Is Center Parcs worth it?

[Ifyoureoffering]

Just got back from a 3 night break in Butlins....absolutely hated it. My friend warned me but we couldn't afford Center parcs.

Could someone please let me know how much extra the activities are at Centre Parcs? I know the pool is free, but what about things like roller skating, bike hire, etc?

It looks lovely, just rather pricey. We're currently deciding whether a week away in a cottage and go out to places would be a good choice, or blow all the budget on Centre Parcs where its all on site.

Any recommendations welcome! Thank you.

This. The accommodation is really basic unless you remortgage your house to pay for one of the fancy lodges which are miles away from the centre where the pool and restaurants are. And the restaurants are all crap “microwave a Brake Brothers delivery” places - it’s saying something when the best meal you’ve had is at Cafe Rouge. However, the DC absolutely love it and there are so many activities to try. Maybe try to use an inset day to get in a long weekend in term time?

We are going to Eurocamp this year. Kids club all included inside and outside pools.
Domaine des Ormes

I don’t get the appeal of CP. Very standard activities eg bowling the only nice thing is the change of scenery but it’s not worth the cost imo.

It's been a while, but about 10-15 years ago we did Center Parcs in NE France which came in at 2/3 of the cost of Center Parcs Longleat. And that includes an overnight stay in Dover, Ferry to Calais and back, and all petrol.

I'd rather stay in a cottage and get out and about doing/seeing things. I don't see the attraction of not moving off the site. Also your kids will ask to do everything because it's there and you can see it, so yes it will cost a fortune.
You can pick and choose where to take them from a cottage, and also do lots of things that don't cost money

Oh and in centre parcs you are pretty much tied with regards to where you want to eat. Staying in a cottage/lodge somewhere else, you can choose nice places to eat, and aren't being charged a premium for it being under Center Parcs roof

I find centre parks FACINATING.

Why would anyone want to pay £2.5k for an average lodge on a site with only chain restaurants like Bella Pasta close by and every activity is booked up and extra??!!

Do they not know they could go to Frace, Italy or Spain for the same or less. Stay in a beautiful apartment, swim in the sea and eat at lovely restaurants?

I also love the UK for holidays and stayed in a 5* townhouse on a small resort in Cornwall for £1.5k with a pool, beach on the doorstep and ate at local non chain places.

I don't get the appeal at all. It's so expensive yet the least upmarket thing imaginable.

We used to love it when we could go tern time, perfect for little ones!
We've only done the one in the Lake District and just treated it like a self catering holiday, we would go for a swim in the morning and then go out afterwards and explore the area, kids were Peter Rabbit daft so loved seeing all that stuff.
We're another family that hasn't been since the dc started school.

I got back from center Parcs last week and had a great time
4 night with 4 adults two children in an executive new style two storey lodge was £700 I think.
You can easily have a holiday there without booking activities.
From memory the aerial adventure was £38 per person
But the little owl activity is like £11 a person. Football factor was £11 too I think.

It can be cheap and plenty to do with nothing booked.
The staff were all absolutely lovely.
The place was very clean.
I'd deffo go back but I wouldn't pay peak prices

I think the best option is actually to get your kids into scouts, then they go away for a week to camp every summer and do all the stuff like dangling from ropes and kayaking that CP charges a fortune for and you can have a nice week away somewhere relaxing while they are there! Thus ensuring that everyone has a fun time and you never have to suspend yourself from a tree or fish your swimsuit from up your bum crack at the end of the rapids!

Just booked a week in August, yes it’s expensive but the other similar options in the UK were only around a couple of hundred pounds cheaper and didn’t have the pool and free kids activities.
I do know some activities are stupidly priced, but it’s not all of them

I went to Majorca, all inclusive 5* hotel for 10 nights over the Easter break with x 2 kids & a husband - approx £1500 cheaper than 7 nights in centreparcs in the UK. I dare say ppl who have been there have more weight to add to this discussion but I just think they’re greedy. It comes across as a money-grabbing scheme to me. If you want a decent forest experience go to Away Resorts (Sandy Balls) for a fraction of the price

This will sound bad, but first time I went I hated it, thought we were being ripped off.

Then I realised the price they charge keeps a lot of people you don't want to holiday with out.

Plenty of tossers still, but more wealthy ones.

So basically the cost give you a better class of scum.

Interpret that how you will

We love a Center parcs trip! My 2 and 4 year old get so much out of going.

Because you can get deals for £400 for four nights, lots to do without paying, everything in one place, lots of different activities
It's super child friendly 🤷

Sorry posted too early ...

The play areas at longleat are great as is the swimming pool. Depending on your children's age this may be enough.

We usually book 1 activity for the am and then swim after lunch and then go straight into dinner time.

Loads to do and you don't have to think about much once you've booked your activities (this is a military operation if you're in a group though)

We preferred Butlins!

There’s a page on their website that gives an example of prices for a lot of their activities. I just googled center parcs activity prices and the link came up.
Like others have said, you don’t have to book anything expensive if you just swim, walk or bike round the park, use the playgrounds and take plenty of shopping with you to make some quick meals. You can still have a great time.

Yeah would totally get this but just looked and lodges start at £2.2k in the summer holidays and go up a lot for anything "executive"

With caravan park style furniture. I don't get it.

We don’t need to go during school holidays yet, it’s £500 for a week during term time. I’d call that a bargain tbh, we couldn’t go abroad for less.

Who runs the scout camps?

Perhaps get involved in scouts and do these things WITH your kids.

Scouts is not something to dump your kids on and go on a child free holiday. Doesn't work like that.

Scout leaders who voluntarily sign up for this stuff!🙄

You know how it works? It's a bunch of other parents who take on responsibility so their kids get an opportunity. But if other parents don't also support that - including helping out with scouts they quit. So no fucker gets to do it.

Piss take parents who play dump and run and then there's a problem on camp and pissed up they expect other parents to step up are part of why there are so many leaders who quit.

I hate the attitude that scouts is a baby sitting service. It's not. It's a group of like minded parents who support each other to give opportunities. Anyone who encourages the mentality that's a baby sitting service needs challenging.

You either buy into scouts properly or it dies.

Someone has to be the person who volunteers. It's not something you chuck money at. If you want that go to centre PARC's and pay. Otherwise get involved yourself and enjoy the opportunities it brings for you as part of that.

Our group expects ALL parents to volunteer otherwise the kids get the boot. (With exceptions only made for a valid reason). Otherwise the group can't function.

It's this idea that there's magic volunteers that just do it out of the goodness of their heart boils my piss and bears no resemblance with reality.

For me, the staying in site is the appeal of cp. We do lots of cottage holidays which I also enjoy but cp is great exactly because you don't have to load kids and stuff in and out of the car every day, plan activities, find parking, find restaurants... And it doesn't matter if it rains. Staying in one place makes it a lot more relaxing for me.

No!! It's ridiculously expensive for everything..... only been to woburn and there's only 2 parks one biggish and one little one, which imo isn't the biggest for a place like that. Swimming is good tho. It's just so so overpriced 😔