Haven Cala Gran is unfortunately next door to a landfill site (Image: YouTube/BeachlifeAndBeyond)
A holiday park fan who has explored resorts across Britain believes he’s discovered what might be the nation’s worst accommodation.
Steven, who documents his travels on his YouTube channel BeachlifeAndBeyond, alleged his caravan was filthy upon arrival, stating he encountered « bogies in the bed and dirt and grime all over the floors ».
He added: « I’ve stayed in some pretty rough places across the UK, but nothing prepared me for when I checked into a holiday park right next to a literal dump. »
Steven maintains that Haven Cala Gran, located just under seven miles from Blackpool, sits « right next to a literal dump » with a « stench so bad it actually made national news. »
Upon visiting the park’s reception to raise concerns about the smell, he encountered numerous other guests with identical complaints.
A lasagne in the freezer had been overlooked (Image: YouTube/BeachlifeAndBeyond)
Steven forked out £245 for his weekend getaway. He notes that whilst he’s enjoyed excellent budget holidays previously, Cala Gran proved so dreadful that he couldn’t bear to remain for his entire booking.
« This is why a bargain break can sometimes be a massive mistake, » he said. Steven’s a passionate advocate of holiday parks, and he’d arrived at Cala Gran straight after an « incredible » experience experience at Butlin’s which only amplified his dismay upon reaching the Haven site.
« This is the first holiday park I’ve been to that doesn’t have a beach, » Steven said. « It may not have its own beach, but you’ll be glad to know it does have a landfill site right behind it. So, the very first thing you’ll notice when you arrive is a god-awful smell. I mean, it’s something I had no idea about before booking. »
Whilst the camp’s management team cannot control the pungent landfill site neighbouring the property, Steven alleged they also fail to maintain adequate cleanliness standards within the camp itself.
Steven was most horrified by a bogie on his pillow (Image: YouTube/BeachlifeAndBeyond)
He continued: « We’re talking dirt-riddled caravans with filth on the floors, sweet wrappers all over the floor and – I kid you not – bogies in the beds.
« Cala Gran is what Haven considers one of their mid-sized sites. It’s not too big, but it’s not small either. It has roughly 20 different areas. You can pay in advance to choose where you want to stay on the park, or if you don’t want to pay the extortionate fees they charge for you to choose your caravan, then Haven will just plunk you wherever they want. »
The caravan Steven was allocated proved particularly unfortunate, as the cleaner responsible for it appears to have had an exceptionally poor day.
He added: « The carpet is absolutely black. It’s disgusting. And there’s bits all over it… there’s stains all over these cushions I wouldn’t even let a dog sit on these. »
A discarded sweet wrapped called the cleaning into question (Image: YouTube/Beachlife&Beyond)
He had previously stayed in Bronze-grade caravans, but had never encountered one in such dreadful condition. Steven went on: « This one takes the biscuit with how bad it is. »
« I’ve just lifted the cushions off to check the sofa bed, and we’ve got spoons, some bracelets, some baby socks, sweet wrappers.. »
Astonished by the shoddy cleaning, Steven says: « I’m sorry, but what excuse is there for leaving someone’s lasagna in the freezer? »
Some effort had been made to clean the caravan, he acknowledged, as certain areas had evidently been hoovered, but the work had clearly been rushed. He added: « Clearly they have tried to clean it, but they’ve just done a terrible job. »
The caravan had supposedly been cleaned before Steven’s arrival (Image: YouTube/BeachlifeAndBeyond)
In contrast, the park’s amusement arcade was immaculately clean, he noted, and the presence of a Wetherspoons offered some promise of improvement, but Steven said that Cala Gran disappointed in numerous ways. He continued: « All the other Havens I’ve been to are really nicely themed and landscaped, and this one’s just a bit basic. »
Despite the multiple letdowns, Cala Gran was completely booked, meaning staff couldn’t relocate Steven to a different caravan. « It was so bad we had to cut our weekend short and checked out just 24 hours after arriving, » he said.
Steven added: « After we complained, they did send the cleaners back out pretty quickly, to be fair. They removed and replaced all the bedding, gave the caravan a once over, so it was moderately clean afterwards.
« They have offered to have the upholstery cleaned, but then we’d have nowhere to sit because everything would be wet. So what would be the point? »
Managers offered to clean the stained upholstery – but that would have left it wet and unusable (Image: YouTube/BeachlifeAndBeyond)
Addressing the concerns raised in the Beachlife and Beyond video, a Haven spokesperson commented: « We’re sorry that this guest arrived to find this caravan did not meet the high standards we aim for across all our parks and was disappointed with his stay.
« As the video shows, this was rectified as soon as the guest notified us, but we know this is not good enough.
« Many tens of thousands of guests stay at Cala Gran each year and tell us they’ve had a great time using the park’s facilities and enjoying its location close to Blackpool and visitors will have even more to enjoy soon, as we invest millions of pounds to upgrade the on-site pub, which is set to reopen as a JD Wetherspoons this summer. »
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