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 entertainment at CP in the Netherlands was awful but my kids don't really like evening entertainment anyway. At all inclusive resorts they hate the mini disco etc.
We didn't go to the dome in the evening, we cooked nice food in the cabin, watched films, played cards, read books / magazines and had baths in our amazing hot tub bath with lights in it! There were a couple of cabins visible to us but absolutely no noise from other guests. The cabin had 2 bathrooms, was very clean and it was nice watching red squirrels and rabbits in the forest whilst eating breakfast. We also did a stopover in Belgium and visited Bruges on the way. Fabulous chocolate shops!

@skybluee yes some people go with friends.

We went about ten years ago to Penrith, the cabin was newly furnished and gorgeous, BUT, it was boring. We did a couple of the activities which were ok but expensive, the pool was ok, but a pool, the bikes were ok but it wasn’t memorable.

Oh and someone nicked someone else’s bikes and dumped them on our front yard so it looked like we stole them. Private bikes too not CP ones.

Had I been a child however, I think i would have loved it. It was like a much posher version of my log cabin holidays in the Lakes as a kid.

One of the attractions for us is that CP is so close to where we live. It is a short drive and we are there, rather than a long stressful drive trying to keep everyone happy.

Because they enjoy what it has to offer not bum sex

A lot of people must disagree with you OP as they have a very high occupancy rate. We really like it there and are planning on going again in December as we'll be spending a lot of time in the heated pool so makes sense to go in winter.

If you went to the pool after 8pm it was pretty much empty. I do remember one night 9.30 we had it to ourselves, that's unheard of now

It shuts early now as well. We've noticed the same about the villas, it was so crowded last time we went - I think we won't be going much longer now the children are growing up.

It's really overpriced, there's independent parks and other chains that are just as nice for less but "the right kind of families" are at centreparcs. But to eaches own. I would rather not be in such close proximity to noisy kids and I hate swimming pools!

We used to go midweek in Jan or Feb ages ago before the DC started school and it was lovely. We spent a lot of time in the pool part. We enjoyed the cycling, walks, log fire etc.
But the cost is too prohibitive now the DC are at school.

I always have a nice time there, in the same way I would have a nice time anywhere, but after 20 years of going I'm ready to give it a miss a while so have opted out next year's family plans and will get a weeks winter sun instead

@ashtrayheart
@CakePigeon4
We are in a Eurocamp atm. I’ve just literally come off looking at Center parcs holidays for next year because it’s fucking awful here.

I’m disabled and called central reservations to reserve as opposed to booking online. Was told I’d get something closeby to the amenities - swimming pool and shops - but only if I reserved a disabled caravan. It isn’t. Had I gone for pot luck I would have had a 50% chance of being closer, 50% farther away. It’s near the artificial beach bit. I can’t walk to the shops like I planned to do every day. (If I was well enough). I have to drive and that feels very much like my independence has been taken away.

I know what people mean about the Sherwood Forest one. It was tired. Haven't been for years. We have been to two in France and one in the Netherlands. The French ones are far superior and a couple of them are very new.

We are staying at the Berny-Rivière Eurocamp park. The swimming pool is tired. The slide and flume are crap according to dd. It’s very very tired looking. There’s a riding stable closeby for anyone who can ride to go on a hack or for beginners.

There are a lot of extra activities at a cost. But give me a Center parcs any day of the week. This caravan cost us £1.3k. Two beds, same footprint as 3. Avant so not high in the range. But I got it as that was the only disabled caravan. Deffo not the lovely VIP standard cottages at Center parcs we will be going to next!! It’s obvs more expensive. But worth every single penny.

@stucknoue what independent parks are there that offer a wide range of activities?

I went to the one in Suffolk when it just opened and - I kid you not - while I was there, there was a fire in the swimming pool! Everyone had to get out and vacate the area. Quite funny when I look back.

It was very expensive, lots of things for which you had to pay extra; all these years later I may not consider it so expensive of course but back then we were a young family and had to watch the pennies.

