John Fowler Holiday Park

Honestly this resort was a tip, I have seen notoriously bad council estates that looked better, the accommodation was filthy, it stunk of dog and cigarettes, the skirting boards were actually stained with dog urine (shown in photos), the staff were robotic and ignorant. The food was was not fit for a dog let alone a human being, the website is highly misleading for activities to do, there was no outside seating areas, the main entrance was surrounded by smokers, this is the kind of place that attracted trouble as the police even showed up one morning, although I’m not against people having dogs or taking them on holiday I don’t expect there to be dog mess on the grass where small children were playing, there were even signs stating «no dog fouling». On the sofa beds there were stains on the mattresses that were quite clearly some human liquid, blood or poo looked to be a good guess. Never going again, booked for 5 days but left on the 4^th ad we couldn’t take much more

If you do come here do so like us, with your eyes open. You are not paying premium so don’t expect it! The accomodation we had was basic and dated but certainly not grubby or unpleasant. However, a vacuum cleaner or carpet sweeper would have been handy; it’s difficult to get the grass clippings dragged in by boisterous children out with a soft sweeping brush!
There is a small laundry, some amusements, a decent sized club/​bar and a a small shop onsite, although there is a large Tesco about 400M away which we used most.
Having two young children we didn’t see any of the adult entertainment and really used the camp as a base to explore the local area. If you’re the kind of people that rarely leave the site there isn’t a huge amount there. If you are the kind of people that want a cheap base to do your day trips from then this could be for you.
The pools were good, the staff friendly and we got what we expected.
Remember to turn the hot water on when you get in or it’ll be cold baths that night.

DON’T STAY HERE this place sucks ! the entertainment is poor to say the least the staff all look an act like there on community service and hating it !! food on site is a treat to miss not to taste. and the amusements consist of a few pool tables and a few machines which a third of dont work. the indoor pool is ok but on the whole its NOT GOOD gggrrrr. the accommedation is ok if its a place you only sleep. i dont belive they get much if any repeat custom overall a place to miss

Distinctly average, and at times I am afraid poor. I am judging here compared to Butlins though — which may be a little unfair as it does cost a heck of alot more.
Went here for an Easter break on a whim as they had mailshot us with a relatively cheap deal. We knew we would not get great weather — but also knew that there would be loads to do in the local area.
Accomodation was quite good, two bedrooms and a good sized open plan living area, all in a chalet style but modern and clean (all mod cons, large flat screen Tv and the cooker actually worked!!!). But as for the rest of the park — I was sadly disappointed with the facilities and the organisation. The pool is ok, but very little else for the kids to do except arcade games. The food consisted of chips and burgers and more chips — which even my six year old got sick of after a few days. It was cheap enough — but very bland and exceedingly limited. The plus side was that there is a large Tescos 5 mins down the road so it was easy enough to self-​cater (however cooking my own grub was not really what I had in mind).
Next the Entertainment, very disorganised and very repetitive. Different cabaret each night for the adults — which was fine, and the usual inane games (which on this kind of holiday is part of the genre). The entertainment staff would have been more suited to a career in the funeral trade, and had no enthusiasm at all. We had the same quiz on the saturday we arrived and the following friday — which even with my goldfish memory was not helpful (I have to say I still got 2 wrong!!! Lol). The highlight of all this was on the Bank Holiday monday when there was a big footie match being screened (not my forte so don’t ask me who?) and of course the bar was bombarded by hordes of men wanting pints a plenty. Due to some kind of planning oversight, (or form of torture?) by the management, one lonely barman was left to fend for himself in the riot that folllowed. It was scary. After waiting for up to an hour to get served with a drink, most of the crowd resorted to buying their own cans from the shop in the end.
All this said, If you wanted a reasonably priced base from which to explore the local attractions of Ilfracombe this is not a bad choice. Its location is great, the rooms are spacious, well furnished and clean. If you intend to eat out every night and spend your days exploring then this could still be for you. If you want to be entertained and looked after — pay the extra and go to Butlins!