Johnfowlerholidays Avis 

We staying in sandy meadows in a silver pet friendly lodge
Well wat can I say the sofa his being propped up by a breeze block the French doors don’t close there is no shelving in fridge door AND TO TOP IT OFF THE MATTRESS ARE SO WORN OUT YOU SLEEP ON THE SPRINGS I WOULD NOT RATE THIS TO BE A SILVER MORE LIKE A LOWER BRONZE LODGE

Love it here we are regular customers never had a problem lodges always lovely

We’ve been coming to Croyde for over 30 years, usually as part of a large group, so we know the what was Ruda and is now John Fowler very well. We’ve seen plenty of changes over the years, but this year was a particularly lovely surprise – and, for the first time in a long time, we genuinely felt we had excellent value for money.
We arrived and asked whether our accommodation was ready, expecting the usual 4pm check-in. Instead, we were offered the opportunity to upgrade from our caravans to luxury lodges – and, incredibly, all four bookings in our group were upgraded. Even better, the lodges were ready for us immediately, so we could get settled in straight away.
The lodges were fantastic. They were spacious, beautifully presented and in excellent condition, with everything feeling fresh and well looked after. Towels were provided, along with a really thoughtful welcome box containing a tea towel, washing-up liquid, tea, coffee, sugar and milk. These may seem like small touches, but after a journey they make such a difference and immediately make you feel welcome.
Our lodge even had a jacuzzi, which was an added bonus and made the whole weekend feel like a real treat. We did pay a little extra for the upgrade, but it was absolutely worth it for the additional space, comfort and quality.
What really stood out, though, was the exceptional service from the John Fowler team.
From the moment we arrived, everyone we encountered was friendly, helpful and genuinely keen to make sure we had a great stay. The General Manager even heard that someone in our group was celebrating a birthday and immediately arranged for one of her team to bring balloons, wine and a birthday card – and they managed to get there before the birthday boy! It was such a lovely and unexpected gesture and really showed how much the team cared about making our stay special.
Nothing seemed like too much trouble. Whenever we needed anything, it was dealt with quickly, efficiently and with a smile. The staff were cheerful, welcoming and clearly took pride in what they do.
After more than 30 years of visiting Croyde, it was particularly lovely to have a weekend where everything just seemed to come together – fantastic accommodation, thoughtful little touches, wonderful staff and a real feeling that our custom was appreciated.
A huge thank you to the entire John Fowler Croyde team. You made what was already a much-loved bi-annual weekend into a particularly memorable one.
We’ll definitely be back next April as usual!

Stayed at Trelawne manor, if you want to order food, don’t bother, after taking time to actually find where to order, i was told not to be surprised if they decided it was to late. Finally told i needed to order at the bar only to be met with a 20 minute queue. Finally got to the front only to be told with rudeness that i was too late( baring in mind it was 8pm) after a long day of travelling this was our only option as shop was closed. Hungry tired children and no where to eat.

If I could give zero stars I would.
South Bay holiday park Brixham
Now to put my review into perspective we don't expect the world. We happily do cheap getaways

However we paid just under £400 for 7 nights in a "gold" caravan. The staff couldn't care less about what you have to say, our party had disabilities and they just were not accommodating with this at all. The site is not flat at all you cannot park your car next to your unit. There is no WiFi available in any of the units, they allow dogs yes but I wouldn't say they are dog friendly. The beds are very uncomfortable and caused severe back pain.
The small amusements room was turned off all day despite advertising it being open from 10am.
We have often holidayed out of peak season and still have facilities and polite staff.
The on site shop is extremely expensive so go into Brixham to Tesco express or there's a Lidl about 15 minutes away.
If the entertainment venue doesn't get more than 30.people in they will not run certain advertised events or entertainment we were told by the bar staff.

It is very windy and one tracked to get to the site, you definitely do need a car here.
We were put in a unit that was next to a residential caravan which had a very aggressive large Caucasian Shepard in it which has caused us nothing but issues. This has far from been a holiday in any respect and quite honestly should be avoided at all costs unless you want to buy a caravan near the coast and be hidden away for the rest of your life, don't bother paying premium money for an experience that doesn't exist.

We stayed at St Ives for the 34th year and it was fantastic, I did not know if I would enjoy it with loosing my wife and soul mate the week before, but I was advised to go. There are a lot of memories locked up in the park. The staff were very warm and welcoming, even more so as they knew my wife. The entertainment was spot on, and really funny this year. The accomodation was spot on and the cleaners were just finishing up when we went to the accomodation, very nice and polite, as we could expect from the St Ives staff. There was not one piece of litter. The Pool had had a make over, and was very nice, water slide was gone though. We have kept intouch with 2 families we knew over the years and it was great to see them again and so we are all booked for 2027. All in all I could not fault our stay.