Nice though, the accommodation was excellent and the setting, very pretty.

After that we went to Haven (might have been Hoseasons, can't quite remember), at Polperro in Cornwall and that was lovely.

IMO, the swimming pools are uniformly grim.

Apart from this, they can be quite nice. We went on a weekend where the sun was shining, and my son learned how to ride his bike. It was pretty magical, actually.

We have done centerparcs on a number of occasions but I refuse to return after a horrendous experience last year. My best friend and I took our children. 24 hours after arriving one of our dc’s started with a vomiting bug. Unfortunately it was the middle of the night and she never made it to the bathroom. We cleaned as best as we could and called guest services first thing to see if they could come and clean the vomit stained carpets. They refused. They said because of risk of cross infection no staff were allowed on the premises. Over the next 24 hours it was like Armageddon. One by one we all came down with the big. It was Sunday evening and we called guest services as we needed clean bedding and cleaning products. They told us they had no access to cleaning products 😡. After a rant they magically found some cleaning products. (We couldn’t leave the apartment as both parents were vomiting.) The next morning was check out day. We called guest services and explained the apartment was a mess and we still had the vomiting bug only to be told it was tough. They needed us to vacate as new guests were booked in. It was amazing now that staff were permitted to enter! The best they could offer was space in the treatment room. (This was again ludicrous as we were at risk of spreading the virus.) I complained afterwards and the response again was shocking. They said they had a special demister which could kill the virus. Never had it on the Saturday morning though!! They also lied saying we were the only outbreak yet when id called guest services on the Saturday they confirmed there were a few apartments with a vomiting virus. I asked for a copy of their infection control policy but they refused to share it. The day we arrived there was a bed base missing from one of the bedrooms. I firmly believe there had been someone else in the apartment prior to arrival with the virus and we picked it up there.
Was an awful amount of money to spend to be sick. Guest services was appalling. To make matters worse my friend and children were on holiday here from Oz and the children had requested the visit as it was one of their favourite memories of uk! Never ever again will I give centerparcs any of my money!

I forgot to say. The toilet is taking half an hour to fill up. And there’s only one. Maintenance can’t fix it till tomorrow.

I went to the one in Suffolk when it just opened and - I kid you not - while I was there, there was a fire in the swimming pool! Everyone had to get out and vacate the area. Quite funny when I look back.

Like the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland! Mind you, that was brimming over with industrial waste.

Kazza, that sounds pretty close to the worst CP story ever.

looks awful. and so expensive.

I love centre parcs, currently at one atm and my 3dc are having a lovely time, riding bikes, swimming and a lot of activities that they wouldn't normally so at home.

Like PP have said, once you drive in and unload you are done, everything is on site, no driving etc is what i really like about it.

Far too expensive. I can't go in term time and I'm not paying the equivalent of a short break abroad for what is basically a posh holiday camp. Each to their own, if it was cheaper I may consider it to try but not at those prices.

Can’t think of anything worse than a self catering cottage in the country
“Look kids, it’s just like our house, but that bit less familiar and comfortable. PS, we’ll be cooking as washing up ourselves like in our own house.”*

That's exactly what Centre Parcs is though, self catering in the woods.
You can choose not to cook in a cottage and you can choose not cook in Centre Parcs.
The difference is in a cottage you can choose to eat out wherever you want in the local area.
At Centre Parcs you have a limited choice of shopping centre chains, places that serving over priced glorified microwave meals and a Toby Carvery.

It's stupidly expensive to keep the chavs out. We've been, we liked it but it is overpriced.

AsTheWorldturns Safe to say it wasn’t the best. It was at one point like an unfunny sitcom when 2 of my dc were vomiting at the same time and I literally didn’t know where to turn! I was really disappointed at cp’s response. Even one of the cleaners we spoke with told us the swimming pools were rife with d&v. I was sharing my experience with a friend when we returned home. She had been there 2 weeks previous to our visit. She said she observed a toddler crapping in the pool. They just got a fishing net and scooped it out!!

And the 'luxury' lodges are way less comfortable than my house!