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Haven Primrose Valley Holiday Park Discounts, Reviews And Activities 2024
**Haven's Offers: Autumn 2024 from £69 + Summer 2025 from £195**
Primrose Valley is one of Haven's biggest holiday parks - with about 1500 caravans
Haven Primrose Valley is a big and hugely popular holiday park on the east Yorkshire coastline. But is it any good?
The short answer is that whilst some Haven holiday parks in Yorkshire score slightly higher with reviews, Primrose Valley does have a lot going for it, including a terrific range of activities and access to an excellent sandy beach.
Read on for our full guide to Primrose Valley, including how it compares to other Haven resorts and nearby holiday parks. We'll also include advice on how to save money on a Primrose Valley Haven holiday, including some tips and tricks.
The short answer is that whilst some Haven holiday parks in Yorkshire score slightly higher with reviews, Primrose Valley does have a lot going for it, including a terrific range of activities and access to an excellent sandy beach.
Read on for our full guide to Primrose Valley, including how it compares to other Haven resorts and nearby holiday parks. We'll also include advice on how to save money on a Primrose Valley Haven holiday, including some tips and tricks.
How big is Haven Primrose Valley?
There are three swimming pools at Haven Primrose Valley Holiday Park
It's fair to say that Primrose Valley is a whopper of a holiday park.
By my count, there are about 1470 caravans at Haven Primrose Valley Holiday Park. Some guides online give a much higher figure of 3000, but I counted the number of caravans on Haven's official map of Primrose Valley and reached that figure.
(Yes, I really did count 1470 caravans. Yes, it took a very long time. Thanks for asking.)
Each caravan sleeps 4-6 people so at peak time I would estimate there to be about 6000 visitors on site (that's just a rough figure, based on the assumption that the average group size is four people).
That puts Haven Primrose Valley Holiday Park on a similar scale to Haven's Devon Cliffs, which has about 1250 caravans and is one of their biggest resorts. For comparison, Center Parcs resorts typically have about 800 lodges, but they are a bit more spacious and more spread out. Smaller Haven holiday parks - such as Lydstep Beach Village - tend to be in the low hundreds.
By my count, there are about 1470 caravans at Haven Primrose Valley Holiday Park. Some guides online give a much higher figure of 3000, but I counted the number of caravans on Haven's official map of Primrose Valley and reached that figure.
(Yes, I really did count 1470 caravans. Yes, it took a very long time. Thanks for asking.)
Each caravan sleeps 4-6 people so at peak time I would estimate there to be about 6000 visitors on site (that's just a rough figure, based on the assumption that the average group size is four people).
That puts Haven Primrose Valley Holiday Park on a similar scale to Haven's Devon Cliffs, which has about 1250 caravans and is one of their biggest resorts. For comparison, Center Parcs resorts typically have about 800 lodges, but they are a bit more spacious and more spread out. Smaller Haven holiday parks - such as Lydstep Beach Village - tend to be in the low hundreds.
Does Haven Primrose Valley get good reviews?
Reviews for Haven's Primrose Valley Holiday Park are pretty decent - but there are Haven resorts that score higher.
At the time of writing, visitors give Primrose Valley a score of 3.5/5 on TripAdvisor and 4.3/5 on Google Reviews. That's after more than 8000 reviews, so it gives us a good indication.
But why are the scores so different? There's quite a leap between a 3.5/5 and a 4.3/5 score. The main reason that we can figure out is that TripAdvisor only scores in half ratings. My hunch is that Primrose Valley is very close to being a 4/5 holiday park.
And what are customers saying? Needless to say, you get a big range of opinions but here are some common themes in the reviews for Haven Primrose Valley:
Here's how Primrose Valley ranks compared to Haven's other Yorkshire holiday parks:
So, Primrose Valley is in third place amongst Haven holiday parks in Yorkshire, according to customer reviews. However, it is worth mentioning that we have generally found larger holiday parks (such as Primrose Valley) tend to score slightly lower than smaller holiday parka. Also, the difference in scores on Google Reviews is really small so I wouldn't obsess over it.
