There’s a lot to be said for getting away for a few days, and yes it can be difficult to do that sometimes especially when you have a busy family life.

That’s why sometimes its nice just to pack a few bags of essentials, a bucket and spade and just head off to a Haven Holiday resort.

Haven have been a holiday break life-saver for my family on several occasions over the last ten years having stayed at several of their parks in West Wales and The South Of England.

The beautiful green landscape of Burnham-on-Sea was our latest point of call, for which we opted for a Friday to Monday weekend break recently.

The one thing everyone looks forward to after a long car journey is a warm and friendly atmosphere and that is certainly what we received from the moment we arrived.

Be it the security staff, the receptionists, shop assistants, recreation staff or the Haven Fun Stars – everything was done with a smile and any required help usually arrived within moments.

Minutes after checking in, we were unpacking our belongings into a caravan situated in the tranquil Lake View area of the park (ideal if you want to do a spot of fishing!) and planning out our weekend with a cup of tea in the comfort of the caravan sitting room. (Top tip – if you don’t want to spend the first hour making beds, the park can providing bedding and linen for an extra cost – trust me it makes a big difference).

The key thing about the break was getting the opportunity to have fun and do different things with the children. From swimming in the leisure centre pool, play areas and participating a range of activities including archery, fencing and aqua diving there is plenty to overcome the boredom scenario.

My nine-year-old daughter Seren and I opted for a fencing tutorial Simplistic and informative the 45- minute tutorial was great fun for all participating and for the record, Seren won! As she loves swimming Seren was also keen to participate in the aqua diving session, again a fully supervised, informative and fun session.

Haven doesn’t just cater for the adventurous children. There are the daily Club R&B sessions lead by the Haven Funstars (R&B named after the resident characters Rory the Tiger and Bradley the Bear).

Split into three age brackets 0-4 years, 5-8 years and 9-12 years the morning sessions help keep the children preoccupied with activities including arts, crafts and circus skills. The children were particularly enthralled with the circus skills session which involved plate spinning, rolling the diablo and juggling!

There is further entertainment in the showbar area with a show featuring Bradley, Rory and several of their friends. These character shows usually incorporate meet and greet sessions allowing the children a chance to have photos taken with favourite characters. This enables parents to relax while the children have fun.

It is also worth pointing out that the facilities are within easy access including disabled and baby changing toilet facilities, while there is food facilities close by that deliver right to your table.

If a traditional slap up meal is what is required you only have to visit the Mash and Barrel situated downstairs from the showbar.

We particularly found they offered an excellent service for all the family delivering our starter within moments of sitting down.

Served piping hot, the food was of the finest quality be they the Ale pie (which was the finest I tasted in many years), burgers with succulent meat or the pick n mix meals which are always favourite with the children. The generous portions set us all up for a fun Saturday evening in which my wife Rachel and Seren stayed back to watch a cabaret performance from a soul band.

The cabaret acts are usually diverse including everything from rock bands to Steps tributes, and even if that's not to your liking you can always relax with a nice pint and stay in touch with the realworld with good Wi-Fi access across the Burnham On Sea park.

With attractions such as a beach and a quaint selection of local shops there is plenty to keep you amused on brighter days but even if the weather doesn't quite match up to expectations there is still plenty going on to bring some sunshine and relaxation in to your life.

Fact file

• Seafront location opposite a sandy beach

• Heated outdoor and indoor pools with indoor waterslide

• New luxury Safari tent accommodation

• A choice of coarse fishing lakes

• New double glazed and central-heated caravans

• Activities and facilities available onsite: Wet ‘n’ wild; Water Confidence; Fun inflatables; Water Walkerz; AquaJets; Aqua Gliders; Turbo Paddlers; Learn2swim; Coke FC Football coaching; Learn2Bike; Fishing experience; Archery coaching; Fencing coaching; Tennis coaching; Kart hire; All-weather multi-sports court; Tennis courts

• Visit www.haven.com or call 0871 230 1900

• Burnham also has a touring and camping area