Center Parcs opinions needed!

[Debs Hill]

We are condsidering staying at Center Parcs for the first time. It would be myself, my husband and our very active 3 yr old son! I have heard mixed reviews and would love to hear from anyone who has stayed there. What were the good and bad points? What type of accommodation did you stay in? And which site would you recommend for a first time visit?
Many thanks

 

[Disney owl]

As family we love Centre parks & would go every year if funds allow. Your son will have a great time & centre parcs are totally geared up for families & young children

As to which parc to choose for your 1st time I'd choose the 1 nearest to your home.

The only bad points i can think of is that it isn't cheap, especially with our 3 now aged 10, 12 & 16. all activities have to be paid for exc pt swimming. Also things including restaurants get booked up quickly.

if you decide to go I'm sure you'll love it too.


Sue

 

[richard3330]

Hi ,

We have also visited Center Parcs on numerous occasions and have had some very enjoyable short breaks.

Personally, our favourite 'site' is Longleat Forest. They have a new Aqua Sana Spa center there, and there are a variety of treatments on offer which DW tried out. I only visited there for the 'try out' session were you pay about £20 for three hours trying out all of the different 'rooms' like the ice room, herbal room, japanese zen room, relaxation room etc.

The natural beauty of Longleat is also our favourite (although we have never visited the Oasis one in the Lake District). The covered plaza at Longleat is also ideal when the weather turns inclement.

We stayed in a 4 bedroom villa with some friends. For about £20, when you book you can choose the exact villa you want (subject to availability) as we like to be close to the centre and lake this was ideal, as otherwise you may be miles away, and with a 4 year old son this comes very reccomended to you with a 3 year old son!

We took our own bikes, but they do rent them at the parc. Bikes are an essential IMO.

We also liked Sherwood, but for us the travelling distance is a bit far and it seems a bit 'dated' compared with Longleat. We didn't enjoy our stay at Elveden - the facilities were poorly maintained and the chalets were not as well equipped as in the other resorts.

We loved the restaurants at the resort too. Hucklebury's is a brilliant American themed restaurant with a great indoor play area with children. We also enjoyed meals at the pizza place (Lucianos??) - Their buffet is a must. Plus, you have to try The Pancake House - delicious!

The swimming pool 'The Subtropical Swimming Paradise' is amazing and you could spend a whole day in there. It is always heated and there is an outside section with a brilliantly fun river rapids attraction.

There are so many activities on offer like Tennis, Badminton, Squash, Cycling, Football, Basketball, etc. All of them are at an extra cost (the only thing free is the swimming pool). They also book up extremely early at peak times so book before you arrive.

If you have any questions, please ask.

HTH

Richard.

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

Another thumbs up from me. We've been with children and with a group of adults, enjoying both occasions. Cheap it ain't, but fun it is!

Regards

Rob

 

[Hilary]

More thumbs up here!

I can't really add anything useful to the comments already made, but it's a holiday formula which has suited our family since our DDs were about 2 and 6 (they are now 14 and 18).

I'd go along with the advice to visit the CP nearest you - with an active 3 yr old in the car, the slight differences in the various CPs don't warrant the extra travelling time!

 

[Astrid]

Well, we obviously all like Center Parcs!!

I've been to Longleat 3 times and had a great stay each time. I went with a group of friends but they are very child friendly with stacks to keep them occupied.

I loved the swimming area and outside slides and jacuzzi etc, the first time we went it was January and we sat in the outside jacuzzi in the snow - it was very surreal!

The only downside to Longleat imo is that it is hilly and there is a big drop cutting the site in half. There is a boardwalk built to lessen the incline but even so it can be a bit of a killer, especially on bike! Like Rob I'd definately recommend a bike whilst you're there, we hired ours.

If you do go I suggest getting there earlier than your accommodation is available and picking up your key early and getting all your activities booked as soon as you arrive as things to get booked up quickly and there can be a queue at the 'check-in' time.

My parents are taking the kids to Elveden in the summer for a 5 day break and they are really looking forward to it, I bet they have a ball (my poor parents! )

Sure you'll have a great time!

Astrid

 

[carene]

My vote's for Oasis Whinfell forest (centre parcs) in the Lake District.

Superb indoor swimming facilites!!!

 

[Debs Hill]

Thanks for all your responses! Well, we've narrowed it down to Sherwood or Longleat as they are both equal distances from us. Which would you choose?! Does one have better accommodation than the other? Do they both have the outside pool/jacuzzi as well as the indoor one? Anyone know where I can get a list of activities and spa treatments with prices?
Thanks again!

 

[Hilary]

My vote would be for Longleat .

