Rumble in the jungle (well forest actually) (Center Parc Elveden Forest)

Member Name: karalouk

Product:	Center Parc Elveden Forest
Date:	08/03/09 (619 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots to do, relaxing, fun for all

Disadvantages: Expensive, queues to check in and out

In January this year my family and I spent a long weekend at Center Parcs, Elveden Forest in Suffolk. There are 3 other Center Parc villages across the country - Longleat Forest, Sherwood Forest and Whinfell Forest.

Center Parcs is set in a 400 acre forest. The woodland area is so large and tranquil that even when the village is fully booked it is still peaceful and quiet. It has a really serene atmosphere and completley different from what the majority of this country has to offer. It's a great place to relax and chill out. The wildlife is great too.

The village is set around a big lake. The main part is called Village Square which is where most of the activities and restaurants are situated.

We stayed in a 3 bedroom lodge. You can also get 1, 2 and 4 bedroom lodges.
Lodge types include comfort, comfort plus, woodland lodge, original style executive villa, new style executive lodge and executive lodge. We stayed in a comfort plus so that's the only lodge I can review.

Each lodge is situated amoungst the trees and doesn't look much from the outside. Luckilly they are a lot nicer on the inside. Our lodge was very clean, tidy and well maintained.

The first bedroom had a double bed, hairdryer and televison. The other 2 bedrooms had 2 twin beds. All bedrooms had a mirror, wardrobe, bedside tables, radiators and large window. The whole lodge was carpeted and there was a thermostat on the wall to choose your own temperature. The lodge was decorated in warm colours and felt very cosy.

The lounge area had 2 sofas, a coffee table, a television with DVD player and a large dining table with 6 chairs. There was a fire area with a guard. You could even purchase logs for £5 and make your very own indoor fire!

The kitchen area had a sink, dish washer, cooker, microwave, kettle and toaster. All plates, bowls, cooking equipment and utensils were included.

The lodge had 1 main bathroom with a bath, sink and toilet. It also had a small toilet room with a toilet and sink in.

There was a small patio area at the back of our lodge with a plastic table and 4 chairs. There was also a brick barbeque area but we didn't use it because we were in the wrong season.

The kids really enjoyed watching the wildlife through the large patio doors. They threw some bread out which attracted all different birds, rabbits, squirrels and even a baby deer!

You can pre-book activities on the website before you leave. Otherwise you can book them whilst you're there. The best way to get around is by hiring out bicycles. There is a lot of walking involved. If you have children that are too young to ride bikes you can hire out a bike with a little trailor attached to it to cart the kids around!

Activities include archery, badmington, clay pigeon shooting, paintball, bowls, tennis, quad biking, golf, canoeing, fishing, sailing, windsurfing, horse riding, nature walks, bowling, abseiling, squash, table tennis, fencing, roller blading, painting, scuba diving, snorkelling, aqua fit, line dancing, pilates and yoga. There are also lots of childrens clubs and activities. Spa treatments include reflexology, facials, swedish body massages, shiatsu massages, body wraps, ice fountain, steam bath, herbal bath, salt steam bath and plenty more. There is really something for everybody here.

It all sounds great except you have to pay for every single activity you want to do and not one of them is cheap. Infact the only thing that is free is the swimming pool also known as the subtropical swimming paradise.

We were all really impressed with the subtropical swimming paradise. Everybody from 6 months old to 60 years old enjoyed it. There was a wave machine, lazy river, pirate themed childrens pool (complete with slides and sand pit), selection of different slides, outdoor rapids (which was a lot of fun!) and spa pools. To top it off the water was nice and warm. We literally spent about 4 hours every day here.

There were plenty of places to eat. Here's a quick list of places: Bella Italia, Made, Foresters Inn, Cafe Rouge, The Conservatory, Hucks, The Lagoon Bar, The Pancake House, Sports Cafe, Starbucks and Rajinda Pradesh. Most of the resturants have indoor play areas which is great for the kids and really handy for the adults. We ate at Bella Italia, Hucks and the Sports Cafe. I would recommend them all but Hucks especially. A favourite of everybodys was a jazz breakfast buffet at Hucks. It was around £10 per person and had everything you could possibly want for breakfast - eggs, sausages, beans, mushrooms, tomatos, toast, jam, waffles, syrup, ice cream, chocolate fountain, fruit, marshmallows, muffins, doughnuts, cakes, tea, coffee, fruit juice. Heaven on earth! They also had a live jazz band playing.

There is also a small supermarket that is reasonably priced in the village square. You'll find pretty much anything you need here. There are also a couple of clothes shop, toy shops, sweet shops and souvener shops.

We had such bad weather that we didn't get to do any outdoor activities - it was the weekend when it snowed really heavily! It didn't make our holiday any less enjoyable though. Infact it was just as much fun going sledging!

Accomodation is not cheap - prices depend on what time of year you visit and on what type of lodge you want. We booked a 3 bedroom and 2 bedroom lodge for around a thousand pounds!

I would recommend this place for anybody who is looking for a quiet trip, adventerous trip, for families and anyone who can afford it!

Summary: a wonderful woodland retreat