During the October half term 2022, we headed to Butlin’s Minehead for a Monday to Friday mini-break for the Spooktober Halloween celebrations.

Here’s what we thought of our stay.

Butlin’s Minehead Review: Spooktober Half Term

We booked our break to Butlin’s fairly last minute, around 10 weeks before were due to arrive. While I have no issue with taking children out of school for a family break, it was our daughter’s first term in primary school and I didn’t want to disturb her from getting settled.

Butlin’s Minehead is less than an hour from where we live but I’d not been on holiday there since I was a child – a trip that ended with both myself and my sister getting food poisoning, so not the happiest of memories.

I think in the 2000s Butlin’s had a bit of a reputation for being less family focused and more for young adult weekends away and it honestly it did put me off, especially after holidaying at places like Center Parcs where hen and stag do’s aren’t allowed (although I do admit to having my very subdued hen party there which was more board games and spa sessions than drunken party nights).

I like the fact Butlin’s now separate their breaks into family-friendly getaways and adult weekends which helped to reassure us that we would have a relaxing break. It also seemed like there would be plenty for us to do without the need to walk or travel too far.

However, when our budget wouldn’t stretch to Center Parcs for a family break during half term (because accommodation alone for three of us would have been £2000 before we even think about food or activities!) we decided to look at some other options.

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How Much Did We Pay For Our Butlin’s Minehead Half-Term Break? (Spooktober)

Our break cost £575 for the accommodation and we paid an additional £270 for half-board premium dining so the total was £846.

Term time breaks are much cheaper and there is also a cheaper dining option too if you are on a very tight budget but still want to cover food and not have to cook.

We paid £20 to pre-book pottery painting and spent around £100 on extras while we were there such as Build-a-bear, trampolining and ice creams. ‘We also took some of our own food and snacks for when we were just chilling in the apartment and for snacky lunches (although we were usually so full from breakfast we really didn’t need much!)

Butlin’s Minehead Accommodation

Butlins Minehead offers a wide range of accommodation, from rooms which just have a bedroom and bathroom to suites which have a kitchen, dining area, living room and patio or balcony and full-on villas plus a few other options in between.

We opted for what I would consider ‘middle of the road’ accommodation (Comfort Apartment) which had a kitchenette, dining table and living area but no outdoor space.

The accommodation we were allocated was in the Oyster Bay area of the resort and the room number was SG108 for Swallows Green.

Our accommodation was allocated via email and the app the night before we arrived so it was really nice to see roughly where we would be staying and how close it was to everything before we arrived.

Double-digit numbers are ground floor, 100 numbers are on the first floor and 200 numbers are on the second floor.

All accommodation is split into smaller areas and then is named alphabetically which makes everything really easy to find.

Overall we were really happy with the accommodation.

While there were signs of wear and tear, it was nothing too serious and the apartment was clean on arrival.

The beds were very comfy! We took an extension lead but didn’t need it as there were plenty of plug sockets throughout.

The only small niggles we had were that there was no low lighting for in the evenings in the living room or bedrooms and the sofa was really small and uncomfortable.

It was okay for the three of us (two adults and one child) but I think it would be too small for four adults to share.

You can read our full Butlin’s Comfort Apartment accommodation review here.

Butlin’s Minehead Parking

When we arrived at Butlins Minehead it was raining and the car park had lots of water-logged areas. If you’ve been allocated an apartment in the Oyster Bay area, park as far towards the back of the car park as you can, as the accommodation is a bit of a walk away.

The only other parking-related issue we had was the lack of trollies for transporting luggage. We ended up lugging our stuff two-thirds of the way to our apartment before finding one, despite lots of looking beforehand.

There are no obvious trolley parks or signage on where to find trollies and it seems people just abandon them outside their accommodation when they are finished, which isn’t really helpful.

If you’ve arrived early and have been swimming or doing other activities, head to the accommodation areas to find a trolley before heading back to your car as it’s unlikely you’ll find any in or anywhere near the car park.

Things To Do At Butlin’s Minehead – Entertainment & Activities

There is honestly so much to see and do at Butlins that we just couldn’t fit it all in! We ended up cancelling a few of the shows we had booked just because we were so tired from all of the other fun things we had been doing.

