10 Reasons why Center Parcs Holidays are Perfect for Teenagers

Teenagers can be a bit of a challenge when it comes to pleasing them.  They are blossoming into adults, spending time with the “fam” isn’t always top of the agenda and they certainly have lots of opinions on everything and that certainly includes family holidays.  Two years ago, after two disastrous short breaks in the UK where the teens were particularly hostile to the whole holiday idea, last year’s trip to Lanzarote was a resounding success.  Not only did they love the holiday, but we spent an amazing week together, getting on, not arguing and enjoying one another’s company. It was amazing.

Keen to capitalise on this rekindled love of family holidays, but not being able to stretch to anything further than the UK, we were worried that our precious family break would be a tricky one again.  But, the kids all agreed that this year, they wanted to go to Center Parcs. I was quite surprised.  We did a weekend break at Center Parcs when they were younger and it had obviously made a positive impression. so I booked five days in Elveden Forest and I can honestly say that it was a huge success. My daughter loved it, she is 9 and was probably only about 3 when we last went, so she loved it all. I was more concerned about the two teens, but as my husband and I have said a lot since our return; Center Parcs really is the perfect holiday for teens.  And here’s why:

There is “decent” Wi-fi

I can guarantee that the first question that any discerning teen will ask you wherever you go; is there Wi-fi? Not only is their free Wi-Fi but as my kids would say, it was pretty ‘decent’. If they can all access their precious social media and watch a few YouTube videos, it keeps them happy and although the aim of the holiday was to get away from the devices for a few days, I didn’t mind some downtime on screens after lots of activities.

It allows them to be kids again

One of the saddest things about being a parent of teens is that they seem to hit 13 and suddenly try to grow up.  What with peer pressure, the influence of YouTube and Social Media, they don’t seem like kids anymore. This week, it was lovely to see the two boys seem like boys again, messing around, playing football and rugby in the forest, getting excited when a baby deer appeared on our patio, getting excited about the exciting slides and rides at the Subtropical Swimming Paradise. Yes, the screens still made an appearance, but to a much lesser extent than normal.

They can be independent

The way Center Parcs is designed makes it a really safe place to roam and explore safely.  Everyone unloads their cars and then parks them at the very edge of the site for the duration of the holiday so you can walk, run or cycle safely around the site. This is a big bonus for the teens and they loved being able to go off on their own on their bikes.

Keys now consist of wrist bands with the key integrated in, so that you tap on the door to unlock it.  These stay on your wrist whatever you are doing and they are waterproof too.  Not only do they unlock the doors but you can also use them to lock the lockers in the pool and for other activities.  They are also waterproof so you can keep them on all the time. We loved this as it made everything so much easier.  You are allocated one band per room but can ask for more if you need them,  this again meant that the teens could come and go safely and easily from the lodge and they didn’t always have to stay with us.  They loved this freedom.

Because the site is pretty much vehicle free, this also meant that I was happy to let the teens cycle off on their own and explore, so if they wanted to go out on their bikes at 9:30 at night, I was happy for them to go off as I knew they would be safe.

The accommodation is appealing and well-equipped

There is nothing worse than taking teens on a holiday they don’t really want to go on and then forcing them into cramped accommodation with limited facilities.  Even the most basic of lodges at Center Parcs are spacious, with proper bedrooms where tired teens can relax and get some time out. Not only that, there is a spacious lounge with big corner sofas to spread out on, flat-screen TVs and some lodges even have charger hubs next to the beds.  There are plenty of mirrors for those all-important social media mirror selfies (and to check the hair of course). You can slide open the patio doors to let in the air and the see the local wildlife up close and personal or sit outside to chill or have meals.  Both of my two teens were very impressed with the lodge, it gave them space when they needed it but also brought us together as a family.

The swimming pool appeals to all ages

The swimming pool, or Subtropical Swiming Paradise as it is called, is amazing.  There are so many different things to do inside that you can literally spend hours in there.  This is something that had definitely improved since our last visit. The Rapids were a favourite of the teens as the twists and turns slide you speeding outside and then back in again.  There are lots of slides of different sizes and speeds and at Elveden, a particularly thrilling ride called Tropical Cyclone, which I managed only once, but the teens went on countless times.  The main pool can get quite busy but there are regular waves, a lazy river, an outdoor pool where you can also sunbathe and even a cold plunge pool if you are feeling really brave. With so much to do and see, this is the ideal place to occupy teens for hours on end and there are even cafés in there too and lots of seating if you want to chill out for a bit.

There is a great range of activities

When you book a Center Parcs break, the cost of entry to the Subtropical Swimming Paradise is included in the price and as I have said, that in itself will take up a lot of your stay.  But for an additional cost, there is a huge range of activities for kids of all ages to do.  For teens, there are lots of activities that will appeal and although the cost can add up, there are lots of low-cost activities such as tennis or badminton which are always fun.  My two also enjoyed learning how to play pool at the Sports Café.

There was even a beach at Eleveden which was an unexpected suprise.  Situated next to the lake, you can lie out and sunbathe or sit and watch the activities on the lake which was really lovely.

There is plenty for the thrillseekers 

If they want to do something more thrilling there are so many options such as freefall jumping from a tower onto a large airbag, ariel tree trekking, glide around on the segway experience, quad biking, laser combat and more.  If water activities appeal, apart from the amazing swimming pool, there are lots of amazing activities on the lake such as the new Aquaparc which is an inflatable assault course which is definitely not for the faint-hearted. You can also hire boats and pedaloes, go canoeing and even try your hand at cable skiing across the lake. Obviously the activities vary according to which village you are staying in.

There is a good range of places to eat and drink

There are lots of great places to eat out at Center Parcs, at any time of the day.  My lot all love Bella Italia, so that was top of our list. But there are different restaurants all offering different types of food.  We also tried the Pancake House this time and discovered a delicious selection of sweet or savoury pancakes and we all agreed that that was definitely a restaurant we would return to.

If like us, you find eating out with two adult-sized kids expensive, there is, of course, a fully equipped kitchen in the lodge (it even has a dishwasher and microwave), so it is quite nice to cook a meal and have everyone sitting around the table.  There is also a barbecue stand out the back of each lodge and you can pick up a large disposable barbecue from the Parc Market (like a mini supermarket) for about £7 and we had a lovely barabecue where the teens did the cooking and we even finished it off with roasted marshmallows.

If you are intending on self-catering for your stay, check to see if there is a supermarket near to the Center Parcs village.  If there is, you can order a weekly shop and do click and collect, so once you are settled in, you can pop along and pick up your shopping for the week.  We didn’t do this, but I know that many people choose this option and when you have always-hungry teens, it is a cheaper way to keep the fridge stocked up.

There are lots of opportunities to be active

My teens like their holidays to be a balance of rest time and active time.  Center Parcs is a place where you can get teens off their screens and doing activities.  It is lovely for them to be able to cycle everywhere and the pool gets them moving too.  If your teens are over 16, there is also a well-equipped gym and if you buy gym passes, they can use the gym for up to two hours every day.

 

There is a fridge

My teens are always hungry, so having a good-sized fridge that I can fill with the essentials is so important, otherwise I would be constantly forking out money for endless snacks and drinks.

I was really pleased with the success of our Center Parcs break, the teens loved it and happy teens definitely make for a happier holiday.

 

Disclaimer – We paid for our holiday to Center Parcs, I chose to write about our experience