Reviews of Coghurst Hall Holiday Park, Hastings
Review by Liz J on 20th May, 2014
Add your review Date visited: 16-19 May 2014
This is my first ever online review, I prefer to give feed back direct to companies but in this case there was no facility to feed back and I have some major concerns I feel potential visitors should be made aware of.
We are a family of 4, two adults and two children aged 3 & 6, we regularly use this type of holiday park and thought the site looked just right for us as we like smaller more intimate settings but it's important to us to still have the facilities such as a pool, shop, kids club and onsite restaurant, Coghurst seemed to offer all of this in a beautiful setting, we had not used Park Holidays before but in our experience these operators run on a similar basis to one another, so we did our usual upgrade to a silver plus three bed caravan which has been more than adequate on other parks.
The first thing that struck us about Coghurst Hall as a holiday park was that it was clearly more of a residents park than a holiday park (something we were unaware of at point of booking and probably would have made us think twice). The infrastructure is not sufficient for the amount of caravans on site, with reception and the club house being very small. The location of the park and the view over the lake seemed to more than compensate for this though, it is a truly lovely spot.
We had a van in the Gardens, we had to park in the car park rather than being able to get the car close to the caravan (we we situated in the top corner - the furthest point from the carpark) This was something we hadn't experienced before but we just congratulated ourselves on how lucky we have been previously. Once we had climbed up the rather steep hill with two tired kids and all their paraphernalia, we were greeted by a rather tired looking van with a dead pigeon outside it.
Inside wasn't great, it wasn't exactly filthy but I certainly wouldn't pass it as clean. Most of the inventory was missing (didn't even have anything to light the gas oven with) and many of the windows handles were broken meaning the windows didn't shut and anyone could climb in and given our location we were worried about the safety of our belongings. We didn't complain to reception as there was a fantastic little card saying if we found any faults with our van we should fill it out and hand it into reception and it would be fixed during our stay. This gave us total piece of mind as we planned to be out all day Sunday and wanted to be sure our belongings would be safe then. The windows were never fixed (nor was I ever contacted about them) but we needn't have worried as come Sunday the park was teaming with police.....
I'm endanger of writing a book of my complaints so I will now summarise with bullet points as to the general issues with Coghurst Hall before I get to my main point.
- Food was awful. We ordered a chicken burger for around £7.50, it arrived with two chicken dippers in a stale bun, no mayo, no salad nothing. My husband tried a cheese burger and gaged (usual constitution of a sewer rat).
- Shop closes at 5pm (handy if you have a 4pm check in)
- Poor drinks selection in bar
- Club house too small to accommodate holiday makers
- Pool always full and closed even when you arrive ahead of the public swimming slots
- Live link up bingo! This takes place at 7pm each evening (just as the kids arrive) and then they are expected to keep quiet whilst this goes on (no-one on site ever won a prize either)
- Staff demotivated with a blame culture (though the female kids entertainer was very good)
- No kids club during the day
- Poor entertainment, included a raffle (you have to pay to enter) and family bingo (you have to pay to enter) and pub quiz.
- Family entertainment doesn't start till 7.30 (due to link up bingo) which is pretty late for a 3 year old.
- No management of drunken holiday makers
So, with my rant over I come to my main concerns about Coghurst Hall and Park Holidays. Sadly during our stay a holiday maker, young man who ended up in the lake and died. We do not know the ins and outs of what happened, we heard several versions of events. I think given that this was the evening after the FA Cup final and things were pretty lively when we left at 9pm, I would imagine alcohol was involved. I would like to make the point that I do not think Park Holidays or Coghurst Hall are accountable for this tragedy but the way this was handled was appalling.
Firstly, it became apparent that there were plenty of people and police around when this man went into the lake. It seems that there was no emergency procedure in place in this event. You would expect some kind of training for staff should this ever happen given the size and the location of the lake within the park, I'm sure dogs could be at risk let alone children. I'm not suggesting the lake should be fenced off but notices of who to contact and what to do in an emergency would be expected. I would also have expected staff to do regular drills to deal with this, it's clear this has never happened and no emergency plans exist.
