Which is the Best Butlins? Minehead or Skegness

When it comes to classic British holiday destinations Butlins stands out as a top choice, but how do you choose which Butlins resort to visit? 

Are you trying to plan a trip to Butlins but can’t decide between the bustling pier of Skegness or the peace of the beach at Minehead? In this post we review and compare both Butlins resorts to help you decide where to plan your next trip. 

We’ll summarise both Skegness and Minehead, considering the pros and cons from our visits. focus on the accommodation available, reviews from visitors, the activities on offer, and the location of each resort. You’ll also find out the answers to common questions like which resort has the best weather, or which resort has the best beach.

Quick Answer

The location is better at Minehead, however the onsite activities are better at Skegness. The food is similar across both resorts and they’re just as easy to get to by car. Price isn’t a defining factor as although SKegness is slightly more expensive they both have different offers at different times of the year. 

What’s in this post? 

If there’s a part of this guide that you’re particularly interested in you can skip straight there by clicking on that section in the contents below. If not, then continue reading to learn all about which is the best butlins to visit, Butlins Minehead or Butlins Skegness.

Which is the best Butlins resort? 

Based on my experience at both parks I would rate Skegness as the best Butlins resort. 

Although the location is better at Minehead, ultimately you visit Butlins for the activities, fairground, parks and swimming pool and all of these are better, bigger or have been refreshed more recently at Skegness. 

We found that the food is similar in terms of quality and variety across both sites so it doesn’t have enough of an impact for it to play a huge part in our final recommendation.

Short review of Butlins Skegness

In summary, the Butlins resort at Skegness is the more modern of the two with better facilities – and a much bigger and better swimming pool. The area around the resort is quite run down without a town in walking distance – Skegness town is around 15 minutes in the car but a solid hour to walk. While the beach is a sandy beach and is private, it’s more secluded than Minehead. 

• The site is more compact so it feels like it’s busier. 
• There’s less to do around the site, especially if you’re looking for something that’s a walkable distance. 
• We stayed in a Fairground Apartment at Skegness that it had been recently revamped and we found the site in general to be quite clean
• The swimming pool at Butlins Skegness is large with plenty of flumes and slides for younger children in the baby pool. 
• Although small, there is direct access to a sandy beach from the Butlins site

Short review of Butlins Minehead

In summary, the Butlins resort at Minehead is set in a great location with a busier beach close by that has many amenities including cafes, shops and play areas. The resort is a bit run down and could do with a refresh but it has all the same amenities as any other Butlins resort. 

• The fairground is split between being outside for the bigger rides and inside next to the soft play area for the rides for younger children. If you have children of varying ages this can make it more difficult than when all of the rides are together in the same spot.
• Most of the site could do with a refresh, most notably the accommodation and pool. 
• There are loads of things to do at Butlins Minehead including a the local town just a short walk along the beach. There’s plenty to do with a car too, including Dunster Castle and the Exmor National Park. 
• While it doesn’t have direct beach access, the beach is just across the road from the main Butlins gates.
• The resort is the largest and is quite spread out meaning that it didn’t feel too busy during our time there and we rarely had to queue. 

Which Butlins resort gets the best reviews? 

According to Google reviews, Butlins Skegness just scrapes through for the best reviews with 4.3 stars compared to 4.2 at Butlins Minehead. If you prefer to look at Trip Advisor then they’re equal as both are rated 3.5 stars with more than 3 stars across all four of the review points (location, cleanliness, service, value). 

At Butlins Minehead guests like the service and entertainment on offer for children, and overall the value for money is fair. However, the apartments aren’t up to scratch with many complaining of run down or unusable accommodation – this is interesting as it was the same feedback we had in our review of the silver apartments. 

At Butlins Skegness guests like the swimming pool and entertainment, however many reviews complain that the cleanliness across the site in general needs to be improved, and that staff seemed to be overworked and stressed.

Which Butlins has the best location? 

Butlins Minehead has the best location. With a stretching sandy beach on one side and moorland on the other, the setting for the Butlins resort at Minehead is stunning on all fronts.

It’s also in a great position if you don’t have a car (or don’t want to move it) as it’s a short walk along the beach into Minehead town.

Added to all of this, their location in the south west of the country means you’re more likely to get better weather! 

Which Butlins resort has the best accommodation?

If you look at variety then Minehead has the best accommodation as they have 11 types, including 4 rooms, 5 apartments and 2 lodges. 

Having said this, we’ve stayed at both resorts more than once and in our opinion Skegness comes out on top when looking at the quality and decor. 

This is because both times we’ve stayed in Minehead our apartments have been pretty run down with veneer peeling off furniture and stained carpets.

FAQ: Skegness or Minehead, which is the best Butlins? 

Which Butlins is the cheapest?

There’s no exact answer for this because it changes depending on how far in advance you book, if there’s an event on and when you want to visit

However, as a rough estimate a standard room at Skegness will set you back £577 for a stay Monday to Friday in the peak summer period. This is more expensive than Minehead which costs around £505. 

Which Butlins is the biggest? 

According to Butlins themselves Minehead is the largest resort, however I wouldn’t say it had anything that Skegness didn’t – it’s just more spread out. 

This does make it feel less busy though which is always a positive when trying to keep an eye on a couple of young kids.

For example, at Skegness the Deck and Yacht restaurants are inside the big tent, where as at Minehead they’re closeby in a separate building

Which Butlins has the best beach? 

Butlins Minehead has the best beach. Not only is it a wide sandy beach that stretches all the way from the Butlins resort to the Minehead town, but alongside the beach there a few mini play areas to keep the kids moving – even with tired feet! 

That’s not to say that the beach at Butlins Skegness is all bad, it’s still a large sandy beach with plenty of space for kids to run around without disturbing anyone else. It’s also a private beach with the entrance at the back of the Butlins resort meaning it’s usually quiet.

Which Butlins resort has the best weather? 

This is the UK so the weather is hard to predict and rarely accurate, however, being in the south west of the country the Minehead location does have a better chance of having the best weather. 

Which Butlins is the easiest to get to?

It’s all relative to where you live but for the majority of the country, Skegness is the easiest to get to considering it’s central location in England and that it’s the only resort north of London. 

If you’re not travelling by car you can get the train to both Skegness and Minehead from London.  However, getting to Skegness from London is easier by train as you can take the train all the way to Skegness station which is only a few miles from the Butlins Skegness resort.

Travelling to Butlins Skegness

Butlins Skegness isn’t overly close to any major motorways in England so the journey can be quite a bit slower. There are a couple of A roads within easy reach though, including the A158 and A52. 

Skegness is less than 3 hours from London by train and it’s around a 10 minute taxi journey to get to the Skegness Butlins resort from the Skegness train station.

Travelling to Butlins Minehead

Butlins Minehead also has a few A roads leading to it, including the A396, A358 and A39. The Minehead resort is also pretty close to the M5 so your journey will go quickly until you come off the motorway and start travelling on some of those smaller A roads. 

It’s not as easy to get to the Butlins Minehead resort by train as it takes around 3.5 hours and the last part has to be done by bus. 

Summary: which Butlins is best to visit?

Answering the question of which Butlins is best to visit is difficult as there are pros and cons to both resorts and no set answer to which resort is the best for you. It all depends on where you’re travelling from, your priorities, and your expectations for your holiday. 

Visit the Butlins Skegenss resort if you like an awesome swimming pool, a more compact site (less walking) and a quiet private beach. 

Visit the Butlins Minehead resort if you like an easily accessible local town with a vibrant beach, a bigger resort with more space, and a better chance of sunny weather!