It is the pricey UK holiday experience millions of visitors flock to every year but why exactly do so many families love Center Parcs? Our writer tells how she’s a huge fan
Center Parcs forests around the UK are filled to the brim every summer with families eager to escape from it all.
But while many people love the middle-class resorts, others claim they are over-priced and over-hyped. Plenty of Center Parcs parodies can be found on social media, where the “Butlins with Bicycles” lodge experience is lampooned to the max.
The holiday parks, which can be found in Whinfell in Cumbria, Sherwood in Notts, Longleat in Wilts, Woburn in Beds and Elveden in Suffolk in the UK, start from £979 for a summer holiday break. As a Center Parcs devotee, here are three key reasons my family heads back there every year…
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No need for extras
Firstly, Center Parcs offers a host of paid-for activities come rain or shine, from off-road Jeeps to cupcake classes and canoeing to aerial trekking, but there’s no need to pay for any extra fun unless you want to – a blessed relief given the costly price of a school holiday vacation there. This is because there are free play opportunities to be had all around.
The best activity at any of the resorts is the pool, with its host of slides, waves and adventure play areas and its all included in the price of the holiday. These balmy Subtropical Swimming Paradises offer hours of entertainment for youngsters – our five-year-old liked to go twice a day, in the morning and in the early evening – and they’re great fun for adults too. For many families, this is the only activity you need.
When your children aren’t having a splashing good time, there are loads of brilliant outdoor playgrounds to explore, filled with slides, swings and much more, with all ages of youngsters catered for. Each park has a small beach area on its lake too so if you’re blessed with good weather, it’s a great place to take a bucket and spade for younger children.
Another way to save cash is to bring your own bike. The tracks are, for many, a quintessential part of any Center Parcs experience, and there are miles of forest to cover without spending anymore money. And if you’re on a tight budget, opt to bring all your food from home or pick up a “big shop” from a nearby supermarket rather than shop at the pricier store onsite.
Let kids be kids
From toddler tantrums to stroppy teenagers, Center Parcs has seen it all. One of the reasons I love holidaying here is you’re surrounded by families in the same boat.
If you fancy a meal out at any of the restaurants onsite, they all have a soft play attached so kids don’t get bored while waiting for their food. They are cleverly hidden too so your youngsters won’t know about them unless you want them to.
Many of the resorts’ restaurants have fun touches – my young daughter loved the cat-themed robot waiters that bring your food to the table at Longleat’s Bella Italia for example. And any little packing helpers in the supermarket are rewarded with a sticker – a simple touch but a highly popular one with my youngster.
Space to relax
Even during the busy summer holidays, Center Parcs resorts are so vast you can easily find serenity if you want it. With many families heading to the pool, the playgrounds further afield are often quiet and every resort offers a selection of secluded picnic areas off the beaten track.
The pool areas are notoriously packed with kids but head there first thing in the morning or in the early evening and you can enjoy a quieter swim. And if you can escape your youngsters altogether, book into a high-end Aqua Santa Forest Spa for some true relaxation.
If you opt for a more remote holiday lodge you increase the chances of wildlife saying hello – my top tip is to bring some food for them. We spotted red squirrels, pheasants, hares and most excitingly a badger on the patio of our lodge in Whinfell, Center Parcs’ resort in Cumbria.