Whinfell Forest; A Great Break For All The Family, If Not A Little Expensive (Center Parcs)

Member Name: ashthetenordrummer

Product:	Center Parcs
Date:	04/07/08 (1023 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Most staff members, bikes, views, wildlife...nearly everything basically!

Disadvantages: The odd staff member, cleanliness and prices

I've just come back from a mid-week break at Center Parcs, Whinfell Forest and that was my third and not last visit there!

Advantages:
When we arrived, the queues weren't overly busy so we managed to get in, unpacked and parked very easily, but I understand it could be different at certain times. Wildlife was abundant, there were red squirrels sleeping on our balcony and all kinds of birds flying and swimming around. We only ate out one night, as the prices are so high. We ate at Bella Italia and were very impressed. The staff were friendly and helpful, the service was quick and the food was delicious. The pool was delightful, it was warm and you could spend hours in there. When the waves are on full it is great fun for all the family and if the rapids are on full as well, that's just as good. The outside pool is lovely and warm after your cold dash out to it and the slides are great fun, though I haven't yet tried the Canyon Ride. There is always something to do, you can never go bored. Whether you're outside playing tennis, crazy golf, climbing, horse riding, even just a bike ride...or inside having a game of snooker, pool, table tennis, roller blading or having a nose round the shops, it's always great. The evening shows are fantastic, they have great performers, great songs and they're just brilliant for a fun night out.

Disadvantages

My main complaint would definitely be the prices, Everything is far too expensive, for example its £37 for one person to go for one hour in the horse riding advanced class. I can maybe uderstand if it's to learn more about how to ride, but not just for a canter round a forest. At least the pool's free. Also, some members of staff can be quite anti-social, many of them were lovely, but the odd one either didn't speak english or was very stern and bored looking, which isn't good advertising. I am not making this statement as a generalisation though. The state of our lodge was not in a brilliant condition; there was glasses and utensils missing, the carpets were a bit grubby and the windows needed a good scrub. There was also cigarette ends left on our balcony. And they told you to recycle everything...but where on earth were our recycling bins??? There was 4 normal waste bins at our road ends and one glass bin...what about the paper and tin bins?

All in all though, Whinfell Forest is definitely a brilliant break and I will definitely be back again, after a few years saving up!

Summary: Great Holiday but Very Expensive