We were out for the day during this but came back at 6pm just as the body was being removed. Anyone staying on site had been subjected to a very heavy police presence all through the night (we had helicopters searching) and all day whilst they searched for the body. Park Holidays did nothing to offer a distraction for residents. I've already stated you couldn't access the pool so the only other thing to do onsite with your kids is walk round the lake or sit in the club house over looking the lake. I would have expected management to have some kind of crisis contingency plan or put on some other entertainment for the kids at least. This may have prevented the mass exodus of holiday makers and owners from the park.
The management failed the staff. The staff clearly had no briefing on what to say to holiday makers or what was appropriate conduct in this situation. The staff were left floundering, quick to point the finger (one even blamed the police) and some were clearly traumatised and in need of emotional support from their employers.
Park Holidays ignored the whole event. I would have expected given the massive disruption to have at least seem a sign on the notice board or to have received a note or a comment but nothing. For some people (including us) this was our main family break and it obviously changed the dynamic of the holiday. I do not expect a free holiday but dialogue with the park operators would have been fully appreciated, instead we have all gone home with our own opinions on what happened to that poor man and our thoughts are with his family as we feel Park Holidays don't care.
To summarise my rather lengthy review, don't ever book with Park Holidays or visit Coghurst Hall while it is owned by Park Holidays, the park has clear faults which could be resolved but it's clear the operators do not care about your physical or emotional safety or care about supporting their staff in the event of a crisis.
AVOID
Review by F MUNDAY on 18th April, 2014
Add your review Date visited: 14-18 April 2014
Having read some of the other reviews we went to Coghurst Hall with a feeling of dread wondering what we would find there. After a drive down a small lane we found the site first impressions were of a tidy but busy place, booking in was very fast and the staff were helpful. We found the unit with no problem,inside it was clean and tidy but old and a little tatty . The walk around the lake took less than 1 hour
and the woodland walk was ruined by the amount of rubbish and deep ruts along the path.The shop was small and only stocked basic things, the restaurant was very clean the choice of meals good and the the quality very good. But as there is no bus route your own car is a must but parking is very limited. Was our stay worth the money - no, will we go back - no, will we use Park Holidays again - yes already booked a stay at nearby Rye been there loads of times.
Review by margaret on 9th October, 2013
Add your review Date visited: 20/9/13
ME and my family went to your caravan park for my grandson birthday and we was put in to a bronze plus caravan when we get there and when we went in it was very very dirty and it looked like poo on the walls and the sofa/bed was very very wet with pee that someone or a dog had wee in it we went over to talk to the staff about it and all what they said that we can go and look at a anther caravan but that was the same it was very very very bad so we went and told them and what they did was got someone to come over and clean the caravan what they give us and they give us a free breakfast for all the family but the food was not nice at all so will not be going back to you again we went to steeply bay in Essex and that caravan place was very very good the food was very nice and the staff was very nice to us and the kids entertainment was the best so we will be going back to steeply bay
Review by KAREN on 1st September, 2013
Add your review Date visited: 10th aug-17th aug 2013
One word bout caravan and site CRAPonly good thing were alex and steve who made the week bearable no public transport to get anywhere if u don't drive as situated down very narrow country lanes paid over 750.00 pounds for a gold plus 3 which was very basic nr the reservoir and horse fields ok if u had a peg stinch was terrible wasps nest outside caravan and with 3 small children under 10 not ideal wouldn't go back again and would deffo not go any other park holiday camp
Review by kev newman on 28th April, 2013
Add your review Date visited: 22/4/13 to 28/4/13
it was a last minute booking made late last sunday for my self and my 2 adult children(22&19)to arrive on monday 22nd.cost was only £59 for four nights, so for that price we didnt expect much at all, 1st van we had was awful, broken shower, dodgy steps leading intovan, no loo brush, electrics tripped when toaster was used , on tues morn contacted reception to complain, staff were brilliant, we were moved to another van which was miles better, no real probs with this van except kettle,the button just needed holding while the kettle got going,we had a brilliant time, entertainment was good, alex and steve the entertainment staff were fantastic the food in the clubhouse was good and value for money, all staff throughout the site were helpfull in every way generally its good site, does need a tidy here and there, but its early season yet. we enjoyed it so much we stayed an extra 2 nights. so in general if u dont expect to much for your money then you wont be dissappointed,swimming pool is ok, more suited for little ones but the sauna and laundrette were out of action this week, the one thing that really hacked me off was there are no signs or warnings about the entrance barrier to the site being closed at a specific time, we arrived back at 1.30 in morning and couldnt get the back onto the site so had to park it outside overnight, but there is not a lot space out side to park, i even tried phoning security several times but no one answered, be like us go with an open mind and we thoroughly it, holidays are what you make them. we are even going back in june,
Review by Paul on 19th October, 2012
Add your review Date visited: 12th Oct-15th Oct
If you've read a bad review about Coghurst Hall, heed the warning!! Gold Plus caravan isnt the luxurious accomadation it has been made out to be.
