My Holiday at Center Parcs Sherwood Forest 2006. (Center Parcs)

Member Name: James Macfarlane

Product:	Center Parcs
Date:	17/07/06 (1346 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great Activities, ability to cycle, great accomodation.

Disadvantages: don't know?

original review

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I have been to Center Parcs once at Whinfell forest and once at Sherwood.

There are lots of activities that you can do. Some of them are instructor led and you have to pay for (but are worth doing) and others are free (eg.swimming).

The swimming pool is great. There's a bit where you go outside and there are rapids and waterslides and whirlpools.
There's an underwater bench that you lie on with your head sticking up and then the bubbles blow into you!

At Center Parcs you can drive up to the villa and unload all your luggage and than all the cars have to go to the big car park and it's safe to cycle around.

There's the ParcMarket which is what they have as a supermarket. It has a reasonable variety of items.
There are also lots of restaurants and shops for you to eat at which are good. We tried Luciano's (Italian) and the Sports Cafe which had a great menu and we were dissapointed that it was off and there was another menu because of the football. We went away and came back the next day.
But I suppose it is a SPORTS cafe and I don't like football and they did have good big screens to watch the tennis (wimbledon was on).

The villa we had was good. You get 2 keys and have to hand them into the drop box at the end of the stay. We booked 3 bedrooms and also got a bathroom and another toilet in a little room near the door.

The kitchen is small but actually very nice. It's like a counter with a gap for a door.

The villa is open plan with a large living room with the kitchen counter and the doors leading off for the bedrooms, bathrooms and a little porch before outside.

I don't know what to else to say but I hope my next holiday is just as good. I'll review it!

Go to this website for a free DVD and brochure on all the Activities you can do.
http://centerparcs.aspkm.net/


Below I put reccomend as YES however it comes up as no.
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MORE: written by me at a later date. ##########

The journey to Center Parcs can be made in many different ways. There are four villages located across the UK; unsurprisingly all in England, the closest park to Scotland is Whinfell Forest in Penrith. When you get off the main road, the motorway, dual carriage way or whatever it is you travelled by then you are away from the normal hectic schedule of day to day life. You find yourself in this quaint, arboreal forest with woodland creatures, red squirrels, ducks, swans, country birds and rabbits. This is a place to relax, to have a holiday, to enjoy yourself and with you own exclusive villa for your party to enjoy this should be the perfect place to spend 5 timeless days and nights on a fun filled adventure holiday.

You can enjoy the many activities Center Parcs has to offer whilst relaxing in the tranquil forest surroundings. Have a meal in one of the many restaurants and cafes across the village or buy some food and cook it in your own little kitchen. Your villa will include one to four bedrooms, a small kitchenette, a dining/living room and one or two bathrooms. From there you can cycle to wherever you want to visit, bicycles are recommended as the main form of transport during your stay. If the good weather comes your way you might want to try outdoor activities tennis, climbing activities such as the high ropes, horse riding, golf, windsurfing or boating. For the more nebulous, rainy days you may prefer some indoor activities such as an art class, badminton, bowling, short tennis or table tennis, pool, the indoor climbing wall, or even if you’re getting too hot then you will enjoy the Subtropical Swimming Paradise which features many waterslides, a wave machine, baby pond, outdoor swimming area, cold pool, and poolside bar serving drinks and snacks. The swimming pool is excellent; you could easily compare a regular swimming pool to a puddle!

Generally most of the visitors coming to Center Parcs come for the fun filled authentic holiday so you mostly see families with children and some babies. There is also a corporate retreat for businesses that want their big meetings in these 400 acres of forest surroundings. If you’re thinking of joining them then make sure you pack the right type of stuff. Here’s a handy list of those essentials. A camera can help you capture some of those precious moments, a video is great to film those who dared to try the high ropes or zip wire. Sun cream and mosquito cream is a good idea to stock up on as well as hay fever medicine and sting spray if you are unfortunate enough to suffer. Waterproof over jackets are lightweight and fit in your pocket or rucksack and you can slip them on easily then the rain starts to fall. Sunglasses are important to wear first of all, in order to save your eyesight, secondly so that you can see when you are cycling [too fast without a helmet, hopefully not] and finally in order to fully enjoy the swimming pool. Somehow, when you are outside in the water the light seems to get you to squint. Finally money! You will need lots of it to enjoy your holiday, luxury doesn’t come cheap, but don’t worry it’s not that much, and anyway you get a discount if you come back soon!

The company owns 14 villages across Europe, including the four in the UK, Whinfell, Sherwood, Elveden and Longleat. The first UK village was Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire opened 1987, 947 villas, 41 apartments and can cater for 4 278 guests! There is a choice of 11 bars or restaurants and 80 sport and leisure facilities there is also the country club with another restaurant.
In July 2006 the newest ride came. The “Grand Cascade” has up to four people share a dingy and ride down a water-filled tunnel. At over 450 feet long this ride is the size of two jumbo jets. The newest village is Whinfell, Penrith. This forest opened in 1997 and was bought by Center Parcs only in 2001.
Whinfell forest is famous for Red Squirrels and can accommodate 4 668 guests. There are twelve restaurants and seven shops.

Sometimes, on holiday, you may not notice those who are working hard to give you a perfect holiday. These people are the clockwork of the company, the staff at Center Parcs. They are very nice and friendly and will help guests with any problems, and with your chosen activities. The supermarket, the restaurants, the shops, the activities, the information centre, even those who took your booking are all there to help and receive extensive training. Center Parcs employs 1 500 members of staff. The reservations department receives 5 00 calls every day so call early, or book online.

So whether it’s a week, midweek or weekend, try visiting Center Parcs and when the wind is rushing through your hair, or you just got a hole in one at adventure golf, finally tried the big waterslide found it so much fun you went on again, or hit the bulls eye in your target archery lesson you will realise that it’s worth it in the end and be thankful that you came. After all – remember the Center Parcs motto, “every day, the perfect break, naturally”.

Summary: Great Holiday, We're booking again!