Centerparcs Longleat- can i go with 3mthold baby??

[madgirl]

hi all, dh and i want to take ds (3.7) and ds2 (3mths) to centerparcs for a week in early november. we went to elvedon minus the baby in may and really enjoyed it but they don't have any exec villas for when we want to go. i know longleat is really hilly- is it v impractical for a baby, can the pushchair go on the land train? what do you think? also- if we wanted still to go to elvedon are the comfort villas much less nice?? anyone have experience? many thanks all.

Hi

You will be fine there I think! The pushchair can go on the land train but you will have to fold it up. That'll be fine if your pushchair is easy to fold up!

However, provided you don't mind walking then most places are only a 20-30 min walk. I would send hubby on foot with the babe in pushchair while you hop on the land train with ds1.

they will let you on the back of the land train with the pushchair unfolded as long as there are no wheelchairs using that bit (I seem to remember mainly folding ours but my kids are much bigger and last time we went it was in school holidays).

If you ask for an exec and it's the swimming pool that you think you'll spend most of your time at, then ask for one near there and it should be an easy walk from the villa. The only place at Longleat where the hills really come into play is going between the sports centre bit (and time-out clubs) and the swimming pool bit.

I think if you are used to the exec villas, the comfort ones will seem much more basic (especially if it's an old one). It doesn't bother me but then we spend very little time in the villa as the kids are older!

thanks soapbox and foxinsocks. i think that if we would spend most of our time in the pool bit so will ask if there are any exec villas near there available. can you tell me where the parcmarket is-pool end or sports end?

parc market thing is pool end

the sports bit is worth a visit because there's a cafe type place with a soft play bit on the side so you can let the toddler loose while you get to eat in peace (also great big whacking playground on the walk from pool bit to sports bit to break up the walk)!

are you booking on the internet? if so, you can check where the villa is before you decide which number you want

yes i will have a look now. that's a real help- thanks foxinsocks (your name makes me smile). by the way do you know what the vip business is all about? as far as i can see all you get is early check in??

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yes - but I think the main draw is the fact that you get to book all your activities 2 weeks earlier than everyone else - so you are basically guaranteed to get everything you want. I doubt this is a factor out of school holidays but I know in school holidays, things like the football clubs and some spa stuff gets fully booked very quickly. I think some of the other centerparcs, you also get to park your car at the villa permanently (can't remember which one -it was in some blurb we received in the post).

does seem a lot more to pay for not much more benefit though.

yorkiegirl, thanks for that, did you take dd2 swimming etc etc, i have been warned off that before ds2 has had all his jabs but is that scare mongering?? did you find it a good place to be with an 11 week old?

oops sorry yorkiegirl - I've said exactly the same thing! I'm trying to do 3 things at once and end up typing my responses very slowly!

although I have to say, we went in school hols for the first time this year and got everything we pre-booked (including all the kids clubs and babysitting we wanted)

living in sw london i actually really like that fact that we didn't have the car on the doorstep! but each to their own.......we are going in term time ( have to make the most of it before ds1 starts school next year!) so don't think all the aqua sana stuff will be too bad. to be honest, we were trying to think of sth else to do with our week away as we were at cp in may, but coming up with sth for november in the uk was really difficult, self catering in a nice part of the country with lots of stuff for us to do...couldn't think of anything apart from centerparcs. i think it is good value anyway.

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ah yes, forgot about the kids activities- i was just thinking pampering
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