Center Parcs advice please

[WaitingWatchingPeeing]

Hi All,

We are thinking about going for a long weekend at centre parks with our 18m old and dog.

Just wondering if anyone had any advice on,

• which of the sites is best for younger children?
• are there enough activities for toddlers her age?
• how easy is it with a dog there eg, can they be left in accommodation when swimming and can they go to the restaurants etc?

All advice really appreciated, thanks so much in advance!

Xx

We take our dog, and the only thing to note is that the sofas in the dog friendly lodges are a horrible PU and not the standard material ones, so are not nice to sit on. Take throws if you'll be using the living room a lot.

Not sure if dogs are allowed in restaurants - I'd guess not, but we didn't try. He was perfectly happy at 'home', although had to draw the curtains - too many squirrels and other wildlife outside!

Not sure about activities for little ones.

Have fun x

In all honesty at the age I would choose somewhere you can relax as they really don't appreciate organised activities so young. A pub with rooms that let the dog into the pub for breakfast and evening meal is perfect, choose a location near a swimming pool, beach and whatever you enjoy doing. Can make a couple of recommendations if you fancy Bristol way

Recently done lots of cp research as we’re off to Sherwood with a dog next year.
from the Facebook groups it suggests that cp is more dog tolerant that dog friendly.
you can’t take the dogs into the domes so places like whinfell you won’t able to eat out much as most restaurants are under cover. Sherwood has a lot of restaurants that have outdoor seating so you can eat at them. The pub is dog friendly inside too at Sherwood.
dogs need to be on lead at all times, there are tiny dog areas around the sites where you take them to the loo.

would you leave your dog home alone at home? If you can safely leave your dog without it barking down the lodge and disturbing others then it’s ok to leave it in theory. Morally?
I’d be so pissed if I had a barking dog next to me because the owners thought it ok to leave it alone. I’m not paying stupid prices for that, I’d report them to guest services and it would be frowned upon.

There are lots of activities to book but when mine were that age we didn’t bother. We spent hours in the swimming pool, then enjoyed walks, cycling and time in each of the play areas.
Also take some bird seed/nuts and you will attract lots of wildlife to your patio.

If you’re going with a pre schooler, book a week break instead. You get really good prices for Mon-Fri, it’s quieter overall without having teenage/older kids everywhere just parents looking as tired as you, all having dinner at 5pm, back to the lodge by 630 latest🤣, particularly the autumn/winter breaks. We did pre school age breaks at Woburn, Sherwood, Longleat and Whinfell, booked relatively last minute and great prices. School age at Sherwood and Woburn, much busier and much more expensive- comparable with (pre pandemic) family holidays abroad. We also got much bigger properties when going pre school years. We still go now, but the experience is different with school age- busier, though lodge areas never feel too bad. Term time breaks are sooo much better, both on the wallet and in how busy a place is, take full advantage of them if you’re lucky enough to afford holidays just now.

Just wanted to add similar to pp comments, even though we don’t have a dog, I noticed signs across the site saying dogs can’t go in to the playground areas or be off lead anywhere where activities are. Our last trip I noticed a few dogs, but not really that many and definitely not in any of the indoor restaurants or sports bits. I would not describe it as dog friendly, unless one of your party is happy to stand outside the main areas with your dog. Plenty of walks though and if you’re cooking in lodge, just planning to hang out there in evening it could be a nice dog-friendly break.