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Which Center Parcs Is Best?
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There are five Center Parcs ‘villages’ in England (often incorrectly listed as Centre Parcs). They’re all at the posh end of the holiday park market, but which is best? We’ve done a comparison of the five Center Parcs in England by looking at reviews, price, facilities and location.
If you can't be bothered with reading all this guff and just want the headlines, we reckon that Whinfell Forest in Cumbria or Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire are the Center Parcs villages which offer the best value for money. |
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If you want cheaper or alternative options, try our full Center Parcs Europe guide and book your holiday through CenterParcs.fr which is nearly always cheaper than CenterParcs.eu for exactly the same holiday. Your browser will translate CenterParcs.fr to English if you don't speak French!
Our Center Parcs Europe top picks are:
Our Center Parcs Europe top picks are:
- Center Parcs Le Bois Aux Daims, France (4/5 reviews, opened in 2015, 3 hour drive from St. Malo)
- Center Parcs Het Meerdal, Netherlands (4/5 reviews, 3hr 30m drive from Calais)
- Center Parcs Park Bostalsee, Germany (4/5 reviews, opened in 2013, 5 hour drive from Calais)
- Center Parcs De Vossemeren, Belgium (4/5 reviews, 3 hour drive from Calais)
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If you'd rather stay in the UK and want alternatives to Center Parcs, try:
Anyway, here's the more detailed comparison of Center Parcs in the UK: |
Haven Hafan y Môr Holiday Park is a popular alternative to Center Parcs
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Which Center Parcs is in the best location?
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The Center Parcs in England are strategically spread out:
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Center Parcs in Sherwood Forest is well located for most of the Midlands
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Which Center Parcs village gets the best reviews?
In terms of customer reviews, there is very (very) little between the five Center Parcs sites in England.
When we checked TripAdvisor, all five sites in England were scoring 4/5 based on many thousands of reviews. On Google’s reviews, they were all scoring 4.5/5 apart from Whinfell Forest and Longleat Forest which both scored 4.6/5 (hardly enough of a difference to change your plans). I’ve no idea why Google reviews are consistently higher than TripAdvisor’s, but let’s try not to lose any sleep over it.
I'm not sure if this is particularly relevant, but Woburn Forest opened in 2014 and is the newest of the five Center Parcs villages in England. The other four parks opened in the 1980s and 1990s, although there have been various refurbishments over the years.
When we checked TripAdvisor, all five sites in England were scoring 4/5 based on many thousands of reviews. On Google’s reviews, they were all scoring 4.5/5 apart from Whinfell Forest and Longleat Forest which both scored 4.6/5 (hardly enough of a difference to change your plans). I’ve no idea why Google reviews are consistently higher than TripAdvisor’s, but let’s try not to lose any sleep over it.
I'm not sure if this is particularly relevant, but Woburn Forest opened in 2014 and is the newest of the five Center Parcs villages in England. The other four parks opened in the 1980s and 1990s, although there have been various refurbishments over the years.
Which Center Parcs is cheapest?
We looked at prices for three different types of holiday at all five Center Parcs in England. We then added the prices together to come up with an average price.
Whinfell in Cumbria was the UK's cheapest Center Parcs resort in our price comparison. Sherwood Forest was second cheapest at about £50 extra per holiday. Elveden Forest in Suffolk was the mid-priced option.
Woburn Forest in Bedfordshire was the second most expensive. The most expensive Center Parcs in the UK in our price comparison was Longleat Forest in Wiltshire. On average, a holiday at Longleat Forest cost almost £200 compared to Whinfell in Cumbria
If you’re interested, here are the full results:
We searched for a family of four without pets, including two adults and two children (one aged 5, one aged 8). Our searches were carried out in December 2021. We didn’t include any optional extras, and just looked for the cheapest accommodation available which was always a two bedroom woodland lodge.
One week in August 2022, from cheapest to most expensive:
A Friday to Monday break over the early May Bank Holiday 2022, from cheapest to most expensive:
A midweek break in October Half Term 2022, staying from Monday to Friday, from cheapest to most expensive:
Out of curiosity, we also looked up prices for Center Parcs Longford Forest in Ireland, which is owned by the same company. A week in August 2022 was from £1973 whilst a weekend over the early Bank Holiday in May was £811. Neither of those are a big enough saving to cover the extra travel costs from Great Britain.
However, four nights in October Half Term was £447, which is notably cheaper because they had different half term dates.
Prices were in Euros, so we converted to Pounds based on the exchange rate at the time.
Whinfell in Cumbria was the UK's cheapest Center Parcs resort in our price comparison. Sherwood Forest was second cheapest at about £50 extra per holiday. Elveden Forest in Suffolk was the mid-priced option.
Woburn Forest in Bedfordshire was the second most expensive. The most expensive Center Parcs in the UK in our price comparison was Longleat Forest in Wiltshire. On average, a holiday at Longleat Forest cost almost £200 compared to Whinfell in Cumbria
If you’re interested, here are the full results:
We searched for a family of four without pets, including two adults and two children (one aged 5, one aged 8). Our searches were carried out in December 2021. We didn’t include any optional extras, and just looked for the cheapest accommodation available which was always a two bedroom woodland lodge.
