Why do so many people dislike Centre Parcs so much?

It’s just a stupid amount of money for what it is. I’ve been once and thought it was dreadful. The cabin was damp, the beds were damp, the bedroom windows had black mould all the way round. When I go away I want somewhere better than where I live not worse!

The kitchen was very poor. Not enough cutlery and plates for everyone and the fridge and freezer were tiny. I had to throw food away as I couldn’t keep it fresh.

The outdoor space at the cabin was a joke too. A few slabs outside the back door with a table and chairs for 4, when we’ve booked a 4-bedroom cabin for 5 adults, 2 teenagers and 3 children.

I felt completely trapped on the site, couldn’t wait to leave! We’d booked some activities for the teens but they were all at stupid times, like 8.30am! So we all had to get up and get out early and then everything was finished by 9am.

There really are only so many bike rides you can do in a caged-in forest! And swimming in a pool chock-a-block with people and nowhere to sit isn’t my idea of fun.

Never again.

You are being incredibly busy starting all these threads which give people a chance to air their foibles/grievances/spending habits - which have the effect of divulging their income or economic status @coulditbeme2323.

Why is that?

@MiddleAgedDread nailed it,in laws with loads of money love it,but wouldn't know a walking boot if it slapped them, I'd be devastated if I paid the prices you pay for it and got these chavvy, lairy,nobheads in the next cabin.
Id rather go to a nice place in the actual countryside.

Not for me, I hated Haven just as much.
They both had shite food and other people’s badly behaved kids!

I agree it's a rip off if you're going during school holidays and at the weekends, but I've really enjoyed going during term time while my kids are little and I don't think it's that over priced off-peak. I agree the restaurants are basic and over priced, but we always cook ourselves. For us it's a break from London life, everything is really convenient if you've got babies and toddlers, the pool and playgrounds are good and with such young kids you don't really spend much on activities. We went in early December last year and the Christmas village in the forest was very festive. The spas are incredible too. All this said, I am making the most of going now as I know we'll probably never go again once our kids start school. I would much rather spend the money on a trip abroad than a summer holiday there at such a high price point

Why would you go back to a place that is extortionately priced and has a fundamental issue.
You can ride a bike or do anything you have in CP elsewhere and have choice. Only difference is you as a parent have to take them and join in the activity and sometimes I think it is that which is the attraction to CP.

I've never been. I dislike the whole concept of it - being on holiday alongside hundreds of other people and sharing facilities with them. So, I would never do an AI holiday or a package tour or a cruise either. I will concede to going to a theme park for a day!

Secondly I dislike the cost! It's just ludicrous and have seen some reels from families who've been who itemised all the additional costs for activities - it is a giant rip-off from morning til night.

I honestly cannot see the appeal at all unless someone in your party has particular needs that can only be met by Center Parcs. But even that's quite hard to imagine.

One of my favourite ever threads on Mumsnet was posted by someone (about 10 years ago now) who was going to be charged something like £1600 for 3 nights at Longleat Center Parcs and their chalet was next to a building site.

We love it. Everything is right there. No driving, no logistics. We have other holidays for culture and exploring. Our kids are the perfect age for the activities.

One year we did try another holiday park with good reviews that was a lot cheaper but it was built around going off and driving around the local area, often an hour+ round trip. The food and service were also terrible (yet expensive), and the WiFi was non-existent.

I have not and would not ever set foot in Dubai

Price and value. We can do a week at Eurocamp or a similar site in another country for less or the same money and get far better value, with all the fun of being in a different country too.

Same haha! I don't think I would really gel with centre packs clientele after this thread 😂

I think it’s classic inverted snobbery to be honest.

I've never been. I agree that they get away with the prices they charge and its busy so there must be some people that like it.

I like "posh" centreparcs in Netherlands like the UK but way nicer and better value.

I think there's not an issue that it's bad, it's just that it's very expensive and not a good deal compared to a holiday abroad. It's about 4 times the price of Butlins or Haven for example, for only a slight upgrade in accommodation standards.

Don’t think you can say CP is environmentally friendly.

Flew long and short haul with dc from them being babies and never found flying all that stressful.
Choose a later night flight and take a “pillow” sized plushy (we had a snowman and a dog)
and once the excitement of the airport, boarding, take off, meal and finding they can get children’s tv with their own earphones they drop off to sleep for hours of the flight.

Should mention both have ADHD so not known for being the calmest of children.

We love it! When kids are young it’s an amazing uk based break. So many activities to book, kids are on their bikes the whole time with some challenging hills 😂
You can go in a group without being glued together and the pool is lots of fun! Ice cream and sweetie shop! The kids love it!!

the restaurants are naff and it’s inexcusable really. We know this and we work around it but for what you pay you shouldn’t have to! I don’t know why the Dodd situation is so bad!

We love holidays abroad but we still go to Center Parcs! You just have to reconcile that it’s not cheap. It is what it is.

Last time I went to CP I ended up with conjunctivitis from the pools.

We love the evening entertainment (none of that at CP), we love the activities (the only ones CP do are woodland walks as far as I can tell), we love the swimming pool with flumes and slides and stuff, CP pools are spa pools/swimming pools not playing pools.

CP pools are the main feature for my dc. Which holiday parks have comparable pools?

We all play badminton which we struggled to find in other parks

I had the exact opposite experience.

longleat has always been brill for us.

went to one in Belgium and it was a shit hole.

It's a long time since we went but I still consider Der Kempervennen in the Netherlands much better value than any of the UK Centre Parcs.
I did, however, note that there seemed to be fewer lifeguards - but that seems to be standard at all the European holiday parks we've been to

I was hardly lording. It's just a consideration for some people, such as those who understand the concept of sunk costs.

The cleanliness problems come about because the staff are treated like crap and not given enough time to actually do the job well, so it doesn't surprise me. I've known lots of people who've worked there over the years and the management are awful.