I know Longleat has a lot of hills to negotiate, but they do have the Land Train if you want to get from the main Plaza to the outer-lying villas. Your young DS might like the 'train' as much as the activities!

As far as I remember (haven't been to Sherwood for a few years) they both have the outdoor pool. Both have some wonderful woodland areas with ducks, rabbits, deer, etc., who sometimes like to visit , both have very similar villa accommodations, although Longleat also has some apartments which Sherwood didn't have. Both have the same restaurant choices, (maybe with different names, but essentially the same), the same shops, etc. Sherwood has a *better* (IMHO) lake for watersports and Longleat has *better* woodland walks, etc.

 

[richard3330]

When are you planning on visiting?

Longleat has an inside covered plaza which is ideal when the weather turns cold. Whereas Sherwood is all outside.

I would also vote for Longleat.

The villas, IMO are actually slightly nicer at Longeat as they are newer with better furnishings.

Both of them do have outdoor sections, both about the same in size although IMO Longleat's rapids is slightly better.

I'm not sure where you can get a full list of activities/spa treatments but there are a few 'examples' inside the brochure. When you have booked they will send you a little book which lists all of the activities/spa treatments and their prices. This includes a little booking form to fill in and post off to reserve places.

Like Hilary said there is a Land Train which is ideal when everyone is tired out!

Richard.

 

[WDWfan uk]

......... I would choose Longleat!

I believe they've refurbished the villas since we stayed at Sherwood but I still think the Longleat scenery is much better.

 

[AlisonB]

We've stayed at all of them - and would choose Longleat for an adult only stay and Elvedon for a family stay - as everything is under one roof - pool, restaurants, sports facilities etc.

Longleat is far more picturesque than the others....but Elvedon is also more convenient for us as it's closer.

 

[Debs Hill]

Thanks for all your help. We have now booked to go to Longleat in June and are staying in a 2 bed comfort villa, which I hope will be OK as it was all they had available!!!!

So, I now need your recommendations for which activities you enjoyed, spa treatments you'd recommend and restaurants that get the thumbs up!

Thanks again!

 

[harryhornet]

It's been a while since we have been to CenterParcs but I would also try to get hold of the activity lists so that you know what you want to do before you get there.
Some of them get booked up very quickly. Some are pretty expensive as well!

 

[WDWfan uk]

A friend just returned on Monday from a weekend at Sherwood - staff there told her Elveden is having it's official re-opening in July (although some lucky folks have been invited for tester stays for free!!). They had a great weekend with great weather!

I thought I remembered you could make reservations for the restaurants once you were there but she says unless you have a party of 6, you cannot make advance resv, even same day. When Sherwood filled up on Monday as it was change over day, she said it was impossible to get a meal - even the supermarket had sold out of quick stuff like pies/rolls etc.

We've been to Elveden three times and stayed at both Sherwood Forest and Longleat once - Longleat was for a week but it is the only Center Parcs I would stay for a whole week as it has other places of interest to visit in the area.

We'd go back to Elveden, particularly as it has been revamped after the fire and is less than an hour away, but not at peak times.

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

I would definately recommend two or three hours in the Spa at Longleat. Book your son into one of the Kids' Club activitities and try out all the different types of sauna and steam rooms they have, and perhaps a massage or other beuty treatment. It's a wonderful way to relax.

Regards

Rob

 

[lenny l]

deleted

 

[KiwiSue]

I stayed at Longleat when my son was 4 and I would definitely recommend paying a bit extra to choose your villa site. Ask for one near the covered swimming plaza. This is a huge site with the activities spread over a wide area. Some of the villas are a long long way from anything. Fine when you are holidaying withh adults only, but with young kids I found that the land train was not that frequent when I was there (every half hour or so) and having to wait with a young child is not easy at times. I tried to walk from Swimming Plaza to Sports Centre with my son and luckily after 45 minutes walking a staff member took pity on us and gave us a lift! The land train goes on a one way circuit around the park so sometimes you have a choice of an hour on the land train or half an hour of walking. After the first couple of trips on the land train I found the novelty wore off and it was just annoying to have to travel such large distances. The hills also made cycling very difficult for my son (and me also at five months pregnant!). I suspect with a three year old you will spend a lot of time in the swimming pool, so pay the extra to be close to this and it will make a big difference to your enjoyment of your holiday. I felt really sorry for the guests with young kids who were in villas too far away to walk to.

Apart from that it was a wonderful holiday and I can fully recommend it - gives Disney a run for its money anytime! Definitely not cheap but still is well worth the expense and I would holiday at Centreparcs every weekend if I could afford it!