25 February 2023 , 17:21
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A family holiday at Butlins is more expensive than a break in Dubai this summer.
A week at Bognor during the school holidays costs up to £3,300 for a couple and two kids.
The package includes a two-bed apartment, a dining plan and activity pass for activities such as mini golf, plus stage shows from Britain’s Got Talent star Stephen Mulhern.
For £3,159 a family of four could fly to Dubai and spend a week in the four-star Hampton By Hilton Marjan Island, with bed and breakfast included.
Or £3,100 can buy a family a week’s stay in a string of all-inclusive hotels in Tunisia such as the four-star Skanes Family Resort.
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Families could nab a week's stay in Dubai for less (DAILY MIRROR)The top price is for the week of August 18 to 25. The cost of a Butlins holiday drops to £700 in September, but that is during term time – and means missing out on the Catchphrase host.
Butlins' promotional blurb says: “Our very own former Redcoat and ‘Star of Stage and Screen’, Stephen Mulhern, returns in 2023 with his brand-new show, Spellbound!
'Known for his endless energy and hilarious one-liners, he’s one of the UK’s most popular TV presenters and a world-class magician.”
It also promises “candyfloss nightlights” in rooms and “a magnetic pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey game”.
But holidaymakers who booked stays with the firm were less impressed.
Butlins resort in Bognor Regis (Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)The company has been slated on website Trustpilot, where it scored just 1.7 out of 5 after almost 800 reviews. Gripes included the cost, cleanliness and noise.
A Butlins spokesman said its family summer breaks started from £249.
They added: “This one package isn’t a fair reflection of the school holiday breaks we have on sale.
“We offer holidays to suit all budgets with three, four and seven-night breaks, a choice of different accommodation types at all three resorts and a variety of dining packages.”
Phil Salcedo, from online travel firm HolidayPirates, said many people post-Covid did not want to travel abroad, and so turned to staycations at destinations like Butlin's and Center Parcs.
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He added: “And so this desire to find holidays at home means demand is super high and that pushes up the prices.”