Center Parcs

[winterwonderly]

I'm making a list off what we need to pack for our Center Parcs break. Any top tips of things to bring that I would otherwise probably forget, things like washing up liquid etc....

Ice cube bags, extra toilet roll, cling film, dishcloth

A sharp knife and a decent frying pan, salt and pepper as they dont sell it the parc
Market!

Towels, dvds for movie night I was gutted last time they had a player and no dvds!

Dishwasher tablets - you never get enough

Have never needed extra loo roll though!

Lube, obviously.

I should add that there were 6 women the time we needed extra loo roll and we only left our lodge once very briefly

A sharp kitchen knife and a corkscrew

I have a whole self catering/camping box - a 22l ikea tub - that comes to CP and elsewhere with "essentials" which has built up over years of wanting to do certain things and not being able to.... posted from another thread....

The main contents of that box are:
SHARP knife (I now have a small paring knife, and a medium chopper, both with blades in covers to prevent cuts when rooting in the box)
Vegetable peeler
Corkscrew! and bottle opener, and a bottle sealer as well (we often have a half used bottle to save for tomorrow)
Tin opener
A decent wooden spoon
Small spatula
Pair of Silicon oven mitts
A set of cheap ikea plastic tools - whisk, tongs, serving spoon etc
Small chopping board
Washing up brush
A small cheese grater

And some consumables that I replenish when I get home (whatever has been used up):
J cloth
Travel bottle (100ml) of washing up liquid
Plastic pot scrubber thing (I add a new one for each trip)
Washing powder tablets (3) and dishwasher tablets (at least 6, more if the trip is long)
Small roll of black sacks and 3 small white bin liners
1 emergency loo roll
3 pocket packs of tissues
250ml bottle of olive oil
Salt and pepper mills (the glass type with the mill on top from the supermarket)
Ketchup sachets (leftovers from McD's or Burker King trips) (mayonnaise/vinegar/mustard etc sachets if I get any)
(I also used to bring some sugar sachets from coffee shop trips, but no one uses sugar in our house so we don't bother anymore)
Roll of cling film and roll of tin foil
Handful of sandwich bags (useful for mixing things and marinating things as well as storage in fridge etc or for picnics)
The remains of the box of ice-cube bags - there isn't always an icecube tray but the bags are handy for those rare uses
Box of matches, and 3 instant firelighters in packets
3 nightlight candles (can light them on saucers if no other option around, once small DCs are not running around)
A torch
A few spare batteries - usually just AA, AAA (and D for the portable radio we bring)
Sellotape, a pen and small notebook
And 2 hand towels and 2 tea towels for the kitchen, that get washed and put back in general use (rather than the box) when we get home

This is great, thank you! Off to update my list now 😀

There are towels in the lodges though aren't there? So I don't need to bring my own?

Zero I only clicked on this thread in the hope that someone would say that! 😂😂😂😂😂

Love your box @BiddyPop, we have similar for camping but going to pinch some of ideas on your list

If you have bikes, plastic bag to cover the saddle if it rains.
Backpacks are easier to carry swim stuff etc if on a bike.

PhilomenaButterfly Me too!

😂

Take some monkey nuts for the squirrels

@ZeroFuchsGiven you just said what the rest of us were thinking.

Never been there but, based on the thread the other day, a net to fish out the poo from the swimming pool? The thread suggested it was a daily occurrence.

There are towels in the lodges but no swimming towels so you will need to bring these.

I always get a shopping delivery on the morning with the breakfast food, bacon sausage, gin etc and load it straight into the boot of my car.

Flipflops if you are off to the spa. Bike locks. I take a camping washing line and stretch it up in the little boiler room as swimwear dries really quickly in there. Last time we took fleece rugs for the evenings and they were nice as the sofas are not really very cosy. Agree with ordering a supermarket shop and either collecting or loading straight into the car.

Hdmi cable and laptop to watch Netflix on the telly.

Clothes airer to dry swimming towels on. And some 20p pieces to use the swimwear spinner thing at the pool- worth it to not have water dripping on the floor in your lodge as they dry...

You don't need bikes locks as they give them to you at the cycle centre. What type of lodge are you staying at? Some of the more expensive ones top up dishwasher tablets and loo roll. I'd say take your own bikes if you can - seriously sore bum from centre Parcs bikes!

We always forget cooking oil!

Calpol and first aid kit are useful.
I tend to bake a couple of big cakes the day before and take those. Everyone is always starving after swimming and various activities and it's nice to go back for a cuppa and cake afterwards. Plus it's cheaper that buying while you're there.

Some people take slow cookers.

We've also taken our our log pack thingy. Much cheaper to buy in Wilko etc than at CP.