Family of 4 - kids aged 7 & 5
Don't like regimented pitches, clubhouse or even need a playpark. Space is good and we prefer sites where you pay 1 price for the pitch including an extension. This charging an extra £4 per night per child really get my back up.
Liking the sound of the kids activities. If you could keep them more on the boy scount side and less on the butlins side that would be fab. Kids are too wrapped up in the elf & sftey culture and the chances for a bit of danger are limited.
Forget an expensive playpark - rope swings in suitable trees will keep mine happy for ours. Just asked my 7 yo and he would like an area like a sandpit but with mud to dig in looking for bugs and worms rather than sand. 5 yo said a treehouse to play in.
Allowing campfires is a big bonus for us. Plus many sites sell logs from their own coppicing at around £5 per bread basket which seems like a good additional income stream. Have also been on a campsite that did hog roast on a Friday night so you could get something easy to eat once you have put the tent up. Got to be a money spinner.
A couple of communal fridges and freezers are a big bonus. Personally I would rather have those as a facility than showers.
No undesirables (difficult to police I know ). If they bounce up the drive at 50mph in a transit with the stereo playing trance music please turn them away. That 1 awful customer could lose you 20 repeat bookings from us poor souls sharing a field with him.
If you made the perfect site i would happily pay a members subscription type thing. ie don't take booking for standard customers. However for say £50pa you alllow members to book in advance and get a small discount off the usual price. This would give you a guarenteed income stram and cash boost at the start of the season. Plus it will help you regulate your customers and turn it into the sort of site that you want it to be.
------------- 2011
37 nights in my tent
2012 booked
Swiss farm, henley (2)
La garangeoire (7)
Houlgate la vallee (2)
Dernwood farm (2)
Mellow farm (2)
Hole station (4 child free!)
Camping guyonierre (17 woohoo!)
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