[Closed] Center Parcs...

Centre Parcs is ace. Plenty of time to spend nice active time with the family in a nice, car free environment. My experience of the accommodation has been very favourable. On site restaurants let them down a bit, bit you don't go for the gastro experience. Enjoy being as active or otherwise as you choose.

The anti centre parcs snobbery bugs me a bit.

Apart from the cost, it is great.What's not to like about a forest, where cycles are the only traffic - with a pub every few hundred metres?

I'm a society hating, fully paid up, anti-capitalist, freedom fighting, sneering at the masses, free spirited, crusty hippie soul rebel..

I grudgingly went to centerparcs last year as mrs yunki said the kids would enjoy it..

it's ace.. make sure you get your food shopping off-site though

We've been 3 times now but none UK...Belgium, France and most recently Netherlands. I was cynical but we've enjoyed them all plus the European ones work out cheaper than UK ones even with travel (Eurotunnel everytime) particularly with late deals.

Been twice, but not a fan. Just seems over priced for what you get especially as we can only really go during school hols or weekends.

The last time it was suggested the OH went with her sister and I stayed at home.

The pools are good fun though.

For a second then I was expecting the last pic to be Netmums related 😉

Oasis is greate CP, as mentioned shop for food in advance and make the most of the car free environment .

As alluded to by ski, mumsnet is THE place for Centerparcs advice.

One of the best long weekend breaks I've had was at centre parks. I thought I would hate it. Turns out I loved it. What made it was being all together with family in a place that was quiet and away from it all. It was my mum's retirement and 60th birthday bash. The place she hired was amazing, jacuzzi, steam room, outside patio and BBQ. It was lovely but it was silly expensive.

Fair Enough. The response seems quite positive.

Just come back from Penrith CP after staying for Christmas best one we have had. We have now been to CP about 8 times and love it and its great for the kids. Not really that expensive in restaurants but we do take food with us mainly for the kids. The Italians do a take out service which is pretty good and not overly pricey (this is not advertised anywhere. The pool is great and all the staff are very friendly, enjoy it

In general good

Car free is great

Food vpoor ... I wasn't expecting much, but was still impressed by how bad it was.... Take your own and eat in.

On site pubs you say? Things are looking up. Off to I beleive the Longleat site in April, although its the other campers we are going with which is making me slightly less enthusiastic. Good comments above so i'll keep an open mind.

I presume you park your car next to your accomodation and can sneak your bikes inside for better security?

Personnal I would bother taking your own bike (unless off course you're planning on going off site for a proper ride)

Yeah you can take your bike in the accom during the evening... but what you gonna do with your pride and joy when you are zooming down the water slides ??

Don't forget to stock up with growlers at Tebay on the way up. You'll be laughing.

I'm sure the location is purely for the families benefit, and you won't be taking a bike with you to try and head 'off campus' every day 😉

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The Missus is encouraging you to go to CentreParcs....saucy devil... 😉

DrP

(I've been to Longleat several times with the young family, plus a few occasions with extended family - I love it, kid loves it, gramps loves it! I'm a fan of the 'out of season' mon-friday deals - works out something ridiculous like £50 a head for the whole break...)

I presume you park your car next to your accommodation and can sneak your bikes inside for better security?

There were a lot of bikes going missing at one point in the penrith one, and while my brother was there they had their Chalet broken into and had cash/wallets/phones etc stolen, but quite worryingly they also took the largest knife out of the knife block too.

So just dont think you are totally in the middle of nowhere and become lax on security as there are people willing to take advantage of folks lax attitude

We've been for the last 3 years and will be going again in April. Tend to go as a biggish group (2 families + grandparents), get one of the larger properties and take all our own food. We go to the Sherwood one - kids love it, adults love it and everyone has a good time. I normally ride down/back and take the bike inside whilst we're there.

see that Hi-De-Hi picture that Binners posted.. that's exactly what I was expecting.. but it couldn't be less like that..

actually.. it was a bit like the Trueman Show

It's ok but really all about the pool's TBH. I found that the activities ended up costing a fair bit and when added up at the end of the stay a small fortune was spent.
We have a new one being built a couple of miles away at(near) Woburn but I doubt i'll go unless they make the pools open the general public for day sessions or I find a way to sneak in....(hmmm ponders).