Staff are rude and unhelpful,facalities poor and outdated, muddy grass no paths to dilapedated caravans, heating and cooking not enough gas pressure to boil a pan of water, shower scolding hot probably due to ridiculous low water pressure.
When emailed a complaint, reply was robotic generic "we will look into it" no real effort involved, once they got your money they dont care, Lacking customer care, ABSOLUTE RUBBISH!!
Review by K. Jones on 9th September, 2012
Add your review Date visited: September 7th 2012
My wife and I stayed in a bronze caravan and after reading the reviews we were dreading it!! We were actually very pleased with our accommodation, very clean in a nice part of the park,mainly private owners around us, very quiet and clean area but when walking around we did come across the 'rough' part. Staff seemed helpful and friendly. Didnt use the club for food but did look around and seemed nice. Pool ideal for younger children. Only bad thing we found was the microwave in the caravan looked dirty but on closer inspection it was rusty..didnt use it tho so didnt bother us. Would we recommend the park..yes, would we visit again..yes. Dont be fooled by the bad reviews, try it for yourselves.
Review by Bronze club on 28th August, 2012
Add your review Date visited: 24/8/2012
Oh my god! What a caravan we got! We was in the BRONZE CLUB and it STINKS! The sofa's are a joke you sit on them and fall through, we thought a rat died in here the smell was that bad! The beds are so short! I'm only five foot and i can't straighten my legs because the beds are too small and there is a wall at the end so i have curl into a ball and the bed isn't wide enough to fit my body on so i fall of! There is nothing for the kids to do apart from put all there money in the crappy ancient machines in the club house, The kids club mascot (Loopy and cyril) Needs a wash, It looks like i ain't had a wash since it they were bought. Would never come here again theres nothing to do, If you want to waste your money come here, you might aswell go to a gypsie caravan site you'll get much cleaner caravans there and better staff. The toilet is so small and close to the wall! The right half of me is squished agains't the wall and the door hasn't got proper locks so my leg opens the door forcing me to hold it shut. But there is a great alarm clock that wakes you up at 4 am! (A bloody loud cockerall) Don't even bother looking at the Bronze, Siler or Gold status caravans, there all the same! if you do end up going here just go for bronze, it's cheaper! My advice to you is to Not even bother thinking about going here, Just don't!
Review by Jean on 4th June, 2012
Add your review Date visited: 28th may 2012
I went to coghurst Hall and will never go there again it's a beautiful place but and a BIG BUT the place is dirty the grounds unkept ...the management need customer care lessons...the children entertainment is non existences.... It ok for adults going fishing and drinking.....more like a big pub than a holiday place...not at all for children the grounds are messy muddy we had rubbish all around our caravan...if you think going for a gold caravan think again still bad ...staff are friendly if you are in the pub drinking but other than that you don't exsist ...
