The wider family are pressing me to go to center parcs (CP) for 3-4 days. We all get on really well and the party will range in age from 18 to 60's, half under 30 and the rest over 50. I am the elder statesman.
However looking at their website and Trip Advisor it doesn't seem my sort of place at all. I like to go to real places, eat real food in local restaurants and hate noise, crowds and queues. I am active on holiday but don't need expensive "activities". CP seems quite the opposite.
Have any folks on here got positive experiences of CP for the silver surfer generation?
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Give it a go. it’s something different from what you normally do and your family want you to come with them. It’s only a few days and in all likelihood you will thouroughly enjoy it.
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A friend of mine used to organise an annual family get together at Center Parcs, staying at the ones in Cumbria & Notts. There were about 8/10 of them and it cost a small fortune for about a weeks stay, or a 4 day weekend. It wasn’t to everyone’s taste, some enjoying it far more than others, and the age range was from 21 to 70.
Two years ago they found out they could rent a nice villa on the coast in Spain, private heated pool, sea views, 5 beds, for the same price including flights. Everybody enjoyed that and when we chatted last month they are returning to the same villa this March.
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3 sons+families went to Cumbria a few years back. Very expensive & on arrival found the accommodation dated, needed a refurb & never went back.
Kids enjoyed their stay but champange prices for lemonade budget stay
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I went to Disney land in Paris. didn't think it was going to be my cup of tea. Had a great time
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FWIW I’m renting a fantastic villa in a great location on the Costa Blanca late May, 4 bed which accommodates 9 people @ €975 week, flights to Alicante £100 each. Two cars rented from Alicante circa £90 per vehicle. That’s about £235 each for a week plus spends. Could be a lot cheaper in a different location and less fancy villa.
Last edited by: legacylad on Tue 9 Jan 18 at 22:26
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On the assumption that your wider family won’t appreciate you saying
“Thanks for the offer but my anonymous pals on the web recommend villas in the sunâ€â€
I have been to CP at Sherwood Forest several times and my thoughts are that it can be as dear or as cheap as you make it.
You can fill every day with paid activities from saunas to archery and eat at their basic but dear restaurants and buy your food from the dear supermarket on site.
However we have gone as groups and use the break to park the car for a few days, relax and chill out, and share family time and meals. Everyone doesn’t need to do the same thing, that is the beauty of it. Some might like the swimming and the rapides whilst others might like to relax by the pool with a beer, go a walk, hire a bike or whatever.
The accommodation is basic and tired but if you go with the mentality of just chilling out, having some relaxing time with the family then you will enjoy it.
The accommodation and facilities are only part of what a trip to CP is about.
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That Bobby is exactly what my friend and her extended family did at the Sherwood Forest location. Different activities for the different age groups, of which there were three generations. Overall it was successful...nice that they all dined out together or had an en famille cooked meal in their accommodation.
The Spanish villa thing was very similar... the young ones walked half a mile to the beach. Ogled Spanish girls and boys, swam, kayaked and paddle boarded. Parents sat by the pool drinking cheap Rioja, whilst the grandparents pottered in the shade playing cards, dozing and reading, then enjoyed fussing over a long lunch on the naya and comparing foodstuffs in the local supermercados.
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>>Have any folks on here got positive experiences of CP for the silver surfer generation?
It's a pretty good place for a family reunion - the one and only time I've knowingly been to a CP. Not my choice for a holiday, but then neither is a family reunion.
If you go into it with the mentality of it being a family reunion rather than the holiday you might have chosen, and determined to enjoy it as such, then I'm sure you'll have a great time for 3 or 4 days.
Its a bit like going to a Beefeater for Sunday Dinner really. It's a pretty good compromise for everybody, even if nobody would have made it first choice.
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Went to Elvedon Forest twice just before and just after our youngest was born (she's now 17), quite enjoyed it. Really not sure why we have not been back.
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The boss and I spent a week at Whinfell Forest (Penrith) in September with our daughter, her husband and our grandchildren, then an 8 month old and a toddler. Whinfell is a site that CP bought from Oasis, so might not be absolutely typical.