Actually Centerparks is OK been twice, all quite convenient, service and quality of accomodation is very good and you could feel a lot more crammed in in a caravan site. Not been in a while but like others here not as bad as I thought it would be. It was just a bit, well, sanitised and saccharin; and expensive.

Look at the third hit down on google for 'centre parcs'

I went with low expectations, but enjoyed it. The amount of wildlife really surprised me - deer at the back door and that!

The activities were expensive and a bit disappointing, we did a high rope Go Ape-esque walk thing, but it was expensive and less good than Go Ape.

The pools are great, we ate in and had a really good time.

Wasn't [i]that [/i]expensive either I didn't think, and that was the August bank holiday weekend.

been about 8 times now to Whinfell and last time Sherwood, if you do all the activities it'll cost a bomb but enough to be getting on with for free.

Two years ago me and my daughter where in the outdoor pool in january when it was belting down with snow, was epic.

hora - Member

Look at the third hit down on google for 'centre parcs'

You been there with binners then? 😉

Pools are great, way too expensive during the school holidays, but good deals to be had mid week in term time.

It is all a bit trueman show though, Some of the cashiers got grumpy when I refused to tell them my villa number at every single transaction, plus we couldn't decide if the fences were there to keep them out or us in.

oh, and I showed mrs trb the mumsnet thread, she now refuses to go ever again....

I've been to the one in Penrith for the weekend.

Some people like it...I didn't.

Good: pool, car free, wildlife

Bad: only biking is as transport to get around the site, food expensive and poor, activities expensive and average. Trapped in holiday camp feel.

It's like an outdoor weekend for people who don't normally do that kind of thing. I would rather book a cottage in the lakes.

The best thing we did was a picnic on the side of Ulswater on the way home. I wouldn't go again.

Brilliant place.

As stated above, take your own food and don't bother with the bike.

OI! It was Hora who started the whole mumsnet/back doors thing! Nowt to do with me!

Hora visiting the Mumsnet offices earlier today....

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You park some distance away from the accomodation, which is good as it makes it car free, but also makes it a hassle to escape the camp.

I wouldn't take anything good bike wise, just something to pedal around on with the kids.

If you are going to Longleat take a bike either that or end up walking a long way between accommodation, Sports Centre and Aqua centre or waiting for the tourist train thing. Everything is pretty spread out. Its the only one I've been to so can't comment on others.

activities expensive and average.

This. Went to Penrith a few years ago. The park was nice enough but it was expensive. Wouldn't have minded if the accommodation price included the activities but they don't. That was my biggest gripe.

On the plus side, you're on the edge of the north lakes which is always a bonus.

I take it that you have another mumsnet login now hora!

No one mentioned swinging yet? Apparently it's all the rage at Center Parcs...........well so I hear 🙄

[i]No one mentioned swinging yet? Apparently it's all the rage at Center Parcs[/i]

bloke I used to work with went to CenterParcs for the first time with his family and once they'd got the cases in etc went out through the patio doors and had a wander round.

Walked back in and saw suitcase in the hall so decided to take it into the bedroom and unpack.

The couple who's chalet he'd inadvertantly walked in were vigorously in congress when he walked into the room carrying one of their bags.

They appeared to think he was some sort of voyeuristic bag thief and didn't react well.

His wife wasn't too impressed when he eventually got back to the right chalet.

Easy mistake to 'innocently' make 😆

I grudgingly went to centerparcs last year as mrs yunki said the kids would enjoy it..

it's ace.. make sure you get your food shopping off-site though

Sums it up for me, great place to take the kids. If you go to winfell flee camp one day and head to the birds of prey place about 10 miles away, fiver a head and my 10yo bird watcher son got to handle everything from Sparrow hawks to Eagle Owls. Oh and don't take your own bike. In fact you don't REALLY need one,even at the far away chalets. All the food places do specials on different days so that helps keep the cost down a wee bit.