Center Parcs WTAF!
Discussion
Been loads of times whilst the kids were growing up. Always thought it maybe a tad expensive but decent enough if you cook in most of the time and just enjoy cycling and the water park.
Thought I'd book just now for Easter, just 7 nights.
2 bed woodland lodge is £2200 for the week
Now looking at week in a 3 bed villa with a pool in Mallorca for 5 people including flights, airport parking and car hire...........£1100.
Thing is, it doesn't look like people vote with their feet as closer to any school holiday and Center Parcs is fully booked.
Thought I'd book just now for Easter, just 7 nights.
2 bed woodland lodge is £2200 for the week
Now looking at week in a 3 bed villa with a pool in Mallorca for 5 people including flights, airport parking and car hire...........£1100.
Thing is, it doesn't look like people vote with their feet as closer to any school holiday and Center Parcs is fully booked.
The thing is, it depends on the age of your children. Yes it's twice as much but with small children I would still probably prefer to go to Center Parcs. It's a lot less hassle too and if you're going for a week, you can easily lose the best part of 2 days due to travelling. Outside of school holidays Center Parcs in my view is actually really good value.
croyde said:
Been loads of times whilst the kids were growing up. Always thought it maybe a tad expensive but decent enough if you cook in most of the time and just enjoy cycling and the water park.
Thought I'd book just now for Easter, just 7 nights.
2 bed woodland lodge is £2200 for the week
Now looking at week in a 3 bed villa with a pool in Mallorca for 5 people including flights, airport parking and car hire...........£1100.
Thing is, it doesn't look like people vote with their feet as closer to any school holiday and Center Parcs is fully booked.
I'm going to call BS on this. Show me your villa in Mallorca for 5 people including flights for £1100 and I'll book that myself now. Thought I'd book just now for Easter, just 7 nights.
2 bed woodland lodge is £2200 for the week
Now looking at week in a 3 bed villa with a pool in Mallorca for 5 people including flights, airport parking and car hire...........£1100.
Thing is, it doesn't look like people vote with their feet as closer to any school holiday and Center Parcs is fully booked.
Centre Parcs has always been very expensive. Simple solution is don't go.
We did it for our main holiday in June of last year with some friends and we all had a great time. We have considered it again, but my OH doesn't want to spend her evenings cooking for the family which is basically just like being at home and I understand that. Yes, there are restaurants on site, but they are very expensive for what they IMO.
bakerstreet said:
I'm going to call BS on this. Show me your villa in Mallorca for 5 people including flights for £1100 and I'll book that myself now.
Centre Parcs has always been very expensive. Simple solution is don't go.
We did it for our main holiday in June of last year with some friends and we all had a great time. We have considered it again, but my OH doesn't want to spend her evenings cooking for the family which is basically just like being at home and I understand that. Yes, there are restaurants on site, but they are very expensive for what they IMO.
James Villas.Centre Parcs has always been very expensive. Simple solution is don't go.
We did it for our main holiday in June of last year with some friends and we all had a great time. We have considered it again, but my OH doesn't want to spend her evenings cooking for the family which is basically just like being at home and I understand that. Yes, there are restaurants on site, but they are very expensive for what they IMO.
It was possible last week, prices have risen a little. Quite a few for £334pp on the site at the moment for a week at Easter, still with the car hire and airport parking.
So now it's £1670 for 5 but only £1336 for 4 compared to 4 at CP for £2200.
Add in the cost of the Parc Market at CP and the Spanish option is a bloody bargain.
ETA If the CP option had come in at £1200 to £1500, I would have gone for it as it is easy compared to getting to the airport, delays etc plus no guarantee of decent weather in Mallorca at Easter.
Once did Lanzerote at Easter. It was freezing cold and pished down all week. No fun in an unheated apartment with an unheated pool.
My eldest is 19 now and we have been doing Center Parcs almost every year until 3 or 4 years ago. Never thought it too pricey. Did a great break for the extended family over Christmas, a few years back, at Woburn and really enjoyed it.
Just think over 2 grand for their basic lodge is extracting the urine. Still people pay and it gets booked up, so no reason for CP to slash their prices.
