
Hands up if you are collecting The Sun £9.50 holiday tokens right now?
*Puts hand up*
We went on a Sun £9.50 holiday last year, to our favourite caravan park in the UK. Haven’s Devon Cliffs park. My parents had a caravan there when I was little and we used to go every weekend. I went several times as a teenager / in my early twenties too, because there is something for everyone there.
Other members of my family have experienced The Sun’s £9.50 holidays too, to other venues and always had a good time.
Are The Sun £9.50 holidays really only £9.50?
Yes and No. They are £9.50 per person – which is reasonable. Last year, we had to pay extra for entertainment passes too, but there are SOME holidays in which the entertainment passes are included in the price. If you want extras, like an upgrade to a more luxurious caravan, or linen hire and beds made up on arrival, then you have the option to purchase these extras!
How much did we pay?
For 4 nights (midweek) at Devon Cliffs, in an 8 berth caravan, we paid £38 (The Sun Holidays were £9 each then, not £9.50!).
We paid £20.00 for 4 entertainment passes.
We paid £31.80 for power (gas/electric)
We paid £16 for an upgrade to luxury plus.
Total price £113.80
So… not quite £9.50, but bearing in mind, Haven holidays often range from £200-£800 for a week, I’d say that was more than reasonable.
I paid the £38 directly to The Sun during the application process, and the further £75.80 before the holiday.
I now get a priority booking code and a bonus token for future promotions like this, meaning I have more chance of getting the dates and the holiday that I apply for.
Was The Sun £9.50 holiday as good as a full price holiday?
In my experience… my short answer would be no.
Considering we upgraded to Luxury Plus, the caravan we were put in, was anything but luxury. It was so filthy in fact, that I made a complaint and demanded to be moved.
We were then put in an Owners Exclusive caravan… which really was the definition of luxury in caravanning.
After the caravan move – my answer would be absolutely YES. Our holiday was exactly the same quality as it would have been if we’d paid full price via Haven. As someone who has holidayed at that particular park numerous times, I feel I’m qualified to answer that.
The question is… do they put the £9.50 holiday makers in the grotty caravans, or was I just unlucky? Well… I guess we shall see after my next Sun Holiday, which I will be applying for on Sunday.
Would I recommend The Sun £9.50 holidays?
Yes… why not? You aren’t likely to find another holiday that cheap.
Come back and read my full review of Devon Cliffs Haven holiday park coming very soon!
Please note: I am in NO way affiliated with The Sun. This is just my personal review of their token collect holidays.
This is a really interesting and honest review. The holidays sound like they offer good value, as long as you’re not stuck in grotty accommodation.
Thanks. Yes I agree, but they were fast to move us when we complained, which was great.
I was interested to read you review, as we holiday at Haven every year and have done so for the last 9 or 10 years.
Haven’s great as we have two small kids, and there’s always so much to do for them there (tons of activities ranging from sports in the daytime, to disco in an evening) not to mention we can go down to the beach and explore the surrounding area.
I also buy the Sun a lot and have seen the £9.50 offers. I’ve never done them before as we usually get the high end range of caravans (Deluxe Plus, or platinum) so was a bit apprehensive about booking cheaply as didn’t know what the other caravans would be like.
So was refreshing to hear your thoughts!
You can upgrade to Deluxe Plus via The Sun, but I expect, if you contacted Haven direct (after having your booking confirmed) you’d be able to upgrade further. I’ve always loved Haven too. Will be publishing a more in depth review of the park soon.
Thank you for the information! We’ve just started to collect tokens and although I thought there may be additional costs I never realised that this would include things like gas and electricity! x
Charlotte recently posted..The day I realised I’m not 23 anymore & my new bucket list
On the website, if you go to the holiday finder, select your ideal hol and the scroll to the bottom – all additional fees are listed for each individual holiday. Different companies/parks/hotels charge for different things. I think Haven is one of the more expensive for extras.
I have done a number of Sun hols in the past when our children were young and always had a good time – we even went to France and used the discounted Ferry service and was fab ( French sites can be much better than uk ones ) We are thinking of going again this year and are tempted to try Devon Cliffs as it holds great memories of when it was Sandy bay when i was a child and mum and dad took us every year ( for 13 years!) and as i lost mum last year we may do it as a tribute x thank you for reminding me to organize this x
Wow! What a hot chocolate!
A really interesting review…..we’ve never done a £9.50 Sun holiday before and this gives us a real insight. Thanks x
Michelle recently posted..Siblings #1 January 2014
I’ve just booked a £9.50 holiday to Hayling Island, never been on one before so unsure what to expect. Sneaky with the extra charges but still much cheaper x
Sounds like a bargain! I’ll be collecting my tokens when the kids are a little bigger 🙂 x
Donna Wishart recently posted..2014 – The Year Ahead of Us
Ah it’s really great for littles too!
been doing these holidays for years never upgraded and always had nice clean caravan, only thing it dose get quite cold at night so always take an extra heater too warm us up.