Your ultimate guide to a haven holiday

Caravan holidays are a part of British culture, and Haven Holidays has been at the heart of that since the 1960’s. Known for their seaside escapes and being the perfect holiday for the whole family to enjoy.

There’s truly nothing better than being by the seaside. The UK is lucky to have so much beautiful coastlines, and two thirds of brits agree that the UK coast rivals those found abroad. Is there anything more perfect than a chippy tea with the sun setting over the sea? I don’t think so!

I don’t know why, but being by the sea automatically makes me feel like I’m on holiday, so I was super excited to head to my first ever Haven Holiday this summer. I stayed at Craig Tara, just outside of Ayr in Scotland, and it was the perfect week long break.

I actually don’t think there’s many places better than Scotland in the sunshine, and over the week we were blessed with plenty of sunny days, and some of the most incredible sunsets in the evening, which I go to enjoy from the deck of the caravan. It was the perfect base for a week of microadventures by the sea, and I absolutely loved staying at Haven.

So, whether it’s your first time hearing about Haven, or your a seasoned Haven goer, here’s your ultimate guide to having a Haven Holiday (as well as a deep dive into our stay at Craig Tara!)

Where are the haven holiday parks

Haven Holidays are dotted around the whole of the UK Coastline. There are just under 40 holiday parks, and most regions have at least one Haven.

You can find Haven Holiday parks along the Northumberland Coast, in the North West around Blackpool and Scotland. There’s a whole range of Haven Holiday parks in Wales and along the south east and south west coast, and you can even find one in the Lake District too!

Haven Holiday vs Haven Hideaway

There are two ways to holiday with Haven; a Haven Holiday and a Haven Hideaway. So lets break it down, and see which one fits you best.

A Haven Holiday includes your Play Pass, which grants you access to all of the incredible activities that there are on site. From swimming, to bowling, to crazy golf (and crazy pool!) to pottery painting and so much more. You also have access to the evening entertainment – there’s music, discos, quizzes and bingo! I couldn’t believe the range of activities that there were, for all ages.

A Haven Hideaway means you can’t access the activities, however you can still visit the onsite restaurants, playgrounds and arcades! The hideaway is perfect if you’re looking for a relaxing base for your holiday, but you’re not too fussed about doing lots of activities. They’re especially good for if you’re a group of adults, or on a solo holiday!

Staying at Craig Tara

Summer 2025 has really felt like summer in the UK. With plenty of sunny days, we headed on the three hour journey up to Craig Tara, just outside of Ayr, ready for a week away by the seaside.

Even though Haven Holiday parks have 5G networks, because our caravan didn’t have WIFI, I decided to treat the few days we were there as a little social media/digital detox. I left my phone in the caravan, and headed out with my cameras, books and notebooks and embraced the analogue life for a few days.

Craig Tara is great – you’re only a 5 minute drive from Robert Burn’s birthplace, where there’s a great interactive museum. You’re only 10 minutes from the city of Ayr as well, which was perfect for doing a quick Aldi shop before heading to the caravan! There was a service bus that came to the caravan park too, so it was easy to head out and explore.

I wouldn’t blame you for staying at Craig Tara and not venturing out though. The beach is stunning, and we were staying in one of the Signature Gold caravans. These have a front row view of the sea, and you’re on the beach in less than a minute from the caravan. What more could you want?

I spent so much time at the beach here. Whilst I didn’t go swimming in the sea (there were a lot of jellyfish around!), it was the perfect place to relax with a book, fly a kite (which we bought from the shop!) or go for a walk. My collie pup, Finn, was obsessed with the fact that he could spend all day at the beach!

As we had the play pass, we played a round of Crazy Pool. As soon as I heard about Crazy Pool, I was intrigued. It’s basically a mini golf course on a pool table, and is a lot of fun. It is worth noting that even with a play pass, you pay extra for the activities (except swimming), and it was £7pp to play this. It was really fun, but was over quick! In future, I’ll be booking Haven Hideaways, just because the activities aren’t that important to me!

We ate a few times at The Brigs of Ayr restaurant, and not only was it affordable, it also tasted really good. There’s lots of different deals on, and it’s very much like a Weatherspoon’s. The staff were always lovely and friendly, and they had good veggie and vegan options too.

You order everything on the Haven App, and they actually have their own delivery service too. For our final night, we skipped the queue at the onsite chippy, and had our Fish and Chips delivered straight to the caravan and it was brilliant! Perfectly fresh, delivered in the time slot, and meant we could eat them on the deck, watching the sun set.

Are haven holiday parks dog friendly

I don’t think I’ve ever stayed anywhere quite as dog friendly as Haven.

He could play off the lead on the beach and could go to most on site. The real winner though was at The Brigs of Ayr restaurant. There’s a dog area completely separate that had air conditioning to keep the pups cool, a water station to fill up water bowls, and a whole play area you could put them in with toys so they could play whilst you ate!

Finn absolutely loved this. As a young pup, it was great that he could go and play with some toys and entertain himself whilst we ate. There was also a doggie menu, but it was so popular it had sold out when we tried to order!

So yes, Haven is very dog friendly!

What to bring with you on a haven holiday

There are a few things I brought with me that I was glad of, and a few things I really wish I’d brought with me!

Whilst the caravan was great, and had a good sized kitchen with everything you needed, there were certain things that it didn’t have…like any bins!

Here’s some essentials that are good to bring;

• Tea towel – even with the linen package for bedding and towels, there aren’t tea towels included
• Bin liners
• hand soap
• dishwasher tablets/washing up liquid + sponge
• Aeropress (okay, this isn’t essential. But, if you’re a coffee lover, there isn’t a cafetière in, so this is great to bring!)

Final thoughts

I would book another Haven Holiday in a heartbeat. That’s how much I enjoyed it!

Next time, I’ll probably book a Haven Hideaway, just because the activities aren’t essential for me. But the location was brilliant, the amenities on site were brilliant, I loved the caravan and the views. I cam away from the break feeling so refreshed, and I can’t recommend it enough!

Ready to book? You can find out more about Haven Holidays here and there sites. Feeling inspired to visit Scotland? There are lots of guides to different destinations in Scotland which you can read here. And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram for daily microadventure, travel, and slow living content!