was after a storm had damaged the place and the lift broke down twice on us .we did get to see the film batterys not included on vhs .

[@Nobodyspecial849]

I went once with my kids and was mortified to find such a dump. The only holiday where I quit early and couldn't wait to get home. The tvs were chained when I went. Grim

[@cotch.]

This brings back a lot of memories, we used to goto music festivals there a couple of times a year and it was never that great back then. Shocked it's still going, everything about the place, and the city was just depressing, even the sea water was grey. It doesnt look like its changed much at all.

[@kellyharvey9259]

Hi Tim, love the videos . Could you on a next video ask about or look at disabled access. As a person with limited mobility going to stay elsewhere can be daunting & difficult so any help would be appreciated. Stuff like lifts, ramps, accessible rooms, chairs to sit at in hallways & entries etc.

[@kylemoore1865]

As a Canadian this is wild. Like the fact nothing is ever open is your first problem. It's like a Cleveland themed amusement park

[@WCGUK2024]

Gotta love how the bathroom was cleaner than the kitchen.

[@noobtube838]

I’ve been to Pontins Pakefield a LOT of times in the past before 2018. The apartments, horrible but the entertainment improved on it. In October of 2018, they made the park for adults only (that must explain the destroyed crazy golf and activities) so we moved to Kessingland Beach and we’ve been going from there onwards. Feel very bad for you, you really deserve a reward!

[@peter7582]

I imagine these places were from a time when cheap bundle holiday deals in Europe didn't yet exist. The question is how are they still operating today?

[@NonsensicalSpudz]

yeah just not popular anymore in the UK and the cost is to much

[@AndragonLea]

Poorly, obviously. To be fair, 99 bucks for 4 days is a steal even during the off-season, but not if it looks like that. If that's all they charge, they're better off having the rooms sit empty because as it is people show up, get disgusted, leave a bad review and the cleaning likely eats up most of the revenue.

[@SusanTurner-yo9lf]

That is really grim. Absolutely filthy, don't know why the owners think people would pay to stay there. You did well to stay there.

[@orangsquid1174]

I love how the camera is making a clicking sound when you’re walking that sounds slightly like a Geiger counter 😂

[@cyberleaderandy1]

We went there twice in the 70s (not long after Holiday on the buses was filmed) and it was great. We also went to the long gone Tower Beach camp that was also at Prestatyn and also Pontins. Its really sad they've let it go so downhill 😟

[@petrolhead88uk71]

Some years ago I had to do some installation work here with the company I was working for at the time, the plus side is that we got to stay on site for free for the days we were working and the views and surroundings were lovely. The downsides were everything else. This was about 3 or 4 years ago but some of the accomodation buildings were absolutely dilapidated, absolutely disgusting conditions in some of the blocks. Me and my work mate couldnt believe what we were seeing most of the time, although there were a few half decent buildings but that was not the norm. A shame really as its a lovely part of the world to be in.

[@MurphMansProject]

If anyone was looking for a nice stay in Prestatyn, Havens Presthaven is very good and good prices also..only 5 minutes away from Pontins. Very clean and lots for families to do, had a great trip there last year

[@flapsmahoney2471]

Looked pretty good in holiday on the busses film. 😄

[@Tpavra]

The fact people willingly go on family holidays here makes me lose faith in this country and the population 😐

[@tomchloe3208]

I would take a guess its the price that attracts them, not the amenities. Not everyone can afford to go to some of the nicer spots. Admittedly i wouldn’t go here and think its gross

[@jasongargiulo3984]

Not all as rich as you mate. Can’t poor people have holidays?

[@Tpavra]

@@jasongargiulo3984 I'm not rich but you can go to many nicer places for the same money. But if you want to have your holiday in a place like this then that's your call?

[@mallatratt36]

usually dole dossers go to places like this

[@harrypowell1692]

@@jasongargiulo3984 you can literally pay the same price for something nicer. It’s literally only still there for lazy people that can’t be bothered going somewhere else

[@chrismetcalfe7358]

Always appreciate a regular reminder to never go to Pontins. Thanks Tim 👍

[@lindseywerner3646]

Helpful hint tip for everyone: if you are going anywhere places like that or etc. it's good to make sure bring a croc pot with you comes in handy if you don't trust the appliances.

[@justinhatfield9107]

Was at one a fee years ago and no joke was in a queue of 5 people all wanting to leave early because how bad it was.