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?!

The point of CP for us was that we had very little travel. It is about ease. If I was going to take all of us abroad to a Eurocamp along with the stress of flights and travel, we would just go somewhere else instead abroad. The whole point of CP was that we packed everyone in the car and drove for 55 minutes.

And staying in a self catering cottage is totally different. Sure we could stay in the countryside proper. But then you have to find where you can do the activities and drive to them. While in CP we did pool with slides, wave machine, outdoor pool, spa, bowling, Tai Chi, archery, and canoeing. We would have had to do a lot of driving to do all those activities in a self catering cottage.

It is about ease for stressed families. So you drive a short way so travel is not stressful, then you have everything a small walk away.

I was actually a bit sneery about CP until I went. We always went out of season. I would not have paid peak prices.

And I can not imagine wrestling small kids onto a plane and long car journey just to go to a holiday park. To me that makes no sense.

We're getting the eurostar with 2 teenagers - takes 2.5 hours. Hardly stressful. Then 1.5 hr in the car from Brussels. Each to their own. Sounds easier than sitting on the M5 carpark for hours to get to a caravan on a Saturday in August to me!

I've just checked for the whole month of October staying a week.

The first week in October is FROM £858, the second week is FROM £938, the third week is FROM £998, the fourth week (which is half term most places) is FROM £1,138.

No way are those prices cheap for October.

Travelling with teenagers is totally different to travelling with young children.
I never understood people who travelled for miles to get to a CP. As I said ours is 55 minutes drive from us.
@tactum If we were to get the eurostar we would have at least 3 hours to get there, plus your additional 4 hours. 7 hours travel with young children when you are already over tired and stressed is very stressful. And in reality with young kids takes longer than that because of toilet stops.
There were times when we would simply not have gone on holiday as the travel seemed too much when we were both so tired.

Elveden is cheaper but it's still from £658 for the cheapest week. Still not cheap

To be honest I wouldn't book 4 nights for my main holiday. We normally have 14 nights in the summer and 7 nights at Easter. It's not good value to pay £1000 plus for 4 nights.

Currently on 3rd CP hols. Not perfect but has a lot of advantages and no way we could have had a vaguely comparable break abroad.
People saying the chain restaurants and supermarket are no more expensive than elsewhere don’t get out much. They are 30-50% more than the exact same on the high street for most things.

• Its nothing like Butlins.
• No need to eat in the restaurants you can self cater.
• The pool is free.
• You can pay for as many or little activities as you like.

We go once every two years (during term time to get the cost down). We get a 4 bed exec villa, all ensuites and a sauna for 4 nights for £600. That's £150 a night for 4 adults and 4 children. Bargain!

We self cater. We pay for one or two activities a day and then spend much of the rest of the time in the pool.

Its lovely and very relaxing.

However I would not pay the prices they charge in school holidays as its not work £2,000.

The Euro tunnel is great, only 30 mins once you're on, although obviously depends on where you live as to the distance this side. We broke up the journey the other side with a night in Belgium before and after our main break which made up our 14 days. Just packed a small case each. You are free to visit other CP parks within Belgium and NL so we hopped over the border a few times using the pools and parks as well as having lunch in Eindhoven. We didn't do Efterling (huge theme park) but will do in the future.

It is about ease for stressed families. So you drive a short way so travel is not stressful, then you have everything a small walk away.

Not everyone lives near you though. Our nearest is over 2 hours away.

We are off to Centre Parcs tomorrow. We go with family who don’t live nearby and don’t see very often so it’s nice (even if a week with MIL is a bit trying at times). The kids love it and they get a lot more freedom than they can get at home. All the cousins playing together, building dens out of sticks, riding bikes and not even glancing at iPads/ phones etc makes it worth it.

Activities are expensive but well organised. We try to do one activity a day and the rest of the time is swimming, cycling or just having a nice walk etc. It’s nice to not be surrounded by cars and traffic for a week. It’s an easy holiday, no airports, no bored children who want to do something more than beach / pool every day. Self catering so easy enough to cook normal meals or have the option of restaurants or even takeaway. I get that it’s not for everyone. If it was just me and DH then we wouldn’t pick Centre Parcs and would go abroad but it’s definitely better for family holidays with children.

