Center parks - a bit tacky?

If my kid moaned about a giant pool with a heap of slides I would think they had lost their mind.

If I had an 8yo who complained about the pool at CP I would be worried about what a snobby brat I was raising and question my parenting 😁

It’s so funny reading the snobby British comments - only in Britain would middle class people try to prove they’re not middle class by slagging off centre parks. So funny.
Yes of course we believe that your 8 year old would prefer to be looking at ruins in Italy or watching the world go by in a cafe in France.

Yanbu. We went in the June before my eldest started school (nearly 5). I really don’t see what all the fuss is about (we had great weather as well so saw it at its best). I absolutely cannot understand how people spend multiple thousands in the school holidays, you can go to great Eurocamp sites for less which have the same facilities but better. Feels like emperor’s new clothes to me.

We live in Australia and have travelled all over Europe, Asia etc. I took the kids to centre parks and they adored it. They were 10 and 12 and just headed out on their bikes all over, it was lovely for them to cycle with no cars. They spent ages in the pool while I read my book. We went SUP on the lake which was fun, we tried shooting and played badminton when it drizzled.

I would say the cars in the car park are a great representation of who's there. Many Evoques and Velars.

Are these tacky cars?

I think you see all types of cars in the car parks tbh.

Agree. In fact we flew to Germany recently to see my family and the plane was stuck on the tarmac for an hour, and my toddler had a meltdown. We just turned to each other and said ‚next time, we go CenterParcs again‘.

I would say the cars in the car park are a great representation of who's there. Many Evoques and Velars.

Sorry but the cabins are not beautiful. Concrete boxes with a bit of cladding and conference room foam filled sofas. The two storey treehouses and fishing lodges are fine. But even they are laughable quality for the price.

Still, if you like it, you like it.

So why did you go?

We love Center Parcs and never felt it was tacky. Expensive yes but never tacky. The cabins are clean beautiful and well equipped. The subtropical swimming paradise is amazing. Woburn is smaller than The others and not quite as much there, but still great. We’ve been to Woburn this month and loved it. Saving for next trip now. If the cars in the car park were anything to go by I’d say it’s for the more wealthy people.

Totally agree op. We paid £1500 for a pretty basic chalet described a premium and I thought the whole thing was a just a bit shit. The pool is definitely just an oversized leisure centre and the restaurants truly awful. We’ve since done one in the Netherlands that was not only cheaper but had the bonus of skiing on site.

Best ever anti-Center Parcs post. Even eight-year-old children of the more discerning sort of family can see how downmarket CP is.

Absolutely tremendous stuff OP. 👏

Ha ha it is naff, expensive and generally pretty run down.

Having been there quite a few times (as the kids loved it), it isn’t somewhere I’d want to go to again.

Heaving bars/pubs/play areas, and everything costs extra. 1/10 lol

They like that it's known for being overpriced so you must be doing ok to afford it. And that's exactly who you'll find there.

I think you have accurately summed up many MN posters who declare they are ‘most definitely middle class’.

Agreed: all this 'if you could easily afford it you wouldn't be there' snobbery is bloody ridiculous. It's a weekend away - a quick, low-investment (in terms of planning and organisation) retreat from everyday stress. I don't know of anyone who's spent a two-week summer holiday at Center Parcs!

It's not for everyone.

We've always gone because it works for us. Easy break with extended family, DS has lots to do, pretty chill atmosphere etc.

Is it perfect? No. It could do with more shops & restaurant choices, cheaper activities and more open green space, but is it a good family option for many - yes.

The prices may be high but that in itself tells a story in terms of popularity and return custom.

I am middle class and know plenty of middle class people who go.

I wouldn't expect to find freshly baked bread there, lol!

Personally I think Butlins is much better value for money, especially for younger kids.

Thats so funny because I’ve been all over the world, Brazil, Malaysia, Abu Dhabi, you name it, I’ve probably been there. I definitely do not want to take my two year old to those places though so we go to CenterParcs.

Do we need to label things with one word?

I don't think it's tacky- I wouldn't go for a romantic weekend but the kids absolutely love it and you can very easily get by the entire week without going in one of the restaurants (which admittedly are mainly chains and not cheap). You're never going to get a five star standard holiday village in the UK - there just wouldn't be enough people who could afford to go. An unpopular opinion but I actually don't think the cost is too bad given what's on offer - you'd pay c.£100 for a family of four for a day in a water park so to get unlimited access to the pool for the duration of the stay plus full rein of the forest and a bit of your own outdoor space seems reasonable to me. All inclusives at "tacky" hotels abroad with bad food can easily cost upwards of £5-6k during the school hols.

What's middle class about being 'outdoorsy?' I'm from a nature-loving family and was poring over geeky field guides and learning bird calls on the coast with my (working class) grandfather since childhood. Back then, an interest in the natural world was extremely dorky and the last word in uncool, until Greenpeace got all rebellious and later zen, wellbeing and 'mindfulness' made it a fashionable pastime.

To me it's the backdrop to my entire life and I couldn't care less whether it's 'of the moment' or not. Mountain Warehouse and Regatta are also every bit as good as North Face!

Yep, Ikos and Center Parcs are not the same 😅

Exactly this.

We live near one. It's shite. The "cabins in the woods" are like pill box military barracks, with a few pines between them around the circular track that joins it all to the gargantuan car park. You can pay £45 for an hour's crap bowling at their pokey bowling alley with teenagers microwaving the food, when less than ten minutes away is a proper American ten pin bowling alley with excellent diner, for £26 an hour. The spa is shit compared to a proper spa. The restaurants are shit. It is, as you say, rubbish. Trees are everywhere, go to your local woods if you want a bike ride. Pool's good. I'll give them that.

A lot of people go there thinking it's aspirational or more middle class. They like that it's known for being overpriced so you must be doing ok to afford it. And that's exactly who you'll find there. And if you don't know, they'll tell you. People who can easily afford it would rather have their teeth drawn than go.

If your 8 year old complained about food and the pool you should be more worried about how they’re going to turn out than other peoples opinions of holiday parks.

Sometimes they involve both. Those are so much fun 😂