Better Than Center Parcs?

[PleaseDontJudgeMex]

Hi there, created a burner account as this might be sound very snobbish… but… where can we go in the UK that’s like Center Parcs but…. More upmarket?

I’ve been to Center Parcs an awful lot, firstly as a child, and now as an adult. We’re a family of 5 with 3 boys (5-lower teens). It’s always seemed like we were surrounded by people whose lives were similar to our own.

We’ve been here for a week. We get nice villas. The quantity of people staying for a few days (confirmed by activity staff - one said we were the only guests she’d spoken to who had booked for a week) and not booking activities (presumably due to cost) has increased massively. People openly drinking and smoking adjacent to the Plaza now seems to be a thing. Yesterday we walked past a man wearing a hooters hoodie, and I’m pretty sure down by the lake has become a drugs hangout 😳. It’s also been raining quite a bit, and the quantity of leaks in the roofs of the swimming pool and plaza is really surprising.

We always felt our kids were safe here and we didn’t need to worry about them popping to the shop or going out on their bikes, but it doesn’t really feel like that anymore.

We were considering booking a Treehouse next year but we’re now questioning the whole thing. So… if you’ve got £6000 - £10000 to spend on a summer holiday for 5 in the UK - what’s the Center Parcs alternative?

Bluestone!

10 grand for a holiday in the UK? Bonkers

Most holidays are better than Center Parcs in my opinion

We stayed Landal Darwin Forest one year and it was lovely. But it doesn't look as active as Bluestone.

i know what you mean about smokers. Ive spent three days at theme parks this summer and was shocked by how many people were vaping openly and constantly despite there being very clear instructions not to. We are heading for an addiction epidemic.

Is there any reason it has to be in the UK? There are amazing resorts for that price abroad that will get you all the waterslides and activities of center parcs. Also I've found the European center parcs considerably better than the UK ones!

Go abroad!

Drinking and smoking … what else are they doing exactly? Behaving anti socially?

Smoking by doorways and in crowded places is antisocial.

OP which village is this?

I was going to suggest landal too.

Center parcs Europe are also great.

Agree

Bluestone platinum lodges might suit. Just down the road Folly Farm also have a small selection of lodges with hot tubs but no pool like CP/Bluestone www.bluestonewales.com/about-us/media/platinum-lodges-now-available-to-book

For 10k I'd probably go on a really nice skiing holiday in December and do a few day trips over summer. I've only been to Center parcs once, my kids loved it but I hated it. Like bring on a trapped on a cruise ship in the woods.Another alternative as pp said is go abroad to somewhere with a nice beach, guaranteed good weather, proximity to a water park/ amusements. I don't have any recommendations but my sister went to a center parcs/ eurocamps Park in France. Close to beautiful countryside, village nearby, 3 or 4 pools on site.

Agree Bluestone and there is so much to do in the area. As above poster mentioned there is Folly Farm to visit, Oakwood Theme Park, beautiful beaches, gorgeous coastal towns, castles.... all you need is the weather 😅

Thanks for the replies so far. We generally avoid going abroad as one of our children is neurodivergent, and also has anxiety. We hope that keeping the car and language as anchor points during all the other changes is helpful to him. A more complex travel process would also be very stressful for him. We have been considering driving to Europe recently.

I'm avoiding naming the Center Parcs as I’m aware that other people may have very different experiences to us, and right at the beginning of the summer holidays would be a rubbish time to label a specific place that some of you may well be planning to attend as having gone downhill!

OP can u PM me the name? I'm about to book and experiences like yours would help me make a decision.

Duinrell near the Hague?

I am wondering if you’re at the Elveden one. 😁 We live in Norfolk and everyone we know laughs about it as people like to think it’s so posh but it’s literally in Thetford (or on the outskirts of it) which is a really not-very-nice (being kind) area of Norfolk! We always laugh saying who on earth would spend ££££ to stay in thetford… 🙈😆

But yes, although I get the neurodivergent side of things (my son has severe autism, attends complex needs school) we’d never spend £10k ish on a UK holiday. You can get a lot of special assistance travelling now - Tui in particular are very good, and if you have a blue badge you get private transfers included, so I would really consider going abroad.

Hahahah I bet it's sherwood.

Disclaimer - I haven’t booked here myself but I know several people that have and they’ve loved it. Like a posh Haven if there is such a thing. Some of the lodges etc are luxurious and cost £6.5k in peak weeks. Just an idea.

https://ladrambay.co.uk/

Crief hydro.

We've just come back from a CP. It was my first time and I have to say I was surprised by the amount of vaping /smoking.

And also very unimpressed that they have made all their restaurants unsafe for people with allergies .

It definitely isn’t posh and you will have a lot of change left over from £10k but there is Manor House Hotel in Devon, has many activities and Dartmoor on your doorstep

I was also amazed at the cost of stuff, we love things like kayaking/climbing/go ape etc but everything at CP cost twice as much as a better version of the activity done outside of CP

We used to go regularly to CP pre pandemic. Haven’t been since. The costs were going up ridiculously each time we went. Luckily as DS was at private school we could go slightly cheaper as his holidays started earlier than peak holiday prices. I remember one of the last times we went the member of staff operating the bowling alley apologised to my DH for the cost when he booked a lane!