WHILE some celebs love jetting off on luxury holidays, others prefer spending their down time closer to home.
There are lots of holiday parks around the UK that the likes of Stacey Solomon, Harry Maguire and Nigel Mansell have taken a liking to – and most of them are very affordable.
Formerly Allhallows Leisure Park, Haven Kent Coast Holiday Park has everything need to entertain the kids on holiday – and celebrities think so too.
In April last year, Stacey Solomon, her husband Joe Swash and children headed to Haven holiday park in Kent.
Stacey posted lots of pictures of the family on social media, resulting in fans questioning her holiday choice.
Stacey responded: “There must be some kind of stigma around holiday parks because so many of you messaged saying you couldn’t believe that’s where we’d chosen to go!”
We can’t fault Stacey’s choice in holiday destination, just an hour away from London, it even has a new play park.
The new play park is called Adventure Village, there’s a free fall platform, climbing wall and a rope obstacle course.
Kids can also try their hand at archery and other games.
There’s even a dog agility course for anyone who brought their furry friends.
While Stacey was away, she posted snaps of her family testing out the pool, taking part in craft classes and enjoying the view of the Thames Estuary.
Prices start at £49 for four nights – which for a family of four works out to be £3pp.
Stacey Solomon isn’t the only one to enjoy a Haven break, Manchester United footballer Harry Maguire has also been spotted at the holiday park.
He opted for the Presthaven Sands site in Wales and in August last year, surprised some holidaygoers in the bingo hall.
The footballer went on a break with his brother, 27-year-old Laurence, and wife, Fern. Guests commented that everyone was “starstruck” by his presence.
Presthaven has everything from multiple swimming pools, go-karting, to crazy golf.
On-site are five restaurants including Burger King, Chopstix and Papa Johns.
Thanks to its proximity to the coast, you can also take a stroll down to the beach.
Other nearby sights to the park include Llandudno, Caernarfon Castle, Great Orme Mines, Conwy Castle and Rhaeadr Dyserth Waterfall.
With “Saver” caravans, prices start from £49 for 4-night stays.
No one will forget the moment that Coleen Rooney announced on I’m a Celebrity that she loves a holiday to Butlin’s.
The star, who lives in a £20million mansion, confessed that she still loves a break to the seaside holiday park in Lincolnshire with her family.
Butlin’s says it has non-stop action, and it does.
Every break includes unlimited rides in their fairground, plus the new SKYPARK has lots of climbing towers and slides – including one that’s 14-metres high.
At Splash Waterworld there are pools to explore as well as rides, and flumes, as well as the smaller Rockpool Cove for little ones.
They also have star acts, and Coleen saw Britain’s Got Talent winners, Diversity, in Skegness.
In 2025, Skegness is hosting a show by Stephen Mulhern, The Masked Singer (with a celebrity host), and the stars of Gladiators also take to the stage.
Butlin’s Skegness offers breaks starting from £41, with deposits from £5 per person.
Butlin’s isn’t the only place Coleen loves to holiday, she’s previously rented a chalet in what’s known as “millionaire’s caravan park.”
While technically, a stay at The Warren Resort is a caravan holiday, it’s not the standard one.
It’s considered one of the most exclusive places to take a caravan holiday in the UK, with incredibly luxurious facilities.
The caravans overlook Cardigan Bay and Snowdonia; there’s a beachfront restaurant and a deck with sun loungers overlooking the sea.
Other activities include the boat launch, where families can head out onto the Llŷn Peninsula, there’s even a helicopter landing pad.
And on-site is a range of leisure facilities including three heated pools, tennis courts and play areas.
For the adults, there’s also a spa with tanning facilities, and massages available.
Holidays at the high-end resort, can cost up to £5,000 a week but are booked through owners privately rather than as a package.
Former F1 racing driver Nigel Mansell has confessed to loving a holiday in North Wales.
In fact, there’s one destination he loves to much, he now has a holiday home there.
We’re talking about the Islawrffordd Caravan Park, a luxury holiday park in North Wales where Nigel has been a regular visitor since he was four years old.
The park is on the southern side of the Snowdonia National Park coastline, in the village of Talybont, Islawrffordd, and has 201 holiday homes.
On-site there’s a pool, huge children’s climbing frame in the shape of a ship, games arcade, bowling alley,
For boat and watersports fans, there’s private slipway access to the beach.
Caravans are privately owned so will need to be enquired about before booking.
IRISH golf icon Paul McGinley has backed Rory McIlroy to end Major his major drought.
BUT the Sky Sports and Golf Channel analyst has suggested that it won’t be at Augusta this year.
Four-time major winner McIlroy has opted to sit out this week’s Valero Texas Open ahead of next week’s Masters.
The Holywood hotshot competed at last week’s Texas Children’s Houston Open in his last event before the opening major of the season at Augusta National.
The world number two has been a serial contender at Augusta National but has never managed to get over the line at the famous Georgia course.
McIlroy has posted seven top-10 finishes in nine starts from 2014 to 2022, including a career-best runner-up finish in 2022.
And Dubliner McGinley believes Rory McIlroy may need to break his 11-year Major drought elsewhere before finally conquering Augusta National to complete the career Grand Slam.
Speaking on an NBC conference call to preview the Masters, the Rathfarmham ace reckons there’s scar tissue around Augusta for the Down native.
He said: “Eleven years is a hell of a long time for the player of his quality,”
“I’ve said it before, but how many players from back in 2014 are still right at the very top of the world rankings, or even anywhere in the top 10?
“People have come and go – the Jordan Spieths, the Brooks Koepkas – but the staying power that he’s got, the sustainability over that period of time, has been absolutely phenomenal.
