To think there is no equivalent alternative to Center Parcs?

[Onelifeliveitright]

We go every year and this year have booked an exclusive lodge with hot tub, games room, sauna and steam room. Looks amazing! My love of CP is growing the older I get. The teenagers still love it and are now old enough to do what they like. We only do a couple of activities to keep costs down. I love the environment, the lodges and the pool. And the fact there's enough restaurants to eat out every night. We like lazy days and going out. So looking at next year. My daughter works in a private school so breaks up early in summer. We can therefore go at the beginning of the week but it's SO expensive even though term time. I've looked at loads of alternatives but cannot find anywhere else that compares like for like. Aibu to think it doesn't exist?!

It's the strict rules on cars that sell it to us.

A holiday from dickhead drivers is bliss!

I’m sat outside the changing rooms at a CP now, waiting for others to come out. Extended family group, 7 teenage cousins.
They did 7 hours in the pool on Sat, 8 on Sun and 4 today.
For us, there’s nowhere else that would offer that except maybe Bluestone though no been.
There’s plenty I don’t like here, but it really suits our group.
I see people on here say they come here and barely use the pool which I can’t get my head round 🤣 but it’s just horses for courses, isn’t it? No mystery.

I totally agree with this. We went to centreparcs and it wasn't for us at that price but one reason why is because one DC has asd and he really had zero interest in any activities apart from the pool and he found certain areas overwhelming so it didn't suit us but I can absolutely see why people love it. Same with other holiday spots. Wouldn't it be boring if we all liked the same things but I'd never slag off other people's holiday choices

Not for me I don't get it eithier, however I don't get this obsession which isn't just centreparks where they must have a hot tub.

I really don't get hot tubs, they are a bit wanky.

Blimey is worked at Ribby Hall in my youth. CP it was not 🤣

That said it might have got better. Maybe not.

Sitting one in the gently falling snow, with the bubbles off, under the silent stars was amazing.

I’ve never been so clearly can’t say with any authority but…they strike me as places for people with no imagination. 🙊

We went to bluestone earlier this year. It’s not as good as CP imo if you have older children. My kids are primary aged and loved it but I don’t think they would have been as entertained if they were secondary age. The pool and the hive are brilliant for younger kids though. Older kids I would do Center parcs all the way. Executive lodges are mega expensive though. We’ve only been to one once nd shared with another family. If it’s just us we go to a standard detached lodge. Kids love the bike riding and the pool. Bluestone has these golf buggies you can hire but it’s annoying when you’re cycling and have to stop every two seconds for the golf buggies so I love that the kids can cycle safely around cp

Is the OP supposed to be ironic? I don't get it. It's just a glorified caravan park. Surely you'd go abroad for probably less cost and have the weather.

I've been to CP quite a bit only once with extended family and the kids still remember it, we've been just 4 of us all the other times and I can't remember it being over run with people and our accommodation was never shabby (never got the executive just a normal lodge in Woburn), went to Longleat which was ok too nothing special but I think for us it's not dealing with planes and baggage and it's not far for us and kids love the swimming and pancake House!

Omg some of the 1 star reviews!!! Infestations....rats....

I went once and that was once too many. It was like being trapped in The Truman Show. It just strikes me as a place where people with no imagination or independent thought go, thinking it’s the best place ever.

Soho Farmhouse?

I'd like to know what fantastically, creative and interesting things those deriding it do?

What works of art? Scientific research they've completed?

(I like CP and can claim both)

Lack imagination my arse.

I have checked out the alternative suggestions that come up but they either don't have the same amenities - especially water park - or are priced the same but a lot further away for us.

Have you tried forest holidays?

We went to bluestone and it was terrible. Ants everywhere and poor maintenance. I experienced really rude customer service. We had a problem with our booking and whenever I tried to contact them I just got computer says no and one member of staff actually put the phone down on me as I was "not lead booker" even though I was supposed to be and their system glitched. The whole site is uphill and downhill and they don't have enough electric buggies. We went with elderly parents and due to the booking problems before we were unable to reserve a buggy. We asked if we could have one when we were there as elderly parents were really struggling with mobility and we were told no. There were 8 unused in the buggy centre the whole holiday.

We met a family with a disabled child struggling to push a wheelchair up all the hills and they had also been treated appallingly and refused a buggy.

We went to Bluestone last weekend - the golf buggies get booked up months in advance but there is customer transport (minibus) that runs between the village & pool/hive/serendome.
Our lodge was lovely, clean, & spacious.
Food onsite was great, pool was great, not as big as CP I understand though.
The Hive (soft play, climbing wall etc) was fab & lots to do in the Serendome (high ropes, go karts, pirate show etc).

Yes, it’s a bit of a weird comment. Center Parcs is a short stay site, so plenty of people who go there also go on other holidays abroad etc. I’m assuming people mean it’s unimaginative because everything is on-site, in the same way they might count a resort abroad like that (though it’s a bit different as it’s an activity holiday)? We’ve been to plenty of other places abroad and in the UK where we’ve organised the trip around cultural or historic places or areas of natural beauty or natural phenomena like the aurora, but we also like a trip to Center Parcs. It’s fun, straight-forward with young kids or to share a holiday with other families and you don’t need to constantly drive off-site to other places (although a trip to Longleat safari is nice to tie in if you’re at that CP). It’s much more rejuvenating than navigating a toddler through jet lag and strep throat in NYC!

Im not sure it’s really a caravan park at all, it’s a water park with accommodation and extra activities on the side. I wouldn’t compare it to a caravan park/static caravan park or campsite, it’s various lodges built around its main attraction - the pool. I’d think of a caravan site more as being a base where most people go off on trips off-site some days, then also spend time on the beach if the site is based on one and come back in the late afternoon/evening for entertainment and food, which is a bit different.

I have tried Forest Holidays, and Landal and both were great holidays. However, for me, the major selling factor about CP is the pool and nowhere else in the UK comes close for that.

We tend to get the most basic lodge, mostly self cater, and blow the budget on lots of activities.

An equivalent holiday abroad with waterpark and lots of kids activities is far more expensive, like for like.

In school holidays? I guess it depends what you do but last time I looked CP was way more expensive than SC abroad. I get you might not find something like for like but still.

This sums it exactly for me.

Highlands lodge with hotel breakfast sounds great which hotel are you going too?

I can’t see the appeal personally