Edited by croyde on Friday 18th January 09:53
Edited by croyde on Friday 18th January 09:55
croyde said:
Add in the cost of the Parc Market at CP and the Spanish option is a bloody bargain.
If you are driving to CP why don't you take a week's worth of food in the car, we always do. I also suspect given where the exchange rate is, food shopping in Spain will be just as expensive.For balance, we have a 4 bedroom games lodge booked for the first week in May (hot tub, sauna, games room, maid and concierge) which cost £1,549.
Muncher said:
If you are driving to CP why don't you take a week's worth of food in the car, we always do. I also suspect given where the exchange rate is, food shopping in Spain will be just as expensive.
For balance, we have a 4 bedroom games lodge booked for the first week in May (hot tub, sauna, games room, maid and concierge) which cost £1,549.
I suspect that's not in the school hols For balance, we have a 4 bedroom games lodge booked for the first week in May (hot tub, sauna, games room, maid and concierge) which cost £1,549.
The week before I want to go the same lodge is half the price. Ah well.
Young kids, so no need for all the CP facilities and can go outside of school times. We've just booked a 5 days at a Hoseasons place for £220. That's a 3 bed lodge, the 2 beds were £30 cheaper. Facilities aren't as diverse, but more than enough for our kids who will use the pool and the soft-play only.
We looked at CP for a holiday with friends last year, but we all have young kids, so really needed a lodge that could accommodate all the kids and enough of the adults so we could socialise in the evenings to justify the cost, so we didn't bother in the end, but I remember thinking it was far too much cash considering you have to pay for lots of the facilities on top.
We looked at CP for a holiday with friends last year, but we all have young kids, so really needed a lodge that could accommodate all the kids and enough of the adults so we could socialise in the evenings to justify the cost, so we didn't bother in the end, but I remember thinking it was far too much cash considering you have to pay for lots of the facilities on top.
CP isnt that expensive.
problem is its full of 'scum'.
used to be a bastion of the middle classes when my family used to go in the late 80's early 90s when i was a little kid after it had just opened. we were the working class oiks amongst them, but managed fine.
having been regularly with mates and then as couples since the early 2000's onwards the sort of people who go now makes it basically like an episode of benidorm. admittedly cheating the system as 16 and 17 yr olds and going as single sex parties at those times we didnt help in our behavior after a night out at the 'forum', but still.
yes its still fun if your sporty, but the restaurants have reached the level of the lowest common denominator in quality, yet not price. bike thefts, bell ends leaving their cars outside villas all weekend, driving on non driving days, inconsiderate cycling, generally scummy behavior, babies with clear diarrhea problems s
tting in the wave pool with leaky nappies and parents not giving a toss when pointed out to them and getting arsey (they were tattooed so what do you expect 
)
the place has gone downhill big time. maybe its just mirroring trends in society and it hasnt.
problem is its full of 'scum'.
used to be a bastion of the middle classes when my family used to go in the late 80's early 90s when i was a little kid after it had just opened. we were the working class oiks amongst them, but managed fine.
having been regularly with mates and then as couples since the early 2000's onwards the sort of people who go now makes it basically like an episode of benidorm. admittedly cheating the system as 16 and 17 yr olds and going as single sex parties at those times we didnt help in our behavior after a night out at the 'forum', but still.
yes its still fun if your sporty, but the restaurants have reached the level of the lowest common denominator in quality, yet not price. bike thefts, bell ends leaving their cars outside villas all weekend, driving on non driving days, inconsiderate cycling, generally scummy behavior, babies with clear diarrhea problems s
tting in the wave pool with leaky nappies and parents not giving a toss when pointed out to them and getting arsey (they were tattooed so what do you expect )the place has gone downhill big time. maybe its just mirroring trends in society and it hasnt.
theplayingmantis said:
CP isnt that expensive.
problem is its full of 'scum'.
used to be a bastion of the middle classes when my family used to go in the late 80's early 90s when i was a little kid after it had just opened. we were the working class oiks amongst them, but managed fine.
