We don’t usually feature Butlins on this site, but after we took a peek at their new chalet village we thought we’d make an exception. Their new chalets are part of a £32m investment plan, one which looks set to change perceptions of what a Butlins break is all about.
The chalets are located at the Minehead camp right on the coast, and were developed through consultation with, wait for it, Mumsnet! If you don’t know about Mumsnet then you should know that what started out as a small forum for mothers is now one of the UK’s most popular non-commercial websites.
Butlins’ owners got together with Mumsnet as they wanted to hear first hand how real mothers thought a family holiday could be enhanced through accommodation design. The key word here is ‘family’. And a family break should according to mums, be a break where the family do things together, and facilitation of this came into the chalet’s design.
And the ‘biggy’ is as some of you may have guessed, a cut down on technology; a step backwards to take a step forward. This means that there is no television in the children’s bedrooms, and the physical design of the chalets is open plan, so the family all get to hang out in a big open space.
There is also a library with old fashioned games available to borrow, which will hopefully tempt the kids away from iPads and the like. Obviously many people will have brought screen which can be essential for a long drive, but Butlins are not encouraging the use of new media, so, devices cannot be borrowed at the holiday park.
The chalets surround an artificial lake and once the vegetation is properly flourishing it is going to be a great looking place to take the kids (hopefully without the Centre Parcs price tag!). If you want to see what the chalets look like, and check availability you can see them here.
By: Gareth Whieldon
