A weekend at Center Parcs Longleat Forest

As we were lucky enough to be picked to be part of the Center Parcs Family Blogger Club this year, we have all been really excited about our trip to Center Parcs Longleat Forest.  We have never been to Center Parcs before and I really had no idea what to expect.  We certainly made the most of our weekend and this is what we thought of it.

First Impressions

The sun was shining, the sky was blue and as we drove in to Center Parcs and through the tree lined roads to our lodge, all thoughts of the journey with three over-excited children was completely forgotten. Our home for the weekend was a Woodland Lodge and its clean and comfortable open plan interior was a welcoming sight and we soon made ourselves at home.

Accommodation

The Woodland Lodges are the mid to lower priced accommodation and our three bedroom lodge offered ample space and bedrooms for a family of six.  With three bedrooms; one double and two twin, we managed to work out room sharing that everyone was happy with and there was plenty of storage space too.  The beds were very ‘bouncy’ as the children discovered as soon as we arrived but also really comfortable and everyone slept soundly.

The main living area is all open plan with a kitchen, dining room and living room.  Spacious, light, modern with woodland themed art work and stunning views from all of the windows; there were no complaints from anyone.  There was enough room for the children to run around and more than enough space for everyone to sit down and relax or eat a meal.

The living room area had a lovely big corner sofa which was quickly taken up by the teen who wanted to relax and read his book.  The television in the living room didn’t get used very much, but there were enough channels to keep everyone happy.  The back door and windows opened out to the garden and patio area with table and chairs and a barbecue and you could walk out to a large pond and lots of trees.  We also had a visit from a family of ducks who came to the back door and tapped their beaks on the glass both mornings which the children thought was hilarious.

The kitchen is very well equipped with a cooker, fridge, microwave and even dishwasher; perfect if you are self catering and of course all of the crockery and utensils that you would need too.

Finally, there is the all important bathroom with bath, shower, toilet and wash basin and then an extremely useful second toilet and a utility room equipped with cleaning equipment, ironing board and safety deposit box.

It really was a “proper little home” as one of the children said.  Everything that you need to make yourself at home and more and the best thing was that it was clean; really clean and for me that is really important as the last thing you want to be doing when you are on holiday is cleaning.

The children loved it and A was thrilled to find a floor to ceiling blackboard with a dish of chalks to encourage her ‘inner artist’ and L loved watching out of the window for the different birds and animals that regularly passed by.

A safe place to play

Even though it was really busy, the way the accommodation is set out, it never feels crowded around the lodge and as you return cars to the main car park once you have unloaded, there is very little traffic on the roads apart from the staff patrolling in vans and the land train and this is great if you have older children that want to go out and play as you know that they are safe.  I was happy to let the boys go out and play football knowing that they would be safe and wouldn’t do any damage.

There are also lots of lovely play areas and we were lucky to have a small one near the lodge which was our first stop each time we went out. But there are lots of play areas dotted around the site and it was great to sit and watch the children enjoying themselves on the different equipment, which again weren’t too crowded.

One of the things you have to do at Center Parcs is cycle.  You can hire bikes there or take your own and it is amazing to be able to cycle around as a family without having to encounter too many cars. There are designated cycle paths all around the site which also mean that you are rarely cycling on the road and some of the downhill cycle paths were great fun; allowing you to zigzag downhill at high speed.

Making Fitness Fun

We completely fell in love with cycling during our stay.  We all have bikes at home and although the children all cycle, we very rarely go out together; in fact I can’t remember the last time I rode a bike.  It was amazing, I loved the feeling of cycling everywhere and yes, I opted out of cycling up the steeper hills and pushed but we thoroughly enjoyed the cycling experience. The teen and R often rode off in front (they are fitter than the rest of us) and L was able to build up his confidence.  Although A has recently taken to two wheels, we opted for a trailer for her as she would have struggled with cycling such long distances.  She loved it; it was her royal carriage and we all had to call her Princess A for the whole weekend.  We came back wanting to cycle together more and on Monday morning, I rediscovered some long lost muscles which having now recovered, I want to use again.

The thing about Center Parcs is that if you wanted a calm and relaxing break, you could have one. Walking, cycling and generally avoiding the busier areas is definitely possible and there is also the Aqua Sana spa where you can relax, unwind and enjoy one or more of the many treatments available. But we wanted to embrace the outdoor activities and do as much as we could fit in to the weekend.  Cycling, walking, playing and swimming; we did a lot.  The Subtropical Swimming Paradise is nothing short of amazing.  We loved it so much, we could have spent hours in there.  This is included as part of your break and although it does get busy, you absolutely have to go and experience it.

