Center parcs is basic. Alternatives please.

[Summerstarsarepink]

Bland food. Floors sticky. Shouting parents drinking beer . Crap coffee. Dated. Kids unattended causing problems.

The Swimming pool was the only saving grace. i

After years o my brother telling me jow incredible CP’s is , we went with him last year. It was , for me, horrible. DH and I were shocked. Run down, hectic and stressful.

It was like weatherspoons and created a family park . Now maybe this is my stupidity but I was led to believe it was a luxury Butlins! I’m sorry but it (Elveden Forest) was just so disappointing .

Please recommend a luxury alternative .

I liked CP during Covid restrictions best - when it was only 35% full! Didn’t like it nearly as much under the normal circumstances 😂

See? I told you. 😂

I totally get this though. Just an easy weekend away, feels removed from normal life.

Someone who says their MIL is addicted but I can’t find their post against - I do have a theory you can be addicted to the booking process for this type of holidays. Especially CP specifically. There’s something about their website that makes you crave making the booking - if you are the type who looks for frequent dopamine hits (like those with ADHD but not confined to this). Then once you’ve booked the holiday, you can go back in and add extras etc. There’s a definite fix for the dopamine seeker even before going on the holiday.

And i say this as someone who likes CP a medium amount - have been a couple of times but it’s not my top holiday.

@Isitautumnyet23

I’d love to know where you can go for 3 or 4 nights with CP facilities for £400

I'd love to know where you are going if you are getting those prices in school holidays?! Or are you taking your kids out?

Gwel an Mor, Cornwall

We’ve always taken the kids out (Mon-Fri through primary school especially the younger years) but older now so have to go at the weekend as its not our main holiday (and i’ll take them out for that). Over the past 10 years, we’ve paid as little as £349 for Monday - Friday. The prices do seem to have gone up in the last few years (like everything) but when I looked the other day, they were advertising £499 for breaks.

I cant understand why anyone would go school holidays with primary kids (unless you’re a teacher!) and pay thousands. You can go Mon-Fri, pay the fine and still save hundreds!

The Easter holidays this year are Friday 29th March to Friday 12th April. I've just had a look at the Butlins website and you can book a four night stay for a family of four, Mon 8th-Fri 12th, at Skegness from £407 per unit in the basic accommodation going up to £690 in the better accommodation.

Or a three night stay, Fri 5th - Mon 8th, from £305 per unit up to £541.

In Minehead, a three night stay, Fri 5th - Mon 8th is from £212 per unit up to £705.

In Bognor, a three night stay, Fri 5th - Mon 8th is from £450 per unit up to £901.

EDIT

Where I live, schools finish on 19th July. I just had a look at the last weekend in July, Fri 26th - Mon 29th July for a family of four.

Skegness from £359 per unit to £757
Minehead from £323 per unit to £1,119
Bognor from £590 to £1,272

Or, depending when schools back in your area (here they'll go back on Wed 4th Sept 2024), you can also look at the first weekend in September, Fri 30th Aug - Mon 2 Sept,

Skegness from £341 per unit to £640
Minehead from £314 per unit to £1,260
Bognor from £442 per unit to £1,005

So, yes, you definitely can get a 3 or 4 night stay for £400 in Butlins - even in July or August.

Half of England and Wales goes back for the summer term on Monday 8 April so that may account for pricing.

This is what we do. Once a year usually February, go mon-fri term time. Never pay more than a few hundred as we usually do a lodge with a friend too. Our kids Love swimming, so we tend to do that for hours each day, do some play at the parks…the longleats ones have lovely parks. Then some racket sports and that’s it. Isn’t too expensive. I’d never pay school holiday prices but I love I’m in term time winter- I like being outside in the pool in the winter

@AinsleyHayes Are you sure about that? What areas of the country are you thinking about? Most areas that I'm aware of break up on either the 27th or 28th (the 28th can be a training day) and return on 15th April.

Quite sure, thank you. All of the West Midlands combined authority (so including Birmingham, Solihull, Dudley, Walsall, Sandwell), Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Shropshire, Leicestershire, Cardiff, Swansea, Caerphilly, Carmarthenshire…

Also Coventry and I believe most of the rest of south Wales but I haven’t had a chance to check. Perhaps it’s more like a third than half if you wanted to be pedantic but it’s a significant proportion and might account for dynamic pricing in the week beginning 8 April, especially in the west of the country

Staffordshire too if you want a quieter week at Alton Towers!

You’re not wrong, OP. Centre Parcs are totally overrated as a holiday destination, but I met my partner at one, so I have a small soft spot for them for that reason alone! Everything is over priced and crowded. Someone up thread said Chewton Glen, so I’d second that.

@AinsleyHayes Sorry, I honestly wasn't aware of that.

Your break sounds exactly like ours and absolutely love it. I think I actually relax more than any other holiday when we go there.

I agree OP. It's not about wealth, plenty of money sloshing around, but the other clientele just aren't "my mind of people". Excessive drinking, yelling at kids and each other, tattoos, tolerance for uncleanliness (everything is dirty), smoking on boundaries. I just don't feel comfortable or relaxed and it doesn't make a nice holiday.

Never been to a holiday park in the UK and it doesn't really appeal but have stayed in quite a few big campsites with nice facilities and gites in Fontainebleau and surrounding places. Huge forest for walking or riding, climbing if you like that kind of thing, second biggest chateau in France, gets warmer a bit earlier than the UK, wine, pastry several times day, lots of very small beers for not very much money, city sized supermarkets

Golly the ones down south sound really rough.

I've been to Whinfell a few times and its not like that at all.

https://www.manorandashburyresorts.co.uk/

I hated Manor & Asbury resorts. I found it depressing there.

Oh I'm with you. It's so irritating when the plebs insist on existing in areas where I want to be. At least pretend to be middle class ffs.

I stayed at the Manor about 3 years ago and the rooms were very basic and dated! The activities and other facilities were good though - although I'm not sure what the pools were like

I went to Longleat a few times. Never found it anything like this. Though I don’t use the restaurants and sport bar so maybe that’s why.