One week in August 2022, from cheapest to most expensive:
- Whinfell Forest - £2028
- Elveden Forest - £2028
- Sherwood Forest - £2048
- Woburn Forest - £2128
- Longleat Forest - £2228
A Friday to Monday break over the early May Bank Holiday 2022, from cheapest to most expensive:
- Sherwood Forest - £729
- Whinfell Forest - £749
- Elveden Forest - £829
- Longleat Forest - £859
- Woburn Forest - £859
A midweek break in October Half Term 2022, staying from Monday to Friday, from cheapest to most expensive:
- Whinfell Forest - £1149
- Sherwood Forest - £1299
- Elveden Forest - £1299
- Woburn Forest - £1349
- Longleat Forest - £1399
Out of curiosity, we also looked up prices for Center Parcs Longford Forest in Ireland, which is owned by the same company. A week in August 2022 was from £1973 whilst a weekend over the early Bank Holiday in May was £811. Neither of those are a big enough saving to cover the extra travel costs from Great Britain.
However, four nights in October Half Term was £447, which is notably cheaper because they had different half term dates.
Prices were in Euros, so we converted to Pounds based on the exchange rate at the time.
Which Center Parcs has the best facilities?
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All the Center Parcs sites have loads of things to do but there are slight differences in the number of activities on offer.
As you are probably aware, many activities at Center Parcs cost extra and some are only available at certain sites. If there’s something you are particularly keen to do, it’s worth checking the website first, but you can get a general idea of which village has the most number of activities with a bit of filtering on the website. Number of activities on offer, from most to least:
So, Woburn Forest has fewer activities whilst also being the most expensive village in our (limited) price comparison. It’s also worth noting that this is only a very rough way of looking at the number of activities due to the way the website is set up. For example, adventure golf is listed twice – once with 9 holes and once with 18 holes. At three of the villages you can do either 9 or 18 holes, whilst two of them you can only do 9 holes. Also, bear in mind that this only tells you how many activities are available. It doesn't tell you how well run they are or which has the most modern equipment. Honestly though, I think if there was a big difference then it would show up in the average customer reviews which are very (very) similar across all five Center Parcs in England. Also worth mentioning is that this data is from December 2021 and that it changes regularly. |
There are more than 100 activities at Center Parcs including archery, minigolf, pottery painting and den building
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Which Center Parcs has the best swimming pool?
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For a lot of people, the Subtropical Swimming Paradise is the main attraction of Center Parcs and it's one of the free things to do onsite (whereas most activities are charged extra). They all offer wave pools, flumes, rapids for stronger swimmers and jacuzzis/hot tubs. They do get rather busy at peak times - we've found they are much quieter and pleasant in the evening than during the day.
With a bit of digging you'll find that the swimming pools are reviewed separately by Google reviews. So which is the best Center Parcs swimming pool? Again, there isn't a huge range in the reviews but the Subtropical Swimming Paradise at Longleat is the best, according to reviewers as it was scoring 4.8/5 when we checked. Whinfell Forest and Elveden Forest's swimming pools were both scoring 4.7/5 whilst Sherwood Forest and Woburn Forest were both scoring 4.6/5. |
Swimming at Center Parcs is one of the biggest attractions (and it's free)
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Other differences between the Center Parcs locations
According to Wikipedia (Ed: hmm...great research, you're fired) there are a number of other differences between the five Center Parcs in the UK:
- Longleat Forest has 'fewer lodges than Elveden Forest and Sherwood Forest due to the steep topography of the site'
- 'Whinfell is slightly different in that the style of accommodation is more akin to two-storey Scandinavian-style lodges, the main centre of the village is under cover, and there is no country club like at Elveden Forest and Sherwood Forest.'
- Woburn Forest is 'the smallest UK Center Parcs village' (though there's not all that much difference)
Conclusion
Based on our (limited) comparisons, Whinfell Forest and Sherwood Forest appear to offer slightly better value than the other Center Parcs villages. They both compare well on reviews, offer a similar range of activities to the others and were a little bit cheaper in our price comparisons.
Longleat Forest has the best Subtropical Swimming Paradise according to reviewers, but the difference is marginal and they all score very well.
I would say you would be best to weigh up the cost and convenience of travel with the money you could save. If you’re in the South of England or the Westcountry you might consider several hours extra in the car for a week’s holiday where you could save hundreds of pounds, but probably not for an off peak weekend where you might save £100.
Longleat Forest has the best Subtropical Swimming Paradise according to reviewers, but the difference is marginal and they all score very well.
I would say you would be best to weigh up the cost and convenience of travel with the money you could save. If you’re in the South of England or the Westcountry you might consider several hours extra in the car for a week’s holiday where you could save hundreds of pounds, but probably not for an off peak weekend where you might save £100.
