School Holiday Short Breaks at Potters Resort - A Review

AD - Post features a press trip from October 2019 

We all know that we love our short breaks. Nothing beats quality time away with the family and short breaks with the kids are something I prioritise. I am a definite believer in experience and memories over material objects.

The problem is, with three older kids, holidays are an expensive business. The amount of spending money we can sometimes go through on food and activities is ridiculous (I will never forget the time we spent £130 on one activity at Center Parcs).


That's why Potters Resort is a breath of fresh air. All of your meals & a huge range of activities (we're talking well over 100 activities)  for all ages are included in the cost of your holiday. The activities are high quality too - not just a cheap craft from Poundland or a kick around with a penny floater!

I'm talking about climbing walls, segways, inflatable obstacle courses, archery, rifle shooting, soft play, bouncy castles, professional sports tuition, west-end style shows......all included in the cost of your holiday. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a UK break with kids and had a jam-packed weekend yet spent so little. The only time we put our hands in our pockets were at the bar or if the kids fancied a play in the arcades. It was brilliant!


Potters Resort is on the Norfolk Coast, situated between Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth. The resort is around a 5-hour drive from Northumberland and Lowestoft/Great Yarmouth Train Stations are a 10 minute taxi drive away.

Scroll to the bottom of this post for prices and booking details. 

Potters Resort Welcome

The welcome we received at Potters really set the scene for the weekend. It was friendly, un-rushed and super welcoming. It was like the reception team were welcoming an old friend.

You are provided with a room key (or two), resort map, resort passes (which weren't needed), a full entertainment guide with details of what is on when (there are multiple activities available at every hour), a list of height and weight restrictions (it is good to know this in advance) and the kids were provided with wristbands with our phone numbers written inside which was a nice touch.

The reception team pointed out the best car park for our accommodation, explained how meal times worked and recommended we pop to the dining room before dinner to locate our table and pointed out a few activities the kids could try out straight away before.

The staff at Potters are a real credit to the resort and it is clear they love what they do.

Warning - this is a long post. If you are looking for a shorter overview, check out my 10 Reasons We Love Potters Resort post here.

Potters Resort Deluxe Hotel Room & Accommodation

There is a range of accommodation available at Potters Resort from Chalets with a sea view to Penthouse Suites in the main hotel.

We hardly spent any time in our room and I would say it doesn't really matter which type of accommodation you choose at Potters as you will probably be the same. I would just book the best you can afford.

We were allocated interconnecting deluxe hotel rooms which sleep up to 6. The rooms here are huge and we've never had so much space.

Each room featured twin beds (I thought the lack of double bed was a little strange) and a fold-out bed that flipped down from the wall. There was a seating area, large desk, TV, coffee station, mini fridge, wardrobe, drawers, ironing board, free WiFi, air conditioning and a large bathroom with double sinks, bath and power shower. Everything we needed from our room and more. We had a balcony too but it wasn't really the weather for it in October.

A door between the two rooms meant that the kids had their own privacy / we could listen to Chris & Rosie's podcast in peace yet we were all still together. Interconnecting rooms are always my preferred type when travelling with kids.

One touch I liked was that you could order breakfast in bed for a small additional charge. Fairly unusual for a resort of this size and a nice touch.

Halloween at Potters Resort

We visited Potters Resort in October Half Term - the weekend before Halloween. There were lots of seasonal touches such as Halloween decorations, monster meet-and-greets, Halloween crafts and Halloween discos & face painting. I imagine the same would happen over Easter and Christmas time too with lots of little seasonal touches.