At the time of writing, visitors give Primrose Valley a score of 3.5/5 on TripAdvisor and 4.3/5 on Google Reviews. That's after more than 8000 reviews, so it gives us a good indication.
But why are the scores so different? There's quite a leap between a 3.5/5 and a 4.3/5 score. The main reason that we can figure out is that TripAdvisor only scores in half ratings. My hunch is that Primrose Valley is very close to being a 4/5 holiday park.
And what are customers saying? Needless to say, you get a big range of opinions but here are some common themes in the reviews for Haven Primrose Valley:
- there is plenty to do and the staff get lots of praise, particularly the kids' entertainers and live lounge staff.
- lots of people comment on how easy it is to get the beach and like the surrounding scenery.
- some guests comment about cleanliness and maintenance, such as saying that parts of the swimming pools weren't working (to be honest, this sort of complaint is very common at large holiday parks).
- the site is very large, so some people find it a bit of an effort to get around. There isn't currently a 'puffer train' that gives lifts around the site (as far as I'm aware).
- comments about the accommodation are generally positive, but quite a few people say that cooking for big groups is a challenge.
Here's how Primrose Valley ranks compared to Haven's other Yorkshire holiday parks:
- Thornwick Bay - 4/5 (TripAdvisor) + 4.5/5 (Google Reviews) = 85%
- Reighton Sands - 4/5 (TripAdvisor) + 4.3/5 (Google Reviews) = 83%
- Primrose Valley - 3.5/5 (TripAdvisor) + 4.3/5 (Google Reviews) = 78%
- Blue Dolphin - 3.5/5 (TripAdvisor) + 4.2/5 (Google Reviews) = 77%
So, Primrose Valley is in third place amongst Haven holiday parks in Yorkshire, according to customer reviews. However, it is worth mentioning that we have generally found larger holiday parks (such as Primrose Valley) tend to score slightly lower than smaller holiday parka. Also, the difference in scores on Google Reviews is really small so I wouldn't obsess over it.
Haven's Thornwick Bay gets better reviews than Primrose Valley
How much do Haven Primrose Valley holidays cost compared to other Haven resorts?
Generally speaking, we've found Haven's Yorkshire holiday parks - such as Primrose Valley - to be cheaper than Haven's resorts in Devon and Cornwall. My hunch is that there's a certain trendiness about the Westcountry that bumps prices up (I'm sure there are other factors involved as well).
For example, a week's holiday for four people in early August 2024 in the cheapest accommodation at Haven Primrose Valley started at £885* compared to £1289 at Haven Perran Sands in Cornwall or £1185 at Haven Riviere Sands in Cornwall.
For the same dates, the cheapest of Haven's Yorkshire holiday parks was Thornwick Bay at £685 - almost half the price of Perran Sands.
So, whilst Primrose Valley was about £300-£400 cheaper than Haven's Cornwall resorts at peak time, it was actually £200 more expensive than Thornwick Bay. As we saw earlier, Thornwick Bay also scores slightly higher with customers.
Of course, all of these prices are much lower outside of the school summer holidays. We prefer to compare the peak time prices as it's when most people are visiting but you can bag a real bargain during term time (apologies for mentioning this, I know how annoying it is for parents...).
*This is the price for a standard Haven holiday. The price is lower if you want a 'Haven Hideaway'. With this option you can use the restaurants but you can't use the facilities, such as the swimming pool or pay-as-you-go sports and activities. We've included the higher price as that's what most people go for. The cheapest caravans are usually the 'Saver' grade - see our Haven accommodation comparison for more details of what is included for that price.
For example, a week's holiday for four people in early August 2024 in the cheapest accommodation at Haven Primrose Valley started at £885* compared to £1289 at Haven Perran Sands in Cornwall or £1185 at Haven Riviere Sands in Cornwall.
For the same dates, the cheapest of Haven's Yorkshire holiday parks was Thornwick Bay at £685 - almost half the price of Perran Sands.
