South Bay Holiday Camp Review

The staff are friendly enough.
The onsite facilities are a little basic in my opinion.
The outdoor and indoor pools are much smaller than I thought.
The water slide is a little underwhelming.
I originally thought I would be able to make use of the other facilities.
But they are again quite basic and do not interest me.

Caravan was more than we expected for the price we paid. Comfy cosy. Staff are a giggle a minute. Will defo come again

Lovely walks .very comfortable beds excellent accommodation.the strippes at this site are brilliant and make it friendly.need a better shop

Great place to bring the family, friendly staff, little bit out of town, shops and take away are close by with Brixham about a mile downhill.

Great location lots of places to walk and great views

Been going here since I was 7 and i'm now 24 and I love it going in October and taking all the kids's and the family....The caravan's are always lovely and clean and the staff are more than helpful if ever you have a problem....I'v had 17 year's of great holiday's with John Fowler and there's plenty more to come with the kid's :)

We had a lovely week in a gold chalet, which had everything you wanted. Staff very friendly and helpful especially the receptionist when we booked in( sorry I didn't get a name). It's a great quiet ( not school holidays) site,very clean and well kept

Visit without a phone with apps and life on site is a misery. No cash or cards accepted at the bar or restaurant so you have to go into town for a drink or food. In September 20 bookings two weeks in advance were required at most restaurants in town so it is a full blown SELF catering break with no contact with others to socialise during the pandemic.

Give four as their is no sea where you can take your dog's you've got to drive out to get to places

We have just returned from a 5 day stay at South Bay Holiday Park, staying in 6a Ashmore (dog friendly), Things didnt look good when we first saw our caravan , ie, net curtains full of holes and dirty, the outside was covered in green grime.We normally have a dog friendly caravan with no problem in the past, but has soon has we opened the door the smell of dog and damp hit us. The inside was disgusting , lounge carpet stained badly so was the seating area. Toilet and bathroom were freezing and having no radiator did not help and the holes left from fixings had been filled in with tissue. Mold was visible on the ceiling and carpet in the main bedroom and smelt of damp. The bed was so unstable we were frightened to move once in bed. The cooker needs to be codemned , its so old with paint flaking off and rust, with just one tray for both oven and grill. The oven knob keeps turning so bad that we thought we had turned it off but on returning we noticed oven was on yet the knob was in the off postion, but worse was yet to come. When stripping the bed upon leaving whilst taking the quilt cover off we noticed the quilt was badly stained with blood DISGUSTING. The site itself was perfectly positioned and clean and kept to an high standard, as this was our first holiday after a very stressful year including my partner having an heart attack in February and his mom passing in April. The holiday was suppose to cheer us up and it was horrendous.

Good central location beach is not very accessible for small kids or elderly people foot path quite steep in places then about 40 or so steps to beach . pool is ok for kids to play in its not very big
The Club Gets full very quick so get in early to get a seat
Overall it a good site to use as a base to explore the area

As always it's amazing great friendly staff five star all the way

After booking a caravan for a weekend away, we arrived to find we had a chalet.. besides unclean bathroom, old ripped carpets and the smell of damp everything else wasnt too bad, short walk to a concealed beach, heated pool and evening entertainment! Make sure you bring cash as they are not in the same century and dont accept card! There is a cash machine which charges to withdraw your own money tho.. short journey to local towns but quite a ling journey just to get cash out. There is a on site shop which i did not visit, its a Mace store so i assume they accept card but cashback unlikely, lots of fun for the family otherwise and paignton zoo nearby which was fantastic.

Wonderful setting, really clean and very peaceful. Highly recommended!

Absolutely peaceful well maintained. Picturesque surroundings

Really lovely site supererb for children and dogs beautiful setting

Comfortable chalets, friendly helpful staff. Good food, but not enough seating in bar/restaurant/entertainment area; the WiFi is virtually unusable and on desperate need of an upgrade.

The location itself was lovely and so was brixham although it was hard to find a beach so we had to drive further. The caravan wasn't too bad apart from the odd water patch on the floor. The food was great but the entertainment was poor but it had it's good bit. The arcade needs to be bigger and they do seem to play so much bingo so that made other entertainment not as good. But the harbour and brixham is lovely.

