# Centre Parcs



## bigjoe_dub (13 Jan 2020)

I did 3 nights in Centre Parcs over the xmas with the wife and 2 kids. (13 and 18)
just thought I would post up my views and try and answer any questions for peeps thinking of going.  

the site itself is huge.  you check in while in your car.  you drive then to your accommodation to unload and then you have to drive your car to the car park and leave it there until you leave.  now the further your accommodation is away the further your walk will be.  this annoyed me initially but when you see all the kids flying about on thier bikes without having to worry about traffic you begin to see the point of it.

there is a central village type square that has the pool, sports bar, shops and restaurants.  of course the nearer you opt to here accommodation wide the more you pay.
food and drink prices were not as bad as I was expecting.  Pint of Guinness €5.50.  Have paid way more that that in some Dublin pubs.  a couple of the restaurants could do with some attention service wise.  some are really good.  in my feedback to CP I did recommend some of the senior staff in the good restaurants should spend some time in the places that need attention so as to bring them up service wise.    

the houses are finished to a very high standard.  could not fault then at all.  any activities you do or kit you hire is top drawer quality wise.  

my main bit of advise if going is to sit down and plan your stay.  everything (apart from the pool and walks) needs to be booked.  this includes the restaurants.  the website for doing this is good.  when you have everything booked you can print off an itinerary.  Invest in the time to revire and book.  do not wait until you get there.

some people say it is expensive.  well it is certainly not cheap.  the way I looked at it was with my kids the age they are I have to know booked 2 rooms if we go away and stay in a hotel.  for a few quid more we got a 3 bedroom house with all mod cons.

you can save a few bob by bringing your own bikes and going the full monty self catering wide.  for me I cook every day so I ate out all the time.  i also got a house as near to the centre of activities as I could so I did not have to bother renting bikes.

given the fact that they have sent up in Ireland I really think the place could do with an Irish pub.  the sports bar is grand but I think an irish pub with live entertainment of an evening would be a great addition.    following on from that some class of a high end takeaway that does not require booking would be nice.  

hit  me up with any questions.


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## Daddy Ireland (13 Jan 2020)

That's great thanks for posting.  What was cost?


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## bigjoe_dub (13 Jan 2020)

Daddy Ireland said:


> That's great thanks for posting.  What was cost?


€1000 for 3 nights.  you can arrive at 10am your first day to use the facilities (you wont get your lodge until 3pm) and you can stay all day on your last day (you check out at 10am though)

for me with the 2 kids 3 nights in a hotel with 2 rooms is not too far off that.


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## Daddy Ireland (13 Jan 2020)

Thanks.  Were the Parcs very busy.


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## losttheplot (13 Jan 2020)

You can order take away from outside and they deliver to Centreparcs.


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## bigjoe_dub (13 Jan 2020)

Daddy Ireland said:


> Thanks.  Were the Parcs very busy.


a real build it and they will come.  places was well busy.  loads of UK and Northern Ireland families down.  in saying that it was very peacful and no trouble.  always felt safe.  plenty of security.    that price was of course over xmas which is of course high season as such what with the kids been off.  you would get it cheaper off season so to speak.


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## Daddy Ireland (13 Jan 2020)

A roaring success so if busy at Christmas.  Marvellous employment for the area.


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## bigjoe_dub (13 Jan 2020)

Really is. Loads of locals of all ages working throughout the site.


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## Live Well (13 Jan 2020)

What was your favourite restaurant and any activities you would recommend?


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## bigjoe_dub (13 Jan 2020)

Live Well said:


> What was your favourite restaurant and any activities you would recommend?


The standout restaurant was the Indian place. Not a huge Indian food eater normally but this was stunning with fantastic service. Cara’s kitchen was also very good. Has a little playground attached to it which keeps the kids busy while you wait for the food. The segways 2 wheel yokes were really fun. Kids loved the tree top climb which finishes with a huge zip wire across the lake. The spa was really good as well.


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## kevinc (13 Jan 2020)

I've heard that Trabolgan is similar but the quality is far far worse than centre parcs.

Did you find yourself paying more for additional activities?


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## mathepac (14 Jan 2020)

I was a regular guest at Centre Parcs at the Nurburing when I attended motoring events on the Nordschlieffe and the adjacent Grand Prix track.  They had one of those awful "Oirish" pubs in the place called the King Henry VIII !!!. To be fair, all we wanted as a group of adult petrol-heads was a place to sleep, shower, get a bit of bekkkie and store odd bits of cars and tools. Superb for our needs and pretty cost-effective for 10/12 adults renting 2 houses for a 3 or 4-day weekend. The houses had lots of kit inside and barbeques outside. We have an anniversary coming up and we might look at revisiting in 2021.


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## landlord (14 Jan 2020)

Cost me 500 euro for a 3 bed in Early December. 
Four nights, Monday to Friday. Fantastic value. I would recommend. Kids loved it.


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## Ceist Beag (14 Jan 2020)

I know the OP got accommodation near the center to avoid hiring bikes but personally I think hiring bikes (or bring your own) is one of the real features of centre parcs. Cycling everywhere as a family really is an enjoyable way of getting around and the kids love the independence of their own transport in a safe environment, free from cars.
Agree with the OP on booking things in advance, just watch the cost as some activities are very pricey for just 45 minutes fun.


