To think that Centre Parcs is a rip off?

[sezamcgregor]

I have friends that are always going on about Centre Parcs - they go, their parents go, their siblings go etc

Just had a look and WOW! So expensive!

Is it always so expensive, or do you lounge in such luxury that it is actually wonderful value for money...?

How can you think it's a rip off if you've never been and experienced it?

You do what we do and go as a group.

It's too expensive for my liking-it's alright but would only go if at least 50% discount-at the 80% discount I once got it was good value ;)

It is what it is. Cost depends on when you go and where you stay. Paying £350 for a fab week to me is fine. Extra activities are there if you want them - we don't bother much.

The food is crap and accommodation very blah. Been once and not keen to repeat the experience.

Take your own food and cook, well that's what we do. Saves a fortune too.

Butlins for the middle-class.

It is very expensive for what it is. We have been a couple of times and when the dc were not in school so was a bit cheaper. Its too expensive for school holidays now, we do eurocamp instead for usually a few hundred pounds less.

Its a shame as I did enjoy our stays but always left with that bitter thought that we'd overpaid.

School holidays for 5 of us, be lucky to get a week under £1000.

Just had a quick look and a lot more expensive than I thought cheapest so assuming basic lodge was £1848 for a week the first week of summer holidays, going up to £2000 the week after!

You haven't been so how you you say?

It is nothing like butlins!

I think for most people who go there it is not their main holiday it's an additional break. We go the cheapest weekend in the year. I wouldn't fancy a whole week there.

It's not too dissimilar to Butlins in many respects. On-site accommodation, entertainment, activities, places to eat. A self-contained holiday park, except it's 'naice' (is that the correct MN term?) and therefore an awful lot more expensive.

Centre parcs in Europe is much cheaper, has better weather and we love it!

I've been once and would never go again.

The accommodation is really not the kind of quality you would expect for the price you pay, and although there are lots of fun-sounding activities on offer, most of them require advance booking and extra payment - and when we went, nearly everything we wanted to do was fully booked, so all we had was the pool (open for restricted hours) and the playgrounds. The restaurants weren't up to much either. I was not impressed, and we ended up spending most of our time outside the park, at nearby Longleat.

I think you get much better value for money at a smaller holiday cottage development, e.g. one of the farm ones with a small pool and children's playground, with other attractions nearby.

I went a few times when the DC were very young - enormously convenient, and I guess that is what you pay for: everything on hand and not too much thinking required.

The food was pretty dire, but I believe they now have chains in there which I imagine improves the situation in part.

It wouldn't suit us now but if you have more than one preschooler it's a pretty good bet and when younhave very young DC anything that keeps them happy, entertained and allows you wine is in my opinion rarely a rip off

I'm quite a fan and have tried alternatives but return to Centre Parcs. I wouldn't really recommend it for people on a limited budget or who don't want/like paying out for many extras when they are there unless they are happy to stick to with swimming, cycling etc.
I think what they do they do well and it's a nice mini break where you can try new activities and make each day different I like the spas and the pools at all the sites and enjoy the food and always book the welcome pack.

We love Europe - go to Holland or Belgium every year. UK ones don't appear as good - only been to Whinfell and felt ripped off. Children have tried waterskiing and skiing at a fraction of the cost of UK prices.