having been regularly with mates and then as couples since the early 2000's onwards the sort of people who go now makes it basically like an episode of benidorm. admittedly cheating the system as 16 and 17 yr olds and going as single sex parties at those times we didnt help in our behavior after a night out at the 'forum', but still.
yes its still fun if your sporty, but the restaurants have reached the level of the lowest common denominator in quality, yet not price. bike thefts, bell ends leaving their cars outside villas all weekend, driving on non driving days, inconsiderate cycling, generally scummy behavior, babies with clear diarrhea problems stting in the wave pool with leaky nappies and parents not giving a toss when pointed out to them and getting arsey (they were tattooed so what do you expect )
the place has gone downhill big time. maybe its just mirroring trends in society and it hasnt.
If you think CP is full of scum you should trying Butlins, went to both last year thought CP was good not scummy may be time of year I went I went outside of school holidays. When I went to Butlins there was some guy Stellared up telling all the other parents about his stretch in prison and how he would do time for his kids or the lovely aroma of blocked drains all the around the Butlins site. I read a lot of people saying to do the CP in Europe as a lot better values.problem is its full of 'scum'.
used to be a bastion of the middle classes when my family used to go in the late 80's early 90s when i was a little kid after it had just opened. we were the working class oiks amongst them, but managed fine.
having been regularly with mates and then as couples since the early 2000's onwards the sort of people who go now makes it basically like an episode of benidorm. admittedly cheating the system as 16 and 17 yr olds and going as single sex parties at those times we didnt help in our behavior after a night out at the 'forum', but still.
yes its still fun if your sporty, but the restaurants have reached the level of the lowest common denominator in quality, yet not price. bike thefts, bell ends leaving their cars outside villas all weekend, driving on non driving days, inconsiderate cycling, generally scummy behavior, babies with clear diarrhea problems s
tting in the wave pool with leaky nappies and parents not giving a toss when pointed out to them and getting arsey (they were tattooed so what do you expect )the place has gone downhill big time. maybe its just mirroring trends in society and it hasnt.
croyde said:
bakerstreet said:
I'm going to call BS on this. Show me your villa in Mallorca for 5 people including flights for £1100 and I'll book that myself now.
Centre Parcs has always been very expensive. Simple solution is don't go.
We did it for our main holiday in June of last year with some friends and we all had a great time. We have considered it again, but my OH doesn't want to spend her evenings cooking for the family which is basically just like being at home and I understand that. Yes, there are restaurants on site, but they are very expensive for what they IMO.
James Villas.Centre Parcs has always been very expensive. Simple solution is don't go.
We did it for our main holiday in June of last year with some friends and we all had a great time. We have considered it again, but my OH doesn't want to spend her evenings cooking for the family which is basically just like being at home and I understand that. Yes, there are restaurants on site, but they are very expensive for what they IMO.
It was possible last week, prices have risen a little. Quite a few for £334pp on the site at the moment for a week at Easter, still with the car hire and airport parking.
So now it's £1670 for 5 but only £1336 for 4 compared to 4 at CP for £2200.
Add in the cost of the Parc Market at CP and the Spanish option is a bloody bargain.
ETA If the CP option had come in at £1200 to £1500, I would have gone for it as it is easy compared to getting to the airport, delays etc plus no guarantee of decent weather in Mallorca at Easter.
Once did Lanzerote at Easter. It was freezing cold and pished down all week. No fun in an unheated apartment with an unheated pool.
My eldest is 19 now and we have been doing Center Parcs almost every year until 3 or 4 years ago. Never thought it too pricey. Did a great break for the extended family over Christmas, a few years back, at Woburn and really enjoyed it.
Just think over 2 grand for their basic lodge is extracting the urine. Still people pay and it gets booked up, so no reason for CP to slash their prices.
