Is Center Parcs worth the price?

[Vergus]

I am considering taking the family to Longleat Center Parc over the May half-term. I don't really want the hassle of flying abroad this year but the price for a 7 night stay over the half-term week is making my eyes water slightly. I could get an all inclusive package in Majorca for the same fee. I see also they almost double the prices for that week alone, which is standard practice I suppose for the holiday provider market as they know they have you over the barrel. But the cost for essentially a cabin in the woods is somewhat breathtaking.

I have heard very good things about Center Parcs however so am keeping an open mind. I understand the Subtropical pool is included in the price tag and is a real hit. I also like the look of the location - Longleat looks great for cycling and getting out in the forest. Kids are aged 6 and 10. It's also only a two hr drive from us so that's always good.

If anyone is happy to share their experiences/thoughts - both pros and cons I can weigh things up. The price is coming in at £2958 - activities I see are extra as well. And - of course - it's self-catering.

Thanks in advance!

CP at peak times is expensive, there is no doubt about that.

Whether or not it's worth it is a harder question, and depends on what you want out of a holiday. CP is great if you want to just forget about the car for a week and just disappear into a little bubble away from the world, and you don't mind paying over the odds for watered down versions of things like go-ape, paintball etc.

For those suggesting day passes, you can only get those now if you’re visiting someone already staying there (happy to be corrected though!)

I absolutely love center parcs but I wouldn’t pay school holiday prices for it, it’s just not worth that money. Last time we went we went to Belgium, there’s a lovely one on the Dutch border, same gig, much cheaper even when you include travel. Get LeShuttle over and you can fill the car with cheap wine on the way back too. If you book through the French or Dutch website it’s cheaper than booking through the UK site (assuming this is still straight forward post Brexit, I did go in 2019).

It's a huge price and the weather isn't guaranteed. The activities are pricey there too.
Longleat is very nice and there are a lot of free outdoor swing and slidey areas. Yes you can cycke about... bike hire ££ or byo. The sub tropical pool is very fun and free and criwded...
Obviously you're still cooking.
If this is a holiday for you too I'd personally fly to an all inclusive hotel in Europe and watch the kids play in the pool all day from my sun lounger.
CP is great but its a lot of work and effort on the part of the adults. Not a holiday for you unless you like endless badminton and table tennis.
And no guaranteed sun...
If all else is equal I'd fly away...

It’s perfect when you have young children - we used to go twice yearly. Now DC are older, we don’t go anymore due to the ridiculous price in the school holidays. We can afford it, I’m just not paying. Personally I’d go abroad with a 6 & 10 yo - go to a hotel with lots of included activities. My DC still say their best holiday was a TUI AI package trip!

Second the European suggestion. We went to Het Heijderbois in the Feb half term for about £500 for five of us (all counted as adults). It was brilliant - and we also loved the nearby theme park and stopped off in Bruges for dinner on the way back

Love centre parcs and go most years. Find long weekend or Mon-Fri is plenty i think 7 days would be too long.

If 7 days in Majorca is same price I would definitely choose that.

There seems to be a general consensus here ha ha - Maybe back to the Majorca idea!

We went when kids were infants age. I really don’t see what all the fuss is about, and we had lovely weather while we were there so saw it at its best. Definitely overpriced and overhyped in my opinion. I certainly would never go back in school holidays, for those prices it’s absolutely not worth it.

We went a few times out of season when my son was pre school and found that was good value but I wouldn't go with older children.

A friend had her birthday weekend at the Longleat centre park and we all enjoyed it, but it is not worth paying what you’ve been quoted IMO. The site is lovely, but I thought some parts were looking tired and the food outlets were not very special.

If you want a UK break, I would pick a holiday park. There are some good independent ones in the South West if you have a google.

Or if you want more guaranteed sun but no airport hassle, give Brittany ferries a look. They sell holiday park packages. My kids are grown up now but we had some lovely times with them. Just throw all your things into the car.

Well worth it at term time prices (£500).

Definitely not worth thousands and costs are pricey once there.

I don’t think there’s enough there to warrant a full week, 3 nights is more than enough.

