To feel a bit cynical about Centre Parcs?

[ilikeyoursleeves]

We are just back from a 'five' day break at centre parcs at Whinfell. It was Ok and I am sure that many people enjoy it but it just felt like a bit of a rip off in lots of ways. Our cabin thing was really tatty, lots of wear and tear, the carpet covered in stains and the toilet seat kept falling off. The five day break was really three days as we couldn't check in til 330pm on Monday then had to leave by 10am on Friday. Yes I know we could have stayed and used the facilities on those days but realistically with two very young children and me being pregnant, who can be arsed lugging everything about and having to pay extortionate prices for lunch etc.

The swimming was like human soup with about two inches between each person, the Chinese banquet we got was double the price it would normally be and pretty bleurgh, but the main thing that annoyed me was that there was only TWO infant swings for the entire place and one tiny soft play area next to an expensive bar. I just felt that they were blatantly not putting in free activities so you had to spend more money. We ended up going out to see the lake district most days rather than doing the activities that were there as I thought they were a bit of a rip off too.

Sorry I am moaning so much but just wondered if this is just me or has anything else felt like this after staying there?

I must be odd. I went to whinfell last year, and go to longleat every year. We go late November / early dec midweek when it's ats it's cheapest and have a great time (kids 14, 6,4,1) Yes if you do all the activities it's expensive but we don't. There's so much to do for free, swimming, bike riding, walking or just spending time as a family. I think if you go here expecting 5 star accomidation and constant internet usage you'll be disappointed, the whole idea is about appreciating the nature around you and spending time as a family, not on a computer! We have never eaten out, no need. We bring food with us and top up at the reasonably priced supermarket. We love it x

Thing is, you can swim, ride bikes, walk and spend time with your family in plenty of places without being herded into CenterParcs (only only fixed days and at fixed times, mind you) to do it in an overpriced, artificial environment.

We have been to Whinfell with our two children (3 & 1) several times and have always really enjoyed it. We have always done the mid-week break and never paid more than £300 which I think is pretty good value (obviously this is in term time and to be honest I woudn't be prepared to pay the prices they charge in school hols). Maybe it has changed since we last went (October last year) but there was definitely more than one soft play (we went most days to the one in the sports barn) and quite a few activities for under threes which were very reasonably priced. I agree that if you end up doing lots of activities and eating out all the time it ends up being expensive, but if you take your own food, bikes and do the free stuff then it doesn't need to be. My kids love it and I find the child-friendliness of it all makes it quite a relaxing break!

pollyjake totally agree!

I guess midweek, off-season (late November/early December) must make it better value, but most of us with school-age children can't do that. I really don't think a few days at CenterParcs is a good enough reason for missing school.

Obligatory bumsex/Centerparcs thread

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/relationships/a1385104-Center-Parcs-Anal-sex

Sorry, apparently it's best to link to it like this:

Center Parcs

If you've never paid more than £300 then that's good :) go and enjoy it. It's like any holiday, research the options and get the best price for what you want. If we could go in term time For that sort money I'd be happy to revisit.

We recently paid £350 for a luxury chalet in Scotland for a week, we had the pool and gym to ourselves. It was out of season.

For part of a summer holiday this year we have a 2 story, 3 bedroom & play loft chalet in Europe. indoor & outdoor pools complexes, access to thousands of miles of walking & cycling, restaurant. Clubs and other sports, if we want to pay. Grand cost of 350 euro for the week. The same week at our local center parks comes up at over £1500! Ok I'm being a little silly comparing the two from a UK perspective. We have to pay the travel expenses anyway.

Still, if someone gave me £1600 for a uk holiday in August of a week? I could make it go further and nicer, than an adequate lodge with free use of nice pool.

Thanks for the link, Poulay - I've just had a look at it and remember crying with laughter about it the first time round. Brought a smile to my face and a tear to my eye again!

Erm can you share your secrets for the £350 summer holiday Goolash, or is it secret squirrel? We is poor and would love a holiday .