The young family liked it and might want to do it again. From our point of view, we were happy to help out with the children and spend time with them, do some cooking and bottle-washing, but that was just about it it. I dislike swimming but the others all made use of the pool facilities (about the only thing that is 'free'). The toddler, almost 3 then, did various activities which she enjoyed.
It's not particularly easy to leave mid-stay. Our 'lodge' was a mile or more from the car park and of course the car must be returned there and left for the duration once you have unloaded it. It was raining nearly all week, hence all the lakes.
Bike hire is expensive, and was a bit pointless with the two small children in tow. At Whinfell you will push it half the time as it is very hilly. Easier to walk anyway. I took the Brompton but didn't find much use for it other than a couple of brief escapes in the car to nip off to Penrith 2 or 3 miles away while the swimming was in progress.
There's ten-pin bowling, a mini supermarket on site for provisions, and various eating places including a pub, which was about on a par with a Beefeater, actually a bit better and cleaner than the one local to me.
I liked the idea of the Lake District but it only added to the frustration since there was really no opportunity to do Lakes stuff, walking and so on. I thought a nice day out with the children would have been to drive over the passes to Ravenglass and take Ratty to Dalegarth, get a bit of fresh air, have a short walk and a pub lunch. But of course that isn't the point of CP and it would have meant getting to the cars with all the gear packing it all in, travelling with potentially fractious bairns, all the things that people with young ones go to CP to avoid. So we didn't. We would have been better somewhere like Eleveden (Thetford), at least it wouldn't have rained as much.
The lodge itself was a de luxe job, 3 bathrooms and a sauna. Not cheap even in September. Centrally heated of course; there was a fireplace in it but you are not allowed to burn wood, only those paraffin logs from the mini-supermarket.
Then you pay for all the activities which aren't cheap. A round of crazy golf for four to pass on half an hour was £36.
I wouldn't see the point in going with a party of adults, although there were one or two groups of 30 somethings in for the weekend. They seemed to like the clambering about in the trees thing.
It's an easy was for a family to be away with small children and things to do, at a price. Not my kind of thing to be honest, although we would do it again for the sake of supporting them with the children and helping them recharge a bit. But other than going off site, which rather defeats the object, there was really nothing recreational that interested me after a bit of bowling.
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We stayed at Whinfell when the middle one was a toddler, so around 7-8 years ago.
We didn't stay in a lodge, we stayed in a self-catering flat right next to the activity hub.
It was a lot cheaper than one of their lodge and decent enough.
Plenty of activity for the kids - was a cold April or May and I remember a few little flurries of snow.
Rabbits bopping around on the lawns near the flats and the woods are nice to wander.
On-site food places were a bit crap so I did most of the cooking which was better and much cheaper.
There reviews pretty much sum it up: good accommodation, best cook yer own.
tinyurl.com/ycnejxle
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A lot of people obviously like it, looking at the review scores, although even the enthusiasts often comment on the cost of everything.
I did actually say "never again" on the day we left! The feeling of being extorted from was never really absent.
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For years I had it in my head that they were under a glass dome. Google tells me lots of people thought the same. But they're not.
I wonder how that idea came about?
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Thanks for all the replies. In general you've confirmed my reservations. I too would prefer a villa in the sun or even a large house in UK but thats not on the table. As a group we are all seasoned cruise goers so we know the pleasures to be had from a family break together. Cruises are not everyone's cup of tea either but the accommodation standards and value aboard seem a lot higher. Unfortunately Mrs Aston and the rest of the family think CP will offer a similar experience.
Anyway I think the decision to go has pretty much been made. I was just hoping there might be positive aspects I was overlooking. I must sound like Victor Meldrew but actually I am pretty good at making the best of things. So thats what I will do.
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I know the one at Sherwood has a large supermarket nearby, cant remember if it was a Tesco or Asda.
We travelled down with the kids in the car and full of luggage etc. Cant remember if we had bikes with us or not.
However we stopped at the supermarket closeby, bought all our shopping for the week and literally just packed it round the kids for the remaining 2 or 3 miles.
