One thing we quickly noticed when comparing Butlins Minehead and Bognor Regis is that many of the things that matter to older visitors also matter to families with young children. If you’re pushing a buggy, carrying changing bags or simply trying to avoid long walks back to your accommodation at the end of the evening, the overall layout of the resort becomes very important.

Both resorts are relatively flat compared to some holiday parks, which is a huge advantage, but Bognor Regis definitely felt easier to get around overall. It’s a much smaller and more compact resort, and nowhere felt more than about a ten-minute walk away. That makes a real difference at the end of a busy day, especially if mobility is limited or younger children are tired.

Minehead, by comparison, is a much larger site. If you stay in some of the caravan areas or more distant apartment blocks, walking back from the Skyline Pavilion and entertainment venues can become quite a hike. However, accommodation choice makes a big difference there. During our stay, we were in the Bayside Apartments, which turned out to be one of the best locations on the entire resort. Not only did we have a fantastic sea view, but the apartments were also extremely close to the main facilities. Parking underneath the building and lift access also meant there was very little walking involved from the car to the room.

That said, some Minehead accommodation blocks do have upper floors without lifts, so older visitors or families with very young children may want to request ground-floor accommodation when booking. The same applies at Bognor, although because the resort itself is smaller, the distances involved never felt as significant.

At Bognor Regis, we stayed in the Ocean Hotel, one of the resort’s three hotels. All of the hotels appeared modern and well maintained, and importantly for accessibility, they all had lifts. One thing we particularly liked about the Ocean Hotel was that the dining area was inside the hotel itself, meaning there was no need to go outside for breakfast or evening meals. The Shoreline Hotel also offers this convenience, whereas guests staying at the Wave Hotel need to walk outside to reach the dining facilities.

For older visitors, it may also be worth considering the hotel dining plan rather than the more flexible “eat around” option. The buffet-style meals are convenient, although they may be slightly more difficult for people with mobility issues. We did notice staff kindly helping older guests by carrying food back to tables — one of those moments where you secretly hope they don’t offer to help you just yet!

Around the resorts themselves, both Skyline Pavilions and entertainment areas are fairly similar, although Bognor again benefits from being more compact. Lifts are available in the main entertainment venues at both resorts, but queues can build up before shows begin. If mobility is an issue, it may be worth paying for early access seating so you can avoid the rush and secure a comfortable spot.

Technology is also increasingly part of the Butlins experience. At both resorts, food and drinks can often be ordered through the Butlins app, which is both helpful and slightly challenging depending on how confident you are with smartphones. On one hand, it means you can remain seated rather than queueing at busy bars. On the other, it does assume a certain level of confidence with technology.

Both Minehead and Bognor have beaches directly outside the resort and towns within walking distance, but the atmosphere outside the gates feels quite different. Bognor Regis seemed slightly easier from an accessibility point of view, with good ramps down to the seafront and even a small train operating near the resort entrance. Minehead, however, felt more like a traditional seaside resort once you reached the town itself, with a wider choice of cafés, restaurants and a lovely harbour further along the coast.

One thing that really stood out at Bognor Regis was the newer PlayXperience complex. This felt particularly well suited to older visitors and multigenerational families, thanks to good lift access and more relaxed activities such as shuffleboard and darts — games that older visitors may recognise from traditional pub games like shove ha’penny. The large sports bar area also created a more relaxed atmosphere than some of the noisier entertainment venues.

Based on our experiences so far, if we were returning mainly as older visitors, Bognor Regis would probably edge it for convenience and accessibility, while Minehead offers a more traditional seaside atmosphere and wider surrounding area to explore.