Center Parcs: The Complete Beginner’s Guide

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I’ve been visiting Center Parcs for the best part of a decade. Sherwood Forest first, then Whinfell Forest repeatedly, across different seasons, different group sizes and different stages of life.

If you’ve never been to Center Parcs and are wondering what it’s actually like, how a Center Parcs break works and whether it’s worth it, this guide covers everything you need to know before you book.

What Is Center Parcs?

Center Parcs is a brand of short-break holiday villages set within areas of natural woodland. In this post I’ll be focusing on the five Center Parcs villages in the UK. However, there are also Center Parcs villages across Europe.

1. Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire
2. Elveden Forest, Suffolk
3. Longleat Forest, Wiltshire
4. Whinfell Forest, Cumbria
5. Woburn Forest, Bedfordshire

Each village covers around 400 acres of forest and is built around a central hub of facilities including a pool, restaurants, shops and activities. The whole site is car-free once you’ve parked on arrival, which gives every village a pace and atmosphere unlike a standard holiday park.

Center Parcs is predominantly marketed at families, but it welcomes couples, groups of friends, solo travellers and multi-generational parties.

However, Center Parcs is not a holiday resort in the traditional sense. There are no evening shows, no all-inclusive packages and no pool entertainment. Instead what Center Parcs offers is a self-contained, largely self-directed break in a forest setting with a wide range of bookable activities.

What’s Included in the Price?

You book a Center Parcs break based on the accommodation type you will stay in. However, the booking also includes:

• Unlimited access to the Subtropical Swimming Paradise
• Use of the outdoor playgrounds and forest trails
• Access to the lake, beach and outdoor areas
• Free buoyancy aids and swimming aids for children at the pool
• Parking on arrival and departure days
• Free Wi-Fi throughout the village

Everything else at Center Parcs is at an additional cost. Activities, bike hire, restaurant meals, spa sessions and the ParcMarket supermarket are all charged separately. So the total cost of a Center Parcs break depends significantly on how much you spend once you’re there.

How Does Booking Work?

You can book a Center Parcs break either online or over the phone. To make a booking you will need to choose:

• The Village
• Dates
• Accommodation Type

The duration of Center Parcs breaks are fixed (aside from Christmas and New Year):

• Monday to Friday (four nights)
• Friday to Monday (three nights)
• Monday to Monday or Friday to Friday (seven nights)

You can book a Center Parcs break up to 18 months in advance and the prices are dynamic, meaning that as more breaks are sold for a particular date, the price increases.

The booking period for activities, restaurant reservations, bike hire and spa sessions opens 12 weeks before your arrival date. Popular slots sell out quickly, particularly for the Aqua Sana Forest Spa and activities.

Most restaurants require a £5 deposit per person at the time of booking, which is deducted from your final bill on the night.

Which Village Should You Choose?

All five UK villages offer the same core experience: the Subtropical Swimming Paradise, the Aqua Sana Forest Spa, a range of activities and restaurants, and the car-free forest environment. The differences are in location, character and price.

Sherwood Forest (Nottinghamshire) is the original UK village and the most centrally located. Well placed for visitors from the Midlands and North. The pool has recently been refurbished.

Elveden Forest (Suffolk) is flat and well suited to cycling. It has the longest zip wire of any UK village and is the closest to London for visitors from the South East.

Longleat Forest (Wiltshire) is set within the Longleat Estate and directly opposite Longleat Safari Park, which makes a good half-day addition to your break. It’s hillier than the other villages and has a land train to help you get around.

Whinfell Forest (Cumbria) sits on the edge of the Lake District with Caledonian pines, red squirrels and a genuine sense of remoteness. It is the most affordable of the five villages and consistently our personal favourite. Best for visitors from the North of England and Scotland.

Woburn Forest (Bedfordshire) is the newest village, opening in 2014. It’s the most compact of the five and is well placed for visitors from London and the South East.