YANBU. I went to Whinfell and it was pretty dire. That Chinese restaurant was just microwaved junk (but not cheap).

The Villa was ok, the woodland nice and we did some fun activities (quad biking). I hear the Spa is ok but didnt use it. Loved the badger cam.

Other than that though, I thought though the whole thing was a bit tatty, the swimming pool complex was grim and it really is no different from any holiday park and tbh is my idea of hell.

It's ok if you've got pre-schoolers, accommodation is a lot cheaper in term time and you don't need to bother with most of the actvities as pre schoolers are easier to entertain for free and most of the actvities are for older kids.
But when you get to school age kids it's a massive rip off, term time prices are a joke. £1200 for a week in the Lake District!
reasonably priced supermarket - I could do my weekly shop in Harrods Food Hall for less.

never ever do the food

as someone said upthread, Landals is better/cheaper. As is European CP- we've been to those more times than UKCP

...mind you our kids turn their noses up and call them "Cheap Centerparcs"

the ungrateful wretches

difference with UK and forrin CP/Landals is that here they actively encourage you to stay on site all the better to hoover more QUIDS out of your pocketses and there, you're sposed to use it more as a base and explore

the pools etc aren't normally quite as good- but, if you're in ML, there's loads and loads of stuff to do outside the site- specially if you hire bikes

NL not ML

tsk

We loved it 15 years ago. We went recently and it was horrendous. At Longleat you CAN'T cycle round the site, bikes are banned on part of the road system, the villas a so shoe horned in that there is no real woodland to explore without wandering through another villas garden and the facilities are over pried shite.

Very much Emporers New Clothes for me. You can do so much more with the money but you would have to think about where to book and what to do. Good for the gullible!

There is soft play in the main shopping bit upstairs, at the bowling and also in the sports village. We stayed in a new style woodland lodge which was lovely. We are going back for the third time this year as we love it there. It is expensive but I knew that when we booked it.
I think you are BU because you clearly didn't research what type of holiday it was going to be before you went.
On trip advisor it tells you the food is expensive and if you want to save money you could have gone to the morrisons in Penrith which is ten minutes away and got your food there.
The first time I went I was seven months pregnant and ds1 was two and we still had a great time.

Sandy balls - much cheaper and more chilled. The pool is not all singing and all dancing though.

Im with Bagofholly - Elveden was beautiful & really felt like i was away from everything...i was only 1 hour drive away!

You pick the place. You pick the accomodation. May i suggest choosing different accommodation or a different place next time? Whinfell wasnt my sisters favourite & she was disappointed to travel all that way when she could have got better 1 hour away. Dont knock Center Parcs till you've seen or been to more than the one nearest to you. Why not go to the ones abroad?

You didn't get the anal because you left 10am friday. You have to pay the weekend rate to get the anal.

I agree.

Sandy Balls in the New forest is much better.

Awful place. We came back from living abroad after five years in October last year, one of the first things I did was book Center Parcs for a family get together.

It cost a fortune and to say the lodge was grubby is an understatement, my DD was crawling on a filthy carpet, the pool was freezing and packed and the service and prices in the restaurants was dire.

It was certainly a shock to the system after living in North America for five years.

I'm going to rush to defend our favourite place - we love CP and have been 19 times -17 to Longleat, 1 to sherwood, 1 in Holland.

Not been to Whinfell but imagine it is different as they bought it from another operator rather than it being built as a CP site to start with.

I've never had a dirty or tatty villa in all that time. Swimming can be crowded, yes, but we know when the quiet times are. The restaurants Re expensive, I agree, but we're on holiday so I don't care.

It certainly isn't Butlins, there are no bars or clubs so no loud noise. And no horrible communal canteen.

And you make the real five days by going early and leaving late - we've been doing it that way since before DD2 was born and I don't find it a problem.

So, each to his own I guess, but for me it will never be anything other than a happy place where we've had some of our best times. It changes as you get older, you reshape your trip. Our next one, for example, is going with my youngest DD and 3 friends as a post-GCSE weekend with lots of high ropes type activities.