Centerparcs or Bluestone

[Spinaroo]

Will preface by saying I LOVE CP. so will I like Bluestone
A- more
B-just as much or
C- less.

And why?

Any and all advice/ suggestions or recommendations gratefully received.

Ps- I also love the seaside and like the look of this area- we would also consider hiring a cottage in the area for a week and then adding in a weekend here or at CP.

Thanks

[Spinaroo]

No one?

[peacypops]

We have been to both and loved both! We went to Bluestone last June and June previous for a midweek break (it was half term for my daughter although most schools had half term the week before so pretty quiet when we went). Essentially it is the same sort of idea as CP but less full-on and not as many activities to do or restaurants to go to etc. We really enjoyed it though and there was plenty to do for our children (5,3 and 1). Swimming pool is great and there is an indoor play barn, soft play room and various activities which you can book for older kids. There is a 'village green' and lovely outdoor play area, lake etc. The accommodation that we were in (calday lodge) was much better than any accommodation we have stayed in at CP. In terms of eating out, there is a pub, buffet restaurant and a couple of other options but no chains like at CP. The setting itself is lovely - it's quite hilly but you can hire golf buggies if need be (we didn't). Oh and there is a small spa should you want some pampering! Both times we have been we have had a trip to tenby on the way home. The coastline around there is beautiful so definitely worth a visit. Overall would definitely recommend - I have just been looking at booking another trip for us. Any other questions just ask x

[EskiDecaff]

Loved bluestone for a chilled few days. Accommodation was gorgeous we had an upside down style lodge which was lovely. Cp looks bigger and more impressive to me though.

[Spinaroo]

Thank you both. I thought the accommodation did look lovely. We don't really need an indoor play area with the age of the kids but would be interested on whether the swimming at either was better as this is a big pull for them.

[StrawberryMojito]

We did both last year. I would say it depends how much you like to be on site. CP has more going for it on site but there were so many lovely beaches near Bluestone, we went out most days (we were also blessed with good weather). There is also a good zoo/mini theme park near Bluestone called Folly Farm (?) which was definitely worth a visit if you have young children.
However, I didn't think the on site facilities of Bluestone matched up to CP, I thought the restaurants were a bit crap and CP Longleat pool was loads better than Bluestone, mainly because you can take toddlers on the big slides if accompanied unlike Bluestone which is height restricted. The toddler swimming experience is limited to a fairly rubbish paddling area and the rapids which are ok.
Finally, we found bluestone to be a bit of a long drive from us with a 3 year old on board.

[Tiredemma]

I am at Bluestone right now. Previously visited CP every winter in dec/jean but for the same dates this year was so expensive so thought we would give Bluestone a go. We paid £538 for Caldey Connect lodge and are sharing with our friends and their two daughters. This accom is brilliant for sharing families, it's huge and can be spilt into two separate houses which has been great for keeping the crying babies away from waking each other up.

I have spent the weekend making comparisons to CP and on the whole I feel that CP has better facilities (certainly the case for the swimming centre, the spa and bars/restaurants. That said CP is twice the price for the same week so although Bluestone isn't as 'flashy' as CP I do think it represents fantastic value for money.

The Adventure Centre here is definitely something that is lacking at CP. A huge massive indoor play area that has kept our children occupied for HOURS.

I think that Bluestone is possibly a better destination in the summer, the surrounding areas are beautiful and I could imagine using bluestone as a base to go on and further explore.
The 'village' area is really lacking, the coffee shop is very small but I do think that there is a great emphasis here to get out and about into the locality as opposed to staying on site. Which is quite the opposite to CP.

Someone on here ages ago said don't compare CP with bluestone as they are two very different sites. I have tried to have that in my mind over the weekend to make a fair judgement on Bluestone. I think it's a great resort.......but given the length of the journey compared to getting to CP time think my preference in the future would be CP. That said, if I stumbled across a good deal in the summer for here I would snap it up.

[YesPleaseJohnSnow]

Not sure about the comparisons to Bluestone but the CP in France/Holland are definitely worth a look. I priced a week in one of the CP in Holland and 5 flights into Amsterdam and it was still working out cheaper that Whinfell!!

[peacypops]

You see, I would never describe CP as flashy - just a slightly more upmarket 'Butlins'. Not dissing it though as we have had many a fab holiday there. Definitely agree that with Bluestone there is more of an emphasis on perhaps exploring the local area, beaches etc. And I actually like the fact that Bluestone is not so commercial and full of bella pastas, starbucks etc. I would also agree that Bluestone may be a better summer destination as it has lovely areas for picnics and lazing in the sun.

[NormHonal]

I agree with what people above have said.

I prefer the accommodation at Bluestone and the ambiance is very relaxed. The accommodation isn't enclosed by woodland and you can see into your neighbours' lodges to some extent.

The Bluestone pool isn't as good as CP but our DCs loved the activity centre play area and the village centre play area.

As has already been said above, Bluestone is a great base to explore the surrounding area, which is stunning, whereas CP encourages you to stay on site. IIRC, Bluestone was built with cash injections from the Welsh Development Agency or similar to encourage tourism, so that makes sense.

Bluestone has the theme park next door. We didn't go, but that might appeal to teenagers.

We found Bluestone about £200 cheaper than CP, even taking petrol into account.

It's a long journey from most places.

[Spinaroo]

Thanks all- that's really helpful.

[cestlavielife]

www.pierreetvacances.com/gb-en/fp_BLL-E_self-catering-belle-dune france is almost closer than wales if you SE uk... and similar to cp/bluestone concept, eco village, beautiful setting

[Christelle2207]

Not been to CP but I loved Bluestone- though the weather was superb and we were offsite most days. We didn't do any activities which seemed overpriced.

[Christelle2207]

However the reason we probably wouldn't go back was the stinker of a drive- all day from Manchester. We seemed to be the only one there not from South Wales, clearly is heavily marketed there!

[NancyJones]

I really did not like Bluestone at all. Firstly it took 4.5hours to get there from hertfordshire because the roads are narrow and bendy. Secondly, it seemed desolate to me (although we did go in feb). I think if you have very young kids it's ok. Pool ok (not as good as CP though) but open to public and a large soft play barn thing. But for kids over 6, well mine were fairly bored. No high ropes or other outdoor stuff. The beach at Tenby is undoubtedly beautiful (even in feb) but still not enough to occupy older kids.
Hth

The one thing it does better than CP is accomodation. The 'connect' accom is perfect for larger families or two families on holiday together. But that's not enough to ever tempt me back even at half the price of CP.