My recommendation for most first-time visitors is to book the village closest to you. The differences between villages are real but subtle. For a first visit, familiarity of location and avoiding a long drive will matter more than the specific village characteristics.

Accommodation Options

Center Parcs charges per lodge rather than per person, regardless of how many guests are staying. For example, a lodge that sleeps four costs the same whether two or four people are in it.

Lodge Type	Key Features	Best For
Woodland Lodge	Private Patio & Kitchen	Most visitors
Forest Lodge	Hot Tub / Sauna	Special Occasions
Exclusive Lodge	Hot Tub / Steam Room / Games Room	Groups & Celebrations
Treehouse	Hot Tub / Games Den	Luxury Stays
Apartment / Hotel Room	Compact / Central Location	Couples & Solo Travellers

Activities & Facilities

Center Parcs offers over 200 activities across its villages. A handful are included in the price of your break, such as the Subtropical Swimming Paradise. However, the majority are paid for separately.

You only see the exact prices for activities on your break when the 12-week booking window opens. Sample prices are available on the Center Parcs website beforehand, but these are consistently lower than what you’ll actually pay.

The cost of activities at Center Parcs has always been expensive. That became even clearer to me when I started staying at alternatives such as Haven and Butlins. To give you an idea: most people can expect to spend around £100 per person on activities during a three or four night break.

Food & Dining

Center Parcs has a range of restaurants at each village which cover most tastes:

• American
• Indian
• Italian
• British pub-style
• Pancake house

You can reserve tables at restaurants the same as you would book activities. Popular times book up quickly, especially during weekends and school holidays. So if you really want to eat out I suggest booking as early as you can. Most restaurants require a £5 deposit per person which comes off your final bill.

If you’re travelling solo or as a couple and want to avoid families with children then opt for a later dinner slot. The restaurants are noticeably quieter at 7.30pm or 8pm than they are between 5pm and 6.30pm.

Takeaways are available at Center Parcs in the form of the Dining In delivery service. Using this service allows restaurant food to be delivered directly to your lodge, which is a useful option for evenings when you’d rather stay in.

Alternatively, there’s the ParcMarket for buying food that you can cook in your lodge. This is a convenient option but expensive. Stocking up at a supermarket before you arrive is one of the most effective ways to manage costs.

Costs & Budgeting

Center Parcs is an expensive UK break. In fact it can sometimes be cheaper to go abroad instead.

A four-night midweek term-time break in a standard two-bedroom Woodland Lodge typically starts from around £350–£500. The same break during school holidays can cost two to three times more, especially in the summer.

Here’s a realistic budget guide for a family of four on a four-night midweek break in term time:

• Accommodation: £400–£600
• Activities: £150–£250
• Food: £150–£250
• Bike hire: £60–£100
• Total: £760–£1,200

There are a couple of ways to save money on a Center Parcs trip. Some of my favourites include:

• Self-catering as much as possible
• Going to the supermarket rather than the ParcMarket
• Visiting midweek instead of at weekends
• Visiting during term time instead of in the school holidays
• Integrating free activities as much as possible
• Booking cheaper activities rather than the more expensive ones

Another way to save is by visiting Center Parcs in Europe. There are villages in France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany that offer a very similar experience at significantly lower prices, particularly in school holidays. For a family visiting in August, a European Center Parcs can cost over £1,000 less than the UK equivalent even after travel costs.

What to Pack

Center Parcs lodges include bed linen, towels and basic kitchen supplies. However, there is no housekeeping service and no laundry facilities on site so you’ll want to bring enough clothes for your stay. The key things most first-timers forget are:

• Swim towels. Lodge towels cannot be used in the pool.
• A waterproof jacket and spare shoes.
• A torch for after dark. The forest paths can be poorly lit at night.
• Swimwear packed separately on arrival day so you can go straight to the pool.

For a full packing list, see our what to take to Center Parcs guide.

Frequently Asked Questions