May 2018
I’ve been to Center Parcs (Sherwood Forest) a few times and it’s always been a fun trip. There’s something homely about staying in a lodge in the forest, surrounded by pine trees and squirrels. Center Parcs has everything you need for a short break away.
I would recommend before you start your break to go food shopping. Stock up on food and drinks, as there is a shop when you get there, but it can be a bit pricey.
We got a great deal for a Monday – Friday break. It cost around £170 each for a three bedroom lodge next to the lake. If you pay extra you can get better lodges with hydro baths and even saunas.
There are restaurants in the village and at Sherwood Forest you’ll find the majority of them in the village square with the gift shops and food market. One place we went to was the Pancake House, which is located next to the lake and beach. You can also order takeaway food to be delivered to your lodge. The menu is full of different cuisines, which is really useful if you want to take a night off from cooking.
Center Parcs has its own app as well, which you can download and book your activities and restaurant reservations. The app also gives you a map of the parc, so you’ll never get lost.
It was my friend’s first time in the parc and one of the first things we did was go to the Subtropical Swimming Paradise. The swimming pool is ace. It’s got a wave machine, slides and outdoor water rapids. To quote my friend…”the rapids are my happy place”. It was so much fun and we spent hours, literally hours going up and down the rapids. The pool is open till late and through the winter it’s a magical experience going down the rapids when the snow is falling.
It was my 30th birthday when we went to the parc and we arranged to do a few activities on our trip. We decided to go out on the lake on a pedalo. I wore my birthday sash and when we were out on the lake one of the boating staff came over on a speed boat to give me a free cocktail.
One thing I’m scared of is heights. However, we decided to do the Ariel Adventure Challenge. I was the first one out of the group to go across the course and the best part was flying across the lake on a zip wire.
There are many activities that you can do on your short break. Some of these include; archery, bowling, horse riding, tennis and even the Robin Hood themed crazy golf. There is plenty to do, but the activities do cost extra (apart from swimming).
You’ll see a lot of squirrels and don’t forget to buy a bag of monkey nuts to feed them.
You’ll also probably meet a lot of ducks and swans and you may have an encounter like this…
We spent a lot of our evenings in the lodge with a log on the fire and making nice food. It was a great trip and no doubt I’ll go back again at some point, especially to ride the wild water rapids.
Until next time Center Parcs…
Travel with Bee 