Neston man is 'never going back' to Pontins Prestatyn

Steve Daintree, 49, from Little Neston, arrived at Pontins in Prestatyn on August, 13, with his wife, Kathryn Daintree, 46, his father and mother-in-law, his four children and his granddaughter. 

The holiday was supposed to last until August, 20 but the family decided to travel home two days early on August, 18, due to what they describe as closures, lack of facilities and minimal food stock at the park.

Steve said: "We got there and there was a number of different things that were advertised that weren’t open.

"The swimming pool, the skate park, the roller disco, the java lounge where you get your free internet and coffee and Casey’s Whistle stop where you get burgers and fries, were all closed."

As well as all of the closures, Steve spoke about a sewage leak at the park. 

He said: "Outside the main entertainment hall there was a drain which was bubbling and overflowing, with toilet paper and sewage coming out of it.

"They did have it fenced off but sewage was overflowing onto sections of the grass."

The sewage leak at Pontins, Pestatyn

When visiting the supermarket on site at the park, the shop was sparsely stock, with most of the shelves empty. 

Steve added: "The vending machines were empty, the ATMs were out of order, half of the arcade machines were off and the lift that took you up to the main play area was out of order too."

Due to the lack of facilities available on the park site, Steve and his family went off site to a nearby beach most days and tried to make the most of their time on holiday.

He said: “One of our children is diagnosed with autism and our routine when we go there is to go in the swimming pool, so we had to try and distract her to do different things.

"She hates going to the beach because she can’t stand the feel of sand on her feet."

Completely disappointed with his family holiday experience, Steve decided to file a complaint.

He said: “I thought I’d go down the correct complaints procedure so I went to the reception and they gave me a guest solutions form to fill out which would then get sent to the main office in Southport.

“I emailed the main office and got an automated reply, so I replied again, saying I wasn’t happy with how the situation was being dealt with and they came back offering me 30 per cent off a future visit to the park.

“After that trip, you don’t really want to go back, so it was rubbing salt into the wound really.

“I told my wife and she said she’d just had an email, completely separate from the complaint offering her 20% off a future trip.

"In essence, it was only an extra 10 per cent they’d given me."

Steve wants to raise awareness to other families who may be considering booking a trip to the park in Prestatyn.

He added: “There are a lot of families who can’t afford to go abroad or go away so this is their main holiday, and it’s not what it’s being advertised to be.

“We’re not even considering going back there. Sadly, it has degenerated gradually as times gone on. We’ve been taking our kids on and off for around 20 years.

“They don’t care, they seem to be used to complaints, they offer you the standard 30per cent off, and then fob you off.

“I thought to do this because it needs to be out there and people need to be aware that it’s not the place to go."

Pontins were contacted for a comment but did not respond.