Thought we would go away for a few days and decided to go to Blackpool and book in the Caravan Club site there.
The price hike from the first day to the following three is scandalous. Why!!! Because the children break up for the Easter holidays. No wonder many families find it difficult to afford a holiday.
26 March 2015 - 27 March 2015
Pitch fees for 1 night at £3.20 per night
£3.20
2 Adults for 1 night at £5.70 per adult per night
£11.40
27 March 2015 - 31 March 2015
Pitch fees for 4 nights at £9.50 per night
£38.00
2 Adults for 4 nights at £7.70 per adult per night
£61.60
Path if you think that's a rip off try booking a commercial site for Easter, a lot will only do a minimum of 3 nights I've even heard some charging for 5 nights min, check out the price rises at centre parks !! That could make a grown man cry.
They make their money at peak periods, the rest of the time they barely break even on the sites they run. Perhaps we should consider that the peak period price is the normal price and the other prices are loss leaders just to get some customers through the doors.
------------- Bill
For a licence dated 1997 or later you must add together the plated max weight of the caravan and trailer, if the total is 3500 or less you can tow it. You may even tow a caravan with a MAM greater than the cars unladen mass the restriction was removed in 2013
If i have got this right, £25 per night for Easter.
Thats £12 per person.
Sounds like an absolute bargain to me, if you dont like it then why dont you book into a hotel or B&B and see what that costs, or try wild camping?? there is lots of free laybys you could try, then you could buy your water in supermarkets and use their toilets when your there.
Not sure how you would charge your phone or have electric for your appliances, then again you could buy some solar panels and a inverter.
Some good security products would also be very handy.
If you look at the first class service the CC supply's
its got to be good value, and as above supply and demand dictates the price
We will just go to any other European country with our ACSI Card and pay €12 per night. (Under a tenner) on sites with heated pool, restaurant, and other facilities our poor break even not for profit club don't have. Like free wifi.
Oh by the way, these European sites make a profit. Simples.
I am mystified why people try to compare pitch prices with the prices for hotels which provide a room with all the luxuries needed. Hotels need no other investment such as buying a caravan and insuring it etc.
Why not compare prices with pitching in a layby? That would bee just as relevant.
I think there should be a price differential between peak periods such as holidays and weekends, but comparison with hotels is really daft.
The club sites are no lnger cheap and a lot of the time pitches can be had on commercial sites for similar prices with greater fascilities
It has always been thus & not just for pitches. Example Chalet at St Ives Bay Hol park. 7nts in May. 16th £276(plenty of availability), 23rd school hols £438(now fully booked), 30th £295(plenty of availability).
The alternative would be to spread the cost over all season with identical prices from March-Oct so overall takings did not go down. This would reflect in a considerable rise in prices for those that take breaks 'off peak'.
Question for op. Would it be less 'scandalous' for off peak, early/late season campers to pay more so those restricted to school hols could pay less. Or should off peak prices apply at all times risking financial unviability of site?
Of course one might expect a club run for the benefit of its members to be a little less commercially driven and a bit more biased towards fairness.
Two things can be done, firstly people with no children should vote with their feet as nothing will bring prices down quicker than falling occupancy rates except the second which is canvas for a change to the club consitituion.
Quote: Originally posted by Billy x on 18/3/2015It has always been thus & not just for pitches. Example Chalet at St Ives Bay Hol park. 7nts in May. 16th £276(plenty of availability), 23rd school hols £438(now fully booked), 30th £295(plenty of availability).
The alternative would be to spread the cost over all season with identical prices from March-Oct so overall takings did not go down. This would reflect in a considerable rise in prices for those that take breaks 'off peak'.
Question for op. Would it be less 'scandalous' for off peak, early/late season campers to pay more so those restricted to school hols could pay less. Or should off peak prices apply at all times risking financial unviability of site?
One counter argument is the rates should always be the same for the tent, caravan, MH and the occupants should be charged for seperately.
I have always thought that Billy.It would be fairer if they even out the site fees over the whole season.
We are retired and often benefit from the reduced site fees but wouldn't mind paying more if it meant the price hike was less.
As for comparing it with staying in a hotel it is a whole different ball game. We stayed in a beautiful 4* hotel over the Christmas holidays between Boxing Day and New Years Eve.We had a lovely room, breakfast and evening meal. It was surrounded by parkland where we could enjoy walking.We paid £99 per night for the two of us. We could even take the dog.
Kojak ......We love caravanning and think the CC sites are of a brilliant standard. We have been using them for over twenty five years and we are not complaining about the site fees. It's the price hike immediately the school holidays start which is so unfair.
Perhaps 'Scandalous!!!' is a bit strong but it is how I thought when posting initially. And.....it's not only the CC which does this, its similar everywhere. I was just surprised the prices were increased so much by the CC.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.