Butlin's new £40m pool makes for hours of family-friendly fun in Bognor Regis

Ever since Butlin’s announced the building of a new £40m pool at Bognor Regis, my children had been counting down the days until we would be splashing about in it.
The exhilarating view of the new £40m pool at Butlin's in Bognor RegisThe exhilarating view of the new £40m pool at Butlin's in Bognor Regis
The exhilarating view of the new £40m pool at Butlin's in Bognor Regis

Their patience paid off when we got to finally take a dip in it during spring half term.

Seeing as we had chosen a school holiday break, we anticipated it being busy and were prepared to join the obligatory queues, but we were actually surprised by how little time we spent waiting to join in the fun.

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The whole Splash concept has been thoughtfully designed and all the irks from the old pool have been addressed. There are plenty of family-friendly changing rooms, lockers and showers. The pool area is a circular shape, so all areas are visible to parents keeping an eye on a number of children.

One of the many new slides at Butlin's in Bognor RegisOne of the many new slides at Butlin's in Bognor Regis
One of the many new slides at Butlin's in Bognor Regis

And there is an attraction for all ages; from the more daring Family Raft Ride to the colourful Stick of Rock Slide and the exhilarating Seaside Garden Rapids to the miniature water slides for toddlers.

The children definitely agreed that it was a huge improvement on the tired old pool and worth the wait. They could quite easily have spent the entire week getting wrinkly in the water, but there is so much more to do at Butlin’s.

My football-mad son was keen to show off his skills so we enrolled him on the Mitre Football Academy. These are run by head sports coach Richie, who is brilliant with the wannabe soccer stars and really puts them through their paces in a fun-focused skills session.

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My not-so-football mad daughter was much happier covered in paint in the pottery studio. Once hobbies were complete, we headed off to the funfair for a few turns on the dodgems. No bumping allowed, apparently!

The Seaside Garden Rapids at Butlin's in Bognor RegisThe Seaside Garden Rapids at Butlin's in Bognor Regis
The Seaside Garden Rapids at Butlin's in Bognor Regis

Our home for the week was the fabulous Wave Hotel. Modern and bright, it was ideal for getting some rest and recharging our batteries ready for the next fun-filled day ahead.

The only drawback, of course, is the end of the holiday - and the fact that the bar has been raised so high that other swimming pools are now destined to be a disappointment for our children.

Facts:Three nights (Friday to Monday) in a hotel at Butlin’s Bognor Regis resort during the school summer holidays starts from £719, while four nights (Monday to Friday) is from £870.

Both prices are based on four people sharing, and do not include dining plans.

For more details go to www.butlins.com.

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