Travel review: The great British seaside holiday is still alive and kicking at Butlin's

And more than a century since he was inspired to open his first holiday camp in Skegness by a drab break in Barry Island, the principle of giving the public what they want has seen Butlin’s weather huge changes that could easily have seen the business consigned to the pages of history.

Billy Butlin is reported to have once said that “the public are not always right, but they are never wrong”.

This simple statement and his belief that the customer's overall experience and satisfaction were paramount to his business helped him create a success story which endures to this day.

He wanted to give the people what they want - and judging by the huge numbers who were spending the week at the Skegness resort during half-term in October - the business which bears his name is still delivering just that.

Butlin’s aim was to make the British seaside break accessible to all, which he undoubtedly achieved.

And if you want a world of entertainment on your step for a week or weekend, then there is no better choice for a family break.

Butlin wanted to create a “place of colour and happiness” where quality activities and entertainment would be provided so that families could really enjoy their time together.

That is exactly what Butlin’s at Skegness offered our family of four at the end of October.

First things first. We are not an easy family to please. We like different activities, we have very different dietary needs and we include two teenagers who normally like nothing better than sitting glued to mobile devices.

The Butlin’s mix of free and paid activities offered something for everyone in our group - and more often than not we were able to enjoy those activities together, without devices.

Our accommodation was within one of the brand new Maple Walk premium lodges sleeping up to six people, which absolutely met the marketing promise of combining “great value with all the things you'd want in a home away from home at an affordable price”.

The spacious open-plan living areas with all mod cons - including a dishwasher - and premium fixtures and fittings offered plenty of space for our family of four.

Not that we spent much time there.

With so much to see and do, it is unlikely you will spend many waking hours within your accommodation, and you won’t do much cooking there if you are on one of the great dining plans on offer.

We were on the premium dining plan at The Deck and Yacht Club which offers a huge range of buffet food options.

Breakfast features everything you could possibly imagine, including freshly cooked omelettes, made-to-order pancakes and hot and cold favourites.

Kippers cooked to order featured regularly on my breakfast plate.

For dinner, you can discover world flavours with themed nights, feast your eyes on live cooking stations and satisfy every craving with a variety of premium dishes.

The dining plan really was excellent value for money. You are only limited by the size of your appetite and our mix of meat eaters and vegetarians with specific dietary needs were all well catered for.

It can get busy at peak times, but after a day or so it is easy to work out when best to go and where best to sit. The restaurant staff were attentive and efficient.

Hats off to them for their composure in what is a testing environment!

Along with unlimited food, the dining plan also offers unlimited tea, coffee and fruit juices.

And if you sign up for one of the unlimited drinks plans, you also get to order and enjoy unlimited alcoholic drinks from an extensive house drinks menus at many venues across the resort - assuming you are over 18.

If not, there are plenty of soft drink options available for those under 18 on this great value package. I thoroughly recommend it.

So that is the accommodation, food and drink taken care of.

So what is there to do, I hear you ask.

Lots. Enough to keep you busy each and every day of your break.

Chief among the attractions - and hugely popular at all times of the day - is the water fun complex with pools, slides and much more for all the family.

If swimming is not your thing, then perhaps you could try your hand at adventure golf, archery, air gun shooting, go karting, high rope climbing, football or some of the many other activities on site, including the SKYPARK for the youngsters.

Our Action Pass entitled us to one go on the adventure golf, 10-pin bowling and American pool in Hotshots bar and the go-karts.

There really and genuinely is something for all the family, including the free fairground and many, many shows. Ah, the shows.

Now, here is where you will find the famous Butlin’s Red Coats and entertainers in their natural habitat. Once again, there are shows for all tastes.

Before I get into what is on offer, let me implore you to take advantage of the Early Access VIP Pass which gives you access to venues 15 minutes before doors open to other customers. I can’t recommend this highly enough. You get the pick of the best seats, early access to the bar and, if you time it right, you don’t need to queue at all.

The entertainment itself is varied and, yes, offers something for everyone. From the Masked Singer Live featuring real celebrities, through to the family pantomime Snow White, there was much to enjoy.

Our particular favourites were the musical revue show Iconic, featuring music and live tribute performances to some of the biggest names in the world of music, as well as the genuinely funny Cirque Du Hilarious featuring Danny & Mick from CBBC with their dad Clive Webb. Their 2025 show was a triumph and they will be back with a brand new show in 2026.

Add in the many free shows on the Skyline Pavilion and you can easily see why you won’t spend much time in your rooms.

Those who do not take out a dining plan have numerous places to eat and drink, with a supermarket on site in the aforementioned Skyline Pavilion.

And don’t forget the amusement arcades, offering the full range of usual seaside attractions.

So, how would I sum up Butlin’s and the unfairly maligned British seaside holiday?

Well, In the 100 years since Billy Butlin opened his holiday camp in Skegness, much has changed.

But Butlin’s still offers a fun-packed family holiday for every budget.

Butlin once saw the phrase “Our true intent is all for your delight” painted on a fairground organ and later discovered it was a quote from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

He adopted it as his company’s slogan and encapsulated his vision for providing enjoyable holidays.

It still rings true today.

October 2026 Half Term break from £915 (£229 per person) Butlin’s offers a four-night October Half Term break featuring The Masked Singer Live and Maximum Pro Wrestling staying in a two-bedroom Maple Walk Premium Lodge £915 on 19 October 2026 in Skegness. Price is based on a family of four sharing and includes live shows and activities with free flow access to the pool, unlimited fairground rides and the SKYPARK playground. Dining packages start from £25.95 per adult, per day, £15.50 per child (6-14), per day and £7.25 per child (2-5). To find out more or to book go to butlins.com.

Neil Pickford and his family travelled to the Skegness resort at Butlin’s as a guest of the company. They stayed in a premium lodge and were given a premium dining plan and all inclusive drinks package, alongside the early access pass for shows