Center parcs france last minute break

[Satisfiedkitty]

I've unexpectedly got a few days break with my grown up dcs (21 and 18) end of August. Probably 4 nights, midweek, so don't want to drive for a whole day, but they're keen on a cross channel trip.

I like the look of center parcs in northern france - de lac d'ailette. Has anyone been? And, if so, are the meal card/board options worth it?

Tia as always.

Lovely that you get a break with them. I wonder if they want a cross channel trip if Centre Parcs isn’t a bit ‘not really France’. Do they want to be in a town, sipping hot chocolate and dipping croissants in it!

Not sure Center Parcs is the obvious choice for grown up children wanting a trip to France? If you want north France, how about the ferry to Roscoff? Pretty town, beautiful beaches. Though a flight to Paris might have more to occupy you all...

If it's any help, we've just got back from Lac d'Ailette. Really enjoyed it - though we used it mainly as a base for exploring the local area. Laon is pretty, Reims is gorgeous, the lighthouse at Verzenay is eccentric with competitively-priced champagne. There's also a very interesting (and sad) WW1 museum at La Caverne Du Dragon on the Chemin des Dames ridge. I'd definitely come back.

We’ve done a few Centre Parcs abroad, much prefer them to the UK ones.
I don’t do meal packages, but I love a foreign supermarket so would be missing half my fun!
We recently did Park de Haan in Belgium which is better imo for a short trip. It’s a short drive from Calais. Town was pretty, beside a nice beach and a short drive to Bruges for a day out.
Also - the French sites don’t have a lot of English speaking, whereas the Belgium sites are multilingual.

Yes, my long-ago school French has had a workout this week! Thank goodness for Google Translate.

We love centerparcs and have done European centerparcs holidays for the past couple of years. Haven’t done Le Lac though. But if you’re looking for a few days experiencing France, I’d really recommend the town of Honfleur, we had a great few days there on the way back to catch the ferry home. There’s also some other lovely towns nearby such as Deauville.