There is no denying that we love Center Parcs. We have been several times now, as a family of 3 when pregnant with Eve, and now twice with Liam’s Parents. We also want to go back with friends and their children. It’s a popular holiday destination that offers a variety of activities and amenities the whole family to enjoy. While it provides an enjoyable experience, it’s no secret that expenses can add up quickly. However, with careful planning and some savvy money-saving strategies, you can have a fantastic time at Center Parcs without breaking the bank.
Avoid the school holidays
I’ll be honest. It is absolutely absurd how much the prices go up by the amount they do when you are trying to book during the school holidays. We Home Educate, so get to go during term time and it makes SUCH a difference. For 4 days term time (Mon-Fri) in a 3 Bedroom New Style Executive Lodge with Sauna for 4 adults and 2 toddlers comes to £999. If we were to book the EXACT same holiday, but in August, the price goes up by at least £1000. It would have cost us £1999+ for 4 days. So for us, it’s a no brainer that to save money, If we sent the girls to school, we would personally, take the girls out of school and pay the £60 fine to save over £1k overall. But that’s just us personally.
Meal Plan
I know that when you are on holiday, the last thing you really want to do is be cooking. However, if you want to try and save money, Cooking all or if not the majority of your meals when away will save you a large chunk of money. I would also advise doing your shop en route. There is a supermarket onsite, but everything costs a bit more, which all adds up. We are planning on doing a food shop before we go on site, using cool boxes to keep chilled things cold until we can get into our cabin. The fridges on site are not the biggest with the smallest of freezer compartments, so do keep this in mind also. I know people freeze their meats to then put in the fridge when arriving to defrost when there. We are also planning to make packed lunches to eat in the many parks and play areas that are dotted around site.
Take your own bikes
Hiring bikes at Center Parcs can set you back a few hundred quid. If you have your own bikes or even kids scooters, I’d highly recommend taking your own If we were to hire out 4 adult bikes, a child’s bike, a trailer for evelyn and helmets, it would set us back around £250. You can get a bike rack for your car for less than that, and you can use it over and over again for future trips also. Check Center Parcs guidelines for allowed bike types and ensure they meet safety standards.
Take advantage of the Free activities
Whilst Centre Parcs offers a wide variety of paid activities, did you know that there are a bunch of FREE things that you and your family do? Here are some of the FREE activities you can enjoy at Center Parcs:
Soft plays – A Lot of the restaurants have a small soft play in them. Which restaurants depends on the location. I think that the Sport’s bars at all locations have a soft play. You don’t need to purchase anything from the sports bar to go in and use their facilities
Free kids disco – Times and days vary depending on the site you vitis, but the discos are either on a Tues, Wed and Thurs or a Sat and Sun night from 6pm-8pm in the Leisure Bowling Alley Area. No need to book, and perfect for younger kids. Make sure you check before you go.
Playgrounds – There are several playgrounds dotted around each site. Be sure to check the map before you go!
Nature Centre – Sherwood Forest has a Nature Centre that Free to go in. There’s also a trail you can walk around and a animal viewing point to do a spot of bird watching.
Baby dolphins – A special pool session for under 3s (you need to book)
Swimming – Unlimited access to the Subtropical Swimming Paradise. Full of slides, splash pads, a lazy river and rapids! As well as a main pool with a wave machine.
The Beach – Each Location has a small beach area next to the lake. Whilst it’s advised you do not paddle or swim in the lake, you can take a bucket and spade to the beach.
Things you can take with you
- To keep the cost down a little bit more, here are a few other things that you can bring along with you;
- If you want to light the log burner, you can bring your own logs from home.
- If you want to attract wildlife to outside your cabin, bring bird seed and nuts. We attracted everything from squirrels, birds, ducks, to deer last time we went.
- Chalk to draw pictures on the chalkboard in your accommodation – fab for keeping little ones entertained.
- Waterproof phone case – you are allowed to take photos of your own family when swimming for personal use.
- If you plan on having a BBQ, buy Disposable BBQs before you arrive.
- Tassimo pods for the coffee machine
- If you’re a large family and will need to use the dishwasher more than 3 times during your stay, bring a few extra dishwasher tablets.
- Activities like pottery painting cost quite a bit, so you can always get a pottery painting kit for the kids and take it with you to do in the lodge. The box cake mixes are also a good activity to take with you.
Have you been to Centre Parcs before? Would you add anything to this list? Let me know in the comments below.
As always, you can follow along our day to day over on Instagram – @simply.together