Great accommodation, a little lacklustre in regards to entertainment on site, but plenty to do in the surrounding areas.

Great place for a holiday or to buy a caravan. Love it

Clean accommodation, friendly staff. Evening entertainment for all. Average prices in the Chef's Corner. Arcade tiny.

Lovely place bit out of town but nice walk less than 20mins

Would give it 5 if they updated the play area or maybe put in a in door one

We enjoyed a fabulous week in June in stunning Brixham... plenty do see and do in the area, the pebble beach (breakwater) and fish and chip boat cruise among the highlights. We would definitely recommend this site great proximity to the town and harbour and a fab little site, we were lucky with weather and had a great time exploring the coastal paths and chilling out in the pool.
The set up on the site is perfect for us just enough, not too much. Friendly staff everywhere from the little onsite shop with fresh baked croissants every morning to the little food bar where the kids enjoyed good holiday food, pizza, nuggets etc.
The entertainment staff were Fab!! They really won us over during our stay. We left very happy after a lovely, lovely week. Thank you to everyone at the site, we will remember Brixham very fondly.

Not a good start given keys to the caravan some one in caravan

Spent a long weekend here in one of the Chalets. Nice and clean. Lovely and quiet at night when trying to get to sleep.
Slap bang in the middle of some lovely views and walking routes.

Lovely caravan park, great indoor & outdoor pool with water slide, great outdoor play park.
Great kid's club in the day & evening.
Would recommend, we will return.

Really good caravans. Loved the park and the pool.I Would go there again. Its also close to Paignton zoo so you could go there like I did. The image is a 1p coin press you pay one pound and one p to get one. It's from Paignton zoo

You got what you paid for ,I found the staff very helpful ,the shop on site had all our needs.The cafe and staff good,l will stay again

This was our second year visiting South bay, however this year only pet friendly caravans was available. We arrived to lots of dog hairs but I phoned reception and they sent someone straight round to re clean the caravan. Family entertainment is great as is the food. My daughter also put her comfort blanket down and in the rush I didn't re check everywhere so we forgot it however the lovely staff found it and are posting it out to us which is amazing as she doesn't sleep without it. Looking forward to another visit

Nice place plenty to see and do,great base to go off and explore.

Loved every minute of the 70s weekend friendly staff good sevice and lovely van

Gold caravan booked through Hoseans was not as described and of lesser quality. Beware.

Food was lush entertainment was good for the kids but the indoor pool has no slides or diving boards

Beautiful views from the site to the beach! I was absolutely breath taken when I walked down the trail to the beach it's just stunning!! Swimming indoor and outdoor is lovely.
In a shalette that is perfect size, caravans look just as good as the houses and I've encountered only the nicest of people and staff!

A fantastic time spent here for our family holiday. The staff were so helpful and friendly. Entertainers exceeded expectations by their involvement with everyone. The environment in the caravan is clean and fresh with all facilities for a homely feel. Definitely considering visiting here again next year as one visit isn't enough to take advantage of all the fun options offered for 4 year old granddaughter and family. :-)

Loverly Holiday Park for young and old alike, ideally situated for exploring the beautiful South Coast of Devon. Friendly helpful staff and an exceptionally clean and tidy park

Lovely holiday park in a beautiful location with lovely entertainment staff. It is just a shame that the site do little to curb the anti social holiday makers who spoil it for everyone else.
Also there is a owner of a caravan whom appears to call the shots and insists that owners get priority of the laundry facilities. Very sad.

We rented privately and the caravan was spotlessly clean and in a great location. The staff were brilliant during a very different and difficult time for all of us. They handled social distancing perfectly and unfortunately had to deal with abuse and anger from some people over these rules in which they did with pure professionalism. Although entertainment at this time is very limited the staff managed to keep us entertained with nightly bingo and family quizzes. We will definitely be going back next year hopefully things will be a little more normal for all of us. Well done southbay holiday park

Overall just acceptable, the Chalet was ok, but the mattress killed my ribs, being first use of new season, I suspect, dirty linen which they changed almost immediately but missed the cobwebs on the bathroom ceiling, rooms had no ventilation so very musty, had to open all vents ourselves to get it near habitable, rooms well decorated and furniture comfortable. And Ant problem still exists. Kitchen just adequately furnished, white goods worked!!!. Hot water was hot and plenty full for shower and washing up.

