We booked an electric pitch at Waldegraves to spend the Easter weekend with our two children and two avid camping friends. Our friends arrived on the Wednesday and we joined them late on the Thursday. The amenities seemed good, clean toilets and plenty of hot water in the showers. There was a bit of noise from those returning from the Granary but our friends had eaten there on their first night and we were looking forward to eating our final meal there on Monday night.
We went out for the day on Friday to explore the island and when we returned there had been a noticeable increase in caravans and tents. This is when the problems started. The electric tripped out around 7 o’clock so we checked our own fusebox and found that it had not tripped. The electric tripped in and then out again until about 10 o’clock when it went off and stayed off. The following morning we went to reception and were advised that they were working on the problem and that they were taking phone number to update guests. I left my mobile number but am still awaiting a call. We again went out for the day but when we returned again no electric. When we eventually found the duty manager he was working in the kitchen and was in no hurry to deal with the growing number of disgruntled guests wanting answers about the electricity. The duty manager couldn’t sort the problem, told us it was down to individual pitches overloading the system, refused to call the owner down to speak to us and used the word hopefully far too often. He even told us that the supply wasn’t up to the amount of pitches on the site and that’s why it kept overheating and tripping. We went to bed cold and without a hot drink.
Sunday morning a large group of unhappy campers assembled at reception at 9 o’clock and requested that the owner, who lives next to the site, attended the site. He refused and instructed his staff to hand out customer feedback forms. The owner eventually arrived at 11 o’clock but refused to accept that the problem was with the site. He wouldn’t apologise or offer any kind of recompense. He refused to offer a refund to anyone and a large number of people were packing up as we left the site two days early.
In short the site has some good facilities, but do not go when it will be busy, as it appears that the electricity supply cannot cope with the amount of pitches. CUSTOMER SERVICE IS NON EXISTANT ESPECIALLY FROM THE OWNER. We will not be returning to this site, ever.

Extremely dissapointed. web site never stated that pool was every closed. very hot day yesterday and was pool was closed as from middle of septemeber. my main reason for booking here was the fact that the site offered an heated pool. My children and myself were very unhappy and our stay was ruined. Would NOT go back again. Food of a very low standard drinks expensive and staff unhelpful

Essex is not all white stilletoes and boy racers. If you have watched "The Only Way Is Essex" and think that Essex and its people are like that, then come and spend some time at Waldegraves holiday park on the beautiful Island of Mersea, which is approximately ten miles from historic Colchester. You will soon realise that Essex it a wonderful place to holiday.

What can I say but Waldegraves is fantastic. Being novice tourers , we only purchased our caravan this summer, we asked for a pitch that was easy to get the caravan into, and we happily obliged. The site is safe and secure, with entrance being via an electronic barrier that is opened via a tag that you receive at check in. Each pitch is seperated by hedges giving a very private feel, and you also have your own tap!

This site a must for people of all ages, we went with out two young children but there were people of all ages enjoying themselves.

Waldegraves has its own private beach, so our children were happy to while away the hours playing happily on the sand. Once they had had eno9ugh of the beach it was along to the swimming pool for a quick dip. Even though it is an outside pool it is heated, but it's still chilly when you get out. We were also really pleased to find a seperate area for walking the dog, which our little pooch enjoyed.

The shop is very well stocked with food, newspapers, toys, fresh bread and any camping kit that you may have left at home. It is a veritable Aladdin's Cave which the children loved.

If you don't ant to cook the Granary restaurant on site is brilliant. We really loved their breakfast which set us up for the day. My daughter wants to go back to the restaurant for her birthday meal as she loved it so much.
Also if you get fed up with BBQ's they also have a takeaway selling pizza, chips, pies and sausages.

After busy days at the beach and pool we were ready for our beds, but we did pop along for the evening entertainment a couple of times. The Wheatsheaf Bar has two halves, a grown up side with pool tables and television, and a family entertainments side, where the little people can bop along to the junior disco while you unwind with a well deserved drink. My two children aged 3 and 7 loved Waldegraves two children's club characters "Sammy the Seagull" and "Sonny the Dog" who make regular appearances in the Wheatsheaf during the early evening. I even won £30 on Bingo one evening the first time I had ever played. At 9pm though the entertainment changes to something for the grown ups such as a singer or a great tribute group.

Returning to our caravan in the evening we could hear the calming sound of the sea and smell its beautiful aroma. We were all so tired we slept past 7am for the first time in years - hurrah. But when we did wake up the view from the caravan was spectacular, with the sun glinting off the sea, and the waves gently rippling.

You need never leave the campsite, but if you want to explore, Mersea Island is a beautiful place with a museum, great seafood restaurants and pubs and a lovely beach. Colchester the oldest recorded town in the country is only a 20 minute drive away, with its historic castle, great park and a lovely shopping centre.

We had such a wonderful time that as soon as we got home we rebooked, and there couldn't be a better advertisement for a site than that.

We stayed in a lovely caravan, very clean and well equiped. the staff are really nice and friendly, we have stayed several times now and each time we go into reception they are helpful and always have good information. same too with the restaurant, which has excellent pub food at a really great price and suitable for kids. bar and restaurant over look the pool which is nice to sit and relax and enjoy your meal and drink, not open at that time as too early in the season, the staff are really helpful and friendly and nothing was too much trouble for them. it was the Easter break the kids club was in operation and the children really enjoyed themselves and it was a nice break for us for a few hours to relax on our own. lovely walks along the beach and surround area, they have fishing lakes and we spoke to some fiherman using them and they said they use them all the time, it was well looked after with lots of different fish, great for anyone who loves to fish. we also had a go at pitch and putt, that was great fun for all of us and the green is kept really nice, we saw people using the golfing range, seemed to be very popular and people enjoying themselves. the main clubhouse is great for anyone wanting to join in with all the fun and games but they also have a bar next door which has great character for people just wanting a quiet drink. my husband joined up with some people to play pool, which is great to get away from the kids for a while, over 18s only upstairs above the bar area.
Waldegraves Holiday Park, Essex