The indoor pool is fantastic with waves, whirlpools, slides and and rapids.  There are special areas for toddlers and younger children, areas for non-swimmers to sit and watch and even a very nice cafe.  For us though, the best bit was the outdoor pool. Even on a chilly day, the water is so warm that it is lovely to be outside and relax.  For the braver people, there are the Wild Water Rapids which my older three children did many many times and absolutely loved.  Everyone loved the pool and it was a real highlight of our stay.

Activities for everyone

In addition to swimming and the many play areas, Center Parcs offer a huge range of additional activities to suit all ages.  These are all at an extra cost and take place at different areas around the site.

We had to split up for our activities and so the boys opted to do Laser Combat which is described as Paintball without the paint.  The boys were in a team together and they had the best time.  Armed with laser guns, hats and war paint, they weaved through the trees in a special ‘barracks’ and when we met up with them afterwards, they were all exhausted and full of stories of the experience.

A and I went for some more gentler activities.  We headed off the the Jardin de Sports which is the very well equipped sports centre and we played some air hockey (where I was beaten – by a four year old!), Mini Bowling which A loved (she may have beaten me again) and then I treated her to Teddy Bear Making where she created her own teddy which she absolutely loved.

 

The activities were a huge success and there are opportunities to do some fantastic sports and activities such as quad biking, high ropes, zip wire, water sports and more. However, as much as there are amazing things to do, if you want to keep costs to a minimum. there is enough to do without the additional activities and I think that we made the right decision not to book too many things on our first visit as it takes a while to get used to your new surroundings.  We had a big discussion with R in particular who wanted to do EVERYTHING and I pointed out to him that if you are only there for a weekend break, there isn’t enough time to do everything and go swimming, cycling and visit the play areas. However, I have promised the boys that they can do the Aerial Tree Trekking when we return as it looks fantastic and something that the boys would really enjoy.

Eating out and shopping

There are lots of options for eating and drinking at Center Parcs.  If you want to self cater, as I said the kitchen facilities are good enough and you can arrange a food pack to be delivered from the onsite supermarket before you arrive in your lodge.  We had a food pack and it contained a great selection of the basics that you would need plus snacks, drinks and breakfast goods.

We did visit the supermarket a couple of times and it had a really good range and wasn’t overly priced.  If you spend over a certain amount, they will also deliver to your accommodation which is great if you travelling by bike. There are also a good selection of cafes and restaurants and the Starbucks was a favorite with everyone.  We had a great meal at the Italian restaurant; Strada.  The restaurant itself was lovely, with a great atmosphere and really friendly and helpful staff.  There was something on the menu for everyone and we all thoroughly enjoyed our meal and our evening there.

Apart from the supermarket, there are also some nice shops to browse in if shopping is your thing and the children were very pleased to see that there was a toy shop and we spent quite a long time waiting for them to decide what to spend their holiday money on and they all came out happily clutching bags of goodies.  The Plaza is the main shopping and eating area and is always a hub of activity but it is a really lovely area filled with trees, plants and a even a pond in the middle full of fish which the children found fascinating until A overheard someone say that there was a carp and misheard thinking that is was shark and she refused to go anywhere near again.

Would we book another holiday at Center Parcs?

Absolutely.  I know that a Center Parcs break can take up a lot out of your holiday budget but in my opinion it is worthwhile.  We spent most of the time that we were there laughing, playing, smiling, enjoying ourselves and having some quality family time.  It was safe, fun and relaxing.  The setting is really beautiful and it was lovely waking up to the sounds of the birds and looking out to see the sun shining through the trees.  We had a weekend to remember and will definitely be going back and next time I will opt for a Monday to Friday break so that we can fit more in.  The children have raved about it for nearly two weeks now and keep asking if we can go back this summer and it is lovely to hear the boys in particular talking to each other about the weekend too.

We all had an amazing experience and we are really happy to have been given this opportunity to be part of the Center Parcs Family Blogger Club.  Thank you Center Parcs.

I’m a Center Parcs Family Blogger and I visited Longleat Forest village with my family for the purpose of this review. If you want to enter to win a place as a wildcard winner just go to the challenge page to find out how http://bit.ly/1okzxJv.  All opinions and images are my own.