Edited by croyde on Friday 18th January 09:53
Edited by croyde on Friday 18th January 09:55
theplayingmantis said:
CP isnt that expensive.
problem is its full of 'scum'.
used to be a bastion of the middle classes when my family used to go in the late 80's early 90s when i was a little kid after it had just opened. we were the working class oiks amongst them, but managed fine.
having been regularly with mates and then as couples since the early 2000's onwards the sort of people who go now makes it basically like an episode of benidorm. admittedly cheating the system as 16 and 17 yr olds and going as single sex parties at those times we didnt help in our behavior after a night out at the 'forum', but still.
yes its still fun if your sporty, but the restaurants have reached the level of the lowest common denominator in quality, yet not price. bike thefts, bell ends leaving their cars outside villas all weekend, driving on non driving days, inconsiderate cycling, generally scummy behavior, babies with clear diarrhea problems stting in the wave pool with leaky nappies and parents not giving a toss when pointed out to them and getting arsey (they were tattooed so what do you expect )
the place has gone downhill big time. maybe its just mirroring trends in society and it hasnt.
We go every year (out of school holidays, mind) Never had issues or whitnessed anything council!problem is its full of 'scum'.
used to be a bastion of the middle classes when my family used to go in the late 80's early 90s when i was a little kid after it had just opened. we were the working class oiks amongst them, but managed fine.
having been regularly with mates and then as couples since the early 2000's onwards the sort of people who go now makes it basically like an episode of benidorm. admittedly cheating the system as 16 and 17 yr olds and going as single sex parties at those times we didnt help in our behavior after a night out at the 'forum', but still.
yes its still fun if your sporty, but the restaurants have reached the level of the lowest common denominator in quality, yet not price. bike thefts, bell ends leaving their cars outside villas all weekend, driving on non driving days, inconsiderate cycling, generally scummy behavior, babies with clear diarrhea problems s
tting in the wave pool with leaky nappies and parents not giving a toss when pointed out to them and getting arsey (they were tattooed so what do you expect )the place has gone downhill big time. maybe its just mirroring trends in society and it hasnt.
Although it could be related to which site you go to, we tend to go to Sherwood Forrest now, very quiet and a nice family vibe. Winfell seems to attract more 'characters' and large groups of Men / Women on Stag / Hen parties.
PostHeads123 said:
If you think CP is full of scum you should trying Butlins, went to both last year thought CP was good not scummy may be time of year I went I went outside of school holidays. When I went to Butlins there was some guy Stellared up telling all the other parents about his stretch in prison and how he would do time for his kids or the lovely aroma of blocked drains all the around the Butlins site. I read a lot of people saying to do the CP in Europe as a lot better values.
yes CP i europe is meant to be better, although some dont have as extensive facilities and are slightly different to what we expect here in CP ive heard, but then they are separate companies so to be expected, the Belgian/dutch/french dont seem to have reached the levels of scummy society as we have, or at least dont find their way to CP. the one in Ireland should be interesting. Will t be scummy like the Uk ones or be like its continental cousins.i speak for the eleveden and woburn branches here, i only went longleat and sherwood as a kid so no idea if what their like these days, and never been the fake one in the north. Eleveden went downhill big time after the fire, everything under the dome was much better, and when the solarium/tanning bed things in the pool and viewing windows went, and even further when they binned the salty sprudel (?) pool. that was the final straw from them aiming to give an impression (albeit tiny) of a european retreat to aiming for a different market by replacing it with a expanded kids pool. kids were perfectly happy before then.
woburn is just too small and crowded and full stop - pool, wise. spa is ok though.
never been to butlins, but went to plenty of warner and haven camps as a kid and again, possibly to young but dont recall scummy behavior. maybe as a teenager or older i would have picked up on it or maybe people were just better then!
edit pool not poo!
AllyBassman said:
We go every year (out of school holidays, mind) Never had issues or whitnessed anything council!