Good place for families. Decent entertainment throughout the day and small playground and pool. Close to some local beaches and bus outside to town.

Really nice n clean caravans, well looked after too! Good n fun entertainment too!

Great caravans, clean and spacious. Would have been great if there was more on offer for on site entertainment but was satisfactory.

Above average John Fowler site, but you get what you put in I find. The children loved the heated pool and the entertainment but everyday we would go off site to Brixham or elsewhere. There is a steam train that goes along the coast if your children like trains like mine which is a distraction for a couple of hours. There is a wetherspoons in Brixham (the Vigilance) for some cheap family meals if you cba to cook and a market down by the harbour. Then back to the site for the quiz, bingo and then games. Had me in stitches with the "one smart fellow" routine and then unfortunately I got molested by a seven foot chicken, but he was finger licking good and he goble gobled. Wouldn't want to get caught down by that slate beach and those suicidal steps on a wet dark night.

Good location but clubhouse too small. Not very good for disabled people x

Very good very comfortable and clean very good welcome would go back again

Great holiday park,but there was dirt in the cooker and dirt in corners. I couldn't sleep because of springs coming out. stayed in g69 and my cousin split next to her eye open half of it was terrible.

South Bay - Brixham
Disgusting caravan, disgraceful head office response, now ignoring me!

I went with my wife for the Aug bank holiday weekend and my brother and his wife drove down separately to join us. On arrival we found the van in a disgusting unkempt state (inside and out). It was a build-up of years of neglected maintenance issues.

I went to reception to explain and asked to me moved. The lady was very friendly and apologetic, but explained that the site was fully booked with no opportunity to move anywhere. My brother arrived, saw the place, and decided to leave the next morning all the way back to Birmingham. As we d travelled so far in 5hr holiday traffic and made plans to meet friends in Paignton, we decide to stay and luckily we slept over at friends for one night.

Obviously we were very upset, but after a couple of months of calming down decided to write a review. Before doing so, I read some similar bad reviews on here and couldn t believe some of the responses, with management claiming that they could have moved people if they d known (when they couldn t move me) and suggesting that some people maybe scammers! Fortunately, with 120 reviews under my belt, none showing that I m in dispute, I can t be accused of scamming.

Grime on outside of van, on rough weedy ground, last years leaf fall, paper, sticks etc around steps, in-ground sticky grime with insects around floor, skirting and ceiling, missing edging strips on furniture (including a wet smelling sink up-stand), rusty hinges, finish or kitchen and bathroom cabinets peeling off, radiator tops with more rust than paint, cobwebs all over, light fittings full of insects, fraying & falling curtains & nets, missing window lock/handles, and windows that don t close properly. Grease around cooker, dirty plates & cutlery, the list goes on...

I took many photos and compiled a presentation that I emailed over to John Fowler on the 3rd Nov. What followed was an exchange of requests for info proving that they had not read my email or looked at the pictures that contained all the booking reference, van number etc incompetent!

For nearly 4 weeks of chasing, they blamed delays in response due to sickness and holidays. Their final response was that they had no record of the complaint made at the time and I said that I d refused help when I made the complaint (somewhat contradiction)! They said that they offered a re-clean (which they didn t), but the van required a weekend re-fit team anyway!

They claimed that because I had endured the stay without leaving early and that my emailed complaint was more than 28 days later than my stay, they can t do anything about it! They completely ignore the fact that the pictures are a snapshot of the condition at the time (which they say the manager checked) and the customer has the right to expect accommodation of a satisfactory standard, whatever their policy.

John Fowler you really need to think about how you handle genuine and justified complaints like this. Why is it so difficult for you to say sorry, admit responsibility and compensate genuine victims for your poor control of cleaning & maintenance? Why are you letting vans get into such poor state of repair and not taking proactive action? If other customers are not complaining, it doesn t mean that everything is ok, it just means that they either accept poor standards or can t be bothered to waste time with such a disgraceful company. I expect that you have a range of vans and you've simply let the older ones fall below and acceptable standard. I have been very reasonable and given you 7 weeks to resolve my complaint before leaving this 100% honest review.

Your strategy seems to be a mix of blame the customer and discredit or bring doubt to genuine complaints, rather than simply doing the right thing shame on you! Don't claim that you are unable to verify me. You know who I am and my booking ref is SBB0002242 23/8/19 South Bay.

