To wonder why on earth anyone goes to Center Parcs?!

[CakePigeon4]

I’ve had several friends who have been to various sites and raved about it, but to me it just looks like a slightly more upmarket Butlins?! It’s extortionately expensive, the chalets look like they’re furnished by Premier Inn, you have to pay for activities, you’re stuck on site eating at their overpriced restaurants... Am I missing something?!

I'm not a fan. It's not an escape if you can see DFS on a retail park glinting through the "forest"

I’ve been and it was ok as far as it went but IMHO and I suppose it’s some people’s idea of a holiday in the countryside whilst retaining urban creature comforts, chain restaurants, leisure centre and ideas for entertainment all on tap.

It always looks nice, but I can never bring myself to pay the huge price! To go for 4 nights this summer was roughly the same as I’ve paid for a week abroad. I just won’t do it!

I go to center parcs in Europe. Same swimming pool, nicer chalets, and skiing. A week in a German center parcs including all travel and a city break at the start was cheaper than a weekend in Milton Keynes. I'm not going to a UK one again.

Seriously? When you have preschool kids it's inexpensive & so easy. We have been twice in June. Paid 400 quid for a 2 bed, it costs us little to travel there. Toddler thinks the swimming pool is the best place in the world (our local area doesn't have any with slides etc without paying a lot). There are no cars so he rides his balance bike everywhere, there are loads of big play parks and all cafes etc are child friendly. Plus it's easy to not spend much, we took food with us for some meals & there are bbq facilities etc.

If we did a trip abroad, it would cost far more, especially as the really cheap tourist locations (Spain, Greece etc) are too hot for us. We can't be bothered with the flights, we just want easy family time.

Tbf I don't know anyone who pays the school holiday prices tho. Mad.

No idea. I wouldn't pay that much to ride a bike in the woods and try archery or whatever. We don't really do UK holidays anyway, as the risk of rain and bad weather ruining everything is too high.

My brother likes it there but it cost a fortune for a few days. He said he'd pay for his wife to visit the salon and it cost £90 for her to have her nails painted (hands and feet). Extortionate!

We used to live opposite a very wealthy couple who, in later life, had two children. They went to Centre Parcs two or three weekends a month throughout the year, which was good for my teens as they were generously paid to feed and spend time with their cats.

It’s interesting how many people cite no cars as a reason for it being relaxing and fun. I wish we had more larger communities/ spaces where cars are not allowed between certain times. They take over so much.

I’m going in September for the first time as I’m on mat leave and it’s cheap so will see for myself. My friends with DC all rate it as an ‘easy’ holiday. I have a very sceptical friend with no DC who went for the first time earlier this year and loved it. We will see!

I can’t see anything they’re offering that I couldn’t source easily myself, for less than they charge, even if I have to travel?

You have one toddler - is that right?

It becomes so much more worth it when the kids are slightly older. Last time mine where 9 and 11 and could go to the pool and cycling by themselves.

We've never bothered really with the paid activities or the restaurant.

For us it's all about the pool. Can spend a whole day in there.

I'd quite like to take the kids - they're just at the age where they'd probably really enjoy just being able to cycle around and stay in the pool so long they turn into raisins... but the cost - we can't afford it realistically.

With a 1 and 3 year old, we spent a fortune taking them to a beautiful child friendly resort in Spain. It was the worst holiday of my life and my otherwise quite compliant and happy kids turned into monsters for the week. Put us off holidays for a long time then DH suggested CP. I turned my nose up at the thought but finally grudgingly agreed. And of course, it was brilliant! Been back a few times now. Main thing is the kids love it and it is so convenient with little ones. Therefore, I love it!

What I don’t get is why you would get grown adults coming along in couples without kids...there are surely a million other holidays that would be better (and not have loads of other people’s kids running around). I reckon we’ve got about another 6 years of CP holidays in us before potential to get boring.

Why have I never seen bum sex on the list of activities?

If you don't have kids and can go during school terms, it's bloody cheap and great!

Although I was disappointed at the lack of bum sex.

Centre Parcs is £450 for mon-fri out of main season. We’re going for the first time next year. That doesn’t rent you much of a property in the UK anywhere and that’s without all the easy and fun leisure activities on site. There are no pools I know of in the UK as good as the ones at CP, it’s enormous with the rapids, slides etc. and you can spend ages there unlike the local pool where you wouldn’t spend half a day.

