how can I actually enjoy center parcs next time?

[VietnameseCobbler]

i get the feeling I was doing it all wrong.

If you didn't enjoy it last time, then why go again?

I have never been but have been told it involves a lot of cycling around the surrounding forest on tandems

For an awful lot of dough

We went when ds1 was about 6 months old as was near DH's granny's house.

We left early - never again for us.

I'm not sure there is a right way to do it - you either like it or don't.

The only wildlife we saw was a rat on our patio - delightful.

no, you weren't. it's shit.

Don't go!!

parents booked it for al of us

Book a nice, cheap hotel with a swimming pool / sauna / beauty spa next time - babies do not need to go to center parcs

God no babies.
kids - they LOVE it.

Ooh, you'll ALL be able to cycle around on tandems together

So how did it not work for you?

We can't put you right if we don't know where you went wrong

Went with friends and our 4 year olds. Just the mums and older kids in one cabin for 3 days.
Had fun time swim/bowling/cycling in morning then booked kids into kids club in afternoon all three days. The DC's actually really enjoyed that and as there were 3 of them they just hung out and went feral.
That way my friends and I got to go to the spa and also just spend time by ourselves too. I also made sure I just spent lots of time 1 to 1 with my dd. She loved not having to share me with my DS. (MY DH looked after DS at home.)

It felt like hard work tbh.
I dont know what activities are good for a 6 year old too - he was a bit left out

Eh? He didn't like cycling, or bowling or the pool? My dd loved the pottery painting (could have spent all day there)

We also just hung out at the parks lots. There is an expensive way and a cheap way of doing it!

i will never go - my neighbour told me that you had to buy your own loo roll and i thought that was astonishingly mean

Don't eat in the restaurants, all over priced shit imo.

Do wordl of water thing early.

Aqua sana is alright.

Is it a posh Butlins?

you could hire a tandem and cycle round a local forest, burning five pound notes as you go, to get a similar experience

CYWYW - only have to buy it if you crap alot!

When went with DH we had to buy more. But with 3 women and 3 DCs it wasn't a problem. Does that say something about men?

It can feel hard, we found that booking too many acivities was the undoing of us, now each child gets a maximum of two activites each over a 10 day visit plus any group stuff we do like bowling and so on. For a 6yo I suppose the archery, robin hood stuff, the time out club... TBH I would concentrate on cycling an swimming with a 6yo.

My top tip is relax, build in time to do nothing much every day, perhaps badminton and an activity in the afternoon and nothing planned in the morning for walking/cycling/swimming and so on.

Some people just do not get on with CP and I can understand that, it is quite a particular type of holiday - although I would be hard pressed if I had to describe it

we cycle a lot at home absolutely no novelty there

POol was ok - everyone else said "Ooh my kids were in the pool all day "

REALY?
I foudn it grubby and busy

neighbour said there was none when they arrived. she is an old italian lady used to drinking cocktails in glitzy hotels. why her son took her to centreparks i will never know, though i suspect babysitting was the motivation

Goat, you do in most self catering places, I don't think that is anything out of the ordinary TBH.

he did archery last time, that was ok. cycling - no issue really.
he was too little for a lot of the stuff.

( agree you can over book)
hwo much is bowling? irrc its a LOT

It is busy during holidays yes, the same as most pools during the holidays! Grubby? Well, you may be right, I tend to let those thing go on holiday unless it is really minging!