A travel reviewer has tracked down what he believes is the UK’s cheapest holiday – costing just £6 per person per night. Haven promise “the warmest welcome possible” at their holiday parks, which are dotted all around the coast of the UK. YouTuber Steven went to their Kent Coast Caravan Park, about an hour’s drive from London, to see if they could make good on their promise.

He detailed on his Beachlife and Beyond channel exactly what you get for your money, saying that, overall, he was hugely impressed. There were, though, one or two nasty surprises that made Haven’s welcome not quite as warm as Steven had hoped. Arriving at the park for his out-of-season break, Steven noted that the weather was “absolutely awful”. But he was determined to see the bright side, and a cursory check of the accommodation provided yielded a good first impression.

Everything was spotlessly clean, he said, but the sofa-bed that folded out from the huge corner sofa didn’t look all that comfortable. He said: “I recommend, if you’re going to come to one of these caravans, bring your own duvet cover and sleep on top of that. Otherwise the poor sod who ends up lying on this is going to have a really bad back.”

In fairness to Haven, when Steven raised that issue with park staff, they provided some extra bedding within a few minutes. There was a decent-sized TV mounted on one of the walls, which given the shocking weather across the country during the week that Steven booked, was likely to see a lot of use.

He continued: “We’ve brought our own laptop and HDMI cable, that’s another top tip for you. Haven sites don’t tend to have very good internet…so download some films, stick them on a laptop, bring an HDMI cable and you’re grand.”

Staying with electrical goods, the caravan had, for some reason, two microwave ovens and, Steven added: “This is a first for us, a dishwasher in a Bronze caravan.”

In the bedroom, sheets and pillowcases were included in the porch – something you won’t see in many similar sites, he said, and in another surprise for Steven there was a second TV in the main bedroom. “I am beyond impressed,” he said.

For entertainment outside the caravan, there is a Wetherspoons, with bingo and other activities, but you will need to buy one of Haven’s “Play Passes” for each guest to access those facilities.

Without those, he said, you’re “effectively banned from the rest of the site”. Steven continued: “They’ve got ‘Gandalf’ on the door stopping you getting into anything.”

While there is a supermarket on site, these can be quite expensive, so instead Steven drove to an Aldi in nearby Rochester to do his shopping for the week. If you don’t fancy a half-hour drive, supermarkets will actually deliver to your caravan.

There is also a fish and chip restaurant on site, and a Papa John’s pizza franchise, as well as a Burger King that offers delivery direct to your caravan.

With the weather being so poor, it was no surprise that the caravan became quite chilly in the afternoon.  He enjoyed a quick evening meal before heading out to sample the park’s entertainment. “Microwave curry in a caravan,” he said. “Don’t tell me I’m not a man of culture.”

Given that it’s currently low season for British holidays, the bingo hall was surprisingly busy. “Everyone who’s a seasoned holiday park-goer will know that they take bingo very seriously,” he said. “They are hardcore.”

There are absolutely no allowances made for anyone who gets a bit over-excited and shouts “House” prematurely, with the entire roomful of holidaymakers chanting “Shame on you”.

Even when the British weather lets you down, there are a few other indoor options to keep bored kids entertained, including two sizeable amusement arcades.

But there was some bad news when Steven returned to his caravan, as he realised that the shower’s temperature dial was stuck on the lowest setting. He ended up boiling water in the kettle for washing.

While Haven did their best to respond promptly, sending a security guard almost immediately to see if he could help, and having a plumber visit early the following day, it transpired there was little that could be done in the short term to revive the ailing shower. 

Things went from bad to worse on Day Three, when the site was hit by a power cut. We contacted Haven, and a company representative told us that they were glad Steven had enjoyed his stay, and apologised for the power outage.

Despite the issues, overall Steven was delighted with the value of his holiday: “We paid a total of £99 for five people for three nights. 

“That’s the equivalent of £20 each for the stay, which makes it £6.60 a night.” Without adding the entertainment passes, he added, that would have taken the cost down to about £4 per person per night.