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Welcome to our UK travel forum where you can get advice on everything from holidays to exotic destinations, to tips on London travel.

Original poster

Center Parcs - novice - help

15 replies

Matleavemummy · 14/01/2023 12:46

Hi all. We are researching Center parcs for May. We will have a 2 year old, and I’ll be heavily pregnant. We haven’t been before and would like a bit of advice! I originally thought center parcs was designed for older kids, but I’m told that there are still things for 2 year olds to do! Is that right?

we are looking between Woburn, Suffolk and Longleat. We will have a buggy, and I probably won’t want to walk somewhere too hilly etc for long periods of time. Is there one in particular which seems better for toddlers? Does one have a better adventure playground for youngsters for example? Can you request lodges more central to the action? I know you can book executive lodges but it doesn’t seem to mention if the location is executive!

any advice on which one to book, any tips etc would be super useful - thanks MN!

OP posts:
OhhhhhhhhBiscuits · 14/01/2023 12:49

Do not go to Longleat if you don't want hilly! It is the hilliest out of all of them! They do have a land train to go about on but then you are tied to times and if there are spaces.

You can book central lodges. Think it costs £70 extra to do that. Also not all levels of lodges are available in all areas. Look at the maps if places to see where they are located.

MissHavershamReturns · 14/01/2023 12:50

Loads of things for little ones - swimming, water slides, toddler sensory etc

PrayingandHoping · 14/01/2023 12:52

Both sites are hilly

If you want flat you need to go to elveden

Longleat by far has the most playgrounds and bigger later area for toddlers. If u pay to stay in line it is flat to swimming and only down hill to lake. There is the land train to get around

SpideyCraw · 14/01/2023 12:54

You can pay to select a lodge - it’s £60 for the central area, and you can choose exactly the lodge you want.

whenever I have booked I have had to say what lodge I want - if it says just woodland then it isn’t executive. Executive lodges come up saying they’re executive so not sure I understand what’s going on with that part?

the swimming pools have a lovely toddler area! My 2 year old loves it. She loves scooting and running round the forest as well as swimming. Most of the boiled activities are for older children. There’s things like toddler sensory and music classes for 2 year old but not loads. For us that doesn’t matter as we go for the pool and the forest.

JenniferBarkley · 14/01/2023 12:56

I've only been to the Irish ones, but both DC were 18 months to two years when we went. There were a few activities (pottery painting, sensory, messy play) but we found at that age they were happy with the playgrounds and the pool which is well set up for little ones.

Definitely worth booking a central lodge at that age and pregnant I'd say, dc1 refused to get in the buggy but also to walk when we were there at about that age. Every metre would have been appreciated!

2reefsin30knots · 14/01/2023 13:01

I'd say Longleat because the playgrounds are amazing- between those and swimming you wouldn't need to book anything else for 2yo (although there are activities for that age). It is hilly though, so I'd book a lodge near the village centre and then plan to use the land-train when you want to go down to the lake/ sports plaza.

Tunnocks2022 · 14/01/2023 13:18

Agree Longleat particularly good for little ones plus more is under cover if weather bad. And little ones love the land train

Original poster
Matleavemummy · 15/01/2023 09:46

Thanks for all the advice - much appreciated!

OP posts:
annlee3817 · 15/01/2023 09:52

Woburn is the smallest, so easy to get around. We paid an extra £60 to have a lodge by the swimming pool, but to be honest as it was smaller we could have probably not done this. Depends on how heavily pregnant you'll be though :) they have soft play for little ones, plus pottery painting, crafts etc. Some stuff is chargeable, can't comment on playgrounds as it was snowing when we went in December. They do however have an under threes hour at the pool in the morning, which is nice. Much calmer than when everyone is there

Xrays · 15/01/2023 09:56

Elveden is the flattest one but being really honest you’re paying £££ to essentially stay down the road from Thetford, which is a dump (and I am saying that sort of fondly as this is near where we live 😆). With a very young child you’d be better waiting till the weather is a little nicer and going to Haven Caister or Seashore on the coast, then you have a nice splash park (seashore one is very similar to centre parcs smaller children’s bit, not as good but still plenty to do) and you have the beach and the arcades and tackiness of Yarmouth very close and then beautiful Southwold just down the road really. We’ve done Elveden a few times for various reasons and we much prefer Haven.

itsgettingweird · 15/01/2023 10:00

Woburn and longleat are very hilly!

Elvedon is fairly flat and the one we have visited the most. Elvedon has a really good park area in the village centre, a nice small shady beach area and a good lake you can walk around.

itsgettingweird · 15/01/2023 10:01

Sandy beach area - not shady!

2023istheyearigetmyacttogether · 15/01/2023 10:04

Are you going mid-week term time and able to get an absolute bargain? If not, I'm not sure I'd bother, especially if you live somewhere with easy access to woodland for playing in and so the whole "forest" aspect of it is just like being at home!

jusdepamplemousse · 15/01/2023 10:06

Honestly wouldn’t bother with Centreparcs at that age - it’s v pricey and I think only when kids are older would it feel like being worth the money! We went recently with our 3 DC youngest of whom is similarly aged to yours - it definitely wouldn’t have been worth it to go if it was just him. He did enjoy it but we could have ticked all the boxes that made it good for him at any hotel with a decent pool I reckon. And could have got decent food at said hotel. The food was shockingly bad. But the big kids loved it (endless pizza burgers nuggets etc regardless of which restaurant you were in).

Verbena17 · 11/05/2023 01:37

Which one did you book in the end @Matleavemummy

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