We had a holiday at Tolroy Manor silver Swiss style chalet in June all I can say is it was disappointing not clean at all everything was worn out in the accommodation just don’t bother

Been going to Ruda holiday park for over 40 years.
Nice to see some care being taken on park, but caravans could do with a good clean inside and out,dirty windows lots of moss and grass in gutters.
Entertainment very poor. Comedian Wednesday was awful,and singer on Thursday spent most of his time engaging with the dj rather than the audience.
I think dj crew were showing off during his performance, very unprofessional.
Will return as love the area, but happy that John fowler have started to improve things, but more work needed.

Stains on sofa and carpet parking big problem told we could park behind caravan but there was a 12foot hedge made life very difficult.The entertainment was bad one night it was ballet dancer awful.We paid for a gold caravan which was very small and awful have paid less for a basic caravan would never return to Sandy glade BEWARE7

Ruda Holiday Park. Just returned from Ruda Holiday Park after staying in a GOLD 4 Bedroom Lodge. Terrible accommodation. Mould in all the bathrooms was really bad. Window in bathroom unable to be opened. Entire accommodation was filthy. Was a nice park, but where we stayed we were very very disappointed. Lovely area, just not good standard of accommodation

At Croyde bay Ruda, we adore the place but our most recent stay has been disappointing. We weren’t provided with bedding for the sofa bed. No welcome pack or information. And mostly myself and my daughter spent a long time doing pottery painting and they smudged them and completely ruined my daughters pottery, when confronted they refused to take responsibility but did offer a refund but that would take possibly 4/5 days. Really disappointed and unhappy with this service, lack of care and empathy who have been going on holidays at this site for years. Avoid the pottery painting.

The 4 bedroomed lodge was excellent value for money, well positioned and immaculately presented. Christina, Harvey and the team were helpful and friendly. We particularly liked the two double master bedrooms with an ensuite in each. The Burrows was clean and well kept the park facilities catered for all ages, the Cascades pool was safe, clean and well life guarded. The area had plenty to do with Braunton and Barnstable close by. We would like to thank you for making our holiday a memorable one.

Very poor night tonight I travelled all the way from Newcastle on tyne to Burnham on sea to see the summertime kings. But they didn't show up. Midnight dynamo stood in for them. But I was so disappointed. Then the DJ started playing the bloody Nolan sisters and Barry white. Sorry guys it's a rock n roll weekender. Not a blooming 70s night
Seriously not good. Let's see if you can actually do rock n roll for the rest of the gig

Rude staff on arrival , allocated a shed that smelt of damp when I complained and said I upgraded staff member said that’s what we given you , there was no bed linen which I paid for , heater did not work the Maintance man said it smelt and the cleaner they said they wouldn’t stop in there !! It was not fit for purpose it needed pulling down !! And that was my upgrade unbelievable! And that was my birthday break

Cardigan bay West Wales
Arrived today 7.9.2026 and we were informed the breakfasts we booked and paid for were not available because it was out of season so my wife went to the onsite shop which is no bigger than a cupboard and purchased a loaf of bread when we got to our park caravan she noticed the bread was out of date and had mould on it so I took it down to the shop and asked for a different loaf only to find they were all out of date and had mould on them. We also find the bin in the kitchen had not been emptied and the net curtains are ripped all this on our first hour or so on the site and it the van we booked is a gold. We have now been here 2 hours and just found out he one of the remotes only has one battery in it. Sorry John Fowler I am disgusted by your site at Cardigan Bay it is appalling. The blind at the kitchen sink is filthy and should be either cleaned or replaced again in a gold caravan. We have found silver fish in the caravan which tells us the caravan is damp. I know people are only here for a week or two but to Pay a thousand pounds you should at the very least expect services to be working and clean.

On arrival not what we was expecting, the lodge steps was broken and falling to pieces, fridge had 1 shelf which is no good for 5 people for a week, master bedroom had a double worn out thin mattress on a king size frame which resulted in my husband falling out of bed so I spent 6 nights on the sofa.
The outside decking was was absolutely disgusting looks like it has never been maintained since it was built and the patio furniture was completely destroyed and they think it acceptable with a young child around. The weather was very good while we was away and the garden furniture was absolutely disgusting.
I have reported to head office and apparently what I say is not true as the staff say different. We had 8 independent witnesses that seen the state of this supposed gold lodge but we aren’t telling the truth. All my pictures are dated and timed of the day we was coming home and the on-site staff told head office all issues were addressed straight away. Very tired and outdated lodges a gold one isn’t even bronze standard.

Very over priced budget accommodation our apparently gold lodge was not even a bronze standard.

KEEP YOUR MONEY AND SPEND ON A BETTER NICER PARK AND ACCOMMODATION.

