center parcs

An expensive family holiday that is worth every penny! One of the best adventre holiday’s I have ever been on!

Center Parcs is a great place for the kids, and we had a very pleasant weekend.
The downside was that we did have problems getting a refund for pre-​booked activities (cycle hire), event though the snowy weather made it impractical to use them much.
One other experience was with regard to finding my way around. The signposting doesn’t help you get from the car park to your distant chalet, which in the cold, dark & snow can be interesting, when you’ve left your map behind :-)

Centre Parcs in Elveden is a great place to take kids for a long weekend (Friday afternoon — Monday morning) or more. There are plenty of free activities for a short stay (playparks, swimming areas, walks, bird-​watching hide) and, if you are lucky enough to live close by, you get plenty of holiday time for your buck as there are no flights or long drives involved.
And you certainly feel like you are in the countryside with trees, lakes and wildlife everywhere.
The downsides are that it is not cheap (to rent, to eat, to shop or to do any of the paid activities) and the standard of furnishing can be a little basic and worn (that said, there are some very nice renovated lodges).
We also chose to take all our food with us and to cook ourselves rather than eating out, as previous experience at another CP (Sherwood Forest) suggested the food is nothing special.
I’m still debating whether we will go back again any time soon — it’s not great value and I can imagine that after a few days, you start to run out of free things to do, but for a much-​needed, quick and easy weekend getaway (we live just 30 mins’ drive away) it was just about spot-​on and the children loved it.

I’ve been to each of the UK Center Parcs villages, and although I’ve been to Longleat the most because I think it’s the prettiest, I think the (post-​fire) Elveden is the most child-​friendly and the village with the best facilities.
Without wishing to sound trite, and although I wouldn’t have wished the Plaza fire on this place, I think the success of the resulting rebuild in terms of quality of facilities almost makes it worthwhile! Customer feedback appears to have been taken into account such that the restaurants, bars and facilities are closer together than in the pre-​fire Elveden or in the other villages, and the restaurants in particular are much larger and all incorporate a soft play area for the kids.
The only thing that stops me from giving this place five stars is the price — I really enjoy it when I’m here, but I wince every time I book it because it’s so expensive, and I’m glad my kids are still young enough to not have to go in school holidays and only want to go swimming when they’re there.

I have been to Center Parcs about 5 or 6 times in total, 4 of those were to this parc. I have been in a group of friends and with my family, and both times were great.
there is tons to do, all pre-​bookable or you can take your chances on the day (I wouldnt recommend this!).
Something for everyone — high energy sports, daredevil teens, those with a slower pace, kids and toddlers/​babies
the swimming is free, which is just as well becausemost activities are quite pricey.
The overall cost of the holiday is good if you are going with a group, but I have noticed a dsitinct rise in price over the last year or so, so its not as good for families.
The Parc Market is fairly pricey — take supplies is my advice!
The restaurants are now chains (Bella Italia, Café Rouge) rather than independent restraurants as they had previous. I thikn there is a slight premium on their price list compared to general pricing in cities etc. The indian is particulalry nice and they offer a take away service, so you can cosy up next to the fire in your chalet.
all inall, a good family holiday when you need a relaxing break. but do take plenty of cash!

Been to this one about four times. Great fun in the Aquadome and lots of activities for all age groups. You can prebook activities online. It is pricey. Really let down by the quality of accommodation. Even the executive lodges are really poor quality.

I always wondered why people raved about center parcs as I’d looked into going before but always ended up not booking because of the price. However, I finally paid the price and went with my husband and 3 kids in tow. We all loved every minute. Even if you don’t do any of the extra activities (which all cost more) you can spend your time in the pools or just cycling around the forest. There’s enough there to keep you entertained for at the very least a long weekend. The other thing that impressed me were all the restaurants being so child friendly! The only gripe I had was that our accommodation wasn’t very clean and after 2 return visits by the cleaners, I still had to clean the toilets (yuk!) Apart from that we were very happy campers and slept really well after our long and busy days!

I’m hoping this Center Parcs has had a facelift since we visited at in April 2007, because it was a real let-​down accommodation wise. We were told that even though we’d gone for dog-​friendly cabins, they’d be done up by the time we got there, but they weren’t. The ceilings were stained nicotine yellow, two of the 4 beds were broken, with nails sticking out of them, and the extractor fan in the bathroom didn’t work. The garden/​patio area was unkempt and messy, and the whole place just felt unclean and damp.
It was meant to be a special occasion, with my entire family hiring three cabins to celebrate my dad’s 70^th birthday, and we made the best of it by spending all the time in the pool or playing badminton or tennis, or going on bike rides or walks, but hardly any time in the cabin relaxing. Perhaps that’s the idea — make the living areas manky so that people spend more money and time in the rest of the park
Expensive for what you get, and I could have gone to Venice for the weekend for the amount it cost me. I wish I had, to be fair.

i spend all day every day there no im not rich i work there…
spent one holiday there and loved it so much i applied to work. although expensive its worth every penny. the stsp is free accomodation top class, bella italia has amazing food, hucks is the true taste of america. treats sells the most amazing sweets ever tasted especially the fresh fudge. clenliness is 1^st class. try the outdoor adventure center for a great day for the whole family. time out club gives a welcome break to tired parents too. the aqua sana is perfect for pampering (try the choc fudge cake) and if you ever want to say hi to me i work in the stsp changing room xx

This was my first trip to a Center Parcs resort and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Was expecting it to be a glorified Butlins! The location was beautiful, in the middle of the forest, and there was a lot to see and do. However, it was very expensive and the accommodation was not exactly 5 star! Virtually nothing (except swimming) is included in the entrance fee so you could end up spending an absolute fortune if you want to use the spa, various sports facilities etc. But it is a lovely place to go with the family as it feels safe and the kids could go off and do their own thing, just be prepared to be broke when you come back!