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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Tips for Centre Parcs please

85 replies

Mumneedstea · 17/06/2017 22:19

Not an AIBU, but posting here for traffic.

We will soon be on our first Centre Parcs holiday with a pre schooler and a 6 month old. Need some tips on what to pack, how many activities should we book, anything to avoid?

I have made dinner reservations for the first 2 days only. Is that ok or do I need to book for all 4 nights? Do I need to book more than one activity for each day?

We are getting there on a Monday and given that they only do check in at 3pm, I haven't bothered to book anything for that day as we will just settle in. Then on Tuesday I am hoping to spend most of the morning at the pool (any pool tips?) and then we have an hour's family activity booked for the evening. Other 2 days are mostly the same... spend mornings either at the pool or in the woods or the outdoor play areas and then a child friendly activity later in the day.
Does that seem ok? I don't want to overdo it with extensive pre booking, but at the same time a lot of activities are already fully booked and I may not get to book them once there.

TIA :)

OP posts:

calli335 · 18/06/2017 07:11

Yes - don't go. It's a rip off.

Teaistheanswer · 18/06/2017 07:15

Love Center Parcs especially Elveden! We usually arrive at 10, wander about a bit and then get pre-booked bikes when it opens at 11. Then head to pancake House for lunch, bit of a family tradition, but tend to self-cater for rest of holiday as the restaurants are quite expensive. The sports cafe is not too bad but it's quite loud! We go to our villa at 3 and have a cuppa as a little starter pack is provided (I see from your user name that like me tea is essential ) we then get the car from the car park about 4ish so miss the rush and actually have a free spot to park in outside the villa as they get very busy.
Definitely yes to spa instead of treatment. My kids are older now but I think they do a crèche/spa package so worth checking out.
You will have a great time especially with little ones. Enjoy!

Purplerunner · 18/06/2017 08:30

Munxx tell me more about the laundry service. We've been 5 times before and I always hate the huge pile of washing we bring home. Can't find out anything on the website?

Hotbot · 18/06/2017 08:31

Food appalling , expensive and churned out , take your own . Restaurants not that clean .

MrsBennettsNerves · 18/06/2017 08:48

Sherwood Parc Market is not particularly expensive, and very well stocked, loads of stuff I didn't expect them to sell. Though the bbqs and meat are expensive, so we take our own of those. Each year we end up taking less food with us and buying more there as carting bags and bags and bags of groceries from home to car to villa is a pain and although not as cheap as Aldi it's on a par with Morrisons/Sainsburys IMO. The take-away was good up until a couple of years ago, then we didn't bother this year as the year before was fairly crap, and the take-away is extortionate!

The spa experience thing at Sherwood is amazing, they've just refurbed it all, and not badly priced for all the many rooms and experiences. Never had a treatment but DH liked his massage.

Don't bother booking too many activities. The only paid-for thing we did with 5 y.o. DS and toddler was bowling, oh, and the pancake house twice... The rest of the time was the pool, play areas, soft-play, beach, forest walks. Get there early, picnic, then to the pool, get out just in time to fetch car to villa once rush has passed. If you just hang around the first day you feel like you've wasted a day and the holiday doesn't start until the next day. We've also booked bowling before for straight after we knew we'd be out of the villa on the last day, so the last day isn't just packing and travelling.

Sweatysweaty · 18/06/2017 08:51

Silly question perhaps but we're hoping to go later this year and we were unsure, is it possible to dri

IncidentalAnarchist · 18/06/2017 09:04

We took a slow cooker - pit food on at breakfast time, had lunch out then dinner was ready when we got home. Made life a lot easier with small people.

Alphvet · 18/06/2017 09:20

We normally go to whinefell.
We sometimes book meals but even when we have booked we often change the times when we get there and it's rarely a problem.
Don't book more than one activity a day, we have overbooked before and not turned up as little one was tired. There's swimming that you don't need them book and that eats loads of time by the time you walk there and get changed. If you have any specific whinfell questions let me know as have been loads with little ones.

Also we generally hire bikes and you can get those trailers for the kids at the back depending on how big they are and where you are staying as if you're near the centre you might not want to bother with bikes.

There's about 3 soft plays at whinfell also

BeyondThePage · 18/06/2017 09:50

When ours were small we just used the pool, the outdoor play, the indoor soft play and the beach, as well as wandering around a lot and looking out the window at the wildlife. The "land train" - carriage pulled by a landrover was a highlight at that age too - we went round a couple of times.

The little ones did get tired easily, walking around so much, so we had more down time than normal too.

