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?!

@aintnomountain Have you been to CP? It is much better than that. Sure a lovely cottage is much nicer than CP accommodation. But activities you had were petting the horses - say 10 mins, toys/games, trampoline and small playground. This is way better than a lot of cottages. But it is not the pool with wave machine and large slides/flumes that kids can spend hours in, the lovely spa that I can spend a relaxing evening in while DP looks after kids, Tai Chi that DP can do while we are still in bed, canoeing a short walk away, ten pin bowling (kids love it, I don't), etc.

I have stayed in holiday cottages and enjoyed it. But it is more work than CP. Although we would only go off season when it is much cheaper, we would never pay prices being quoted in this thread. We went to CP because it was very easy. That is its attraction. It is why my parents took us to butlins. Once we got older they have never been near butlins.

Titsywoo sorry to me that sounds like a massive rip off. For that price pour family of 5 are flying to Mallorca, renting a large villa near the beach with its own, pretty large private infinity pool for 10 days. We can't see another villa from ours. Every room is en suite. Villa is beautifully styled.
Honestly if you asked most kids if they'd prefer CP or a holiday in the sun staying in their own house/on its own plot with large gardens, own pool for them to use at their own leisure and near a beautiful beach I think I know what they'd choose.

I agree restaurants in CP are crap though, but one we went to has a lovely family friendly pub just outside the complex. And we only ever used the supermarket to buy milk or a few odds and ends. Most people seemed to do a supermarket shop before getting there.

jennymanara sure I can understand, but the majority of people explaining their love for Centre Parcs go on about the pool, and staying their for hours every day. Surely holidays are about more than spending every day inside a mainly fully enclosed swimming pool?

I almost drowned in a wave machine as a kid, so the appeal of these with 100s of other kicking screaming people in close proximity has no appeal to me for my kids.

@sundowners do you have a link to the villa you're staying in? Sounds lovely! (if you could message it to me I'd be very grateful!) thanks.

@sundowners You might be right. But I never enjoy those kind of holidays. It is for us and the kids. So I want activities DP and I enjoy too and not to have to cope with flights, etc with young kids.

We do not go to CP now because flights, etc are now much easier.

We love Center Parcs. DS is 2 and when we took him abroad last year it was a nightmare for many reasons! I begrudged the £2k we spent for a holiday I didn't enjoy.

CP is better for us at this stage in life and as we can still go off peak it is less expensive. Obviously as DS gets older we will go abroad again but I'm not jumping to repeat the experience right now!

When we went to center parcs in NL we went to the pool about 5 times in 10 days but wouldn't spend all day there. Some people seemed to literally live in the pool though.

I'd like to try the French CP maybe. Will not consider it in the UK though. If we want a short break we book into a hotel for a couple of nights, near a theme park or with other activities included. It just doesn't seem worth doing self catering for 3-4 nights.

I'm going next week and can't wait. I like the space of self catering rather than hotels.
We have done self catering cottages on farms, and with indoor pools, but they in no way are comparable with the CP pool or the massive forest areas that CP is set in. The CP pool is a million miles away from a bog standard rectangular swimming pool with no slides etc. If anyone can show me s cheaper but comparable alternative to CP please do!

@aintmountainhighenough I enjoyed the CP pool. It is set up for playing with log flume, slides and wave machine. Much more exciting than just an ordinary pool. I agree the wave machine can be dangerous and kids need to be strong swimmers or supervised. But I enjoyed the pool at CP but get quickly bored at a villa with a pool.

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

Camping is fun but it is so weather dependent and isn’t exactly a low hassle trip. With our little ones it’s 2 days max. Not so good driving to another country to go camping and the weather is poor would ruin the holiday

I think maybe if oth parents work full time /kids have always had school/na nies/childcare its an easy break.

If your kids are used to playing in woods at weekends/going on bikerides after school etc Im not sure that bit is quite the same draw!

Although we did not spend all day at the CP poll either, that would bore me senseless. Generally we did the pool every day for about 2-3 hours, another activity that day, plus strolls in the woods, watching squirrels, etc. So kids were busy, but enjoyable for DP and I as well.

