The Griswald Experience: Combe Haven

Combe Haven is an all-inclusive resort sitting on an English hillside facing the Channel. It features dozens of caravans (trailers in American parlance), two pubs, a grocery, an arcade, casino, entertainment lounge, indoor and outdoor pool. This being England in late August the indoor pool was quite necessary.

When we say Combe Haven sits on a hillside, we mean Combe Haven sits on a hillside. It's a steep climb up to the pool. At least we got in some exercise.

The staff was pleasant and courteous. We were particularly impressed with the lifeguards, as we used to be one ourselves. When our youngest got a bleeder, one of the lifeguards (Callum) cleaned and bandage the wound and then filled out an accident report. Upon giving him our a address Callum said, 'Wow.'

Our caravan had three small bedrooms, a kitchen, TV area and two small bathrooms. It was clean and comfortable. It seems most of the caravans have owners who rent them out for the week. One can buy a caravan for 15-20,000 pounds, which is not bad, actually. There's no AC (we're Americans after all) but the nights are so cool one only had to open the windows.

At night the pubs and entertainment lounge are packed. Our first night there we caught a show. Here's an example we found on YouTube:

Our batch of spandex and sequenced clad teenaged lovelies sang hits from the 80's including Poor Some Sugar on Me. You haven't heard PSSoM until you've heard it sung by a teenage girl who's birth was at least 12 years after the song's release.

We were enchanted.

[I bet you were, perv-Ed]

They were adorable. Also, we like British glam rock so...

[Whatever-Ed]

Our girls...

[You mean your daughters or the poor singers you were ogling?-Ed]

Our girls partook in many activities, including archery, zorbing*, and kayaking in a pool; despite having a house with kayaks on an actual lake, which we pointed out.

'But, Daaaad...'

Of course we lost. Kayaking in a pool it is.

**See disclaimer

*You're just gonna have to look that up.
**It's possible we may have gotten the cute, blonde, glasses wearing English lifeguard in the background on purpose.