If water is your thing..... (Center Parcs)

Member Name: MR.COATES

Product:	Center Parcs
Date:	04/10/00 (595 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: VERY relaxing, nice environment.

Disadvantages: Almost everything costs extra.

You've seen the adverts for Center Parc.
A scene straight from the garden of eden isn't it? Oh look! There goes a fluffy bunny!!!
OK, let's not get too carried away...

My only experience of Center Parcs is from my two visits to the Sherwood Forest one in Nottingham.
I will straight away say that I actually enjoyed both visits there but obviously I can't speak for the other centre's spread around the UK.

The idea is that you park your car and for the duration of your stay you only walk or cycle around the various facilities available.
There are very peaceful walks through forests, plenty of cycle routes, animal sections and this is all away from the main facilities but still within the park itself.

The main attraction is of course the great big dome.
Inside you will find a wave pool, jaccuzzi's, water slides, 'jungle river' (a route which starts inside the dome, and takes you outside only to return inside and is basically a heated river/pool which you swim along) and children's facilities.
This is probably where you will spend alot of your time and most people will be doing exactly the same so expect it to be busy.
There are also more 'adult' sections within the dome which include sauna's, massage facilities and turkish baths although this will cost you several pounds more.

That is in fact my main gripe with Center Parcs. You only really get your accommodation and entrance to the dome/pool included. EVERYTHING else is extra. So if you want to hire a bike, play tennis/squash/badminton, go rollerskating, play mini golf etc it's going to be extra cost so if you want to do more than walk and swim I suggest you set some extra cash aside. Typically these extra's will be around £5 although prices change so check with them for the latest.

The price of your stay is based on your accommodation so if possible go in a group of people as this will red
uce your cost quite dramatically. The small bungalows are quite ugly from the outside, but inside things are much better. It's well equipped for the self-catering aspect, the bathroom has a heated floor and I found things generally comfortable.
You also have a TV which also features a Center Parcs teletext service on which you can find useful information.

If you don't want to do complete self catering then you don't have to as there are several places to have snacks or meals if you do though, there is a supermarket on site which sells everything you should need and the prices are not ridiculous which is a nice surprise considering they have a captive audience!

I believe you will enjoy a stay at any of the Center Parcs, it is relaxing and it's nice to just be lazy. Just remember that you're only paying for your accommodation and the swimming facilities so don't expect everything to be included.

Summary: