Page 2 | Why do you like Centre Parcs?

lalalove · 2025-03-27T16:15:30+00:00

I really struggle to see the appeal of Centre Parcs. If you love it, and go there frequently, what are your reasons? Personally I can’t get over how expensive it is, when for the same price you could travel aboard and experience a different culture/climate. Even for a staycation in the UK you can stay in much nice accommodation/locations for less. Does it not feel like just being at home? Having to cook and clean up after the family? And if you do eat out there are just a limited choice of dull chain restaurants. Don’t hate me, but it just seems like a glorified butlins with an outrageous price tag (nothing wrong with butlins, at least it’s more affordable which I get!) The majority of activities are chargeable as well aren’t they? So what are the benefits of going there!? I think I’m in the minority so maybe the comments can change my mind!

Original poster

lalalove · 27/03/2025 16:57

I think I’m quite put off by the ‘having everything there’ - I think I would get cabin fever! Different strokes I suppose
I feel the same about a cruise ship

OP posts:

Magnastorm · 27/03/2025 16:57

The appeal is it's an easy way to completely detach from life.

You dump the car and just disappear into a bubble for a week where there is loads to do, all the facilities you need and absolutely no need to engage with the outside world for a few days.

FanofLeaves · 27/03/2025 16:57

MellowPinkDeer · 27/03/2025 16:55

I’m with you OP. Literally can’t think of anything worse.

What, really?! 🤣 you must lead a sheltered life.

Magnastorm · 27/03/2025 17:00

MellowPinkDeer · 27/03/2025 16:55

I’m with you OP. Literally can’t think of anything worse.

Clearly you've never been to Glenrothes.

Radra · 27/03/2025 17:03

GingerKombucha · 27/03/2025 16:35

I've never been able to bring myself to go. It's not much cheaper than Gleneagles or Four Seasons Hampshire and looks so grim by comparison. I might give it a try one day but I have a suspicion it won't be for me.

It's all down to taste at the end of the day

I just had a look at Four Seasons Hampshire and it looks like a nice hotel but what would make me opt for center parcs is -

Even if you go for a suite, you don't get a proper separate room for your kids and it feels like a lot of money to spend for having to be quiet when your kids are sleeping. Center Parcs, you can just hang out in your living room

No option to self cater, have to eat in the restaurant - I personally prefer to have the choice, we usually go out for one meal and have the other in the lodge, especially with young children, I don't really enjoy having to keep them in restaurant mode

Pool seems to have one slide and a few jets, CP is way better than this

Activities limited to countryside things like falconry and horse riding, not my personal taste.

I think they are quite different types of place TBH

FanofLeaves · 27/03/2025 17:04

lalalove · 27/03/2025 16:57

I think I’m quite put off by the ‘having everything there’ - I think I would get cabin fever! Different strokes I suppose
I feel the same about a cruise ship

Yes but when you have small children this is a godsend. You’re not there long enough to get cabin fever.

fashionqueen0123 · 27/03/2025 17:04

We love it. The pool is unbeatable. Where else can you go on rapids and an heated outdoor pool all year round?!
Yes it’s expensive but you can get round this by using inset days or sharing with another family. Or utilising different school holidays in another part of the country.

My kids love it. The parks, the pools the activities! It doesn’t take long to get to and it’s so lovely and quiet at night.

We’ve done caravan parks but you have to drive to go to days out apart from odd few bits on site. I love how Center parcs is car free too!

fashionqueen0123 · 27/03/2025 17:06

lalalove · 27/03/2025 16:57

I think I’m quite put off by the ‘having everything there’ - I think I would get cabin fever! Different strokes I suppose
I feel the same about a cruise ship

The site is huge though. And different parts of it can be a 30 min walk from one bit to another depending on which parc. And unlike a ship you can get out if you wanted 🤣
Like Longleat people sometimes visit the zoo over the road.

JoyousEagle · 27/03/2025 17:06

Well we only went when DC were younger and we could go in term time so it was cheaper. This also made the activities cheaper because the toddler activities aren’t as expensive as ones that teens might want to do.

