Church Farm Holiday Village is a great place for a family holiday away from the hustle and bustle. It's in stunning Sussex, just down the road from Bognor Regis, officially the sunniest place in England! Here's how mum-of-two Emily got on when she visited with her family...
We had a family trip to the Haven Holiday Park in Pagham – Church Farm. Upon arrival, we were met by a very polite lady who was able to help direct us to the caravan that we had been assigned to. As you drive through the entrance, you are able to start to see where all of the activities are and the play areas for the children.
Once we had found our home for the week, we entered the door to a very nice surprise of all our essentials we requested; bed guard, travel cot and high chair which was really organised and nice to know it was communicated and ready for us. The kids ran in and started to explore the rooms and choose their beds.
Where will I sleep at Church Farm?
We had a three bedroom caravan and we were really impressed by the quality of the accommodation.
During the unpacking, we did notice that a leg on one of the children’s beds was broken and just rested in place. We called the reception to ask for some assistance with this and it was no problem at all. The maintenance team turned up and fixed this for us really quickly and was very polite.
The caravan was a really nice size, plenty of space for us and the grandparents, who joined us for a few days. The caravan that we were assigned was quite far from the main activities and entertainment area, but this was not a bad thing as we have a little one that naps during the day, so it was great that he was not disturbed during his nap time.
What is there to do?
While we were on our holiday we went swimming in the pool, which was a nice temperature. It wasn’t too busy and our eldest loved the slide. We also attended some of the activity classes, including a craft session called creature creations where the children created their own under water scenes using all kinds of crafty bits. The lady running the craft class was really great with the children, so engaging and you could tell she had a real love for art.
There were loads of additional activities put on for the Easter holidays such as a scavenger hunt, an Easter kids party and big screen movie nights. We certainly weren't short of things to do!
As well as the craft classes and swimming pool, we spent some time in the Arcade where we played on almost every game/machine. In the arcade they also have a little soft play area, which was perfect for our children.
While we stayed at the Caravan site, we spent some time doing a bit of sightseeing. We visited the local beach, which was a short walk (10 minutes) from the site entrance. By the beach entrance there is a little café and an ice cream parlour. We also spent a day at the West Wittering’s beach, which was about a 30 minute drive – arguably one of the best beaches in the south of England.
Other local areas we visited are Chichester, which is a really pretty town, about a 25 minute drive from the Caravan Park, Bosham, which is a beautiful coastal village, just outside of Chichester. Arundel, which is a gorgeous town that we visited. It is about a 25 minute drive from the Caravan Park but is well worth a visit. I would suggest Arundel is less child friendly than Chichester as a place to visit and walk around.
What is there to eat?
Most days we had breakfast and made lunches in the caravan - as this was around the time of our youngest’s naps – however, we did have a Pizza takeaway from the restaurant. The pizzas were great, really fresh and very tasty. The menu in the restaurant and bar was very good. The prices were about right for the food and drink and the staff were very friendly. One of the waitresses – I wish I got her name – made my son’s day, she had a little octopus soft toy with her and my son was infatuated by it so she came over and let him play with it. The onsite ‘mart’ was stocked with everything you could possibly need from day to day essentials/ sun cream/ small toys for children, which was perfect.
The only thing I would say is, there was no information in the caravan or at the information centre (a type of reception area at the entrance of the park) that gave us any details on the local area; i.e. best places to visit for the beach/ lunch/ day out/ shopping/ dinner. We had to spend some time googling the area and trip advisor, as there were no recommendations available. We would understand if there were a huge number of restaurants/ facilities to eat onsite but there was just one restaurant so we thought there would be more information available as alternative options. We found a pub about a 5 min drive away that was fantastic, ‘The Walnut Tree’ we had a wonderful meal there, they were also especially accommodating as I have dietary needs.
How much does it cost to visit?
Prices vary depending on the time of year, for example 7 nights in the summer holidays for a bronze caravan (fitting 4 people) is about £700 including Play Pass. But if you can go out of season you can get a real bargain. Haven also have a variety of offers and deals available so it's worth checking their website to find a great price.
As a summary, the Caravan Holiday at Church Farm in Pagham was a great break for us and our children (5yo and 2yo). It had everything we needed in one space, it was clean and modern, with all the essential shops close by. The Play Pass was a must and really enjoyable for our daughter (5yo) as she could enjoy crafts and fun activity group sessions. Both children loved the park there and made friends every time we went which made it wonderful as we could keep an eye on them and relax. Therefore, we felt the trip was value for money as we all had fun and got to step away from everyday life, and got a change of scenery.