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5 Best Kent Caravan Holiday Parks - 2024
Kent often gets overlooked as a UK holiday destination, but it's got a long coastline with several seaside towns such as Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate. It's also got plenty of local history, including Canterbury Cathedral and a number of impressive castles such as Hever, Leeds and Dover for a start.
We've picked out five of the best holiday parks in Kent by looking at reviews, facilities, location and price. We've only included caravan parks which have accommodation you can rent, rather than touring and camping parks.
We've picked out five of the best holiday parks in Kent by looking at reviews, facilities, location and price. We've only included caravan parks which have accommodation you can rent, rather than touring and camping parks.
1. Kent Coast Holiday Park (busy coastal Haven park, indoor and outdoor swimming pools - previously called Allhallows)
**Winner: best value Kent holiday park**
Kent Coast Holiday Park is a family friendly caravan park in Kent with plenty to do onsite. It was known as Haven Allhallows until it had a rebrand in 2023.
It's run by Haven, which has 40+ parks around the UK. As a general rule, Haven parks are a little more expensive than Parkdean Resorts sites, though there are exceptions. See our full Haven v Parkdean comparison, which concludes that Haven tend to get slightly better review scores.
Kent Coast scores an impressive 4.2/5 on Google Reviews or 3.5/5 on TripAdvisor. That puts it on a par with a lot of Haven resorts and higher than many rival parks. It has plenty going for it and will suit those who like the familiarity of the Haven brand.
As the name suggests, Kent Coast is in a good coastal location, although bear in mind it's a shingly part of the Thames Estuary rather than a glorious sandy beach.
The park has indoor and outdoor swimming pools, fishing, tennis, evening and kids' entertainment, play areas and minigolf as well as somewhere to eat. Dogs are welcome at Kent Coast Holiday Park.
Kent Coast also got some major upgrades in 2022. A new adventure village has opened with aerial adventures, bungee trampolines and kart hire. That's being followed by a terrace overlooking the Thames and other upgrades to the main entertainment area.
It's also pretty quick to reach from London. On a good day, you could get from the middle of London to the holiday park in just over an hour in a car.
Price: £815 for a Saver two-bedroom caravan for a family of four, staying for a week in August 2024. This is the standard 'Haven holiday' price. If you just want accommodation, select the Haven Hideaway option on the booking page. You can't use the swimming pool with this no-frills option, but you can use the restaurants. On this occasion, the accommodation only option was £130 cheaper for the week.
Also worth mentioning is that prices at Haven can vary depending on the day that you arrive. A week in a Saver caravan in early August ranged from £815 to £1182, with Saturday arrivals costing more than Friday arrivals. It's worth being flexible to save yourself more than £300!
It's run by Haven, which has 40+ parks around the UK. As a general rule, Haven parks are a little more expensive than Parkdean Resorts sites, though there are exceptions. See our full Haven v Parkdean comparison, which concludes that Haven tend to get slightly better review scores.
Kent Coast scores an impressive 4.2/5 on Google Reviews or 3.5/5 on TripAdvisor. That puts it on a par with a lot of Haven resorts and higher than many rival parks. It has plenty going for it and will suit those who like the familiarity of the Haven brand.
As the name suggests, Kent Coast is in a good coastal location, although bear in mind it's a shingly part of the Thames Estuary rather than a glorious sandy beach.
The park has indoor and outdoor swimming pools, fishing, tennis, evening and kids' entertainment, play areas and minigolf as well as somewhere to eat. Dogs are welcome at Kent Coast Holiday Park.
Kent Coast also got some major upgrades in 2022. A new adventure village has opened with aerial adventures, bungee trampolines and kart hire. That's being followed by a terrace overlooking the Thames and other upgrades to the main entertainment area.
It's also pretty quick to reach from London. On a good day, you could get from the middle of London to the holiday park in just over an hour in a car.
Price: £815 for a Saver two-bedroom caravan for a family of four, staying for a week in August 2024. This is the standard 'Haven holiday' price. If you just want accommodation, select the Haven Hideaway option on the booking page. You can't use the swimming pool with this no-frills option, but you can use the restaurants. On this occasion, the accommodation only option was £130 cheaper for the week.
Also worth mentioning is that prices at Haven can vary depending on the day that you arrive. A week in a Saver caravan in early August ranged from £815 to £1182, with Saturday arrivals costing more than Friday arrivals. It's worth being flexible to save yourself more than £300!
A few words on Haven's caravan grades
Haven has various caravan grades starting with Saver at the budget end. You can then upgrade to Bronze, Silver, Gold and Signature at the luxury end. For a midweek break in March, you might only pay a few pounds to upgrade whilst in the summer school holidays the upgrades can cost hundreds of pounds.
We've written a guide comparing the different Haven grades, so you can work out whether it's worth paying for the upgrades.
