UK's most expensive Santa's Grotto sells out but families unimpressed at prices

12 December 2023 , 11:46

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Meeting Father Christmas is a magical experience for any child (Image: Getty Images)

The most expensive Christmas experience in the country is a hit with celebrities and royals, but has left some punters feeling they've been hit too hard in the pocket.

Lapland UK has become a festive phenomenon in recent years. A decade and a half after former hedge fund trader Mike Battle and his primary school teacher wife Alison launched the experience in Kent and, following a move to Ascot in Berkshire, it has gone from strength to strength.

If you're a parent or a school child, it is one of the hottest tickets going, and it's easy to see why. Those who manage to bag themselves a ticket in the mad rush several months before the doors swing open are transported into an impressive immersive Christmas world.

They spend the day ice skating, chatting to immaculately dressed festive creatures, spending time in the cosy hearth of Mother Christmas and visiting the main man in red himself.

Joe Swash and Stacey Solomon visit LaplandUK (Getty Images)

The Christmas experience is fully immersive (Laura Nightingale)

The Mirror recently lifted the lid on what life is like among the squadron of elves that descend on the snow dusted woodland each year, tasked with sprinkling the lives of customers with a decent helping of festive cheer and Christmas magic.

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Word about Lapland UK's pedigree has spread far and wide, which means that getting hold of a ticket is not easy. When they went on sale this March 100,000 people entered a virtual queue to get hold of them.

Those who were lucky enough to get to the front before they sold out had to fork out as much as £179 per person. That means a sizeable family can comfortably spend more than £1,000 on gaining entry to Europe's largest grotto experience, and that's before they've forked out for extras such as food and gifts. According to one report, Lapland UK is expected to make more than £20million this year.

Lapland UK has become a seasonable phenomenon (LaplandUK)

A number of A-list visitors have headed to the Christmas wonderland including Prince William and Kate Middleton with their three children, the Beckhams, the Rooneys, Girls Aloud member Kimberley Walsh, Sir Elton John and David Furnish, Abbey Clancy, Joe Swash, Stacey Solomon and Tom Hardy.

In the course of the four and a half hours that visitors get to enjoy inside they get to help out the elves in the toy factory, decorate gingerbread with Mother Christmas, whizz around the ice skating rink, meet Father Christmas and receive two toys. The package also comes with parking included and a photo.

The high cost of the entry and the clamour to get hold of a ticket has left some feeling as if the experience is not worth it. Disgruntled customers have taken to Tripadvisor to express their ill-feelings about Lapland UK.

"Disappointed. Complete waste of money. Don’t need to spend almost £500 for your children to have a magical time. Plenty of other places I would have preferred to have taken my children for a magical day for a fraction of the price," one happy person wrote.

Another added: "It is massively overpriced, they try to get more money out of you at every turn. You are rushed through and I actually think it is unacceptable. Please do not book this! There are many similar experiences for a fraction of the price and much better."

Dani Dyer also made it down to the festive zone

However, the vast majority of people on the review website have kinder words to say and better ratings to offer Lapland UK, which has won four out of five stars overall.

"Amazing, amazing, amazing! So magical, the effort and thought that goes into this place is unbelievable. My daughter was mesmerised the whole time, thank you Lapland UK. Go, you won't regret it," one happy parent wrote.

Another added: "It takes a lot for me to be impressed these days, and this place isn’t cheap to visit and I had very high expectations based on this. Give one of the most special gifts to your children and bring them here. It is absolutely magical and the look on my five-year-old's face was worth every single penny."

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