Made the journey much less hassle and the holiday much cheaper. And the lodges usually have open plan kitchen / living areas so the cook can be part of the group whilst cooking away.
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Center Parcs - great if you have young children up to say age 10 but beyond that, they'll get bored.
Limited places to eat and being as you are a captive audience, prices can be high.
C P is generally expensive enough anyway especially in school holidays.
Get a 'blue stripe' value lodge and you might be disappointed.
But hey, give it a go and share your experience when you get back.
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Chavtastic and eye-wateringly expensive.
Two of our clerks at work (I am not a barrister) go annually (separately, with their respective families) and bankrupt themselves.
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My experience of Center Parcs (Elvedon) was about 18 years ago when the band was playing there for a local company's bash. My wallet was nicked from the changing rooms and I could not think how I could have left it unattended - I was being so careful. I am sure it was an 'inside job' and that someone had been watching our movements. I later found out that, certainly at that time, security was a big issue, particularly with regard to their own staff.
A couple of years later, I had stopped to help a motorist whose car had been taken out by a lorry that had jumped a red light near Thetford. He was heading to CP to see his family, so I drove him the rest of the way. He asked me what I thought of CP and I told him about my wallet theft and described Center Parcs as 'Colditz with bikes'. A couple of weeks later, he wrote and thanked me for helping him and said that my brief description summed the place up perfectly.
Last edited by: Haywain on Wed 10 Jan 18 at 19:40
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Actually I remember there was one CP that got hit by an absolute load of bike thefts to the extent that they had to draft in police coverage.
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You have to be very careful with your property in these places. I remember one of the dance troupe being accused of stealing wallets and losing his job when in fact it was actually the Schumachers, a very old couple who were nicking from the guests. I saw that same dancer punch one of the waiters too, then warned one of the guests not to put his baby in the corner.
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Been to Sherwood several times in last 18 or so years. Mostly with my Mother, Sister and extended family. Own bikes taken to cut out hire cost. Booked a few activities, the ladies like the Aqua Sana spa, the early morning nature walk is good and various kid's activities booked for the youngsters. My niece, then about 5 did some sort of circus skills thing and swallowed hook line and sinker her Dad's story that he was doing the adult version with real Lions!!! Evening swimming was enjoyed by all too.
Ate out on. at most, one night self catering for rest. Bring one meal pre-prepared from home and do simple stuff like pasta bake or spag bol on others.
We're off to the new one at Woburn in a few weeks for a family 'do' for Mrs B's sixtieth. Four of us plus daughter's fiancee and The Lad's lass so 6 altogether. Cost for an Executive Lodge leaving on Friday ahead of Bank Holiday weekend is £800 for 4 nights. Would have been a hell of a lot more for 3 nights including the BH. Will follow routine established above and mostly self cater.
Idea came from the offspring (but we're paying).
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Off-topic, I know, and perhaps too nosey; Do you let the lad & his lass sleep together? Or the daughter and her fiance for that matter.
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>> Off-topic, I know, and perhaps too nosey; Do you let the lad & his lass
>> sleep together? Or the daughter and her fiance for that matter.
LOL . getting to that stage is it?
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>>LOL . getting to that stage is it?
Its coming. And my wife recently asked me what my position on the matter is. So I thought I better think.
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>> LOL . getting to that stage is it?
On the wider point Daughter and fiancee have been together since she was about 13 - he's 18 months older. His parents are old friends, Mrs B and his Mum were best mates at school. Their friendship made it pretty easy to have a conversation about all this stuff. A Woman's Hour item along lines of 'sentries on the landing v taking them tea in morning' provided a start point.
We were strict until daughter was 16. After that we thought it'll happen anyway and better in our house then a barn or a car so let them share a room. She and he both knew that was our thinking.
We'd met The Lad's girl a couple of times while visiting him in Uni Halls and sort of detected a bit of chemistry between them. When he brought her home we let them choose between separate rooms and the spare double room.
Only issue was that I suspect her parents felt 'bounced', perhaps against their natural instincts, into letting them share when he went there
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Food for thought, thank you.