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## Easel (14 Jan 2020)

I went in September with 2 kids under 2 for 5 nights and it was about €600. The cost off season is about half what you will pay during the summer/over Christmas.

*Pros *
The shop down there was a lot better than expected and quite reasonable for prices. Very similar to a Tesco express with a fully stocked off licence.
The pool was great regardless of age and caters to all. There was a class for very young kids on before the pool opened to everyone else.
The accommodation was finished very well and we had loads of space with full cooking facilities.
Good choice of places to eat.
Wide range of activities.
Easy to get around. We were about a 10 minute walk away from the village which was perfect for us.
Great spa on site.
Every restaurant had a soft play area for toddlers.
Great playgrounds suitable for all ages.

*Cons*
The food options are very similar enough in each restaurant. Not a huge number of healthy options.
Not a huge amount to do for the under 3s. A lot of the classes have age restrictions.
No babysitting service like other CP sites.

I will definitely be going back this year as I have zero interest in getting on an aeroplane with 2 young children.


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## bigjoe_dub (14 Jan 2020)

kevinc said:


> I've heard that Trabolgan is similar but the quality is far far worse than centre parcs.
> 
> Did you find yourself paying more for additional activities?



did trabolgan a few years back.  would never do it again.  was terrible.  CP is on another level completely.

with regards additional activities, I had some booked before I landed.  I was willing to do extra stuff once I seen the quality of the kit but could not get any timeslots while there.   (ie laser clay pidgeon shooting, laserquest type yoke in the forest, archery)
This is why my top tip would be to book as much as possible before you go and print off your itinerary so you have no worries once you get there.

also remember, the more you get the kids to do the more tired they will be of a evening so you could get them to bed and enjoy a beer or two in peace.


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## misemoi (14 Jan 2020)

Have not yet been to centreparcs but those are eye watering prices for peak times. We've visited Bluestone in Wales, right beside Pembroke, very similar set up but with a fab dome added in 2019 with lots of activities for all ages. Even including the ferry it's not far off the same rates! Particularly if you can find a peak Ireland/off peak UK eg St Patrick's weekend. Worth a look for a summer break or a definite contender if you're in the SW near Rosslare.


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## llgon (14 Jan 2020)

Easel said:


> No babysitting service like other CP sites.



Important to say there is a creche, gets booked up so needs to be booked well in advance.


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## Alkers86 (14 Jan 2020)

bigjoe_dub said:


> €1000 for 3 nights.  you can arrive at 10am your first day to use the facilities (you wont get your lodge until 3pm) and you can stay all day on your last day (you check out at 10am though)
> 
> for me with the 2 kids 3 nights in a hotel with 2 rooms is not too far off that.


Was that just for accommodation? How much more did you spend on the activities etc?


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## Zenith63 (14 Jan 2020)

Just to add that we went last week (two adults, one 6 month old) and loved it.  Two bed lodge (double room, twin room and a cot) was something like €420 for 4 nights (Monday-Friday).  Obviously the baby could not do any of the activities, so we mostly spent time in the extensive pool area (included in the cost of accomodation), walking/cycling, restaurants etc.

Would highly recommend to anybody with kids of the right age.  If they're very young like ours then go out of season as it won't matter that it's too cold/wet/windy to do outdoor activities and essentially then a cheap holiday without airports, if they're a bit older then you might want to choose a time where the outdoor activities are more useable.

Price wise most things around the resort like the restaurants, shop and activities felt like Dublin prices.  So certainly not "cheap", but you didn't feel you were being gouged either, that was my sense anyway YMMV.

We'll definitely go back!



bigjoe_dub said:


> following on from that some class of a high end takeaway that does not require booking would be nice.


We had takeaway pizza one night, Indian another, Asian another, all were fairly good?  You do need to ring early (5pm) to order as the lines get busy and they run out of delivery slots (€2.50), though you can always collect.




bigjoe_dub said:


> given the fact that they have sent up in Ireland I really think the place could do with an Irish pub.  the sports bar is grand but I think an irish pub with live entertainment of an evening would be a great addition.


Funny we commented that it was great there wasn't a pub, it makes the place feel a bit more child orientated!  I know they can have issues in the UK with stags/hens showing up and they're trying to steer away from this kind of thing, so maybe they've left the pub out here as a trial?


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## bigjoe_dub (14 Jan 2020)

Alkers86 said:


> Was that just for accommodation? How much more did you spend on the activities etc?



yep, just accommodation.  as you can see from other posts if you go during the week or when the schools are still in session you can get it much cheaper.

most expensive activity I did was the segway. €30 for the hour.  3 of us done this.  bowling was not too bad.  think it was 20 for the archery.
pool is free.  apart from walking, tis the only thing that is.


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## PGF2016 (16 Jan 2020)

Easel said:


> I went in September with 2 kids under 2 for 5 nights and it was about €600. The cost off season is about half what you will pay during the summer/over Christmas.
> 
> *Pros *
> The shop down there was a lot better than expected and quite reasonable for prices. Very similar to a Tesco express with a fully stocked off licence.
> ...


Agree with all of this. 

Went in September with 2 kids under 5. Did pool plus another activity every day to tire the kids out. They loved it.
Being able to cycle around with toddlers without the fear of being run over by cars is very enjoyable. 
Service in restaurants was often very, very slow. 

We've booked again for this year already.


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