To think that people should at least go to Centre Parcs before they slag it off

[Ohbehave1]

I am fed up with my friends saying how expensive Centre Parcs is or how they wouldn't like it when they haven't even looked on the booking site.

I know they can be expensive but I have done it on the cheap. And I know that they have gone downhill a bit, but they can still be good value for money.

For those that want to complain, at least look at the booking form.

I've just checked and for a 4 night midweek break in Oct half term it is £1100

We went to Menorca for a fortnight in July for 1700 including flights.

'people from another class'

The whole concept of a packaged park holiday sounds grim to me.

We tried to go. DS fell extremely ill with a serious condition the day before we were due to go.
Stupidly has no insurance. Never thought I'd need it to holiday in this country. Contacted Center Parks. Basically told tough shit. No offered even a partial refund or vouchers towards another holiday.
I'm aware we had no entitlement to these things but I thought my toddler might die and it was as if they couldn't give a shiny shit about me or my family.
I will never book again.
Now Bluestone on the other hand. Lovely!

Quiero. If you can get 4 adults and 4 kids to Spain for £309 which is what I paid last time good luck to you.

It isn't perfect - I never said it was. But it is relaxing and a safe environment for younger kids.

Jawanna

Ooh I've never heard of Bluestone Wolfie-!

But tbph I wouldn't want to go somewhere where I couldn't afford the extras - because it's usually the extras that look amazing and I'd be disappointed.

For comparison - I actually looked at CP this Summer. 5 nights in August - I think it was about £1400, without the 'extras'.

We went to a caravan park in West Wales for 5 nights instead which cost £500. Big, posh (if you can call a caravan posh!) accommodation, pool, park, tennis courts, football pitch, acres of woodland, indoor games and activities, optional evening entertainment, nice pub grub etc - all on site.

We also did do all of the extras - dolphin spotting boat trips, activity afternoon for the kids, a few nice meals out etc etc.

Anyway, my point being - our holiday, with all the extras was still half the price of the 'basic' CP holiday without activities.

It's a no-brainer for me - it's not worth it IMO, not when you have so many other options.

It wouldn't appeal to me either.

My idea of a nice relaxing holiday is somewhere quiet, not in a holiday park, no "leisure" pool because when I want a swimming pool I want to swim and not be jumped on by umpteen children, no "activities", nice places to eat, interesting sightseeing and good places to walk.

Centerparcs doesn't tick any of those boxes for me.

PMSL at Jawanna's "I don't need to get herpes to know I wouldn't like it."

I was going to say that I don't need to go on a skiing holiday to know that I wouldn't like it (I have dodgy knees and Raynaud's).

I also know that I wouldn't like Centre Parcs - I like to be independent on holiday (I even prefer s/c to hotels) and not be lumped in with lots of other holiday makers, all trying to go in the same pool, eat in the same limited restaurants etc. I also don't like being a captive audience and the victim of an overpriced supermarket and expensive activities. Not to mention that I like some guaranteed sunshine and/or to be by the sea.

I'm not a fan of center parcs at all. We had big problems with things on the villa not working (the dishwasher, the oven, two out of three radiators) which maintenance were really slow to fix. Everything was generally shabby which might be specific to the Sherwood Forest one. We had problems when we ate out with the food being wrong and the waiting staff being really arsey about it. Huge queues everywhere.

I definitely wouldn't go again, although it was nice seeing wildlife all over the place.

I'd hate it. I don't need to pay a small fortune and trek there to confirm that.

DH and I paid £606 between us for a week AI in Fuerteventura this year, and £1200 for a week AI in Cape Verde last year. I'm agog that people spend that for 3 or 4 nights in a holiday camp!

I think yabu cp is intense, personally...

I'm on the fence re center parks it has positive and negative aspects. But the point is that its a short break not a holiday. We're going in the Easter hols for 350 for 4 as we break up earlier than others and are sharing with friends.

We've been to one in Holland and this half-term we are going to one in Belgium and both are half the price for the same time in the UK. Def worth investigating

But I wouldn't compare it to going abroad because it's not that type of holiday. I don't really consider it a holiday in the sense I consider our 2wk summer break as a holiday. It's a short break in half term to chase away the winter blues and relax a little away from home. I'm sure it's not everyone's cup of tea, which is fine. But my kids love it and we find it relaxing.

I just find it extremely curious that it bothers you op? If you feel people are criticising you as a person for the holiday choices you make then that is tough, but honestly why let it get to you?

There is no holiday in the world that would suit everyone!

I'd love to go whale watching, or to Iceland, or to northern Norway to see the Northern Lights. One of those would be my absolute dream holiday but I'm sure 95% of people would disagree with me including my own dh unfortunately.

£259 for 3 nights in term time? That is way more expensive than Butlins and if you're only going to go swimming, you may as well do Butlins.

Me too Mintyy. I'd love a trip like that.

We were lucky enough to see the northern lights when we went to Lapland a few years ago. Stunning. Absolutely stunning.

Grim Grim Grim and yes I have been and was there anything I liked - errr Nope

Dh and I paid £1800 for 10 days AI in Majorca in early July. Now I appreciate that might not be everyone's cup of tea either, but it included the flights, transfers and all food and drink. So price wise CP are taking the piss. And at least abroad you can guarantee some sunshine. shudders at the thought of the communal pool at a rainy cp

You can go whale watching in March/April time in Cape Verde. I would have gone but I've got Ménière's disease so feel seasick on solid ground very often and the sea was rough and most people were coming back a very odd shade of green.

I knew Centre Parcs wasn't my cup of tea and I still went. It didn't change my mind. Dirty, overpriced accommodation, food was awful. Unless you pay for activities there's no point in going there (and the kids didn't much like the activities anyway, the ones for older children looked better admittedly), you just join the crowd in the swimming pool.
As a comparison, this year we happened to stay in a lovely hotel with a swimming pool in the Lake District for just over half the price of our CP stay.

I won't bother with Centre Parcs again.

It wouldn't be my idea a of a good holiday, but then many don't want to stay in a self catering cottage near the east York's coast like I do,

People like different things so yabu

Now AI really isn't my cup of tea

It combines lots of things I can do much more cheaply elsewhere
so why would I want to pay a premium to do them in one place?

My family had a week snorkelling in Croatia for the same price as a week in CP
nuff said