I actually really like self-catering and would only ever do self catering holidays for various reasons (including severe allergies in the family).

In terms of going abroad for a different culture - I’ll be honest, this just wasn’t a priority when my DC were pre-school aged. I wanted somewhere easy to get to, with no cars so they could ride their bikes, with some easy activities to entertain them and some stuff for me to do as well (I always went for a massage for example, and we used to go with my in-laws, so my and MIL would often go for a spa afternoon as well).

Basically, it was just easy with young children. Now we have a school aged child, we tend to book somewhere self catering like a cottage or flat, and do other things.

But it’s different strokes - your comment about still having to cook suggests you’d prefer all inclusive or similar? I’d just never go somewhere without my own cooking facilities, and would hate an all inclusive holiday. Doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with them, just not for me. People on MN are often weirdly snobby about centre parcs and seem to view not enjoying it as a superior trait.

MellowPinkDeer · 27/03/2025 17:07

FanofLeaves · 27/03/2025 16:57

What, really?! 🤣 you must lead a sheltered life.

Show quote history

To me it's the same category as Butlins ( but with added daylight robbery) and Butlins is also firmly not for me.

fashionqueen0123 · 27/03/2025 17:07

Oh - and the spas! The spas are amazing!

Feelingstrange2 · 27/03/2025 17:07

Longleat spa. I don't have the treatments as, although good,.they are twice my normal treatments. However the spa is amazing.

mushroomshroom · 27/03/2025 17:09

We go as with family. I like the lack of cars & that the dc can go off on bikes. Dc love the swimming, adults love the badminton. Food options are a bit rubbish & it is expensive but it's easy.

cadburyegg · 27/03/2025 17:10

I forgot to add a couple of things, the CP we go to is less than an hour away making it easy to go just for the weekend etc.

also the swimming pool is amazing. Maybe it’s just my area of the country but it’s the only pool we’ve been to that my 7 year old can spend a good 2-3 hours in. With every other pool he’s freezing after 45 minutes.

WhyamIanexhaustedEllie · 27/03/2025 17:11

God you’re all so sneery. There’s lots of holidays people choose where I couldn’t think of anything worse but I don’t try and bring them down?! Shock horror - people like different things…and guess what? Some people have money to spare.

So stop with with all the faux naivety.

Original poster

lalalove · 27/03/2025 17:11

JoyousEagle · 27/03/2025 17:06

Well we only went when DC were younger and we could go in term time so it was cheaper. This also made the activities cheaper because the toddler activities aren’t as expensive as ones that teens might want to do.

I actually really like self-catering and would only ever do self catering holidays for various reasons (including severe allergies in the family).

In terms of going abroad for a different culture - I’ll be honest, this just wasn’t a priority when my DC were pre-school aged. I wanted somewhere easy to get to, with no cars so they could ride their bikes, with some easy activities to entertain them and some stuff for me to do as well (I always went for a massage for example, and we used to go with my in-laws, so my and MIL would often go for a spa afternoon as well).

Basically, it was just easy with young children. Now we have a school aged child, we tend to book somewhere self catering like a cottage or flat, and do other things.

But it’s different strokes - your comment about still having to cook suggests you’d prefer all inclusive or similar? I’d just never go somewhere without my own cooking facilities, and would hate an all inclusive holiday. Doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with them, just not for me. People on MN are often weirdly snobby about centre parcs and seem to view not enjoying it as a superior trait.

I don’t prefer all inclusive, nor do I think it’s ‘superior’ to dislike centre parcs.
i agree everyone likes different things, which is why I asked the question.
if I was holidaying in the UK I would pick an airbnb or holiday cottage in a coastal town, mix of self catering and options of locals cafes and restaurants + nature and scenery. Day trips, beach, pubs, national trusts etc.

