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UK travel

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

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Original poster

Centreparcs - Longleat

20 replies

Southwind · 26/02/2010 16:31

Anyone been? Is it a good place to be?

I ask because the weekend I want to go, they have just hiked the price up by £50 in the last two days and now Im not sure its worth it.

OP posts:

bellabelly · 26/02/2010 16:39

We went last March for a short break and really liked it. The site is very hilly - would that would bother you? But I would definitely go again.

dreamingofsun · 26/02/2010 17:56

we usually go there as its nearest. try and get failry near the complexes - if you are at the far end it is a bit of a treck, though you can catch the landbus. are you worried about longleat or centre parcs? we like having chillout time and play sports in the sports bar and use the swimming pool - espec in evening when quieter. personally i'm not keen on the restaurants and i don't like packing lots of activities in

Original poster

Southwind · 26/02/2010 19:29

Oh crumbs hills an issue yes just had a baby by c-section, but as dreamingofsun said I was looking at getting near to the complex. Was the pool really busy and what didnt you like about the restaurants?

OP posts:

bellabelly · 26/02/2010 22:53

Thinking about it, the hills wouldn't be much of an issue if you didn't mind using the landtrain rather than cycling to get round everywhere. They ran quite frequently iirc. We stayed in a sort of "forest lodge" away from the main complex (can't remember if that's the right word) and it was lovely and peaceful.

Think the only restaurant we went to was Strada and it was very good. We tried to go for luch once at the pancake place but there was a big queue for tables (we hadn't booked ahead) and our boys were getting bit whingey waiting so we left it. Didn't use the pool so can't comment on that.

Think if we go again, I won't panic-book lots of activities in advance (apart from maybe some evening babysitting) - the activities really push the price up and actually, just wandering aimlessly is nice (if the weather is kind).

donnie · 26/02/2010 23:03

we went there over half term and really enjoyed it. It is quite hilly so you would need to factor that into your trip - can you manage it on foot/by bike etc. Elveden is much flatter, for example. As another poster says there is a charming little train which will take you around if you don't have a bike or dont fancy too much walking.

The pool area is great, lots to do and poole/slides for everyone from babes through to adults.

Thje restuarants are fine - cafe rouge, an amreican style burger place etc - and they all have kids menus and are reasonably cheap. We ate out about 3 times over the 4 days. The self catering facilities are fine and the beds always very comfortable,plus there is something lovely about being in a huge fores with no traffic!

IMO it is not worth booking up loads of activities; they are expensive and also it means you are committed. It's nice just to meander and teh pool is great - we went every day for about 3 hours.

donnie · 26/02/2010 23:04

'forest'!

Original poster

Southwind · 26/02/2010 23:16

Thanks guys, I'm interested again now lol. Just wondered which type of accomodation did you stay in, we are thinking about the original style executive.

OP posts:

23balloons · 26/02/2010 23:24

we have just come back and I wouldn't recommend Longleat after a c sect. It is just too hilly can you travel to another village? I have been to Longleat twice the first time we we about 45 mins from the centre, this time thought we would be fine as we were only a 5 min cycle away but I still stuggled to cycle back. Also if you want to get down to the sports area/lake it is in a very deep valley and going up again is not easy.

Don't get me wrong I really like center parcs but would not recommend Longleat unless you are very fit and active. Also the prices go up and up as the date of departure gets nearer. Book ahead is the best advice.

donnie · 26/02/2010 23:27

we had a forest lodge or whatever its called, middle of the range accommodation with a dvd player and so on. It was nice.

bellabelly · 26/02/2010 23:31

We stayed in a Woodland Lodge link - think ours was 3 bed. Big open plan kitchen/dining/living room, small patio area with table and chairs (patio not enclosed or fenced in - backed onto woodland)

bellabelly · 26/02/2010 23:34

Oh and it had a cool log burner thing that you could use those special brickettes (sp?) with if you want the look of a real fire. Our toddler twins were not the best age for that kind of thing tbh but it was a nice evening treat for me and DH.

Docbunches · 27/02/2010 09:30

We've been to Longleat several times, mainly because it's under two hours away by car from where we live, and my DP doesn't like flying, trains, etc. So it suits us down to the ground and my DCs love it.

Having said that, I think their prices have become ridiculous over the last few years, especially given that Longleat has expanded hugely in terms of accommodation, but the rest of the facilities are the same. In other words, I feel that when it's at full capacity, it feels VERY crowded in some areas (but we always go at peak times, it may be OK whenever you are planning to go).