“Obviously, the big miss is not having a Major championship, and I believe that could be a stepping stone here.
“And winning another Major first may well be the path he needs to win at Augusta National.”
McGinley added: “Going into the first Major of the year and all the attention that comes with being at Augusta National, on top of trying to win your first Major in 11 years, on top of trying to complete the Grand Slam, is a lot.
“So maybe there’s a stepping stone needed first, and that will be to knock off one of the other three Majors before he comes in here with that question taken care of.”
But even after working closely with legendary sports psychologist Dr Bob Rotella in recent seasons, McGinley says the burden of history – and both McIlroy’s long wait for another Major may still be too heavy a burden to win at Augusta this year.
He added: “Rory’s coming at things in a slightly different way now, based on all the experiences he’s had of not being primed on Monday, being primed on Thursday morning.
“There’s a plan going on behind the scenes. I believe he’s up again this week in Augusta. He may even be there today. He was there last week and he’s had so many runs at this.
“The difficulty is navigating all the pressure, the expectation, the press conferences, not bringing too much attention on himself… trying to get into a really calm head space.
“And so I really do think that having Bob Rotella on his shoulder is a really important influence. There’s nobody who’s worked with more Major champions as a coach than Bob.
“Rory’s biggest challenge is the mental one, and dealing with the baggage that comes with not just knocking off a Major championship for the first time in 11 years, but also trying to complete a Grand Slam.”
McIlroy’s most infamous Augusta moment came in 2011, when he held a four-shot lead entering the final round, only to collapse with a closing 80 — one of the most dramatic meltdowns in Masters history.
He has missed the cut three times at The Masters (2010, 2021, and 2023), but remains one of golf’s most consistent global performers over the past decade.
In 2024, he captured victories in Dubai, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans (alongside Shane Lowry), and Charlotte (Wells Fargo Championship).
He also finished runner-up at the U.S. Open, claimed his sixth DP World Tour season-long title, and made a second Olympic appearance for Ireland.
He returned to the winner’s circle again during the 2025 PGA Tour season, winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February and his second Players Championship in March.
A MOTHER killed during a suspected murder-suicide was smothered to death with a pillow, an inquest heard today.
Joe Collins, 54, is believed to have killed his wife Claire, 50, and then took his own life at their home at Crossard, Kilnaboy, Co Clare on November 9, 2023.
At the Coroner’s Court in Kilrush today, following direction from Coroner Isobel O’Dea, a jury returned an open verdict into the death of Claire and a verdict of suicide into the death of Joe.
On the open verdict for Claire Collins, Ms O’Dea said that there will be no criminal trial into her death and there was no evidence that her death was self inflicted or an accidental death.
At the inquest, Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster said that Claire Collins’s cause of death was asphyxia due to smothering.
Presenting her post mortem findings, Dr Bolster stated that “the findings are consistent with pressure by a pillow over a face put in place by a third party”.
Dr Bolster said that there was bruising on Ms Collins’s right wrist joint and back of her right hand indicating defensive type injuries.
He also stated that there was no evidence of bruising to the neck and no evidence of strangulation.
Dr Bolster said: “I will add when the brain is deprived of oxygen the person becomes unconscious very, very rapidly and they are not suffering.”
Dr Bolster said that the cause of death for Joe Collins was also asphyxia caused by a ligature around the neck.
Joe Collins’ brother Brian Collins discovered the bodies of Joe and Claire at their home on November 9, 2023.
In a deposition read out at the inquest, Brian Collins said that he found his brother’s body at the back of the house while he discovered Claire Collins’s fully-clothed body in an upstairs bedroom.
Brian Collins said that a note was on the stairs inside the front door saying “upstairs and out the back” and he went upstairs to see Claire Collins’s body laid out on top of a bed and she was blue across the nose and mouth.
Brian Collins raised the alarm and his brother Pat came back to the house with him and said the Act of Contrition over Joe’s body.
In evidence, a work colleague of Ms Collins, Caitriona Murphy, working at the Burren Centre in Kilfenora, gave evidence of speaking to Claire by phone twice at 6.52pm and 8.40pm on the evening of November 8 on work related matters.
In her deposition to Gardai read out by Insp Ronan McMahon, Ms Murphy said that Ms Collins sounded fine.
However, at the inquest today, Ms Murphy said: “There was a discernible difference in tone and demeanour between the two phone calls. I asked her if she was okay and she said that she was.”
The inquest heard how an anonymous male caller rang the National Ambulance Service at 3.09am on the morning of November 9 to say there was “a tragedy” at the home of Joe and Claire Collins.
Call taker at the NAS, Brian Sammon said that the male caller “refused to expand”.
When pressed further about he meant about tragedy, the caller replied “just come or words to that effect”.
Mr Sammon said that “the caller got a bit frustrated and hung up”.
Emergency services would not arrive at the scene for almost 12 more hours, after Brian Collins had discovered the bodies.
Ms O’Dea told the inquest following the deaths, that the National Ambulance Service has made recommendations as to how it should improve its service around the taking of calls.
At the conclusion of today’s inquest, Clare Coroner, Isobel O’Dea extended her sympathies to the families of Claire and Joe Collins including their daughters Tara and Sara, stating “no words can describe how you awful it must be for all of you”.
She said: “Hopefully today will give give you a little bit of closure.”
At the end of the inquest today, Ms O’Dea also read out a statement on behalf of behalf of the Meere and Collins families.
The families stated “while we take in the findings of the inquest we are still processing the grief and loss we feel every day for both Claire and Joe”.
The families added “this is a deeply personal, painful matter for both the Meere and Collins families and we sincerely ask for privacy” as they continue to mourn “the loss of two irreplaceable people who we love so very much”.