Any tips about Center Parcs?

[Bishberro]

After so many threads on here have been recommending Center Parcs (and not because of the Mumsnet thread!) I've decided to bite the bullet and take my 2 boys (nearly 4 and nearly 2) for a long weekend. As s first timer I just wondered which site was best (I was thinking Longleat or Elvedon) and also which lodge to go for? Is it worth booking activities in advance and is it worth paying extra to be in the centre? Any other tips about food/pools etc greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[lillyanginger]

We went to Longleat about 2 years ago.

The food outlets are expensive and very average. It is definitely worth pre booking activities, once you know when you are going, go on the internet and organise what you want to do. Don't forget not everything is next to each other so leave yourself enough time to get from A to B. Your children are very small, the pool area is great there and you don't need to book that. But some nice pampering time maybe...

Also the Longleat Safari park is RIGHT OUTSIDE the gate, literally. So you can 'leave the park' and visit, that went down very well with our children. And a brilliant pub is in the village 5minutes away from the park. Feel free to pm me if you want to know more.

[Dodo1]

It is worth paying extra to book as close to the centre as possible; unless you are happy with 15+ min walks to and from your chalet.

[catgirl]

We went to Longleat which was great but quite hilly. We had bikes and a trailer and our chale4t was a long way from the centre but we loved cycling through the park and so I'd say the distance was a plus for us rather than a minus as we enjoyed the cycle rides there and back so much.

And another piece of conflicting advice from me = I'd say don't book too much. We didn't book anything in advance and just did a couple of activities which we booked when there. We went swimming every morning for a couple of hours, then for a bike ride / playground / wander around, back to the chalet for lunch / nap / tv / chill out and then back to the pool again mid afternoon. It was really great not to have to be on any schedule for once. A friend of mine went shortly after us and pre booked loads and said they regretted having so much booked as they were constantly having to plan around the booked activities and race around from A to B rather than just go with the flow.

And yes, def take some food with you as their shop is expensive and not great as are all the restaurants.

[Mrs TP]

We have also been to Longleat several times with our brood. The swimming is free and great and probably worth being nearer that end. There is a free train that goes around every 20mins or so, which you can hop on and tour the whole site or get from A to B.

Again would echo do not overbook activities as it does end up like boot camp. Lodges we have stayed in have been well equipped and v. clean and have a cot if needed. Usually a dvd player so you can take your own dvds if necessary.

I would take some basic self-catering stuff from home - matches (for gas oven / hob), washing up liquid, dishwasher tabs, tea, coffee etc. There is a well stocked supermarket on site, which is fine and comparable with London prices but still I would suggest taking stuff from home - pasta, tom ketchup etc.

I like the Grand Cafe best for eating out, standard pub fair but best quality food on site - also Ortega, Cafe Rouge and Strada. Hucks appears to be v. child friendly (all restaurants are but Hucks has an extra play den area) but the food quality is lacking. Dress casual everywhere.

If your car is full up on the way you can also hire a buggy there. Take a lock for your buggy we had a maclaren nicked from the pram park at the swimming one year.

Do book the activities / restaurants in advance as they do sell out especially at busy times.

Also been to the Safari Park a couple of times. Go early as they randomly shut it for odd hours when it gets too busy. You can feed deer out of the car window at one point (with food you buy there) and this has given us one of the best comedy moments ever when a rather large deer practically kissed my hysterical 4yr old. She probably didn't find it as funny as the rest of us did!

It is not my idea of the holiday of a life time but it is great with the kids. Walk round the grounds also - huge redwood trees to look at and plenty of wildlife, deer, frogs etc. My hubbie claims to have seen a badger outside our lodge one night but I'm still doubtful ...

You can do it cheap when you are there by taking your food from home and sticking to the swimming. Also take chalk - most lodges have a big blackboard on the wall for the kids.

[Cora]

We always go to Elveden just because it's easiest to get to for us. I would pay to be central, aim to get there for 10, gives you a whole extra day, do a big shop before you go, food there pretty rubbish, book yourself into the spa on the first night less busy (if your partner doesn't mind dealing with the kids...you want to get your relaxation in early, moonlight spa cheaper 6-9). On the last day go swimming, don't rush to leave. Some of the cheapest villas are the most central, they are fine, better to spend money to be central than on upgrading. Book an activity a day but don't overfill your time, you will want to swim most days - time out clubs are good if you want a rest from the kids. (And we always do midweek for the extra day)....

[Trish]

Do they allow you to organise an online supermarket shop to be delivered to your accommodation at Center Parcs?

[Mrs TP]

I did once see a Tesco home delivery van making its way to a lodge on arrivals day and was majorly impressed by whoever had organised that.

[Ondine]

Their rules explicitly forbid supermarket deliveries

[Cora]

Shame, what a great idea!

[BB100]

I think you can get the on site shop to deliver to the villa.

With small children I would certainly go to Elveden. As already said, Longleat is very hilly and some lodges are a very long way from the amenities. I made the mistake of hiring a bike for my little one and he just couldn't manage the distances. When I went back to hire a bike trailer they had all gone. The train doesn't operate on arriving and leaving days either. At Elveden everything is much closer and more central.

I don't think it matters much about which villa you book. I have stayed in the cheapest and the most expensive and since you are generally scruffy and dirty (from all that bike riding) it makes little difference.

Do make sure you book activities that you don't want to miss out on as they can get booked up quickly, such as badminton. Have a good trip.

[savage]

Another tip, if you fancy ordering a takeaway (they provide menu,s for a huge range) put your order in early, as we had a 90 min wait!