I understand why CP does not suit everyone. But it does meet a need as its high occupancy rates show.

5k for 5 days 😳😳😳

I understand it meets a need I guess my frustration is at the extortionate prices they charge and people do actually fork out for. To me it is a huge rip off and I am shocked they get away with it really.

People are different and have different needs though, I understand.

97.6% year round occupancy... 97.6%

French campsites are generally excellent. A mobile home in a quiet spot is great. We went to a site where you could hire bikes and cycle through the forest to a gorgeous beach. The pool was very clean. There was a games room, boules Park, pizza van, play park. Riding stables down the road. Marshland to cycle around, very flat and safe on the paths. Pottery painting place locally. No evening entertainment, the children generally played with others on site. Admittedly no wip wire.

I think people with a lot of money ar willing to pay for the experience alongside other people like them with a lot of money (tax to avoid the poor people ...) And they dont really need to think about it. And it will appeal to people who dont normally walk/cycle with their children.

So i can see it fills a need. But its a bit emporers new clothes imo!

I've found this thread hilarious. I hate to love it but I do. kids love it. and when they're happy I'm happy. I also like that, as a pp poster put it "I exchange my brain for a green wrist band at the gate"
park the car, everything on your doorstep. we went for a week at the beginning of July and I'd like to go back for a short break in Nov/dec

I understand it meets a need I guess my frustration is at the extortionate prices they charge and people do actually fork out for. To me it is a huge rip off and I am shocked they get away with it really

Why does it make you frustrated? It’s absolutely nothing to do with you. At all.

I think it’s bonkers people pay more than £200 for a handbag... I don’t bang on about being ‘frustrated’ about it.

Chill you boots. You do you and holiday how your family wants to holiday (and leave CP for me )

Have I just been to a really bad one?
People describing CP as 'massive' and being able to go on 2 hour walks with DC just doesn't chime with our experience. It was tiny with two starbucks, a pancake house and a cafe rouge and that was it.
A tiny sports bar that felt like a canteen, that had amusements on one side. In fact that whole part of the complex felt like a service station.

There wasn't a big forest, and we didn't see any wildlife. Reading some of these posts I wonder if we just got unlucky, especially as those of us who went to the spa got ill from it. The only thing that was lovely was the spa actually.

But I'm bemused, as the picture other people are painting of their holidays is VERY VERY different. Which are the ones people rate the most?

admittedly no wip wire

Deal breaker for me I’m afraid

jennymanara

I guess we are quite an outdoorsy family. I can see why CP would appeal. It does literally have everything there. My kids are a but younger though, so a decent Haven site or Glamping/Cottage suits us quite well at this stage, but it may be different when they are teenagers. It will probably be a case of giving in to pester power, but if I can get something that suits that's cheaper, I will go for that.

Not keen on any kind if 'entertainment' in holiday destinations. I guess if I stuck around for this on these sorts of holidays I may have felt differently. Would rather have good music instead. Any places that offer this sort of thing we would be going for the kids anyway. I probably would go somewhere very remote with good food and wine and lots of outdoor activities if it wasn't for the kids.

I do wonder reading some of the posts what is going on in the minds of other posters! Some people like Center Parcs. I don't understand why that seems to irritate some people so much!

I'm sure that the majority of those who enjoy the odd break at CP are aware that other holidays are available. They are probably also aware of the cost of both CP and those others holidays.

I like Center Parcs. I also like self catering cottages in the UK, all inclusive holidays abroad, city breaks and the occasional camping trip. I don't just think, "ooh I fancy a holiday" and then mindlessly log on to the CP website and book something regardless of the price to the exclusion of all other options. I can't imagine I'm that different the the average person who goes there!

PinkFlowerFairy we live in a part of the country where there is plenty of walking and cycling in the countryside, which we do at the weekends, but we still like CP. Have been many times.

For DS now it is mainly the pool. He can spend hours there.

As an only I don't think he would find a solitary villa with a pool, no matter how luxurious, as fun.

However, it is getting more expensive, so probably won't do as many activities next time we go.