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Pontins

Pontins is a British company operating holiday parks in the UK, founded in 1946 by Fred Pontin. It was acquired by Britannia Hotels in 2011.[1]

For other uses, see Pontins (disambiguation).

Trade name

Pontins

Private limited company

Holiday / Leisure

1946 (1946)

Fred Pontin

St Helier, Jersey (registered office)
Hale, Greater Manchester, England (contact address)

Two holiday parks in UK

Family holiday parks

Britannia Hotels

715

pontins.com

Pontins specialises in offering half-board and self-catering holidays featuring entertainment at resorts, or "holiday parks", as they have branded them. Accommodation is usually in the form of chalets (which Pontins calls "apartments").


In 2022, it was rated the worst British holiday park chain out of a field of 19 in a survey by consumer association Which?[2]


Currently, there are no Pontins resorts open due to the two remaining sites being used as homes for workers.[3][4]

Brean Sands, , Somerset (closed to guests from January 2023 to November 2025 to house workers constructing the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station)[3]

Burnham on Sea

Suffolk (adults-only, closed to guests from April 2024 to house workers constructing the Sizewell C nuclear power station)[4]

Pakefield

As of January 2024 Pontins operated the following resorts:

The 1973 British film was filmed at and set in the Prestatyn resort. A plaque was erected in 2004 at the main entrance gates (unchanged since the film was shot) to note this event.[20] The same venue hosted professional snooker each year. Prestatyn Sands also hosted the finals for the annual Brass Band Festival;[21] historically, the qualifying rounds were held in other Pontins centres.

Holiday on the Buses

The previous On The Buses film, (1972), depicted buses carrying adverts with the slogan "Go Pontinental", a chain of holiday villages set up in Continental Europe.[5]

Mutiny on the Buses

In November 2020, Liverpool-based indie band Courting released their fourth single 'Popshop!' which mentions the resort (in particular the Southport site) in its lyrics saying: "take the lads on tour, we'll go to Pontins."

UK Family Holidays and Short Breaks | Pontins