The pool is free.
It's included, not free.

@notso I know not everyone lives near a CP.
But people are posting about how quick a eurotunnel train is ignoring that for a lot of people getting to eurotunnel takes way longer than actually flying.
Although for us a 2 hour car journey that you would have would still be way way shorter and easier than travelling abroad.

CP meets a need for families. Just as Butlins meets another need.

I have to ask - what is the link between center parcs and bum sex?!

Also for the person who said you can not do long forest walks, I agree. It is not actually like being in the countryside. But when you have young kids a short walk through the woods to feed the ducks at the lake, is all many families want to do.
If you want to do actual hiking, then CP is not for you.

@notso

Thanks for that awesome clarification the pool being included rather than free. No one would have realised that if you hadn't told us.

Yes it’s definitely not for adults who want a hiking holiday however for those with children it’s perfect. Ours walk everywhere no problem and we did a lovely two hour walk with them last time we were there (I believe that some are bigger than others). We always stay for a full week.

I am just booking our activities for our next break..... is there no childcare options for children 8 and up? The crèche sessions all seem to stop at 7.

I’ve been to the Whinfell Forest one twice and hated it both times.

Lodges were grubby and the park centre was looking a bit tired.

My kids are school age so we have to go in the school holidays. I looked last year but it was ridiculously expensive. We went to Menorca self catering for a week for only a few quid more than a Fri-Mon stay at Centre Parcs

No need to thank me @katiedoc unlike the Centre Parcs pool my services are completely free of charge

We don't stay for a week - it is a local short break location for us, so a long weekend or midweek stay.

Long weekend for 6 people in 3 separate bedrooms (as opposed to a hotel where 2 rooms at least are needed and kids would have to share a room with parents) start of Oct is £429 - 3 nights x6 people 429/18= £24 per person per night including pool and play areas - can be fully self catered if you want, so no necessary additional cost to that which you would spend at home for food.

Doesn't seem expensive to me when you put it that way.

@gingersausage no one is obsessed with centre parcs. I’ve been to loads of other holiday parks also. It just depends what we fancy. We don’t (and wouldn’t) have CP as a main holiday, just a weekend/ long weekend. Just because you go doesn’t make it an obsession 🤣

When friends tell me they go their have to say they go down in my estimation. Centre Parcs = holidays for people who lack the imagination/creativity/sense to actually search for much nicer and also less costly holidays ie. private rental cottages and book a few special excursions themselves.

These parks with identical lodges piled on top of each other and mass loads of annoying people doing the same thing at the same time in the same place going back to their identical lodges all at a huge cost makes me shudder.

Where are you getting these prices Beyondmywits every long weekend I've tried for 6 people comes to £600+
The £400ish midweeks are ok value but I wouldn't take the kids out of school for Centre Parcs

We went last year and had a great time. We got a 4 bed new exec lodge which was about 3.2k so with activities, travel there and bike hire we spent about 3.8k for 7 people. That was only Mon-Fri so is expensive. This year we are doing a week (Mon to Mon) which works out at 4.9k for 7 nights for 7 people. But our lodge is very big with a games room and sauna and we get cleaners come in everyday. We don't eat out so the cost ok for us. The reason we enjoy it is the same reason we like camping - the freedom the kids get and therefore it is more relaxing for us. Our kids are between 10 and 14 so they just bugger off on their bikes and we don't have to worry about cars and they can't get out of the complex. They take themselves off to the pool or Starbucks (teen fav) or whatever. Lots of other holidays won't have that sense of freedom IMO. They love it and unlike camping we get a comfy bed and a nice bathroom and kitchen . My DH and kids aren't fussed about the sun (they get too hot and bothered) and since we go in August the weather tends to be ok and if not there is lots to do inside. Eitherway it's not for everyone but they are so popular they are clearly giving the people what they want!