Although it could be related to which site you go to, we tend to go to Sherwood Forrest now, very quiet and a nice family vibe. Winfell seems to attract more 'characters' and large groups of Men / Women on Stag / Hen parties.
stag or hen at CP - jeez...Although it could be related to which site you go to, we tend to go to Sherwood Forrest now, very quiet and a nice family vibe. Winfell seems to attract more 'characters' and large groups of Men / Women on Stag / Hen parties.
dont get me wrong as i said we were left to our own devices there as single sex party by our parents as 8, 16 and 17 yr olds and didnt cover ourselves in glory i'm ashamed to admit (bath full of beer, security knocking on door at 2am asking where adults were and why there were so many people in villa - (queue genuine sob story from adults concerned about cancer recovery that somehow stopped us getting kicked out, who were not best pleased being called in the middle of night and having to drive up next morning - how on earth we got served booze in the forum is beyond me), and we have been as a group of blokes on our own without partners, but just hammering the sports, and merely briefly popping in the forum or whatever its now called (by the bowling alley) to eye up the man hungry milfs (well not so many milfs) who seemed to frequent it after x factor had finished on a Saturday...
also another turning point was when they binned off the indoor tennis court at elevden in the jardin des sports. that was great shame
maybe everything has jsut got more council generally!
theplayingmantis said:
yes CP i europe is meant to be better, although some dont have as extensive facilities and are slightly different to what we expect here in CP ive heard, but then they are separate companies so to be expected, the Belgian/dutch/french dont seem to have reached the levels of scummy society as we have, or at least dont find their way to CP. the one in Ireland should be interesting. Will t be scummy like the Uk ones or be like its continental cousins.
i speak for the eleveden and woburn branches here, i only went longleat and sherwood as a kid so no idea if what their like these days, and never been the fake one in the north. Eleveden went downhill big time after the fire, everything under the dome was much better, and when the solarium/tanning bed things in the pool and viewing windows went, and even further when they binned the salty sprudel (?) pool. that was the final straw from them aiming to give an impression (albeit tiny) of a european retreat to aiming for a different market by replacing it with a expanded kids pool. kids were perfectly happy before then.
woburn is just too small and crowded and full stop - pool, wise. spa is ok though.
never been to butlins, but went to plenty of warner and haven camps as a kid and again, possibly to young but dont recall scummy behavior. maybe as a teenager or older i would have picked up on it or maybe people were just better then!
edit pool not poo!
I've never seen anything scummy at Elvedon, and we go every year. I do agree that it was better with everything in the dome before the fire. I don't understand why they lost the viewing windows in the pool, but the solarium things were a bit of a dead area and sunbeds probably carry a bit of a stigma these days. The salt pool didn't add a great deal as it's so similar to the other outside pool. I'm also not a huge fan of the cabanas. That said, the cyclone slide is now fantastic and and the children's area is far better, (albeit a bit dingy) it was lacking for small children before.i speak for the eleveden and woburn branches here, i only went longleat and sherwood as a kid so no idea if what their like these days, and never been the fake one in the north. Eleveden went downhill big time after the fire, everything under the dome was much better, and when the solarium/tanning bed things in the pool and viewing windows went, and even further when they binned the salty sprudel (?) pool. that was the final straw from them aiming to give an impression (albeit tiny) of a european retreat to aiming for a different market by replacing it with a expanded kids pool. kids were perfectly happy before then.
woburn is just too small and crowded and full stop - pool, wise. spa is ok though.
never been to butlins, but went to plenty of warner and haven camps as a kid and again, possibly to young but dont recall scummy behavior. maybe as a teenager or older i would have picked up on it or maybe people were just better then!
edit pool not poo!
Muncher said:
I've never seen anything scummy at Elvedon, and we go every year. I do agree that it was better with everything in the dome before the fire. I don't understand why they lost the viewing windows in the pool, but the solarium things were a bit of a dead area and sunbeds probably carry a bit of a stigma these days. The salt pool didn't add a great deal as it's so similar to the other outside pool. I'm also not a huge fan of the cabanas. That said, the cyclone slide is now fantastic and and the children's area is far better, (albeit a bit dingy) it was lacking for small children before.
small children dont care though, i was quite happy playing with straws sticking them in the little holes where water spurted out (oo er) of the original kids pool. hours of entertainment as a 5 year old.the salt pool was a damn sight hotter than the rapids pool, and on a cold night lying on the jets with all the steam very pleasant. think the viewing pool went due to dirty old men...possibly. the move from the solarium also again taking away the 'europeanness' of it i think. disappointing. Although i was just a kid when it was there, it was a good place to play have a break.