Review by Chris on 16th July, 2011
Add your review Date visited: 11th-15th July 2011
Had a few days holiday left at work so booked this as a last minute break. Paid in full and then read the reviews - no going back - so went with mixed feelings about what to expect. We've had holidays at both ends of the scale and can say that this was by no means anywhere near some of the bad one's we've had. I think the negative reviews here are a bit unfair and didn't find any of the problems the others seemed to have had. Had a fleet caravan so no personal touches but although basic, it was clean and had the essentials. Staff were friendly and helpful, did not find we were being overlooked in favour of the residential owners, and yes, there was a toilet roll provided in the linen pack! Can't comment on the pool as didn't use it and unless you like bingo, I would go the the clubhouse a bit later in the evening. Food is just pub grub but the one meal we had was hot and tasty. Quieter bar areas for adults were good as we didn't have children with us, but I'm sure if our grandchildren were with us, they would have had a good time. If you want a luxury 5 star site, then maybe this is not the place for you, but if you want a good honest site, which is a good base for exploring nearby areas then this site is not a bad choice. In fact the only negative was the bulb had blown in the kitchen, but I didn't let it spoil my break too much ;)
Review by georgina on 21st April, 2011
Add your review Date visited: 22/04/2011
I am a owner of one of the caravans at Coghurst Hall.
I have only had my caravan a year and already am looking at selling it on, i have had nothing but troubles for the past year and have had enough. I have always tried to rent out my caravan to try and help me cover the costs for ground rent etc but from the start this has all gone wrong, the reception staff whom deal with the lettings do not contact me if they have any troubles with my caravan and its only when i contact them myself that they advise me of what has happened and i always hear the same thing from them which is that they have been trying to ring me for the past few weeks when i know for a fact they havent, they are also very blunt and quite rude.
They are forever making a mess when caravans are being moved around and where my caravan is i am forever having to avoid tones of mud and when i say mud i mean big puddles which are right outside my caravan door so i am having to walk right round them with my young child which is not really fair on him.
Everytime my partner has mentioned this i am told "yes we are going to clear this up asap" this never gets sorted.
The park just seems to be getting more and more cramped with caravans when there really isnt any room to put them.
I could go on and on with all the problems i have had.
I wouldnt recommend this park at all and i feel very let down.
Review by Bethany on 19th April, 2011
Add your review Date visited: 11th April
We booked our 4 days through a newspaper promotion and I was pleased with the caravan, it was very clean, the location was good, and the reception service on arrival was superb. However on our first night, we ordered 4 meals at £28 in the bar/restaurant/clubhouse and received absolutely apalling discourteous service, so we just made sure we didn't return there. The other problem was that the main swimming pool wasn't fully operational so big children kept jumping in the bit where the little ones were meant to be able to play, and there was no-one on duty overseeing what was going on. My conclusion is that the park is fine to use as a base to sleep but don't bother with the 'facilities'.
Review by jenny on 12th April, 2011
Add your review Date visited: 8th april to 11th of april
i wouldnt bother staying here its a home owners site not a holiday park felt i should of been in my local as everyone knows each other and i was the outsider barstaff served the locals before you i had to pay 5 pound deposit for a pool cue where a local didnt my advice dont bother
Review by Peter on 9th January, 2011
Add your review Date visited: Every week
Hi everyone,
I am an owner at Coghurst Hall who privately sublets to holidaymakers and I'll try and be as open and honest as I can.
I have never heard a single bad comment from any of my customers regarding the park, facilities or my caravan. They have all said that they enjoyed the nightly entertainment and found the park to be just what they were looking for. This park is very child friendly and safe.
If its full on club music, disco lights, arcades noise and flashing lights aplenty and lots of vomiting drunk people wandering around then I'm afraid you're in the wrong place.
True, the on site shop isn't big, I don't think Tesco's have anything to worry about! But it does sell essential things you may need.
If you are after a big shop, there is a decent Co-op 5 mins away, A mini spar at the BP garage 5 mins away, Sainsbury's on the A21, a 24hr Tesco's extra and a Morrisons all no more than 7 - 10 mins away.
