Last but by no means least our dining experiences at Butlins.
With our holiday we also received a premium dining plan, this meant our breakfast and dinner was paid for to eat in The Deck restaurant however we could eat around the resort with £12.50 per adult and £6.25 per child towards our meal. To do this all we needed to do was take our dining card to the reception in The Wave hotel and they provided us with a card to do this.
The Deck has a wide range of food options:
- Assisted buffet, you can try as much as you like (perfect if your children are a bit fussy)
- A wok station where one of our chefs will cook you a tasty stir fry
- A different carvery every evening
- A full range of continental options at breakfast
- Omelettes or pancakes made to order for breakfast
- A dedicated (lower) children’s buffet counter with options from Annabel Karmel
- A grill where we’ll cook your chicken or burger to order
- A pasta station where you can choose your pasta and sauce and we’ll cook it for you there and then
This allows you to have something different every day if you wanted to.
overall our experiences were mixed when we ate at the Deck.
The Good:
Everyday our breakfasts seemed to be tasty there was lots of choice from full english to just cereal and it let you choose what you wanted to eat daily.
There was also a selection of fruit to eat from with your meals if you wanted to be a bit healthier.
We liked that you could choose what you wanted and how much you wanted, this let you have a little bit of everything if you really wanted.
The service in the restaurant most of the time was prompt and well-mannered.
The Bad:
We attended The Deck at several times as per the card (You have a traffic light system which advises the average busy times and quiet times) On the occasion we turned up at the recommended quiet time which was our last night, there was hardly any food left. All the deserts had gone and most of the food had dried out a little which made our last meal really disappointing.
I never got to eat from the Grill as every occasion I had tried it they had run out of the food. This was tried out several times during the week and it was a little disappointing as the menu sounded delicious.
I also never got a chance to try out the fresh pasta, after waiting 10 minutes with just 2 people in front of me I gave up.
The choice for the kid’s food was very limited. Kayleigh and Ethan are not keen on chips/burgers/sausages etc but this was a reoccurring menu throughout the week.
Drinks are a choice of fresh juice/squash and hot drinks. This is fine however the fresh juice was watered down so much on many occasions it was undrinkable.
Overall:
It could just have been a hiccup the week we attended, like I said some of the meals we had were delicious and we didn’t go hungry. I just expected a lot more for my money at £21 a day per adult.
We also ate at Papa John’s in the restaurant and delivery to the apartment, this was yummy on both occasions. Our favourite place to eat though was The Beachcomber Inn. Our meal here was delicious and the service was great.
The only thing I didn’t like about eating out was you had paid to have a dining plan and when you ate out you always had to top up. If you have never been to Butlins but would like to experience it for a day before you book a holiday, have you considered a Butlins Day Pass? This allows you the chance to experience it all before committing to the big trip, also great if you are local and looking for a fun day out.
I would be tempted to go self-catering if we returned to Butlins as I think this would be better value for money if you wanted to eat around the resort.
We received a 4 night break and dining plan in return for an honest review.