We took a big bag of birdseed and spread it out the back of the patio (at Longleat)

We had 3 deer, 5 rabbits, 7 squirrels, countless little birds - chaffinch, sparrows, tits - as well as larger birds - woodpecker, heron, ducks, swan, geese, moorhen, coots - though one day a buzzard came down and took a little rabbit which caused some considerable consternation amongst the teens! There were owls and bats at night too, if you leave the patio lights on, the bats come to feed on the moths.

Most mornings it was like a scene from Snow White!

user1840873076 · 18/06/2017 16:28

Dp and I just got back from longleat on Friday, even though we have no kids the animal magic was so good (3 years and over). You get to hold guinea pigs and stroke rabbits and a skunk and ducks as well as a tortoise and see a hedgehog close up. We also went to longleat safari park and it was amazing, a must if anyone is looking at going to CP in longleat

Scandelicious · 18/06/2017 17:11

Has anyone done centerparcs in Europe? Is it exactly the same set up?

Original poster

Mumneedstea · 18/06/2017 19:15

Thanks for all the tips... I need to start putting a list together! Still contemplating whether bum sex should go on the list

We are going to Elveden.

OP posts:

Munxx · 18/06/2017 20:10

Purplerunner it is not an advertised service, we asked at Guest Services and were informed! Whinfell has no laundrette hence why they provided, I think some of the other parks do have one (as Whinfell was an Oasis they took over the facilities are not quite the same). I hope they still do it, it was amazing.

Purplerunner · 18/06/2017 22:07

Thanks Munxx

We are going a week tomorrow, so will find out shortly!

BumWad · 18/06/2017 22:44

We are going a week tomorrow too where are you staying Purple?

What is the big deal with the pool is it a spectacular swimming pool? Will my 2 year old enjoy it?

Can you still enjoy centre parcs when. Or cycling?

Do you need towels for inside the lodge or just the pool?

Does he pool open early and is it just for kiddies from 9-10am or did I imagine that? I can't find the info on it again.

Toilet roll?

PrimalLass · 18/06/2017 23:08

I always just make a huge tub of chilli, spag bol etc and take it with us. BBQ another night. In around five CP visits we've eaten out twice. It's just not worth the money, plus we usually go to the pool again at night.

AlexandraEiffel · 18/06/2017 23:12

Yes your 2 year old will love the pool.
Towels - depends on lodge I think although we go cheap but there's always towels.
And yes at whinfell little ones can go in pool early. I don't know about others

Purplerunner · 19/06/2017 07:03

Bum we are going to Whinfell, a woodland lodge.

I don't hire a bike but the kids do. I'm happy on foot.

There are towels in the lodge and you can hire at the pool if you wish. It is babies 9-10 then open access at 10am. My two love the pool, the rapids, flumes, wave machine etc.

aibu1234 · 19/06/2017 13:56

you can do centre parcs cheap or expensive depending on how organised you are by taking food with you. I would recommend the spa 3hr booking where you can experience all the saunas and steam rooms! i love this part.

My favourite site is sherwood forest, the rapids are amazing!

MaverickSnoopy · 19/06/2017 14:07

We're going in a few weeks and I'm just wondering whether the cots have mattresses? Whenever we have booked somewhere with a cot they always say they do and when we get there, they are these really thin cardboard looking mattresses. Are they big thick proper mattresses at least two inches thick?

Good to know about blackout blind...will be sure to take one with us and a nightlight.

BumWad · 20/06/2017 08:25

Apologies for my crappy spelling in my last post!

Yes please I would like to know about cot mattresses too.

Thanks also for the Gro blind tip going to purchase one later they are on offer in loads of places.

talulahbeige · 20/06/2017 08:47

Don't book too much activity, I do and always regret it. Such lovely peaceful environment to enjoy without loads of planned things.
Hire bikes, great fun, kids faces will be a picture when your riding round with them on the back.
We've never done it but I hear lots of people order a supermarket shop to be delivered when you can get into lodge.

talulahbeige · 20/06/2017 08:48

We used one if there cots when dd was 1, never again, it was the most uncomfortable and noisy thing ever.

beela · 20/06/2017 09:54

We used a cot once. It did have a matress but it was wet. Ewww. Housekeeping did replace it though.

I'd take a travel cot.

kierenthecommunity · 20/06/2017 10:12

Purple Whinfell has a fab splash zone which is perfect for littlies

We get there early and head to Cafe Rouge for mussels and a big glass of white, makes me feel like the holiday has began!

Get disposable barbecues from Poundland, ditto the fire logs if you think you'll need them

Take as much food as you can cram in a cool box especially a 6-pinter of milk as that WAS expensive. And wine. And nice cheese.

If you book one kids activity make it the teddy bear picnic as that was surprisingly good value for money. My boy liked the party activity too

The bowling alley/bar usually has a free disco about sixish too. And there is free wifi there

And push the boat out and get a sitter. We went to the Indian restaurant items really good

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