‘Last of its kind’ holiday park less than an hour from Bristol officially named worst in UK

This holiday park was once part of a major chain that delighted families for decades, but now there’s only one left close to Bristol, and it’s an adults-only resort

A holiday park that was once part of a chain of 30 and is now the brand’s sole remaining site has been named the worst in the UK.

A Which? survey has named the best and worst holiday parks across the UK, and coming in dead last was Pontins, whose last site standing is in Weston-Super-Mare, under an hour from Bristol.

Coming in with a dismal 61% rating, Which? readers scored the brand two stars for customer service, accommodation quality, cleanliness, and food and drink. And despite being one of the cheapest options in the rankings, at an average of £38 per person per night, it still only managed two stars for value for money.

The low rankings are a far cry from Pontins’ heyday when it offered lively family breaks, including entertainment from its Bluecoats, with Shane Ritchie and Bobby Davro launching their careers as entertainers for the brand. Pontins was saved from collapse 15 years ago after being bought out by Britannia Hotels, a brand Which? has repeatedly named the UK’s worst hotel chain.

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Its only remaining site, Sandy Bay Holiday Village, is adults-only and seems to be working hard to distance itself from the Pontins brand, as the name isn’t mentioned on the website. It offers a heated indoor pool, games room, live shows, and daily activities.

The park has mixed reviews on Google and currently holds a 3.6 star score out of five. A recent review said: “The location is great, beach right in front of the resort, Weston only a 10 min open bus journey away”, going on to praise the accommodation for being clean and offering some upgraded rooms.

However, less glowing reviews say “the rooms were filthy. We didn’t even have matching curtains!” and “dirty, smelly, run down! They may have changed their name, but they haven’t changed their shame.”

Before the closures, Pontins often hit the headlines after fed-up customers found dirty accommodation and unsuitable facilities. One fed-up holidaymaker at Pontins Brean Sands in Somerset was so disgusted with her Pontins chalet that she set up a bed in the resort’s reception in protest before being escorted from the now-closed site. A family who visited the same site told Somerset Live that they’d left an hour after arriving in their accommodation due to mould and a “sickening smell”.

Other holidaymakers claimed their rooms were “freezing” and dubbed them “not fit for a dog” in a variety of complaints in 2022. Out of 22 reviews that were posted in early-2022, 16 of them rated the park as one-star.

On the other end of the rankings, Potters Resorts came in first place with its all-inclusive resorts in Norfolk and Essex, while Hoburne Holidays came in second. Hoburne has parks across the south and south west of the UK, including locations in the Cotswolds, Dorset, and Somerset.

Which? said: “This fifth-generation family business’s seven locations (in the south of England) are all ideally situated, from a clifftop in coastal Dorset to a woodland retreat in the New Forest.” It added: “There’s no tray jostling in sterile canteens either. Restaurants, like the lantern-adorned Pier House, with its sea-view terrace, source local, seasonal ingredients such as Brixham trout – earning the brand five stars for its food and drink. Activities make the most of each park’s unique surroundings, whether it’s guided bat walks or instructor-led kayaking on the wetlands of its Cotswolds site.”

The UK’s best and worst holiday parks

(Name of resort, overall customer score)

1. Potters Resorts – 83%
2. Hoburne Holidays – 81%
3. Darwin Escapes – 80%
4. Landal Parks – 80%
5. Waterside Holiday Group – 80%
6. Shorefield Holidays – 76%
7. Away Resorts – 75%
8. Bluestone Wales – 75%
9. Park Leisure UK – 75%
10. Highland Holidays – 74%
11. Lyons Holiday Parks – 74%
12. Largo Leisure – 73%
13. Park Holidays UK – 73%
14. Warner Coastal Villages – 73%
15. Forest Holidays – 72%
16. John Fowler Holidays – 72%
17. Center Parcs – 69%
18. Haven Holidays – 68%
19. Parkdean Resorts – 68%
20. Butlin’s – 63%
21. Pontins – 61%

*Based on a survey of 2,221 Which? Connect panel members and general public conducted in February and March 2026.