Activities for Younger Children at Potters Resort 

We didn't experience Potters Resort with very young children but there was plenty to keep them occupied and there seemed to be lots of younger families enjoying themselves. Just some of the activities included during our stay for younger guests AT NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE include:

• Soft play 
• Swimming
• Playground
• Mini Golf
• Football Coaching with ex England & Leeds Player Paul Reaney (6-15 years)
• Under 13s Tennis Coaching 
• Inflatable Assault Course (all ages)
• Bouncing Boos (under 2s)
• Craft Sessions (2 - 8 years)
• Monkey Bikes (ages 5-12)
• Party Dances & Under 8s Disco
• Junior Archery (8 - 12 years)
• Climbing Wall (1.1m and 3 stone minimum)
• Pony Cycles (2-9 years)
• Cheerleading Dance Class
• Giants Swing (1.2m minimum height restriction)
• Bungee Trampolines
• Bouncy Castle (0-8 years)
• Fun Karts (3-8 years)
• Quad Bikes (5-12 years)
• Ten Pin Bowling & Arcades (additional cost)

Although Heidi is 10, she is actually smaller (in height and weight) than her 8 year old brother. Quite often, I would take Heidi and Jack to an activity suitable for 8 year olds and Harry and Steve would try something for ages 13+. There is no childcare available at Potters Resort and under 8s cannot be left unattended.

Heidi and Jack really enjoyed the inflatable obstacle course, play park, climbing wall, pony bikes, giant swing & craft sessions.

For most of the activities at Potters Resort, you simply turn up at the start time and location mentioned in your activity guide and there is no need to pre-book. I liked this system as we could just go with the flow.

Sports courts and tables (such as table tennis/indoor bowling/snooker/tennis/badminton) needed to be booked in advance at the reception - they were free to book and all equipment including golf clubs was free to hire too.

Some events and activities started straight away (eg archery/craft sessions/the inflatable assault course) whereas others did require a little bit of queuing (the giant swing and climbing wall for example). We didn't ever wait too long though - 30 minutes max.

Activities such as mini golf/swimming/soft play/play park you could just drop in at any time and these were brilliant to pop into between time-specific activities.

I still can't get over the fact that all of these activities are included with your holiday and we didn't have to pay any extra!

We didn't really have the weather for it but Potters Resort has direct beach access if you fancy a paddle/rock pooling.

Activities for Older Children & Teens at Potters Resort

Teens can be awkward on holiday. Harry is generally pretty easy-going and will go with the flow but I always try to plan things he will enjoy as a teen too. Potters Resort is fantastic for teens. There was loads going on and if you have older, sporty kids who like a challenge/keeping active, they will love it here.

• Segway (ages 10+ with a weight between 7-18 stone)
• Cliff Hanger (1.1 metre height restriction)
• Archery (ages 13+)
• Junior Archery (8-12 years)
• Air Rifle Shooting (ages 13+)
• Rally Karts ( ages 14+ and 5 foot minimum height)
• Pro-gliders 
• Giants Swing (1.2m height restriction)
• Football 
• Bracelet Making/ Over 8s Crafts 
• Sports Tuition & Competitions (see adults section below for full listing)
• Snooker
• Darts 
• Air Hockey Tournaments 
• Climbing Wall 
• Inflatable Assault Course 
• Swimming
• Quizzes
• Football Coaching with ex England & Leeds Player Paul Reaney (6-15 years)
• Golf
• Mini Golf
• Junior Table Tennis Competition
• Ten Pin Bowling & Arcades (additional cost)

Teens can take part in activities without adults but Steve and Harry have similar interests so tended to do things together. A highlight for them both was the archery competition - Steve and another guy were joint winners and ended up having to do a tie break challenge and shoot from their knees to decide a winner.

Harry absolutely LOVED Segway - I have been quoted £60-£150 for this activity in the past so it is is excellent that something of this calibre is included at no additional cost. Segway is available indoors (perfect for beginners) and there is an outdoor course too.

Activities for Grown-Ups at Potters Resort 

• Golf Tuition
• Segway Challenge 
• Line Dancing 
• Quizzes 
• Archery 
• Zumba
• Badminton ( & Coaching ) 
• Indoor Bowls ( & Coaching)
• Bingo 
• Squash (& Coaching)
• Air Rifle Shooting
• Short Tennis ( & Coaching)
• Table Tennis ( & Coaching)
• Belly Dancing
• Salsa Dancing
• Table Tennis (& Competition)
• Indoor Kurling
• Afternoon at the Races
• Live Music
• Live Shows
• Snooker
• Darts 
• Golf Course
• Mini Golf
• Gym
• Swim & Sauna 
• Beauty Treatments (additional cost)

Potters Resort run lots of adults-only weekends throughout the year with various themes or famous comedians and singers. The resort is very geared towards activities for grown-ups and this is still very apparent on family weekends.