So, whilst Primrose Valley was about £300-£400 cheaper than Haven's Cornwall resorts at peak time, it was actually £200 more expensive than Thornwick Bay. As we saw earlier, Thornwick Bay also scores slightly higher with customers.
Of course, all of these prices are much lower outside of the school summer holidays. We prefer to compare the peak time prices as it's when most people are visiting but you can bag a real bargain during term time (apologies for mentioning this, I know how annoying it is for parents...).
*This is the price for a standard Haven holiday. The price is lower if you want a 'Haven Hideaway'. With this option you can use the restaurants but you can't use the facilities, such as the swimming pool or pay-as-you-go sports and activities. We've included the higher price as that's what most people go for. The cheapest caravans are usually the 'Saver' grade - see our Haven accommodation comparison for more details of what is included for that price.
What are your top tips for saving money at Haven Primrose Valley?
- Filling up a large caravan is better value than booking two smaller caravans. Primrose Valley doesn't have any eight berth caravans (as far as I can tell) but you'll find that a four berth is only a little bit cheaper than a six berth. As an example, let's say that two families of three people are planning a holiday. If they stayed in one three bedroom caravan in August 2024 then they would pay from £1075 for the cheapest accommodation available. If they stayed in two caravans, they would pay a total of £1710. Of course, you will need to quite chummy to be sharing rooms but you might be able to make it work if you had two families, with each having one child.
- Booking early is really important if you want to get the cheapest prices with Haven. This isn't because they bump prices up, but is because the cheapest grade of accommodation often sells out. There's a risk you will end up paying for upgrades that you don't really need. The higher risk option is to go for a last minute deal, but this tends to only work out well if you are a) very flexible with where you want to visit and b) plan to visit off peak.
- Haven's offers page is always worth a browse. You won't find discount codes and promo codes for Haven but they have some good reductions on there.
- Go for Haven Hideaway if you just want to use Primrose Valley as a base. As mentioned earlier, there are two options with a Haven holiday. If you just want a sandy beach, cheap accommodation and access to the restaurants, go for Haven Hideaway. However, if you want to use the swimming pool, watch the entertainment and sign up for (paid) activities then you will need to pay for the standard Haven holiday. The discount you get by booking Haven Hideaway varies depending on: when you visit, how long you stay for and how big the park is. At a big resort like Primrose Valley, you can save quite a lot by choosing Haven Hideaway but it's much less at a smaller resort without many facilities. To give you a rough idea, a family of four in August 2024 would save £190 if they went for the Haven Hideaway option on a week's holiday. That works out as about £7 per person, per day. See our detailed guide to Haven Hideaway if you want the full waffly version.
How easy is it to access the beach at Primrose Valley Holiday Park?
The big draw of Primrose Valley Holiday Park is its close proximity to a nice wide stretch of Filey Beach. It is a mostly sandy beach but with quite a few stones. You can build a sandcastle, but you'll probably stub your toe if you attempt to run along the beach like a gazelle.
You can now access the beach from two footpaths including one towards the northern end of the site and another towards the south of Primrose Valley.
However, keep in mind that Primrose Valley is a large Haven resort, so some of the accommodation is much closer than others to the beach.
If you pick accommodation right by one of the footpaths then the walk to the beach is about 400m (i.e. a quarter of a mile or a five minute walk at the pace you would walk without children). If you end up at the far end of the park then it is about one mile to the beach, which will take about 20 minutes on foot - or longer if you are dragging along children.
We will go into more detail about choosing accommodation later in this guide, but it's worth saying that Haven lets you 'Choose your holiday home', so it's not just pot luck where you end up.
You can now access the beach from two footpaths including one towards the northern end of the site and another towards the south of Primrose Valley.
However, keep in mind that Primrose Valley is a large Haven resort, so some of the accommodation is much closer than others to the beach.
