Centre Parcs first time - title edited by MNHQ at request of the OP.

Which one are you going to?

Log fires, long walks, the pool is always warm!

They have hundreds of activities, but they all cost extra. Your kids will love it!

We go every year- love the place!
My advice would be to not book too much.
If it’s something you really want to do- definitely book to avoid being disappointed.
But the days can just go with a walk, a visit to the pool, watching the wildlife.
You don’t need much.
Restaurants might need booking.
Have a wonderful time!

What location have you booked?

I'm waiting for someone to say it...

Put your swimming things in a separate bag and get there early on your 1st day.. Go swimming and have lunch and get your car a bit later after the gates open for cars.

😂

Oh please, someone say it .....

Take a Gousto box, then you don't need to take all the spices etc.
Always take your own snacks.
Keep in mind everything is more expensive than you think and is designed to make you spend more than you intend.
Everything adds up quickly.

Look out for extra costs.
Ultimately, the pool is really good though.
Bring your own essentials.
Enjoy it!

Woburn is nice as it’s quite compact so easy to get around. When we go we usually book one activity per day and then do swimming as the second activity. I would definitely book if you want to eat out, but eating in is much, much cheaper. There is a Tescos really near that you can go via on the way and pick up everything you need. Bring things like salt and pepper and oil so you don’t have to buy new as they won’t have them there.

Personally I’ve always been surprised that “woodland walks” is not really a thing. You can walk around the roads/paths that have trees around them, but there isn’t really much woodland exploring to do. There is a dog park that is woodland but it’s not massive. I would take bikes if you have them to get around, but otherwise walking is perfectly doable

I presumed they were talking about Center Parcs being code for anal sex on here after a thread a long time ago!

Center Parcs is great, but Woburn was the most disappointing I’ve been to. Their pool is so tiny, especially compared to the other ones! But the staff are usually great, the activities are fab and the vibe is generally brilliant. It’s really good for kids of all ages.

We usually say that everyone can pick one activity each that they really want to do, then look at one or two cheap family activities like GeoCaching, bowling or the family quiz. I have a spreadsheet that I use to mark up when everyone has what activity, then plan pool time too.

The Pancake House is a must in my mind. We usually try to go twice as the kids love it. I highly recommend their cookie dough pancake! The food is expensive, and not amazing quality. Apart from the pancakes which are the best lol.

A trip to Center Parcs is not to be forgotten.. 🤣

We go roughly every other year to Sherwood and always have an absolute blast and as the kids have got older, the activities that we do have adapted accordingly.

If I was to offer any advice it would be to take your own bikes if you can but if you plan to rent bikes, order them in advance and collect them as soon as you arrive before the queues go mental.

Don't overload the activities. Yes, if there's anything that you really want to do then it's best to book in early to secure spaces but otherwise play it by ear. If you see something that looks like it might be fun then enquire as to availability but don't stress if you can't do it - maybe something to earmark if you go again.

Also, Center Parcs prices don't bear any relationship to the outside world. Best to accept that your pants will be pulled down with pretty much every transaction and to not worry about it. If you went around complaining about the cost of everything you would have a shit time. Accept that it's very expensive and make your peace with it. You will have a great time and your kids will love it.

Was my first thought on opening the thread 😂

take lube

In the annals (pun intended) of Mumsnet history.

Centre Parcs = bum sex. Who knew?

www.mumsnet.com/talk/mumsnet_classics/1385104-Center-Parcs-Anal-sex

We love going to Center Parcs in our family op. You will have an amazing time.

All I have is just a few practical bits which are pretty basic, so I’m sure you will have thought of these!

Definitely take your own nice big shop because the parc market is a bit pricey but fine for extra bits.

We take extra dish clothes, dishwasher tabs and toilet roll with us. The ovens can be a bit less than marvellous in some CP, so I’ve learned over the years that if I plan to cook simple meals are better. You can order in take aways from the CP restaurants if you want to as well.

We take as much swimwear as we have because the kids hate to step into damp stuff so it’s nice to have changes of swimwear.

When ours were that age we booked the chocolate making session for the kids so we could sneak off to the spa for a massage. It’s lovely, the pool is plenty big enough.

Will you have a fireplace? I haven’t been for a few years, but I always took some smokeless logs as it is nice to have a fire. The old lodges at Longleat all had fireplaces.

I used to pre-cook all our evening meals as I’d find that the children were knackered by early evening (and we had less money when they were small).I used to take a lasagne, a cottage pie, and some pizzas, with fries, salad, and garlic bread. Plus snacks and things to make picnic lunches.

I take extra dishwasher tablets and extra loo rolls - there are never enough. And as many swimsuits for children as I can since drying was always tricky.

Then I take bird seed and peanuts to attract the wildlife. It’s nice watching the birds, squirrels and badgers.

The longleat ones used to have giant chalk boards, so I also took a pack of chalk.