[Dodie]

Hi... has anyone got any tips to add to this thread? We've never been to centreparcs but are considering taking our twin boys in March for their second birthday. My husband is not convinced by the idea and thinks they are too young and it will just be hard work for us without them remembering any of it! I think it will be fun to cycle with the kids on the back and swim (they've never been swimming before as we are never normally both available to take them). Is it just a big rip off or can it be genuine fun with young toddlers? Slightly worried about it raining constantly at that time of year but the kids really wouldn't mind - the more mud the better is generally their preference! Many thanks for any tips.

[Pickle]

We went when our kids were 15 months and 2.5 and it was brilliant. Great age to take them as they are happy doing the free stuff (bikes, swimming, playgrounds and indoor soft play in the restaurants). We went expecting it to be a bit of a nightmare and had a brilliant time. We paid for a "messy play" session, but that's the only supplementary activity we did. The pools are great fun.

[Mrs TP]

I think little children don't remember holidays but holidays can contribute to part of the way you bring your children up - for example letting them help you pack, the journey and the things you do when you are there etc. They are all new experiences for the children and it puts them in good stead for preparing for holiday upheaval when they are older. They may not remember a specific holiday but they do have an awareness of something else that you do as a family and is (hopefully) fun.

I would say all holidays with kids are hard work. They don't stop needing help with their daily lives just because you are away and particularly with 2/3yr olds who seem to be obsessed with going to the toilets in new places.

Have fun.

[katgod]

Haven't been for a while but went to elvedon when children were 18 months and 3 ish and it was great. Our days went potter to dome thing for pool, potter back( through woods with squirrels, lakes, ducks etc all very exciting for small children) lunch at the chalet thing, rest/nap and read the papers, then either back to pool or cycle to somewhere, think maybe a golf centre ( within the parc anyway) where there was a bar with a big indoor play centre- wooden not soft play ) have a coffee/beer, back to chalet, meal ( took my slow cooker- would not be that organised now). Did book one activity for toddler but he was way more interested in pool and squirrels. NB the toddler pool at elvedon is closed at present. It does not say it on web site but some friends are going next weekend and found out somehow. No idea how long for. The toddler area was fab, so hopefully it is a refresh and improve. Obviously check when booking, they are not daft this must be off peak so gets time to do it. And sure will GE for shortest time possible.

Overall I like it there, it can be peaceful, the pools are great the cycling and sport are good.

[Dodie]

Just to say thanks for the Center Parcs tips, especially the heads up about the toddler pool, katgod. We've taken the plunge and booked. Thanks, forum-ers!

[James Barber]

My one experience of centre parts was at long eat. We went expecting to cycle around all the time - but longleat centre parts is really surprisingly hilly.

Definately choose a flat centre parts with young kids so they can cycle easily around.

[ratty]

Sherwood forest is the best by a country mile!

[Ginster]

Went to Longleat in 2010 and 2011 with wider family. The last time my nieces were 2.5 and 4.5. My Mum pre-booked "fairy funtime" for the girls who both loved it, think you get to go with one adult though (not sure if that is per child or trip so maybe check). Swimming was obviously great (though mixed reactions on the kiddie slides so depends how adventurous your kids are). They have life jackets for kids for those not so confident with swimming and massive "driers" for when you get out that fit about 4 people inside (costs ?1 or ?2 though). First year they screamed the place down when put in a trailer on the back of a bike, 2nd year they loved it! Lots of playgrounds, lake areas for ducks etc, a duck, rabbit and deer also went past the villa which caused much excitement. We have always taken food with us and haven't eaten out there once, i.e. pre-made meals to freeze and take and put in fridge in villa to defrost over time - took frozen lasagne, frozen moussaka, pasta and sauce, home-made pizzas (took dough, made and topped there), salads that sort of thing and then sandwiches for lunch. You can pre-order a "welcome pack" which has some basics in but we took most stuff with us I recall. Took some board games too, trying to remember if the TV had a DVD inbuilt? Probably did.

Enjoy!

[TillieTrotter]

They are all brilliant family destinations but I agree with Ratty about Sherwood.

[Sol]

We just came back from Elveden and had a lovely time; it was busy, so it is a good idea to book things in advance and do a bit of planning. It was very close to drive; to which was great as I didn't want to spend 5 hours in the car. We took some food and ate at the flat, we also had a couple of meals at the restaurants which were booked in advance; most of the people get around on bikes or by foot. It is good idea to rent or take bycicles and a triler for the 2 year old. We booked a few activities only in the afternoon after lunch, around 3pm, 4pm, so it was not too much rush and went swimming every morning.

[randombloke]

We went to Elvedon in October. They were just about to open the new water slide which looked pretty interesting. It's a much smaller site than either Longleat (which is massive and VERY hilly)or Sherwood. It is a bit in need of a spruce up but all the usual attractions are there. The main difference between this visit and the last one (2006-LaWhinfell Forest), is the appearance of big chain restaurants/cafes like Cafe Rouge and Starbucks. The other major advantage is it's about 90 minutes from East Dulwich which means if you time it right they will sleep in the car on the way.

I took my son when he was about 10 months old and he had a great time, admittedly that was 22 years ago, but he loved the toddler pool and the slides and especially the ducks and ducklings and squirrels that are so tame they came to the chalet and he was able to feed them.

He can't remember it but he had a great time nonetheless. There is a creche, baby-minding service and lots of things aimed at kids so I'd recommend it very highly.

They also offer a take away/delivery service offering pretty decent Chinese, Indian or Pizza.

It's not cheap though.

We had a very happy dusk watching Muntjack dear, Nuthatches, Woodpeckers, Rabbits, Bats and various other wildlife in the hide. No good for 2 year olds but wonderfully calming for adults.

Go for it.

[JessM]

My tip is: get the parc services to book you a babysitter!

(Second tip is, don't bother with the Indian restaurant for your night out, we are spoilt with such lovely ones in ED and we were sadly disappointed by the one there.)