Pontins

History of Pontins

The holiday park company Pontins offers parks for families, couples and groups, and organises top budget holidays all around the UK. With a number of Pontins Holiday Parks set in beautiful parks and perfect beaches, you won't fail to have a holiday of a lifetime.

Pontins was set up by Fred Pontin in 1946, an entrepreneur who started his business by buying up old disused camps and giving them a makeover. The first site at Brean Sands was used as a US Army Base, but after Pontin revamped the camp and advertised, it was full of British holidaymakers. He soon bought up more camps at seaside spots, and before he knew it the company was quoted on the London Stock Exchange.

Pontin rarely built camps from scratch, and he usually ran the camps himself for a year or two before he transferred them to Pontins Ltd. By 1947, Pontin had set up six camps, with a total capacity of 1,300 people. Pontins was always much cheaper than its competitior Butlins thanks to its lower overheads, however, the two holidays business were strong and healthy rivals.

Holiday camps increased in popularity and so did Pontins throughout the 60s and 70s, as Pontin focused on improving accommodation and the camps' catering services. Chalets at Pontins even had en-suite bathrooms! Pontin also pioneered the idea of self-catering, an idea that appeared at Pontins long before it did at Butlins.

By the mid-70s Pontins had over 24 camps and locations in the Mediterranean, and Pontin was knighted in 1976 as his profits reached £6.6 million.

Fred Pontin eventually sold off the company and it changed hands a number of times throughout the 80s, 90s and 00s, causing various changes across the parks as the popularity for holiday camps declined in the UK. Today, the parks have been revamped for the increasing number of "staycations" that money-saving Brits are looking to take. You can save money on your next Pontins adventure with voucher codes, and have some fun in the British sun!

UK Holiday Parks

• Brean Sands Holiday Park
• Camber Sands Holiday Park
• Pakefield Holiday Park
• Prestatyn Sands Holiday Park
• Southport Holiday Park
• Sand Bay Holiday Park

Activities

Activities available at most Pontins parks

• Swimming Zone
• Amusement Arcade
• Captain Croc's Adventure
• Pontins Character Breakfast
• Outdoor Inflatable Course
• Outdoor Skate Park
• Fun Bikes
• Crazy Golf
• Game Zone
• Trampolines
• Go Karts
• Snooker at Pontins
• Pontins Bingo
• Darts

Opening times

You can contact Pontins about making a reservation or make enquiries via their customer service number at the following opening hours:

Monday - Friday: 8am - 10pmSaturday: 9am - 10pmSunday: 9am - 10pm

Booking Information

Bookings with Pontins.com include accommodation and meals as booked, and these will all be correct at the time of publication on the Pontins website. When you make a booking you need to pay the total amount 56 days (eight weeks) before date of arrival. For most bookings you will need to pay a £50 deposit at the time of booking. If you would like to receive a confirmation email then you must opt into this, you will also receive a final confirmation in the post 10-14 days before your holiday. You can make large group bookings over the phone to ensure you have adjoining accommodations.

Returns Policy

If you need to cancel or amend your booking with Pontins.com you should contact Pontins immediately. Please be aware that Pontins have the right to charge £10 for every amendment you wish to make. If you need to cancel a holiday, you should contact your chosen holiday location and confirm the cancellation in writing 56 days before your holiday is due to start. If the cancellation letter is received 56 days or more before your holiday begins then you will not be charged for your cancellation, but you will lose your deposit (or non-refundable booking fee). If you send the written cancellation 55 days or fewer before your holiday starts then you will be liable to pay Pontins the full cost of the holiday, and all email/online orders are non-refundable. Furthermore, if you do not arrive at your holiday destination by 4pm on the day after your holiday is due to start then the money for the holiday will also be forfeited.

Security & Reviews

Pontins have a Data Protection Officer based in the UK, who will be able to tell you the full data information policy of Pontins. They also ensure that any online payments made are made with a secure connection. The reviews on TrustPilot are on the whole very positive about their experiences at Pontins, with a customer that didn't expect to enjoy the holiday having a great time. Sadly, there was an administrative error with the one negative review that Pontins received, but this could be down to a computer failure or staff compliance.