Only thing missing is disability parking l would never return to this site it is a pity as it is a great place

The holiday Park was very nice ,the staff were very present and the acomerdsion was very clean ,looking forwards to our next visit.

Disgusting, arrived 27.04.18 caravan wasn't like the one in the photo we booked, caravan was green on the outside with the gutters full of grass, walked into the caravan to find the carpets filthy and work tops covered with crumbs and food, table had grease and ketchup all over it, very surprised to see a decent size double bed in a caravan well that's because the frame is smaller than the mattress so sleep nr the side of it and you roll out of bed as frame doesn't support the size of mattress. Asked to change was told nothing available. Swimming pool still had a green algae tinge to the floor and stank of smelly feet, chlorine was that strong it burnt my eyes while I was watching. Wouldn't come back here ever again, very expensive 2 nights as we came home on 29.04.18 as had enough of not being able to sleep due to matteress. Think the top dog needs to come and view how bad this park is the upkeep is awful.

When I booked accommodation was told I could have keys ar 4pm so we arrived to find out book in was now 6pm.
Sheet was wet had coffee stain on it (not from us).
Went to club my 2 year old grandaughter was by us on dance floor dancing no one else near her we were told she must sit down at all times. No dancing standing up allowed. My granddaughter came and stood by our table and again told we must sit down.
I'm sorry but when I booked I was told everything was open I wasn't told you can't move from table. If they are that worried then they shouldn't be open taking people's money.

Awesome holiday, great club house especially for familys

The park was in a nice area of Brixham, 20 min walk away from shops and the town. The caravan site was ok, pool needs updating could do with some showers and more changing areas. The main clubhouse was ok it only had 1 pool table though which was annoying. The food was ok. Nothing special. Would be moce if visitors were able to get deliveries from other local places. The caravan we stayed in was a Gold and was expected to be the best. However, there were dog hairs and dust behind the hallway door, a cobweb in the bathroom, the external light didn't work, the cooker was dirty, a bedroom light didn't work and there wasnt any adequate heating as it was quite cool in the mornings. I dont think I'll stay again as it didn't quite reach my standards. Saying that, if you're looking for something for a base then it's good. Hence my rating!

Good value but bit far away from harbour. Nice pool with indoor and outdoor sections. Silver 2 bedroom caravan was clean and well appointed.

Beautiful location, our chalet was ideal for us and walking distance to St Mary's Beach and Brixham. Club house was good and the entertainment adequate. We especially loved the pool which has an outdoor section . Staff were friendly and more than happy to help

it was alright i guess I mean the slide at the pool was a little bit rusty and the activity archery was far away from the campsite

Excellent accommodation and lovely quaint camp . Great for exploring the surrounding areas nearby . Good fun in the clubhouse in the evenings and the stripeys staff there to entertain you really give it their all . Will definitely go again and again .

Lovely place well looked after good quality accommodation and the strippes are brilliant

Lovely location with nice coastal walks just a short stroll from the holiday park.
Excellent on site facilities including a what looks to be newly refurbished bar and cafe area which is used for evening entertainment and kids clubs etc.

Good place for family holiday , lots of places to visit .

After 15 years of coming to this holiday park, I feel the time as come to try pasters new. On our visit this October the club house was full of bingo players hogging tables at a time when young children's entertainment was taking place although there were plenty of tables people were not allowing others to share tables that could seat more than just one or two people.

Was a little disappointed this year with this site. The site itself was clean and tidy however the entertainment was embarrassing. Family fun time consisted of a single game of pairs and that was it. The kids where not asked to participate or even be involved with anything. The only thing they had was a rundown small arcade that was stupidly expensive. The people doing the entertainment where more fussed about asking adults to get drinks from the bar. This is a shame and we don't think we will be going here again after this experience.

good holiday Park for a family break. Weekend or a week break on-site amenities are catered for lots of things to do within the area

Regular customer here, always treated really well and absolutely love it here, would 100% recommend to anyone....

Lovely quiet park really good for children with great well supervised pool ( get to pool early if you want a chair!!) reasonable shop prices but clubhouse drinks on the expensive side

Great place absolutely love stripey Aaron made our holiday