OP posts:

Redpeach · 27/03/2025 17:13

I like it because it is indeed a glorified butlins, but then i like butlins too - both great for young families

chesschessandmorechess · 27/03/2025 17:14

My children love it, we've been every year for 14 years. We've tried 4 different sites but go mostly to the Whinfell site now as its our closest.
It's not our main holiday though, we go long haul at Easter, have a European city break at the start of the school summer holiday then go to CP usually in the August bank holiday week. I agree that it's not cheap and personally after so many visits I can take it or leave it, (I really dont like the beds and book a massage for the day we get home) but my children genuinely have such a good time and would go more than once a year if we would book it!

socks1107 · 27/03/2025 17:15

I like the cycling. The no cars, we cook in some nights and eat out others. I feel very relaxed when I go to centre parks and always enjoy my holiday. Took two 16 year olds last time and they had a great time

FanofLeaves · 27/03/2025 17:16

Shock horror I also don’t mind a caravan holiday- the reason being- my little boy loves it and it’s on tap entertainment. Fine by me, he won’t be small forever, and it doesn’t cost me too much.

Can’t be doing with the snobbery. At this stage in my like holidays aren’t all about me!

Bertielong3 · 27/03/2025 17:19

This reply has been withdrawn

This message has been withdrawn at the poster's request

mushroomshroom · 27/03/2025 17:19

if I was holidaying in the UK I would pick an airbnb or holiday cottage in a coastal town, mix of self catering and options of locals cafes and restaurants + nature and scenery. Day trips, beach, pubs, national trusts etc.

We do that too but if you want to do activities it means travelling & dc often can't just go off on bikes. They are different breaks to me.

CoralOP · 27/03/2025 17:20

We've loved going to Centre Parcs since having our son.
For us it's the swimming and the no cars.
I laugh because I can literally see my husbands shoulders drop in relaxation when we arrive, he loves the smell of the pine cones.
We don't do a lot of the paid activities, mostly love swimming.
We go a lot as a big family, the aunts do buffet type spread for lunch and big pot meals for dinner.
We take nuts to feed the squirrels which encourages them to our cabin, my son usually makes a den in the trees outside.

I sometimes take myself off for a message at the spa which is lovely, we always get an ice cream after swimming.

We do a lot of board games and cards on the night.

I think the people are completely different to the people who go to butlins, I've been to butlins a couple of times and really didn't like it, I find the people at centre parcs to be more respectful, calm and pleasant. Xx

PotThePens · 27/03/2025 17:21

We started going over 20 years ago. Dh used to go as a child then teenager. We have been with friends sharing a 4 bed a couple of times, we have been with PIL a few times too and my parents came for a day visit to Whinfell so my Mum could see the red squirrels. It is one of my fondest memories of her.

We would go for a 3 night stay as DC's primary always had a inset day in June so we took them out of school for one day. We have been to all the UK ones except Longleat and no European ones because we don't live near the Eurotunnel.

It is tradition for us, yes it is expensive but we know what we are getting. Dc are now young adults so we now have a 3 bed villa with 3 en-suites and a sauna and we are not limited by the usual school holidays. That means it is much cheaper. We have swam outside whilst it snowed on us. The children used to love being in the bike trailer with a torch to play with when we came back in the dark.

We also live in an area where we have a set 2 week holiday for Easter not related to when Easter actually falls. Previously known as a Factory Fortnight whereby local factories all shut for maintenance or whatever so we can do really well on those dates when the children hit secondary school.

I love being in the forest, we eat out every day for dinner and have breakfast and lunch in the villa. We go for bike rides together, do sports together and just enjoy being together.

stayathomer · 27/03/2025 17:22

I was saying the other day the people I know who love it live in east area and don’t get to just cycle/ walk and my friend’s children scoot around with no trouble, also the woodland. The people who are from the country all said it was good, the city people I know raved!

I want to go but dh always says the foreign holiday thing but I was saying that’s not what I want, I don’t want a sun holiday, I want home with fun stuff going on and the kids having the freedom to go off, make friends and us all to do activities together, then get back to somewhere that doesn’t mean I have to totally clean!!