A break at Center Parcs is always a fantastic time but can become pricey. Find out how to save money at Center Parcs and still have a great time.
We love Center Parcs and visit every year making sure we get the most enjoyment for the least money. Our ‘kids’ are grown up now but still enjoy Center Parcs with us, it means we get to spend quality time together. We can visit out of school holiday time which is cheaper. Whenever you go though, here are our tips for getting the best deals from booking your break to enjoying your stay.
**Covid note : Center Parcs has a Pre Booking requirement for the Sub- Tropical Swimming Paradise
2 hour pre-bookable sessions are limited to, 3 for a 3 night break, 4 for a 4 night break and 7 for a 7 night break.
From 4 October 2021 pre-bookable sessions remain but the duration will increase to 3 hour pre-bookable sessions.
Turn up and swim with no need to book, will also be available between 6pm-9pm.
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What is Center Parcs?
Center Parcs is a holiday village set in acres of woodland. Staying in lodges and accommodation set in the woodland, it’s a perfect break in nature. You have the choice of plenty of activities – outdoors and indoors. Have a read of Spotlight on Center Parcs on the fab Enjoy England for Less website for all the information you need on Villages, accommodation types, activities and frequently asked questions.
How to save money at Center Parcs
There are two parts to saving money on your Center Parcs break. The first is when choosing and booking your accommodation and the second is while you are actually on your Center Parcs break. The key is in the planning. Decide what you want from the break and work back from there. Whether you want a break that’s active or relaxing, family time or keep the kids busy while you have some ‘grown up’ time. Here are our top tips to save money on at Center Parcs.
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1. Book early or last minute
Booking early gives you the best choice of accommodation so you can pay for what you need, rather than for what is available. You can book for up to 18 months in advance, giving you plenty of time to plan and save.
Booking last minute can give you limited options but great prices. Don’t rely on this though as Center Parcs is generally sold out for school holidays.
2. Be flexible with your dates
Midweek breaks (Monday- Friday) can be cheaper or better value than weekend dates (Friday – Monday) and you get an extra day. Monday 5th July is £599 for 5 days. Friday 12th July is the same price for 4 days.
Look carefully at different dates. One week earlier or later can be a make a huge difference in price.
Avoiding the school holidays if you can gives you a much better price. Easter weekend prices for a 2 bedroom lodge at Elvedon Center Parcs start at £899. The weekend before is £549 and the weekend after is £749. Friday 19th March is £469. For the same lodge!
3. Choose your accommodation
There is no bad accommodation in Center Parcs. Though the cheapest lodges are the oldest and most basic, they are still a great base for your holiday and lovely to stay in. Be realistic when you choose your villa and ask yourself how much difference to my holiday will this make? A hydrobath and extra en-suite – worth an extra £70? Log burner and updated style for an extra £50? A treehouse for 6 times the price?
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3. Compare the different villages
The prices are not the same for all villages. You are going to get in the car and drive to Center Parcs anyway so it’s worth looking at the prices of all the Villages within a reasonable distance. You can make the journey part of the holiday, stopping off on the way or leaving earlier. We usually go to Elvedon Forest Center Parcs as it is nearest though we have visited Longleat and Woburn for a change. There’s really not much difference in Villages.
4. Make the most of the free stuff
There is so much you can do for free at Center Parcs, you don’t need to look for paid activities to fill the time. Center Parcs is in a car free forest. Perfect for exploring.
The Sub Tropical swimming paradise is free, all day, every day * restrictions in place for Covid*
Every village has a forest, a beach and a lake. Make the most of these – you don’t get to enjoy walking in the woods, spotting deer or building sandcastles at home. Bring your picnic blanket, a cool bag, and swimming gear.
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5. Do a shop before you go
The Parc Market at Center Parcs has all the essentials at not too expensive prices (more expensive than at home though) in case you forget anything. Bring all your food and essentials with you. Apart from fresh bread every day (that’s our treat – the bakery is awesome)
Our moneysaving tips for for what to pack for a self catering holiday covers everything you need (including toilet rolls!) A few additions for Center Parcs are
- Barbeque stuff. Only disposable barbeques are allowed at Center Parcs so bring them with you along with all the food to cook on it, skewers and giant marshmallows to toast.
- Plenty of drinks and snacks. Whatever you think you need – bring more.
- Cook some easy dinners at home that can be reheated, think curries or Shepherds pie. This is a holiday, apart from the barbeques, make it easy as well as cheap.
6. Bring what you can from home
Whatever you have at home that you may need – bring it.
Bikes If you have bikes then you’ll save £30 a day hire for adults and £21 per child. You don’t NEED a bike at Center Parcs but we always bring ours. We borrow a bike rack from a neighbour, even buying a bike rack saves alot of money. This 4 bike rack costs £73 and a 2 bike rack £27.50. Make sure you get the right kind for your car, there’s different racks for different types of car. The journey there is a bit slower with bikes on the car (and make sure they are secured well)
Badminton rackets or anything that you may need to hire there. Ok you are not going to have bowling shoes but a cheap badminton set will save you hiring charges, meaning you can do your favourite activities more often, anywhere.
Reuseable drinks bottles. For adults and kids. You can bring squash, cordial and soft drinks and fill them up whenever you want. Get fun ones for the kids so they want to use them and for adults – bring one that you can use for your coffee too.
Pool towels and pool toys. Although you can hire pool towels for £2 each when you are there, bring your own, and goggles, nose clips, armbands, floats – whatever you need. Our favourites are our much loved Dock and Bay beach towels, they’ve been to Center Parcs, Cyprus and Las Vegas with us! They are a bit pricey but they dry really quickly and take up so much less space.
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7. Look at the times of activities
When you are looking at activities then you will find some that are cheaper at off peak times – or you get longer for your money. We chose times for badminton where there is lots of availability – this means we can spread out over 2 courts where they are free, or keep playing until the next booking turns up.
Choose activities that you wouldn’t do at home, and ones that give you best value, like badminton or ten pin bowling. One or two is plenty.
How about some more inspiration?
- Head over to the Spotlight on Center Parcs article to find out more about Center Parcs
- Have a look at this About England page for loads of ideas of where to go
- Need some ways to save money on your travels? We have plenty of ideas on the moneysaving tips page.
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Let us know what your favourite part of Center Parcs is and do share any tips you have in the comments below.
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