A former Butlin’s resort in Pwllheli, North Wales, that once drew thousands of visitors has undergone a dramatic transformation following a tornado that devastated the site more than three decades ago.
The property, originally established in 1947, now operates as the Hafan y Môr Holiday Park under Haven Holidays.
The 150-acre site began as a Red Coat holiday camp with capacity for 8,000 guests, located between the mountains and sea.
Previously used as a World War II training center for the Admiralty and Merchant Navy, the Pwllheli camp featured hallmark Butlin’s attractions, including an outdoor swimming pool with a five-tier water feature, a boating lake, a ballroom, and a miniature railway.
By the late 1980s, it had added a Vekoma Boomerang roller coaster with six loops.
Entertainment was a significant draw. According to Butlin’s Memories, “Ringo Starr appeared at the camp during his pre-Beatles era. His group, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, appeared for a 13-week engagement in 1960.”
On August 14, 1989, the resort was struck by a tornado that brought winds exceeding 90mph, causing widespread destruction.
Eyewitness Ian Bond recalled, “We went back into our chalets, then all of a sudden there was this huge bang and a crash. Then it went really quiet.”
He described how the tornado tore through the grounds: “It literally split all the trees and you could see the path where it had been… It ripped everything to pieces. When it passed, we looked up and the roof of the chalets were just gone, ripped off.”
More than 35,000 visitors were forced to evacuate, and the estimated damage exceeded £2 million. In response, a £30 million redevelopment plan was announced in 1990, rebranding the site as Starcoast World and adding a subtropical water park called StarSplash.
By the end of 1997, Haven Holidays took over operations. The site was reconfigured to align with emerging trends in family holidays and short-stay leisure travel.
Remaining Butlin’s structures were removed, and new static caravan accommodations were introduced. The transformation reflects a wider industry trend of investing in high-yield, low-maintenance lodging options while phasing out legacy infrastructure.
Today, the site operates as Hafan y Môr Holiday Park, which earned an AA 5 Platinum Star award in 2023, according to the Mirror.
The park features modern amenities such as an adventure village, indoor pool complex, and updated lodging that includes caravans, lodges, and apartments. Short stays are competitively priced, with some starting from £49 for three nights.
For professionals in the outdoor hospitality sector, this site’s evolution from a traditional holiday camp to a contemporary multi-accommodation resort illustrates the importance of adaptive reuse, infrastructure resilience, and market repositioning.
It also underscores the long-term viability of strategic reinvestment following climate-related disruptions—an increasingly relevant concern for coastal and exposed outdoor destinations.