We were only there for two nights and were really focussed on the kids during this break but if we had stayed longer I would have loved to have tried some salsa dancing or sports tuition. Lots of the adults get stuck in with activities and I loved watching a gran attempt segway with her teenage grandchildren and another grandma brave the giant swing with her granddaughter - brilliant stuff.

Activities for the Whole Family at Potters Resort  

As well as age-specific activities, there is plenty going on at Potters Resort for the whole family. Activities such as mini golf, swimming, family quizzes, race afternoons, curling, family games, family coaching, family bingo, dance classes and more are all available at various intervals throughout the day at no additional cost.

Grown-ups can also get involved in many of the same activities as their kids such as the climbing wall, golf, giant swing and indoor bowling.

Evening Entertainment at Potters Resort 

After your evening meal, there are a few choices for entertainment depending on the age of your children. There is normally a sporting competition of some sort, a craft (jewellery making and fabric design during our trip), an under 8s disco in the bar and Bingo for the grown-ups in the Atlas Theatre. These activities are all well-timed to start just after dinner.

We made our way into the Atlas Theatre at around 8:45pm each night. We would just catch the end of Bingo (I was shocked when someone won £775!!) and this would be followed by party dances for the kids before the main show started at 9:15pm.

The evening shows at Potters Resort are very much geared towards adults and of fantastic quality - way better than anywhere else I have been. I have to be honest and say that Jack and Heidi found them to be on the boring side. Along with other families of tweens, we just took along their iPads and headphones and they were happy.

Harry (13) did enjoy the shows though and I absolutely loved them. Legends on the first night was just incredible - fantastic vocals and dancing, a live band, a video wall, special effects - it was like I was in an actual theatre!

One thing that stands out at Potters is that at no point are you encouraged to buy flashy toys etc.... - in fact on our last evening there was a FREE chocolate fountain! Amazing.

Dining at Potters Resort 

So much food is included with your holiday at Potters Resort - you are served breakfast, a 3-course lunch, a 3-course evening meal and there is a midnight feast if you can take any more food too.

The dining room is huge and Potters Resort can feed up to 700 people three times a day. Everything works like absolute clockwork though and although the food wasn't up there with my favourite dining experiences, the quality was good and it was certainly better than the food I have enjoyed at other similar resorts who cater on mass like this.

Potters Resort offer a mix of table service and buffet-style which worked really well for us. There are a la carte options each day plus a buffet and kids buffet. Kids are welcome to order from the main menu and adults can help themselves to the kids buffet if they like too - there are no hard and fast rules.

You are allocated your own table and servers for the duration of your stay so there is no mad rush to find a table etc... Our servers were fantastic too and remembered which type of bread rolls we liked/whether we preferred tea or coffee etc.....

Steve and I ordered a la carte and the service was super speedy - they obviously have plates of each meal plated up and ready to go in the kitchen as our dishes would appear within minutes of us ordering them. Steve and I would usually order a la carte and the kids would go and help themselves to the buffet.

I like that there are multiple vegan and vegetarian options available too. 

Tea and Coffee are included and there is water on your table plus there is the option of fruit juice with breakfast and lunch. If you would like an alternative to water in the evening though, drinks are extra. We found it easier to just pop to the bar en-route to dinner as there were no queues but you can order from your table too. They will keep un-finished bottles of wine back for you in the fridge for the next evening too or you can take your drinks into the theatre/bar that evening straight from dinner too.

Breakfast at Potters Resort 

Arrive for breakfast between 8:30am - 9:30am. As you already know where you are going to be sitting, I would advise grabbing a juice from the juice station as soon as you enter. Tea and Coffee is brought to your table by your server.

There are items you can order from the menu (scroll down to the menu section to see the menu) but we preferred the ease of the buffet. There is plenty of choice and the quality was good too. I particularly enjoyed the bacon.

In the morning, Mark Brewer who is kind of the chief entertainer will pop onto the microphone and let you know the weather, what is going on that day and generally have a bit of a chat.