So sad to me that one of the big pulls is that kids are safe on their bikes, they should be able to cycle anywhere safely so as a society we’ve failed them by essentially closing things off to prioritise cars.

to answer your question OP - it’s not worth it. I’ve been to CP in France, you can get day passes there and the pool and activity areas really are great. DS loved it and persuaded us to book a week there a couple of years after during October half term. We had a great deal and had a premium cottage but no way would I have paid full price. Nothing special about the restaurants and having to pay extra for activities is a pain. DS did love it and we enjoyed it but I’d only do it at a hefty discount.

if you want that type of holiday maybe take the tunnel to France and get one of the chalets at a great campsite- plenty on eurocamp and Yelloh! Activities often included and pools can be great - maybe not quite as amazing as centerparcs but once there’s a slide most DC are happy and it’s a fraction of the cost. Or Haven as people have said.

Worth noting that CP is cheaper on the continent and for France do book on the .fr website abd it’s cheaper again often

Yeah. I agree and I say that as someone going to CP this year as well.

However I'm sharing with a friend and can go a cheaper period mid week.

Do you definitely want a full week if you go to CP? We usually do Mon to Fri but get there early. Sometimes extend stay with Sunday in a hotel and book an activity around that.

My kids love a Haven. We don't do the evening entertainment but they like the climbing walls, water jets etc and it's much more reasonable than CP.

Some have really good facilities. Craig Tara near Ayr has a brilliant pool and climbing walls. I'd probably avoid it in the Glasgow trades fortnight but midweek in May isn't Scottish school holidays (perhaps too far for you but for anyone further north). They are not as polished as CP but you can have a great holiday.

CP has the benefit of little thought or effort but personally I find four nights just on site enough. I'd be wanting to go out beyond that but it sort of defeats paying the premium to be there.

Having spent time at various Center Parcs in the UK and abroad, the UK ones aren’t worth the price. They used to be more affordable (and the European ones are still), but the UK ones now just seem to want a licence to print money. The cost of all the activities on top of the holiday is too much. The accommodation is mediocre - nowhere to dry swimming things, tiny kitchen, and whilst the pool is great, it doesn’t justify the price.

We just got back from 5 days at Bluestone and loved it. Far better in my opinion. The accommodation was nicer, the kitchen far better equipped and far more to do for free.

We use the European ones as a base to explore from. They are cheap and cheerful. £700 for 7 nights in a refurbished chalet in May.

No way would I pay the U.K. prices. It’s camping but slightly better.

I've been twice. I wouldn't say it's worth it, no. Expensive on booking it and then everything is extra, all the activities and even the on site restaurants are overpriced.

Travelling by plane can be a hassle. Sometimes taking a cruise from a UK port is an alternative, not as stressful as flying. P&O for example can be quite inexpensive.

Try Hoseasons much better value - I like to get a lodge with a hot tub

It’s not worth £3000!

Definitely check the European prices. We went to one of the French Center Parcs in school holidays and it was much cheaper. We had a cottage with whirlpool bath and a sauna and it was still much cheaper. Activities were also cheaper and didn’t have to be booked until arrival.

Have been twice with my toddler and definitely worth it outside of term time, but there's no way I would pay the mark up just for going during the half term, as much as I love it!

Bluestone much better , Forest Holidays a cheaper option (no pool but lovely relaxing no car environment in natural locations) or Butlins which is not quite the same middle class bragging rights but every time we went the kids had a blast. An Airbnb somewhere near the coast and eat out every night with the money you save from not doing CP? Or as others have said go abroad. I just cannot see his anyone can justify 3k for center parcs.

I love centre parcs, although it is very expensive in school holiday time.
I agree 4 days is better. 7 days would cost a fortune.
I don't think it is right to make comparisons with Butlins or Haven though. Which are completely different regarding environment and accommodation.
It depends what makes your family happier I suppose. A more tranquil stay in the forest, or a beach holiday with kids clubs and entertainment.
I also love Majorca but I am worried about the anti tourist sentiment at the moment.

It’s far too expensive. Better to go abroad.

We absolutely loved it! But went with a 3 year old who was happy pottering around on bikes, in the pool and in the play park, so we didn’t really end up spending much whilst we were there. That said, we went in term time, so relatively cheap, and the weather was glorious - I might feel differently if we’d paid holiday prices and it rained relentlessly 😂

It’s far too expensive for what you get. The only activity that is included is swimming, everything else you pay on top and they are not cheap! It’s a shame, I used to take my eldest for winter wonderland before he started school. We used to pay £350 ish for mon-fri. Even now in term time that has shot up to £700. And don’t get me started on school holiday prices. It’s just not doable at all for us anymore.