Guests often describe accommodation as dirty, unsafe, or poorly maintained, and several say it ended their holiday early. Many report late or missing updates about cancellations, refunds, and closed facilities. At the same time, reviewers frequently praise reception teams and individual park staff for quick, hands-on help. Recurring booking and payment issues also shape views of value.
Examples from available reviews (Aug 2017 – Mar 2026).
Unsafe and faulty caravans led to shortened holiday and poor complaint handling.
“dangerously soft floor which was later confirmed by maintenance as unsafe.”
Caravan was dirty with a urine stain, mould and heating problems.
“i had pulled back the sheets to find a damp large urine stain.”
Friendly staff and tasty takeaway food enhanced our holiday.
“Zoe on reception was always helpful”
Booking cancelled two days before holiday with no suitable alternative offered.
“cancel it 2 days before we were due to go.”
Many reviews applaud front-line staff and park managers for fast, practical support and speedy maintenance at specific sites. Against that, several guests describe an unfriendly manager and say promised refunds never arrived. Positive staff feedback appears across multiple parks and often mentions named employees or long-standing local teams.
Several guests mention unexpected price changes during booking or at checkout, along with complaints about extra call or booking fees. Some paid for upgrades but found the accommodation smaller or not worth the extra cost. A few reviews mention clean caravans at acceptable prices, though these are less common.
Guests say closures of entertainment and leisure facilities disrupted family plans and short breaks. Reviews mention venues shutting early, missing children’s clubs, and noisy or threatening groups that made some families feel unsafe. Many say these problems clearly reduced enjoyment of the holiday.
Most feedback focuses on accommodation problems: repeated reports of poor cleaning, mould, urine stains, rodents, broken showers, and heating faults. Several guests point to clear safety risks, including dangerously soft floors and repairs left unfinished. A minority mention refreshed caravans or spotless units, suggesting housekeeping can be strong at times.
Many customers describe weak communication, including last-minute cancellations, no warning about facility closures, unanswered emails, and slow refunds. Some also report deposits taken for holidays that were not available and disagreements over how lost items were handled. Only a few reviews mention smooth booking communication.
Reviews split sharply between high scores praising helpful staff and many low scores describing dirty, unsafe accommodation and broken promises. Several guests shortened their stay or left straight away because of hygiene, repair, or safety problems. A smaller group report trouble-free breaks where staff support and site condition matched expectations.
For each review, the core experience based on original source reviews.
Sources: Trustpilot (27) · Reviews (19) · Reviews (1) · Quotes shortened · As of: March 2026
Unsafe and faulty caravans led to shortened holiday and poor complaint handling.
“dangerously soft floor which was later confirmed by maintenance as unsafe.”
Cottage appeared refreshed with new carpets and updated furnishings throughout.
“looked liked the property had all new carpets and soft furnishings”
Multiple cleanliness and safety concerns plus poor site operations affected stay.
“rolls of hair behind doors and under beds”
The park significantly improved under current management and staff recently.
“it had massively improved.”
Price dropped days after booking and the company would not adjust it.
“LESS THAN A FEW DAYS LATER THEY DROP THE PRICE .”
Beautiful location but accommodation was filthy and badly maintained throughout.
“Worst place I have stayed and we travel around the uk!”
Spacious bungalow but cleanliness oversights and limited disabled parking caused issues.
“one of the bedside cabinet drawers had a previous guests underwear in them.”
Caravan was dirty with a urine stain, mould and heating problems.
“i had pulled back the sheets to find a damp large urine stain.”
Multiple cleanliness and facility failures forced us to leave after two days.
“Had 2 children under 2 with no hot water, a wasp nest in the garden, dirty hot tub”
Friendly staff and tasty takeaway food enhanced our holiday.
“Zoe on reception was always helpful”
Booking and email communication were good but park facilities were tired.
“booking process great, email communication great.”
Rodent noise and multiple maintenance faults disrupted our stay.
“At night you could hear rodents scurrying around under the cabin.”
Evening facilities closed early, spoiling our birthday celebration.
“Last orders 10 pm !! What a joke.”
Premium plus caravan was small and not worth the extra cost.
“Trust me this is no where premium plus !!”
Accommodation was dirty and badly maintained; complaint response disappointing.
“ranged from all round dirty, to broken stools, drawers.”
Suspicious occupants and noisy group disrupted and worried our family stay.
“12 men in a 2 bed chalet.”
Pool closure not communicated and John Fowler did not respond to emails.
“pool is closed all weekend - that being the reason we book ruda”
Paid for a specific caravan but received an inferior substituted accommodation.
“I paid to have “Fixed Door” which guarantees the exact favourite caravan”
Unfriendly manager and dirty hot tub; promised refund not received.
“The service is terrible. The manager was very unfriendly.”
Gold star bungalow had broken shower and TV and shabby condition.
“The shower didn't work, the tv also didn't work”
Violent group and poor staff response made the stay unsafe and distressing.
“my son who has autism was violently pushed off.”
Booking cancelled two days before holiday with no suitable alternative offered.
“cancel it 2 days before we were due to go.”
Friendly staff at Sandy Glade resolve problems promptly over many years.
“John fowler is very friendly at sandy glade any problems they sort out”
Run-down site, poor food and entertainment, and inattentive staff spoiled stay.
“Food is absolutely disgusting always burnt and tasteless.”
Toilets and showers were not cleaned and the welcome was lacking.
“toilets and showers were not cleaned once.”
Friendly staff and prompt maintenance created a lovely, trouble-free holiday.
“I could not fault the staff, everyone we dealt with were so friendly.”
Chalet was unhygienic with leaks and limited hot water despite friendly staff.
“The chalet was awful and we left early.”
Promised entertainment absent and facilities closed, disappointing family holiday overall.
“no entertainment when it was advertised no kids club there is nothing.”
Extremely dirty accommodation with fleas, mould and insufficient linen provided.
“definitely the dirtiest place I have stayed...”
Illness prevented travel but customer services refused refund and charges stayed.
“no refund would be given nor even the £100 for extra cleaning”
Unfriendly manager and dirty hot tub; promised refund not received.
“The service is terrible. The manager was very unfriendly.”
Lodge booking cancelled two days before holiday without offering alternatives.
“cancel it 2 days before we were due to go.”
Promised children's entertainment largely absent and on-site food was poor.
“Not a single stripe on site any day or night during our week long stay.”
Small clean park with helpful staff and attentive management provided a great stay.
“The caravan was immaculate”
Clean caravan and friendly staff, but payment limits and drink prices disappointed.
“The caravan was very clean and in a quiet position.”
Cleaner not paid for work and received no reply from management.
“I have still not been paid the full amount for my first week”
Price rose by 40% at checkout and booking process seemed misleading.
“it went up 40% when I tried to pay.”
Alleged tap water contamination with cryptosporidium reportedly caused hospitalisation.
“The water here is still contaminated with CRYPTOSPORIDIUM.”
Park offered to post lost trousers only if customer paid postage, still missing.
“they said that they could post them to her if she sent all the equipment and payment”
Gold caravan was dirty, poorly equipped and children's entertainment was poor.
“Gold? Perhaps it might have been a bronze elsewhere.”
This page combines submitted experiences with public reviews from platforms such as Google, Trustpilot, etc. Recurring points are summarised without changing the content of reviews.
John Fowler Holidays runs UK holiday parks and self-catering stays, offering caravan and lodge hire for short breaks and week-long visits. Guests can book online or by phone, with stated terms, deposits, and customer support. Many parks have on-site facilities such as pools, restaurants, takeaways, and entertainment areas. Visitors can choose unit types and add extras through the website or the reservations team.