If you pick accommodation right by one of the footpaths then the walk to the beach is about 400m (i.e. a quarter of a mile or a five minute walk at the pace you would walk without children). If you end up at the far end of the park then it is about one mile to the beach, which will take about 20 minutes on foot - or longer if you are dragging along children.
We will go into more detail about choosing accommodation later in this guide, but it's worth saying that Haven lets you 'Choose your holiday home', so it's not just pot luck where you end up.
The beach at Haven Primrose Valley has plenty of space for its thousands of guests
Does Haven Primrose Valley have good facilities, activities, entertainment and swimming?
As we've seen, there are other Haven Yorkshire holiday parks that get better review scores than Primrose Valley. However, we reckon Primrose Valley has a better range of activities and things to do onsite than the other Yorkshire resorts.
These include:
These include:
- three swimming pools including two indoor pools and one outdoor pool. One of them is an indoor 'adventure pool' which is a bit like a splash park, with a three lane slide and buckets that drop water on your head. The other indoor pool is a more straightforward rectangle of water for splashing around in. The swimming pools at Primrose Valley are good, but they aren't quite on the same scale as those at Haven Hafan y Mor in Wales and Haven Craig Tara in Scotland, which have had big swimming pool upgrades in recent years.
There are two indoor pools and one outdoor pool at Haven Primrose Valley
- three restaurants/pubs for dining in, as well as fish and chips and brand name takeaways including Costa, Millie's Cookies, Burger King and Papa Johns. One of the places to eat at Primrose Valley is Haven's first onsite Wetherspoons pub. This was announced with a big fanfare in 2024.
This is one of the main places to eat at Haven Primrose Valley
- an activity lake, where you can do watersports such as kayaking and pedalos.
The activity lake at Primrose Valley has kayaking lesson (for a fee obviously)
- energetic sports and activities that make me feel tired but which will appeal to slightly older children. For example: NERF, an inflatable arena, archery, aerial adventures, footgolf (i.e. a mix of football and golf), bungee trampolines, 'The Jump' (a big pillow you jump onto from a great height) and a climbing wall. There are also junior versions of some activities, which are aimed at younger children.
You won't feel deflated after a trip to the inflatable course at Primrose Valley
There are two aerial adventures, including one for younger children
- crafty activities such as pottery painting and slime creation
- an amusement arcade, where you can lose lots of money
- three playgrounds, by my count anyway!
- evening entertainment, such as live music
Of course, you pay extra for some activities. Haven don't tend to charge as much for their activities as Center Parcs, but it can add up. As a rough guide you can expect to pay:
- £5 for footgolf
- £12 for archery
- £20 for an aerial adventure
- £12 for pottery painting
This is just a guide, you can see the full prices of activities at Primrose Valley here.
Footgolf is one of the activities you pay extra for at Primrose Valley
Which is the best accommodation at Haven Primrose Valley holiday park?
Haven has five main grades of caravan accommodation at its resorts. Primrose Valley has all five options, whereas some resorts only have two or three.
We cover this in another guide, but the gist of it is that the grading goes like this:
Upgrades get you things like dishwashers and outside decking (see our full grading guide or Haven's official grading comparison). Within most grades you can also choose whether you have two or three bedrooms. The top grades often include a sea view or lakeside view, so you end up with a name like 'Caravan Signature - Front Row Sea View'.
It's worth saying that the sea view properties at Primrose Valley sell out quickly. We looked for holidays in August and found that most had been booked by February (i.e. six months earlier).
You'll also notice that the difference in price between grades varies significantly between peak and off peak dates. For example, in late August 2024, we were quoted about £1000 to upgrade from a Saver (£) caravan to a Signature (£££££) caravan with a sea view. In October 2024, the same upgrade was about £400.
I would also suggest that you look at the page on the Haven website called 'Choose your holiday home', as it allows you to pick the best location within the site. Spend a little time studying the Primrose Valley map and decide what's important for you.
My advice is to go for accommodation near to one of the two footpaths that lead down to the beach.
