Why do so many people dislike Centre Parcs so much?

I prefer going to Center parcs Europe as it’s much cheaper, even when you factor in the cost to get there.

We go every year. I agree it’s getting more expensive but we have two toddlers and as a few other people have said it’s an easy stress free break. There are lots of age appropriate activities - the pools are good all within 10/15 min walk and the accommodation is family friendly with cots and high chairs etc provided. Theres lots of accommodation choices so easy to do with extended family ie booking cabins next to each other. The spa is also a bonus for us.

Not knocking Butlins, but I’m sure Butlins isn’t charging a four figure number for a weekend in Butlins. You expect something more for your money at CP and don’t get it.

I've never been so can't say much but I did look at going and the prices were ridiculous. I managed to get a countryside break for much cheaper and did all the things I wanted to do at CP.

Yeah, that doesn't make it sound tempting at all. Quite happy continuing not to ever be interested in either CP or Dubai without that being a "trendy" opinion.

Penrith.

Way too expensive to go to one in the UK, the ones abroad are much cheaper and look more fun.

This
it’s hugely over priced for what it is and there are other log cabin/ forest style breaks you can do for a lot less

Never been! When I was a kid and we’d come to England on holidays, I used to see the adverts for CP, and thought that the entire resort was under a giant glass dome in the woods, therefore nice and warm, and you could cycle through the woods from your posh log cabin to everywhere on the resort (within the dome!)! Soon learned that wasn’t the case at all, so it lost the appeal.

As an adult, the prices were beyond what I could afford. Some friends have been but they said it was quite pricey for what’s included!

We've had great times at Centre Parcs, agree it's got expensive but we share the cost with good friends (appreciate not everyone wants to share with another family). We actually don't spend a huge amount whilst there, we tend to go in the Winter & do 1 activity & badminton, we walk, stop for a coffee, go swimming & light a fire in the cabin, play board games & cook ourselves. My son is 18 & he's coming with us again later on this year & has great memories of CP.

People clearly don't dislike it, as you say it can charge anything it likes and be fully booked most of the year.

I enjoyed it when DC were very small and we could go in term time, spend most of the time in the pool, soft play or walking/cycling.

As they got older I really begrudged paying extra for all the activities, and a lot exra at that. E.g. booking a badminton court is a lot more than I pay at home.

For primary age DC I honestly think Butlins is better. We'd use it as a base, for a normal touristy holiday outsode the camp, let DC do whatever activities they wanted, all included. free fairground rides in the evenings, saw some of the shows.

Afai can see, the main benefit of CP over Butlins is the fact that it's so expensive keeps the riff raff out.

I’ve heard good things about Bluestone (I think!) in Wales

Genuinely, where else in the UK is there that offers an alternative to CP that offers an equivalent range of facilities onsite?

Yes, you can do it yourself with an air bnb but then you don't have the facilities. You have to drive and plan and not doing that is half the appeal of CP.

Yes, there are other holiday parks but which ones offer as much as a typical center parcs does?

It’s very expensive. The price hikes during school holidays are ludicrous. Everything costs extra. You can go abroad for a week for less money and have better weather and activities included.
We have been and enjoyed ourselves but it’s just a rip off. Even if you want to stay in the uk there are alternatives that are better and cheaper

Really expensive. I did think the swimming pool was great, but then my child got a vicious sickness bug from it so that spoiled the joy. Personally for me it's the cabins and the decor that's poor. I don't get a cosy vibe from them at all. They were dusty under the couches and spiderwebs round bedroom window sills. Just didn't feel like a cosy cabin in the woods for me.

It was great out of season with two under-4s. Now they are bigger, there is just so much better value elsewhere, We're oop north, but I really can't understand if you're within a good striking distance of the Eurotunnel, why you would go to CP in the UK.

Having said that, if they built a coastal one in the UK, I would go.

It's more expensive than booking a nice self catering place, going out to your choice of non-chain restaurants and paying for a wider choice of activities.

What you are paying for is convenience. I think of it as a holiday version of things like "Hello Fresh". If you are happy to shop for and cook your own variety of meals, Hello Fresh is a rip off. But it clearly suits some people's lifestyles.

The thing is, they run at 95%+ capacity pretty much all year round. They know exactly how much they can get away with charging throughout the year and still be busy.

Whatever you may think of the parks, it is a money-generating machine that is run incredibly well.

I've never been but always read these threads with interest!

It's definitely like Dubai for me in that both are places I have never been and I don't see the attraction of at all. Maybe there is a big overlap between people who like or loath both.

We tried it twice, and found that all our (autistic) son could access was swimming and walking round all day.

We take him to Haven instead every year now. It’s smaller, more accessible, the playgrounds and swimming are good enough for what he needs, and there’s a beach down the road. Plus it’s 1/3 of the price.

Never been, but friends who have say that they could have gone somewhere really nice for the cost and the extras were so much that they practically had to sell a kidney to cover the ££.
that’s put us off!