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p.s. as a country lad I always rather enjoyed barns. Even after I had my own place.
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>> Off-topic, I know, and perhaps too nosey; Do you let the lad & his lass
>> sleep together? Or the daughter and her fiance for that matter.
Since both pairs live together in their own places it'd be a strange stay if I insisted on separate rooms :-)
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What did you do before they were live in partners?
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>> What did you do before they were live in partners?
See above. Hopefully I don't need to state that contraception was also forcibly encouraged.
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Was that your job or Mrs B's? :-)
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Falkirk Bairn wrote:
>> Very expensive & on arrival found the accommodation dated, needed a refurb & never went back.
>>Kids enjoyed their stay but champagne prices for lemonade budget stay.
Perfectly echos my memory of a 5-night stay at CP somewhere down Bath way.
Oh, and us having breakfast in the chalet one morning, watching a large rat outside the window doing likewise....!
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We once had a weekend at CP near Penrith (so the old Oasis site I guess).
Restaurants were expensive, activities were expensive and had queues. So we chilled out and went with the free stuff. :-) Walks, pool, watching the red squirrels, etc.
Had to get out of the pool though - there was a 'toilet incident' or something similar. Basically a child having a poo. :-(
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Done it a few times, once at Elveden Forest and a couple of times at Longleat. Enjoyable, but overpriced for what you get, in my opinion. The accommodation isn't cheap, and then all the activities cost extra apart from the swimming pool and walks. We went with 2 small kids, and it set us back about £1500 in total each time, for a 4 night break in British weather...
Last edited by: DP on Thu 11 Jan 18 at 09:22
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>> Done it a few times, once at Elveden Forest and a couple of times at
>> Longleat. Enjoyable, but overpriced for what you get, in my opinion. The accommodation isn't cheap,
>> and then all the activities cost extra apart from the swimming pool and walks. We
>> went with 2 small kids, and it set us back about £1500 in total each
>> time, for a 4 night break in British weather...
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Depending on the size of your group, if you’re in the Longleat area I can highly recommend the Three Daggers as a good place to stay...and it has a brewery :)
It’s a restaurant with room type place, but in the main building just has three rooms and a large living area / kitchen upstairs. So for 5/6 people you get the whole place to yourself for, from memory, around £450 a night:
www.threedaggers.co.uk
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Yes rtj I can see that being what we will do. The thing is we can do all that at home. We are 2 mins walk from a leisure centre with a good pool and 5 mins walk from open country in an area of outstanding natural beauty. We have very good local restaurants too.....and squirrels, albeit grey, in the garden.
On the upside I might appreciate home more when we get back!
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Someone mentioned a dome above - as I recall the centre area at Elveden Forest was under cover in a kind of dome, though as I also recall there was a fire at Elveden some years ago so how it has changed since we last went there 16 ish years ago I don't know.
A positive experience I recall is that we really liked the chalet type and location when we first went there so on the second visit requested the same chalet, which was honoured, though in the meantime it had been refurbished and was even better.
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Elvedon fire was pre-2004 as I and Mrs Man were booked in along with three other couples in the years BC (Before Children!).
Our booking got cancelled but we were offered alternative accommodation in brand new log lodges at Nottingham CP. They were so new they hadnt even finished laying the road to the lodge - just a dirt track. As they were the posh lodges, we were allowed to park right outside them and not leave our cars half a mile away with all the other chavs in the communal car park they make you use.
It included a sauna, outdoor jacuzzi and a dry room. Each bedroom had its own en-suite and a large lounge, decent kitchen and was on two floors. All at no extra cost. Certainly couldn't afford to do it again.
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>> We're off to the new one at Woburn in a few weeks for a family
>> 'do' for Mrs B's sixtieth.
Post event update.
It worked brilliantly. Executive Lodge meant 3 rooms, each with en-suite. Even as all family that worked better than a shared bathroom and blundering about in night when half cut. Didn't need the maid service included in price though - we can make our own beds and sort out our own washing up.
