Wayne and Coleen Rooney have an estimated fortune of millions, yet their favourite family holiday is cheap, cheerful and charming.
During her stint on ITV’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, Coleen revealed they enjoyed a trip to Butlin’s Skegness, which left both campmates and viewers equally amazed.
She said: “It kept coming on the TV, Butlin’s, Butlin’s, so I went and it was Diversity that was on.”
She also revealed eldest son Kai, 14, “loved it” so much that when he returned to school he told his teacher he’d been on “the best holiday I’ve ever been on”.
After spending a long weekend there, it’s not hard to see why families love it. From the Splash Waterworld with lazy river, outdoor river rapids, family raft ride, flumes and kiddies’ rockpool cove, to the new high-tech Skypark playground, limitless fairground rides, high ropes course, organised sports and crafts, plus endless entertainment options from pop shows to pantos, there is so much on offer to keep kids entertained.
But if you want to let off steam in a child-free environment, book onto an adults-only weekend, and relive your youth!
I couldn’t resist the Back to the 2000s Adult Weekender, a three-night break at Butlin’s Skegness, featuring a roll call of some of the best pop stars from the era.
The line-up boasted one of the final performances of girlband Atomic Kitten before Natasha Hamilton exited the group after 26 years.
The biggest crowds were for legendary dance music act Cascada and three members of the iconic 90s group Five who packed out the largest of the on-site arenas.
Blazin’ Squad took to the main stage to pay a moving tribute to Fatman Scoop who was on the original Back to the 2000s line-up poster but tragically died just weeks earlier after collapsing during a performance.
The Crossroads hip-hop group blew the roof off the venue with a cover of Scoop’s iconic Be Faithful track.
On the Sunday afternoon, Shaun Williamson, AKA Barry from EastEnders, proudly burst onto one stage in a glittering golden jacket for his very popular and hilarious Barryoke show.
“I’ve just signed a brand new deal with Sky TV,” he proudly declared, as the hungover few hundred adults whooped and cheered.
“Just £43 a month and you get the sport, the films… everything, it’s great.”
It was all good, clean fun with lots of reasonably priced drinks, cheesy tunes and daft dancing… in fancy dress, if you so desire. Big-name bands and celebs aside, there’s still plenty of entertainment and things to do during the daytime on an adult weekender, including a pool party at Splash Waterworld.
For those who want to go all-out, or are celebrating a big birthday or on a stag or hen do, there’s a brilliant bottomless brunch on offer at the on-site American-style diner. The fairground rides are up and running plus there is adventure golf. Guests can also get involved in target shooting and archery, and jump on the football pitch.
Accommodation starts off with classic chalet rooms with a bathroom, TV and tea and coffee-making facilities, right through to apartments, premium lodges and luxury caravans.
I stayed in one of their new premium lodges in the swanky Maple Walk area. There are 128 new lodges here with dishwashers, private parking, en-suite showers and a private outdoor decking area.
Maple Walk and many of the caravans are situated across the road from the main resort, but it’s easy to access as there’s a well-lit tunnel that takes you under the road and to the main entertainment area, the Skyline Pavilion.
There are plenty of drinking options including Hot Shots sports bar with pool, darts, big screens and a ten pin bowling alley, as well as The Jellyfish Lounge and the Skyline Bar in the Skyline Pavilion, with two-hour happy-hour slots.
There’s a huge choice of places to eat too, including The Beachcomber Inn, Rock & Sole chippy, Firehouse Grill, Papa John’s, and Burger King. There’s even a Butlin’s kebab van.
A highlight of the weekend for many is the fancy-dress competition. Seeing up to 100 adults throwing shapes while dressed as Smurfs, whoopee cushions and weird and wonderful takes on iconic rock stars was a sight to behold. And in true Butlin’s style, the winners were taken up on stage for the most hilarious of dance-offs.
If you need to blow the cobwebs away after a hard night’s partying, there’s Skegness’s lovely sandy beach, which can be accessed directly from the Butlin’s resort.
There are Butlin’s Big Weekenders to suit all tastes and with music from different eras. Staged across Butlin’s three resorts in Skegness, Minehead and Bognor Regis, you can roll back the years to the 1970s with Slade, Boney M, Hot Chocolate and Leo Sayer, or revisit the decade of shoulder pads and leg warmers on an Ultimate ’80s weekend with icons of the era including Martin Kemp, Heaven 17, Jason Donovan, Wet Wet Wet and Kim Wilde. At ’90s Reloaded, there’s the likes of Chesney Hawkes, Claire from Steps, Eternal, Five, and Peter Andre, plus there are weekends dedicated to the sounds of soul music, We Love Ibiza, Garage and the Shiiine On Weekender.
After seeing Coleen belt out the Spice Girls in the jungle, you can bet she’ll be looking up ’90s Reloaded!
Book the holiday
Butlin’s offers a three-night, adults-only Back To The 2000s Weekender at all three resorts featuring Claire Richards, Scouting For Girls, Artful Dodger and more from £66pp on various dates in March 2025. bigweekends.com
A three-night family February half-term break featuring Gladiators staying in a two bedroom Comfort Plus Apartment in Minehead from £270 on February 21, 2025. Price based on a family of four sharing. butlins.com
Dining packages at Butlin’s from £24.95 per adult, per day, £14.95 per child (6-14), per day and £6.80 per child (2-5).