You will have a great time, but lots of people come away thinking; Was that worth it? No, not really!

jacksgrannie · 27/02/2010 09:46

We have been to Longleat twice and Nottingham once. It's like marmite - you either love Centre Parcs or hate it. We love it! Longleat is very hilly - agree with other posters. However, there are long graded footpaths/cycle paths and we did not find this a problem (we are grandparents and went with DS, DDIL and 2DGCs). After a C section would not be so good obv. If you do go, suggest you pay the extra for the accommodation at the top of the site (think this is either Fir or Pine - it is obvious from the site plan), then you at least are near to the swimming pool and restaurants etc.

The accommodation is fine - Comfort Plus has worked for us. Very comfortable beds. Our 4 year old grandson thinks CP is paradise on earth.

It gets v exp at the restaurants (which are standard chains, Cafe Rouge, Strada, etc), eating out with the family all the time, and we found this impinged on our playtime, so I tend to take a couple of ready made casseroles/lasagne type things and we don't eat out much. We did however really enjoy the Sunday Brunch when we went one year at Easter.

Can you go mid-week Mon - Fri? We did last Nov and found it much less crowded than weekends. The swim pool is brill for children and also small babies but can get really crowded, especially with older children at weekends.

Original poster

Southwind · 27/02/2010 13:43

Thank you everybody for telling me about your experiences, just got to decide whether spending a good part of a grand on a four day holiday is something we can do right now

OP posts:

mumto2andnomore · 27/02/2010 16:40

We absolutely love center parcs but wouldnt go if it cost £1000 for the time we wanted to go, we would either go for cheaper accommodation or try another week.

dreamingofsun · 28/02/2010 20:20

southwind - pool is quiter on changer over days and in the evenings. failry busy during the day. i think the restaurants know they have a captive market and therefore quality is varied and portions sizes are mixed especially compared to price- i prefer to eat in there and go to restaurants at home that i know are good. we go for a weekend most winters - for the last 16 years - good quality family time - but we don't tend to book much in the way of activities. a grand seems a bit steep - can you not go off season????

nannynick · 01/03/2010 23:51

£1000 sounds fairly high for mid-week (by 4 day, I presume you mean staying for 4 nights)... are you planning on going at Easter? If you are able to go at anytime... then play around with the dates on the booking system, as some weeks are a lot cheaper than others. For example, I found the weekend after the Easter break was cheaper than other weekends.

I agree with mumto2andnomore - shop around between the accomodation types as well. Woodland ones are fine. If you want to be fairly central (say Pine area) then avoid looking at Comfort villa type, as those tend to be over in Fir. Longleat Map (PDF)

What size Exec were you looking at? Do you need Exec? I tend to book an Exec these days, as I like having WiFi. If you choose carefully though, you can get other villa types which are close to an Exec and thus still get WiFi. WiFi is available for all in Plaza and Jardin des Sport (but not in AquaSana).

Some video tours of Villa's I've stayed at:
1 Bed Executive - Villa 346
3 Bed Woodland - Villa 193
Redwood Studio Apartment - No.31

nannynick · 01/03/2010 23:58

I find that the Indian is the only good restaurant. I generally Self Cater. There is a Morrisons a couple of miles away, so I tend to pick up most things from there on-route, then get day-to-day things from the ParcMarc.

Over the past year I've posted quite a bit about Center Parcs Longleat, so if you search my messages, you may find out quite a bit.

For example:
Center Parcs Any Advice
For First Timers
Center Parcs in December

nannynick · 02/03/2010 00:01

Oh just spotted that you said Weekend. Weekends do tend to be rather costly. If you can, go Mid-Week (Mon-Fri), tends to be better costing.
Center Parcs uses dynamic pricing, so the more in advance you book the more likely you are to get a better rate. Though it does vary, you can get lucky sometimes with a fairly last minute booking. If you can avoid school holiday times, you will find that costs come down.

nannynick · 02/03/2010 00:11

Oh just thought of another tip with regard to accommodation. Larger accommodation can sometimes work out cheaper than smaller ones. It's quite odd really... but I've known it to happen. For example it was cheaper for me to book a 3 Bed Woodland villa, than to book a 2 Bed Woodland Villa.
In the booking system, select Change Bedroom Requirements (on right side of screen, under Search Summary) and increase it by 1, then increase by 2. See what differences you get. Then check where they are located. If you want to be near the Swimming pool, then Pine is a good area to be. If you want to be near AquaSana then there are not that many villa's all that close - some of the ones in Fir are closest.
The Landtrain runs Sat and Sun, it runs till quite late - Midnight ish, so if in a villa close to it's route, I find it can keep me awake at night. LandTrain does not run during the day on changeover days (starts around 6pm).

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