publication date: Jul 18, 2007
The
new lodges are
fabulous! The only thing my daughter Libby and her friend Ellen could
find fault with was that there wasn't a
clock in the main
living area but seeing as they always had their
mobiles to hand, I couldn't see why they
needed one! The
accommodation is very
comfortable and
well-designed and the kitchen extremely
well-equipped. One of the best things is the
sense of privacy you have - our patio was
not overlooked - even though there are there are
other lodges in the area.
For
anyone who hasn't visited
Center Parcs one of the
joys is being able to
ride bikes around
without
fear of traffic. The
major destination is the
Subtropical Swimming Paradise which
caters for just about everyone -
hot tubs and
whirlpools, flumes, pools for swimming and activities like
snorkelling (book and an extra charge), a
toddler pirate ship in a warm pool, a
children's adventure pool and
wild water rapids. Families of
whatever aged children can
spend hours here without getting
bored and there is a very
reasonably priced Lagoon Bar for
snacks and
light meals.
There's
so much to do at Center Parcs that is really does pay
to plan your break with care making sure
you book any activities you
particularly want to take part in. When we were in the
Leisure Bowl on Tuesday evening a man trying to
book a lane was
incredulous when the
next free one was on
Friday at 9.00am!
A
real treat for us was a three hour session in the
Aqua Sana Spa - pure bliss and if you are a parent of
small children you can link a session in the
Time Out Club with a two-hour spa session at a
reduced price. There's also a range of
therapeutic and
beauty treatments on offer.
We ate in two of the restaurants
Luciano's (catering also for families with
younger children) and
La Sapinière (providing a more
sophisticated ambiance with a pianist at a grand piano) and had
delicious meals and
excellent service in both. We had wanted to try
Rajinda Pradesh but that one was
fully booked!
Contrary to what I had
expected the supermarket
prices were very
competitive and there was a good range of l
ocally-sourced produce and
fair trade items. There is also a
free delivery service when you spend
over £40.
A
holiday at Center Parcs is very much
what you want it to be -
action-packed or a
relaxing place to have some quiet
quality time en famille. We had a
great time and a
plus factor is that it caters for
every age-group and people with
special needs. So if your
family includes
moody teens as well as
junior members there will be something for everyone -
guaranteed!
UK Center Parks
Elveden Forest, Suffolk
Longleat Forest, Wiltshire
Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire
Whinfell Forest, Cumbria
Center Parcs
booking line: 08705 200 300;
brochure line 08708 400 220
Prices
Accommodation in a
two bedroom villa starts from:
Friday to Monday
£355
Monday to Friday
£269
All
activities except the Subtropical Swimming Paradise carry an
extra charge.