A Saver caravan is a bit narrower than a more expensive caravan and it doesn't have Central Heating (although there is heating in the lounge). You also don't get things like towels provided, a dishwasher or a veranda. However, it will provide a decent base for a few days, and you can spend the money you've saved on eating out or on day trips.
We've written a guide comparing the different Haven grades, so you can work out whether it's worth paying for the upgrades.
A Saver caravan is a bit narrower than a more expensive caravan and it doesn't have Central Heating (although there is heating in the lounge). You also don't get things like towels provided, a dishwasher or a veranda. However, it will provide a decent base for a few days, and you can spend the money you've saved on eating out or on day trips.
Haven's Kent Coast Holiday Park has family activities like minigolf...
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...and it's near to a shingly beach for a walk. It was previously called Allhallows.
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2. St. Margaret's Bay Holiday Park near Dover (indoor swimming pool, coastal)
**Parkdean Resorts Black Friday: 1000s of holidays from £69 + up to 30% off 7 night holidays (expires 04/12/23)**
St Margaret's Bay Holiday Park is run by Parkdean Resorts, which now has more than 60 holiday parks in the UK after merging with Park Resorts a few years ago. They've got two parks in Kent, but we think St Margaret's Bay just about edges it over Romney Sands.
St Margaret's Bay, near Dover, is a busy and family friendly park that is also a pretty cheap option in our price comparison. It's got an indoor swimming pool, gym, children's play area, restaurant and something called an 'alternative therapy clinic', though you do pay extra for some things.
Local attractions include the famous white cliffs of Dover and Dover Castle. The nearest beach for a day out is about 20 minutes' walk or a short drive. Dogs are welcome in some of the accommodation and there's a five acre field for dog walking.
Customer reviews are mostly 4/5 and the park has also won The David Bellamy Bronze Award for Conservation.
Price: £769 for a Northborough Bungalow for a family of four for a week in August 2024.
St Margaret's Bay, near Dover, is a busy and family friendly park that is also a pretty cheap option in our price comparison. It's got an indoor swimming pool, gym, children's play area, restaurant and something called an 'alternative therapy clinic', though you do pay extra for some things.
Local attractions include the famous white cliffs of Dover and Dover Castle. The nearest beach for a day out is about 20 minutes' walk or a short drive. Dogs are welcome in some of the accommodation and there's a five acre field for dog walking.
Customer reviews are mostly 4/5 and the park has also won The David Bellamy Bronze Award for Conservation.
Price: £769 for a Northborough Bungalow for a family of four for a week in August 2024.
St. Margaret's Bay Holiday Park is near to some fantastic coastal walks...
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...and it gets positive reviews from customers
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3. Seaview Holiday Park Whitstable (busy family park, outdoor pool, coastal location)
As the name suggests, Seaview Holiday Park in Whitstable is right on the coast, and it gets positive reviews from visitors (4/5 mostly). It's just to the east of Whitstable and is about 10 minutes in the car from Herne Bay
It's run by Park Holidays which has more than 40 holiday parks, most of which are along the South of England.
Seaview Holiday Park has an outdoor swimming pool for those who like to say jolly things like "well, that was bracing!"
It also offers entertainment for children and adults and has a children's play area. Dogs are welcome and cost you £25 for short breaks or £40 for the week.
The same company also runs Alberta Holiday Park, which is about 20 minutes away by car on the other side of town. It offers a very similar sort of holiday, so I would be tempted to check prices at both. If you're booking last minute, you might find that one resort only has the most expensive grades of caravan still available, whilst the other has cheaper options.
Alberta Holiday Park gets similarly positive reviews of 4/5 from customers and it's right next to a stretch of the Kent coastline. It has a similar outdoor swimming pool and there's a clubhouse where you can get something to eat.
Price: £1339 for a family of four staying in a Gold Plus caravan at Seaview Holiday Park for a week in August 2024. When we checked, Alberta Holiday Park was £160 cheaper at £1179 for the week, but that won't always be the case.
It's run by Park Holidays which has more than 40 holiday parks, most of which are along the South of England.
Seaview Holiday Park has an outdoor swimming pool for those who like to say jolly things like "well, that was bracing!"
It also offers entertainment for children and adults and has a children's play area. Dogs are welcome and cost you £25 for short breaks or £40 for the week.
The same company also runs Alberta Holiday Park, which is about 20 minutes away by car on the other side of town. It offers a very similar sort of holiday, so I would be tempted to check prices at both. If you're booking last minute, you might find that one resort only has the most expensive grades of caravan still available, whilst the other has cheaper options.
Alberta Holiday Park gets similarly positive reviews of 4/5 from customers and it's right next to a stretch of the Kent coastline. It has a similar outdoor swimming pool and there's a clubhouse where you can get something to eat.
