center parcs-is it really that expensive!

pinkmami

As a PP said you can spend as little or as much as you need there. I always book about a year (& 18 months) ahead so I get the best possible price. I do possible spend more than I need to there but it's my holiday & I don't go there to cook meals as I do enough of that at home!! We eat our 3 mights & get a takeaway from the Dining service there. We save through they year for the break & I love it. But so far the kids have been happy in the soft play area, pool, walks etc...all free but now they're getting older they'll need bikes & other activities so I'll just save a lot harder. I take some provisions with me in a cool bag like milk, butter, bacon etc...to keep us going but the supermarket is very well stocked.

pinkmami

Strawberry laces - the logs will burn for an evening for you. About 3-4 hours?? The lodges are very warm anyhow cos the heating in constantly on & I find the logs rally pelt our some heat....so I tend not to use them..but they do look nice esp the crackly ones!

Spendless

We went last week of school summer hols (Sherwood) and being a bit more skint than usual made the decision not to book the kids in the Time Out Club or any of the other kids activites.

Instead
We had lunch before went into center.
Took our own food with us, including meat that was frozen and we had in our car fridge. (We also planned every meal).
We had booked accommodation very close to center (due to walking ability of elderly relative with us), so went back to lodge for each meal.

Took bikes with us.
Went to all the parks and the nature lodge and looked at the wildlife.
Let kids use our digital camera so they spent hours outside lodge, taking pics of the animals.
Spent a lot of time in the pool, eldest loved the ride and the plunge pool! Youngest liked the play boats and leant to swim!
What we did spend money on
We did a banquet night as our treat.
We went out on a pedalo
Had drinks at the pub when the free kids disco was on.
I took eldest playing crazy golf, whilst rest of family stopped with youngest and she built a sandcastle on the beach bit of Sherwood. I made mistake here of paying for 2 games and eldst had had enough by end of 1st.

If it hadn't been that a relative was taken into hospital whilt we were there, it would have been the best hol we'd been on there. Partly I think cos we never booked kids into anything there was no pressure on us to be at so and so for a certain time.

bluenose1

We go every year to Whinfell Forest and you don't need to spend a lot.
1. Take your own bikes.
2. Take all your own shopping.
3. make full use of free swimming pool.
4. We bought one treasure map/ orienteering map from Rangers Lodge (think it was £3.00) and we all looked for the clues
5. We book mini tennis for 45 minutes (think it is about £6) Keeps the 6 of us entertained as we take turns to piece.
6. Loads of BBQ's
7.We had dvd player in our lodge so could take DVD's and chill put with bottle of wine.
8.My OH and kids love the dads and lads footy which is well worth the £6 per head for the enjoyment they get

chocolatepennyfarthing

When is the cheapest time to go during school holidays, do they ever have offers on for this?

snoppydog

Hi, It is cheaper during the first week or two of school hoildays I found, although we have only been to longleat. I used this code to get a discount CBSOON but it was a few months ago so may not work now.

pinkmami

They don't issue any codes now. The earliest you book they cheaper it is & they price you get is the best they can offer. Obviously if you have kids under 4 you can really get a bargain & go during school time.

John_3:16

Take plenty of peanuts and bird seed and feeders to hang up outside your windows. You will get all kinds of birds you may not get in your garden at home. Take a bird book and get the children to spot the ones you see?

Swim in the evening the pool is great with the lights on.

Do 1 thing a day that you pay for and make it special. As said if you can take your own bikes. Also take a big jigsaw to do on a piece of thin board? have a game league with a prize for the winner? Take a pack of cards and learn some new games with the kids?
Take a good book.

Rachie_B

chocolatepennyfarthing wrote: »

When is the cheapest time to go during school holidays, do they ever have offers on for this?

book as far in advance as possible

and check school holiday date sas they vary

eg we have got the good deal on our first week of easter hols next yr,as we break up sooner than some of England etc

just keep checking and if the price is low book it ,and it tends to creep up !!

mell242

I'm looking at going to CP for the first time for a weekend in Jan (the one in Suffolk). Thanks for all the tips on here, they're great!

Just wondering about bikes, we have a 13 month old and would like to hire a trailer for him, any ideas how much that is? We would be hiring our bikes there too.

Thanks