Butlins Minehead Swimming – Splash Waterworld

One of the main reasons we chose Butlins for our half-term break was that I really wanted to be able to take our daughter swimming every day. She’s not very confident in the water and I thought it might help to have a few fun sessions in a row.

Earlier in the year, we’d been away to Parkdean Torquay where swimming sessions were limited to 45-minute slots so I was pleased swimming at Butlins was free flow.

Overall, the pool at Butlins Minehead is great, but it is a little dated. There are several smaller toddler pools, one of which has a slide, a large pool and a fun pool which has a wave machine and a lazy river.

If you grew up in Somerset and ever went to the much-missed Sedgemoor Splash then you will definitely be reminded of it here!

There are also several water slides although we gave these a miss due to the 40-minute long queues.

The best swimming session we had was when we arrived on Monday. We headed to the pool around 2 pm and it wasn’t too busy.

Tuesday is the busiest day for swimming and we did have to queue for around 25 minutes to get in, even though it was supposedly one of the quieter times of the day.

Wednesday lunchtime was quieter again whereas Thursday very was busy, although we didn’t have to queue this time.

We would have loved to try an evening session but it was just too late for us as our daughter went to bed at 7 pm and was extra tired from our busy days.

The changing rooms were a bit hit-and-miss on the cleanliness front although being half-term I imagine it was quite a bit busier than usual so that may have been a contributing factor.

Peppa Pig & PJ Masks Shows

Can you tell we have a four-year-old? While at Butlin’s we went to both Peppa Pigs Seaside Adventure and the PJ Masks Show.

Peppa Pig was the more popular of the two shows and seats fill up very quickly. Fair play to Redcoat Beth who does this one alone with Peppa and George, she was fab!

The PJ Masks show was also great and much more interactive which our daughter loved! At the end, she shouted ‘Bye Owlet, I love you!’ which just melted my heart.

Both of these shows took place at Studio 36 where you can have drinks and snacks ordered to your table via the B-serve app. If you’ve booked the shows you can head right in, just show your tickets on the app at the door.

If you haven’t booked, you can queue and generally most people get in, as the shows are rarely fully booked, even if they are showing as full on the app.

Steven Mulhern Magic Show

We are big fans of Catchphrase in our house, so we were really looking forward to seeing Steven Mulhern live. Ignore what the Butlin’s app says and get here super early (at least an hour before the show starts) if you want good seats.

The show is live streamed onto a big screen though so you can still see everything that’s going on, even if you’re towards the back of the venue.

Stephen Mulhern is a fantastic entertainer, he was funny, crowd-pleasing and very likeable with a great stage presence.

However, the magic side of things fell a little bit flat for us – the opening trick I’d seen done as a front-of-curtain act at a local concert a few weeks before and all the other tricks were fairly standard – levitation, disappearing liquid etc.

There were also A LOT of ads for Stephens’s products which was a little tedious. That said, there is a trick at the end involving ‘snow’ which our little girl was amazed by.

Little Stars Fairground & Softplay

Our little one loved the little stars’ fairground, (especially the tea cups!) which is perfect for under fives. We liked the early opening times which meant we could visit after finishing breakfast.

There is also a soft play area next door which is small and very cold.

Adults aren’t allowed in to help very little ones which is frustrating for those with say a four-year-old who doesn’t need help and a one-year-old that does who can’t both use the facility.

This is one area that we felt could do with an upgrade and would benefit from a baby and toddler-specific area where parents are allowed, especially as Butlin’s specialise in breaks for people with very young families.

Pottery Painting At Butlin’s Minehead

This was the only paid activity we did while we were at Butlins as our daughter is very into arts and crafts and we thought it would be nice to have something to take home with us as a memento.

Pottery painting costs £10 per person although they do allow adults in to help little ones if they need it (they don’t need to pay for a piece of pottery). There is a limited choice included for the £10 but you can pay £3 or £5 to upgrade to a larger piece.

It’s worth noting that the pottery is not fired and you are limited on time, so if you choose a bigger piece, you might not have time to finish it.

By the time we had queued to get in and then queued to choose our pottery piece, we only had around 25 minutes of painting time before being asked to leave before the next session started.

The selection of brushes was very limited and we couldn’t really ‘borrow’ from other tables as they only had limited supplies too.

We did enjoy this activity but I also think there is room for improvement here too.

Free Sand Art At Butlin’s Minehead

One of the best things about a Butlins Holiday is the number of free activities on offer.