Just returned from Sandy Glade holiday park had a fantastic holiday staff where so polite and helpful
The entertainment was excellent &the bar staff where also friendly. Chefs corner was serving excellent food plenty of choice. The accommodation was excellent so clean. Most definitely my favourite holiday park

When we arrived on site we was obviously excited and had a good walk around. The journey was long so we first popped into the shop to grab a drink. We noticed the prices in the shop were extremely expensive. We did arrive early so that's on me but I asked if it was possible to park the car next to the caravan so that we could have a couple of beers in the onsite beer garden. I explained I wanted to be a responsible driver and just leave the car next to the caravan with no expectations of entering the caravan until the agreed check in time. "I don't know if I should tell you because if the cleaners see a car they won't clean the caravan, your caravan will be done soon though so check back in 30 mins" I had a bit of banter with the staff and all was fine. Maybe this is something that could be looked into. Returned several times following the instructions given but still not ready. Can't really complain as the agreed check-in time was 4pm, it was just frustrating being told to come back. Went to check in at 4pm to be told still not ready given it 15 minutes. I went back and they gave me the key and off I went to the caravan. As soon as we opened the door we was disgusted with the state of the caravan. Clearly all that had happened was the bedding had been changed. I tried to phone reception but didn't get a response so then I had to walk to reception and queue up. Whilst I was there I noticed several frustrated holiday makers waiting around being told their caravan was not ready. When I got to the front of the queue I was explaining the state of the caravan and the impact it is having on my family. However the manager seemed to enjoy talking over me using her walkie talkie saying "reclean needed". I was trying to explain that we believe my youngest daughter is on the spectrum and this could potentially ruin the holiday for us but as I say "reclean needed" was the response whilst I was talking she then said "they are on their way"...no acknowledgement to what I was saying but that was probably due to speaking over me. Anyway I waited at the caravan for another 30mins and noone turned up. I noticed another caravan near by was getting cleaned. So I popped in and asked him if he had one of the walkie talkies which he politely responded he didn't but he could make a call for me if necessary. I explained the situation and he said he would sort something for me. Once he finished cleaning he came over to us, I asked him "just out of interest, has anyone asked you to come or have you just come over because I spoke to you?" He said he hadn't been told to come over from the management he just wanted to help. At this point it's 5pm so I sent my partner and kids to get pizza whilst we sorted the mess. I'm really disappointed I forgot this lads name because he asked what was wrong and did his best to resolve the issues. I would say both of us cleaned the caravan for 30minutes. Bloodstains on headboard, poo smeared across the bathroom door, used tissues in the bedroom, food and stains on the worktops and cupboard doors. I could go on. Once the cleaner left I brought our bags and things in to try and make the situation better for my daughter. When she returned with the pizza she eventually settled.

We tried the entertainment but unfortunately that wasn't for us, not that I'm complaining about the standard. My children are 12 and 9 so a bit of an awkward age for these things. The entertainment staff did have fun and banter with us but as I say I think it was was just an age thing. I would also like to mention the bingo, I understand bingo is an activity for the grown ups however the excessive policing of this was completely ridiculous. Being told the kids cant point at our card, use the dabbers or help in anyway and if they do the bingo cards will be taken from us. If this is the case I would rethink the timing of bingo. Kids were constantly being told to be quiet and to stop helping. So....what do you want kids to do?

The pool was good however twice it got closed after 30mins and we had to leave. I would also say the steps up to the slide where filthy. It actually became a running joke within the family whether the plaster would still be on the steps...it was there the full week we was there.

We spent alot of time on the beach and off site.

I guess the question is would I come back again?
Probably not, overall we had a good holiday but that was down to us rather than the facilities and the site. I paid £1200 for a caravan with several issues not including the cleanliness, didn't feel like the management handle our complaint seriously and we essentially used it just as a base.

I think next time we come back to the area it will be on a different site.

1st night ordered food over £100 order at 5.40pm at the restaurant on site half 7 and still waiting for food asked over 10 times where our food was to be told it will be out shortly. 8pm asked to file a complaint to be told we can get a full refund and no food or wait. Was told we will get some form of compensation from supervisor. Manger refused to come talk to us, eventually spoke to him as caught him at the bar and was told we wont be receiving any compensation and was threatened to be kicked off site completely.
Would absolutely not recommend this place, disgusting customer service

We had a gold bunglow the other end of the campsite which was no good has my mother is a wheelchair user which was stated on booking we had to drive 4 hours to get a mobile scooter so we could explore at Ives.
The club house was a shambles only serving food when it suited them we was told they were serving up untill 7.30pm eat in and 8.00pm take away we got there at 7 to be told we couldn't get severed coz there was no stuff
The club house only had 4 entertainment people (stripy's) and shut every night by 10.30 though the poster's on the wall was showing show's ect there was nothing there other than 1 night when a band come on then on the Thursday they decided to change the poster's to what was really there that week
On the morning of us checking out we was suppose to check out at 10 o clock in the morning we had the cleaners knocking our door tryin to chuck us out at 8.30am and the reason they give was because it looked like no-one was moving to leave
For the amount of money it cost us u'd expect to have a little bit more there was only 1 toilet roll 4 the week no hand wash 2 wash your hands it was over 1 thousand pound
I will never book through John Fowler again I was very disappointed with most of the stay 😡😡😡