To not get Centerparcs?

[goingmadinthecountry]

No holiday this year - finances - friends suggested a weekend at Centerparcs. 600+ for a weekend without activities, showers rubbish compared with ours at home, basic kitchen with not too clean stuff in it, cheap plates, tiny outside area, all the effort of shopping/cooking/washing up/cleaning/making beds. Overcrowded overpriced activities, screaming children. Having to be at every activity at a set time, riding a crappy hired bike around for absolutely no reason whatsoever. Been before and it all seemed like an effort. Really, am I missing something? Disclaimer: I live in the countryside so feel no need to get away from it and commune with nature.

Because most people just go for the bike riding and the swimming.

Not many people can just get out on a bike straight from the front door and be safe with small children.

If you have children that will spend all morning and afternoon swimming then you can sit with a book and relax.

I love CP.

I can see why people go, its easy with a young family. The UK prices seem crazy, even for weekends out of the school holidays, when there are loads of other perfectly nice lodge parks around the country. I suppose if you want planned activities for all ages, kids club, babysitting, spa, restaurants all with no driving then there's not too many places in the uk that will provide all that. Mine only ever wanted an indoor pool and we liked self catering and a pub, so other lodge parks have served us better for short breaks.

We nearly booked at easter at one of the European 5 star Centerparks. It was under €500 for a week, within an easy drive of Calais. UK quoted us well over a thousand for the most basic accomdation.

We enjoyed De Vossemeren last year which is on the Dutch/Belgian border. Even factoring in renewing passports, overnight ferry one way, Chunnel the other way and a hotel stay to break up the journey, it was still cheaper than a UK site. A bit grubbier but there were far more free activities including the fantastic pirate ship.

Horrid place, soo many better options. Too dull and unimaginative.

I had never even heard of it before I became a parent, now I have a 3 year old and have been 3 times and going twice over the next 12 months! How times change . . . Seriously though I think it is good at what it does. We love the pool and literally go in and come out 3 hours later. Due to the age of dd we have not bought any extra activities, the pool has been enough for us. Other friends have done activities and they don't seem overly pricey.
I like self catering so that is a plus for us. We are not tied to school holidays yet, and prices we have paid have ranged from £235 to £530 for a 4 day break. Obviously everyone has a different budget but I think that is ok, for a holiday in a 3 bedroom lodge. Nobody has forced me onto a bike yet, I just amble around.

We also do other uk s/c holidays and in general they are not cheap, certainly dearer than center Parcs, without the amenities on site. Though that does tend to be for a week in nicer accommodation.

We like De Vossemeren as well.

Feb half term next year - four nights in the hightest spec 2 bedroom lodge for 400 euros.

Bargain.

I have to admit that it doesn't appeal to me at all. Why would I want to pay those prices to stay somewhere less comfortable than I can be at home?

Recently we stayed in a luxury lodge at Slaley Hall for similar prices as Centreparcs. We had a huge, extremely well equipped 2 bedroom bungalow with two bathrooms, large garden, 3 TVs, free bathrobes, an even better equipped kitchen than mine, free Wi-Fi, free use of the swimming pool, beautiful grounds, country walks and peace and quiet.

Why would I want to stay somewhere much more crowded and less well appointed?

Cos most people can't do timeshares.
I may be mistaken but I think Slaley hall is a timeshare thing.

Slaley Hall is looking good if dd2 ends up at uni in Newcastle - thanks for that Bunbaker!!

We don't have a timeshare. We just booked a week. I know some of the lodges are owned privately, but ours was available for anyone to book. I admit it isn't cheap, but we felt that the quality of the accommodation and the setting justified the price.

We ate in the hotel for one meal and felt that it was very expensive, and the portions were rather meagre - and we aren't huge eaters in our family.

I didn't get it either. Pay to get into the entertainment that you'd only be in an hour if you have a young child, no thanks.Yanbu

If you take food with you and cook, which is what we do. Then apart from milk and bread we don't spend much at all on food. The odd lunch out and as we have two small dc we don't eat out in the evening anyway. Of course it's expensive if you eat our every night.

Or out every night even!

Been once when my mum paid for us all, we had a really good time and I loved the spa but shockingly expensive for what it all is and I would never go there out of my own pocket.

I've been to centeparcs and I've been to a haven holiday site... They seemed exactly the same to me barring location (one in the first one by the sea), cost (haven much cheaper) and clientele. We did all the same thing gs, hired bikes, went rock climbing, went to the pool. Our caravan at haven was on a par with the lodge at centre parcs.

I really don't get it. Admittedly at haven we bumped into what my mum refers to as the Jeremy kyle crowd, it wasnt so bad and they were the minority. But equally l couldn't stand the middle class vibe of centre parcs, I felt like people needed to lighten up a bit.

Anyway op yanbu. I will never spend all that money to go to what in my eyes is a posher version of a caravan park, people say I'll change my mind when I have kids. I highly doubt I will.

If I wanted that type of holiday we would go to Haven because we would fit in but I can't imagine ever wanting that kind of holiday.

I don't really understand i CP. Even the people that love it say it's very expensive.

My friend has been a few times and her children had D&V each time so that's a bit offputting.

It's too communal for me. Plus I don't want to do enforced cycling.

The only thing I don't understand are the prices. It costs a fortune to stay there. We live quite close to one, and they are always advertising jobs locally, so I know what the workers get paid.

Someone's making a lot of money, and it isn't the staff.

I don't get it either-the price for what it is is extortionate! I don't understand the need for the cost?

We can cycle right from our door step. We live next to the new forest. And even then we loved our stay at longleat last christmas. We went to the winter wonderland and it was lovely. The food otoh is a horror though. If we go back again, I'll be bring my own ready make sauces (pataks hello) and just get meat and veg there.

Its £1049 for the cheapest 2 bed comfort lodge next week for 4 nights.

That's quite expensive imo.

I always think the area with shops, restaurants etc feels like a motorway services. We've been three times when kids were pre school but gets way to pricey once they are older as activities cost way too much and you are totally overcharged for school holidays. Never again.

Its £1049 for the cheapest 2 bed comfort lodge next week for 4 nights.

In fairness, it's a lot cheaper if you book in advance. Maybe they've already done the rosters and don't want to have to get more staff in suddenly.

Op I don't get it either, its so expensive and you have to pay extra for so many things.

I mean, you can book into any normal b and b, and do your own activities, use local pool to swim, or plan horse riding, hire bikes, AND I bet for far far cheaper and in nicer surroundings.

I looked six months ago to book in advance and it was over 2k