While we didn’t manage to do all of them, we did enjoy the Halloween-themed sand art session, perfect for any children that love arts and crafts.

Scareground

The Scareground was a bit naff, to be honest.

While it was lovely to see all the rides all lit up, the only scary attraction that wasn’t there during the day was a meet and greet with Igor.

It’s also worth mentioning there were lots of free activities we didn’t end up doing like the pantomime, several shows such as Brainiac Science and BMX, and we didn’t watch any of the Skyline Gang shows (although we did do one toddler Halloween disco).

We did watch the Puppet show on our first night which was great fun and our daughter really enjoyed it.

Butlin’s Minehead Premium Dining

For our Butlins break, we opted for the premium dining which cost just under £300 for four breakfasts and four dinners for two adults and one child under five. I was really looking forward to having a whole week of not cooking or having to do any washing up!

We couldn’t fault the food that we had here. There was a good selection each evening and generally, we could all find something that we wanted to eat. I loved being able to try lots of different bite-sized desserts and it was great for my husband who has quite a big appetite.

While it did get busy in the premium dining areas, there was never too long to queue for food and things were replenished quickly. This was during half term so I would imagine it’s much quieter during term time.

Food is served either in the Yacht Club or The Deck (which is the only one to have live cooking stations for things like pancakes and burgers although you can move between the two if you want to).

Here are a few pictures of some of the food we had at breakfast and dinner:

Things We Loved About Our Butlin’s Holiday

There were lots of things we really loved about our Butlins Holiday which was great considering our expectations weren’t particularly high.

Premium Dining – We loved the premium dining and had no issues at all with the food. There was always something for everyone and it was great being able to eat as much as we liked. While the dining room did get busy at times, we were always able to find a table.

Loads Of Activities On-Site – There is just so much to do onsite at Butlins. We had planned to visit Dunster as we have National Trust Passes and had also considered popping over to Porlock weir but we didn’t feel the need to leave once we were there.

And there was so much on site we didn’t even manage to do! Plenty to look forward to if we decide to go again.

Butlin’s Minehead Felt Safe and Clean – Although there are some areas that are run down, overall the site felt really safe and clean to be on. It was easy to get from place to place and there weren’t too many vehicles to watch out for.

It felt like a safe place to be for children and families.

The Ice Cream Parlour – Some of the best ice cream we’ve ever had, we loved being able to customise with toppings of our choice. Went twice and I got very messy with the crazy Halloween concoction pictured below!

Things Butlin’s Could Do Better

While we did really enjoy our holiday, there are a few things we felt could be improved.

The Butlins App – The Butlins App is convenient for planning your holiday and we loved the map feature which tells you how far it is to walk to the activity you want to do next.

However, each day’s activities and shows are listed in a random order, making it hard to figure out what’s on at the same time and what isn’t.

Sometimes the app had the wrong start times for the Skyline gang shows and the wrong information eg, the app said the doors for Stephen Mulhern opened half an hour before the show. We arrived at this time to find the venue already three-quarters full.

Splash Waterworld – While we enjoyed our visits to the pool, it did feel very overcrowded and it was hard to do anything much with so many people jostling for space.

Timed bookings, longer opening hours (at Center Parcs the pool is open all day every day) or more evening sessions might improve this, especially during busy times such as half term.

Also, so many lockers with broken keys – it’s really frustrating to squeeze all your belongings into a locker only to have to move it again two minutes later when you realise the key doesn’t work.

The toddler area could do with another slide as the slide area did get very crowded with both kids and their adults keeping an eye on them.

Would We Go To Butlin’s Minehead Again?

Yes, we absolutely would book another holiday to Butlins Minehead. For us, the location is convenient, there was plenty to do and we loved being able to pay upfront for half-board food. Holidays are also much cheaper than Center Parcs and while it is a different atmosphere I would say there is a similar level of things to do, although the swimming pool doesn’t quite come close.

In fact, I’ve recently booked to go to Butlins Minehead again in October 2023, although we’ve opted for term time rather than school holidays – the saving was almost £500 and we’re hoping it will mean the pool is quieter as we’ll have an extra (very tiny!) member of our family by then.

I would definitely recommend Butlins Minehead for a budget family break that caters for all ages and has plenty to keep everyone entertained.