If you plan ahead for your shopping before you leave I don't think you'll have much bother.
As for eating, the clubhouse have a good selection of food which you can eat in or takeaway. All the takeaways in Hastings and the local area deliver to the site (up to the main gate) so really I think you are spoilt for choice there.
With regards to the accomadation, what you have to remember is that a privately owned caravan will always be well looked after, far better than a fleet one.
Its worth noting that Park Holidays do not have a large amount of rentals available in the busy periods and they do turn down customers due to lack of fleet availability (this is a popular park).
Book privately and I am almost certain you will be comming back again and again.
Most owners' rentals can be found on the internet. Try directholidayhomes.co.uk caravans4hire.com or just use google and see what you come up with.
Sorry if I stated the obvious.
Review by Steve Widdows on 9th September, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 3rd September
Our visit got off to a bad start when it became clear that our request for disabled facilities had been overlooked. Not that the park or any of it's facilities could in any way be described as disabled friendly. Following what looked very straightforward directions on the site map turned out to be more than confusing (and yes, I can read maps) we were eventually guided to our van by a helpful guy on a golf buggy.
We'd booked the bronze van, and really didn't expect too much, but to arrive at the van and find the fridge smelling suspiciously like vomit (I kid you not) and the floor and cushions covered in dogs hairs was, we felt, unacceptable to say the least. Not to mention the overgrown vegetation and weeds outside the van. In the plus column we found the staff helpful (but basically powerless to act) and the entertainment very good. With a little attention to detail this could be a superb park. A real shame and a great let down
Review by Steve Pellatt on 5th September, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 7-14/08/10
Paid for Gold 3bed+ unit through Park Holidays UK for myself & family and got unit with torn seating, loose trim, grubby carpet/furniture, peeled wallpaper, pillows as flat as to be unusable, missing basic kitchen utensils, old food remains in kitchen sink, bathroom sink partly detatched from wall and worst of all soaking wet shower carpet with soaking towel chucked on floor.
Complained about various issues on the Sunday. Fixed the sink but never had feedback on wet carpet. By Weds it was getting wet in Hallway, room smelling and VERY unpleasant. Had to chase repeatedly to get maintenance man to come and when he did he quickly identified loose waste connection for sink as cause - he could not explain why it was not picked up on the Sunday when sink was refixed to wall. Found staff to not be very customer focused and pool opening hours so short if you go out during day you'll be hard pushed to find pool open when you get back - 5pm closure to families!!! Have submitted complaint with photos but feel overcharged and cheated compared to a number of Canvas Holidays stays in France in recent years where standards of units much better. Gold units are supposed to be very new - ours certainly wasn't. Site shop has very limited rangs and VERY expensive. All in all I'd not recommend it unless you are prepared to accept lower standard than you pay for and want convenient location for local attractions.
Review by tdm on 22nd August, 2010
Add your review Date visited: every year
oh my gosh i cant believe the negative reviews
how can it be coghurst halls fault if someone cant read a map or find their way around
i have just got back from coghurst and me and my children saw loopy every night and every day
the same cd playing??? we saw dick whittington the pantomime we had a cowboy day where everyone dressed up as cowboys
there were kids and adults talent shows, live cabaret and the loopy club every night
the place is beautiful the pool is clean and the staff are friendly richie is a credit to them
they cater for everybody if you like entertainment there's the club house if you like nature there's the woods at the back, if you like fishing there's a well stocked lake
most of the caravans have decking and lots of trees round them for privacy
this is not a flat piece of land with rows and rows of caravans like most parks you will visit
i couldn't disagree more with some of these comments as for being cold i dont think the staff have much control over the weather :)
Review by Vicky on 18th June, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 4th June 2010
Having read the other negative reviews - I have to say, I couldn't disagree more!
We hired a privately owned caravan for the weekend at the end of the half term. As we drove into the site, we were immediately struck by the picturesque views of the lake and the pretty deckings around the caravans. We were very fortunate, as the caravan we hired had a completely fenced in garden, complete with garden table and chairs and a gas BBQ.
