Centre Parcs - Sherwood Forest (Center Parcs)

Member Name: dan_westwood

Product:	Center Parcs
Date:	09/10/06 (7498 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great activities, nice villa, easy to get around.

Disadvantages: typical english weather, unhealthy food.

I went to Centre Parcs in Sherwood Forest and had a great time (but costly).

The accomadation looks outdated slightly from the outside but on entering is very cosy. We stopped in a 3 bedroom villa which consisted of a double bed, bunk beds, and 2 single beds. The villa was very clean on arrival (shame about when we finished with it) and had many facilities including cooking utensils, plates, bowls and cups. There was a small but managable kitchen area and a large lounge area with a corner sofa. There was also a table outside on the patio if the weather was good enough to go out. We also had a bathroom and an extra room with another toilet which is useful when other people are using the bathroom! Bathroom towels are not included but can be hired for about £4.50 for the weekend.

Getting around is fun and healthy as many people opt for bikes, with some people who decide to walk. Bikes cost £15 for a basic adult bike for the weekend and for and extra £2 you can hire a mountain bike which do look, and handle better. Childrens bikes can be hired for about half the price you get adult bikes for. You can get bike locks for £1.50 incase you havn't got one and you get to keep these at the end of your stay. Incase your wondering, you cannot drive your car around Centre Parcs unless you are unloading at the start of your stay or uploading at the end. You keep your car in the car park unless in special circumstances where you can keep your car by your villa - if you are disabled/have a disabled person in your crew or you are staying at an exclusive villa which has it's own car parking space just outside it. There are many activities which usually have to be booked in advance which can be a bit of a hassle as you have to keep hold of receipts left right and centre. The activities range from a massage in the Aqua Sana to field archery with a specialised trainer. Activities such as archery, clay shooting, high ropes etc. cost around £10-£20 per person which does work out expensive. Things such as massages, mud baths, manicures, scuba diving, turkish baths etc. can expect to put you back around £50 with some beauty therapies costing upto £100. There are also many indoor activities such as badminton and squash. These activities cost £6.50 per court you hire for 45 minutes. Racket hire is 50p each. A full list of activites can be found here -http://www.centerparcs.co.uk/villages/sherwood/to do/index.jsp

The swimming pool is actually very well set out with slides, hot whirpools, bubble pools, outside pool, rapids, waterfalls, childrens pool and sun lounger area. It has a mixed changing room but everything becomes very private with lots of cubicals for men, women, families, and a seperate feeding room for women and their babies. It also has disabled access and changing rooms. There is a poolside snack bar which serves hot and cold food, but it doesn't taste too good and doesn't seem to sell anything healthy.

There is a Parc Market which is the equivalent to the normal everyday market where you can find just about anything for the usual prices. The queues are always short so you can nip in and out in about a minute if you only need one thing. There is also a few restaurants. We went to a place called Huckleberries which is american themed and has a good food choice. You did though require to book the table from a booking point and pay a deposit of £10 for every sitting adult. This does get refunded after you have dined. Other restaurants included Rajina Predesh which was an Indian, but you could also take away. Also, there was a pizza place where you could dine or take away to your villa.

On departure day (Monday) we was required to get out of the villa by 10 O'Clock. Our bikes also had to be returned by 10O'Clock along with out keys (2sets) which you can just drop into a box at the information point without hassle. We spent the rest of the day in the pool until we decided to go at around 3 O Clock.

For our stay we paid around £450 for a 3 bedroom basic villa in off peak season, monday to friday (3 nights). All prices seem to be around £350-£600 for a villa off peak, for the weekend depending on how many rooms you have. If you go for an exclusive villa (sauna, jacuzi, DVD player, private parking etc. expect to pay around £200 more. During peak prices an exclusive villa over christmas time can set you back around £1500 for 3 bedrooms (6 people) which is a bit over the odds for what you pay at off peak times for the weekend. A full list of pricing for Sherwood Forest villas can be found here - http://www.centerparcs.co.uk/villages/sherwood/wee kendprices/index.jsp

I hope this review is informative and helps you make the right choice.

Summary: Overall a great short holiday for families and couples.