Camber Sands

On arrival check in procedure had changed and having headed to our van we found it was locked whereas initially we had been told it would be open. This wasn't a huge issue. The van was very clean and we soon settled.
The site was very clean and we felt safe to access any activity which was nice. Due to COVID all activities had to be booked. We did understand the reason and the next morning we went to book swimming. There were two staff manning the booking and everyone had to que with the first woman only to be redirected to the other one for swimming and que again. We felt this could be better organised, unfortunately when we tried to book swimming I was told by a holiday maker that a family of 14 had taken all the sessions.
We managed one swim on the 4 day break it was lovely but we would have liked more if this had been possible.
I booked the high rope activity for two older teens which was very good and all safety adhered to
.The bar and entertainment was really great but lots of queuing especially at dinner time. Possibly this could have been better manned as there were only two staff serving. There was a parkdean app but this didnt always work.
The last night dissapointed us because there was a cinema event and the queuing was lenghy, we were advised it was unlikely we would get in the bar until 10.30 PM and we didnt feel it was worth going.
This put a dampener on the holiday having said this we know it's a difficult time with COVID so it wouldn't put us off booking again.

The tourists on this beach should be ashamed of themselves. I have seen so many people leave behind polystyrene trays, plastic bottles, nappies, tampons and cigarettes among a myriad of other disgusting litter. I am shocked how people don’t understand that their actions have consequences that will last for centuries. It is not difficult to take your rubbish with you or put it in the bin! I am also shocked by the council’s complete lack of care to clean the beach, or have people patrolling to make sure people don’t litter or at the very least putting up a sign at the entrance to say litterers will be fined. Every time I come here I just get upset by the sheer lack of civility I see. I would avoid this beach if you care about the environment and don’t want to see other people treating it like a giant rubbish bin. The facilities are also absolutely disgusting - the council is clearly completely incompetent.

Only just adequate, we just spent a week here , bar staff & security all fine , however the caravan we were in . was
seriously in need of severe TLC. Cleanliness sadly lacking, upon arrival ,i noted several cobwebs in the corners,the not heated towel rail was filthy, and could not generate heat at all. on the 2nd day I texted the "team" to report a blocked bathroom sink, received text someone was on their way. it was still blocked when we left, nobody ever appeared to resolve this issue.
as for the cleanliness on the 3rd day i found a dried out cigarette butt , just within 2 inches of the fridge door.
4th day a rep knocked and asked would "you like you like your windows cleaned" i said hell yes as the window over the sink seemed to have grease or fat smeared over it. it still had grease or fat over it after it was cleaned. other faults were
boiler door catches broken
2nd toilet door outer handle damaged ,had to wrench door open
right hand lounge window broken would not close correctly
the site is miles away from anything, yes the beach is there and great. nearest real supermarket 6 miles away
Another headache ,is if you take your, DOG , with you for which you will pay £40 +, your not allowed to do anything, you must sit. eat .drink anything outside. Seagulls a real problem. noisy, pooping walking on cars , not the sites fault, but still off putting.
over all , we would not come back to this site, it has far too many vans . for the ameities

We parked at Old Lydd Road car park, need to get there early as by 10am its heaving!! Car park is £15 for the day (7hrs+) using Ringo or card payment. Toilet facilities by the entrance of the ar park, very dirty and not cleaned, no toilet paper so make sure you bring some.
The walk to the beach is tough, you walk up a very steep hill in deep sand over the dunes to get to the most amazing sandy beach in the world. The beach goes for miles so plenty of space to set yourself up. Make sure you take sun umberellas as no shade anywhere.
Low tide at 9am by 1pm tidy coming in and less of a walk to the sea.
Such a shame that where dogs are allowed some owners leave the poo on the walk up to the beach which isn't nice if you have kids (especially if your down wind). There are refreshments by the car park entrance and quite expensive. £1.80 for a can of drink, £4.95 for a can of beer. Or they do beer in draught at £7 for a pint. They do a small selection of basic food ie chips, sandwiches etc which are expensive so recommend taking picnic. Would encourage you to buy whatever you need before doing the walk to the beach as you won't want to be walking back and forth on those steep inclines in high heat! Trust me!!
High tide around 2.30pm and the water is right at your feet, so lovely.
Suggest taking a rubbish bag too for your own rubbish. People are lazy and leave their cans and bottles on the beach which washes up when your paddling which is so dangerous expecially with kids so please take your rubbish with you and pit in the bins available there.
Coast guards are present and give announ events where needed. Sea safe and good for swimming. Some water sports going on but not for renting.
Enjoy your visit!!

I think a lot of people reviewing camber sands are actually reviewing one of the holiday sites off the road. Camber sands is the beach and surrounding natural area. And just that is what is getting 5 stars.
Very clean beach, awesome waves and very aware and attentive lifeguards (from what we saw). Does get busy like all sandy beaches on the south coast, but we found a nice spot by the dunes. I am glad we didn't pitch up any closer to the sea (tide was out) as you WILL have to move your 'camp' In wards as the sea comes up very close to the dunes. Amenities - well it has them, cafes, shops, toilet block and by the looks of it enough parking. We did think all of this looks a lot run down, it has some potential to be really nice but looks like rother council are putting no money in whatsoever, (apart from lifeguards) But quite happy to take the £15 parking charge per car!
Overall a great day was had, really fun in the waves and great dunes!

Though the car park was pricey £12.50 for 3-5 hours there are toilets , cafe and a mat on the sand for ease of taking on a wheel chair or pushchair.
You are also close to the sand dunes. When the tide is out the beach is massive.

When the tide comes in quite quickly. There are life guards here.
There are also bins for rubbish which meant when we were there there was not any rubbish on the beach.

We really enjoyed our day on this sandy beach.

Disgusting place we left after 1 night, broken smoke alarm in bedroom, really loud music blaring out by 1 of the other holiday makers, everything dirty including the bedding. I've been to many holiday camps but this is the worse by far and we travelled over 300 miles. I complained and still waiting to hear from them after being told someone would be coming along to speak to me in a few minutes

What a beautiful beach this is. We experienced sunshine, rain & 40mph winds in 3 days and loved every second of it. The dunes and sand are clean, the sea is surprisingly warm and life guards keep an eye on everything.

We used both cafes for beers, kids snacks and some beach bits and souvenirs, yes its expensive (£7 a pint) but your paying for the view and after not making money for 12 months they probably need to charge to stay in business.

We loved it, its up there with Woolacombe, Holkham, Bournemouth and St Ives beaches and will definitely return. Shame its let down by the Pontins site nearby, luckily we didn't stay there but its a bit if a stain on the area itself. Not the beaches fault though.

If you want to walk you dog on Camber Sands, now is the time because, from 1 May to 30 September, they are not allowed on this glorious stretch of sand. Also, at this time of the year, the car park (where there are public conveniences) is fairly empty, which it certainly would not be in summer. Other extras in summer are a lifeguard service, open refreshment establishments and beach attractions. But with all these extras come the crowds of people. Now is the time to go if you want to experience the vast, open, mainly empty sands and sand dunes and your dog can be exercised freely

The beach is clean and huge.
Everyone distances (except small children who are scooped up quickly by their guardians/parents)
The life guards and beach patrol are fantastic. They give regular announcements and really are 'on the ball'.
Weaver fish are a nuisance and the staff were amazing and calm when my son got caught by this annoying little fish.
There are bars and shops within a few minutes walk, some on the beach (though not cheap £6 pint of strongbow, £1.50 can of softdrink).
The toilets are just as you enter the main section of beach and its doggy free in main season.