Ultimately some people won’t see the value in it it just depends if you put value on being on a large site with no cars in a property in a peaceful setting spaced out from others, with the amazing pool and a load of other activities available without much hassle.

I'm not a fan. It's not an escape if you can see DFS on a retail park glinting through the "forest"

we go premium half board and eat out for lunch so there's no cooking at all.
Am Impressed you fit lunch in in between the buffet breakfast and dinner.

My DC have full on FOMO, they've never missed a meal or an activity in their lives . We're there for breakfast opening at stupid o'clock in the morning, they start asking at around 11am if it's nearly lunch time yet, then dinner at around 630 just before it closes at 7.30.

@StoneofDestiny 😂😂 a lot if things amaze you!

Some people like the routine if going back to the same place. We stick to the same CP as the others take longer to get there. We can be home in 3.5 hours from the one we go to. And we live 2 hours from a motorway, so its all about convenience for us.

It would still be cheaper for us to go to CPduring peak time than go abroad. Ive done the maths.

They are totally grim, so you're not missing anything.

Grubby, overpriced, rammed full of people so you have to book your crappy chain restaurant 34 years before you go. Or attempt to cook in the woefully inadequate 'kitchen'. You feel totally locked into the site like some dodgy Hotel California.

And the swimming pool - don't get me started! Human soup brimming with norovirus.

I cannot understand why people have such low standards. You can book fabulous self catering cottages anywhere and do activities wherever you are. For probably about 25% of the Centre Pukes price. Even full on camping is bliss in comparison.

I'm quite bemused that people think they can recreate the same experience cheaper/better just by self catering somewhere. So you can stay rurally, with a massive swimming pool, spa, multiple activities, kids clubs, restaurants, play parks and shops all within (safe) walking distance? All for less than £450 a week? Can you please direct me where as I'm too thick to work out where this might be.

We looked at going abroad in November (when we're going to CP). Overnight ferry to Netherlands - £600. Flights to Spain/Portugal - £650 on ryanair and at god awful times. Chalet at CP a 2 hour drive away £459. £100 on pre-booked activities for all of us (aged 1 - 36) and we're sorted. I can't wait.

Even reading the negatives I just don't get the hate.

It's not for everyone, but it really is a holiday that works for many.

Small, neat little cabins, that are solid, with decent bathroom and reasonable kitchen (apart from lack of oven - but does include dishwasher and a coffee maker).

In UK, the blackboard wall is fun for DCs to use ( and to leave notes to each other/write shopping list etc)

The roads are good because there is very little traffic other tha. Changeover day, and the traffic that,is there is very low speed.

The pool is generally good, and each pool is similar but has slightly different things to it (Sherwood had a raft ride, while Longleat had a different slide), but each has a. "Wild water rapids" and a large wave pool and good baby pool.

We've been 3 times in the UK and always said we'd leave to do things locally, and only actually left at the end of the week to go. We are in Netherlands th s week (after another event in the country last week) and its slightly different but we have gone out a bit too.

Dd learned a lot of independence in CP, going to the shops for breakfast items alone (by choice), which lead to a slow build up of independence at home to getting home from school by herself that winter, before a bullying issue meant that she needed to get home herself earlier in the afternoons while I was still at work.

We generally self-cater because we enjoy cooking together in a relaxed way. But we usually eat out once a day - sometimes breakfast, or lunch, or dinner, or coffee and cake breaks.

We spend a lot of time walking, often we have bikes as well (rented or our own, depending on other travel plans), and actually slowing down to read books and enjoy nature and watch some tv within it rushing to do loads. We do a few activities, dd is allowed one per day usually (we have it budgeted for), and so,me are just her with others her age, while others we do as a family (bowling evening, tree trekking, kayaking). It's great to have the range of things to do on site.

It is not a holiday for everyone. But it is always busy and we always enjoy it the years we come (4 trips in the past 9 years).

Camping 😭 you’re taking the piss

We have stayed on campsites (admittedly in france) that have multiple activities, playparks, kids clubs, great pools, restaurants etc and safe for kids to cycle about (sometimes in a forest, sometimes by the beach) but accept that camping is not everyones idea of fun. Although many campsites have lodges or other accomodation too.

@kingsassassin . Where is the one where you can also ski? That sounds fab.