Lunch at Potters Resort  

Arrive for lunch between 12:30pm - 1:30pm. A three-course lunch after such a big breakfast does feel indulgent but I wasn't complaining. There are generally salads, jacket potatoes and a selection of hot meals to choose from. There isn't as much choice as the evening but still plenty.

Steve and I would usually order from the menu and the kids would help themselves at the buffet. You have one dessert menu for the whole of your stay (see menus below) plus a couple of extra hot puddings. I can never resist traditional puddings with custard - we hardly ever have them at home so it felt like a real treat. Jack was obsessed with the cheesecake and ordered it after every meal!

Dinner at Potters Resort 

Arrive for dinner between 6:30pm - 7:30pm. Mark Brewer would again pop on the microphone and chat about what was happening that evening or give any birthday shout outs.

Some people dressed up for dinner and others didn't (we didn't) - either option was fine. We would buy our drinks from the bar first and enjoy a full three courses.

As mentioned above, the food is mass-produced here but it is top-end mass-produced if that makes sense. Dietary requirements were well catered for and there were always Vegan/Veggie options too.

Menus at Potters Resort 

Menus can and do change, but here are a few example menus so you can get a feel for what to expect from the food at Potters. Overall, our dining experience was a very positive one - hats off to the team.

Drinks Prices & Extra Costs at Potters Resort

I found the drinks prices to be very reasonable at Potters. A round for us was around £14 which is very good! There are plenty of places to buy drinks - the Atlas theatre, terrace bar, restaurants......

The only extra costs we encountered were for the arcades which were normal prices and easily avoided.

Why We Loved Potters Resort

The main reason I loved Potters Resort was because there was just so much to do at no additional cost and they are the kind of activities that your kids actually want to do. Not having to worry about money/budget/cost was a breath of fresh air.

The staff are all so lovely at Potters - it feels like a real family and it was lovely to be welcomed into Potters for a weekend. The activities are always high quality and there is just so much to do in all weathers.

The accommodation was of a high standard with loads of room, I appreciated the free WiFi and it was lovely having every meal cooked for us. I liked that our meals did not have to be buffet style (which I am not the biggest fan of) but there is this option which the kids took full advantage of.

All of the little touches like Meet & Greet with Deadpool & the Hulk in the restaurant, the FREE chocolate fountain in the theatre and the way the staff were so involved with the kids during activities really feel like you are getting fantastic value.

I love that there were so many extended families at Potters - it seems to be like a popular place for families to celebrate wedding anniversarys/big family birthdays and an ideal resort for multi-generational holidays in the UK.

You can order a free Potters Resort brochure here. 

Why Potters Resort May Not Be For You

Potters Resort is in Norfolk - a beautiful part of the world. However, we didn't see any of it. Because there is so much going on/to see and do and it is available free of charge , I feel like you would struggle to leave. Potters is the kind of place where you could be anywhere so if you are looking for a base to explore the area, this may not be it.

The set meal times at Potters are pretty rigid - you can buy food from the shop, bar and cafe at other times if needed but you do pretty much need to dine when they tell you to. This was fine for us but it won't suit everyone.

The food on offer is brilliant but by day three I started to feel so full and bloated with everything I had eaten. I know you can restrain yourself but I am not one to turn down a free pudding! Three courses for breakfast, lunch and dinner (plus the option of a midnight feast) is a lot of food and by the third day, I really needed a break from over-indulging.

School Holiday Short Break Prices & Booking

We stayed on a 2-night half-term school holiday break. These breaks run on selected school holidays throughout the year - find out more and book here. 

Prices for a 2-night school holiday break are below:

I compared these prices to a Half-Board Premium School Holiday Short Break at Butlins and a Self-Catering Short Break at Center Parcs and Potters Resort worked out cheaper than both. Considering all meals and activities are included at Potters, I think they offer brilliant value.

You can order a free Potters Resort brochure here. 

Other types of family breaks are available throughout the year at Potters including Christmas, New Year, longer School Holiday Breaks and bargain Bank Holiday one night specials. Browse the full range of family breaks available at Potters Resort here. 

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