Squeezing in the very last 4 days of the holidays we thought we would introduce my husband to the joys of Centre Parcs.

I have been twice before with my best friend and all our combined  (6)  kids and they were desperate to show Daddy all the fun things. Especially the swimming pool! Our nearest is at Woburn, also the newest location to the CP Family in the UK and the pool IS pretty impressive! My kids are not even very strong swimmers and they love it there! They have a designated area for each age group with a lovely little baby pool all the way up to a mammoth water slide and outdoor rapids.

For me the best part is without a doubt the fact that its heated to tropical temperatures, the lovely staff who will inflate your pool floats for you and the poolside Starbucks. Yes, you read that correctly, you can sip a latte while your kids wear themselves out splashing about. Seriously, what’s not to love? Oh, and also the pool is included in the (eye watering during school holidays) price.

I am very impressed with it generally though, the cabins are really nicely done and the whole place feels very clean and well maintained. The staff are helpful and good with the kids and there is an impressive range of extra activities available. Most of these are however at a fairly steep price if you compare them to similar activities locally. You can easily get away with not spending loads though as there are soft play areas or playgrounds at most (or maybe all) of the restaurants and if you take your own bikes or scooters the kids are happy exploring the forests and paths for hours. There is also a little ‘beach’ area at the edge of the boating lake. This time with baby ducklings! So adorable!

 

 

For the first time I got to try out the Spa facilities too! I incorrectly had very low expectations of the spa because I didn’t see CP as a spa destination type place but Oh My God how wrong was I!!  It is amazing!!  It honestly felt like walking into a 5* Hotel spa (actually better than some of the hotel spa’s I’ve been to!)  The prices are reasonable compared to London and you get the usual fluffy towels and robes included.  My therapist was absolutely lovely and gave me good advice about my back after my treatment.  They do the usual recommending of products but it didn’t feel pushy at all.  I had the Decleor Aromatherapy Massage and didn’t want to leave!!  My husband had the paraffin wax hand treatment (if you’ve never tried it you really should, its wonderful!)  He also had the scalp massage and was very impressed with both.  The pool inside the spa is lovely and split in to different ‘zones’ including an outdoor pool area looking over the forest and lake.  They also had lovely relaxation rooms for after your treatment.  Bliss!  Will definitely be going again!
We squeezed in a lot of activities including pony riding, archery, tennis, boat ride and bowling, plus the biking and exploring of the forest! Phew, busy few days!

Even when the weather was a little on the damp side it doesn’t really matter!  The kids still love it!

 

 

 

I think it really is one of those places that we will just keep going back to!  I wish we had discovered it before our eldest started school, but there you go.  We will probably continue to let them miss the odd day of school and do the long weekend option.

 

If you haven’t been and your kids are not in school yet then I really recommend it!  Go during term time when its cheaper and look out for their special seasonal things, for example Winter Wonderland coming up at the end of November.  There is a pretty strong chance I’ll be popping back then, so watch put for a review of that too!!

 

PS – I am not affiliated or sponsored by Centre Parcs, this is a genuine review!