Church Farm Haven Holiday Park

We stayed in a disability caravan as both my 85yr old nan and i have mobility issues. There was so much wrong with it , it was ridiculous we had a gas leak, mouldy curtains, no water, no no slip flooring, the bed broke and no offer of compensation!

On our first night, we discovered a bed bug infestation in our caravan, killing about 30 bugs, most full of blood (see picture). After a difficult night, we went to reception and were given the choice to leave or stay with the bugs. Eventually, we were moved to a new caravan, but only after hours of cleaning and laundry. Though offered a refund, we were dissatisfied with the response from Adam and arranged a meeting with the Manager of Experience, Sam Goddard. Sam informed us that Haven's policy is to send people home, even with bed bugs. He insisted they wouldn’t knowingly place guests in infested caravans, but management showed little accountability and poor customer service. When we pressed the issue, Sam accused us of shouting, stormed off, and even threatened to call security on us—despite my 75-year-old mother being present. Our holiday was ruined by both the bed bugs and the unprofessional, threatening behavior from management, who consistently evaded responsibility. Weeks later, we remain worried we may have brought the infestation home. Even head office have still not taken responsibility for poor management and bed bug infestation. They even suggested we go to Citizens Advice Bureau. Shocking! Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite!

Unusually I'm writing this review while still at the site...mainly because I didn't think things could get any worse, but they did! This is the worst Haven site we have visited. Check in was good with pleasant, efficient staff. Then it went well downhill. The caravan cleanliness was substandard with a dirty, poorly stocked, kitchen area, freezer in desperate need of defrosting, sticky table and chairs, stained carpets, gungy shower door, and sweets and wrappers stuffed behind the seating cushions. They need better cleaners or a new housekeeper. Then at 4am this morning, yes 4am, there is some muppet outside with orange lights flashing on his van, head torch on, moving the bins around! As if there aren't enough hours in the day for them to do this. To add insult to injury we have both now been struck down with stomach bugs, the symptoms of which are consistent with Novovirus... Frankly, if we didn't need to be in the area at the end of the week, and due to leave tomorrow, we would be packing up early. Read less

For the price, in comparison to say Center Parcs, I would say this is a good holiday park. The good points are - arcades, softplay, zip wire, indoor pool and entertainment. There are options to suit everyone’s day. The caravan (saver) was reasonably clean and comfortable. The location is its best point, you have the beach within walking distance, the lagoon, and you’re close to Chichester, Hotham Park, Bognor Regis and the South Downs. We loved swimming at Pagham (we did check sewage dump info beforehand) and looking for fossils at Bracklesham bay. Also really enjoyed Arundel castle, we went on history day. Lots of free stuff for kids! Would highly recommend. Saw lots of signs for funfairs etc but after we were due to leave, however shows lots is going on nearby. What didn’t really work for us - we got the play pass predominantly to use the pools, but all the activities apart from the pool you needed to pay for. My 5 year old didn’t enjoy any of them ( had to leave one early because the bigger kids were too rough) bar the Dino dig, my toddler went to activetots once and it was basically a free for all without much interaction from staff. He didn’t enjoy it so we cancelled the other bookings. They both loved the playground though. Also minor point but when we arrived at our van the cleaner was sat on the step of it smoking. There were butts under the caravan too. Bit grim for people just arriving with kids. Mash and barrel - food was ok, service god awful, I don’t think the staff are enjoying the job at all! Drinks came after food was served and seem to come from a separate service station that doesn’t communicate. Overall I would recommend this as a base, if you have kids that like dancing etc the entertainment would be great, but if not there is plenty else to do. Mine loved the lagoon and seeing the ducks and swans before bed rather than the disco.

I took a trip to Church Farm with my 4 year old. We booked a Savers caravan, which was about a 5 minute walk from the main complex. The caravan had all of the essentials and was very clean. The arcade was cashless and easy to use, my little one loved the arcade. We used the inside pool which had a water slide, which my son was obsessed with. Furthermore, we did activities such as the tots mini games and build a bear which was run by a lovely, friendly chap. I think his name was Luke. We attempted the mini golf and ran around the play park before eating at the restaurant. At the restaurant you order food and drink on the app, which is great if you’re not a huge fan of social interaction. I had the chicken and bacon panini, which was well worth the money and because I purchased an adult meal, my son’s kids meal only cost me £1! Brilliant. Moving into the evening entertainment, this was engaging for the kids and the kids entertainers were brilliant with my son when he wanted to dance with them. Any drinks and snacks are ordered on the app, which again was really useful, as I was a solo parent with a 4 year old, who loved the dance floor. We stayed to watch a couple of the adult entertainment act at the end of the night, which include a lovely singer from Eastbourne and a well known ventriloquist. Finally, check in and check out was extremely easy. The key was in the caravan on arrival and it was just handed to a member of staff on the way out. If we had any queries the staff were very helpful. I’ll be booking again soon!

During our stay my family went swimming whilst there someone defecated in the pool the staff shut the pool for 30 mins whilst "cleaning" is taking place for a full decontamination it should be shut for 13 hours minimum. I know this from my cleaning back ground the drains also smelt in the changing area and I don't feel this is cleaned properly or at all .