Tips for centre parcs

Helen_from_yorkshire

If you regularly go to Centerparcs they make you a select guest which entitles you to choose the location of your villa/apartment for free, you also get a £15 activity voucher, £5 shopping and £10 restaurant voucher. You also get a voucher that entitles two people to visit you for one day during your stay for free (I think this is usually around £13 per adult/£7 per child).

We were granted the select status automatically but unsure whether you could ring up if you frequently go to Centerparcs and ask if you could be a select guest.

If you do become a select guest and want to visit Centerparcs with some friends you can book up to three (I think) different villas/apartments and each villa receives the vouchers.

Hope this helps.

frizz_head

Just got back from a midweek break at Sherwood. As always it was fantastic.

Only advice I would give is book up any activities you really want to do before you go - if you leave it until you get there you may be disappointed. Now they have the telephone booking system, it is much better, as they confirm straight away if an activity is still available.

Centerparcs can be as cheap or as expensive as you make it. If you raid your own food cupboards before you go, and spend your days swimming, cycling (take your own bikes if you can) and walking - you will not spend too much money.

Select status, I think, you qualify for once you have holidayed with them 5 times. To maintain the status, you have to holiday at least once a year.

Went to Penrith (Oasis Whinfell) in 2001 when it was still owned by Warners. At the time I would say that the eating choices were more varied at Oasis - there was more choice, including Hard Rock Cafe, and Rajinda Pradesh Indian - which is now at Longleat and Sherwood. (Indian not Hard Rock)

@Plumpmouse, they were showing Hitch, Spongebob Squarepants and The Magic Roundabout in the movie capsule!

Have a lovely time.

Frizz

Spendless

plumpmouse- is your little boy still in a cot? Don't forget your cot bedding as this isn't supplied (we did last time and had to improvise).

plumpmouse

Thanks spendless. Hes in a bed now so we won't be needing cot bedding.

Counting_Pennies_2

Read an interesting article in the Times today, and saw a different view point, I think you either like it or hate it.

It stated very much the same as some of the others have stated.

Main points in the article:
Try and book bike hire ahead of time as it can be a nightmare trying to collect them. Also think about the time you want to collect them, perhaps after you have unloaded the car and parked it then you can collect the bikes on the way back to your villa.

Food is best to take your own, and the spa treatment and anti-ageing treatments weren't billed very highly, so unless it is your only opportunity to have these activities maybe wait until you are at home, and the c-parks surcharges aren't included!

Plan your activities ahead of time and book as much as you can before you go.

Helen_from_yorkshire

Another difficulty with hiring bicycles is that on your day of departure, whether that be Friday or Monday, your bikes have to be returned by 10.00 am. You can however stay on the park all day and are therefore without your bikes which, although it is a convenience, is much better if you take your own.

plumpmouse

Hi all got back from our holiday this weekend so I thought I'd just fill you in.

We had a really good time.

Wasn't overly impressed with the accomodation. Seemed a bit shabby to say it was so expensive.

Butterfly centre and the pool where fantastic.

ParcMarket was suprisingly good. Not to expensive and the instore bakery was lovely. Can totally recommend it.

Activities where good and well organsied but too expensive imho.

Had a massage booked as a surprise by hubby which was lovely.

Whilst bowling both me and dad had a lucky number so both won a free prize. Dad got a large drink and I got a quencher. Tried to talk the bloke into giving me a free game of bowling but he wouldn'.t. Never mind eh

Had one meal out in the sports bar which was appaling the worst meal i've ever had and very poor service.

My other big gripe was that soft play areas designed for toddlers (particularly in the sports cafe) where filled with big kids ( probably up to the age of 10)
Why do parents allow this. It really spoils it for the ones they are intended for.

Impressed overall but still think it is too expensive for what you get included

Spendless

plumpmouse wrote:

Hi all got back from our holiday this weekend so I thought I'd just fill you in.

We had a really good time.

Wasn't overly impressed with the accomodation. Seemed a bit shabby to say it was so expensive.

Butterfly centre and the pool where fantastic.

ParcMarket was suprisingly good. Not to expensive and the instore bakery was lovely. Can totally recommend it.

Activities where good and well organsied but too expensive imho.

Had a massage booked as a surprise by hubby which was lovely.

Whilst bowling both me and dad had a lucky number so both won a free prize. Dad got a large drink and I got a quencher. Tried to talk the bloke into giving me a free game of bowling but he wouldn'.t. Never mind eh

Had one meal out in the sports bar which was appaling the worst meal i've ever had and very poor service.

My other big gripe was that soft play areas designed for toddlers (particularly in the sports cafe) where filled with big kids ( probably up to the age of 10)
Why do parents allow this. It really spoils it for the ones they are intended for.

Impressed overall but still think it is too expensive for what you get included

Plumpmouse- Did you pay full price for your break or did you get a discount? I've only ever been on weeks where you get 25-30% off (normally offers in the paper).

simes

Yep...i echo many of the views of plumpmouse.
But the sports cafe gave us out best meal and it was by far the cheapest restaurant. Surf and turf was £7.95, whilst they wanted £11.95 for just the steak in huckleberrys.

The soft play area would be full of slightly older kids because the park there for the older ones ( over 6's ) was rubbish. My 8 yr old went in to watch cartoon network ..But there was a separate corner for toddlers - the main part was for older kids ( under the height limit - approx under 8's)

The villas at sherwood are being refurbished. It can be worth asking the call centre op for one of those that has been refurbed ( and paying the supplement for a chosen villa number). They are very nice ( went in one a few weeks ago). those in the 700's have been refurbed.
The villas ( lodges) at Oasis are better (2 bathrooms in comfort 3 beds - and up to the standard of the Sherwood refurbed units). No doubt the ones at Longleat and Elvedon are ok because the sites are newer than Sherwood.

I would not pay the asking price though. I have been lucky enough to go on 2 staff weekends as my g/f works for centre parks.

filigree_2

I would suggest taking at least one roll of toilet paper, when we went the lodge didn't have any and we were all desperate for a tiddle after the long journey!

If you have room in the car, take your own shopping from home because the shop is expensive. The shop is OK for the odd pint of milk but it would be very costly to buy everything there. If you can borrow a bigger car or a trailer, then take as much as you possibly can!

The cheapest way to pass the time is just to stay in the Dome and swim a lot because it doesn't cost any extra

There's a sign over the jacuzzi bath warning you not to put bubble bath in it. This is very good advice, don't use bubble bath or you'll spend ages mopping up froth from the bathroom floor. oops