Villa 929 was pretty well brand new and on edge of site so much less overlooked than some others. Well equipped with dishwasher, pod coffee maker etc. Toilets, wash basins and showers all worked as intended. Heating seemed to be underfloor. OK in bedrooms but suspect main heated area in lounge diner was by entrance door where we stored bike bags etc.
Had own bikes for all except The Lad's girl for whom we hired. Woburn is much hillier than Sherwood and I think she struggled with single chain wheel bike's lack of 1:1 or less low ratio rest of us had.
Mostly self catered but had some pancake breakfasts and a meal out at the 'Rajindra Pradesh' Indian. Latter was superb. Tasty food really well served by our waitress Becca and at £200 for 6 including ample drink difficult to criticise on vfm terms. Pancake house breakfasts were fine too.
As a new site Woburn inevitably has much less wildlife than Sherwood that's had 30 yrs+ to get established. Taking the caravan bird feed set up got us zero birds but lots of amusement watching squirrels trying and occasionally succeeding in pinching bird food.
After Sherwood the 'Sub Tropical Swimming Paradise' was seriously disappointing. Much less space for freestyle swimming. No hot pools or lane pool and 'rapids' with an absurd feet first rule - I can swim head first whereas I'm totally out of control feet first.
We did though enjoy the Segway experience - instructor Charlie, I'd guess younger than 25yo Miss B, was brilliant. The females also enjoyed various beauty and nail treatments and particularly the Aqua Sana Spa.
As already implied the staff were superb. We particularly noted how they appreciated us being helpful like having our order itemised and handing plates round the table in Rajindra Pradesh and having sorted the villa's rubbish and washing up before we left - apparently SOP is to leave a sh*i heap.
If that's normal I despair for humanity
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Sat 31 Mar 18 at 00:13
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What is the significance of the final sentence?
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Same here...we hire lots of self catering accommodation abroad. Mainly in Moraira on the Costa Blanca.
We always strip the beds, empty the dishwasher, sweep up, hoover, even mop. Only takes an hour between us. Take all the rubbish out, and leave a note for the cleaners telling them to help themselves to any remaining perishables...which they would do anyway.
I try to use the same letting agents (Ferrando) who are very friendly and professional, and when I make bookings with them, Of which I currently have several through to mid 2019, they no longer require deposits against damages, and on occasion give me slightly preferential rates.
Glad you enjoyed Center Parcs.....
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I think what he is trying to say is that there is a section of our population who have no sense of pride, responsibility and self discipline. Lacking in values and selfish.
I stand by the value of 'Leave as you find' if not better. Not - 'I've paid for it so its someone elses responsibility'
You know the sort of people that throw their McD wrappers straight out of the car window.
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>> so its someone elses responsibility.
Mrs CS has a dislike of the lazy folk who, having decanted the contents of their supermarket trolley into the boot of their car, just drive off and leave the trolley for someone else to shift. She frequently moves them back to the trolley park, as she did with one this morning at Waitrose.
Last edited by: Clk Sec on Sat 31 Mar 18 at 13:46
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>> You know the sort of people that throw their McD wrappers straight out of the
>> car window.
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We live 14 miles from the nearest McD and still find the wrappers in the hedgerow.
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>> I think what he is trying to say is that there is a section of
>> our population who have no sense of pride, responsibility and self discipline. Lacking in values
>> and selfish.
Spot on. As a kid staying in hotels and B&B I was taught to straighten my bed and keep the place tidy - even to empty the 'gazunda' in days we stayed at basic farmhouses. Mrs B had similar upbringing.
As a couple and with our own kids we've always done same. Leave as you would want to find. Wash up, vacuum around clean loos etc and mop floors before leaving SC accom. Beds to be stripped and dirty stuff left in bath. If we break anything and cannot replace it we say so and offer to pay.
Went to a place at Griomsiader on Lewis 2008-10 inclusive. On first visit we arrived at requested time to find owner's local cleaner still at work. She explained previous guests had left place in complete mess, no washing up done, cooker filthy fishing detritus all over place etc etc. Landlord rang later to apologise. I don't think they got their deposit back.
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center parcs - any experience? - CGNorwich
