Butlin's Minehead, for a weekend of fun over the Easter Bank holiday. We stayed in a beautiful two bedroom
(Edinburgh 34), which is situated in the West Lakes Village. Our chalet was ground floor as requested; we then had neighbours either side and upstairs. I filmed a chalet tour so do make are to read to the end to watch!
With it's own dedicated check-in and plentiful parking, the West Lakes Chalets really are that little bit more special. Built around two lakes and landscaped gardens, the new chalets were built to pay homage to the traditional ones Sir Billy Butlin's started with.
Butlin's even "worked with Mumsnet to guarantee families the ultimate place to stay and play together; balconies and verandas, open-plan living areas, L-shaped family sofas, giant board games, village greens, and children’s playgrounds... all designed to help hard-working families ‘unplug’ from day-to-day life".
Main Bedroom
Full of Butlin's charm and quirky little extras (check out that bunny towel!), the master bedroom was a perfect home from home. A comfortable bed with plenty of pillows, ample storage / hanging space, and a full sized dressing table area.
The storage area also housed an iron and ironing board, and a safe, and hidden in one of the drawers was a hairdryer. I loved the attention to detail with the Butlin's logo hidden in the bedspread, curtains and even the wallpaper!
Twin Bedroom
With two full sized beds, and room for a travel cot (these have to be added to your booking extra), the twin room was also a good size. The beds are a little high off of the ground though - maybe something to consider if you're going to have little ones in this room.
I loveee the fun little decorations around the whole chalet, but the canvas in the twin bedroom was one of my favourites! The room also had a decent storage space, however this was covered by the travel cot - this was obviously only a problem for us, and wouldn't be an issue if you didn't use one.
Family Bathroom
The second I walked into the family bathroom, all I could think was "I LOVE THOSE TILES!" - aren't they lovely? On a more serious note, the bathroom was perfect. Fluffy towels and complimentary toiletries, and even a sweet little Happy Easter sticker on the loo roll.
There was a heated towel rack, and another one of those fab canvases on the opposite wall to the bath. And I loved how they provided a non-slip bath mat - an essential when bathing little ones! Speaking of bathing, the shower was fantastic too.
Hallway
I love that the chalets have a large hallway - it really made the place feel more homely, and it's a perfect dumping ground for a buggy.
There was plenty of storage space for shoes and coats, and even a little chalkboard (with the chalk still there!), to doodle on. We had a lovely little message on it when we arrived, and I left one for our fantastic cleaners when we left.
They were absolutely fantastic, always going above and beyond - washing up for us, putting the dishwasher on, and tiding up Parker's toys, when they really didn't need to! So a
huuuuge shoutout to the team.
Living Area
The main hub of the chalet was the living area, which then ran into the kitchen. I absolutely loved the style they went for with the chalets - bright, colourful and so much fun! This really does spill into this area with the
huuuge Butlin's mural being the main attraction.
The living room comes equipped with a DVD player, a TV with Freeview channels and lots of comfy spots to sit. I will be honest and say we didn't actually get to spend that much time relaxing here, but it was perfect for winding down in the evenings.
The dining table seated four, although there wasn't a highchair provided. I'm sure you can hire these though! The door in the above picture connects you to the chalet next door (this was obviously locked during our stay). I will say we could hear next door really well in this area - so much so I may have subtly told them I could hear their conversations at one point - but this would be great if you're visiting with family or friends.
One of the few problems we encountered during our stay, was in this area. The information packed explained that the heating was controlled, and only came on when necessary - but there was a boost button if needed.
Our problem was the one heater in the living area was
constantly on, so the room was
very hot. We saw no way of turning it off, and as the doors were fire doors we had to prop the main door open with a chair to try and cool it down. Of course we could have had the veranda doors open, but with two little ones under 4 and an open lake, this just wasn't an option!
As I mentioned above, luckily we weren't in the chalet for too long each day, so we didn't bother mentioning it during our stay. We did log this when we checked out though.
Kitchen
We had the premium dining package for the duration of our stay, but all of the chalets are equipped for a self-catering holiday. We did use the kitchen to prepare snacks, drinks and lunch a few times though.
The kitchen has everything you could need, as well as the added bonus of a dishwasher, and a little cleaning starter set included. The tea and coffee facilities were replenished daily, and although small, the fridge was perfect for storing the essentials.
The drawers have all the necessary utensils, cutlery and crockery you would need for a family of four. Although the bin was rather small in comparison, and they could probably do with making these a bit bigger.
Veranda / View
As our chalet was ground floor, we had a veranda to the front. It was quite cold during our visit so we didn't make too much use of it, but a table and chairs are provided - I can imagine it is lovely to sit out watching the world go by in the warmer months!
The second disappointing area of our chalet, was the 'lakeview'. The picture below shows the view from the veranda - a lovely little park, other chalets, a bin and then a teeeeeny tiny view of the lake. I was really disappointed with this, as there were other chalets with the most gorgeous view, and ours was mainly of a bin.
These chalets are expensive to stay in, and if I'd have paid for a lakeview, that's what I would expect. I know we weren't the only disappointed ones either, as another lady was complaining when we checked out, that her 'lakeview' chalet was actually overlooking a carpark! I definitely think Butlin's needs to look into this.
View aside though, I really did adore the location. Tucked away in the corner meant it was lovely and peaceful. Ducks would come right up to the window (the littles
loved this), and you wouldn't even realise you were in Butlin's sometimes. Yes the walk to everything was a little long, but after all the buffet food, sometimes it was needed!
We absolutely loved our West Lake Chalet - and the whole of the West Lakes Village overall! It really did make our visit that extra bit special, whilst providing a comfortable base for our holiday. The attention to detail and added little extras, like providing free scooters for the little ones and board games for the whole family, just topped it off.
Thank you
Butlin's Minehead for a wonderful stay!
We are Butlin's Ambassadors which means we received our stay and dining in exchange for our review and vlogs. All opinions are honest and my own.
