Center Parcs has so much to offer whether it is the sports or the relaxing pool. Everybody who goes will enjoy there stay. I have been several times to Center Parcs and have booked to go again soon.
-What Is Center Parcs?-
Center Parcs is a Holiday Destination which looks like a village inside a forest; it has a small supermarket, lodges to live in and restaurants
-Arrival-
On arrival at Center Parcs you will first have to check in and do all the usual hand in required forms and information. You will then be given your key card, you then drive to your lodge and unpack your luggage, this is the only time you are allowed to drive your car inside the village, you can check in from 3:30pm but from previous experience there are quite a lot of queues at this time so I would recommend going a bit later after 4:00pm. When you have unloaded your luggage you drive your car back to the Car Park where it will remain for the rest of your stay. Often on days when you have already arrived and new people are arriving it will be very busy around these times so try to work around this and maybe go swimming or sports to avoid the rush.
-When to go- Center Parcs is open all year round and if you are going for a relaxing break I would recommend going in the Winter Months as these will be cheaper and it wont make a difference if it is too cold to play outdoor sports, but if you are going for an exiting adventure holiday I would
recommend going in the summer months, this will be more expensive but it will be worth it. You get the choices of going for a midweek break (4 nights), Weekend (3 nights) or a week (6 nights). I would recommend if you have the time to go for 4 or 6 nights so you can have done everything you wanted to.
-What Can You Do There-
At Center Parcs there are they are always lots of indoor and outdoor sports to do these range from sports like tennis and squash to slower sports like Snooker and Table Tennis. All the sports are available for all different levels of athletes so if you are a beginner or a pro you will receive the same treatment. Competitions for the sports are also held for both children and adults in which you compete for a small medal usually (but they are always good fun.) There is no need to go by sports equipment before you set of as for an extra payment you can rent the equipment, but I would recommend if you already own the sports equipment you should take it, to save money and to know you like the equipment (Some sports give the equipment out free like Snooker/Pool but sports like Tennis you have to pay)
To relax at Center Parcs there are many things you can do, one of which is to take a walk around the village and explore the forest and wildlife on a set trail or walk. Another thing that can be done to relax is to be pampered there are a wide choice of treatments available which are all done onsite. Swimming in the pool also helps to rewind, although I would recommend going to the upstairs Swimming pool as downstairs it is always much busier, nosier and that's where the wave pool happens, where as upstairs it is quieter, less busy and the pool is always calm.
-Food-
To eat you have many different options, the one which is quite popular is buying food at the mini supermarket and cooking in your lodge. Although if you don't want to cook you can visit one of the many restaurants which are located in the village centre and sports plaza, the types of restaurants and Cafes are as follows:
Rajinda Pradesh - Indian Take away and Restaurant Rock Legends - American Restaurant Chez Pierre - Restaurant/ Café Luciano's - Italian Restaurant Café Refresh - Coffee shop and café The Lagoon Bar - Drinks and Snacks Yang - Chinese and Thai Takeaway and Restaurant Sports Café - Drinks and Snacks Lakeside Inn - English Pub (serves food and Drink) The Green Room Lounge Bar - Snacks and Drinks The Metro and the Dens Bars - Snacks and Drinks
-Accommodation- The accommodation for everyone is the onsite lodges which can range in Quality, Price and Size. You can choose from Comfort, Comfort Plus, Executive, Exclusive and VIP Package each one with more features at a higher price. All types of accommodation are of a clean and looked after standard. All lodges have a kitchen, Lounge, Bathroom and Bedroom as basics which have all the basic needs in them like Ovens, Sinks, Sofas, etc. But as you upgrade the room you will receive items like DVD players and Hot tubs.
-Prices-
Prices of the lodges are very variable depending on when you stay, how long you stay for, the standard of lodges and the number of bedrooms, but to find out what your stay will cost you can visit www.centerparcs.com
The Prices for activities vary which activity you want to do but sports like tennis cost £17 for an hour which is quite expensive but this is made up with the free swimming. Other activities include windsurfing for an hour for £10.00, kayaking for 3 people at £6.50 for 30mins, 9 holes of golf (0ff site) for £7.20 an Adult and £6.20 for a child
-Wildlife-
Whilst you are walking around keep an eye out for the wildlife that is there as on previous visits we have seen rabbits, red squirrels, lots of birds, fish and other interesting animals. On some walks they have guides to show you what wildlife you may see and its name and information.
-Shops-
Whilst you are at Center Parcs you may want to buy souvenirs or just a present for yourself so Center Parcs have built some shops which are:
Funtastic! - Children's Toy Shop Natural Elements - Gift Shop with high quality products Refresh - Newspapers, Books, Magazines, Snacks Treats - Sweet Shop! Sportique - Sports Shop
Most of the shops are higher priced than your normal high street shops but because of the convenience it is worth the extra money
-Swimming-
Family's especially will probably spend most of there holiday in the swimming area the swimming area at Whinfell is very good as there is a huge tropical like pool where the wave machine occurs this is where most of the people there are. Another pool is the lazy river or donut this is a large circle which drags you round in circles (fun in a rubber ring). There is also a shallow baby pool with small slides and Baby toys, there is the smaller and quieter pool upstairs for serious swimmers, people relaxing and swimming lessons, aswell as the pools there are hot tubs and slides/ rapids. The first two slides are similar and these are the best in my opinion they are in a tunnel which is light and it turns and goes down. There are also two steep slides which are made for racing these are short but exiting, the final slide is the outdoor rapid (not to be done in cold weather) this is long and slightly slow but fun with the open top, wide slide and occasional steep slope.
-Day Visitors-
For an extra fee (or for free with VIP Package) you can invite friends or family to spend the day at Center Parcs with you, I have never done this but it seems a good idea if one member of your family who wanted to come was busy but had the odd day free. As far as I know visitors have the same rights and privileges as people staying onsite.
-Top Tips-
1. Roughly plan your trip before you set off so you are never sat around thinking what to do 2. If you are on a budget or like a rare brand of food/drink buy it before you go as the shop can be expensive without a huge selection (Although selection is quite good) 3. Try something new, whether it is a new restaurant or a new sport like kayaking it will make it more memorable. 4. Don't arrive to check in at 3:30pm, beat the queues and go after 4:00pm 5. Take your Bikes as it makes getting around much quicker (you can rent bikes whilst you are there)
-Overall-
Overall I would recommend this trip for everyone as it will cater for families, couples and even older people. There is a load to do so you will never get bored. It will be a holiday that you remember for the rest of your life!
Visit www.centerparcs.com for more information, Booking and details on how to get there.
If there is any other information you would like to know please leave a comment on this review and I will try to add it to the review as soon as possible.
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Advantages: lots of activities, child friendly, small site compared with other cp sites Disadvantages: big check in queues, creaky villas, expensive food delivery service
Advantages: lots of activities, child friendly, small site compared with other cp sites Disadvantages: big check in queues, creaky villas, expensive food delivery service
Jul 31st, 2006
very helpful by (89%):
helpful by (11%):
