Center parks - a bit tacky?

[9uygjk]

Just back from our first trip to center parks. Went to the one in Woburn and honestly I just thought it was a bit tacky. Apparently it's middle class Butlins but is it? Maybe am being particularly picky but I still thought it was a bit like Butlins. Is it just me?

Thats so funny because I’ve been all over the world, Brazil, Malaysia, Abu Dhabi, you name it, I’ve probably been there. I definitely do not want to take my two year old to those places though so we go to CenterParcs.

I am middle class and know plenty of middle class people who go.

I wouldn't expect to find freshly baked bread there, lol!

Personally I think Butlins is much better value for money, especially for younger kids.

It's not for everyone.

We've always gone because it works for us. Easy break with extended family, DS has lots to do, pretty chill atmosphere etc.

Is it perfect? No. It could do with more shops & restaurant choices, cheaper activities and more open green space, but is it a good family option for many - yes.

The prices may be high but that in itself tells a story in terms of popularity and return custom.

Agreed: all this 'if you could easily afford it you wouldn't be there' snobbery is bloody ridiculous. It's a weekend away - a quick, low-investment (in terms of planning and organisation) retreat from everyday stress. I don't know of anyone who's spent a two-week summer holiday at Center Parcs!

They like that it's known for being overpriced so you must be doing ok to afford it. And that's exactly who you'll find there.

I think you have accurately summed up many MN posters who declare they are ‘most definitely middle class’.

Ha ha it is naff, expensive and generally pretty run down.

Having been there quite a few times (as the kids loved it), it isn’t somewhere I’d want to go to again.

Heaving bars/pubs/play areas, and everything costs extra. 1/10 lol

Best ever anti-Center Parcs post. Even eight-year-old children of the more discerning sort of family can see how downmarket CP is.

Absolutely tremendous stuff OP. 👏

Totally agree op. We paid £1500 for a pretty basic chalet described a premium and I thought the whole thing was a just a bit shit. The pool is definitely just an oversized leisure centre and the restaurants truly awful. We’ve since done one in the Netherlands that was not only cheaper but had the bonus of skiing on site.

We love Center Parcs and never felt it was tacky. Expensive yes but never tacky. The cabins are clean beautiful and well equipped. The subtropical swimming paradise is amazing. Woburn is smaller than The others and not quite as much there, but still great. We’ve been to Woburn this month and loved it. Saving for next trip now. If the cars in the car park were anything to go by I’d say it’s for the more wealthy people.

So why did you go?

I would say the cars in the car park are a great representation of who's there. Many Evoques and Velars.

Sorry but the cabins are not beautiful. Concrete boxes with a bit of cladding and conference room foam filled sofas. The two storey treehouses and fishing lodges are fine. But even they are laughable quality for the price.

Still, if you like it, you like it.

Agree. In fact we flew to Germany recently to see my family and the plane was stuck on the tarmac for an hour, and my toddler had a meltdown. We just turned to each other and said ‚next time, we go CenterParcs again‘.

I would say the cars in the car park are a great representation of who's there. Many Evoques and Velars.

Are these tacky cars?

I think you see all types of cars in the car parks tbh.

We live in Australia and have travelled all over Europe, Asia etc. I took the kids to centre parks and they adored it. They were 10 and 12 and just headed out on their bikes all over, it was lovely for them to cycle with no cars. They spent ages in the pool while I read my book. We went SUP on the lake which was fun, we tried shooting and played badminton when it drizzled.

Yanbu. We went in the June before my eldest started school (nearly 5). I really don’t see what all the fuss is about (we had great weather as well so saw it at its best). I absolutely cannot understand how people spend multiple thousands in the school holidays, you can go to great Eurocamp sites for less which have the same facilities but better. Feels like emperor’s new clothes to me.

It’s so funny reading the snobby British comments - only in Britain would middle class people try to prove they’re not middle class by slagging off centre parks. So funny.
Yes of course we believe that your 8 year old would prefer to be looking at ruins in Italy or watching the world go by in a cafe in France.

If I had an 8yo who complained about the pool at CP I would be worried about what a snobby brat I was raising and question my parenting 😁

If my kid moaned about a giant pool with a heap of slides I would think they had lost their mind.

😂😂😂

Our nearest one is about 40 mins away, so quite often go for a cheaper holiday in Jan/Feb, I would never go in summer it is way too busy. We usually meet half our town there which is funny as they are all doing the same thing. We usually deliveroo food in, picking it up from the gate from places that have a good reputation in the local area, most of my work colleagues are from that area so they usually gove me a gew tips. The chalets are very basic, but the kids love it for a long weekend.

We recently went to the Whinfell one. Agree on a few points the centre Parcs own restaurants weren’t great, and shop is an overpriced co-op. I thought the pools were pretty clean.
To be honest centre Parcs isn’t really a holiday designed for adults it’s for the kids, ours had a fantastic time and we made lots of lovely family memories and for that reasons I’d go again. It’s about time with the kids not is an average restaurant chain the best meal you’ve ever had.

Did the kids have fun OP ?
if so who cares if you think it’s a bit tacky

A child thinking the microwaved food is grim, means they would rather be watching the world go by in a cafe in Paris?

Or, it just means a child thought the grim food, was indeed grim. Yep. That.

Last time I took DTwins swimming (just local pool) they complained that it was filthy. The changing area was gross. I complained on the way out. Clearly they were signalling that they should be in Andalusia, observing the architecture.

What snobs they are

"People go to cornwall because it's a marker of being middle class." 🤣

You sound absolutely obsessed with being middle class, which you use interchangeably (and incorrectly) with something being a certain level of quality. And also bread!

Fwiw most people go to Cornwall for the beaches, temperate weather, views, etc. Not to tick it off the list to get their "middle class" brownie badge

I think you need to get
a) a bread machine
b) a sense of perspective
c) a dictionary (to check the meaning of "middle class" and "tacky"

I’m loving the eight-year-old Egon Ronays and Aggie MacKenzies.