Center parks - a bit tacky?

While I can’t speak for your experience - maybe you went at a particularly busy and bad time, I will say that we’ve been enjoying centerparcs (out of season) for four years now.

Is the food going to win a Michelin star? No. Obviously not. It is quite expensive but I wouldn’t say the quality was bad. Just ordinary. The pool is usually kept very clean when we’ve been, changing area always being cleaned continuously by staff members.

It’s not value for money. The European ones seem much much better for a lot of things but it is what you make it.

Ive been twice with work but that was years ago. It was nice enough but busy. We didn't realise the first time you had to book do many things in advance so the people we took were eating really early as we couldn't get into the restaurants at normal meal times.

Cornwall overrated. It's far too commercialised and overcrowded. My idea of hell
I can think of a lot worse places that can be described as hell rather than a centre park in Cornwall.

Centre parcs is an activity place. You are paying for the convenience of having that many activities so close and so accessible. So if you have sporty kids or kids that love to be busy it’s a godsend. I think it’s also very accessible (from what I observe) so seems to be good for multigenerational trips. The pool is a bit “leisure-centrey” and the food is rubbish but you can self cater easily. We’ve tried renting a cottage and having uk breaks that way but it’s a hassle to then get all the activities sorted with the booking, driving around etc.

I like Cornwall & love St Ives! 😆

Cornwall overrated. It's far too commercialised and overcrowded. My idea of hell

I LOVE Butlins!

I don't think it really matters? I always say when your kids are young it's all about them, and if they enjoy it, then that's all that matters. Mine loved center parts. Obviously wouldnt go there without kids tbh, but i think its great for children. I remember my kids absolutely loved Blackpool too, but I hated it. Just grit my teeth and got on with it.

What is the other thread thats been talked about?

Dont be daft, London is the centre of the universe on MN. NOTHING, but NOTHING compares!! 😆

We also love Cornwall , but personally think St Ives , while beautiful, is overcrowded and overpriced and full of people who think it's the place for the middle class .

Or maybe they just like St Ives?

Don’t know about tacky but well overpriced!

Not tacky , but expensive and when we went, too crowded to enjoy much. Queues for everything and struggling to find anywhere to sit down.

I wouldn’t consider Centre Parcs to be tacky, or middle class. It seems dated and overpriced to me. I’d rather stay in an Airbnb somewhere pretty in nature.

Why serve alcohol in a swimming pool?

Which CPs do that?

Center Parcs is fine. It’s expensive but that’s well known. My kids loved the rapids and went down them over and over again. The steak and chips in Cafe Rouge (I’m sure CP is the only place they still exist!) was pretty well cooked. DS loved the zip lining.

We also go to Cornwall though avoid St Ives like the plague and am a middle class as can be. You’re a snob OP.

I don’t remember a bar at the pool?

It's the low standards rather than the cash.

But to have fewer people & fine dining would mean the prices would be much higher.

You would probably like Chewton Glen but again will cost 1.2k plus per night.

Not tacky at all! But also not middle-class. Maybe it used to be but nowadays it’s very much a varied mix of people and family.

I wouldn't say tacky. I would say it is overpriced for what it is - self catering in the "woods". I certainly wouldn't be happy paying school holiday prices and the prices of certain weekends in the year at the current standard. The older sites are very much in need of investment and a substantial maintenance program - lots of the lodges are damp, need lots of minor issues fixing (doors, bath seals, cracked tiles) all minor niggles that whilst don't affect the usability do make the lodges look a bit neglected at the side of other holiday accommodation at similar price points. The pool at Sherwood could really do with a lazy river or something else adding. The parks really need another "free" offer in addition to just the pool as in bad weather it does get very crowded. Most similar priced competition usually has a free pool offer, a soft play/ indoor play offer and a large decent outside park for all ages. CP only really has a pool. The parks are not great for all ages and again at some sites are very much in need of an upgrade. The soft plays tend to cater for the younger ages.

I went in the 90's as a child when the sites were smaller newer and had a more authentic "woodland" feel. You could cycle around the park and actually cycle amongst trees. Nowadays it's become very cramped with lodges but without the investment in facilities needed to really keep the peaceful woodland escape feel so things like the swimming feel very busy. Activities are usually an extra cost and restaurants are all chains.

It doesn't really have a like for like competitor to somewhat hold it to standard. Haven/ Butlins are a different kind of holiday. Years ago there was Oasis (now the Winfell CP) who offered something very similar. There is bluestone in Wales but it is so far for many people to travel that it doesn't really stand as a competitor. Forest Holidays is another kind of competitor but they don't usually have the pool offering.

I don't understand Center Parcs. It looks horrendously overpriced. When I go on holiday I don't want the stress of wrangling kids in public swimming pool changing rooms every day, and I don't want to eat at overpriced chain restaurants. The accommodation also looks very meh for the price. I just don't see how it would be a holiday for me/my partner at all. If I'm spending a ton of cash on a holiday, I need to enjoy it as well as the kids. Otherwise what is the point.

However clearly some people enjoy it - in which case great! Not for me.

We went once. Hated it. So many people (over)drinking in the pool that it felt unsafe for the kids. Why serve alcohol in a swimming pool? Food was shit. Didn't feel safe cycling about as there were so many kids bombing about not looking where they were going - ended up walking along wheeling our bikes instead, so pointless. Spent ages queuing to get in, then felt weirdly trapped as it was such a mission to get out (eg to go and buy some actual food as we had assumed we would eat out while there). Then, having bought food, our oven didn't work (trying to get that fixed was a mission, and it was never properly functioning while we were there). Not unexpected that the activities were so madly overpriced, but we had expected to use the pool a lot and cycle about - when those are both largely unavailable then it's quite a boring place to be trapped.

Went to Butlins for a long weekend a few years ago expecting similar but trashier. But the pool was excellent and timed so not crowded, and no drunk people. Didn't engage with much else there, as so easy to walk/drive out. Over the road from the beach in Minehead and big supermarket round the corner. Accommodation clean and functioning. Probably a third of the price of Centre Parcs.

I agree with your comments OP. Been to a few over the years, kids loved it but I found it expensive and scruffy, especially the pool area. Felt like it had not been cleaned properly.

@nomas haven't really thought about it tbh & maybe if we were going just as a family I would prefer alternatives.
We have only ever gone with family & friends so it very much appeals in that aspect. It's quite hard to cater for big groups and different generations so CP works really well for us hence why we all like it.

One in ireland was lovely and clean

About 20 years ago did one in norfolk/Suffolk as a day visitor and surprised how dirty it was

Woburn is very very small compared to most and limited.