Having 2 young children, we spent much of the time around the caravan, took a blow up paddling pool and had a lovely time.
We loved the pool area, really friendly staff and very clean, the mini water slide was great fun for the kids (particularly as mine aren't water confident at all!).
The entertainment for the children was lovely, really personal, within a couple of minutes the guy 'Richie' had remembered both of my childrens names and really made them fit in.
We found all of the staff friendly and helpful and the facilities clean and the actual park and house very pretty and the gardens well kept.
We will definitely be returning.
Review by lisa grant on 7th May, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 3.5.2010
have just got back from 4 nights and have to say this was the worst holiday ever!!
first night we arrived was freezing daughter had 3 duvets on her caravan shabby not quite the gold plus standard we were expecting!! hole where extractor van should have been. the whole van rocked when walking!
we were reluctantly moved to another van after being offered extra duvets.
the next van more comfortable but as the week went on we realised there was a broken grill, the coat hook in the hallway fell off with one coat on it and that night after the hype of kids club and being promised my 6 year old daughter was let down by loopy not showing up. we were told because of lack of staffing. now i understand its a small park etc but we had told our daughter there was no entertainment then when we arrived she was really pleased when told loopy out every night and loopytime half 6 til half 7. that was a joke every night we were waiting at least 15 minutes whilst waitng to see if the other 5 children on the park turned up. really enjoyed weds night when the whole 2 members of the ents team were there. bunny came out games etc. things were looking up! then we went swimming in the few hours that the pool is open to the general public and the kids bit was being cleaned for the whole afternoon!that night we went to loopy time at half 6 as usual. we had forgotten our camera the previous night and the staff said they would have waited for us to get it but we thought no need to worry we can do it next night which the staff verified' loopy is out every night' which clearly wasnt true but never mind. when we got there after 2 dances end of loopy time was announced turns out we had missed the rabbit! daughter hysterical. they agreed to get him out in the morning to console her but that meant we had to endure a rude breakfast waitress and a burnt breakfast!
Review by Paul on 30th October, 2009
Add your review Date visited: 26th Oct short break
Coghurst Hall is a very scenic location but the site is massive and numbering on caravans is absolutely hopeless.We were at the back of the fourth row and the guests have to walk over soggy wet grass with their luggage or shopping.The caravan was reasonably comfortable but four or five people are expected to sit on one side of the table as there are no dining chairs.After a 6 hour journey I would also like to see a loo roll in the toilet as one rarely shops until after unloading suitcases!
As we we took an out of season break we did not take advantage of the facilities so cannot comment.
Review by Alan on 15th August, 2009
Add your review Date visited: 8-15th Aug 09
One of the worst holidays ever, when we got there we was given a map of where to find our caravan, we ended up at another caravan with the same number, there was no signs directing you to the correct way. We booked a 2 bed caravan (classed to sleep 6) and it was so small it was tight for the 4 of us, the double bedroom was 7ft square, the double bed was a big single and a bed of nails would have been more comfty, there was 2 small wardrobes 10 inches wide to store our clothes in, no draws, the twin room was very small also with a 6 inch gap between the beds! We booked a self catering holiday but we could not all sit around the table provided as there were no chairs, my children had to site on the sofa while i pushed the table up to them. We had a large decking area to the side of the caravan but there were no table and chairs to sit on it. The windows of the caravan were green with slime, the plates and saucepans were dirty, after a few days my wife and i wanted to come home but stayed for a few days longer but then my kids got bored and wanted to come home early. They run a kids club, but an adult has to be there also, the kids disco every night was just the same CD played every night.
The grounds and pond etc were great and very good if you like long walks and fishing.
To get to the local shops etc you will need a car as you have to drive along some very narrow back roads before you get on a main road, the club house does sell food and take away items but like the drink prices you will have to pay lots, we brought drinks at a local Sainsburys at a quater of the price and took them to the club house.
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