My husband and I recently took our 12 month old son to Center Parcs, Longleat for a 3 day break. Center Parcs had been recommended to us by friends as an excellent holiday destination for families with children. They were right, it certainly is that. Everything about Center Parcs is geared up to appeal to the younger guest, although adults are certainly not neglected either!
Eating out at Center Parcs was quite expensive and, with the exception of the meal we had at Cafe Rouge, we found the food to be rather bland. Children were very well catered for in the restaurants, including being
given toys/crayons to occupy them and some restaurants even had complimentary Baby food and microwaves to heat the food up in.
We were a little disappointed that there weren't more soft-play areas for little ones, like our 12 month old. The few that we did find were small and in need of a little TLC, not that our son noticed that!
Center Parcs does have something for everyone, I am sure. The list of activities you can do is endless. You actually feel quite inspired to try out new things! Unfortunately, most of the activities have to be paid for and many of them are quite expensive! For example, I treated myself to the 'Spa Experience' at Aqua Sana, which was £35.
The swimming pool, however, is free of charge and it is fantastic! At first, it just looks like an average sized pool, set in a mock-rock effect environment, made to look like you are outdoors (somewhere tropical). However, when you venture further into the pool, you find little passages that lead into caves. It is all quite magical, not to mention a complete maze! There are also different slides you can go on, including a spiral slide and the amazing 'Rapids' which take you around a long outdoor slide, before bringing you back indoors with a huge splash! Great fun! I thought it would be freezing on the rapids (outside in January in my bathing costume) but the water is heated and it is such a buzz, you don't even think about the temperature! The pool area also features a small beach area, a relaxation area and a cafe. The changing rooms are excellent, as there are different types of cubicles, including 'Family Changing'.
The whole plaza, in which the pool is based (it also contains a number of restaurants, the supermarket and some other shops) is wonderfully designed. With plenty of foliage (including palm trees) and wooden bridges over ponds containing koi carp, you are given the impression that you are outside (somewhere quite exotic).
In fact, the whole of Center Parcs has been planned out in such a way that it is incredibly sympathetic to the dense woodland in which it is based. Any buildings on the campus are discreetly tucked away, rather than being the eye-sores I feared they would be. I was happy to see that the emphasis of Center Parcs is on nature, keeping things as natural as they possibly can be!
My husband brought his own bike with him (so he didn't have to pay to hire one) and thoroughly enjoyed going off on his own, exploring the vast campus. As a family, we enjoyed going for long walks through the forest (we were lucky to have pleasant weather in January).
I admit, we were slightly disappointed when we saw our 'Executive Lodge' for the first time. The website had led us to expect a log cabin. I have to say that my first impression was that it looked like a toilet block. My husband said it looked like a portakabin! However, once inside, I was pleasantly surprised. It was spacious, clean and contained everything we could possibly need for our stay. I soon forgot my initial disappointment and fell in love with our little 'home for three days'! I loved the fact that I could sit in the living room or at the dining room table and watch squirrels come up to the patio window, rabbits chasing one another around the building and ducks waddling up looking for food! In the evenings, after a big meal, it was nice to just sit and relax in front of the log fire.
We found our holiday to be thoroughly relaxing and would definitely take a Center Parcs Holiday again. I would highly recommend the resort to families and young people who enjoy sporty or adventurous pursuits. I
Advantages: Good accommodation, beautiful, tranquil surroundings, good range of facilities, land train Disadvantages: Cost, hilly, seemed very crowded even off-peak
Advantages: Good accommodation, beautiful, tranquil surroundings, good range of facilities, land train Disadvantages: Cost, hilly, seemed very crowded even off-peak
Feb 17th, 2008
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