Which are the best cheap alternatives to Center Parcs?
There are various alternatives to Center Parcs in the UK, some of which are considerably cheaper:
Center Parcs Europe
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There are more than 25 Center Parcs around Europe, in France, Germany, Belgium and Netherlands. Curiously, it is usually cheaper to book Center Parks Europe through the French version of the Center Parcs website rather than the English version. The saving is often £100 for a week's holiday in summer (read more on this).
We did a (rather time consuming) comparison based on customers reviews, price, activities and location and concluded that the four to consider first are:
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Center Parcs Het Meerdal gets positive reviews and is good value
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One other thing to consider is that there's a Center Parcs which is a joint thing with Disneyland Paris called Center Parcs Les Villages Nature Paris so you can spend a couple of days watching Princess parades whilst on holiday. We've got a Disneyland Paris guide, if you're considering that.
Butlins
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You may not immediately think of Butlins as an alternative to Center Parcs, but a lot of money has been invested into their three coastal resorts in Sussex, Somerset and Lincolnshire.
For example, the swimming pool and splash park at Butlins in Sussex cost £40m in 2019. The resorts have similar aerial adventures and high ropes to Center Parcs, as well as some sports, craft activities and several places to eat. You don't get a woodland setting but you get easy seaside access, a funfair and big names performing in the arenas and big tops. The basic accommodation isn't as posh as Center Parcs but you can upgrade to things like themed hotels in Bognor Regis or waterside lodges in Minehead. Butlins has another advantage over Center Parcs - you can pay extra for a fully catered option. There are different levels available, depending on your budget. A week in the school summer holidays at Butlins will cost a family of four about £1000 for the cheapest accommodation. Expect to pay more for apartments with seaviews, lodges and hotel accommodation. |
Butlins has similarly adventurous activities to Center Parcs...
...and the upgraded accommodation is decent
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Haven
**Haven Offers 2022: Last minute bargains from £49 + Summer Holidays from £219 + May Half Term from £249**
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Haven has more than 30 holiday parks in the UK, some of which get reviews of 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor (slightly higher than Center Parcs on average). There's a top 10 guide on our Haven page, but some highly rated ones include:
Accommodation is mostly caravans and lodges. Expect to pay from about £900+ for a week in August for a family of four, compared to about £1700+ for a similar time of year at Center Parcs (based on our price comparisons). To give you a rough idea, Hopton Holiday Village is about 100 acres, whilst Center Parcs sites are about 400 acres. |
Haven's Hafan y Môr is a large holiday park with an action-packed swimming pool
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Darwin Escapes
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Darwin Escapes has more than 20 'holiday resorts' which mostly offer lodge accommodation with hot tubs. Many are in seaside locations and get very strong reviews. Some are bigger than others and facilities vary.
Darwin Escapes resorts which offer a range of family activities include: |
Resorts like Cheddar Woods are much smaller than Center Parcs but they offer lodges with hot tubs and some family activities
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Landal GreenaParks
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Landal GreenParks is a Dutch company which has several lodge parks across the UK and some of them get better overall reviews than Center Parcs.
There are plenty of activities on offer at their locations which include:
They're much smaller than Center Parcs. Darwin Forest has about 120 lodges in 47 acres, whilst Center Parcs have about 800 lodges in 400 acres. If you fancy an adventure, there are also dozens of Landal parks in the Netherlands. |
Landal Sandybrook in Derbyshire offers good quality facilities as well as lodges with hot tubs...
...as does Landal's resort in Northumberland which sits alongside a lake.
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Bluestone
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Bluestone National Park Resort in Wales is a large holiday resort which is sometimes compared to Center Parcs in reviews. Bluestone has got 300 lodges in 500 acres of Pembrokeshire park, compared to about 800 lodges in 400 acres at Center Parcs. So, it's more spread out and less self contained than Center Parcs but it has a fairly similar choice of activities.
In total, Bluestone has 'over 100 indoor and outdoor activities', compared to around 130 at Center Parcs. Highlights at Bluestone include:
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Blue Lagoon at Bluestone National Park Resort gives Center Parcs a good run for its money
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Reviews for Bluestone averaged 4/5 on Trip Advisor or 4.6/5 on Google when we checked. That's almost identical to Center Parcs.
In our price comparison, a week in a two bedroom lodge at Bluestone in August 2022 was £1726 for a family of four (about £300 cheaper than Center Parcs for that week).
You do pay extra for most activities at Bluestone, much like Center Parcs (when I checked, 45 minutes of archery for a teenager was £15 at Bluestone or at Center Parcs).
In our price comparison, a week in a two bedroom lodge at Bluestone in August 2022 was £1726 for a family of four (about £300 cheaper than Center Parcs for that week).
You do pay extra for most activities at Bluestone, much like Center Parcs (when I checked, 45 minutes of archery for a teenager was £15 at Bluestone or at Center Parcs).
Images are from Haven, Center Parcs, Butlins, Landal and Bluestone.