Price: £1339 for a family of four staying in a Gold Plus caravan at Seaview Holiday Park for a week in August 2024. When we checked, Alberta Holiday Park was £160 cheaper at £1179 for the week, but that won't always be the case.
Warmer days can be spent at Seaview Holiday Park's outdoor swimming pool...
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...and there's a family restaurant if you don't want to cook
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4. Birchington Vale Holiday Park near Margate
Birchington Vale Holiday Park is well located if you want to visit the easterly point of Kent. Ramsgate and Margate are both 10 minutes away by car whilst Westgate Bay is about five minutes' drive. It's about half an hour's walk to the beach, so probably a bit far unless you are very determined.
The park's indoor swimming pool is a pretty good size, and it has a flume to keep children (and dads) entertained. Kids' entertainment is provided in the form of a playground, a minigolf course and performers dressed up in animal costumes larking around on a stage. There's also an arcade, a restaurant and bar.
The cheaper accommodation is the caravans, but they've also got lodges which are a fair bit larger and more expensive.
Birchington Vale is another resort owned by Park Holidays UK and it gets consistently decent reviews of 4/5.
Price: £1749 for a week in a 'Gold Plus' caravan for a family of four in August 2024. The caravan is actually six berth so it's better value for larger families.
The park's indoor swimming pool is a pretty good size, and it has a flume to keep children (and dads) entertained. Kids' entertainment is provided in the form of a playground, a minigolf course and performers dressed up in animal costumes larking around on a stage. There's also an arcade, a restaurant and bar.
The cheaper accommodation is the caravans, but they've also got lodges which are a fair bit larger and more expensive.
Birchington Vale is another resort owned by Park Holidays UK and it gets consistently decent reviews of 4/5.
Price: £1749 for a week in a 'Gold Plus' caravan for a family of four in August 2024. The caravan is actually six berth so it's better value for larger families.
Birchington Vale Holiday Park has this indoor swimming pool for rainy days...
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...and there's a modern restaurant and bar so you won't need to self cater every night
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5. Canterbury Reach Lodge Retreat (posh lodges, basic facilities)
Canterbury Reach Lodge Retreat is certainly at the posh end of the holiday park market, but it's not much more expensive than many basic caravan parks.
It makes our list thanks to consistently high scores from customers, which were averaging 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor when we checked.
There's a shop on site but that's about it. Don't come here looking for splash parks and bingo nights. Instead, this is a good base for exploring Kent and Sussex in decent quality lodges.
One downside with Canterbury Reach Lodge Retreat is that it's not all that near the seaside. Whitstable's about 25 minutes away in the car whilst Margate is 45 minutes. Having said that, it's within the Kent Downs so it's a pleasant drive.
Other local attractions include Canterbury Cathedral (15 minutes' drive) and Leeds Castle (35 minutes).
Price: £1239 for a week in a Rochester Lodge for a family of four in August 2024.
It makes our list thanks to consistently high scores from customers, which were averaging 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor when we checked.
There's a shop on site but that's about it. Don't come here looking for splash parks and bingo nights. Instead, this is a good base for exploring Kent and Sussex in decent quality lodges.
One downside with Canterbury Reach Lodge Retreat is that it's not all that near the seaside. Whitstable's about 25 minutes away in the car whilst Margate is 45 minutes. Having said that, it's within the Kent Downs so it's a pleasant drive.
Other local attractions include Canterbury Cathedral (15 minutes' drive) and Leeds Castle (35 minutes).
Price: £1239 for a week in a Rochester Lodge for a family of four in August 2024.
You won't find lots to do onsite at Canterbury Reach Lodge Retreat...
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...but the accommodation is good quality and much more spacious than caravans
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Price comparison our 5 best caravan holiday parks in Kent
We looked for the cheapest accommodation (of any type) for a week during August 2024 for a family of two adults and two junior school aged children. Our searches were carried out in November 2023 and don't include discount codes, upgrades or extras. We did include Haven's 'upgrade' that allows you to use the facilities, as we consider that to be the standard option.
Generally, it's cheaper to book longer in advance with holiday parks but you will find that discounts appear from time to time which give a good saving.
Here's our top 5:
Images are from Haven, Park Holidays, Parkdean Resorts and Darwin Escapes.
Generally, it's cheaper to book longer in advance with holiday parks but you will find that discounts appear from time to time which give a good saving.
Here's our top 5:
- Parkdean Resorts St Margaret's Bay Holiday Park - £769
- Haven Kent Coast Holiday Park - £815 **Best value holiday park** (previously called Haven Allhallows)
- Canterbury Reach Lodge Retreat - £1239
- Park Holidays Seaview Holiday Park - £1339
- Birchington Vale Holiday Park - £1749
Images are from Haven, Park Holidays, Parkdean Resorts and Darwin Escapes.