If you prefer easy beach access and close proximity to the main entertainment then go for the area around Southcliff Court, Rose View and Linkfield Court on the southern side of Primrose Valley Holiday Park.
If you want easy beach access but would rather be a bit further away from the entertainment area then go for the caravans around Shearwater, Cormorant and Puffin on the southern side of the park.
You can't camp at Primrose Valley but it does have a small area for 35 touring caravans.
There is plenty of dog friendly accommodation at Haven Primrose Valley. Dogs can go onto the beach and can go inside one part of the main restaurant.
We cover this in another guide, but the gist of it is that the grading goes like this:
- Saver (£)
- Bronze (££)
- Silver (£££)
- Gold (££££)
- Signature (£££££)
Upgrades get you things like dishwashers and outside decking (see our full grading guide or Haven's official grading comparison). Within most grades you can also choose whether you have two or three bedrooms. The top grades often include a sea view or lakeside view, so you end up with a name like 'Caravan Signature - Front Row Sea View'.
It's worth saying that the sea view properties at Primrose Valley sell out quickly. We looked for holidays in August and found that most had been booked by February (i.e. six months earlier).
You'll also notice that the difference in price between grades varies significantly between peak and off peak dates. For example, in late August 2024, we were quoted about £1000 to upgrade from a Saver (£) caravan to a Signature (£££££) caravan with a sea view. In October 2024, the same upgrade was about £400.
I would also suggest that you look at the page on the Haven website called 'Choose your holiday home', as it allows you to pick the best location within the site. Spend a little time studying the Primrose Valley map and decide what's important for you.
My advice is to go for accommodation near to one of the two footpaths that lead down to the beach.
If you prefer easy beach access and close proximity to the main entertainment then go for the area around Southcliff Court, Rose View and Linkfield Court on the southern side of Primrose Valley Holiday Park.
If you want easy beach access but would rather be a bit further away from the entertainment area then go for the caravans around Shearwater, Cormorant and Puffin on the southern side of the park.
You can't camp at Primrose Valley but it does have a small area for 35 touring caravans.
There is plenty of dog friendly accommodation at Haven Primrose Valley. Dogs can go onto the beach and can go inside one part of the main restaurant.
Saver caravans are the cheapest grade at Haven Primrose Valley Holiday Park
Signature caravans are the top grade - but the cost of upgrading varies a lot depending on demand
Conclusion
Overall, we think that Haven Primrose Valley is a good choice for a holiday park.
You get a terrific beachside location, the trusted Haven brand and it has a really good range of things to do onsite.
However, there are a couple of caveats.
Firstly, it's worth acknowledging that there are other Haven holiday parks in Yorkshire that get better review scores and which can be cheaper for some dates. Thornwick Bay stands out as it is a newer resort and gets outstanding reviews.
Secondly, I want to point out (again) that Primrose Valley is a very large holiday park. Hopefully you have gathered as much from the previous waffle in this guide. There are literally thousands of people onsite. This isn't a problem as it has the facilities to match and the beach is spacious. And of course, there are loads of other families so there's a good chance your kids will make friends with the neighbours and not want to come home. However, it won't be for everyone because it's so large. If you want a smaller Haven resort in Yorkshire, I would start with Blue Dolphin.
You get a terrific beachside location, the trusted Haven brand and it has a really good range of things to do onsite.
However, there are a couple of caveats.
Firstly, it's worth acknowledging that there are other Haven holiday parks in Yorkshire that get better review scores and which can be cheaper for some dates. Thornwick Bay stands out as it is a newer resort and gets outstanding reviews.
Secondly, I want to point out (again) that Primrose Valley is a very large holiday park. Hopefully you have gathered as much from the previous waffle in this guide. There are literally thousands of people onsite. This isn't a problem as it has the facilities to match and the beach is spacious. And of course, there are loads of other families so there's a good chance your kids will make friends with the neighbours and not want to come home. However, it won't be for everyone because it's so large. If you want a smaller Haven resort in Yorkshire, I would start with Blue Dolphin.
Images are from Haven.