cabanas are pointless and use up valuable real estate.
the cyclone is ok, dangerous if you go on it with idiots... BUT imo..its a move away from what it used to be, and aiming at the lowest common denominator. if i want to go to a waterpark i will. the STSP was a bit more classy than that with the death slides, flumes, waves and rapids more than enough for 'excitemnet'
theplayingmantis said:
CP isnt that expensive.
problem is its full of 'scum'.
used to be a bastion of the middle classes when my family used to go in the late 80's early 90s when i was a little kid after it had just opened. we were the working class oiks amongst them, but managed fine.
having been regularly with mates and then as couples since the early 2000's onwards the sort of people who go now makes it basically like an episode of benidorm. admittedly cheating the system as 16 and 17 yr olds and going as single sex parties at those times we didnt help in our behavior after a night out at the 'forum', but still.
yes its still fun if your sporty, but the restaurants have reached the level of the lowest common denominator in quality, yet not price. bike thefts, bell ends leaving their cars outside villas all weekend, driving on non driving days, inconsiderate cycling, generally scummy behavior, babies with clear diarrhea problems stting in the wave pool with leaky nappies and parents not giving a toss when pointed out to them and getting arsey (they were tattooed so what do you expect )
the place has gone downhill big time. maybe its just mirroring trends in society and it hasnt.
So, still expensive-ish (certainly in my view) and you get facilities much like Butlins when they have the scum in. What's not to like........problem is its full of 'scum'.
used to be a bastion of the middle classes when my family used to go in the late 80's early 90s when i was a little kid after it had just opened. we were the working class oiks amongst them, but managed fine.
having been regularly with mates and then as couples since the early 2000's onwards the sort of people who go now makes it basically like an episode of benidorm. admittedly cheating the system as 16 and 17 yr olds and going as single sex parties at those times we didnt help in our behavior after a night out at the 'forum', but still.
yes its still fun if your sporty, but the restaurants have reached the level of the lowest common denominator in quality, yet not price. bike thefts, bell ends leaving their cars outside villas all weekend, driving on non driving days, inconsiderate cycling, generally scummy behavior, babies with clear diarrhea problems s
tting in the wave pool with leaky nappies and parents not giving a toss when pointed out to them and getting arsey (they were tattooed so what do you expect )the place has gone downhill big time. maybe its just mirroring trends in society and it hasnt.
We looked at center parc for end of school holiday - 1100 for 4 nights, ok I admit I am not comparing like with like, but went on eurocamp website can get 5 days (not 4) in the poshest static caravan / lodge thing for £480 with air con.
Admittedly this is in northern france, but just shows how expensive the uk has become and that £480 was for 5 nights not 4.
For us living near london, yes we would have longer travel time to north of france, but least it feels a bit like a holiday.
We do have amazing places in the UK, but the cost of it all makes you look further a field and sometimes the shabbiness of the place its not value for money, we stayed in a awful place once in cornwall that came from the 1960's - and that was £300 for the privilage over bank holiday weekend.
I don't liek the french much myself, but I love the food, and how it never feels crowded (slightly bigger country than us!)
Although now looking at the Bluestone website (pembrokshire), we may end up going there now, but the drive is pretty similar to going to france. Last time to pembrokshire due to a accident it took us 6 hours to get to - admittedly that can happen anywhere.
Admittedly this is in northern france, but just shows how expensive the uk has become and that £480 was for 5 nights not 4.
For us living near london, yes we would have longer travel time to north of france, but least it feels a bit like a holiday.
We do have amazing places in the UK, but the cost of it all makes you look further a field and sometimes the shabbiness of the place its not value for money, we stayed in a awful place once in cornwall that came from the 1960's - and that was £300 for the privilage over bank holiday weekend.
I don't liek the french much myself, but I love the food, and how it never feels crowded (slightly bigger country than us!)
Although now looking at the Bluestone website (pembrokshire), we may end up going there now, but the drive is pretty similar to going to france. Last time to pembrokshire due to a accident it took us 6 hours to get to - admittedly that can happen anywhere.
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