Bunn Leisure in Selsey: The ideal Great British Seaside destination
A 300-acre park providing a host of free activities and a
star-studded entertainment programme sounds perfect for a family
break. Graham Jones went along to find out whether Bunn Leisure in
Selsey was the ideal Great British seaside destination.
If you and your family are looking for a good beach holiday next
year without going abroad, then you would be in for a treat at Bunn
Leisure.
Holiday-makers at the park during 2013 will be first to enjoy
the new, bigger, sandier beach, created on the West Sussex coast at
a cost of £17 million.
When we arrived work was just finishing on the ambitious
engineering project, the first of its kind and size in the UK to be
privately-funded. The result will be a beautiful new sandy beach
ready to welcome families armed with buckets and spades in their
droves.
But even without this show-piece, Bunn Leisure was Tourism South
East’s Holiday Park of the Year for three years running in 2009,
2010 and 2011. Billed as the perfect holiday destination, who
better to put them to the test than our family of two adults, two
adventure-loving boys aged six and four and a baby?
It was a windy and wet weekend at the end of the 2012 season
when we checked into our very comfortable and roomy five-star
caravan. But we had a packed itinerary, thanks to the abundance of
activities available, many free, and we were already wondering how
we would fit it all in. That was without leaving West Sands – one
of four villages that make up the complex in Selsey - to see
what the local area had to offer.
West Sands alone provided us with a swimming and fun pool, kids
clubs, evening entertainment, adventure playgrounds, multi-sports;
plus a restaurant, fairground, amusement arcade, pub, health and
beauty centre and loads more.
We decided the Bunni Express land train would be our first stop,
for a ride around to get our bearings and see it all at a glance.
As our oldest son loves any kind of train, he would have happily
sat on all day. But alas, he had to get out at the Oasis leisure
complex.
However, his dismay was short-lived when he found out what else
was on offer. Reptiles come second only to trains as a passion in
his six-year-old world, so imagine his delight when a special show
was being held to give children an opportunity to see live reptiles
and learn all about them. He met a snake, a tarantula (not
technically a reptile, but we weren’t going to argue) and various
other exotic creatures, and this was undoubtedly the highlight of
his stay.
Football-loving son number two was delighted with a kick-about
on the multi-sports court and both loved the children’s show in the
entertainment venue, the Embassy Club. This gave mums and dads a
chance to sit down and have a drink while youngsters joined the
singing, dancing and general noise-making. By day, top name
children’s characters have visited, such as Sid from CBeebies,
Peppa Pig, Noddy and Sooty. By night, the club plays hosts to the
likes of Bobby Davro, Kiki Dee and Brotherhood of Man.
We enjoyed delicious and reasonably-priced meals in the
Smugglers restaurant, drinks in the Ocean Bar over-looking The
Solent and a visit to the amusement arcade. There was so much more
to do and we could have easily stayed for longer than the
weekend.
Next time, perhaps we’ll venture out to the Selsey Peninsula,
famed for its seafood, and hopefully we’ll get to check out that
fantastic new beach in its full glory.
FACTFILE
* Bunn Leisure was crowned Caravan Holiday Park and Holiday
Village of the Year by Tourism South East for 2009, 2010 and
2011
* It was Highly Commended in the 2010 Tourism South East ‘Sports
Tourism’ category
* West Sands Holiday Village won the Best in the South of
England title in the Fun and Laughter, Lively and Leisurely
category in Hoseason’s 2010 awards
* Bunn Leisure was founded by the late Douglas Bunn in 1959 and
welcomes 100,000 holiday-makers every year
* Accommodation is caravans, cottages and camping
* The season runs from March to November every year
* More information is available at www.bunnleisure.co.uk www.facebook.com/bunnleisure
and on Twitter @BunnLeisure
19/11/12
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